“You going to do what?” Angus McFarlan slammed his palm on the dining table, too angry to finish the fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy his mother had prepared for their dinner.

Maggie, Angus’s mother and the matriarch of the McFarlan family, sat at the head of the table where John McFarlan used to sit. She folded her arms. “You heard me. I’m selling the ranch.”

Her words hit him again like a sucker punch to the gut.

“Mom, you can’t be serious!” Colin, the youngest of the McFarlan brothers, pushed back his chair so fast it fell with a loud crash. “You can’t sell the Rafter M Ranch. It’s been in the family for over one hundred and fifty years. It’s our legacy. Dad would roll over in his grave.”

Their mother gave an unladylike snort and tilted her chin. “I don’t see any of my sons giving enough of a damn to see that legacy passed down. And your father would not want me or any of you saddled with it until your dying day only for it to be auctioned off anyway.”

Angus sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm himself before he shouted. His mother’s declaration had thrown him for a loop, but it didn’t excuse him from disrespecting her. Taking the mature, calm tact, he said in a softer tone, “Don’t I work my ass off on this ranch to make it pay? When cattle prices dropped, wasn’t I able to redirect our ranching efforts to keep the ranch paying for itself?”

“Angus has put his heart and soul into this place.” Colin waved his hand. “He even put his climb up the corporate ladder on hold to take over when Dad died. If he hadn’t ramped up the horse breeding and training, we’d have lost the ranch years ago.”

“You’re only making me more determined. This ranch isn’t just a legacy, it’s an albatross.”

Angus stared at his mother, wondering where was the woman who’d always been optimistic, loving and as hard working as any of her sons? “I don’t understand. The ranch is paying for itself and has been making a profit over the last three years. Why sell?”

She pointed a finger at Colin. “For the very reason you say we should keep it.”

Colin’s eyes widened and then narrowed into a frown. “What reason? You’re not making sense, Mom.”

“This ranch is a legacy. But what good is a legacy if you don’t have anyone to pass it down to?” She folded her napkin and laid it beside her plate of uneaten chicken. “Angus, you and Colin work this ranch, and you work your other jobs as well. Which leaves you exactly how much time off to date, find a nice girl and settle down?” Planting her hands on the table, she stared from one to the other of her sons. “I’ll tell you. No time, whatsoever. You can’t get a life when you’re too busy making a living on this ball and chain of a ranch.” She pushed away from the table and stood. “I’m selling the ranch.”

Angus stood when his mother did, his thoughts tumbling in his head. “You can’t mean it, Mom. This ranch is the McFarlan home.”

“Ha!” His mother stamped her foot. “If it’s the McFarlan home, why hasn’t Brody been back in eight years?”

Colin’s lips thinned. “Ask Brody.”

Angus shook his head. He wasn’t sure why Brody left home eight years ago, but it had something to do with a fight he had with Colin. Colin had never owned up to what started it. “He came for your birthday last year,” Angus pointed out.

Again, his mother snorted. “For an entire day. That’s it. He doesn’t consider this home, and he never stays.”

“So? Brody doesn’t consider this home, but Angus and I do,” Colin said.

Angus changed tactics and tried a little reverse psychology. “Mom, this ranch is yours. Dad left it to you, and you have the right to sell it, if that’s what you want.”

Colin gasped. “What the hell are you saying, Angus?”

Angus held up his hand. “Dad left the ranch to Mom. It’s hers, not ours.”

“You and I both have put our blood and sweat into making this place sustainable,” Colin said. “Doesn’t that count for anything?”

“Not when the deed is in my name.” Their mother stood with her chin tipped upward, her eyes narrowed. “Look, I appreciate that you both came home after your father died and stayed through my surgery and chemotherapy when I had breast cancer, but now it’s time for you two to get a life and quit worrying about me or the ranch.”

“Mom,” Angus said. “We would have left, if we had wanted to, but we don’t. We love this place as much as Dad did.”

“It’s not enough.” She raised her hands. “I want my boys married, with kids of their own. As I see it, this ranch is standing in the way of that ever happening. Therefore, I’m selling the ranch.”

“So you’re serious about the legacy thing?” Angus laughed. “Has Mrs. Reinhardt been bragging about her grandbabies again?”

“No, it’s not that.” She stopped, chewed on her bottom lip and tilted her head. “Well, a little. Seeing pictures of Jean’s grandchildren only brought it home to me that my boys aren’t moving on with their lives.”

“We’re happy with the way we are, Mom.” Angus took his mother’s hands in his. “Can’t you be happy for us?”

She pulled her hands free of his and planted them on her hips. “Angus McFarlan, you’re not happy and you don’t even know it.”

Colin stared up at the ceiling and then back at his mother. “Look at the statistics. Less than fifty percent of marriages last these days.”

“Colin has a point,” Angus agreed. “Why bother getting married when numbers are against you?”

“Ha!” His mother stamped her foot. “When everyone told you that you couldn’t make money training horses, you didn’t let that stop you, did you, Angus? I did the research and the numbers were against you. But you did it anyway and you made it work. And how did you do that?”

“You know I love horses, and I worked my butt off to make it work.”

“Exactly,” she said. “And relationships are the same. If you love someone, you have to work hard to make the marriage work. Your father and I fought, didn’t we?”

Colin chuckled. “You both gave as good as you got.”

“And we never went to bed mad at each other. It took a lot of compromise and work to make our relationship last. Just like with anything worthwhile in life.” She nodded toward Colin. “When you started your construction business, you hardly had two nickels to rub together. You worked on building relationships with your subcontractors and with the community. That wasn’t easy, was it?”

“No, but that’s different.”

“No, it’s not.” Maggie McFarlan shook her head. “You have to feed and nurture a relationship, whether it’s business or personal. They don’t just happen.”

Angus hadn’t met a woman worth all the fuss. “Frankly, Mom, I prefer talking to horses than to women. They don’t talk back, and they aren’t a lot of drama.”

His mother’s brows shot up. “Dexter, your quarter horse stud, doesn’t cause a lot of drama?”

Angus’s lips curled upward. “Dexter is special.”

His mother rolled her eyes. “And you put up with his tantrums, the many times he breaks through fences or terrorizes the geldings and everything else, because he’s special?” Her chest rose and fell on a long breath. “A woman can be special too, and worth the effort.”

“Dexter generates a lot of money through his stud services,” Angus said, hating that he sounded defensive.

Maggie stamped her foot. “Damn it, Angus, there’s more to life than money.”

“Mom, mom, mom.” Colin, ever the charmer, slipped his arm around their mother’s shoulders. “You’re just upset. Mrs. Reinhardt brags about everything. It’s not worth getting your shorts in a twist.”

Angus stepped back as the color rose in his mother’s cheeks and fire blazed in her eyes. He knew better than to patronize his mother. Colin’s usual soothing tactics weren’t going to work on her this time. In fact, they appeared to be about to backfire.

Bracing himself, Angus waited for his sweet, kind, rarely angry mother to erupt like a volcano.

She lifted Colin’s arm and stepped out from beneath it. “My decision stands. I’m selling the ranch, unless you three McFarlan boys prove to me this ranch is a legacy that will have someone to pass on to.”

Angus’s back straightened, his body stiff. “Smells like an ultimatum to me.”

“I don’t care if it smells like cow paddies.” Angus’s mother’s fist clenched. “You three boys better get it together and find wives, settle down and have some kids, or this place is gone.”

“Three?” Colin frowned. “Brody doesn’t even live here.”

“Then you better find a way to get him back. I won’t go through the rest of my days with one son running away from home for the rest of his life.” She spun and marched out of the kitchen.

“She’s just pulling our chain, right?” Colin rubbed his chin, staring at the empty doorway.

Angus cringed. Colin had spoken all too soon. Their mother had excellent hearing from clear across the house. Three…two…one…

Their mother reappeared in the doorway. “Here’s pulling your chain: I have a real estate broker coming tomorrow to discuss breaking up and selling this ranch, however it has to be done. I’ll give you boys one month to fix what’s broke between Colin and Brody, get Brody back and get married. If you can’t do that in one month, I’m listing this place and entertaining all offers.”

“One month!” Angus thundered. “How can you expect us to meet and marry a woman in one month? It’s insane.”

“Okay, I’ll give you two. But no more. And it’s all or none. This deal includes your brother Brody.”

“But—” Colin started.

Their mother held up her hand. “It’s not up for negotiation.” She spun, took one step and spun back. “Oh, and just to make it clear, I’m done cooking, cleaning and running your errands. If you want clean laundry or a cooked meal, do it yourself. I’ve made it far too easy on you boys. It’s time you grew up, and, for that matter, it’s time I got a life of my own.”

Angus crossed his arms. “And where are we supposed to meet these women you want us to marry? Most of the ones I know are married or taken.”

His mother smiled. “You boys are in luck. It’s ladies’ night at the Ugly Stick Saloon. There will be a whole herd of women. It’s a good start and a good way to prove you’re taking me seriously. I suggest you both shower, put on your best boots and get over there.”

“You can’t threaten us to get married,” Colin grumbled.

Their mother’s eyes narrowed. “No, but I can sell the ranch. And I will.”

“I haven’t been to the Ugly Stick Saloon in seven years.” Gwendolyn Graves glanced around the bar’s interior crammed full of women. “I guarantee I’ve never seen it this packed.”

Mona Daley laughed. “This is the Annual Cowboy Auction. The event brings in women from all over the state, and even Oklahoma and Arkansas. The money raised is always for a good cause and we have a ball. You remember Bunny Leigh, don’t you?”

“I do.” Gwen smiled. “She loved arranging flowers. How is she doing? If I remember correctly, she was just getting married.”

Mona’s lips curved upward. “The good news is that she owns her own flower shop now.” She frowned. “The bad news is that marriage didn’t last. But then it’s good news.” Mona waved her hand. “Sounds confusing, but she ditched the cheating bastard, bought herself two handsome cowboys at one of these cowboy auctions, and is now living happily with both of them.”

Gwendolyn blinked. “My goodness. I don’t know whether to offer her my condolences or congratulations.”

“Congratulations. She’s never been more sexually satisfied.”

Nodding, Gwen said, “Wow. Two cowboys?”

“Two of the hottest cowboys in the tricounty area. And she’s over-the-moon happy.”

“Are they happy?” Gwen’s core tightened at the thought of having two men to satisfy her every sexual desire. Hell, she’d be happy to have just one.

“The guys have always been really close. Sharing Bunny came natural. What about you?” Mona waved her mug of beer at Gwendolyn. “Have you finally started dating? We have to do a better job of keeping in touch. It’s not like you’re halfway around the world. You’re only in Dallas. Once a year get-togethers aren’t nearly enough.”

“I know.” Gwen tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “You knew I took over as CEO of the small cosmetics company I worked for, didn’t you?”

“Honey, you didn’t just take over as CEO, you bought the damned company.” Mona leaned over and hugged her. “I read about it in the newspaper. Congratulations.”

Her cheeks warmed. “Thank you. But owning your own company is very time-consuming. Especially when you’re trying to expand and grow it as much as I have. I haven’t had time to breathe for the past year. I’ve gone from ten employees to over forty.”

Mona whistled. “I don’t know how you do it. I can barely manage my shop and I’m the only one working there.”

Gwen laid a hand on her friend’s arm. “Honey, small can be so much easier. I don’t have time for anything but work.”

“What about your love life?”

With a snort, Gwen shook her head. “No time.” And, sadly, no desire.

“That summer you came home from college, I thought for sure you and Angus McFarlan were a thing.” Mona tilted her head. “What happened with that?”

“I went back to college.” Gwen shrugged. “He never contacted me.”

“That’s too bad. You two seemed perfect together.”

She’d thought so too. On their last date, he’d taken her to the top of a hill on the Rafter M Ranch in his pickup. They’d stretched out a blanket on the grass, made love beneath a star-studded Texas sky and fallen asleep in each other’s arms. In the middle of the night, she’d woken beside him, so filled with love and longing. The last thing she wanted to do was return to College Station to finish her degree.

Had he asked her to marry him that night, she’d have said yes and chucked college.

But he hadn’t. Angus had told her how important it was for her to get her education, and that he understood she had to leave. Feeling optimistic that he’d wait for her, she’d tucked a letter in the back pocket of his jeans, telling him the things she’d been too shy to say out loud. She loved him and hoped he’d wait for her. At the bottom, she’d given him her phone number and address in College Station and told him to call her if he got the chance.

Two months passed and he didn’t write, call or visit. At Christmas when she would normally have gone home for the holidays, her parents announced they’d sold the house, bought a motor home and would be spending the winter in Florida.

Angus hadn’t contacted her by Christmas and, with no family left in Temptation, she had no reason to return.

“How’s Dalton doing in his new school?” Mona’s question pulled her back to the present. “What is he, six now?”

“He’ll be six soon.” Her son was the center of Gwen’s world. A child born out of stupid sex and a quickie marriage in Vegas, Dalton was the farthest thing from a mistake. He was her everything. “Dalton is the perfect son. He’s respectful, loving, kind to animals and smart as a whip.”

Mona clapped her hands. “And I bet Grant is having a ball as we speak. You should have seen him going through his old sports stuff from his high school days when I told him you were coming.”

“I didn’t come down from Dallas to stick Grant with babysitting.” Gwen sighed. “I needed a break from work and the city, and it’s been far too long since I came to visit you here in Temptation.”

“Damn right it has. Seven years to be exact. Hell, since your parents sold out and moved to Florida.”

“I miss this place.”

“I miss you.” Mona set her beer mug on the bar and hugged her friend. “I’m glad I talked you into girls’ night out.”

“I am too. It’s been a while since I’ve had a night out. Much as I love my son, it’s nice to have a break.”

Mona settled back on her barstool and drank a swallow of beer. “So you traveled all the way to Temptation just to see me?”

“I needed to talk to someone who wasn’t from the city. Someone down-to-earth.”

Mona’s brows crinkled. “That doesn’t sound sexy at all. You’re making me feel like my grandmother.”

Gwen laughed. “Not at all. You’re young, vibrant and…” her lips twisted as she thought how to phrase her words, “…well, everything I feel like I’ve lost in myself.”

“What?” Mona leaned back. “Look at you. You’re a freakin’ knockout. I can’t even offer to do your hair. You must have some high-dollar stylist at your beck and call.”

Heat rushed up in her cheeks. “Yeah. I do. But that’s not why I came. I need advice.”

“You’re the owner of a growing company. What would I know about the world you don’t know already?”

“I have Dalton in a good school. They wear uniforms every day and they have high academic standards. He’s almost six, but he’s reading at a fourth-grade level already.”

“And that’s a problem?” Mona’s brow scrunched. “I don’t see a problem.”

“I’m a single mom, raising a son. I teach him right from wrong, to be kind to others and help him with his homework. I’m doing the best I can.” Gwen twisted her hands together.

Mona smiled across her beer. “What child needs more than that?”

“He does. He’s a good kid, but I can’t be everything to him.” Gwen sighed. “He needs a male role model. One he can look up to. A man who can teach him what it takes to be a good man.”

Mona nodded. “You’re smart, what is it you can’t do that a man could?”

Gwen raised a finger. “For one, I can’t throw a baseball to save my life. I’m even worse at football. I admit, I’m hopeless when it comes to sports.”

“So?” Mona laughed. “Sign him up for a community team. I’m sure Dallas has loads of them.”

“They do, but it’s not just that.” Gwen raised a second finger. “He needs to know how to defend himself.”

“Put him in a martial arts class.”

“I could do that, but it’s more than classes and sports. He needs a role model, someone he can talk to and ask guy questions.”

Mona gave her a pointed look. “Then why aren’t you dating? If you found a man you could love, he could provide Dalton with that male role model you think he needs.”

“That’s like interviewing men for a position as my son’s father.” Gwen grimaced. “I wouldn’t do that to the man, and I wouldn’t want to marry a man I don’t love just to give Dalton a dad.”

“Give yourself a break, sweetie. You might find the perfect guy you and Dalton could both love.”

Gwen shook her head. “It’s too much to ask a guy to take on a ready-made family. I’ve given up on marriage and dating until Dalton is grown and on his own.”

“Wow, that’s harsh.”

“It’s reality. Besides, I don’t have time for a man in my life.”

“I think you protest too much.” Mona grinned. “When was the last time you got laid?”

Gwen gasped. “Mona!”

Her friend shrugged. “A woman has needs, just like a man.”

“We were talking about my son. Not me.”

“Fine. Have it your way.” Mona chugged the last of her beer and set it on the counter. “But I think you need a man to give you some hot, dirty sex to get your female juices flowing again. Your vagina is like any other muscle. It needs to be exercised or it shrivels up from lack of use.”

Gwen clapped both hands to her burning cheeks. “Mona, please. Change the subject. You’re embarrassing me.” And making her hot just thinking about exercising her woman parts. God, it had been far too long since she’d had a man in her bed and her vibrator just wasn’t getting her off anymore.

Mona pushed her mug toward Libby, the bartender. “Can you set us up with a couple of tequila shots?”

Libby plopped two shot glasses on the counter and spilled tequila into them, then she sliced a lime into quarters and set them in a glass beside the tequila shots. “Want salt with that?”

“Damn right,” Mona said.

Libby plunked a shaker of salt beside the tequila and limes. “Let me know when you need a refill.”

Mona lifted a shot glass. “You remember how, right? It’s as easy as one, two, three. Salt.” She licked the curve in her hand between her thumb and forefinger, shook salt over where she’d licked and then sucked the salt off her hand. “Tequila.” Mona upended her shot glass, downing the tequila in one swallow. “Lime.” Jamming the lime in her mouth, she bit into the fruit, her face puckering. “Whew! That burns so good.” She nodded toward the other shot glass. “Your turn.”

Gwen hadn’t done tequila shots since college and stared at the shot glass skeptically. Then she shrugged and performed the same routine—salt, tequila, lime—downing the liquid in one fiery gulp.

The alcohol burned down her throat all the way to her stomach, shooting flames outward to her extremities.

After a moment, the alcohol settled in, numbing the back of her throat first, then her tongue and finally the tips of her fingers.

“Have you thought about getting Dalton into a mentoring program?”

“No, I hadn’t thought about that,” she said, her tongue feeling heavy and a bit slow. “How would I know I’d be getting a good one?”

“You could screen them.” Mona glanced around the saloon at the laughing, giggling women. “Hell, Gwen, buy a cowboy tonight. Audrey only invites the best to be auctioned. They have to be polite, with no criminal record, and an all-around good guy, or she wouldn’t let them be auctioned off.”

Heat filled Gwen’s cheeks. “I couldn’t do that. These men are expecting to go on a date with a woman. Not a woman and her son.”

“I bet they wouldn’t mind. That would give you a jump start with that male role model you want. He might even teach Dalton how to ride.”

The thought held merit. Dalton had been pestering her for riding lessons. Who better to teach him than a cowboy? She could arrange to have the dates at a local riding stable. Dalton and the cowboy could ride while she watched from the other side of the fence.

“And you might find that you like the cowboy, fall in love and the three of you will live happily ever after.” Mona hopped off her stool. “I’ll be right back.”

“Where are you going?” Gwendolyn had met Audrey Anderson, the owner, and Libby, the bartender, but she didn’t know anyone else in the crowded room.

Mona waved a hand as she disappeared into the crowd.

“Can I get you another drink?” Libby asked.

Gwen stared down at the empty shot glass, warmth still floating through her, and smiled. “Yes, please.” Seven summers ago, Angus had taught her an appreciation for tequila right there in the Ugly Stick Saloon. She glanced around, half hoping to see the man who’d ruined her for any other man. He’d set the bar too high for any of the men she’d dated, and they never quite rose to that level.

Angus was kindhearted, loved his family, kept his promises, and he was good with animals. Not to mention, he was an excellent lover. Her thighs tingled. She tried to count it off as the tequila still working its way through her system, but she knew that would be a lie.

The memories of Angus lying between her legs, making sweet love to her in the bed of his pickup, on the sweet-scented prairie grass and in the secluded hunter’s cabin on a far corner of the Rafter M Ranch, were never far from her mind.

He was the kind of man she wanted as a role model for her son. A man’s man, who knew how to treat a woman. Then again, he’d failed in one category. He’d never come after her.

She’d learned a valuable lesson with Angus McFarlan. Don’t fall in love with a cowboy. Apparently, she’d been a summer fling to him. Once she’d gone, she was out of sight and out of the man’s mind.

Mona returned bearing a paddle with a number on it.

“What’s that?” Gwen asked.

“What does it look like?” Mona held it out.

Gwen shook her head and raised her hands. “Oh no. I’m not going there.”

“Yes. You are.” Mona took Gwen’s hand and placed the paddle in her palm. “You do have a sizeable chunk of money you really want to go to the women’s shelter, don’t you?”

“I’ll make a donation. I don’t need a date with a cowboy to do that.”

“Well, the only cowboys who will be here tonight are the ones going up for bid. If you want one to help you out with Dalton, you’ll have to up the ante and bid for him.”

Her stomach burbled and her chest tightened. “I can’t.” Despite her protest, a tingle of anticipation rippled through her.

“You’re a high-powered business owner with more balls than most men I know.”

“Exactly.” Gwen nodded, pushing aside the insane thought of owning a cowboy. “I don’t need to buy a cowboy to prove it.”

“Honey. Yes. You. Do.” Mona curled Gwen’s fingers around the paddle. “Bring on the cowboys!” she yelled. “We’re gonna ride one tonight!”

Libby stood behind the bar, holding the tequila bottle up for Gwen to see. “More?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

The bartender tipped the tequila into her shot glass. “Will that be all?”

Gwen rolled her eyes, her stomach pitching. “Make it a double. I think I’m buying a cowboy tonight.”