* * *

  Laura’s tension disappeared as she drove over the cattle gate. It was good to be home. Odd, she thought, looking at the children. I’m already thinking of the ranch as home.

  Mark and Hayley piled out of the car and ran into the house, eager to get back into their regular clothes. She smiled. No matter what the cost to her personal life, she’d made the right decision by keeping them here, in familiar surroundings. She followed them inside and put on what was quickly becoming her favourite outfit...faded, form-fitting jeans and a scoop-neck T-shirt. She loosened her hair and let it tumble down her back. An image of Bradley flashed across her mind...taking the pins out of her hair and pulling her into a passionate embrace. She inhaled sharply, rocked by a surge of desire.

  The screen door slammed and she heard one of the children racing through the house. They didn’t normally run indoors, and she hurried out into the hall.

  “Aunty Laura. Come quick. Mark is having a fight with that man!” Hayley motioned with one hand. “Hurry! He’s in the stable.”

  Laura followed her down the stairs and paused at the door to the stable.

  “What’s going on here?” The light was dim inside, and it took a few moments for her eyes to adjust.

  The new hand turned, his gaze moving slowly up her body. Prickles of fear set her nerves on edge. She spotted Mark cowering in a corner, one arm shielding his head. Toby stood over him, a lunge line folded in his hand. He was about to strike the child.

  “The boy needs to be taught a lesson,” he growled.

  Laura walked purposefully into the gloom. “Don’t you dare touch my child,” she said, surprised at the vehemence in her voice. She put herself between Toby and Mark.

  “Oh, so you want to play, do you?” He leered at her and took a step forward. “Well that can be arranged. I like a woman with a little spunk.”

  Laura looked around and spotted a pitchfork. She picked it up and pointed at him.

  He took another step forward and let the loose part of the lunge line fall to the floor. It was now several feet long, and he moved his arm back and forth, swishing it across the floor.

  “Don’t you dare,” she growled.

  “Or what?” The line twitched.

  “I suggest you listen to the lady.”

  Laura stilled. She’d never heard his voice, but she’d know it anywhere. Her heart did a little tap dance in her chest.

  Toby whirled around and his bravado fell away. “We were just having some fun.”

  Bradley stood backlit in the doorway, broad shoulders encased in a leather jacket. He raised an eyebrow. “Not the way I see it.”

  “Now listen here.” The ranch hand started to bluster, but the fight had gone out of him.

  “No, you listen.” Laura took Mark by the hand. “You threaten my children, you threaten me. Get your things and leave.” Toby scuttled out the door, muttering to himself.

  Hayley stood beside Bradley, looking up at him with adoration. He squatted down and smiled at her. “Hi, he said. My name is Bradley and I’m a friend of your Aunt’s.”

  “I’m Hayley.” She turned. “This is my brother Mark.”

  Mark came forward slowly and Bradley held out a hand. “Hello, Mark, I’d pleased to meet you.”

  The child beamed, and shook hands. “Me too, I guess. I wasn’t doing anything wrong, honest. It was him. He was being mean to the horses.”

  “Well, we can’t have that, can we?”

  Mark shook his head. “No, sir.” He looked back at Laura. “Can we go now?”

  She tore her gaze away from Bradley. “Yes, but don’t go too far.”

  “Okay.” The children ran toward the house.

  Bradley rose and looked at her. Dust motes danced in a shaft of sunlight and the horses snuffled softly, but she had eyes only for him. He walked toward her and she knew she’d never wanted anything more.

  “I’m sorry about Jenna and Drew,” he said, bending his knees and looking into her eyes. “I would have been here earlier but I just found out last night where you’d gone.”

  Jenna drew back. “But I made a point of telling Jason before I left.” She made a face. “I should have realized he didn’t hear everything I said. He was gunning that ATV as usual.”

  He shook his head and gave her a wry smile. “He’s just a kid, but I think one day he’ll straighten out and fly right.”

  Laura looked into the face she’d come to love. “I hope so.” She laid a hand on his chest. The gesture brought back memories of their first encounter at the lake and it was a moment before she could speak. “When did you get your voice back?”

  “Just now, when I saw that character threaten you. The doctors said it might happen that way.” He brushed a lock of hair away from her face. “I missed you, Laura.” She went into his arms and he held her against his chest. “I missed you so much.”

  “Me too,” she murmured. “Especially when I wasn’t sure if I’d ever see you again.”

  “That’s not going to happen.” She could feel his heart beating wildly.

  “Good.” She raised her lips for a kiss.

  They broke apart several minutes later and wandered hand in hand out of the barn and into the late afternoon sunshine.

  He glanced toward the house. “Should we be checking on the kids?”

  Laura smiled to herself, pleased at his concern. “I think they’re fine; I don’t hear any noise. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve crashed, even if it isn’t bedtime yet. They were both tired when we got home.”

  Laura pulled him toward the creek. “Let’s walk along here for a minute.” Memories crowded in and she blinked back tears. “Jenna and Drew used to walk here every evening, even in the winter if the snow wasn’t too deep.”

  Something broke the surface the Bradley peered into the depths. “Trout” he said thoughtfully. “Did Drew feed them by any chance?”

  Laura frowned. “I don’t really know. He never mentioned it.”

  Bradley tossed some vegetation into the water and a fish rose instantly, belly flashing as it turned over. “Judging from that reaction, I think maybe he did. We should look into what’s the proper thing to feed them. It would be a fun thing to do with the kids, if nothing else.”

  Laura stopped and turned to face him, wondering if her voice betrayed her nervousness. “You talk as if you’re planning to stay.” She needed to know.

  He looked directly into her eyes. “I’ll stay as long as you want me.”

  Laura realized she’d been holding her breath, and exhaled slowly. “I think that’s going to be for a very long time.”

  His gaze dropped to her lips and he leaned over and kissed her. “Good,” he said simply. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

  It was Laura’s turn to look at the house. “Maybe you’re right. We should go and check on the kids.”

  As she suspected, the children had crawled into bed. “They’re not even undressed,” she said quietly, covering each of them with a light blanket. “But it won’t hurt them for one night.”

  Downstairs, Laura led him out onto the back steps. The flower beds on either side of the steps were a riot of colour and Laura picked a zinnia, twirling it between her fingers. “Let’s sit down” she said. “I do my best thinking here.”

  They sat down, shoulders touching.

  Laura stroked the petals of the flower. “The kids need to be here, so I’m thinking we should try to keep the place going as a functioning ranch.”

  Bradley turned to her. “I hear you’ll be needing a new hand.”

  Laura tried to be serious but knew that her grin gave her away. “Are you applying for the job?”

  He raised his shoulders. “I’d like to, but I don’t know a thing about ranching.” He looked into the distance, deep in thought. “That guy that just left?” He hiked his head toward the road. “Who was here before him?”

  “A fellow named Will.” Laura thought for a moment. “Tall, shy. I’m confident that he liked it here but I wasn’t sure where I stood at that point and he had to look out for himself.”

  “I wonder if we could get him back?” He gave her a sideways glance. “He could teach us the ropes. If Drew needed him here, then we definitely need him. What do you think?”

  “It’s worth a try. He had a room on the other side of the stables, but it seems to me that if we built a separate cabin just for him it would be an enticement.”

  “I like the way you think.”

  He turned silent for several moments. “I have some savings and my pension, if we need money.” He made a sweeping gesture around the ranch. “I mean, this all belongs to the kids. I’d like us to be independent when it comes to money.”

  Laura nodded “I have money too.” She paused. “A lot. And Jenna and Drew were making a living, so unless we really mess things up we’ll be fine financially.”

  Bradley laughed. “I can’t believe we’re talking about money, but it has to be done.” He put an arm around her shoulder. “Right now I can think of a lot of other things I’d rather talk about.”

  “Oh?” She wiggled her eyebrows. “What?”

  “It’s about the sleeping accommodations.” He glanced in the direction of the stables. “If you think I’m sleeping out there, forget it.”

  They stood up and walked hand in hand into the house. “I wouldn’t hear of it” she said.

  Epilogue

  Ten months later.

  “Do I have to wear this?” Mark tugged at the bow tie.

  “Yes.” Bradley straightened it for the third time.

  “But why?”

  “Because your mother wants you to.” He checked his own reflection. “See...we match.”

  Mark gave him a look that made it clear what he thought of that.

  “Come on, we’re supposed to be out there first.”

  They walked out into the sunlight. All of their friends and family were there, plus Candy and Matt, Faith and Jason, Fran Shaw and her husband, everyone from the law office; even Will and his new lady friend. Laura’s grandmother had tears in her eyes when Bradley walked down the aisle with his best man, Mark.

  As they stepped under the white tent a jet flew overhead and Bradley shielded his eyes.

  “What is it?” asked Mark. It was a game they played all the time.

  “It’s a private job. A Citation. Nice ride.”

  “Yeah, nice ride. Can you fly it?”

  “Oh, I think so.” Bradley grinned.

  “Would you teach me how to fly some day?” His hand crept into Bradley’s.

  “Yes, I will.”

  “Promise?”

  “Promise.”

  Laura and Hayley appeared on the steps. Laura in a simple white sheath that touched the grass and Hayley in a pale pink chiffon dress that she had picked out herself. They both wore baby’s breath in their hair. They walked together up the aisle and Bradley bent over to pick up his daughter.

  “Hey, Mom.” Mark tugged at her dress, and she looked at her son. “Dad says he’s going to teach me to fly! Can you believe it?”

  “Sure can,” she said, looking at Bradley with love in her eyes. “He teaches me to fly every day.”

  * * * * * The End * * * * *

  Thank you for reading

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  Please keep reading for an excerpt from

  The Lure of Love

  Chapter One

  “Wow, Goldie. Look at all those blueberries.” Jamie glanced over to the passenger seat. As usual, her dog had her head hanging out the window, breathing in the wonderful summertime scents. “They look ripe. One of these days we’ll have to come back and pick enough for a pie.”

  The golden retriever turned and looked at her with soulful eyes and then put her nose back out the window. Jamie loved her old Jeep YJ for this very reason; she could open it up in the heat of the summer and let the wind blow through her hair. Come to think of it, she and her dog had that in common.

  She was driving at her usual fast clip, but the gravel road was familiar and she was late for a meeting. There were some new arrivals at the Lodge today and she’d made a habit of getting together with her office manager and her chef to review the day’s check-ins, especially when important guests were due to arrive. It was more than half way through summer and Long Lake Fishing Lodge was almost full, but the new arrivals were important. She needed every booking she could get to keep the place open.

  Her favourite corner was coming up. She slowed down every time she reached it, so she could enjoy the first sight of Long Lake glittering through the trees. It was her home; she loved it and couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.

  When she rounded the corner she was glad she’d developed the habit of slowing. Two vehicles sat alongside the road. A long sleek job that looked like it might be a Jaguar had pulled up behind a silver SUV. A man sat inside the Jaguar, but the driver’s door was open on the SUV and the driver was standing on the passenger side between the car and the shallow ditch, adjusting his camera.

  Her heart leaped into her throat. Browsing amongst the blueberry bushes were two grizzly cubs, but she didn’t have time to enjoy the rare sight. Their mother stood in a threatening stance, head lowered and the hackles on her back raised. Her fur was the colour of buckwheat honey in the late morning sun.

  Jamie pulled her vehicle up in front of the SUV, popped open the glove box and pulled out a canister of bear spray. Without taking her eyes off the mother bear she removed the black plastic safety lock. Goldie whined softly and hunkered down; she knew when to be afraid. Only her eyes and the top of her head showed above the passenger door.

  “Stay.” Jamie knew the command was unnecessary, but she was nervous. She opened the door as quietly as possible and stepped out. She had no idea how effective the bear spray would be against a charging mother grizzly. Not very, she thought.

  She decided to speak in a normal tone. If she didn’t shout, or show fear, perhaps the grizzly would see her as non-threatening. She couldn’t say as much for the man who now had his camera up, taking pictures. What was the matter with him...did he have a death wish?

  She held the gold canister loosely at her side, her finger through the loop and her thumb on the ‘trigger’.

  “Hi there,” she said with what she hoped was a smile in her voice. “How old are you?”

  “Huh? What?” He turned to look at her. A pale city type who hadn’t seen the sun in a long time, he was almost too good looking to be true. “I’m thirty-six.”

  “Well” she said, backing up a few steps, leaving room for him to retreat around the front of his vehicle, “if you want to make it to thirty-seven, you’d better get back in your vehicle.”

  He stared at her, uncomprehending.

  “Right now,” she said. “Unless you want to be lunch for that grizzly.”

  What little colour there was in his face drained away. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Then colour flooded back into his face as he realized his predicament.

  Jamie had to admire him as he walked slowly back to his side of the vehicle. Most people would have bolted, an action which would have caused the grizzly to chase. She waited until she was sure he was safe then went back to the Jeep and got in, but kept the bear spray at the ready. As she pulled out, she looked in the rear view mirror. The man was slumped back in the driver’s seat, head on the headrest, eyes closed.

  * * *

  Craig Hansen relaxed his grip on the canister of bear spray and realized he’d been holding his breath. He hadn’t been willing to embarrass the other man but had been sitting with one hand on the door handle and the other on the spray. He’d never needed it before, but it was rated at 30 feet. He fumbled for the safety clip and snapped it back on, then shoved the canister into his back pack.

  His thoughts went to the woman. She’d been magnificent the way she strode along the side of the road. At first he’d thought she too had stopped to take pictures and he was beginning to wonder if everybody around here was crazy. Then he’d spotted the dull gleam of the canister and it became clear what she was up to. He chuckled, recalling her words. Now that he thought about her a bit more he realized that she had to be local, driving a beat up old vehicle like that. There was something about the women up here in Northern British Columbia. They were nothing like the artsy types he worked with in Toronto, a fact which pleased him.

  He checked the time. It was too soon to check into Long Lake Lodge. The confirmation had made it clear that check-in wasn’t until 3 o’clock and he didn’t like to ask for special favours. He’d taken the time to study the map when he picked up the car at Prince George airport last night and had noticed a town nearby; might as well pass some time checking it out. You never knew where the next great idea might come from. He checked on the grizzly who was now shepherding her cubs back into the woods. He couldn’t blame the man for trying to take pictures. It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance, but the danger had been all too real. He was still sitting there with his eyes closed when Craig pulled out.

  * * *

  “Sorry I’m late but you won’t believe what happened on the way back from town.” Jamie grabbed a bottle of water and unscrewed the top. Brooke and Leeza were seated at the usual table; the one in the corner that had the advantage of glass on two sides. The view out over the lake was spectacular, plus they could keep a casual eye on the children playing by the water’s edge.

  Jamie took a long drink and set the water bottle down forcefully. A few drops of water splashed out the top and she wiped them off the table with her arm. “Some guy with a death wish had gotten out of his SUV, walked around to the passenger side and was taking pictures of a mother grizzly and two cubs.” As she spoke she walked her fingers around the water bottle, her movements stiff and angry. “Have you ever heard of anything so ridiculous?”