Chapters (49)
- Also by
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Epigraph
- CHAPTER ONE
- CHAPTER TWO
- CHAPTER THREE
- CHAPTER FOUR
- CHAPTER FIVE
- CHAPTER SIX
- CHAPTER SEVEN
- CHAPTER EIGHT
- CHAPTER NINE
- CHAPTER TEN
- CHAPTER ELEVEN
- CHAPTER TWELVE
- CHAPTER THIRTEEN
- CHAPTER FOURTEEN
- CHAPTER FIFTEEN
- CHAPTER SIXTEEN
- CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
- CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
- CHAPTER NINETEEN
- CHAPTER TWENTY
- CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
- CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
- CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
- CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
- CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
- CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
- CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
- CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
- CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
- CHAPTER THIRTY
- CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
- CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
- CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
- CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
- CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
- CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
- CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
- CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
- CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
- CHAPTER FORTY
- CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
- CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
- CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
- EPILOGUE
- Teaser chapter
“Good night, Abby,” he said gruffly as she turned away from him and walked through her door. He didn’t leave till he heard the lock click into place and knew she was safe.
Back in his cabin, Gage rubbed a hand over the bristles along his jaw, turned off the lights, and went to bed. It took a while before his unspent desire faded and he was finally able to sleep. Just before dawn, he jerked awake, fighting the last remnants of a lingering dream.
Cassandra crying for help, telling him she loved him, him watching in horror as she plunged to her death. Then her beautiful face changing—no longer blond, blue-eyed Cassandra, but golden-eyed, fiery-haired Abby. His stomach knotted. He hadn’t been able to save Cassandra, but nothing, he vowed, was going to keep him from protecting Abigail Holland.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
A SPECTACULAR SUNRISE BRIGHTENED THE DESERT SKY EARLY THE following morning. Abby had never seen anything more beautiful than the pink, red, and gold painting the distant horizon, illuminating the mesquite and tall saguaro cactus strewn over the rugged landscape.
Dressed in jeans and boots, her hair plaited into a single braid, she applied sunscreen, then grabbed a wide-brimmed straw hat to protect her skin from the sun. Abby slung her camera over her shoulder, grabbed the black canvas backpack Gage had provided for the trip, and loaded her near-empty carry-on into the back of the SUV to await their return.
As she walked toward the barn, she noticed the white Chevy Suburban was gone. Maybe the men were watching the sunrise or hiking one of the desert trails. It was a credible explanation, but it bothered her to think they might be out there somewhere, watching.
Gage and Mateo were already in the barn when she arrived, Gage in faded jeans and a snug dark brown Henley, a big pair of worn cowboy boots on his feet. A trickle of awareness slid through her. How could the size of a man’s boots turn her on?
Gage settled a brown, soft felt, Aussie-style cattleman’s hat on his head and canted the brim low across his forehead. For an instant, her eyes met his beneath the brim of the hat, and desire clenched low in her belly. Dear God, the man could have stepped right out of a Hollywood movie.
One thing was certain, the guy in the expensively tailored suit behind the podium at the museum rocked in jeans and boots.
“Good morning.” Gage strode toward her, grabbed the canvas backpack out of her hand, giving her a moment to catch her breath. “Let me help you with that.”