Mark Garrison walked into the terminal at McCarran International Airport with a quick wave to his friend Erin Riser, who’d just dropped him off. It had been great spending time with her and her family and though he was excited about his upcoming trip, he wished he’d had more time with them. He’d really needed to talk to someone who understood what he was going through, and Erin definitely understood.

They’d served in the U.S. Marines together and had been stationed in Afghanistan during a mission that had gone terribly wrong. An IED had cost his closest friend and commanding officer, Shay Gentry, his life, and left Erin with scars covering 40 percent of her body. It had been six years, and sometimes he still had nightmares about Shay and Erin getting blown up right in front of him. After four years of ROTC and nearly twelve years of active duty, something deep inside of him was pulling him away from the only career he’d ever wanted.

You never stopped being a Marine, but in his heart of hearts, he was ready to do something different. He was a major and worked in counter-intelligence, so he had options with the CIA, NSA and even the FBI, but none of them called to him. Not really. His buddies Eric and Louie were at the NSA and they’d told him about their friend Hank “Montana” Patterson, who ran the Brotherhood Protectors, a company that provided bodyguard services. It was located somewhere in Montana, and while he’d balked at first, after talking to Montana on the phone a few times, he’d decided to take some leave and go meet him.

After passing through security, he headed for the bar, hoping to have a couple of drinks before the flight. He came around the corner just as a tall, voluptuous woman with incredibly green eyes walked right into him. “Oh!” Her eyes rounded with dismay as she took a step back. “I’m so sorry! I wasn’t watching where I was going!”

“No problem.” He steadied her with one hand, unable to tear his eyes away from hers; so green, so big, so beguiling. And so familiar. His heart nearly stopped when he recognized her: Lana Callahan. Holy shit, this was his lucky day. “Hi, Lana.”

“Oh. Hi.” Lana blinked and nodded, abruptly holding out her hand in a stiff vertical position. “Nice to see you again.”

“Likewise.” He couldn’t help a slow smile at her deliciously awkward but endearing movements. “Would you like to have a drink before your flight?”

She flushed pink, shaking her head. “Oh, um, I don’t think…” Her voice trailed off as a voice came over the loudspeaker.

“Flight 4433 to Bozeman, Montana, has been delayed one hour.”

“Shit,” she muttered.

“Are you flying to Bozeman?”

“Yes.” Her eyes met his curiously.

“Believe it or not, so am I. I have a job interview.”

“I, er, it’s a business trip for me. I’m going to some place called Eagle Rock.”

“Eagle Rock?” He shook his head. Maybe this was more than his lucky day. “That’s where I’m going too.”

“Oh!” She turned red again. “Wow, that’s, um…”

“Let’s get a drink,” he said with a smile, finding her shyness refreshing. “We can catch up.”

“Erin talks about you guys all the time.”

“Us guys?”

“The guys from her old unit.”

“We’re all still very close,” he nodded, motioning to the bartender. “Whatever you’ve got on draught for me, and for the lady?” He turned to her.

“White wine,” she said absently. “House brand is fine.”

The bartender disappeared and Mark motioned to the stool beside him. “We’ve got time. You might as well sit and relax.”

“Yes, okay. Thank you.”

Lana’s heart did a little bumpety-bump when Mark smiled at her. She was always awkward around cute guys, but she’d definitely brought her A game with that ridiculous handshake and her inability to stop blushing. Why was she always so dumb in front of men? Probably because she was taller than most of them and didn’t have enough experience with them to be comfortable. She’d met Mark on multiple occasions and found him so sexy she sometimes couldn’t think straight when he looked at her, so she’d started avoiding him whenever he showed up at an event with their mutual friend Erin.

She let out a sad sigh, hoping no one heard her, but Mark did and cocked his head inquisitively.

“So what’s in Eagle Rock, Montana, for a woman who works in public relations?”

“We have a client who’s staying there and Kate wants me to keep an eye on him, set up some interviews, work on a new press kit.”

“You can’t do that from Vegas?”

“I live in Manhattan, but I’ve been spending more and more time in Vegas with Kate. And no, I can’t keep him out of trouble unless I’m with him. Kate thinks this injury is going to make him spiral again.”

“Again?”

“Long story.” She smiled at the bartender when he set down her glass of wine. “What do you do, Mark? Are you still in the Marines? I didn’t realize you’d been in town.”

“I literally stopped for 48 hours, just enough time to see Erin and catch a hockey game.” Erin’s husband, Drake, played professional hockey. “And like I said, I’m going to Eagle Rock for a job interview.”

“So you’re not in the Marines anymore?”

Mark hesitated. “I’m on leave for 30 days, trying to decide whether or not to re-enlist. It might be time to move on. I love the Marines, but I feel the need for a change.”

“What kind of job is there in Montana?”

“Personal security.”

“Like bodyguards?”

He nodded. “It’s just an interview, a chance to check out the operation, meet the other guys. I haven’t decided anything yet.”

“That sounds amazing,” Lana said softly. “I wish I wasn’t so awkward and clumsy and could do something so important.”

“What you do is important too,” he responded. “We all have our strengths and purpose—maybe yours is to be tall and sexy and make men’s knees shake a little when you look down at them.”

Lana flushed. “I’m pretty sure I don’t make anyone’s knees shake… Usually I trip over my own two feet and wind up looking up at them like an idiot.”

“I should be so lucky,” he murmured with a soft smile. “Because then I’d be the one to catch your fall.”

Lana was so flustered as she reached for her wine glass that she wound up knocking it over. She jumped out of her seat just in time to avoid the contents pouring onto her lap, a string of curses escaping her.

“Easy.” Mark grabbed a nearby rag the bartender had left, sopping up the wine as Lana watched in horror.

“I’ve got it.” The bartender appeared, cleaning up the mess and setting another glass of wine in front of her.

“I’m sorry,” Mark said softly. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“My fault,” Lana sighed. “I told you I’m clumsy. And I’m not used to men flirting with me, so I always do dumb stuff when they do.”

“I have a thing for tall women and probably say stuff I shouldn’t,” he admitted. “Forgive me?”

His blue eyes were so sweet and sincere she couldn’t help but smile. “Of course.”

“Just an FYI, I think tall women are gorgeous. How tall are you?”

“Six one,” she mumbled.

“Wow,” he said quietly. “I’m six feet even and I’ve been waiting my whole life for a beautiful woman who’s taller than I am... Will you marry me?”

Mark watched Lana go from a cute shade of pink to snow-white and felt a moment of guilt for teasing her. She was just so damn adorable, he couldn’t help himself. He’d honestly spent most of his adult life fantasizing about a woman who was tall like she was but he figured he’d better dial things back before she died of embarrassment. He thought it was cute, but based on the horrified look in her eyes, she genuinely had no clue how beautiful she was.

“I’m kidding,” he said softly. “Not about how beautiful you are or that I like tall women, but you know, we should wait at least a week or two before I propose.”

“You’re going to give me a heart attack,” Lana murmured, carefully picking up her glass and taking what she hoped was a ladylike sip.

“I’m sorry,” Mark said. “I can’t seem to help myself. I think you’re beautiful and usually when I meet someone who looks like you they’re stuck-up and prissy.”

Lana’s big green eyes widened as she looked at him, her cheeks turning pink again. Then she smiled—a ravishing, full-mouth, glorious smile that essentially sucked all the air out of his lungs. “You think I’m pretty enough to be stuck-up?”

He made sure his face was completely serious as he said, “I think you’re beautiful enough to be both stuck-up and prissy, but I’m glad you’re not.”

Lana stared at him for a moment without blinking, as if deep in thought. Then she abruptly downed the rest of her drink, dug a ten-dollar bill out of her purse and laid it on the bar. “Thanks for the company and the compliments, but I have to get a few things done before the flight. Take care, Mark.”

Mark watched her go with a sigh. She was incredible and he wished he hadn’t spooked her. She would be a challenge, but she was going to Eagle Rock and he’d been attracted to her for a long time, so he had to try. He needed to backpedal a little, though, because she was distinctly uncomfortable when he flirted with her. According to Erin, she was a great publicist and their mutual friend Kate, who was Lana’s boss, had asked her to become a partner in her firm. That didn’t sound like a woman who couldn’t hold her own, but he’d have to come up with a gentler way to get her attention. What he’d done so far had only managed to scare her away. He picked up his beer thoughtfully, wondering what he needed to do to show her a little flirting was fun.