While Skylar MacKenna inhaled the familiar smells of dust, livestock, and testosterone, she couldn’t help but enjoy watching the men work. The flex of muscle, lean bodies in tight Wrangler jeans, leather chaps, tanned forearms . . . It was enough to leave any woman panting.
Skylar shifted in her saddle as she watched her ranch hands count the cattle they’d rounded up over the weekend. Empress, Skylar’s Quarter Horse, pawed at the ground beneath them as the sorrel mare tossed her head and whickered.
The sight of the hard, muscled bodies should have moved her, but . . . no man had since him.
She didn’t want to think about him. But sometimes memories of Zack Hunter came to her hard, fast, and unbidden.
The busy hum of deep male voices and bawling cattle filled the otherwise still air. Saddle leather creaked as Skylar leaned down and rubbed the side of Empress’s neck.
Skylar frowned and straightened in her saddle. Damn it, why couldn’t she let those memories go? It was such ancient history.
Pushing up the brim of her straw Resistol, Skylar’s gaze followed Luke Rider, her new foreman as he rode his dun, the Quarter Horse’s powerful haunches bunching as she flowed smoothly between Luke’s thighs. Now there was one fine looking male—a bad boy with luscious chestnut brown hair, wicked blue eyes and a body that was made for sweaty sheets and long nights.
In the past month since she’d hired him, Luke had definitely give her the impression that he was more than interested in breaking her no dating employees rule. And considering how gorgeous he was, even she called herself a fool for not taking him up on his unspoken invitation. But she just wasn’t interested. Besides, why complicate a perfectly good business relationship?
And then there was Wade Larson, who owned Coyote Pass Ranch, the spread neighboring hers. For years the man had made it clear he wanted her. She’d dated him a few times recently, and Wade was a handsome man, but she never felt that sizzle with him like she’d had with Zack. So despite his continued persistence, she had broken it off and intended to keep it that way.
Damnit. She was over that idiot, Zack Hunter. Ten years was too long to allow that man to come into her mind and trample all over her heart and soul.
Sweat trickled between her breasts and she unfastened another snap on her western shirt, hoping a light wind would kick up and cool her skin. As she shifted again, the small J Magnum Smith & Wesson in the holster on her waistband felt comforting. She was a crack shot—her father had taught her to shoot from the time she could hold a firearm.
Arizona was a “right to carry” state and for years she’d had a concealed weapon permit. She kept the S&W on her most of the time in case she ran across a rattlesnake—but also because it made her feel safer as a woman who lived alone in a valley on the Mexican border. The Flying M rested at the foot of the Chiricahua Mountains that were like a railroad for drug and illegal immigrant smuggling from Mexico into the U.S.
September sunshine heated her face, the sky an achingly clear blue. Not even a breeze stirred the mesquite bushes or tumbleweeds on her ranch.
September. A strange sensation came over her as her thoughts turned unwillingly to another September—almost exactly ten years ago, when she’d met the dark and dangerous Zack Hunter.
Skylar closed her eyes. Apparently there was no stopping it.
Her hand automatically moved to her throat and she finally allowed herself to remember. Memories came to her, sharp and vivid. The sound of his deep voice calling her Sky, rather than Skylar like everyone else did. His sinful grin, his muscled chest and athletic build. And the feel of him sliding inside her—
“Skylar?”
She snapped her eyes open, a rush of heat flushing up her face to the brim of her hat as she looked into Luke’s intense blue gaze. Her foreman was sitting astride his dun, and his face was coated with dirt and sweat. It just made him look even sexier.
With his forefinger he pushed up the brim of his Stetson, his handsome face creased into a frown. “You all right, boss?”
Skylar pulled her shirt away from her chest, trying to cool off, and pretended not to notice how his gaze drifted to her cleavage. “Where do we stand with the count?”
Luke’s jaw tightened and his features hardened. “We’re down over fifty head.”
“Fifty?” Skylar clenched Empress’s reins, unable to believe what Luke had just said. “How the hell did they steal so many without us being on to them?”
Luke’s gaze had a predatory gleam before he tugged his mare’s reins and turned back toward the corral. “I don’t know,” he said over his shoulder, “but I aim to find out.”
Sky looked off toward the mountain range two miles away at the foot of her property. What the hell was going on? It was like the mountain was opening up and swallowing her cattle whole.
With a groan of frustration, Skylar guided Empress across the rangeland to the barn. For a moment she considered going on one of her usual long rides to clear her head, but it was already getting late in the afternoon.
The livelihood of her ranch depended on her livestock. She raised the best Angus in the valley and she was working to develop a profitable breeding program. Satan, her prized yearling who had a pedigree a mile long, was her hope for building a championship breeding program that would put the ranch far into the green.
If her herd continued to diminish, her ranch would gradually be destroyed before she had a chance to make it as profitable as she was working toward. She wouldn’t have the cash to pay for more championship breeding stock. Eventually she wouldn’t have enough income to pay her ranch hands.
No way was she going to let that happen. One way or another she would see to it the bastards were stopped—the bastards who were stealing her ranch’s future.
#
It was a road he hadn’t traveled for almost ten years, Zack Hunter realized as his black government-issued Ford Explorer hit a pothole, jarring his teeth along with his memories.
Sunshine glinted off the windshield, endless acres of grass and barbwire fence scrolling by as he guided the SUV down the dirt road to the MacKenna ranch. One of the largest ranches in the county, the Flying M was over a half-hour drive from Douglas, a dingy town along the Mexico border in southeastern Arizona.
September. It had been September when he’d first met Skylar MacKenna.
Zack’s SUV shimmied along the dirt road, but he barely noticed as his thoughts turned to Sky—her smile that had held all the innocence of youth and all the promise of a woman.
He had loved looking into her seductive eyes that were an unusual color of green, the same shade as her August birthstone. Her copper hair had felt so soft and silky every time he slipped his fingers through it—he loved when she left it down.
How often had he circled the tantalizing mole above her left breast with his tongue? And God, those legs. He could almost feel her long legs clamped around his hips and hear her sensual cries as he buried himself inside her.
Damn. He’d grown hard just thinking about her.
Zack’s jaw tensed as he thought about the girl—the woman—he’d walked away from all those years ago, six months after they’d met. She’d been nineteen, starting her first year of college, and he’d been twenty-two, a deputy with the county Sheriff’s Department.
Sky had been the only woman to see past his hart exterior to his very soul.
He shifted his grip on the steering wheel, the scenery a blur as it passed by. How he’d wanted to cherish her, protect her from what evil there was in the world.
His thoughts crowded him as he remembered Sky’s teary face the night he’d been arrested. Her promises when she’d come to visit him that everything would be all right.
But her eyes had been filled with horror and he’d been certain that it was because of what he’d done.
Even though charges had never been pressed and he’d been able to return to his job with the county sheriff’s office, he had thought he wasn’t good enough for her.
Sky had been so young, so vibrant. But she was also a straight arrow, no toe over the line, not under any circumstances. A man who skirted the law, no matter what his reasons, well, that wouldn’t work for Sky.
Still, she’d acted like he’d nearly crushed her heart, leaving her like he did.
At the time he thought he’d done the right thing when he’d told her goodbye. That she’d been too young.
And his demons too dark to slay.
Zack squinted in the bright sunlight as he glanced through his windshield up at the cloudless blue expanse before returning his gaze to the dusty road. The case that had him heading to the ranch was almost an excuse to see Sky—almost.
Ever since the day he’d left her, he’d never been able to get her out of his mind and he wasn’t sure he ever could.
He knew he never would.
As he’d faced each and every one of his demons over the last ten years, he’d come to the realization that he wasn’t the same person he’d been then. The same young man who’d been so immersed in rage that he’d thought he’d never find his way out.
Except with Sky. She had made him feel different. Happy for the first time in his life, and not like the angry person he’d been deep down inside.
But one violent night had changed everything.
Zack ground his teeth.
One night. One night with a fucking bastard who Zack had almost killed.
Sky’s image filled his mind. What if she wasn’t at the ranch? What if she was married now with a couple of rugrats and living off in a city in some other state?
The mere thought of Sky with another man had Zack gripping the steering wheel so tight he was bound to snap it.
When he’d had made the decision to transfer to Douglas to be closer to his ailing mother, he had hoped Sky would still be here. That they could pick up where they’d left off.
Hell, more than hoped.
He didn’t know if Sky was still around, but he intended to find out.
Zack slowed the SUV as he crossed over a cattle guard that rattled and thrummed under the wheels of the Explorer. Herds of sleek Black Angus lined each side of the road, lifting their heads to watch him pass by and then returning to graze.
Apparently the rains had been good this summer as the grass was still green in patches and plentiful. He noted the well-kept barbwire fences, stock tanks, and windmill. Ray MacKenna always did keep his place in fine shape, and he certainly had the money to do it.
Zack didn’t expect his gut to clench the way it did when he drove up to the sprawling ranch house. A vivid memory of Sky came to him. Of her running from the front porch to greet him, her smile brilliant, then throwing her arms around his neck and treating him to her soft lips. Her husky voice telling him she missed him, and her firm body pressed tight to his.
With a groan, he brought the SUV to a halt in front of the MacKenna ranch house, dust swirling around his vehicle in a beige cloud. He took in the changes of the last ten years. The oak trees and weeping willows were taller and the porch that ran the length of the house was practically overflowing with houseplants—a woman’s touch.
His heart rate kicked up a beat. Could Sky still be here?
Or had Ray gone and remarried? After Nina MacKenna’s death, everyone was sure Ray would never tie the knot again.
Zack’s gaze passed beyond the house, extensive barn, corrals and ranch buildings, to the tawny Chiricahua Mountains rising behind. The old tire swing still hung from the lower branch of the oak in front of the barn. He remembered pushing Sky in that tire, spinning it around, and claiming a kiss when he caught her to him.
Zack climbed out of the Ford Explorer, crammed his black Stetson on his head, and slammed the door a little too hard. Shoving the memories to the back of his mind, he headed up the steps then through the maze of plants on the porch. Wind chimes hanging from the porch’s beams made a haunting sound as the slightest hint of a breeze stirred. Almost ghostly.
But the only ghosts around were the memories of Sky. He knocked. No answer. Ray must be off working on horseback or in his truck.
Was Sky around?
Zack was turning from the door when he heard a shriek.
Sky.
Hair prickled at the base of his neck.
He automatically drew his 9mm P226 Sig-Sauer from the holster on his hip. The scream had come from the barn. Zack made sure everything was clear and hurried to the barn, his boots making no sound as he crossed the hard packed earth.
Everything was quiet. Too quiet.
Pausing beside the open barn door, he listened, his heart beating a rapid rhythm.
“You sonofa—” a woman said, and then a thump and another cry.
He rounded the doorway, his weapon raised. Sky MacKenna was sprawled on the barn floor with her back against a hay bale, her blouse gaping open. She was glaring into a horse stall.
Zack clenched his jaw. He’d kill the man who’d dared to shove her down like that
“Come out with your hands up,” he said in a deadly tone, his eyes focused on the stall. He remained crouched and prepared for the slightest movement. “Don’t make me wait.”
He heard a click and glanced at Sky to see she had a handgun trained on him. The moment she saw his face she slowly lowered the small Smith & Wesson, a stunned expression on her features.
Zack kept his Sig in his hands, the barrel still in position as he glanced from her to the stall.
“Go ahead, arrest the bastard.” Sky waved toward the stall with her free hand while she stuffed the handgun into the waistband at the small of her back. “Cuff him while you’re at it. Once you’ve frisked the sonofabitch, that is. I’ll get a kick out of seeing you try.”
Zack eased closer to the open stall and peered over the wooden side rail to find a good-sized black bull straining against a rope tie. The corner of Zack’s mouth twitched.
“I’m gonna have to take you in, son,” he said with mock seriousness to the fire-eyed yearling. “For disturbing the peace and knocking around a beautiful woman.”
The moment the last two words were out of his mouth, it seemed like the entire ranch went silent. Zack turned to look at Sky and he could see reality sinking in, her lips forming a frown as she narrowed her eyes.
Now, she knew. After all these years and that awful goodbye, Zack had returned to Douglas.
Chapter 2
Hurt, pride and anger flashed across Sky’s face, and then worse—indifference.
Zack holstered his gun then extended his hand in an offer to help Sky to her feet. She moved her fingers to her neck, like she couldn’t decide if she should ignore his hand or accept it.
He’d forgotten that nervous habit of hers. How she’d rub the base of her throat when she was feeling self-conscious or uneasy, leaving the fair skin red. And how he’d loved to kiss that soft skin whenever she did that.
As if she could hear his thoughts, she moved her fingers away from her throat. With a little tilt of her chin, she reached up and clasped his hand.
That touch, that simple touch, brought back every bit of yearning he’d ever had for her, and even when she was standing, he couldn’t let go. She was tall, only four inches shorter than his six feet two. The perfect height for kissing. He had always loved that she matched him. As if she had been made just for him.
And God, she still smelled the same—of the wind after a summer storm and orange blossoms, the scent that always drove him wild. Memories flowed through him—of how she had explored every part of his body with her inquisitive fingers, her sexy mouth, her sweet tongue.
“Sky.” Zack’s voice was husky with longing.
“It’s Skylar, not Sky.” She jerked her hand from his and dusted off the seat of her jeans with her palms, never taking her eyes from his.
Zack’s gaze dropped to the rise and fall of her chest, and his throat went dry. Sky’s open pale blue western shirt exposed the swell of her breasts and taut nipples beneath a peach satin bra. Satin that he knew could be no softer than the satin of her breasts. Breasts that he wanted to caress. Nipples he wanted to taste, right there in the barn.
“You might want to fix that.” He allowed his fingers to touch the edges of the open vee of her shirt before letting his arm drop to his side again.
Pink touched Sky’s cheeks as she glanced down and then brought her fingers to her gaping shirt. He noticed her fingers trembled as she fumbled with each snap.
He took the opportunity to study her long legs in snug jeans, her copper hair escaping the single braid that fell across her shoulder as she bent over. When she finished, she lifted her head and her green eyes met his.
“It’s been a long time,” Zack said in a low rumble.
Frowning, Sky took a step forward, and to his surprise she reached out and touched the scar that creased his left cheek. Instead of flinching from the memory of how he got that mark, he felt like a tamed beast.
“It never went away,” she said softly.
Zack stood mesmerized by her beauty. Her touch that was almost as innocent as she had been when his face had been slashed.
Her finger trailed the scar that went from his ear almost to his mouth. She paused, her gaze riveted on his lips, and he damn near stopped breathing.
Sky jerked her hand away like she’d come to her senses and she took a step back, her cheeks going pink again. “So. What are you doing here?”
I came back for you.
Likely Sky wouldn’t be too keen on him telling her he’d come back for her ten years after he left. Instead, he said, “Is your dad around?”
A glimmer of laughter came back into her eyes. “If he was, he’d likely run you off with his old Remington.”
“I was afraid of that.” Zack’s mouth turned up in a slight grin, and then his tone went serious. “I’ve missed you.”
She cocked her head and studied him for a moment. “Did you have anything in particular to say to my dad, or is it something you can tell me?”
Zack fished his wallet out of the back pocket of his Wranglers, drew out his business card and handed it to her.
Sky took it from him, her fingertips lightly brushing his, and glanced at the card with the ICE logo. “So, you’re now a federal agent with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”
“I transferred to Douglas last week,” he said as he slid his wallet into his back pocket. “I’m out introducing myself to ranchers in the area. The mountains behind your ranch are being used to smuggle narcotics from Mexico.”
“What’s new? That’s been going on for years.” Sky gave a little shrug. “Enough drugs and illegals come through that range to keep every law enforcement officer in the southwest busy.”
Zack frowned. True, it was common knowledge, but it still bothered him that Sky seemed so unconcerned that danger passed her back door daily. “If you see anything suspicious, give me a call.”
Now if that wasn’t lame and corny, he didn’t know what the hell was.
Sky fixed a smile on her face as she shoved the card into the front pocket of her jeans. “Great, Special Agent Hunter.”
He shook his head. “It’s Zack to you, Sky.”
“Skylar, not Sky.” She folded her arms beneath her breasts. “So that’s why you came back? To rid the southwest of drug smugglers and illegal aliens.”
“Something like that.” He hooked his thumbs in his belt loops.
A horse whickered and the red roan poked its head over a stall door in the half of the huge barn that housed her Quarter Horses. Sky moved toward the roan. “How’s my boy?” she murmured as she rubbed the stallion’s nose.
She stood in a shaft of sunlight and Zack’s breath caught in his throat. Dust motes swirled in the air around Sky, and her hair shone like burnished copper.
“How’s your brother doing?” she asked, her attention on the horse.
Zack swallowed, wishing Sky was stroking him instead of the damn horse. “Cabe’s a detective with the Bisbee Police Department. What’s your sister up to?”
“Trinity got a wild hair after she graduated from college and she’s been in Europe ever since.” Sky rubbed the horse behind his ears. “Sometime before Christmas she’ll be coming home. First visit in four years.”
Zack gave a low whistle. “That’s a long time to be gone from home.”
“You should know, Zack.” Sky patted the horse’s neck and turned back to him. “So you went to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center like you wanted.”
“Yeah.” Zack tensed as he saw a flicker of pain in her eyes. “After I graduated from FLETC I went into Customs, long before it was rolled into Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.” He moved closer, wanting to be near her. “How about you? What’ve you been up to all this time?”
Sky flicked a piece of straw off the top of the stall. “Other than trying to figure out who swiped fifty head of cattle, not a whole hell of a lot.”
“Rustlers.” Zack shook his head. “I know about the thefts, but didn’t know you were hit.”
“Yeah.” And expression of frustration and anger glinted in her eyes. “It started week before last.” She looked like she was gritting her teeth. “Bastards.”
A frown creased her features again as she added, “How did you hear about it?”
“Work.” Zack jerked his head in the direction of the Mexican border. “Been some concern the situation might involve thieves coming across the line.”
“Isn’t that a little far-fetched?” Sky gestured toward the bull in the stall. “Can’t imagine herds being shuttled into Mexico without anyone noticing.”
“Just the same, ICE is now involved,” Zack said. “How’d it start?”
“First we noticed our herd was down a few head.” Sky made a sound of irritation. “Then a dozen or so heifers just up and disappeared. Then last night at least freaking fifty head were taken. Looks like the bastards are getting cockier.”
His mouth tightened. “Or more stupid.”
“Even though we’ve got cattle insurance,” Sky said, “this sucks big-time. There’s no way to replace the quality of the herd I’ve cultivated over the past several years.”
With a sigh that made her frustration clear, she leaned back and braced her arms on the stall behind her. The motion caused her breasts to jut out and her blouse to gape, showing that satin bra and her generous cleavage.
Zack swallowed. “When’ll your dad be back?”
“He was here a week ago, so he’s not likely to visit for at least a couple of months. We expect him and his new wife for Thanksgiving or Christmas, not sure which.”
We. Shock rippled through Zack as it occurred to him that Sky truly could be married, living at the ranch with her husband. No ring on her finger, but that didn’t mean anything. She could keep it off while she was working. He’d thought he was prepared for the possibility, but right now he couldn’t imagine any man being with her. The thought made him want to kill the bastard, whoever he was.
Zack had been her first lover, and he should have been her only lover.
No, goddamn it. He’d given up that right the moment he walked away.
His scar ached from the memories that still haunted him and he rubbed what had been a deep knife cut. “Ray retired?”
“Couple of years ago.” Sky nodded as she spoke, crossing her arms over her chest again, as if protecting herself from Zack.
It almost killed him to even think she could be married. “So, you and your, ah, husband, run the ranch?”
She lifted one slim brow and one corner of her mouth rose. “I run it myself.”
Even as heat burned in his gut he had to ask. “What does your husband do?”
“Not a darn thing,” she said, her expression still amused.
Fuck. Goddamn. Shit. She is married. And apparently to a lazy sonofabitch.
Zack would kill the bastard. Sky deserved better than that. “So where is he?”
She cocked her head to the side. “Nowhere.”
He narrowed his gaze. “What—”
Her laughter cut across his words. “I’m not married.”
Relief surged through him, hot and satisfying. “You never married?” His tone dropped.
The fiery glint came back in her eyes, rivaling the devil of a yearling a few stalls down. “Well, I wasn’t pining after you, if that’s what you’re asking.”
His muscles tensed like tightly strung barbed wire as he reminded himself she’d said, “we.” Hell, she could have a boyfriend. A fiancé.
Whoever he was, he was a dead man.
This time Zack’s voice came out in a growl. “Who’d you mean by we?”
She shrugged. “Me and my Border collie, Blue.”
Zack didn’t know whether that meant she was a free woman or not, but he didn’t care. He was back and in these few moments with Sky he’d made up his mind. He intended to make her his. Again.
When Sky spoke next, her voice was low. “What about you? Did you ever marry?”
“Who’d marry this ugly mug?”
She cut him a sharp glance. “If you’re fishing for a compliment, you’ve come to the wrong woman.”
“Then I’ll give you one.” Zack moved a step closer. “Sweetheart, how’d you grow to be more gorgeous than you were a decade ago?” He barely held himself back from touching her. “You were the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen that first time I laid eyes on you at the rodeo, when I watched you win the barrel racing competition.” He sucked in his breath at the memory. “And now look at you.”
Sky closed her eyes. “I’d forgotten how you always knew the most charming words.”
Before Zack realized what he was saying, he asked, “Sky—” He stopped himself from telling her what it was he really wanted. “You think we can be friends again?”
Christ. Could he be any more lame?
“Friends?” She opened her eyes and moved her fingers to her throat. After a moment’s hesitation, she gave him a shrug and a little smile. “Why not? We’re almost ten years older and we’ve both grown up. A lot.”
Her eyes roamed over him as she spoke the last words and he wanted her more than ever before. And that was saying something.
When her gaze met his again, he knew she’d noticed his desire. “Yes,” she said, her voice low and husky. “We’re both all grown up.”
In the next instant, she dodged around him and headed to the stall with the yearling that looked like he must be the spawn of the Devil. “You little imp,” she said in a low croon as she laid her hand on the upper railing of the stall. “What am I going to do with you?”
The bull glared, his head lowered and looking as if he’d like to take her out and Sky smiled at him. “If you don’t settle down, you’re going to end up at the slaughterhouse rather than becoming lord of the manor with all the pretty ladies.” She shook her head. “I sunk way too much money into you, buddy, for you to turn into t-bones and hamburger.”
“What’s the sonofabitch’s name?” Zack said.
“Satan.” Sky glanced over her shoulder at him. “I thought about naming him Zack, but that’s what I named the old jackass out back.” She said it with a straight face, but he saw the wicked spark in her eyes.
He grinned. He’d forgotten her teasing sense of humor and her ability to make him laugh. She turned to the bull and Zack walked up behind her so that just inches separated them. He drank in the scent of her that mingled with the smells of horse, hay, sweet oats, and barn dust.
“Sky.” He noticed the slight shiver that ran through her at the sound of his voice.
“I keep telling you, it’s Skylar.” She spun around and her eyes widened when she saw how close he was. She tried to step away, but her back was against the side of the stall.
“You’ve always been Sky to me,” he said softly.
She raised her chin, and he noticed a streak of dirt across her cheek. “It’s Skylar to you now, just like everyone else.”
Almost without thought, Zack reached up to wipe the smudge away, needing to feel the softness of her skin beneath his fingertips. Her lips parted and her eyes widened as he gently smoothed the dirt from her cheek. Slowly he trailed his thumb down her soft skin to her full lips. Needing to touch her. Needing to wipe away the memories of their goodbye.
He felt lost in the sensation of being near Sky again, her presence seeping into his blood like wildfire. “It’s been much too long.”
Sky’s lips trembled beneath his thumb. “Zack—”
He didn’t give her a chance to say anything or to refuse what he wanted. Needed.
He caught her face in his palms, slipping his fingers into her hair, and brought his mouth down on hers.
She gasped and he took advantage of her parted lips and slipped his tongue into her mouth. He growled as he took from her and she made a slight sound of refusal. She braced her palms on his chest and tried to push him away, but he only kissed her harder, putting every bit of ten years of loss into that kiss.
In only moments she made soft little moans and gripped his shirt in her fists as she pressed her body to his. She kissed him back and she and Zack both demanded and took what they wanted, but gave at the same time.
She felt so good in his arms. Soft, sweet, and so perfect that he wanted to keep her against him forever. He wanted to be inside her, feeling her take him deep as they got lost in one another.
Zack released a low, hungry groan as he rubbed his aching erection against her belly.
Sky jerked away. Out of his arms.
Her eyes were wide and a little wild as she brought her fingers to her mouth. She shoved past him and headed out the barn door, almost at a run.
He followed, catching up to her in a few strides. She stopped by the driver’s side door of his black SUV. She had her back to him, her hands now clenched into fists to either side of her.
Zack suddenly felt like the world’s biggest ass. “Sky—”
“Time to hit the road, Zack.” She slowly turned around as the breeze blew a strand of copper hair across her face and she pushed it behind one ear. She had composed her expression but her lips were red and swollen from his kiss and her eyes gave her away—he’d rattled her. More than rattled her.
“Go,” she said.
He couldn’t make himself leave, but he forced himself to stand where he was and not kiss her again.
Damnit, but he needed to be near her a little longer. There was so much he wanted to ask her now that he’d seen her again. So much he wanted to know about her.
So much time to make up for before he claimed her for good.
Before he could get out another word, the ring of horse hooves against stone caught Zack’s attention. He turned to see a man on a Quarter Horse approaching them.
“Luke.” The sound of relief was obvious in Sky’s voice as the man dismounted.
In seconds, Zack sized up the man Sky called Luke. From years of law enforcement training, Zack instantly cataloged the man’s height, hair and eye color, posture, mannerisms, and the hard, intense look in his gaze.
Zack’s body went rigid. Did this man have some kind of claim on Sky? If he did, Zack planned on clearing the ground with him. Not that the man looked like he’d be easy to take down. But the way Zack was feeling right now, he could use a good fight.
“Everything all right, Skylar?” the man asked, his eyes fixed on Zack.
“Of course.” Sky’s smile seemed forced. “Luke, this is Zack Hunter, an old,” she moved her gaze to Zack, “friend of mine. He’s with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement now.” She gestured to the man. “Zack, this is Luke Rider, my foreman.”
As Sky mentioned ICE, Zack could swear he saw something flicker in Rider’s eyes. Maybe Zack imagined it. Maybe not.
Rider held out his hand and Zack shook it. The man had a strong grip. A little too strong, like he was warning Zack. They gave each other a one word greeting. “Rider,” Zack said with a nod, and the man returned it with a nod of his own as he came back with “Hunter.”
“Well.” Sky glanced toward the house when they’d released hands. “I’ve got to check on Blue,” she said before she returned her gaze to Zack’s. “If he’d been up to snuff, you probably never would’ve made it out of your vehicle.”
Zack glanced in the direction of the house, then back to Sky. “What’s wrong with him?”
With a confused frown, Sky shook her head. “Last night he got sick eating raw meat, but I’m not sure where he got it.”
“Vet thinks it could have been tainted beef that Blue got into,” Rider said as his mare stomped one hoof, “but I’m not so sure about that.”
Narrowing his eyes, Zack said, “You think it was intentional?”
“We think it might have been the rustlers trying to get Skylar’s dog out of the way.” Luke’s gaze was still assessing. “Find it a bit strange, though, that they didn’t give enough to kill him.”
“Bastards.” Sky had a pained expression. “I did lose a lot of cattle last night, but from our eastern range. Why would they need to poison Blue?”
“Hell if I know,” Rider said, “but we’re damned sure going to find out.” He held onto his mare’s halter. “What’s ICE’s involvement?”
“We received intel that beef has been crossing into Mexico,” Zack said. “That makes it an international customs matter.”
Rider frowned for a moment. “Got any theories?”
“Working on it.” Zack turned his attention to Sky and took a step closer to her. So did Rider, as if he was protecting her. Zack barely bit back a snarl. Instead he ignored Rider and said to Sky, “You live alone?”
She nodded. “Have been for the past few years, since Trinity’s been in Europe.”
“I don’t like any of this a damn bit.” Zack focused on Sky. “You need to watch out for yourself.”
Rider gripped his mare’s bridle as the horse nudged his arm with her nose. “Been telling Skylar the same thing.”
“I’ve been doing just fine. Me and Smith.” She looked from Rider to Zack as she reached up to pat the S&W in its holster on one side of her jeans. “I’d better see how Blue’s doing.”
“You be careful.” Zack tipped the brim of his Stetson then grabbed the door handle of his SUV. “Later, Sky.”
“Skylar.” She smiled too brightly. “See you around, Special Agent Hunter.” And with that, she strode toward the house without looking back once.
As she jogged up the steps and crossed the porch, Zack watched her fluid movements. He had a side view, and couldn’t help enjoying it. The way her breasts bounced and her tight backside swayed. She opened the front door and then closed it behind her.
When she disappeared behind the closed door, Zack turned his attention back to Sky’s foreman.
Rider took the mare’s reins and swung up into his saddle so that he was looking down at Zack. “The men and I keep a pretty good eye on Skylar,” Rider said in a tone obviously meant to warn Zack.
For a moment he just looked at Rider. “If any man hurts Sky,” Zack said in a low, controlled voice, “in any way, I’ll tear the sonofabitch to pieces.”
Without waiting for a reply from Rider, Zack jerked his door open, tossed his Stetson onto his seat and climbed into his Ford Explorer.
He didn’t like how Rider stayed on his horse and watched him drive off, as if protecting Sky from Zack.
Once again, Zack, found himself clenching his hands around the steering wheel before he forced himself to relax. He tamped down his anger, something he’d learned to control over the last ten years.
Maybe Rider was just watching out for Sky.
That damn sure better be all.
Zack’s thoughts turned back to the kiss in the barn and heat rushed through his body straight to his groin.
No matter what Sky might think, Zack intended to make her his woman again—this time for keeps.
Chapter 3
Zack Hunter. His name rippled through Skylar in silvery waves as she leaned against the closed door, her eyes shut, his image filling her mind, her lips still tingling from his kiss.
She’d wanted to run her fingers through his sinfully black hair, touch the hard planes of his face, kiss the fine lines at the corners of his gray eyes, and run her tongue along the cleft in his chin.
And Lord, how she wanted to explore his muscular physique, smooth her hands over his broad chest, squeeze his large biceps, and meld her body against his lean hips and powerful thighs.
She waited until she heard his SUV start. After the sound of the engine had completely faded, she scrubbed her sweating palms on her jean-clad legs and opened her eyes.
When he’d come barreling into the barn, it was as if her thoughts about him that morning had summoned him to her—like some demon lover come back to torment her.
Zack. Here. Now.
The moment she processed who he was, all she’d been able to do was stare at him. So many thoughts had flashed through her mind. In that instant, she had wanted to yell at him for breaking her heart into a thousand pieces. And then she wanted to throw her arms around him and let him hold her like he used to.
How could she feel like that after the way he’d left her?
Skylar hugged herself and thought about what she’d lost. What they’d lost, no matter what he’d thought at the time.
For six months they’d been virtually inseparable. Even though he’d never told her, she’d been so sure he was in love with her. It showed so clearly in the way he talked with her, held her, made love to her. Like she was the most exquisite gem on earth.
Damn. Skylar’s eyes suddenly ached and a tear threatened to roll down her cheek. She was not going to let him do this to her again.
She slid down the door until she was sitting on the hard tile, wrapped her arms around her knees, and pressed her face against her legs. Images of the past came to her and her heart felt like Zack had taken it away from her all over again.
A handsome deputy sheriff and a wide-eyed first year Cochise College student. . . .
That hot, sweaty September rodeo. . . .
Even after all these months and years, Skylar could still taste the sawdust and salt on her tongue.
I took the trophy in women’s barrel racing.
And Zack took my heart. I was standing with my friends as they congratulated me, and I had that feeling. Somebody there. Somebody watching . . . me.
Skylar clenched her hands to keep herself grounded as she kept her arms wrapped around her knees. She couldn’t help but remember how she’d turned slightly and had seen him. She had caught her breath at the sight of his gray eyes looking at her so intensely, like he’d already claimed her.
A whirling sensation had stirred in her belly, as if she was still on her mare and barrel racing. Heat had flushed her cheeks as his gaze slowly traveled over her. Her body had responded, her nipples tightening beneath her western shirt and that place between her thighs had tingled. Her lips parted as if she could already feel the pressure of his mouth on hers, his hands caressing her body.
The corner of his mouth had curved slightly, an arrogant expression on his face that told her he knew exactly how he was affecting her.
A flash of anger had had her straightening her spine and turning away from the cocky jerk.
Trying to bring herself to the present, Skylar sighed and raised her head and looked around her living room. In one corner were hers and her sister Trace’s trophies from numerous rodeos they’d competed in from the time they were very young until they each went on to pursue their college degrees.
Still she couldn’t get the memories out of her mind. It was as if the trophies called forth more images. Especially the trophy she’d won that night. As her gaze rested on it, she swallowed.
“Congratulations, Sky MacKenna.”
That was the first thing Zack ever said to her—in a voice so deep it had caused shivers to roll down her spine. Sky couldn’t forget those words, how he’d sounded, or the way his warm breath tickled her ear as he leaned close.
Of course, she’d turned around so fast she’d almost smacked right into him.
Then he touched me.
Just to steady my shoulders, but I held onto that stupid trophy like I was warding him off. As if I ever could. So tall, so virile. My senses and hormones melted at the exact same moment.
What chance did I have against that tall drink of perfect man?
None.
Not then, and not now.
Skylar gave up and let herself slip completely back in time, to that perfect, steaming moment when her life changed forever.
“How do you know my name?” she’d asked in a shaky voice. “And it’s Skylar, not Sky.”
“They announced it over the loudspeakers.” The look in his eyes had a hint of amusement in them. “And you’re too pretty to be a Skylar. You’re definitely like the sky on a clear day. Beautiful.”
She hadn’t been able to think of anything to say. All she could do was stand there, her face burning, clinging to her only lifeline, the gold plated trophy.
“Save a dance for me tonight, Sky,” he’d murmured, his gray eyes clearly confident that she wouldn’t deny him.
And God help her, she couldn’t say no.
She’d given a nod. “I-I’ve got to go.”
The smile he’d given her was devastatingly sensual. “I’ll see you tonight.”
She’d nodded again before she turned from him and pushed her way through her group of friends and the rodeo crowd.
Her thoughts had whirled. She hadn’t known what had just happened. If she had known what the future would hold, she would have run hard and she would have run fast.
Right?
Skylar raised her face from bent knees and banged the back of her head hard against the door. She looked up at the off-white painted ceiling. A spider had decided to make itself at home in one corner. She’d have to get the broom and take care of it—
Why was she thinking about spiders?
Anything to stop thinking of him.
Zack Hunter.
But as Skylar stared up at the ceiling she couldn’t bring herself to regret the time she’d had with Zack. It had only been six months, but it had been the most precious six months of her life.
No, she couldn’t regret a moment with him.
She banged the back of her head against the door again. Trying to think about something else couldn’t get Zack’s face out of her mind.
“Goddamnit, Zack,” she said in a hoarse whisper. “Why did you have to come here? Why did you have to kiss me?”
The room remained eerily quiet in response.
A hard knock on the door startled the silence as the vibrations traveled through her.
Zack?
Another hard knock. She pushed herself away from the door, got to her feet, and faced it. Her hands shook. The brass was cool against her palm as she opened the door then let out a breath of relief when she saw it was Luke.
Or was it disappointment because it wasn’t Zack?
Not going there.
Luke pushed up the brim of his Stetson as he stood on her porch and appraised her. “Everything okay, Skylar?”
She did her best to smile and not look rattled. “Sure. Fine.”
He frowned and the look in his eyes told her he didn’t believe her one darn bit. “Mind if I come in?” He took off his hat as she backed away so that he could step through.
“This Zack Hunter,” he said after she shut the door. “I got the feeling you weren’t too happy to see him.”
The way she’d all but ran Zack off her ranch, no wonder Luke was concerned. “He’s an old boyfriend.” She shrugged as if Zack appearing out of the blue was nothing. “It’s been ten years since I saw him last and he was stopping by to say hi.”
As Luke studied her like he was deciding whether to let it lie or press her, Skylar couldn’t help but compare him to Zack. Yeah, Luke was hot, but in her mind no man had ever measured up to Zack. She had often wondered if perhaps her memories had become distorted, and that he wasn’t half the man she remembered him to be. But after today, she knew the truth.
He was twice the man she remembered.
Crap.
She tried to cover the moment of silence and his skepticism by adding, “Apparently, since Zack’s with ICE he has some interest in the rustling.”
Luke raised an eyebrow. “How does ICE figure into this?”
“Something do with cattle being smuggled across the border.” Skylar frowned. “A little farfetched if you ask me.”
She’d always had a problem reading Luke, but this time she could swear she caught a look of—of what? Concern? Anger?
God, seeing Zack was sending her imagination into overdrive.
“Let me know if you need anything.” Luke interrupted her thoughts as he hit his Stetson against his leg. “I mean it.”
“I think one of the best decisions I’ve made was hiring you.” Skylar had no problem smiling at his genuine concern. Luke never made her feel like she couldn’t take care of herself because she was a woman. He simply watched her back as he would any man. She patted the cell phone in its holster at the waistband of her jeans. “I’ll call you first thing if something comes up.”
“I expect you to.” He had two phones holstered on his belt. One was a phone she’d provided—she gave each one of her men cell phones to make sure she could reach them at any time when they were on duty or in case there was an emergency. The other phone on his belt was no doubt for personal use.
“Promise.” She laid her hand on his forearm as he grasped the door handle, and he paused. “Thanks for caring.”
Luke opened the door and she let her hand drop away. “Just watch your ass, Skylar.”
She nodded and he walked through the door and shut it behind him.
Almost mechanically, Skylar drew the Smith & Wesson from the holster at her side. She slid it into a hidden drawer beneath an end table next to the couch. Her thoughts immediately turned from Luke’s concern to Zack and she rubbed her temples.
She’d had almost a decade to ready herself for the possibility she’d see Zack again. But nothing had prepared her for today. He’d filled out in a hard, masculine way that made him sexier than ever. Even that scar he’d gotten from the fight with his stepfather made Zack’s features more rugged and heartbreaking.
“Get a grip, Sky,” she muttered, and then stomped her boot on the tile, the sound echoing through her empty living room. Damnit! She hadn’t thought of herself as anything but Skylar since Zack had left her all those years ago. Only Zack had ever called her Sky. “Not Sky. Skylar, Skylar, Skylar, Skylar.”
A combination of anger, frustration, and sadness raged through her like a dust storm. How dare he? How dare he come back and do this to her again?
She stopped by an end table beside the rich leather couch and traced her fingers over one of her dad’s bronze Remington sculpture. She looked down at the extremely valuable sculpture named “Outlaw.”
Outlaw. The way Zack had stolen her heart, he was just as much of an outlaw.
Skylar snatched her hand away from the sculpture, feeling as if it had burned her. The heat of her anger increased and she curled her fingers into her palm. Did everything have to remind her of him?
She pinched the bridge of her nose. The memory of his goodbye was as vivid as the images from the day they’d met.
Her heart had ached for him as she’d gone to him at the sheriff’s department. This time he wasn’t leaving the jailhouse as a sheriff’s deputy.
This time he’d been arrested for almost killing a man.
His stepfather.
The bastard who’d married and physically abused Zack’s mother hadn’t pressed charges. Instead he’d fled the state taking all of Zack’s mother’s cash with him.
When Skylar had met Zack outside the county jail just outside of Bisbee, Zack at looked so angry that she’d taken an involuntary step away from him. Hurt then more anger had flashed in his eyes.
Don’t shut me out!
Skylar squeezed her eyes closed at the memory of her own plea. How hard it had been to talk. How her breath left her like someone had punched her right in the gut.
She had asked him to stay.
Begged him to talk to her.
And he’d walked right past her and ignored her as she called to him. One tear after another rolled down her cheeks as she’d watched him climb into his truck drive away.
Maybe it was then she knew she had lost him, she just would never have admitted it to herself.
Everything had changed.
Everything.
Bastard. Skylar brought her fingers from her face and opened her eyes as she clenched her fists, willing the memories to leave her alone. “Go away!” she shouted out loud to the huge living room.
But the memories wouldn’t stop.
He hadn’t returned her calls for two days. Two days that she’d cried her heart out.
When he finally stopped by the ranch she had run out into the driveway, flung her arms around his neck, and pressed herself against his hard body. She still remembered how wonderful he had smelled. Masculine. Spicy.
“I love you,” she’d whispered. “I love you so much.”
Zack pulled her arms from around his neck, took her by the shoulders and set her apart from him.
Instantly she’d felt the loss, a chill overcoming her body so violently her skin prickled.
Every word he uttered in the next moment had hit Skylar like a hammer blow.
“I’m not ready for a commitment,” Zack said in a hard voice. “We’re both too young.” Ice flooded her veins as he continued, “It’s best to break it off before things get serious.”
“Best?” she’d whispered, but he kept talking.
“I’m leaving for the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Georgia. At FLETC I’ll train to be a federal agent.” His eyes softened for the briefest of moments before he added, “I’m not good enough for you, Sky.”
And like that, it was over. Zack had turned and walked away from her and her love.
Skylar had stood in the driveway like a frozen statue, unable to move, unable to speak.
He hadn’t looked back. He had climbed into his truck and drove off leaving only a dust cloud in his wake.
And she’d never seen him again.
Until today.
“Goddamn you, Zack Hunter.” Skylar wanted to scream it at the top of her lungs, but it came out hoarse and filled with pain. “I should hate you,” she added. Her voice lowered to a whisper as she repeated, “I should hate you.”
