After composing herself, she came out of the house. Tank and Wes were playing horseshoes, with her horseshoes. She shook her head when Cowboy got a ringer and did a little two-step.

“Is there anything you can’t do,” Tank growled.

Then they saw her and both of them watched her warily. “I’m over my snit,” she said. “Wes, can you ride with me? I need some fresh air.”

“I’ll hold down the fort,” Tank said.

“Exactly.” She walked up to them and said, “Wes is right.” She patted Tank’s massive chest. “They’re all pirates.”

He chuckled. “You would take his side.”

“I’ll take any side I can get,” she said as she continued walking, throwing a sultry look over her shoulder. If she masked the turmoil inside her, maybe Wes wouldn’t notice. Tank nudged, him and Wes shoved him lightly on the shoulder.

“You coming, Cowboy?”

He hurried after her. Once inside the barn, a fragrance of horses and dried hay rose up to meet her, and Kia squinted, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the dim interior. Her tack room was in the back, and with one quick glance at the large box stalls lining the structure, Kia stepped toward Saragon’s enclosure. The loud whinny from the big buckskin when Cowboy materialized made her smile. “I think you’ve made a friend. I bet he behaves for you.”

“I’ve been dying to ride him.” He nuzzled Wes’s shoulder. Quicksand had never been that affectionate with her. Looked like he’d formed a special bond with Wes. Then, who could blame him? Wes was a consummate horseman and confident working with them. That would transfer easily to Quicksand’s high-strung disposition. Her throat got tight thinking about losing all this, losing her freedom, losing Wes. She turned away as her face contorted, and she had to work to keep from sobbing.

She opened Saragon’s stall, and he immediately shifted against her as if he had sympathy for her sorrow. In the next stall over, Twilight Star nickered softly as if he, too, was picking up on her distress. “Sorry, Star baby. Not today.” Regret welled that she wouldn’t get a chance to ride him before she had to leave. She cross-tied Saragon and went to the tack room and grabbed his blanket, saddle and bridle. Wes was doing the same with Quicksand.

He looked over at her as she headed out of the room. “Had a mighty big meltdown there. Are you sure you’re all right?”

She smiled, working to keep it natural. “I am still surrounded by alpha males and plenty of testosterone.” He gave her a small half smile. “I’m fine, Wes. It’s been an exhausting and scary week.”

“You did a great job with the reunion. Everyone enjoyed it.” He followed her back out into the barn.

“Even with the excitement?” She placed the blanket and hauled the saddle onto his back. Wes made it look effortless. He did most things with very little struggle. Just the thought of doing this on her own was terrifying. She was a hacker for God’s sake and even though she knew how to throw a punch, she was far from a spec ops warrior. Something must have shown on her face.

He walked over to her. “Are you sure there’s nothing else bothering you?” He reached over and handed her the bridle and Saragon took the bit like a good dragon.

“Other than why this man is trying to kill me?” He wrapped his arm around her and drew her close. “No, nothing else.” She had to keep everything to herself which was pressure enough, but she was quite aware that Wes would try to help. Aiding and abetting a fugitive was a federal offense. She’d looked it up. He could be charged with the crime if he went with her to DC, and he would insist on it the moment she told him she knew who was behind this. She closed her eyes and breathed in his scent. God, she wanted him to go with her so much.

She couldn’t risk it. She couldn’t be responsible for him getting a dishonorable discharge or getting court-martialed. She swallowed hard against that sick feeling, blinking back the tears. She had blood on her hands. His honor wouldn’t let him do anything else and after struggling with it so hard during the ten years after his dad’s death… No. That was enough. She’d take the decision out of his hands.

But she had enough time to spend one more afternoon and night with him. She couldn’t risk much more. She’d already booked a flight out of Corpus Christi. Once she arrived in DC she was going to be hiding and most likely on the run.

They led the horses out of the barn and mounted up. She wanted to be honest with him about something and as they trotted off past the corral into the open country, she deliberately headed in the direction of Sweetwater.

The organization and execution of the reunion thankfully behind her, she actually could have gotten back to normal if it wasn’t for this terrible situation hanging over her head. The end of the festivities also signaled Wes’s departure. She knew he wasn’t staying, and her attempt to get him to go may fall on deaf ears, but she was going to try.

She loved this part of the ranch—loved the vastness, the spectacular vistas, the untouched beauty of it. With the exception of fence lines, this area was just as it had been a hundred years before and she was always overwhelmed by it.

There was a gap along the west fence at the top of the rise, and Kia stopped, shielding her eyes as she stared out at the view. It was breathtaking, this country. The mountains, the forested eastern slope, the spiny backs of the foothills, the distinctive green of the aspens. There was no place like it in the entire world. She wondered if Wes missed it. And there was a sense of unfettered freedom here. Shifting her gaze, she followed the majestic flight of a hawk as it hunted, the wind whipping loose hair across her face. It was as if all this space allowed her to take a full breath, to expand her lungs to their total capacity, to shed all her constraints—for now.

Wes had never talked about it, at least not to her, but she understood his commitment to the legacy of Sweetwater. She understood how deep his roots went. And she wondered if getting the ranch back would make him happy or if it would always be a reminder that his dad’s blood had been spilled there.

Had she preserved his family heritage for nothing?

She looked over her shoulder. “You don’t seem rusty to me.”

“I guess it’s like riding a bicycle. It comes back as soon as you get on.”

“He’s not giving you any sass?”

“No, he’s being a fine gentleman,” Wes said, patting his neck.

“Typical.”

He chuckled. “How about we give these ponies some exercise? I’ll race you.”

Before giving him a chance to respond, she kicked Saragon and he jumped into a gallop.

“Hey!” Wes shouted, but when she looked behind the racing horse, he was gaining on her.

“Come on, my dragon,” she whispered. “I know you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink. Let’s just get him there.”

She saw the familiar outline of the ranch on the horizon, and she spurred Saragon a little faster. The appaloosa truly had the heart of a dragon, he responded with more speed. They passed through a wide belt of trees, and Sweetwater’s ranch buildings came into view. The arena was at the most eastward end of the complex, with a series of corrals between it and a huge red barn, and on a knoll to the west, the beautiful house. She’d just had it painted recently. As soon as she got to where she wanted to go, she slowed him and Wes pulled up Quicksand. “You are very fast, lady.”

Then he glanced to his right and his mouth tightened.

She stared at it. After ten years she knew every nook and cranny. She loved this place as much as he did.

“Kia…”

She dismounted and tied Saragon to a bush. “Have you even seen it since you got back?”

“No.” His jaw hardened and flexed as he threw his leg over Quicksand in a fluid move to the ground. He tipped his hat a little lower. “I stopped on the way out of town when I was here for my cousin’s wedding.”

“Why do you want to buy it back?”

He turned to look at her, his expression closed.

“I just want a simple answer.”

She could tell by the stubborn set to his jaw and the look in his eyes that simple couldn’t ever apply to Sweetwater. With a sigh of resignation, she stuck her hands in her back pockets and looked away. He was about to brush by her when she laid her hand on his arm, and he jerked away, almost as though she’d scalded him.

It was an unexpected reaction and stung a bit.

For a long time, he simply looked at her, his eyes giving nothing away. But she sensed a deep discontentment about him, as if he were enduring some inner struggle. And she couldn’t stand that. Reaching up she touched his face, her voice breaking as she said, “Something is happening between us, and I’m getting in so far over my head, I don’t know what to do. Without even trying, you overwhelmed me, and I can’t even fight back.”

He shut his eyes in a grimace as he pulled her hand away. “Kia,” he whispered raggedly. “God, Kia…don’t.”

“Talk to me, Wes,” she pleaded. “I’m not asking for much. I just want you to talk to me.”

He opened his eyes, eyes that were dark and smoky, and as if drawn against his will, he cupped her face in his callused hands and softly stroked her cheeks with his thumbs. “I was born in that house. The boots of my grandfather, great grandfather and the ones before him walked the land, tended the cattle, raised the horses and built a legacy. I was always proud to know that it would come to me, that I would get the opportunity to provide good stewardship of the land.” He tipped his head forward, the shadow of the brim obscuring his eyes. “I lost sight of home, Kia, and it almost destroyed me. In the swamps, jungles and deserts of this world, I was unhooked, unhinged, wandering with Uncle Sam’s purpose and home became the brotherhood where I belonged because we bled, sweated, and fought together. But I never forgot my roots.” His hands dropped away from her and to keep contact, she hooked her finger into one of his belt loops. “I fight for tangibles and people and for concepts that have words like patriotism, honor, justice. I fight for the American way as part of the force that keeps this country free. I thought I was ready to give that up. But I’m not. I’m not sure if getting Sweetwater back in my name is more about trying to overcome the betrayal of my dad or remembering that home has many meanings and that it can’t be separated from the heart.”

She reached out and ran her hand over the stubble on his jaw. She stepped closer and kissed him, lingered on his tantalizing mouth for just a few heartbeats.

“Wes, I know these ten years have been so difficult for you. But I need to tell you something that I left to omission. After graduation, I was attacked by several boys, and it would have been bad for me if it wasn’t for a man who saved me from that fate with a shotgun and a disposition that brooked no argument.”

Her heart was pounding and she wanted to blurt everything out, but she couldn’t not just yet, not until it was resolved. She wouldn’t give him false hope. She couldn’t do that to him. “He took me home, and he was kind to me, treated me like a beloved daughter. He allowed me access to his horses and taught me how to ride, exposed me to his wonderful brand of humor and stories. I spent two wonderful years enjoying that man just because he was so genuine and warm.” Her voice was thick, and she worked to keep the tears at bay. “That man was your father.”

His eyes widened, then narrowed. “What? You had a relationship with my father?”

“Yes.

“When I was at school?”

“Yes.”

“Where were you in the summer when I was home?”

“I stayed away.”

“Why?”

“Because of Lisa Palladino.”

“I see.”

“You should. I’ve had a crush on you ever since I clapped eyes on you. I couldn’t bear watching you and What’s Her Name make out, be all close and lovey dovey when I wanted that to be me.”

“I felt the same,” he said. “I was a fool.”

“Then it’s not just me, is it? It’s happening to you, too.” There was a flash of something in his eyes that resembled anguish, and it aroused such a fierce protectiveness in her she had to fight to keep her voice level.

“You are such a treasure, Kia.”

“But—”

He pressed his thumb firmly against her mouth to silence her, gently rubbing over the lip ring. “We know this isn’t an easy thing here.”

For once she didn’t argue. Not now, not while he was looking at her the way he was. She had a nearly uncontrollable urge to be with him here on this spot overlooking Sweetwater while he was busy trying to put distance between them, him slipping and sliding away.

“No, it’s not easy, but it’s real, Wes. So very real.”

“It is. The realest thing in my life, darlin’. I don’t know how to get my head around it, you being here, me being gone so much, and the memories. I’m still working on all of that.”

“I get that. I’m not asking you for anything, Wes. I just wanted you to know that it was something more with you. I need that.” This would sustain her in what she had to do.

“It’s more,” he growled. “So much more I’m a pretzel.”

“Aw, my poor beautiful Cowboy. Does it still hurt?”

“You make me hurt,” he said huskily. He buried his fingers in her hair and pressed her up against his solid body. God, he was built like a slab of granite, and she loved it. That hard, undeniably aroused body.

With a low growl encompassing both frustration and urgent need, he slanted his mouth across hers and sank his tongue deep, kissing her just as recklessly as he had every time their mouths met. His mouth always delivered on that sin and pleasure he promised. She met him stroke for stroke, let him know that she was his.

The long, hard length of him fit hard in the crux of her thighs, he flexed his hips when she grabbed his shirt and pulled it out of his jeans. With one whip-like move, she split his shirt open, the snaps popping free in one big clicking explosion.

“Let me kiss it and make it all better.”

She leaned forward and captured one of his rigid nipples between her lips. She laved the erect nub with her tongue, and grazed the tip with the edge of her teeth. A groan rumbled up from his chest as she navigated her way lower, spreading hot, moist kisses on his taut belly. She bit the edges of his abs and licked along each ridge while she undid his pants. Hooking her fingers in the waistband, she pulled both jeans and briefs off him.

He sucked in a breath when she came to his thick, straining erection, and even that part of him was as gorgeous and magnificent as he was.

She wrapped her fingers around the hard, velvet-textured length of him and felt him pulse in her tight grip. She took him into her mouth, his skin hot and salty against the stroke of her tongue. He shuddered and tangled his hands in her hair, and she sucked him, taking him in deep as she could. She pleasured him with her mouth, teased him with her tongue, and aroused him to a fever pitch of need that made his entire body shake with the restraint of trying to hold back.

“Oh, Christ,” he breathed and frantically tried to tug her back up. “I’m going to come if you don’t stop.”

She wanted more of him than this and with one more lick along his shaft, she kissed her way back up his body, working on the closure on her pants. He helped pull them down. She pressed him back into the heather. “Save a horse,” she whispered. “Fuck a Cowboy.”

She straddled his hips with her knees and directed his erection upward. She was so ready for him. With deliberate slowness, she sank inch by inch on top of him, until he filled her completely and her sex stretched tight around him.

His nostrils flared, and stark male desire heated his eyes. He clutched her waist and rocked her tighter against his straining body, setting a rhythm that would take him much too quick to climax.

“Buck, baby, buck me hard,” he said, fiercely.

She was in control and bucking him was exactly what she had on her mind.

“I’m going to buck you so good.” His chest rose and fell heavily, his expression fierce and hungry as he sent his hands up her body and under her shirt, beneath her bra and fondled her nipple rings, pulling and tugging.

“I’m begging you, Kia,” he whispered raggedly, “take me, now. I don’t care if this gets complicated. I don’t care that you’re scared. I want you.”

“I am scared,” she whispered. So scared of losing him.

“Take me.” He pulled her against his hard, aroused body.

“Cowboy…” Her voice breathless, she could never catch it any time this man was close.

“Take me, darlin’,” he demanded.

“Oh, God, Wes…” she murmured, as he cupped the back of her neck and pulled her down to his face, her breasts against his chest, her heart beating as hard as his.

“Take me hard. Take me soft. Take me all the way.”

More than eager to give him anything he desired, she wrapped her arms around his neck, locked their bodies so they were meshed chest to thighs, and took him. Lowering her mouth to his, she pressed her lips against his velvet ones as her hips rolled and glided against his.

He gripped her hips, but he allowed her to set the pace, and she moved on him, shamelessly in love. She felt his thighs tense beneath hers, felt his stomach muscles ripple, and knew he was nearing the end.

Twining her fingers in his silky hair, she pulled his head back and dragged her damp, open mouth along his throat, then gently sank her teeth into the taut tendons where neck met shoulder and put her dark fairy mark on him.

He bucked upward one last time, hard and strong, and his groan of surrender in her ear was the sexiest sound she’d ever heard.

The fiery sunset reflected their heated embrace, sending streaks of flame across the sky.

They clutched each other in the heather above Sweetwater and she was determined to be strong, tough, a SEAL at heart just as he’d named her. She might have to do this alone, but when she went into danger, into battle her way, she would have this man so deeply embedded in her heart, it would be like he was right beside her.