He was sleeping with the back of his head against the wall and a cowboy hat tilted over his face to shut out the overhead lights. His chair was a curved hard plastic and looked tiny in comparison to his large body. He wore jeans, very scuffed cowboy boots, and a plaid shirt rolled up to his elbows with the sleeves of a thermal shirt stretched to his wrists. The hat shouted that he probably wasn’t from around here, but the thermal shirt in mid-October sealed it.

  Colleen Bradley lowered the top of her magazine just a little more to give his body a onceover, knowing she was safe because no one else was around to see her ogling the hot cowboy.

  Lord have mercy, the man had muscles on his muscles, a thick chest, tapered waist, thighs like tree trunks. The beard sprouting on his cheeks and chin was dark, maybe black. She wished she could see more of his face so she’d have a reason to lose interest. No way could he be handsome as well or the world would just be too cruel.

  A man like that wasn’t meant for a woman with curves too soft and rounded. He’d need a woman with stamina, while she huffed and puffed climbing the stairs up to her apartment on the second floor. Well, it didn’t hurt to look.

  Until it did.

  Suddenly, he straightened in his chair and tipped back his hat.

  Damn, the man was fine, fine, fine.

  He stood, removed his hat, and raked a hand through his short black hair.

  Darn, he wasn’t bald. Did the man have any flaws? Maybe he had a high squeaky voice. Maybe he was gay—which would be disappointing, but then she’d turn her eyes elsewhere. Maybe he had a horrible temper, was a narcissist—someone as hot as he was might be entitled to think he was the moon and stars and all that…

  He turned to peer into the room he sat outside of, his hands on either side of the wide doorframe, which gave her a view of his toned back and ass, and man, she had the sinking suspicion the man really was perfect.

  His gaze shot sideways, toward her, and she quickly lifted her magazine to cut off the sight of him. Maybe he wouldn’t know she’d been eating him up with her gaze for a while now. How embarrassing would it be to see him smirk? And again, how disappointing. Then again, if he was a jerk, he’d be a whole lot less fascinating.

  Colleen lowered the magazine to find him staring right at her.

  “Was I snorin’?”

  Shit, was that a southern drawl? “What?” she asked, pretending she hadn’t been watching him while he’d slept.

  “You know, that magazine’s upside down.”

  Her jaw dropped, and she glanced down at the magazine. It was not upside down.

  “You had to look, though, didn’t ya?” A grin stretched across his handsome face, revealing two perfect dimples in his cheeks.

  Colleen cleared her throat to restore her dignity, but she coughed, and then coughed again. Her face was heating and darn if he wasn’t walking toward her.

  He held out a water bottle. “It’s still sealed. I swear I never opened it.”

  She twisted off the lid and drank. When the tickle was gone from her throat, she looked up, feeling sheepish. “Thanks,” she said, holding up the water bottle.

  “That’s okay. It’s yours now.”

  “Right. Germs. Uh, thanks again.” Her tongue felt thick, and she knew she sounded like a moron, but he was still standing there, looking down at her.

  “You work here?” he asked.

  “No.”

  “Someone you know a patient here?”

  “My brother’s a doctor. His surgery’s lasting longer than it should. He’s taking me to lunch. That a family member in there?” she asked, pointing toward the room he’d just looked inside.

  “God, no.”

  He flipped up a badge she’d failed to see hanging from his belt. “I’m here guarding a prisoner.”

  “You a cop?”

  “A bounty hunter.”

  She blinked. “Like the ones on TV? You know, Bounty Hunters of the Northwest?”

  He wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, well. I guess I will be soon.”

  “Seriously?” she said, tilting her head.

  “Yeah, I’m with Montana Bounty Hunters, not the Bear Lodge office, which is the one you’re probably familiar with. I’m based in Dead Horse, Montana.”

  “Where that woman bounty hunter is from…the one who stripped naked to save her teammate at that body shop, right? I saw that clip on YouTube.”

  “Yeah, Marti works out of our office.”

  “She seems pretty fearless.”

  “Yeah, she’s something else all right.” He held out his hand. “Sorry, we’ve been talkin’, and I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Lucas Brown, but folks call me Cowboy.”

  She glanced up at his hat and smiled. “Don’t know why. Seems a stretch,” she teased, feeling more confident since he’d actually taken the time to engage her in conversation. The poor man must’ve been bored out of his mind.

  “So, you’re from around here?” he asked, his gaze never leaving her face.

  She appreciated that because more often than not, men tended to stare at her boobs or get hung up on her butt. She knew she was overly endowed, and that got attention, just not the kind she really wanted.

  “I’m Colleen Bradley,” she said, giving him her hand. “You from around here?” she said, repeating his line with a teasing grin.

  “I’m guessin’ you know I’m not. I was born and raised in Texas.”

  “You’re a long way from home.”

  He shrugged. “A job came along.” His gaze went back to the room door.

  “Look, I know you have to keep an eye on him. Want me to move my chair closer? I can keep you company until my brother comes to get me.”

  “I’d like that.” He pulled her up then grabbed her chair and carried it to set down beside his.

  When they were both seated, she felt suddenly self-conscious. What was she doing? He was way out of her league. A department store clerk with too much junk in the trunk didn’t have any business aspiring to keep the attention of a man this hot.

  “I don’t know many people. Been busy workin’ and getting’ to know the area. I was wonderin’…” His voice trailed off, and he tugged at the collar of his shirt. “Um, I mean, I don’t want to seem too forward or anything, because we just met, but would you consider getting a bite sometime…with me?”

  “Are you asking me out on a date?”

  His eyebrows drew together. She wasn’t sure if he was displeased or confused.

  “Oh,” she said, feeling embarrassed because obviously asking her out on a date wasn’t what he’d intended to do. “I mean, we can grab a bite. Two friends. You don’t know the area—”

  “Yeah, I meant a date, Colleen.”

  “With me?”

  His brow furrowed deeper. “Why not you?”

  Her gaze went down then up. Like “why not” wasn’t obvious? “Um, we don’t have to label it. I’m cool like that.”

  Footsteps, heavy ones sounded behind her, and she turned to watch a very large black man striding down the hallway. His gaze went to Cowboy then landed on her. His mouth stretched into a wide smile. “Bad timing?”

  Cowboy shot off his seat. “Not at all. I was just…talkin’ to Colleen.”

  The man placed his hand on his chest and said, “Nice to meet you, Colleen. This fool has likely forgotten my name. It’s Chase Kudrow.”

  “Hi, Chase.”

  “Colleen!”

  Her brother strode toward the group. His eyebrows were lowered, and his expression wasn’t difficult to read. He was definitely not pleased as he looked at the two men hovering over her.

  She stood and pasted on a smile. “Hi, Sean.”

  “You ready to head out for lunch?” he asked, his gaze swinging between Chase and Cowboy, and then staying there. “Your prisoner seems to be doing well. We’ll probably release him tomorrow. He’ll need to take it easy.”

  “Shouldn’t be a problem. He’ll be sittin’ in jail,” Chase murmured.

  “You’re his surgeon?” Colleen asked, thinking how ironic this all was. Fated to happen, maybe.

  “I am. We should go.”

  Colleen didn’t want to leave. Not yet. She hadn’t nailed down that tantalizing prospect of a date with Cowboy. Her glance went to him, and he gave her a tight smile. When he didn’t say anything more, she felt her shoulders deflate. Forcing a smile, she held out her hand to him. “It was nice meeting you.”

  “Nice to meet you, too,” he said softly.

  She hated leaving, so she stalled one more time. “Your guy,” she said, nodding toward the open door. “What happened to him? You guys have to shoot him?”

  Chase coughed. Cowboy winced.

  Her brother caught her arm, gave the two men a nod, and pulled her along down the hallway.

  When she glanced back, Chase cupped the side of his mouth and gave a loud exaggerated whisper, “He broke his dick.”

  * * *

  As the woman, Colleen, walked away, Cowboy sighed.

  “I hope you got her number, partner.”

  Cowboy shook his head. “I was just about to…”

  “Damn,” Chase said, shaking his head. “But hey, she won’t be hard to find.” Chase gave a low whistle then backhanded Cowboy in the belly. “You sly dog. Pickin’ up girls in the hospital. Didn’t think you’d take my advice.”

  “She’s not a nurse.”

  “Uh huh.” Chase’s lips pursed, and his eyes narrowed. “That wasn’t her boyfriend, was it?” Chase asked, his eyebrows rising.

  “Her brother.”

  “The man did not look happy, catching her talking to two bounty hunters.”

  “No, he did not. It’s probably just as well I didn’t get her number.”

  “You’re giving up too easy. That girl was dragging her feet down the hall. She did not wanna leave.”

  Cowboy shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. She left, and I’m out of here. I need rest.”

  “You goin’ back to Dead Horse?”

  “Not sure. I’d have to take your SUV back. Remember, mine’s still parked in front of MBH.” A yawn caught him by surprise. “Hell, I might sleep in your SUV for a bit. See how I feel later.”

  “If I see her, want me to get her number?”

  Cowboy nearly blurted yes, but he shook his head. “I’d just cause her problems. And she didn’t seem keen on going on a date. I think she friend-zoned me.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yeah, a woman like that?” Cowboy couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed. “She’s probably got men lined up.”

  “Ya think?” Chase said, his eyebrows rising high again.

  “Are you so married you didn’t notice how pretty she is?”

  Chase blinked, and little smile turned up the corners of his mouth. “Yeah, I could see it. She’s all pretty and soft. I get it.”

  Cowboy could tell he didn’t. His wife Rhonda was his whole world. The woman gave as good as she got, and with a smartass like Chase, that meant she had true game.

  Chase handed him his keys. Cowboy gave his partner a little salute and strode away, thinking about where Chase’s SUV was parked and wondering where the employees’ parking lot might be and how he might park near enough to see her return from lunch with her brother…

  Chase might not think Colleen was special, but Cowboy was truly intrigued. The woman hadn’t a dab of makeup on her face, and yet her skin had looked smooth—poreless almost. Her blush had been the prettiest pink, and against her red hair, truly stunning. And then there were her eyes, a blue similar to the purply-blue of the bluebonnets in Texas but lighter, kind of like pictures of glaciers he’s seen.

  He didn’t dare think of what she looked like beneath her pretty, soft-cheeked face or he’d have an uncomfortable hour while he waited for her to return.

  Colleen Bradley might think he was okay with a friendly meal, but he could already imagine her pretty hair and skin resting against his sheets. Though he figured she wasn’t the kind of girl who’d let that happen too easily. No, he figured he’d have to work for that privilege.

  For the first time in a long time, he felt true attraction for a woman. He wasn’t looking for an easy score. He was ready to find what Chase had found with Rhonda. A person who could be his “home.” Maybe Colleen wasn’t the one, but she felt like the right place to start his search.

  Chapter 3

  Sean had ordered their food without her input, which was what he always did. However, today, that habit annoyed her. She was sure he did it because he knew she’d take forever to make her own choices, and he didn’t have the patience to allow that. He was more efficient, along with being smarter, more successful, more focused…more everything.

  “You really shouldn’t talk to strangers, Colly.”

  I’m not a freaking dog, she wanted to bite out, but he’d called her that her entire life. “You mean the cowboy?”

  He gave her a stare with his face set in a bored mask. “He’s a bounty hunter, for God’s sake.”

  “And that’s…bad?” she asked, using her stupid cheerleader voice she’d perfected when she’d been in high school and had still wanted to be a popular girl.

  “You should aim higher.”

  “I work at Jenny’s Plus Size Store. How high should I aim?” she asked in a mock saccharine tone, but while Sean might be super smart, he’d never figured out she mocked him often.

  “Higher than that,” he said and frowned. “Did you look at the school brochures?”

  “I don’t want to be a nurse.”

  “You’re smart enough.”

  “Think so?”

  He blinked, and then blinked again.

  He didn’t think she was smart enough. She should’ve been insulted, but she just wanted to laugh.

  “You have to do something.”

  She pursed her lips and moved her eyes around like she was honestly trying to figure out what. “Haven’t I tried just about everything?”

  She’d had wide-ranging job experience in many fields and had a smattering of knowledge in each of them.

  “You should’ve stuck with teaching.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Subbing in for a tenth-grade teacher proved to me what a horrible teacher I would’ve made.”

  “Maybe you shouldn’t have helped the class organize a protest against the loss of their vending machines rather than following the teacher’s notes.”

  She gave a weak fist pump. “Go Twinkies. I mean, who wouldn’t be upset over losing their Twinkies?”

  He shook his head. “You had another job with the state that would’ve led to a pension.”

  “I worked on a road crew. It was too hot during the summer, too cold in the winter. Plus, they only thing they let me do was turn a sign.”

  “Which you couldn’t manage to do because it interfered with your texting,” he said between his teeth.

  “I was bored…?” she said, shrugging.

  He let out a deep sigh. “Colleen, you even washed out of beauty school.”

  “They expected an apprenticeship,” she said, hissing the last word. “I had to work in an actual beauty shop. Have you ever had to clean out a tanning bed?” She shuddered.

  “I don’t know what to do with you,” he said, raking a hand through his auburn hair.

  “That’s just it, Sean,” she said, dropping the snarky attitude. “You don’t have to. I’m okay. I’ll find what I’m meant to do…or not.”

  “You know, I still can’t approve you getting your trust fund.”

  Colleen slumped against her seat. “Well, that’s no surprise. You’ve never approved of me. Why Dad—”

  “Dad gave me control because he knew you, sis. He didn’t want you to blow through it and have nothing. He wanted you to mature before having me sign it over.”

  “I’m mature. Shit, I’ll turn thirty in a month.”

  The waitress arrived with their meal. He’d ordered her a salad with chicken on it. She glanced up at the waitress. “Can you bring me more croutons?”

  Her brother made a disapproving noise.

  Disgruntled, she frowned at him. “I work in a plus size store. I really can’t lose weight or I’ll lose that job, too,” she said, pouring all of the cup of Caesar dressing on her salad.

  He kept silent as he ate his own salad. Funny, he didn’t look like he enjoyed it any more than she did. “You have to stop worrying about me,” she said.

  “I’m your brother.”

  “You’re a control freak,” she said, then gave him a crooked smile. “And that’s your best quality.”

  His mouth twitched then stretched into a smile. “I just want you happy.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “I am happy-ish.” She remembered how she’d felt talking to Cowboy and thought wistfully how much happier she would’ve been had she actually gone on a date with the handsome man. “You just watch, bro. I’ll surprise you one day. All those jobs I’ve had—they happened for a reason.”

  “If you say so.”

  * * *

  Cowboy was leaned back in the front seat of Chase’s SUV, dozing, when a sedan passed. The driver headed into the employees’ parking lot, passing through a gate that required the swipe of a card. He caught a glimpse of red hair in the passenger side window and hit the button on his seat to straighten his chair.

  Yeah, he wondered if he wasn’t acting a little bit like a creeper, stalking her like this, but she’d said yes to a meal, and he wasn’t letting her get away until he had her number in his phone.

  Exiting his car, he walked to the waist-high brick wall that separated the lots, and then walked along beside it, looking for the sedan.

  He found it. The doctor had a space near the elevator—of course. So, he held back, watching as the doctor and Colleen climbed out of the sedan and hugged each other. The doctor headed straight for the elevator, but Colleen walked in the opposite direction toward a small green Corolla.

  Cowboy slipped over the wall and strode toward her car. She was just hitting her unlock button and reaching for the handle when he called out, “Hey, Colleen.”

  She startled and glanced his way. Then her eyes widened a second before a smile crept across her mouth. He let out a deep breath. She looked pleased to see him.