Ambushed!

She’d dreamed about this parade and the festivities that followed from the moment she’d been denied the experience as a teenager. During the brief time she’d lived in this town, she’d felt a connection, as if this was where she was ultimately supposed to wind up. She’d hated to leave and had vowed to come back.

It had taken her some time to honor that vow, what with working her way through college and figuring out what she wanted to be when she grew up. Once she’d qualified for her real estate license, she’d worked in Jackson until she’d felt confident enough to open her own office in Shoshone two months ago.

Spending the Fourth of July here marked the beginning of her new life, a life where she would put down roots at last. And she’d be helping others to put down roots by selling houses. She was all about the concept of home.

Meeting Gabe Chance today was a bonus she hadn’t counted on, though. But then, once a girl set out to build the life she wanted, anything could happen. She could find herself riding down the street with the man of her dreams.

At least he had been the man of her dreams twelve years ago. She probably needed to find out a little bit more about him before she cast him in that role now. And at some point, she wanted to express her condolences. She knew he’d lost his dad the previous year.

She settled for a neutral conversational gambit. “So what have you been up to since high school?”

He glanced over at her. “Got a degree in business, but mostly I’ve concentrated on my riding. Top Drawer is one of two cutting horses I use in competition.”

She had no trouble picturing him out there in the ring, doing himself proud. “I’ll bet you’re good at it.”

“Top Drawer is good at it. I just try not to interfere.”

So he hadn’t developed a big head in the years since she’d first met him. He’d been a fierce competitor back then, but not a braggart. She was happy that hadn’t changed.

“And I’m sure you’re also promoting the Last Chance paints when you ride,” she said.

“I think so, and my dad used to think so, but Jack may take some convincing.”

“I’m not sure I’ve ever met Jack.”

“You may not have. He’d finished high school by then, and that was about the time my dad was getting out of the cattle business and switching over to selling paint horses. He needed Jack to help during the transition.”

She had her opening and she took it. “I was so sorry to hear about your dad.”

“Yeah, it was unexpected.”

“I’m sure.” Last fall she’d been working for a broker in Jackson when she’d heard Jonathan Chance had been killed in a rollover. By that time the funeral was over and she probably wouldn’t have gone, anyway. She hadn’t ever met Jonathan and wasn’t sure if Gabe or Nick would remember her.

Within a month of the accident, Morgan’s broker had gone down to Shoshone to leave his card in case Jonathan’s widow decided to sell the ranch. Morgan had been happy to hear that wasn’t going to happen, both for the family’s sake and for hers. When she moved to Shoshone, she wanted the community to be just as she remembered it, which included having the Chances still in residence.

Thinking about that now, she realized the parade would be the first one since Jonathan’s death. “Gabe, I’m a little slow on the uptake, but this isn’t the time for you to bring a stranger into a family event. You probably have enough to deal with.”

His glance was warm. “That’s considerate of you, Morgan, but in the first place, you’re not a stranger. You’re a friend from high school. In the second place, I think you’re exactly what we need to keep from getting bogged down in nostalgia.”

“Well, okay, but if anybody’s unhappy about it, we can still switch horses and the parade can go on without me.”

“That won’t be happening.” Gabe headed for the cluster of horses and riders near the Last Chance wagon. “Right this way, Miss O’Connelli. Let me introduce you.”

Morgan took a deep breath, but not too deep. That damned snap was going to stay fastened or else. She should have used a safety pin, but the shirt was satin and would show pin holes.

Riding along with Gabe was one thing. She knew him, at least a little bit. But facing the entire family was a daunting experience. Still, she was good at daunting experiences. Being tossed from pillar to post as a kid meant she’d had to learn how to adjust to whatever circumstances she found herself in.

Her first line of defense was her smile, so she trotted out a happy grin once they were close enough for Gabe’s family to notice.

Gabe started the introductions with a trim woman wearing a red Stetson, a Western shirt with red fringe, black jeans and red boots. Sleek white hair peeked out from under her hat but her eyes were covered by sunglasses.

“Mom,” Gabe said, “I’d like you to meet an old friend from high school. This is Morgan O’Connelli. Morgan, this is my mother, Sarah.”

Morgan kept her smile in place as she murmured a greeting.

Sarah returned the smile, but she seemed to be making an effort. “Nice to meet you, Morgan. You must be the new real estate agent in town.”

“That’s right.” Judging from the way Sarah said the words real estate agent, Morgan had the distinct impression that wasn’t a good thing. Maybe her broker hadn’t been the only one knocking on Sarah’s door after her husband’s death. “Have you had problems with agents bothering you?”

“You have no idea.”

Morgan cringed inwardly. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It hasn’t been fun.”

“Just so you know, I have no interest in your property.”

Sarah nodded without comment, and Morgan felt dismissed. Her usual charm wasn’t working at all with this woman, but she could understand why. This had to be a tough day for Sarah, and she couldn’t be happy having a rider in the group who was advertising a real estate agency on the back of her shirt.

“Hey, Morgan!” Nick, mounted on a butterscotch paint decked out in a silver-studded saddle, called over from his spot beside the wagon. “I wondered if that was you when the office opened.”

“It’s me!” Morgan was grateful for Nick’s friendliness.

He tilted his head toward a woman sitting in the wagon. “This is my good friend Dominique Jeffries from Indiana.”

Dominique’s short, dark hair peeked out from under a wide-brimmed straw hat and she had an expensive-looking camera on a strap around her neck. She waved at Morgan, her expression cheerful. “Hi! Looks like you two traded horses.”

Morgan started to explain but Gabe got there ahead of her.

“We had to,” he said. “Otherwise Morgan wouldn’t have been in the parade.” Then he introduced the other woman in the wagon—Mary Lou Simms, the ranch cook—and the driver—Emmett Sterling, the ranch foreman. Mary Lou was in charge of throwing candy to the kids along the route.

Both Mary Lou and Emmett gave her a pleasant but reserved greeting. Morgan told herself that was natural, under the circumstances. But so far, only Nick and the woman who was probably his girlfriend had been truly friendly.

Finally Gabe looked over at a dark-haired cowboy on the far side of the wagon. He wore all black, and was mounted on a striking black-and-white paint.

Morgan had no doubt this was Jack, who was now the head of the Chance clan.

Gabe confirmed what she already knew as he introduced them. “Jack, meet Morgan. I’ve invited her to ride in the parade with us today.”

Jack’s eyes narrowed, but then he touched the brim of his hat. “Glad to have you, ma’am.”

Morgan heard the words of welcome but didn’t believe them for a second. Once Gabe had announced that she’d be riding with them, a decided chill had settled over the group. She kept her smile firmly in place. Maybe there was still time for her to return Gabe’s horse and call the stables to fetch Geronimo.

“Time to move out!” Jack raised his hand like an old-fashioned trail boss.

So much for that. She’d have to see this through, hold her head high and keep her shirt snaps together.

“MORGAN AND I will follow Nick,” Gabe said as the group started lining up behind Jack. That wasn’t the order they’d planned on, but Gabe thought it was for the best.

When they’d talked about this the night before, his family had settled on having Jack lead, followed by their mother. Gabe was supposed to ride behind her, with the wagon next, and Nick at the end on Gold Rush as a sentimental tribute to their dad, who’d always been the entry’s grand finale. But Gabe didn’t want to be sandwiched in between his mother and the wagon in case Geronimo acted up or Morgan had any problems. He’d rather be at the end where there was a little room to maneuver before the next group came along.

Jack hesitated. “I don’t …” Then he paused and shrugged. “Whatever. We need to go. Ready, Sarah?”

“Yes.” She guided her roan paint, very similar to

Gabe’s in color if not in markings, onto the parade route.

Next Emmett slapped the reins against the rumps of the two matched bay paints pulling the wagon, and it started off with a creak and a groan.

Nick glanced over at Gabe. “You’re sure you want to be last in line?”

“Yep.”

“All righty, then.” Nick gave Gold Rush a nudge with his heels and the butterscotch paint, silver saddle winking in the sunlight, started after the wagon.

“Just stay on my right,” Gabe said to Morgan. “We’re going to be fine.”

“You changed the order, didn’t you?”

“A little.”

Morgan kept her voice down. “This was a mistake.”

“No, it wasn’t.” Gabe knew what she was talking about. Except for Nick and Dominique, the group had appeared less than thrilled about Morgan’s presence. “It’s just the real estate thing. It’ll be fine. Wave.”

“What?”

“Wave to the people on the sidewalk. It’s what you do in a parade.”

“Oh!” She immediately turned on the charm, swiveling in the saddle so that she could pay attention to the good citizens of Shoshone lining both sides of the street.

Meanwhile Gabe concentrated on keeping the pace slow. Mary Lou was throwing out wrapped candy, and kids scuffled for it. He watched carefully to make sure nobody ran toward the street.

“Hey, Gabe!” It was Elmer, who owned the town’s only gas station. “What’cha doing riding an Appaloosa?”

“Just trying to be different!” Gabe called back.

“I didn’t even think about that.” Morgan kept smiling and waving, but she sounded upset. “Because of me, you’re on the wrong kind of horse.”

“Lighten up, Morgan. I’m not going to ruin the family’s reputation with one ride on a different breed. Besides, you’re supposed to be having fun losing your parade virginity, not obsessing about my rep.”

That made her laugh. “I am having fun. Sort of.”

“You’d better start having even more fun pretty soon. It’s not a very long parade.” He wished like hell his mom and Jack had been more enthusiastic about having Morgan, but he could understand why they weren’t.

Morgan blew a few kisses to the crowd as she continued her conversation with Gabe. “So how bad was the real-estate-agent traffic around your house last fall?”

He blew out a breath. “Bad. After Dad died, a gazillion of them beat a path to our door with all kinds of dreams and schemes, thinking we’d want to sell all or part of the ranch and they’d make a bundle. They drove my mom crazy and the whole subject of real estate agents was taboo for months. Finally they quit calling.”

“So your family thinks I’ll do the same thing, now that I’ve met you and been invited to ride in the parade with them?”

“Maybe.” And Gabe wasn’t sure if she would or not. He hadn’t thought that far. “Would you?”

“Absolutely not! I love the idea that your family has owned that land for years. My parents never owned so much as a parking space for the van.”

And he could tell that still bothered her, even now when she was an adult and didn’t have to deal with their drifter ways. “Keep waving.”

“Oh. Sorry.” She went back to her parade duties.

“How are you liking the parade now?”

“Better. I wish I’d brought candy to throw out to the kids. I didn’t think of it.”

Gabe took advantage of a temporary halt and called out to Nick. “Hey, bro, can you snag a bag of candy from the wagon and pass it back?”

“Sure thing.” Nick trotted forward, reached for the bag Mary Lou handed him and fell back until he was on Gabe’s left. “Here you go.” He handed the bag over to Gabe. “Gonna impress the rug rats?”

“Morgan wants to.” Gabe held out the bag to her.

She took it with a smile. “Thanks! And thanks to you, too, Nick.”

“My pleasure, Morgan.” Nick touched the brim of his hat.

Gabe expected Nick to move back into his position ahead of them, but instead he stayed even with Gabe.

“Everything all right back here?” he asked.

“We’re doing okay.” Gabe glanced over at Morgan, who seemed totally absorbed in tossing candy to the kids. “Thanks for asking.”

Nick lowered his voice. “You know it’s the real estate thing.”

“I know. I explained it to her.”

“Did you also explain that she’d better not make a sales pitch for her services?”

“I didn’t have to. She has great respect for the Chance family heritage, probably even more than I do.”

“Good. Then rock on, bro.” Nick urged his horse forward and got back into line ahead of them.

Gabe wasn’t sure what rock on meant in this context. Nick had found himself a woman, one he’d no doubt marry some day. Maybe he thought his two brothers should do the same.

Gabe wasn’t thinking that way himself. He was enjoying competing too much, and that wasn’t the kind of life he envisioned leading as a family man. One of these days, maybe after Top Drawer made the Hall of Fame, he’d retire from the circuit, but for now he still loved the challenge.

Sure, he’d been temporarily sidelined by Jack’s penny-pinching, but Gabe wouldn’t allow his brother to deny him permanently and rob Top Drawer of his chance to shine. They’d work something out. Gabe believed his dad would have wanted him to continue competing, especially with Top Drawer getting closer to that milestone.

In the meantime, though, Gabe was here and so was Morgan. He admitted that he found her sexy. Each time she tossed out that candy her breasts quivered. He couldn’t help noticing the fit of her jeans, either. Yeah, if given the chance, he’d be more than willing to get cozy with Morgan.

She seemed to like him okay, too. They could have some adult-rated fun together until he managed to convince Jack to send him back out on the circuit. As long as Morgan didn’t expect wedding bells, the two of them could have a lot of fun.

3

THROWING OUT candy toward the end of the parade route lifted Morgan’s spirits considerably. At the other end of town another field had been designated as the gathering point for participants. Those who were on foot dispersed. Morgan noticed a large horse trailer with the distinctive intertwined L and C parked on the far side of the field.

Jack led their group toward the trailer, and because Morgan was on Gabe’s horse, she had to go along. Then she saw another trailer, considerably less elegant, from the stable where she’d rented Geronimo. The owners had agreed to meet her at the end of the parade. Belatedly she wondered if she’d have any liability for letting someone else ride the horse.

She looked over at Gabe. “How should we work this?”

“Simple. I’ll turn in your horse and you turn in mine.”

“If they ask you any questions about why—”

“I’ll tell them Geronimo needed a more experienced rider in a parade situation. They should be made aware of that.”

“Great. Thanks.” Morgan wondered what it would be like to feel so sure of yourself all the time. She never had, although she’d learned to put up a good front. Maybe, when she’d created a solid situation here in Shoshone, she’d feel more grounded.

Until then, she was in fake-it-till-you-make-it territory.

She headed over to the Last Chance trailer. At least she understood now why Sarah and Jack hadn’t been as warm as she might have hoped. They thought she’d try to talk them into selling their beloved ranch.

Her wayward shirt had behaved so far, mostly because she’d learned to breathe more shallowly. She kept up that program as she rode Top Drawer over to the trailer, where Jack had dismounted and was organizing the reloading operation.

He glanced up as she approached.

“Gabe asked me to bring Top Drawer here,” she said.

“All right. Thanks.” Jack’s tone was businesslike.

“I’ll just get off him and he’s all yours.”

“That’s fine.” Jack’s dark gaze gave nothing away as he turned to help his mother off her horse.

Looping her purse strap over her shoulder, Morgan prepared to dismount. Whew, the ground was really far away.

Gabe had shortened the stirrups for her, which had helped while she was riding, but now that she had to get off, she had a longer drop to the ground. She managed as best she could, but sure enough, her shirt popped open again.

Once she got back to town, she’d detour past her house—a block off Main Street—and change out of this blasted shirt. She wasn’t about to struggle with it for the rest of the day.

As she tried to refasten it quickly, Jack appeared at her elbow. “Just so you know, no part of the Last Chance is for sale. And I mean no part, not even the acreage closest to the road.”

Her fingers still gripping the two parts of the snap, Morgan looked up. “I have no designs on your ranch,” she said. “I realize you’ve been plagued by real estate agents eager to make a buck, but that’s not me.”

His expression didn’t soften. “I’m hoping that’s true. But it is your job to sell property, so logically the ranch would look like an opportunity.”

“Perhaps, but I have no plans in that direction.”

Jack’s gaze flicked to the other side of the field where Gabe was talking to the owners of the riding stable. “Just so you know, getting chummy with one of the Chance boys won’t make any difference.”

“I beg your pardon?” The combination of Irish temper and Italian fire was starting to create a burning sensation in her gut.

“Shoshone’s a small town, and ‘most everyone knows that Gabe prefers a certain … physical attribute in a woman.”

“Oh?” As Morgan held her shirt together, flames of fury danced through her system.

“I’d hate to think that you were using that weakness of Gabe’s to your advantage.”

The fury erupted. “Are we talking about my breasts, Mr. Chance?”

He had the decency to flush. “I’m just worried about—”

“Well, don’t trouble yourself for another second! I realize this is a difficult time for your family, and because I respect all that the Chance legacy stands for in this town, I won’t tell you exactly what I think of your crude insinuations.”

“Listen, I—”

“No, you listen.” Her voice quivered with rage. “Gabe did me a favor so that I could ride in the parade, and I’m extremely grateful. Please let him know how much that means to me.”

Jack looked a little disoriented, as if the conversation had taken a turn he hadn’t been prepared for. “Uh, you can tell him yourself when he comes back.”

“I’m afraid I can’t. My breasts and I don’t want to cause either you or your family greater distress, so we’re leaving.” Ah, the pleasure of turning on her heel and striding away. She had to hold her shirt together because she still hadn’t managed to fasten the snap, but even so, it was a most excellent exit.

TALKING WITH the cowboy from the riding stable took longer than Gabe had anticipated, but finally he headed back over toward the Last Chance trailer to find Morgan. The watermelon-eating contest was scheduled to start in thirty minutes, and he had a feeling she’d want to take part. After that would come the sack race, if the activities followed the traditional schedule, and then the hot-dog roast.

Gabe had been a teenager when he’d last taken part in Shoshone’s Fourth of July celebration, and he discovered to his surprise that he was looking forward to the day’s events once again. Morgan had a lot to do with that. Her excitement was catching. He wanted to spend the day with her and experience Shoshone through her eyes.

Jack was loading his black-and-white paint Bandit into the trailer, and everyone else seemed to have left. Gabe didn’t see Morgan anywhere. He hadn’t specifically asked her to wait for him, but he’d thought she would. Taking off without saying a word didn’t seem like something she’d do. True, he didn’t know her all that well, but he had a tough time imagining her being so rude.

Walking to the back of the trailer, Gabe asked Jack if he’d seen Morgan.

“Yeah.” Jack closed up the trailer and turned to Gabe. “She said to tell you she appreciated what you’d done for her.”

“That’s it?”

“Pretty much.”

Something was going on. Gabe could feel it, even though Jack was very good at hiding his emotions. “So, she didn’t mention where she’d be after this, didn’t ask me to meet her somewhere in town?”

“Nope.”

“Maybe she left her cell number.”

“Nope.”

“Damn it, Jack, this smells fishy. She’s not the kind of person to leave a message and walk off. I loaned her my horse.”

“Not the wisest move you’ve ever made.”

Gabe went on alert. “You said something to her, didn’t you?”

“I told her we’re not selling any part of the Last Chance, if that’s what you mean.”

“Yeah, well, she knows that, and she’s not interested, anyway.” Gabe didn’t believe for a minute that was the sum total of their conversation. “What else did you say to her?”

Jack blew out a breath. “Look, I realize she’s exactly the kind of woman you go for, but—”

“Because she’s stacked.”

“Well, yeah. And don’t tell me she isn’t out to capitalize on that. All you have to do is look at her shirt.”

“The company that stitched it sent her the wrong size.”

“So she says.”

“You’re calling her a liar?” Gabe stared at his brother in disbelief. “What in hell gives you the right to pass that kind of judgment on a person you don’t even know?”

“Common sense! The Last Chance is a real estate goldmine. She’s in real estate. Do you really believe she wouldn’t like to have a piece of the action?”

“There’s no action to have a piece of!”

“She might figure getting horizontal with you could change that.”

Gabe pointed a finger at him. “You accused her of having ulterior motives, didn’t you?”

Jack shrugged. “I only suggested that—”

“You son of a bitch. I’d punch you in the nose, except for two things. I need to find Morgan and I don’t want Mom to know we had a fight.” Gabe turned and left before his temper got the best of him.

Punching Jack would feel great, but it would cause more problems than it would solve. Jack would probably punch back, and Gabe needed his face to be in working order today. He had watermelon and hot dogs to eat. Later on, if he could repair the damage his brother had done, he might even have some kissing to do.

Gabe wasn’t a big fan of walking, but he wasn’t about to ask Jack to take him into town on his way back to the ranch. Fortunately he was less than a mile from the center of town. Shoshone didn’t have a square like some small towns, so everything happened along Main Street. Traditionally one block was closed off on the Fourth. Gabe hoped he’d find Morgan there.

As he neared the roped-off area, he spotted a crowd gathered near a long table covered with butcher paper. Ten folding chairs lined one side. Gabe knew he’d found the site of the watermelon-eating contest. He just had to hope that his instincts were right and Morgan would have come here.