Lana hadn’t known how she would face Mark in the morning, but when he’d taken off for the gym—he’d left her a note telling her where he was—she’d called for a cab to take her back to the airport, packed up her things and left him a note as well:

Mark, thanks again for a lovely dinner. I needed to get to Eagle Rock sooner rather than later, so I took off. You’re welcome to stay in the room another night if you need it. –Lana

She got a rental car and headed to Eagle Rock. By the time she arrived at the huge, secluded cabin, she’d managed to put last night’s disaster out of her mind and was in publicist mode. Staying in the cabin with a client was unusual, but Kate had found several other clients and mutual friends willing to vouch for Aaron and assure them that although he was going through a lot in his personal life, he was a good guy and Lana would be safe. Besides, Lana wasn’t worried. A hunk like Aaron didn’t need to force himself on his tall, clumsy publicist. What would that accomplish other than ruin his chances of ever finding another? No, she was perfectly safe with him.

Luckily, her instincts had been spot-on and they hit it off immediately. He was six feet four inches with wavy blond hair that fell in a shaggy mess around his head and pale blue eyes that seemed a little sad. He was soft-spoken and friendly, helping her with her suitcase and showing her around the cabin. In fact, he seemed like the exact opposite of what they’d been hired to tame; she had a hard time picturing this guy being a jerk, even on the ice.

“So how does this work?” he asked as they settled at the kitchen table with cold cuts, cheeses and rolls to make sandwiches for lunch. “You follow me around Eagle Rock and make sure I don’t get into bar fights?”

She smiled. “Part of the time. I also make sure you go to physical therapy, work on a plan for you to get back into the public’s good graces and maybe even set up some PR here in Eagle Rock at a local hospital and the like. Since Montana doesn’t have an NHL team, it could be a good way for you to boost morale with a visit to a children’s cancer ward or something.”

“Okay.” He nodded amiably, putting so much roast beef on the bread she watched in fascination.

“Do you have any questions for me?” she asked after a moment.

He shook his head. “Nah. My agent and the team both told me I had no choice in this, so I agreed. I just want to get past my divorce so—”

“Wait.” She held up a hand. “Divorce? No one said anything about a divorce. Aaron, that could change everything.”

He sighed. “No one knows. That’s kind of the problem. I don’t want anyone to know. She thinks I’m cheating but I’m not.” He made a face and dug into his sandwich.

Something in his voice set off her inner sixth sense and she narrowed her eyes. “Why did you say it that way?”

“Because I’m in love with someone else, but I’ve never touched her, never cheated, never done anything. I’ve loved this other woman since college but she’s my best friend’s wife. So I don’t love my wife, but I haven’t cheated.”

“No wonder she’s mad.”

“She doesn’t know.”

“Are you sure?”

“She knows I don’t love her, but not the other thing.”

“Women can see things, you know? She probably senses it even if you don’t realize it.”

“Regardless, she asked for the divorce, and I’m giving her half of everything. I just want it to be over. I guess the stress has been getting to me, and I’m sorry for that. In the end, breaking my hand was probably a good thing—it’s forcing me out of the game and the spotlight. Hopefully, I can get things finalized before I go back.”

“If your divorce is a secret, does that mean the team doesn’t know?”

“No one really knows.”

“Your agent?”

“No. Just my lawyer and my friend Jake.”

“The one whose wife you’re in love with?”

“Yeah.”

“He knows how you feel?”

Aaron frowned, setting his sandwich down. “I think he suspects, but we’re tight. Like brothers. He knows I would never do anything to disrespect that.”

She opened her mouth to answer just as her phone rang. Mark. She sighed and quickly declined the call, turning her phone over. Aaron raised his eyebrows.

“Who’s Mark?”

She flushed. “Just a friend.”

“Uh-huh. Girls don’t usually turn red over a call from ‘a friend.’ How good of a friend?”

She couldn’t help but sigh. “We have mutual friends and wound up on the flight together…” She’d only known Aaron an hour, but she told him the whole story, including her history with men. He listened intently, nodding slowly.

“So he said he wanted to talk about it when you guys were both sober and you took off while he was at the gym?”

She shrugged. “Seemed better than an uncomfortable situation.”

He scratched the faint beginnings of a goatee thoughtfully. “Honestly? I think you overreacted. Since you guys have mutual friends, if he wasn’t interested, he never would have taken you to dinner and started a make-out session. Did it ever occur to you he might actually be a gentleman who didn’t want to do it for the first time after two bottles of wine?”

This time Lana’s flush was one of genuine discomfort because Aaron’s words rang true. Mark might not be thinking about anything long-term, but she had no reason to think he wasn’t a gentleman and what he’d done last night had been a gentlemanly thing to do. “Crap. I told you I consistently make a fool of myself with men.”

Aaron smiled. “It’s kind of cute.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Thanks a lot.”

“You should talk to him. If anything, you probably hurt his feelings by running out on him.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Nope.”

“Great. Just fucking great.” She bit into her sandwich more heartily than she meant to, getting mayonnaise on her cheek and a piece of cheese on her shirt.

“Don’t kill the messenger,” he murmured.

Mark was pissed when he got back to the room after working out and found Lana gone. Even though it was still snowing lightly and probably not safe to drive yet, she’d cut and run instead of talking to him. Frustrated but unsure what he could do about it, he’d called Montana who was now coming to pick him up. Mark had offered to rent a car but Montana said he had an old pickup he could drive while he was in Eagle Rock and Mark was grateful because renting a car for a whole month wasn’t in his budget. He made a decent salary but between the mortgage, his car payment and his love of travel, there wasn’t a lot left at the end of the month. He tried to save but living in the D.C. area was expensive. It was one of the reasons he was considering moving to Montana.

He was outside when Montana arrived and Mark got in the big SUV with a smile, holding out his hand. “Hey, man. Mark Garrison.”

“Good to finally meet you in person.” Montana shook his hand and pulled the SUV into traffic.

They exchanged pleasantries, talking about Mark’s trip and the storm that had passed through.

“Lana rented a car this morning and is probably already in Eagle Rock.” Mark had told him about sharing a hotel room.

“This is someone important to you?” Montana asked.

“I was hoping so, but I guess not.” He shrugged. “Besides, she’s from New York City. If I wind up coming to work for you, I don’t see her relocating to Montana.”

Montana glanced at him. “You know who my wife is, right? Sadie McClain.”

Mark hadn’t known Montana was married to the well-known Hollywood actress. “She likes it here?”

“Oh yeah, but to be fair, she grew up here. Still, this is a great place to settle down, have a family. It’s nice to come home after a trip to L.A. or New York or wherever. Your girl, Lana, may come to feel the same way.”

“She’s not my girl,” Mark muttered.

“Not yet.” Montana chuckled. “Things seem to happen in our little town.”

“Lana’s…special, but I don’t think she’s interested. That’s all. I’m sure we’ll run into her while I’m here and you’ll see what I mean.”

“If she’s worth it, it’ll all work out.”

“Tell me more about the Brotherhood Protectors.” Mark opted to change the subject; talking about Lana only frustrated him all over again.

“It’s basically providing protection services for people who need them. I prefer to hire prior military, to give them a way to use their skills and do something honorable, get jobs when sometimes they can’t.”

“Maybe I don’t qualify,” Mark said quietly. “I have a job and lots of options because of my specialty, so you might want to hire someone who can’t find work.”

“I don’t mean just guys who can’t find jobs. Most of my guys could find work, but it’s hard to find fulfilling work, and that’s one of the things I want to provide. Plus, it’s a service, helping people who need it.”

“And there’s enough business to keep us all on a salary?”

Montana chuckled. “We’re busier than you might think. Lots of rich people buy land out here and then need protection from one thing or another. Hell, there’s business I’ve had to turn down out of town because I didn’t have enough guys to handle it. Business is good, Mark. You’ll have plenty to do if things work out.”

“You have anything going on while I’m here?”

“I’ve got a couple things in the works, so you’ll get a feel for it. In the meantime, I’m going to do my best to make you want to live in Eagle Rock.”

Mark grinned. “Sounds like a fun challenge.”

Instead of heading home, they stopped at a diner for dinner. Montana’s wife was out shopping with his sister, Allie, tonight, so his brother-in-law, Axel “Swede” Svenson, also one of the Protectors, was meeting them for dinner. Swede was already inside so they walked in and headed towards his table. The tall blond got up and they shook hands before settling down with menus.

“The food here is great,” Montana said.

“Good, because I’m starving.” Mark decided what he wanted and ordered a cup of coffee.

“So you’re here for a few weeks?” Swede asked him.

“Yeah. Thought I’d check out the area, get a feel for the place.”

“It’s been great for me,” Swede nodded. “But my wife, Allie, probably has a lot to do with that.”

“Thanks a lot,” Montana muttered.

They chuckled together.

“I get the feeling there aren’t a lot of available women in a town this size,” Mark commented.

“Well…not a lot,” Montana admitted. “That’s why you need to bring your girl, Lana, with you when you decide to take the job.”

“Lana’s not…” Mark’s voice trailed off as Lana walked in with a good-looking blond guy. She was laughing up into his face as he held the door open for her and he took her arm as she stumbled over some invisible obstacle.

“Who’s that?” Swede asked under his breath.

“I don’t know either of them,” Montana replied, frowning.

Mark stood up, occupying the aisle and blocking their way. “Hey, Lana.”