Her Forever Gift (Big Sky Mavericks Book 5)
Page 7
She grinned at her presumption, but one didn't grow up with hippie, off-the-grid parents without being able to spot the haves from the regular Joes, like her.
He paused to examine the lock--a combination type, and then climbed the fence with more grace than she would have guessed. His broad shoulders and athletic-looking ass made her hands tighten on the shovel handle. Her mouth went dry. She hadn't run into a man like this in too damn long. He wasn't her type, of course, but that didn't mean she couldn't feast on eye candy when it presented itself.
Beau's muscles bunched, ready to spring into action.
"Easy, boy. He looks harmless."
Beau looked at her, obviously questioning her opinion, but he settled into a sit, leaning protectively against her thigh.
"Hey," the stranger called out the moment he spotted her. "Sorry to bother you, but my horse got spooked by a snake and I wound up on my ass." He rubbed said hunk of anatomy and gave a slight wince. "Broke my phone, too. Can I make a call from here?" He pointed to the house.
"No land line, yet. Sorry. But you're welcome to use my cell."
She pulled off her right glove and fished her cheap burner phone out of her hip pocket.
"Woof."
The volume and depth of the bark made her visitor take a step back. "Big dog."
"Beau. He's been my protector his whole life."
In Serena's experience, which, granted, was limited, there were two kinds of men--those who made friends with strange dogs and those who ignored the strange dog out of fear or dislike of animals. This guy did something completely unexpected. He dropped into a squat--conveniently bringing his throat into range if Beau chose to attack--and looked Beau straight in the eyes. "Hello, big guy."
He didn't hold out his hand or try to pet the dog. He just stared. And waited.
Eventually, Beau extended his neck and sniffed.
"I'm Austen Zabrinski." His gaze remained fixed on Beau, but Serena knew his words were meant for her.
"Serena James. I take it your brother is my landlord."
"Correct."
You look nothing alike. She stepped back, afraid for a second she'd uttered the words aloud. She spotted a slight family resemblance in their facial bone structure, but Austen's gaunt cheeks sported casually chic stubble--the kind made popular by pop stars and big screen heartthrobs, and his blue-green eyes shared none of his brother's cheerful, positive candor. This man spoke from his mind, not from the heart.
He stood--no grunting, no wincing, no complaining because his knees were shot--each a complaint she'd heard at one time or another from her previous boyfriends.
"Thanks," he said, taking the phone.
Their fingers touched. Was it possible to exchange something as small and slim as a phone without touching, she wondered the instant a charge of warm sizzle shot through her hand and up her arm?
She nearly dropped the phone, but he grabbed it securely.
"I don't want to break another."
Another what? Phone? Or heart? With looks like his, the man should have the word 'Heartbreaker' tattooed on his forehead.
He fiddled with the phone a moment, his long, beautifully manicured fingers dancing across the keypad. An all-female reaction--the hot, damp, tingle type--took place, leaving Serena bemused. She'd put her love life on hold after her last epic fail of the dating kind. And at the moment, she didn't have time for men, dating, sex... and all the emotional drama that came with each of those things.
Nope. She had fifty-four sweet souls under her care, counting Gandhi and Dolly, her llamas, and Beau and Brutus, her dog and cat, respectively. The last thing she needed--or wanted--was the complication of a man in her life. And one didn't need to be a Great Pyrenees to spot a dangerous complication when it hopped over their fence.
To be continued...
Now available on all platforms: MONTANA COWBOY
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And hopefully you won't want to miss Austen's twin sister's story:
MONTANA DARLING -
Mia Zabrinski's lost enough--
Her marriage. Her job. Her body image. Mia beat cancer and is ready to rebuild her life in her hometown of Marietta, Montana. Literally. Her first order of business is to build a house on the ten-acre parcel she was awarded in her divorce settlement. And she's damned if she'll let some stranger camp on her land and claim squatter's rights. So, maybe, he's not a squatter. The high-end bike and camera hint at more. Plus, he's hot, gorgeous and smart, but that doesn't make him less of a threat--especially when he has the audacity to claim the land is his. Look out, darlin', Nitro is back and prepared to prove what the other Big Sky Mavericks always knew: small packages can pack a big punch.
Ryker Bensen doesn't have much--
And that suits him fine. Less than a year ago, he had everything: a beautiful girlfriend, a baby on the way, a career that earned him fame and a very comfortable living...until he didn't. Grief sent him to ground, and his favorite ground growing up was a ten-acre patch along side the Marietta River where he camped every summer - land held in trust until his thirtieth birthday, a few weeks away. When a beautiful spitfire named Mia Zabrinski shows up and orders him off what she says is her land, Ryker realizes she might be the spark he needed to jumpstart his interest in living again.
AND
MONTANA MAVERICK
Be careful what you wish for--
Meg Zabrinski wants a child. She’s a successful scientist, a well-known environmental advocate, and a tenured professor. She doesn’t need a man in her life to make this happen. But having a baby alone is a weighty decision, so she retreats to her isolated Montana mountain cabin to write and thinWhen Henry Firestone–an old adversary from her distant past–drops out of the sky on Christmas Eve with three young children and a baby, Meg tells herself she’d be crazy not to consider all her options–especially when she’s always nursed a secret crush on the handsome rancher. Although the sparks between them ignite a mutual passion, Henry makes it clear he’s done having children. Falling in love with Henry Firestone and his beautiful family would require Meg to give up her dream. Can the Lone Wolf assimilate into a new pack, or was this Big Sky Maverick meant to be alone?
They say timing is everything-
Henry Firestone doesn’t recognize the “angel in snowshoes” who comes to his rescue in the middle of a blizzard, immediately, but Meg Z. knows him. Twenty years earlier, the media paired them as rivals to the death. Meg championed the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone, while Henry argued just as passionately that wolves would put ranchers on the Endangered Species List. She’s still beautiful, independent and headstrong, and Henry’s now free to admit that he always had a thing for her. Unfortunately, he’s fighting for sole custody of his late daughter’s four children. They are his biggest priority. He’d do anything to keep his family together–even sleep with the enemy in hopes that she might join his cause.
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