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Chapter One

Everly resisted the temptation to check the time again. It couldn’t have been more than five minutes since the last time she looked. She was here early. If he was going to show, it wouldn’t be for at least another fifteen minutes. As much as she wanted to believe that he would come, the heavy ball of disappointment that was so familiar when it came to him was already lodged in her stomach.

She took another sip of her wine. She’d been tempted to order something stronger and knock it back to calm her nerves, but she had to drive back to the Remington Ranch later. Since she could only have one drink, she’d splurged on a decent cabernet sauvignon. She was surprised that they served it all the way out here in Montana, but perhaps she shouldn’t be. The place had turned out to be a lot more civilized than she’d expected.

Corinne had told her a lot about the area: that there were lots of tourists who came through on their way to visit Yellowstone National Park, there were some big ranches, and more and more transplants who’d moved to the valley over the last few years. Everly had still expected it to be more like the Wild West.

She glanced up when the bartender walked by. Holy crap! That was one sexy cowboy. He was the kind of good-looking that made your jaw drop. She chuckled to herself – judging by the way the women who came to the bar reacted to him and his flirting, she’d bet that he also made panties drop at his command.

“Are you laughing at me?”

He’d stopped right in front of her and braced his hands on the bar. When she looked up into his eyes, he took her breath away – he was just that good looking. He knew it, too. Those big, green eyes danced with amusement as he smiled at her.

She smiled right back. “Not exactly. I wasn’t laughingat you, more at the way you work it.”

He gave her a puzzled look. “You mean work the bar?”

“No. I mean work your advantages while you’re behind the bar.”

He cocked an eyebrow.

“You know damn well what I mean. Every chick you’ve served since I came in has gone away with a dreamy smile on her face, and the hope that she’ll be the lucky one you go home with later.”

He stared at her for a long moment, and then burst out laughing. The sound of it seemed to wrap itself around her, and she had to join in.

“I would say that you nailed it, but you’re not totally right.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Really? What did I miss?”

He leaned toward her over the bar. “There was this one chick who acted like I had no effect on her at all.” He looked down at her glass. “She just ordered a glass of cab like she knew her wines, and then she proceeded to ignore me.”

She shrugged. “I’m too used to being on that side of the bar. I’m not going to start acting like a tourist just because I’m on this side tonight.”

“You’re not a local.”

“Nope, but I think tourists and locals have the same dynamics in bars and resorts, no matter where they are.”

“I guess so.” He smiled, and even though she knew his game and wasn’t interested in playing it, a little shiver still ran down her spine. “He’s a lucky guy.”

“Excuse me?”

“The one you’re waiting on.”

Her smile faded. “Oh, yeah. Right.” She nodded toward the other end of the bar where a big group, who had to be locals, had just come in and were trying to get his attention. “You’d better get back to it. I won’t be much use to you tonight. I’ll be nursing this since I’m driving.”

“You’re not staying here at the resort?”

She shook her head.

“Where then?”

Beyond the looks, he seemed like a decent guy, but she was hardly going to tell him where she was staying. “On one of the ranches.”

He held her gaze for a moment, looking as though he was going to ask which one, but she shrugged, and he seemed to realize that he shouldn’t. Instead, he nodded and held her gaze.

She wouldn’t deny that she enjoyed his attention and sure, she’d love to chat some more with him, but he needed to get back to work, and she needed to prepare herself for what was to come.

“Tanner!” A blonde cowgirl, one of the group who’d just come in, called his name.