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Story: Chance

CHAPTER 1

Chance Daniels scanned the crowd, the largest they’d had for a Friendsgiving celebration yet. Wilder was a small town. It should be easy to spot an outsider, but with everyone wearing hats and heavy coats, it was proving more difficult.

He milled his way through well over one hundred friends, family, and acquaintances gathered outside in the courtyard, searching for the one person who shouldn’t be there.

It was called “Friendsgiving” and not “Strangersgiving” for a reason. But there was a woman here he’d never seen before. With everything finally settled down on the ranch, the last thing he needed was some new problem to stir things back up.He was done with drama and intrigue. And she’d had trouble written all over her.

He had to admit, trouble had never looked so good. His instant attraction to someone he’d never seen before shocked the hell out of him. It also pissed him off. If he made a list of the top ten things he did not need right now, getting a hard on for a gorgeous blonde wearing… wait, was she wearing turquoise and pink combat boots, ofall things? She was. Complete with a unicorn on each boot sporting a silver horn that sparkled in the midday sun.

That wouldn’t be unusual for most of the women in Wilder, where DDlg couples were the norm, but he’d bet his prize bull, Ironside, she wasn’t from around here.

Women around here knew how to dress for a Rocky Mountain winter day. This woman wore ripped jeans tucked into fucking combat boots, a thin shirt, and an even thinner jacket. Even at high noon, it hadn’t made it above freezing. In fact, Chance was surprised, considering the cold, so many people had turned out for their traditional outdoor meal. But everyone had dressed for the cold except her. His quick glimpse of her earlier revealed she was practically blue.

Even from this distance, he could tell her hands were red and chapped. Where the hell were her gloves? He needed to find out who she was, but first, he needed to take her into the house and find her something warm to wear before she made herself sick. Did she not have anyone looking out for her?

Damn it. He was not taking in one more stray. She was a grown woman, as evidenced by the delicious curves of her well-rounded hips. She had an ass that begged to be spanked, and his hand was itching to be the one to do it. She’d think twice before going out without her gloves and a decent coat once he was done.

But she wasn’t his responsibility. And why did that send a pang through his chest? He was losing his mind. Hell, he didn’t even know who she was.

Keeping Wild River Ranch running smoothly was hard enough. This coming winter was expected to be the coldest in over a decade. He’d hired extra men to ensure they were prepared to keep the animals safe and healthy. Not to mention, they needed to repair the fences and outlying cabins to get them ready for guests next season.

Even with the large crowd, it shouldn’t be that hard to spot astranger. Wilder was a small town. Strangers stood out like a sore thumb. And this woman was tall. Well, not tall compared to him, but then, at 6’4”, not many people were. But for a woman, she was tall. With her lean, lithe body and long blonde hair flowing down her back like the wild river the ranch was named for, there was no reason spotting her should be this difficult.

Seeing two of his newer hires, Gus Moody and Silas Holland, he waved them over. “Find her?” They both shook their heads.

Silas shrugged. “Maybe she knew you were onto her, boss. She probably ran when she saw you staring at her.”

Chance wouldn’t call it staring, but the woman was easy on the eyes. His gut heated at the thought of her wearing nothing but his ropes, bound and trussed up, waiting for him to do whatever he wanted. He took a deep breath and willed his body to relax.

He had spotted her once when the crowd parted, and once again, lifting her camera before stepping back to take a few pictures. What was that about? Who takes pictures of people they don’t even know? Was she scamming people?

Irritation and protectiveness for his friends had him loping in her direction. She must have had some sixth sense because she stiffened and looked over her shoulder directly at him.

Her eyes narrowed before she turned back to her latest subject. Placing a hand on the man’s arm, she whispered something into the man’s ear before vanishing into the crowd.

Now here it was, an hour later. He’d been looking for her ever since.

“Um, boss?” Gus said. “I think I know why we couldn’t find her in the crowd.”

“And why is that?” Chance asked, tipping up his Stetson.

“I think she decided to visit old Ironside.” Gus pointed to the holding pen where the largest bison they owned was housed temporarily.

Well. Shit.

The day had startedout great for Calliope Joy Joplin. She had her camera, some photo booth props she kept in her trunk, and her can-do spirit. Everyone she asked allowed her to take their photo. It didn’t take long for news to work through the crowd. By early afternoon, people were coming up to her.

There had to be over a hundred people standing around her, listening to a local band play at the Wild River Ranch Friendsgiving celebration. She’d been right. It was the perfect opportunity to earn some cash and get her name out in the community.

When she’d left home the way she had, she’d never imagined finding another town like Nameless. Oh, Wilder, Wyoming, had its differences. But another community built around people who enjoyed living a DDlg lifestyle? She’d thought it was lost to her forever.

Wilder even had a lot of the quirkiness she loved. Like holding a Friendsgiving celebration a few days before Christmas rather than Thanksgiving. All she knew was it suited her just fine.

She couldn’t wait to set up her own studio here. Of course, first, she would need money. Thus, the necessity of sneaking onto Wild River Ranch to do what she did best, taking pictures that made people feel good.

Not that this was the kind of photography she normally did. She owned a studio in Nameless, at least she had before circumstances forced her to leave. People loved her work so well it became necessary for her clients to book appointments well in advance. Her calendar was always full, and her waiting list was long.

At least they used to. Now, no one was waiting. Her studio was over a thousand miles away. She had no idea when or if she’d ever be able to return.