The late afternoon sun beat down on Sean as he grabbed another bale of hay and heaved it off the truck he was standing on. He watched as it landed on the pile in front of him with a thud, bits of hay spraying up in every direction.

He lifted the hem of his shirt and wiped his brow. Two more bales and then he’d take a break. That thought caused his muscles to twitch. He was hot and needed a drink. Grabbing another bale by the strings, he shoved it off the bed of his truck.

Just as he moved to lift the last bale, his phone rang.

Sean straightened and pulled it out of his back pocket. He glanced down and swallowed.

Dad.

Why was his dad calling him? What had he done wrong now? Clearing his throat, he attempted to push down all of the emotions that he felt for Rick Petty. Ha. That was a well that ran deep. But his dad wouldn’t stop calling, so he might as well answer.

“Hey, Dad.”

“Sean?”

“Yep. What’s up?”

His dad was silent for a moment. No doubt it was because of his less than proper greeting. But Sean was never going to be that serious business guy his dad had always wanted him to be. He was a rancher. Through and through.

“Did you need something?” he asked. Sitting in silence grated his nerves.

“Have you talked to your grandfather today?”

Sean glanced out toward Austin’s house, squinting as he saw Emma step out onto the porch and wave at him.

“I’m just finishing up at the Maverick ranch and then I’ll head back over. He was asleep when I left this morning.” Just the thought of his grandfather’s ranch caused his heart to swell. He was weeks away from it becoming his own.

Travis, his cousin, was finished with the ranching life and wanted an out. Sean couldn’t think of anything better than taking it over. It had been his dream since he was a kid, and nothing was going to stand in his way. Not his father. And not the ranch’s obvious financial problems. None of it mattered.

All the random jobs he took from Austin would end. He wouldn’t have to work at the Tavern anymore. He’d be an official rancher and that couldn’t come fast enough.

“So you haven’t heard,” his father said, pulling him from his thoughts.

Sean tried not to groan. He hated it when his dad talked in code. “Heard what, Dad?” This dance around the deeper issues was getting exhausting. Part of him wished his dad would come out and say just how disappointed he was that Sean had picked a life as a rancher over becoming a partner in his firm.

But his dad had to know. A desk job wasn’t his life. He needed to be outdoors—feeling the sun on his skin and the breeze around him.

His dad cleared his throat on the other end. “The Petty Ranch is getting audited.”

In that one short sentence, Sean’s stomach sank to the ground. “What?”

“Your mother found the letter buried in some mail we got for your grandfather. The IRS is sending someone out there. Today.”

Sean hopped off the bed of the truck so he could pace. This was bad. It was no lie that all the ranchers in Moose Falls were struggling. Two ranches had been shut down in the last five months. The amount it cost to run a ranch was increasing faster than the money coming in. He was just hoping the money he’d been able to save would help revive his grandfather’s ranch. That thought was sinking faster than a cow in mud.

“What? How could this happen?” he asked, not really expecting an answer.

His dad sighed. “It’s a rough profession, Sean. Like I’ve been telling you.”

Sean couldn’t hear another one of his dad’s lectures about this. “Yeah, Dad. I got that. Hey, I gotta go. I need to get to Pop’s ranch before the vulture comes.”

His dad began to protest, but Sean had already pulled the phone from his ear. Once he hung up, he shoved the phone into his back pocket. He leaned across the bed of the truck to pull the last bale of hay from the back and tossed it onto the pile.

When he turned back around, he found Emma standing behind him. She was smiling as she rubbed her swollen belly.

“Hey, Sean. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you. My mom barely let me leave New York this time.”

Sean reached out and gave her a one-armed hug. He planted a kiss on the top of her head. “It’s okay, Ems. I’ve had lots going on.”

Emma laughed and pulled back. “That’s what Austin’s been saying. Something about Travis leaving and you taking over?”

At the mention of his grandfather’s ranch, Sean’s stomach twisted. Why did this audit have to come so close to his dream finally becoming a reality? He had the worst timing with everything. Instead of delving into his confusing feelings about what was about to happen, he patted her on the shoulder and changed the subject.

“That’s quite the belly. Is Austin feeding you too much?”

Emma dropped her jaw as she smacked his shoulder. He tried to duck, but she made contact before he was out of the way.

“Sean Petty. How dare you say that to a pregnant lady.”

Sean laughed as he held up his hands. “Oh, pregnant. Right. I think I heard that somewhere.”

Emma placed her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes. “It’s probably better that you’re getting your own ranch. I don’t need you commenting on how wide I’m getting when I’ve still got two months to go.” She planted her hands on her hips and gave him a menacing stare. It was sweet that she was trying to be tough.

Sean stilled his expression before he shot her a smile. “It’s twins, right?” he asked as he moved to open the driver’s door and slipped into his truck, before he became the recipient of her retaliation again.

“Sean Petty, never provoke a pregnant lady,” she said, shaking her fist.

Sean laughed as he started up his truck. “It’s a compliment, Em. You grow ‘em big! They’ll be great ranchers.”

Emma pinched her lips as if she were fighting to keep her stern expression from morphing into a smile. He leaned out of his truck and gave her a wave. She sighed as she pushed her hair out of her face and waved at him.

“I’ll tell Austin that you’re looking for him,” she yelled above the roar of his truck.

“Tell him I’ll meet him later at the Tavern. I’ve got a story to tell him.” Sean shifted into first gear and pressed on the gas. Emma gave him a thumbs-up as he pulled out of the ranch.

Sean was grateful for the fifteen minutes it took to drive from Maverick Ranch to his grandfather’s. He needed all that time to think about what he was going to do or say to the auditor that the IRS was sending.

By the time he pulled up to his grandfather’s one-hundred-year-old house and turned off his truck, he’d come to the conclusion that he wasn’t going to let some hot-shot guy from the city come in and tell him what he could or couldn’t do with the ranch. It was going to be his in just a few short weeks, and nothing was going to stand in his way.

Sean opened his door and jumped onto the gravel driveway. He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck. Stress was beginning to crawl its way across his muscles. The itch to swim tugged at his mind.

But just as he thought about getting into the water, his right shoulder ached. He hadn’t gotten into the water since senior year of high school. Since he’d been kicked by that heifer and she broke his shoulder. It was at that moment that he’d needed to make a change in his life. What else could he do when he’d stood there in front of the recruiter, listening to Purdue say that he no longer qualified for the scholarship they’d promised him.

Sean slammed the door, hoping to push out the memories that were bogging down his mind. Right now, he needed to focus on meeting the beast and not on reliving his glory days. Swimming was in his past, but this ranch was his future. He wasn’t going to let some pencil pusher come take it away from him.

The gravel crunched under his boots as he made his way over to the two-story house and up the porch steps. The swing shifted in the sweet summer breeze. This house had been in his family for five generations. It was all he knew, and he’d fight for it.

He pulled open the screen door and wiped his boots on the front mat. Voices could be heard in the back. Sean smiled as he made his way toward the kitchen.

“Sean? That you?” his grandfather called out.

“Yep. I’m back. Hey, got a call from Dad. He said something interesting.” Sean walked down the hall. Past the pictures of the generations that had lived here, had raised families here. “Something about a dragon coming from the IRS. You’re getting audited?” He stepped into the kitchen and almost choked on his tongue.

Sitting at the table across from Pops was a woman in a business suit. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a bun at the nape of her neck. She had bright blue eyes, and when her gaze landed on him, she raised her eyebrows.

“Sean,” Pops said in his gravelly voice. “This is Christine. She’s the dragon the IRS sent.”

Sean stared at her and then made his way over to the fridge. He pulled it open and rested his arm on the door as he stared inside of it. He took a deep breath as he tried to calm his nerves.

When he thought that the auditor was going to be a male, the idea of giving him a hard time seemed fitting. But staring at the blue eyes of Christine gave him an uneasy feeling.

A moment later, once he’d gathered his wits, he grabbed a Coke and turned around, swinging the fridge door shut behind him. He popped back the tab and took a long drink. Once he was done, he looked over at Pops and Christine, who were both watching him.

He set the can down on the counter and ran his hand through his hair.

“Sorry,” he said.

Christine’s eyebrows rose again. “I’m sorry, for what?”

“For calling you a dragon.”

Christine laughed and shook her head. “I’ve heard worse.”

“I don’t doubt it.”

“Sean,” Pops said.

When Sean glanced over at him, he shrugged. Why was his grandfather acting so calm? This woman was here to put their ranch out of business. The only reason the IRS cared about a small ranch in Montana was because they were going to shut it down.

Whatever his grandfather had done to tick off the government was most likely not fixable. They were just sending an executioner out as a formality. They’d already made their decision.

Christine stood and stuck out her hand. “Mr. Petty, I’m sure you have an idea about the type of person I am, but believe me, the government just wants to tie up a few loose ends. If you are cooperative, then I don’t see this lasting longer than a few days. I’ll be out of your hair, and you can go back to doing whatever it is that you do.” She smiled up at him.

Acid rose up from Sean’s stomach. Whatever it is that you do. Was she serious? How was she supposed to give an accurate depiction of the ranch that he’d grown up on his entire life from just a few papers and receipts. This was his life. The home he fought with his father about every day. How could he trust that she’d fight for them, when she didn’t even know what it was that they did?

“Do you do this a lot?” Sean asked, glancing down at her outstretched hand, then folding his arms and leaning against the counter. He narrowed his gaze as he studied her.

Christine glanced from him back to Pops and dropped her hand. “I’m not sure understand what you mean.”

Sean hated being a jerk, but there was no way he’d just sit back and allow this woman to come into his life and turn it upside down. He’d fight for it until his last breath.

“How many ranches have you audited, Mrs. . .” He raised his eyebrows.

“It’s actually ‘Miss.’ Miss Jordan.” Her cheeks hinted pink as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “And this is the first one.”

Sean snorted. Of course it was. Just his luck to be sent the rookie. A girl out to prove herself. He could see his dreams of owning this place disappear before his eyes. It was over. “Well isn’t that just great,” he said, pushing off the counter and pulling open the back door.

“Where are you going, Sean?” Pops called from behind him.

Sean just waved his question away as he headed toward the barn. He needed a minute to process what was happening. He needed to get out of here. In five minutes he had his horse, Jersey, saddled and he pulled himself up onto her back. He’d go for a ride and then come back and face the world. Right now, he just needed the expansiveness of Montana to calm him down.