Page 1

CHAPTER 1

Dread and relief crept closer as the sky around him blazed. They breathed down the back of his neck, pricking his anticipation. Boone Daniels settled a muscled arm on his saddle horn, leaning forward and rubbing his horse's neck. Boone Daniels leaned on his saddle horn and rubbed his horse's neck. He’d been up for hours, feeding the animals and making sure they had hay and water. Once he had finished, he’d headed for the eastern pasture so he could watch the sunrise.

Dollar whinnied and stomped the snow. “I know, boy. But this is worth braving the frozen ground. Just look.” Settling back in his saddle, he watched as the rising sun painted the sky with deep purples and burnt oranges like fire.

Adjusting the collar of his jacket to keep out the wind, he thanked the good Lord, not for the first time, for the warmth of thick wool linings. As the brilliant colors faded, the deep blue skies wisped clouds across the neverending sky. Boone turned Dollar toward home.

Halfway there, his phone buzzed in his pocket. Grinning at the name displayed, he took the call, only surprised was it hadtaken this long. Chance had most likely been up as long as Boone.

Boone took the call and got in the first words. It was his right as the oldest. “Mornin’ Chance. I’m headed back in. Tell me there’s some of Ruby’s biscuits left.”

“Oh, no can do, buckaroo,” Chance said, sharing a joke they’d kept going since childhood. He couldn’t even remember how it had started, but it always made him smile. “I tried to save you one, but you know how Tanner and Trace are. When I reached for the last one, they tried to jab me with their forks.”

“You tell Mr. Boone I saved him three biscuits in the kitchen. He can come get them whenever he gets back,” Ruby called from what sounded like the other side of the room.

That she’d saved him some biscuits didn’t surprise him. Ruby had been taking care of the house and the cooking for as long as he could remember. She had always been part of the family, and he’d always be grateful for the way she had stepped up as a mother to Kenzie when they lost their parents seven years ago.

“I saw you took care of the animals. Where’d you go after that?”

“Sightseeing,” he said. “I wanted to watch the sun come up.”

“It does that every day, brother. What made you want to watch this one?”

Boone wasn’t getting into that over the phone. “Nothing in particular. Like I said, I’m headed back to the house now.”

Disconnecting the call, his thoughts turned to the place he’d called home for thirty-six years. If only he were headed back to start helping everyone get ready for the holiday season. Thanksgiving was a huge deal on the Wild River Ranch. They got the homestead all decked with twinkling lights and sparkly decorations. Everyone looked forward to it.

As far as he was concerned, Thanksgiving Day was the best day of the year. His family all worked together to cook a feastfor everyone who worked on the ranch. It took a lot of people to run a dude ranch, and the work was far from easy. The annual Thanksgiving celebration was one of the ways they showed their appreciation; just a small way to show how thankful they were for their friends.

Lord knew Boone gave thanks for that and so much more. No one understood the blessings of their home more than him. It was a legacy he and his brothers and sister shared. As joint owners of the family ranch, they stepped in behind their forefathers as the fifth generation of Daniels to own Wild River Ranch.

As one of the oldest working dude ranches in the country, it did well enough to support them all. Especially now that they’d added Wilder Security.

The private security company was his domain. He hired mostly veterans, many of whom he knew and had served with personally.

“We’ve seen a lot, haven’t we, Dollar?”

He and Dollar had been together for sixteen years. He was going to miss his horse almost as much as he’d miss his brothers. When he’d left the service, Dollar had kept him sane.

If everyone had a horse and the wide open range, the therapy business would take a hit. He knew his siblings loved him and would do anything they could to help him. All he had to do was ask. But he’d seen things he didn’t want to share with them. But he could talk to Dollar. He didn’t have to watch his words.

Closer to the ranch house, the Grand Tetons on the horizon arrested his gaze. He’d seen the same vista almost every day he’d spent on the ranch, yet it never failed to take his breath away. They were as majestic this morning as every other time he’d seen them. He’d have to make it to the west pasture this evening to watch the sunset behind the mountains. It was the only thing in nature that beat the sunrise.

“You’re gonna have to keep up your climbing skills,” he called to Dollar. “If I make it back from this trip, we’ll be headed that way as soon as I get my bag unpacked.”

Ifwas the important word in that sentence. Chances were better than not that he wouldn’t be coming back. Of course, no one knew that but Dollar. No sense worrying everybody over things they couldn’t change.

This was one mission that was worth the cost. Not that it was a mission in the strictest sense of the word. He’d been out of the Pararescue Jumpers for three years. As a leader in one of the elite teams who went in when US military personnel were trapped or held behind enemy lines, they did whatever it took to bring everyone home alive.

“But that’s not always enough, is it, boy?” Dollar had nothing to say.

It hadn’t been enough three years ago. But he’d be setting that right soon, even if it was the last thing he did. He gave Dollar his head, and, as usual, Dollar broke into a gallop and headed home.

“What the helldo you mean you’re leaving?” Chance’s voice shook with emotion. “I thought we were all sitting down next week and going over the ranch’s books, then planning out next year. We have to start planning projects now if we want to have any hope of finishing them by tourist season.”

Boone might be the oldest by three years, but Chance was the one who ran the ranch. They all pitched in, but his brother was in charge. Boone had his hands full running the security business.

“As much as I hate to miss that,” Boone said, trying and failing to keep the sarcasm out of his voice, “I have to do something important. The timing wasn’t my call.”