“What happened?” Rafe asked Tom as he hurried into Doc Larson’s office.

“He’s back getting an x-ray. Called the doc in on his day off.”

“Well, that’s the chance you take being a small-town doc.”

“True that. He fell getting out of the tub. That darn hip of his.”

“Where’s Lilia?”

“Around the corner getting us some coffees from Rena’s. You want anything?” He held up his phone. “I can call her.”

“No, no, I just had some coffee. I’m good.”

“Good news,” Doc said as he entered the waiting room. “No fracture. Just some bruised ribs. He’ll be in some pain, but he’ll be good as new in a few weeks. I’ll give him a couple Percocet. After that ibuprofen should be fine.”

Lilia came in with the coffees. She handed one to Tom and one to Doc. “How is he?”

Doc smiled. “He’ll be fine. Nothing’s broken, just bruised.”

“Thank God.” Lilia sat down. “I was so worried. He’s so stubborn sometimes. He scares the devil out of me when he insists on going out walking alone at night. I’m always afraid he’ll fall and hurt himself. And then he falls getting out of the tub!”

Tom laughed. “At least he’s keeping clean.”

“It’s not funny. If anything happened to him—”

“Nothing’s going to happen to him,” Rafe said. “Like you said, he’s too stubborn to let anything truly bad happen. If he’d use a cane, his life would be a little easier, but he’s too stubborn.”

“Too proud,” Tom said.

“Proud, schmoud,” Lilia said. “He’s still young at heart. Still handsome as anything. So his hips don’t work like they used to. So what?”

“We’re sure glad he has you around, Lilia,” Tom said.

Yeah, Lilia was a godsend. And here he was screwing everything up. What if she had to go back to Mexico? What would his father do? Rafe and Tom would have to step up and pick up the slack, that was all. They’d get him a housekeeper. It would cut into the money for the Arizona place, but so be it.

Unless…

No. Even if he couldn’t help Angie, he still needed to dissolve his marriage. Both he and Lilia deserved better than a marriage on paper only. They deserved love.

“He doesn’t listen. Tells me I’m nagging.” Lilia took a tissue out of her purse, wiped at her eyes, and blew her nose. “Well, maybe I am nagging, but it’s for his own good.”

Tom laughed out loud. “You sound just like our mother.”

Rafe agreed. “He hated her nagging. He’s always been stubborn. Never did know what was good for him.”

A few minutes later, out came Jack Grayhawk, leaning on Doc Larson.

“I taped him up real good,” Doc said. “Leave him taped up for twenty-four hours. Here’s four Percocet. Take one every six hours, Jack.”

“I don’t need any drugs.”

“You stubborn man.” Lilia shook her finger at him. “You’ll do what the doc says.”

Rafe chuckled. Yep, just like Ma used to say. Maybe Lilia would have better luck. He doubted it.

“You boys go on home,” Jack said. “It’ll take more than a little fall to bring me down.”

“Just promise you’ll be a little more careful, Dad,” Rafe said, as he and Tom each took one arm.

“Oh, he will be,” Lilia said. “The boys’ll get you into the car. Let’s get you home.”

They helped him into the passenger side of his car while Lilia sat down in the driver’s seat. Soon Rafe’s father was heading toward Echo Gardens.

“Hey”—Tom pointed—“isn’t that your girlfriend?”

Rafe shifted his gaze. Angelina Bay was leaving the boutique, her arms full of packages. What was the boutique doing open on a Sunday?

“She’s not my girlfriend.” But God, I wish she were.

“Sure seemed that way the other night at the bar. I was afraid you two were going to make a baby right there on the dance floor.”

Yes, they had gotten carried away. The fresh lavender scent of her hair still made his nostrils tingle, the smoky orange taste of her kisses, her soft breasts crushed against him as they swayed to the music.

But that was all over now. He couldn’t marry her in time to save her ranch. So what good was he? She didn’t want him any longer anyway. She wouldn’t even listen to him when he’d tried to explain about his marriage.

And she’d never said she loved him.

He was nothing. Just a ranch hand. She’d made that clear as day.

So why can’t I get her out of my heart?

“Hey there!” Tom gestured to Angie.

“Shit. Don’t call her over here.”

“Too late.”

Angie ambled over, her bags an obvious burden.

“Let us help you with those,” Tom said, taking the biggest one and handing it to Rafe. “Here, help the lady to her car.”

Rafe gave his brother what he hoped was a “fuck you” look.

Tom laughed. “I gotta run. An…appointment.”

“On Sunday?” Rafe tried the “fuck you” look again.

“Yep, on Sunday. See you.” With a tip of his hat, he was gone.

I owe you one, Tom.

“What are you doing around here today?” Angie asked.

“I live just down the street, as you recall.”

“Right.” Her cheeks turned crimson.

God, she is beautiful. So damn beautiful. “How about you,” he said. “What’s going on? Why are you in town on a Sunday?”

“Shopping. Deb opens up special for me when I need her to.”

“Oh.” Pretentious as all get out. What did he see in her again? “So you had a shopping emergency, is that it?”

“In a manner of speaking,” she said. “I needed a wedding dress. I’m getting married on Saturday.”

Rafe’s whole body quaked. Had someone punched him in the gut? He took a deep breath. “Who’s the lucky guy?”

“Frank Longhorn.”

“Oh.” Longhorn was a rancher about Angelina’s age. He had much more to offer her anyway. A woman like her deserved…

What did a woman like her deserve?

A man who wasn’t already married, for one.

“Nice choice. He’ll be able to afford you.”

He regretted the words as soon as he’d uttered them. She dropped her packages by the trunk of her car and fished in her purse.

“You can go now. I’ll be fine.”

Something primal overtook him then. He seized her, her hand still in her purse, pushed her against the door of her car, and slammed his lips onto hers.

Open damn it! Open your lips for me.

As if she read his mind, she opened. Her sweet tongue darted out and met his. He could kiss her forever and never tire of her unique flavor. Their tongues tangled and mated, their lips slid and mashed together. The kiss was raw, unapologetic, yet still seductive and mind-blowing.

For a millisecond, he tried to capture the moment, ink it on his brain so he could pull it out for sustenance once she was married to someone else.

Someone else.

Someone else in her bed. Touching her beautiful body, kissing her private parts, making love to her…

He deepened his assault on her mouth, his desire becoming a need—a need to possess every part of her. He was a beast in the jungle, and she his mate.

When his ferocity melted a little, the kiss become more tender, more loving. Loving. Yes. He’d been right before. He loved this woman. Never had a mere kiss been so meaningful, so much like the actual act of making love.

He broke the suction of their mouths and rained tiny kisses along her cheeks, the sexy curve of her neck. Oh, he could live forever on her and only her. If only he could have said yes when she asked him to marry her. If only…

“Rafe,” she said against his cheek, her breath a soft whisper against this skin.

“Baby, come home with me.”

“God, Rafe.” She nibbled on his earlobe, her soft puffs tickling the inside of his ear.

“Please. Come to my bed. Let me make love to you.”

She ran her tongue along the outer edge of his ear. Damn, she made him crazy.

“Please, baby. Please. I need you.”

His erection pulsed inside his jeans. An orgasm threatened to erupt…from a kiss. He steeled himself, willed his desire to wane. Didn’t work. He needed her. In his bed. In his life. In his heart.

She’d never be out of his heart.

In an instant, she pushed him away, still panting. His dick throbbed, aching for her fingers, her tongue.

“Baby?”

She closed her eyes, sniffed. “I can’t. I’m promised to someone else.” Quickly she plucked her packages off the ground, opened her car door, and threw them in. “Goodbye, Rafe.”

Averting her gaze, she got into the car and drove off.

Off to marry another man, so she could keep her ranch.

Angie Bay, who valued things over people, property over—

Over what? True, he loved her, but she’d never said she loved him. Maybe she didn’t value property over love. Maybe she didn’t value love at all. Maybe she was incapable of the emotion.

He shook his head. No. Couldn’t be. Not the way she kissed him, touched him, made love to him. She had to be capable of something other than greed. That, or she was one mighty fine actress.

His mind tumbled to the packages of clothes she didn’t need.

Actress it is.

---

“Thanks for coming over,” Dallas said, opening the door on Tuesday. “There’s someone here I’d like you to meet.”

Rafe walked in. “Where’s Annie?”

“At the clinic. Didn’t you see her when you left?”

“Nope, she wasn’t in yet.”

“Good thing. She had the girls with her. You know how they love you.”

“They’re great kids,” Rafe said. And they were. Twin girls, Laurie and Sylvie, who looked exactly like their daddy. What he wouldn’t give for a bronze-skinned little girl with Angie’s emerald eyes.

But that wasn’t to be.

Dallas led him into the kitchen where they’d talked previously. “This is my friend Lisa Cohn. She’s an immigration lawyer.”

Right. Dallas had promised to call in a favor for him. Too bad he no longer needed it. Since Angie was marrying someone else, no reason existed to dissolve his marriage to Lilia after all. Yes, they both deserved love, but there was no hurry now. Everything could continue as planned. Course Dallas had gone to a lot of trouble. He might as well hear the lady out.

“Nice to meet you,” Rafe said.

Lisa stood. “You too. Dallas and Annie speak highly of you.”

“I appreciate that.”

“Sit, please.”

He sat.

“Dallas told me a little about your situation. I looked into your file. Obviously you passed the interview five years ago.”

“Yes, we did fine.”

“First of all, you broke the law. You know that. But it was a noble thing you did. Lilia Martinez is the daughter of the biggest drug lord in Nogales, right on the border.”

“Yes, I know.”

“Life couldn’t have been easy for her. Do you know any of her circumstances?”

“Just that she was physically and emotionally abused by her father and her brother. She told my mother things, thing’s she’d never repeat to us. All she’d say is we didn’t know the half of it, and Lilia had sworn her to secrecy. She said we had to protect Lilia, that her life depended on it. Those secrets died with my mother.”

Lisa nodded. “I can understand why you married her to protect her. It’s skating around the law, but sometimes there’s good reason.” She cleared her throat. “The good thing is, Lilia didn’t enter the U.S. illegally. She had a valid student visa. So that’s in your favor. I’m pretty sure I can fix it so she can keep her green card since you’ve been married for over three years.”

Great. Didn’t matter now, but whatever. “That’s kind of you.”

Lisa took a sip from the glass of water in front of her. “Is Lilia involved with anyone?”

“Why would that matter?”

“Because if she could marry someone else, it would help. But it’s not a necessity.”

Rafe rubbed his eyes. Such a long couple of days. “Honestly, I don’t know. She seems happy just working for the realtor and keeping house for my dad. She’s really a great person.”

“I’m sure she is.” Lisa shuffled some papers on the table. “Here are the forms you need to file to dissolve your marriage. Only one of you needs to file, and since you’re here, let’s go ahead and get this ball rolling.”

A lump formed in Rafe’s throat. He hadn’t even talked to Lilia about this. And now? With Angie marrying someone else? He didn’t need to go through with this at all.

He sighed. Wrong. It was time. Angie was marrying a man she didn’t love. Rafe—and Lilia—deserved better than that. Once their marriage was dissolved, they could each find love and spend eternity wed to their soul mates.

Well, at least Lilia could. Rafe had already found love. Too bad it would never be returned. Maybe though, just maybe, he’d find it again someday.

He signed on the dotted line and shook hands with Lisa and Dallas. “Thank you for your generosity and kindness. Both of you.”

“You’re most welcome,” Lisa said. “I’ll be in touch.”

Rafe said goodbye and left.

Now home, to tell Lilia they were getting a divorce.