Page 1 of Chance (Wild River Ranch #3)

C hance 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, of all 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 a stranger.

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 started out 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.

It was a good thing she enjoyed meeting new people. Looking people in the eye and convincing them to pose brought her back to when she first started photography.

“Thanks for allowing me to take your picture,” she told the cute young couple she’d just finished photographing. “That is the cutest baby I’ve ever seen!”

They walked away smiling, reminding her of why she loved what she did. Sure, when she told people she was a boudoir photographer, she got a funny look. But she helped people, mostly women, realize every single body was sexy. Sexy wasn’t about the outside of a person. Not really.

Sexy was about believing in your own power and appeal. Real sexiness came from the inside. She helped people find that. And she helped people preserve the special moments of their lives. She loved it.

Then a tickle of knowing shivered through Joy. Her granny would have said it meant someone had walked over her grave, but that wasn’t the case. Her mother would have said she needed a coat, but that wasn’t it, either. Joy knew without a shadow of a doubt someone was watching her.

With so many people milling around, she shouldn't be surprised. Technically, people had looked at her all day long.

But that was before, when all her memories were happy ones. Now, she slept with one eye open and broke out in a sweat whenever she sensed someone's gaze on her. Like she did now.

She scanned the crowd, hoping to spot the person staring at her. However, she was surrounded by strangers. No one seemed to be paying any particular attention to her. The guests here were just part of the landscape, not unlike the grand mountains and the tall pines and spruce.

There went that tickle of awareness again. She was probably paranoid. Then a tap on her shoulder made her jump out of her skin. Spinning around, relief flooded her when a clean-cut man in a white button-down and denim jacket smiled at her .

“I found my girl and our boy,” he said. “Can you take a picture of us now?”

Putting her fears on the back burner, she smiled. “I'd love to. Why don't we go to the wagon over there, and we'll get you posed up.”

The man had a beautiful family, and it didn't take long for her to provide several pictures for them to choose from. She showed the couple the images, and they selected their favorites. After they paid, she emailed them digital copies of their photos, and they left happier than when they’d arrived. Yes, she loved her job.

Then she spotted him, staring right at her. A tall, strong cowboy with a frown on his face. Glancing around, she looked for a place she could go to outside the gathering.

As if hearing her silent wish, Joy spotted the most breathtaking sight she'd ever seen. An adorable bison calf romped and cavorted around the pen, and she knew she’d found her special moment.

Why did they have such a cute calf penned up away from its herd? It didn’t look sick or injured. It was getting older, but she’d be willing to bet it should still be nursing. Where was its mother?

Taking pictures of a creature so happy and carefree was just what the doctor ordered. It would be so much fun, and it would get her away from the cowboy. Trying to appear as nonchalant as possible, Joy wove her way through the crowd.

The slats of the wooden fence were the perfect distance apart for climbing. She made it over in no time. Holding out her hand, she inched closer to the baby bison one tiny step at a time.

In her softest voice, she talked to the cutie.

“Hi, there, sweetie. You are a cutie patootie, you know that?” She paused to take a few pictures.

He was… oops, she was as cute as a button.

“You are just adorable. I wanted to take a few pictures of you, but with that soft, downy fur, I will have to take a selfie of the two of us, too. You’d like that, wouldn’t you, girl? ”

Moving slowly, she waited for the calf to feel comfortable. Then, stepping closer, she focused on getting the best picture possible. She might even leave one for the owner of the ranch to use in their advertising.

After snapping a few pictures, she turned to make her way back out of the pen, only to find herself face to face with the largest bison she’d ever seen in her life. It was all she could do not to scream. How in the heck had something roughly the size of a mountain snuck up on her?

She glared at her newly made baby bison friend. “I thought you said we were alone!”