Viper held Dallas’s hand until their meal arrived, at which time he was forced to release it.

He liked holding her hand, more than as the cover for their operation. He wanted to continue to hold her hand and feel the warmth it spread throughout his body.

They ate in silence until both had finished their burgers and were munching on fries dipped in ketchup.

“I’m surprised you ate that entire burger,” he said.

Dallas frowned. “Why?”

“I don’t know,” Viper backtracked, realizing he might have stepped into a hornet’s nest. Hadn’t his mother told him never to comment on a woman’s weight or eating habits? “Just that most women I know eat salads and graze like rabbits.” He held up his hands. “Don’t get me wrong. I think seeing a woman with a real appetite is refreshing. Never mind. I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m shutting the fuck up now.” He shoved a fry in his mouth, feeling stupid.

Dallas chuckled.

Viper frowned. “What?”

“I guess I enjoy making you sweat.” She smiled and lifted another fry. “I work off the extra calories. If didn’t, I probably would eat salads and graze like a rabbit. But my job is hard, and I burn lots of energy.”

With a nod, Viper said, “Are you ready to move on to our next stop?”

She tossed her napkin on her plate. “I am. To the flower shop?”

He dropped some bills onto the table. “To the flower shop.”

They exited the diner and walked the block to the flower shop across the street from a small grocery store.

Viper clasped Dallas’s hand, liking the feel of her strong, capable fingers holding his. She was a woman who could hold her own. Though she walked with a limp, she could probably still outrun him. Every muscle in her body was toned and ready for action.

He understood the effort involved to stay in shape and admired she had come back from a catastrophic injury, pushing herself to regain what she could as soon as she could. Dallas Hayes was a fighter, determined to beat this setback in her life.

His hand tightened around hers as he reached out to open the door to the flower shop. A wide arrangement of flowers, positioned in the windows in giant vases, filled the air with a subtle perfume.

“I’ll be with you in just a minute,” a female voice called out.

Viper bit back a chuckle at the way Dallas chewed on her lip as she stared around at the many different flowers in all shapes, sizes and colors. “Don’t worry, they don’t bite.”

“Yeah, but how do I choose? We should probably go with the least expensive, since this wedding isn’t—”

The woman behind the counter glanced up at just that moment.

Viper pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips to hers in a crushing kiss. He told himself his action was to keep Dallas from blurting out that they were engaging in a fake wedding. But he couldn’t deny the fact he liked the way her lips were so soft, when the rest of her body was so hard beneath her smooth skin.

When he raised his head, she stared up into his eyes, a small wrinkle creasing her brow. “Why did you do that?”

“Because you’re so irresistible.” He smiled at the pretty, dark-haired young woman heading their way and turned Dallas around to greet her. “Hi, Daisy sent us to choose flowers for our wedding.”

“You must be the Van Cleaves. I just got off the phone with Daisy.” She held out her hand. “I’m Brianna McCall. So happy to meet you. You must be new in town.”

“Relatively,” Viper confirmed. “You can call me Vince. This is my fiancée, Dallas. We need to select flowers for the wedding bouquet.”

Brianna shook hands with Viper and then Dallas, her smile broadening. “I understand the wedding is just days away.” She drew in a deep breath and looked around the room. “It’ll be tight, but we can do this.” She started down an aisle. “Are there any flowers you see that you’d like included in the bouquet? Daisy said you’ll also need decorations for an arbor and the bridesmaids.”

“She did?” Dallas said, then shrugged. “Oh, I guess so. She’s much better at all this planning than I would ever be. I don’t think I’ve ever actually stepped into a flower shop.”

Brianna laughed. “These decisions must all be pretty overwhelming for you.” She took Dallas’s arm and led her toward the counter. “I have some books you can look through to get an idea of the type of bouquet you’d like to carry down the aisle.”

Viper followed, loving how strained Dallas was and how out of her element she seemed. He liked that the badass woman who could outshoot, outrun and could outthink most men in tactics was way out of her league among a variety of blossoms.

But rather than watch her flounder, he stepped up to the counter and perused the book Brianna opened in front of them.

After a few minutes of flipping through the pages, he pointed to a bouquet of white Calla lilies, the stems wrapped in white shiny fabric. “What do you think about that one?”

Dallas nodded. “I think it’s perfect.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. She cleared her throat and added in a much stronger tone, “It’s simple and not too fussy.”

“Yet, elegant and beautiful,” Brianna concluded. “They will be lovely with your auburn hair.”

“What about the decorations?”

“Since the bouquet will be white, why not decorate with white flowers?” Dallas said. “Nothing too fancy. I’m not the fancy type.”

Brianna nodded. “I know exactly what to do. I’ll have it all ready and delivered on Saturday.” She smiled at Viper. “I’ll have a small Calla lily for your lapel. And I’ll get with Daisy on what will be used for decorations.”

Viper nodded. “Thank you. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have more to accomplish in the short amount of time before the big day.”

“Of course.” Brianna started around the counter, glanced out the window and frowned. “What the hell—”

Viper turned in time to see a boat of a car flying toward the flower shop.

Dallas shoved Brianna out of the way of the oncoming car, leaving herself vulnerable and in its path.

Viper grabbed Dallas and flung her in the opposite direction, falling on top of her as a loud crashing sound was followed by glass, wood splinters and flowers flying everywhere in front of the fender of a powder blue 1970s model four-door sedan.

When the vehicle came to a complete stop, steam spewed from the radiator and flower petals drifted to the ground.

Viper pushed up on his arms and looked down at Dallas lying beneath him, her green eyes wide. “Are you all right?”

She nodded, her breathing ragged. “I’m okay.”

“Miss McCall?” he yelled, without taking his gaze from Dallas.

“I’m all right,” Brianna said from the other side of the car parked in her shop. “Just shaken.”

Viper ran his hands over Dallas’s arms. “I didn’t hurt you when I pushed you to the ground, did I?”

Dallas shook her head. “No. No.”

He bent down and pressed his lips to her forehead. “I just reacted.” His mouth moved as if of its own accord to the tip of her nose. “If I hadn’t…”

“Knocked me down?” she said, her voice breathy.

“That car would have hit you.” His lips found hers, and he kissed her. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Um…yes,” she said against his mouth, her voice nothing but air. She shifted beneath him.

“What’s wrong? Are you in pain?” he studied her face.

“Can’t…” she wheezed.

“Can’t what?” he asked.

“Breathe.”

Immediately, he rolled off her and knelt amongst the broken glass and flower stems. “Better?”

Dallas dragged in a deep breath and let it out on a chuckle. “Much better.” Then she pushed up on her elbows and looked at the room around her. Her cheeks were flushed a rosy pink.

Viper rose to his feet and extended a hand to Dallas.

She stared at it a moment and then placed her fingers into his palm.

He pulled her to her feet and into his arms, holding her there longer than she needed to get her balance. But he couldn’t let go too soon. After she’d nearly been bulldozed by a tank of a car, he wasn’t sure he could let her go. He wanted to keep her safe.

“Are you two okay?” Brianna asked from the other side of the vehicle’s hood.

Viper and Dallas turned.

The dark-haired young woman brushed dust and glass from her sleeves as she surveyed the damage done to her shop. “Wow.” She shook her head. “Wow.”

A crowd of Eagle Rock’s inhabitants gathered outside the flower shop.

One gray-haired woman pushed her way through. “Oh dear,” she said in a shaky voice. She stepped up onto the sidewalk outside the ruined storefront. “Oh dear.” With a cane in her hand, she shuffled up to the back of the car. “Please tell me everyone is all right in there.”

“Everyone’s all right, Mrs. Davis.”

“Did I forget to put ol’ Bessy in Park?” The woman stared at the car and the damaged building around it. “My son keeps telling me I’m too old to drive myself. If I did this, he very well could be right.”

“Do you know what happened?” Brianna asked.

“I parked my car, got out and went into the grocery store. Next thing I know, someone’s shouting. Then everyone ran out of the store. I followed to see what was happening. That’s when I saw Bessy.” The old woman shook her head, the corners of her mouth drooping. “This accident will be the end of my driving. I can see it now. I could swear I put it in Park and secured the parking brake.” She looked from Viper to Dallas. “I’m just glad nobody got seriously hurt.”

Viper left Dallas standing in the rubble and moved toward the driver’s side of the vehicle. “Mrs. Davis, did you leave the window down?”

“Why no. I never leave the window down. It might rain and get my upholstery wet. Then the entire interior would smell like sweaty gym socks. The last car I owned had a leak in the roof. By the time I traded it in, it smelled like a boys’ locker room.”

Viper leaned through the driver’s side window, switched off the engine and studied the gear shift, noting it was in Drive. When his glance swept the remainder of the interior, he noted a rusty-red brick lying on the floorboard. A more accurate description would be the brick laid on the accelerator, kept in place by thick strands of duct tape.

His blood running cold in his veins, Viper pulled his cellphone from his pocket and hit the numbers for 911. Someone had rigged Mrs. Davis’s tank of a car, set it in Drive and sent it powering into the flower shop.

But who?

Mrs. Davis wouldn’t have been the person to send her own vehicle careening across the road.

After he reported the event to dispatch, he stepped out of the ruined flower shop and around the corner then called Hank. “We’ve had our first attack.”

Dallas couldn’t decide which was more devastating: the car crashing through the front of the shop, or Viper’s kiss. She pressed her fingers to her still-tingling lips, her gaze following the man out of the building.

“Oh dear.” Mrs. Davis clutched her hands to her breasts. “My insurance probably won’t cover this accident.”

Brianna picked her way through the rubble to the old woman and slipped her arm around her frail shoulders. “Don’t worry, Mrs. Davis. At least, no one was injured.”

“But you’re bleeding,” the old woman exclaimed. Tears rolled down her wrinkled cheeks as she dug in her purse and pulled out a tissue. “I don’t know why this is happening. I’m so sorry.” She pressed it into Brianna’s hand. “You need to see a doctor.”

“It’s just a little cut,” Brianna reassured her, clutching the tissue in her palm to stem the bleeding.

Dallas shook the cobwebs of Viper’s kiss from her mind, brushed the dust off her dress and hurried over. “You have more than that one cut,” she said. “But first, we need to get you out of here. We don’t know how stable this building is.”

Dallas cleared a path around Mrs. Davis’s Cadillac to the door that remained intact. She found a chair behind the counter and carried it out to the sidewalk. Hooking Brianna’s arm, she led the woman past the car and pointed to the chair. “Sit,” she commanded.

Brianna’s lips twisted as she eased herself onto the seat. “Really, I’m fine. None of these scratches are life threatening.”

Dallas reentered the building, found another chair, and brought it out to sidewalk.

By then, Mrs. Davis shook so hard she could barely stand. She leaned heavily on a couple of spectators.

Dallas took her arm and helped her to the chair, easing her into it before she released her hold. “Do you have any alcohol and bandages somewhere in the back of your shop?” Dallas asked.

Brianna gave her a weak smile. “I have a first aid kit hanging on the wall near the back door. Everything you need is inside.”

Dallas ducked behind the intact counter and weaved through the tables laden with flower arrangements in the back to the first aid kit affixed to the wall in the back. She grabbed a handful of bandages, alcohol pads, gauze and medical tape and returned to Brianna.

She’d cleaned three small cuts with the alcohol pads and pressed bandages across them when sirens wailed in the distance and a sheriff’s cruiser raced toward them, lights flashing. Moments later, a paramedic’s truck appeared at the end of Main Street.

“Help has arrived.” Dallas smiled at Brianna, focusing all of her attention on the women and away from the man who’d curled her toes with just one kiss.

Brianna clasped Dallas’s hands and held them in hers. “Thank you for saving my life.”

Dallas chuckled. “I didn’t do anything but give you a push. You might have gotten a few more bruises because of me.”

“If you hadn’t shoved me when you did, I would have been crushed,” she said in a tone low enough Mrs. Davis couldn’t hear.

Dallas’s cheeks heated, and she stared down at the bandage she applied to Brianna’s arm. “No worries.”

“I promise, I’ll have your flowers delivered on time for the wedding.” She gave a tight laugh and glanced around at the damage to her shop. “I can pick up the pieces and make it happen.”

“Seriously, I don’t want you to worry about me or the wedding,” Dallas said. “You’ll have a lot to deal with rebuilding.”

Brianna shook her head. “Supplying flowers is my livelihood. I can’t stop working. I just have to find a temporary location until my shop is set to rights.” She shrugged. “People need their flowers. They’re like a promise that things will be okay.”

Dallas winked. “You could use some of those flowers for yourself.”

Mrs. Davis sniffed and touched a tissue to her cheek. “This damage is all my fault.”

Ducking back into the shop, Dallas gathered a loose white rose stem and carried it out to Mrs. Davis. “Hold onto this. I promise, things will get better.”

“Thank you, dear.” She patted Dallas’s cheek. “Thank you.”

Viper slipped his cellphone into his pocket and squatted beside Mrs. Davis. “None of this is your fault, Mrs. Davis. Someone tampered with your car and sent it crashing into this building on purpose. You did everything right.” He took her hands in his and held them, muttering reassurances to the old woman until the medics unloaded their kits and hurried toward the group.

While Brianna and Mrs. Davis were being seen to by the volunteer fire department, Sheriff Barron approached the crash site and whistled. “This scenario gives a whole new meaning to drive-through service.” He inspected the Cadillac and took their statements. “I don’t get it. Why would someone do this?”

Viper’s jaw tightened. “Looks like they targeted the shop, or us in particular.”

“But you’re new to town. You haven’t even had time to develop any animosity in others.”

Dallas clutched her hands together. “Is it true that the weddings in Eagle Rock are being jinxed?”

The sheriff shook his head. “I don’t believe in ghosts. But if someone is targeting weddings, we have to catch him before anyone else is hurt or killed.”

“Agreed. I’d hate for something bad to happen on my wedding day,” Dallas said.

“And the wedding’s Saturday.” The sheriff’s brow wrinkled. “I will definitely have a deputy attend in uniform as a visual deterrent.”

“Though having a deputy there won’t be necessary, it would be nice,” Viper said. “All the guests will be former military. They’ll have our backs.”

The sheriff nodded. “Good, because we’re stretched pretty thin, covering a lot of territory with only a few men. The budget doesn’t take into account the distance between potential problems.” He stuck out his hand. “But my deputy will be at the wedding, nonetheless.”

“Thank you, Sheriff.” Viper shook the man’s hand and nodded toward the shop. “If you don’t need us anymore, we have a lot to do before the sun sets.”

The sheriff stepped aside. “Sure. Don’t let me keep you.”

Viper gathered Dallas’s hand in his.

She walked beside him back to where they had parked his truck at the diner.

Once inside the cab, Dallas leaned back against the seat cushion and closed her eyes to keep from having to look at Viper, even in her peripheral vision. Since he’d landed on top of her, she’d had trouble breathing and her heart raced every time she glanced his direction.

At the ranch, she changed out of the pretty green dress and into jeans, boots and a T-shirt.

By the time Dallas stepped out of the ranch house to perform her assigned chores, Viper had already changed and was outside.

He led one of the miniature horses into the barn and was scraping the buildup out of the animal’s tiny hooves. He glanced up once, a smile pulling at his lips.

Dallas’s knees weakened, turning to the consistency of melted butter. She tried to ignore him by getting into cleaning the stalls and feeding and watering the animals. Whenever she passed him bent over an animal’s hooves, she couldn’t help but admire how nicely his jeans hugged the muscles of his ass. Nor could she erase the image of his massive thighs when he squatted beside the small horse and ran a curry comb through his mane and tail.

Yup, her job got all the harder with her thinking about Viper, instead of the mystery villain they were out to discover.

As the sun set, they both finished their assigned duties and headed for the house. The scent of roast beef wafted through the air, making Dallas’s tummy rumble. “Smells good.”

“Sure does.” Viper climbed the steps beside her and held open the door for her to enter.

As she passed him her shoulder brushed against his chest, sending a rush of molten heat throughout her body. Her breath caught in her throat, and she fought to regain control.

Viper encircled her arm and pulled her to face him in the threshold. “Dallas.”

She stared up into his eyes, her tongue too knotted to make sense with words.

“About the kiss in the flower shop…”

She lifted her chin, her lips tingling all over again in anticipation of a repeat performance of that incredible kiss.

Loud laughter floated from the direction of the kitchen.

For a long moment, Viper stared down at her mouth. Another laugh made him draw in a deep breath. “Never mind.” He tilted his head toward the hallway and the bathroom. “You can wash up first. I’m changing into a clean shirt.” Pressing a gentle hand against her shoulder, he turned her away.

With no other choice but to move, Dallas forced her feet to carry her down the hallway at a slow, steady pace, trying not to show how much she shook inside. She would rather have run, but she was afraid her knees would buckle and she’d fall flat on her face.

What had Viper been about to say before the sound of others made him change his mind? Had he been about to say kissing her had been a huge mistake? Did he regret it?

Her heart fell to the pit of her belly. When had she become so damned female, worrying about what a man thought about the way she kissed? How well she did or didn’t kiss had no bearing on the mission. She had to keep that thought at the forefront.

Quickly ducking into her bedroom, she came out armed with a fresh blouse, clean jeans and underwear. Once in the bathroom, she slipped out of her prosthetic and hopped into the tub. For a glorious few moments, she stood beneath the shower’s spray, cleaning the horse manure smell out of her hair. Used to the quick showers she’d had to take when deployed, she was out in five minutes, toweling dry and slipping back into the prosthetic leg. Another couple of minutes to brush her hair straight back from her face and dress in the clean clothes, and she was done.

She didn’t wear makeup, and she wasn’t going on a date. A glance in the mirror confirmed she had done no more than the basics which would have to do.

Viper needed to wash up before dinner. The longer she remained in the bathroom, the longer it would be before he could eat.

Dallas flung open the door and marched out into the hall, right into a solid wall of muscles.

Strong hands reached out to catch her and pull her against a broad chest. “Hey, steady there.”

Viper’s deep, resonant tone wrapped around her and sent heat to her core. Once again, Dallas fought to breathe. This time, she didn’t have the excuse of Viper’s big body crushing the air from her lungs. Her response was all on her for her loss of lung capacity.

He laughed. “Hungry?”

Hungry aptly described the way she felt. But food wasn’t what would quell the kind of hunger building inside. “Y-yes.”

“Don’t wait for me. I’ll be out in less than five minutes.” He kissed her forehead and stepped past her into the bathroom, closing the door behind him with a soft click.

With Viper out of her sight, Dallas sucked in a huge lungful of air and let it out slowly between her teeth. She had half a mind to contact Hank and ask to be assigned to a different job. Working with Viper was proving difficult, if not impossible. The man had magnetism, and then some.

She returned to her room, reluctant to face the rest of the ranch hands when heat filled her cheeks. Dallas couldn’t be around the other men at the table, yet.

So, she paced beside the length of the four-poster bed draped with an old-fashioned quilt folded at the foot. Hell, she paced until the doorknob on the bathroom door twisted and Viper stepped into the hall wearing a white button-down shirt, crisp dark jeans and black cowboy boots. He’d slicked back his dark hair. His light blue eyes sparkled when he met her gaze. “You didn’t have to wait. But thanks.”

She shrugged without saying anything.

“Ready?” Viper asked.

“Sure,” she managed to squeak out.

He offered her his arm and led her toward the kitchen where loud voices and laughter indicated high spirits and the promise of good food.

“There they are!” Brody Franklin yelled and clapped his only hand on the table.

A cheer went up, shaking the rafters with the noise.

Dallas’s cheeks reddened. These disabled vets had welcomed her into the Brighter Days Ranch family, opening their hearts to another wounded warrior without question or judgment.

“We hear congratulations are in order,” Jimmy Young said from his wheel chair.

“You are inviting all of us to the wedding, aren’t you?” Vasquez asked.

Dallas swallowed on the wad of guilt knotting in her throat. “You bet.”

Another cheer rocked the roof. Vasquez and Franklin slapped the table while everyone else clapped with both hands.

Cookie supplied the men with more bottles of ice-cold beer and joined the group at the table. As one, they all lifted their bottles and toasted the happy couple.

Or so they thought.

Viper slipped an arm around Dallas’s waist, pulling her close to his side. He smiled and shook hands through the introductions and conversed with ease.

“So, how did you keep this secret from all of us?” Young asked. “We didn’t even know you were dating.”

Dallas shrugged. “We haven’t known each other long,” she admitted.

“But when you know she’s the right one for you, you don’t let her get away.” Viper leaned close and planted a kiss on her temple.

Another cheer went up and the men drank deeply.

Dallas offered to help Cookie carry the platters laden with roast beef, potatoes and carrots onto the table.

Cookie insisted Dallas and Viper be seated and let him wait on them. “You two are celebrating your engagement, for Pete’s sake.” He plied them with cold bottles of beer and made quick work of setting out the food.

Once everyone was seated at the huge kitchen table, Percy asked for a moment of silence in honor of those who’d fallen.

Dallas swallowed hard, memories flooding into her mind of the men who’d gone into battle with her and had returned home in body bags.

Viper reached for her hand beneath the table and held it until all heads lifted and the platters of food were circulated around the table.

Lori Mize returned that day from a trip to Helena to apply to the university there. “I wasn’t gone but a night, and I come back and find out one of us is engaged?” She shook her light red hair. “I’m so happy for you.” She ducked her chin and twisted her napkin in her lap. “It gives me hope that one day I can find someone who’ll love me, despite my disability.”

“Marry me, Lori,” Vasquez said.

Franklin elbowed Vasquez in the ribs. “No, she’s marrying me.”

Vasquez rubbed his ribs and frowned. “Remind me to sit on Franklin’s other side next time.”

Everyone laughed.

Dallas enjoyed the camaraderie and jokes, her heart warming to the love and happiness emanating from the people around the table. Though she’d been angry when the therapist at Bethesda suggested she needed more time to adjust, and Brighter Days Ranch was just what the doctor ordered, Dallas realized how right she had been.

Brighter Days Ranch had saved her life. The people understood what she was going through. Caring for and helping to rehabilitate the rescued animals living on the ranch gave her meaning and courage to continue living. She reached for Viper’s hand.

He held it through several more toasts and Cookie’s dessert reveal.

When the meal concluded, Viper and Dallas were shooed out of the kitchen while the others cleaned up.

Viper led Dallas out onto the porch and sat on the steps. “This place, these people…” he said and shook his head.

“I know. They’re all amazing.”

“We’re lucky this place exists,” Viper said softly.

“Very.” Dallas sat beside him on the step.

A chill breeze rippled across her skin, raising gooseflesh. Dallas shivered.

Viper slipped an arm around her. “Cold?”

“A little,” she lied. Aroused, attracted, aware? Yes. Every nerve in her body stood at attention, awaiting Viper’s next move. Though their engagement was all for show, Dallas couldn’t help but wonder, if it were real, would Viper kiss her under the light of the rising moon? Would he hold her closer and tell her how much he loved her?

Would she know how to respond? Dallas shivered again.

Viper pulled her closer and captured her chin in his hand. “They’re watching us through the window,” he said, his mouth lowering to hers. “We can’t let them down.”

“No,” Dallas said, her voice nothing but air. “We can’t.”

Then his lips touched hers.

What started as a gentle kiss changed to a hungry, desperate connection that lasted long enough to steal Dallas’s breath.

When Viper finally lifted his head, Dallas could hear the sound of cheering and clapping from the kitchen window overlooking the porch.

Her cheeks burned, but not nearly as hot as her core. She wanted more of that kiss. Hell, she wanted Viper to make love to her like he really cared. Like they weren’t faking an engagement. Dallas wished, for a moment, what they were experiencing was real.

For her…even if the emotion was wrong…what she was feeling felt real.