The Cowboy's Valentine. DONNA ALWARD

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Chapter One

      The last place in the world Lacey Duggan expected to find herself was back at Crooked Valley Ranch.

      It had only been a month since she’d shared the Christmas holiday with her brother Duke at the ranch they’d once called home. Those days were a lifetime ago. She’d never wanted to return to the small town of Gibson, Montana. Instead she’d made her life in Helena, working for the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. She wasn’t a farmer, or even much of an outdoor girl. Her work for the department was spent in an office. It wasn’t that she didn’t care; she genuinely enjoyed working with grant proposals and budgets. She just didn’t need to be out there in hip waders or rubber boots doing all the digging around. The desk job suited her just fine.

      Or at least it had. Past tense.

      She stood on the porch of the main house, hesitating. All it would take was the slightest reach and she could open the door and step inside. But right now it seemed like too much to ask. The moment she did that was the moment she admitted every single aspect of her life had fallen apart. First it was the diagnosis that had killed her dreams. Then it was the divorce. She’d made it through both of those, holding on to what she had left—her job. Then came the kicker. The new budget had come down and her position had been made redundant. After six years in the same department, she was out of work.

      And one-third owner of a ranch she didn’t want.

      A gust of wind swirled up the steps and around the porch, icy cold on her legs. This was ridiculous. It was just a door. It signified nothing, really. Except that it was warm in there and cold out here. With a frown she reached for the knob, only to have it ripped out of her hand the moment she touched it. She stared blindly as the door opened and a large figure stood in the doorway, blocking her from entering.

      Quinn Solomon.

      Her hand was still stretched out, hanging in thin air as she looked up to see the ranch manager staring down at her. Quinn. Quinn with the startling blue eyes and broad shoulders and long legs and cute daughter—and a low opinion of Lacey Duggan.

      “Are you coming in or are you going to stand there all day?”

      His harsh voice interrupted her assessment and despite the cold she felt her cheeks heat. “Sorry...”

      “We’re not paying to heat the outdoors. Get in here, you foolish woman.”

      Her pride blistered as she obeyed, sliding past him into the warmth of the foyer. The house wasn’t huge but it was welcoming, and she dropped her purse on the floor and rubbed her arms a bit. Exactly how long had she stood out there?

      She glanced up and met his probing gaze. “I didn’t expect you to be here,” she said, not meaning it to be an accusation, but it sounded like one just the same.

      “I work here. My office is here. But don’t worry, Lacey. I’ll stay out of your way.”

      “I didn’t mean it that way.” She sighed. Duke and Quinn were good friends now, and she was sure her brother had told the ranch manager all about her situation, which was humiliating enough. “Look, Quinn, I’m not that happy about being here, either.”

      “I’m pretty sure I already knew that. So why did you come, Lacey?”

      From the moment they’d met, he’d never beat around the bush with her. He always said exactly what was on his mind and she might have found that refreshing except that she was usually on the receiving end of a criticism. Her pride already smarting, she decided she’d meet bluntness with bluntness.

      “The truth is, if I’d been wise and built up a better savings, I could have had cash flow to keep my place while I looked for another job. As it is, I had to cover my month’s rent with my last paycheck and my unemployment won’t kick in for another few weeks. My furniture is in my mom’s garage while I figure things out, and I already feel like a big fat failure, so you don’t have to go out of your way to exert your authority. I get it. You’re the boss.” She didn’t even mention the car repair that had cost her nearly a thousand dollars. A thousand bucks might have at least afforded her a buffer. She couldn’t seem to catch a break, and she’d die before going to Carter for money. She was pretty sure she was sick of the “throw good money after bad” speech.

      He took a step closer, close enough that she could feel the warmth of his body emanating from beneath his plaid work shirt, smell the clean, fresh scent of his soap and see the particularly attractive bow shape to his lips. Determined, she stood her ground.

      “This,” he said darkly, “has absolutely nothing to do with my authority but a hell of a lot to do with yours. You own one-third of this ranch, but you’ve made it clear that you hate it and that it’s a last resort for you. Forgive me if that doesn’t make me feel all warm and fuzzy.”

      “I didn’t mean it that way...”

      He shook his head. “Yes, you did. And that’s fine. Let’s just not pretend it’s anything other than what it is. You need a place that’s free and Duke needs time to convince you to hang on to your third. My job? Is to run the place as if your family drama didn’t exist.”

      She swallowed. He was absolutely right. Instead of appreciating the fact that she actually had an alternative, she was showing up with a big ol’ resentful chip on her shoulder. It just so happened that Quinn seemed to be able to get her back up without even trying. He had from the moment they’d met.

      “I don’t want to keep you from your job, then,” she replied, mollified. “I’ll just get settled. And find Duke.” She didn’t know what would happen after that. She owned a third of Crooked Valley, but she knew absolutely nothing about running a ranch. What had her grandfather been thinking, anyway, leaving the place to the three of them? Duke had been in the Army when the will had been drafted, and Rylan...well, Rylan was never in one place for long. She supposed leaving the place to the three of them was the old man’s way of getting them on the ranch since he hadn’t succeeded in doing that when he was alive.

      “Duke and Carrie are both out, moving the herd to a new pasture. They won’t be in until midafternoon.”

      “Oh.”

      “You’re a big girl. I’m sure you can find a way to amuse yourself. If you’ll excuse me...”

      She stepped aside, took off her coat and hung it on a hook in the entry. Quinn, on the other hand, pulled on boots, a heavy jacket, hat and thick gloves. “You’ll find the door’s rarely locked here, Lacey. All you have to do is turn the knob and come in.”

      It might have been a welcoming sort of sentiment if it hadn’t made her feel stupid and foolish. With a huff she turned her back on Quinn and walked away, heading towards the kitchen and main living room. A few moments later she heard the door open and close and she finally relaxed her shoulders. Good riddance.

      She had to admit, the house was cozy, despite its size. The downstairs contained a huge kitchen, living room, formal dining room, and the ranch office as well as a half bath and large doors exiting onto a deck that offered a view of rolling hills and the mountains in the distance. Upstairs, as she’d learned at Christmas, were four large bedrooms. СКАЧАТЬ