When Jack parked the truck and climbed out, he looked every inch the cowboy in his Stetson, long-sleeved shirt and jeans. Every inch except for his feet. He had on deep-tread hiking boots.

  Apparently he caught Wyatt staring. “You’re not the only one allowed to wear them, you know.”

  “Yeah, but I didn’t think—”

  “That I’d tarnish my cowboy image?” Jack’s dark eyes were neither hostile nor friendly. “My other boots are for riding and dancing, not for tramping through the forest.” He walked around the front of the truck and opened the passenger door. “End of the line, pooch. Time to get to work.”

  No way. Wyatt came to the passenger side in time to watch Jack lift Rodney Dangerfield to the ground and snap a leash on the dog’s collar. But the leash wasn’t Rodney’s only accessory. He was also wearing a bright orange life vest, a very snug life vest. The bottom of it scraped the ground.

  “My God. He looks like…like…”

  “A pig in a blanket? That’s what I said, but Mom wanted him on the job and he has to wear his vest, even if it’s a tad small, in case we hit water.”

  Rodney gazed up at Wyatt with his typical woebegone expression, which clearly said, “See what I have to put up with?” But his white-tipped tail wagged as if he’d accepted his lot.

  Wyatt crouched down to scratch behind the dog’s ears. “Thanks, Rod. Glad you’re here.”

  “Now for the million-dollar question,” Jack said. “Do you have anything of Olivia’s we can give him to sniff?”

  “Yeah, I do.” Wyatt stood and fished in his pocket.

  “I warn you, if you pull a pair of panties out of there I might have to deck you on general principles.”

  “You’d probably enjoy the excuse, but no such luck.” He took out the green scrunchie. “She left this in the tent.”

  “Good. That should work. Got water? I forgot to bring any.”

  “Good thought. She’ll be parched after hiking around all morning. Let me get my spare canteen.” Wyatt sprinted back to his camper, grabbed the canteen and slung the strap over his shoulder.

  “Okay, now let Rodney sniff that hair gizmo.”

  Wyatt hunkered down next to Rodney again. “Here you go, Rod. Find Olivia. Find her for us.”

  The basset made snuffling sounds as he inspected the scrunchie.

  “That should do it,” Jack said. “Okay, Rodney. Earn your keep.”

  17

  WYATT STUFFED THE SCRUNCHIE back in his pocket in case they needed it later to refresh Rodney’s memory. Nose to the ground, Rodney started toward the trail. That wasn’t surprising. Olivia had walked that way yesterday afternoon.

  As they started up the path, Wyatt decided to speak up. “I’ve never worked with a tracking dog before, but Olivia’s scent could lead us to the camp because she walked up that way last night. But it will be a waste of time because she’s not there now.”

  “I’m no expert, but I think he’ll follow her old scent until he picks up something fresher.” Jack allowed Rodney to lead the way. “At that stage we’ll know we’re tracking where she went more recently.”

  “Okay. That’s logical.” Concerns eased, Wyatt followed behind Jack. “Didn’t expect you to answer the phone at the house this morning.”

  “That’s because you don’t know Sarah well enough yet.”

  “I don’t get what you mean.”

  “Last night was supposed to be a party, and she didn’t want any more unpleasantness so she didn’t deal with me then. I was called on the carpet first thing this morning, though.”

  Wyatt winced. “You know, Jack, I—”

  “Save it. She’s right. You’re a guest in our home.”

  “Uninvited.”

  “Doesn’t matter. Mom took you in, gave you a bed and showed you the best of Last Chance hospitality. I treated you like an intruder. I…had my reasons, all tied up with my kid and Diana, but…I regret how that all came down.”

  Wyatt could only imagine what it cost Jack to admit that he’d mishandled a situation. His chest tightened with empathy. “I regret the things I said, too, Jack. For the record, I got some similar behavior tips from Olivia. Thing is, I wasn’t in a mood to hear them.”

  After another moment of silence, Jack blew out a breath. “When are we ever ready to hear shit like that?”

  Wyatt smiled. “Good point. Speaking for myself, I can be a stubborn son of a bitch.” He realized this kind of high-intensity conversation was best carried on exactly the way they were doing it, in the midst of a serious task, when they didn’t have the opportunity to sit and look at each other.

  “I’ve been called that a time or two,” Jack said. They walked in silence for several minutes while Rodney kept his nose to the ground.

  Wyatt wondered if that was the end of what they’d say on the subject. If so, that was okay. They’d made some progress.

  But then Jack spoke again. “Sarah mentioned something this morning and I…” He took a deep breath. “I think she might be right about that, too.”

  “What’s that?”

  “She wondered if my rejection of you was payback, both to Diana, for rejecting me, and to you, because…because you didn’t seem to understand how much…”

  Wyatt wasn’t going to make him say it. “I didn’t,” he said quietly. “But I do now. And it’s partly because you rejected me, so in a way, you did me a favor there.”

  Jack’s laugh was short. “Yeah, well, you won’t get Sarah to agree with you.”

  “I might. Someday. That’s assuming…” Now he was the one reluctant to say what he was thinking, in case he was wrong about where this exchange was heading.

  “If you’re wondering if you can hang around, the answer is yeah, I’d like that.” Jack cleared his throat. “I’d like that a lot.”

  The tightness in Wyatt’s chest loosened a little. Olivia was still out there and he wouldn’t be able to relax until they found her, but knowing he and Jack were coming to an understanding gave him hope that they’d find Olivia, too. Between Wyatt’s determination and Jack’s knowledge of the area, they made a good team. Well, and Rodney, of course. Couldn’t forget the basset hound and his excellent nose.

  “Just one thing,” Jack said.

  “What’s that?”

  “Having you around—I’m okay with that. But having Diana show up is a whole other deal.”

  “Right.” Wyatt felt the anxiety underlying Jack’s statement.

  “I’m doing my damnedest to separate you from her in my mind,” Jack continued. “I didn’t do that very well last night, and when I saw you with Archie I had a sudden image of her holding him, and I…I really lost it.”

  Wyatt swallowed. “I understand. I won’t let her become a problem.” And he vowed that she wouldn’t mess this up, for him, for Jack or for little Archie.

  “Yeah? How are you going to keep her away?”

  “Simple. Tell her she’ll have to travel almost two hours’ round-trip to get a decent latte. Issue handled.”

  Jack laughed. “Okay. That works.”

  It was the first time Wyatt had heard Jack laugh. He grinned to himself. Maybe he’d finally get to see the lighter side of Jack Chance.

  * * *

  OLIVIA WOKE TO LOUD BAYING of the kind she’d only heard in movies when they were tracking escaped convicts with bloodhounds. Rodney! Leaping up, she prayed that the baying was coming from the throat of a dog she knew and not from bloodhounds chasing an ax murderer through the woods.

  She decided to take her chances. “I’m here!” She yelled as loud as she could, although her throat was dry from lack of water. “Over here!”

  “Olivia!” Wyatt’s voice had to be the sweetest sound in the universe.

  “It’s me!” She ran in the direction of the baying and Wyatt’s voice. “You found me!”

  Wyatt broke through the trees and they practically knocked each other down.

  “Oh, my God.” He held her tight, rocking her back and forth. “Oh, my God. You scared the crap out of me.”

  “I scared the crap out of myself.” She hugged him back just as hard. “But I knew you’d come. So I finally remembered if you’re lost you’re supposed to stay in one place, so I did.” She heard Rodney yelping and whining, but she needed to keep holding on to Wyatt for just a little longer.

  “Are you okay?” He pulled back to look at her. “Oh, I brought water.” He lifted the strap over his head and unscrewed the cap.

  “That’s fabulous. I’m dying of thirst.” She started to gulp it down.

  “Go easy. Don’t want you getting sick.”

  “Thanks.” She made herself sip it.

  “Sorry to interrupt, but this dog is going nuts trying to say hello.”

  That’s when she finally realized Wyatt and Rodney weren’t her only saviors. Jack Chance stood there holding a very taut leash. Rodney was ready to choke himself trying to reach her. And he was wearing…her hand went to her mouth to stifle a laugh. She shouldn’t laugh at the dog who had so valiantly come to her rescue.

  “Oh, Rodney.” Handing the canteen to Wyatt, she went over to the dog and dropped to her knees so she could give him a proper hug. He slobbered all over her face and she didn’t care. “You are the most handsome dog in the world, Rodney. When we get back I’m booking you an appointment for the works—shampoo, cut, blow-dry, nails, massage, you name it.”

  Rodney wiggled happily in her arms, whining as if to say he’d love that very much.

  “It’s his first official rescue,” Jack said. “Guess I should give him the doggie treats I brought along.”

  “Definitely.” Olivia stood and brushed off her jeans as relief gave way to contrition. “Listen, you guys, I’m sorry to cause you all this trouble. Going off on my own like that was pretty dumb.”

  “Ah, it’s just a rookie mistake.” Wyatt sounded amazingly cheerful under the circumstances. “All’s well that ends well.”

  “Yeah, it gave us a chance to test out the dog.” Jack pulled two biscuits out of his pocket and tossed one to Rodney.

  Rodney missed it, which both men seemed to find hilarious.

  “Great tracker,” Wyatt said. “But I wouldn’t place any bets on him in a Frisbee tournament.”

  “You never know. With a little training…” Jack tossed the second biscuit in the air and Rodney missed that one, too.

  Wyatt grinned at him. “The day you put Rodney in a Frisbee tournament is the day I dance Swan Lake in a tutu.”

  “You’re on, twinkle toes. I already have it on good authority that you can shake your booty, so start practicing.”

  “Same to you, dog whisperer.”

  Olivia couldn’t believe her ears. Somehow, some way, Jack and Wyatt had abandoned their hostility toward each other. Just like that. She didn’t get it, but she wasn’t going to question it either.

  “Well, this has been fun,” Jack said, “but some of us have work to do, so I’ll be taking this Frisbee-champ-in-training back to my truck and heading for the ranch. Olivia, you can come with me or help our future ballerina pack up his gear. Up to you.”

  Olivia looked at Wyatt. “You left everything at the campsite?”

  “Well, yeah.”

  “Oh.”

  “You thought I’d take the time to break camp when I knew you were somewhere out here by yourself?”

  She saw the depth of concern in his eyes and knew she hadn’t given him nearly enough credit. “I really screwed up, Wyatt. I’m so sorry.”

  His expression softened. “It’s okay. I understand why you wanted to head out. Listen, you’re probably exhausted. Don’t worry about the camping gear. I’ll bring it back down.”

  “No, I’m going to help you.”

  “Really, you don’t have to—”

  “I’m going to help you, damn it! It’s the least I can do for someone I scared the crap out of, don’t you think?”

  Jack laughed. “She wants to help you, man. Take it from a guy who wasn’t always smart about these things. Stop arguing with the lady and go with the flow.”

  Wyatt looked as if he wanted to say something else, but then he scrubbed a hand over his face. “All right. I’ll take that advice.”

  “Good. See you two back at the ranch, then. Oh, and I’ll take care of calling Mom to let her know Olivia’s safe and sound.”

  “Thanks, Jack.” Wyatt held out his hand.

  “You’re welcome…bro.” Jack clasped his hand and the two men exchanged a long look.

  Olivia had thought this day might never come, and yet it all seemed so easy now. Funny how quickly things could change sometimes.

  Jack and Rodney took off and Olivia stood gazing at Wyatt. “That’s amazing,” she said.

  “Yeah.” Wyatt gave her a wry smile. “All it took was a couple of smart women to straighten out a couple of dumb guys.” He stepped closer but didn’t touch her. “Thanks for talking turkey to me last night. It took some time for it to filter through my thick skull, but of course you were right, about everything.”

  “I don’t care who’s right and who’s wrong. I’m just happy that you and your brother are going to be friends.”

  “Me too.” He hesitated. “What about us? Are we going to be friends?”

  “I think there’s a very good chance we are.”

  He looked down at the ground for a couple of seconds and cleared his throat. When his gaze met hers, it was completely unguarded and filled with passion and longing. “That’s not good enough,” he said.

  “No?” Her heart began to pound.

  “No.” He reached for her, drawing her into his arms. “I want to be your friend, but I want much more than that. I want to be your lover.”

  She looked into his eyes. “The job’s yours. You’re very good at—”

  “But I want more than that.”

  “You want to clean my house? Wyatt, I don’t know what to say. I’ve always dreamed of—”

  “Smart-ass.” He pulled her in close. “I want to be the guy.”

  “The guy?”

  “Yeah. The one you count on. I want to be the one you come to when something terrible happens and you’re overwhelmed with grief. I want to be the one you race to when something great happens and you’re filled with joy. I want to be there for you, Olivia.”

  Happiness hummed through her as she wrapped her arms around him and hung on, loving the solid warmth of his body. “Sounds like you’re getting serious.”

  “Yeah.” He smiled. “I am. Think you could be getting serious, too?”

  She nodded.

  “That’s good news.”

  “But about cleaning my house. I really could use someone to—”

  “I’ll clean your damned house.” His mouth hovered over hers. “I’ll do whatever it takes if you’ll let me love you.”

  “I think that can be arranged if the agreement goes both ways.”

  “Meaning?” His mouth brushed hers.

  “If I let you love me, you let me love you.”

  “Lady, you have a deal.” His mouth found hers, and she could swear the woodland creatures began to sing, just like in a Disney movie.

  Epilogue

  “SO THERE YOU HAVE IT.” Sarah picked up her mug of coffee and took a sip. “Wyatt has to lead a few wilderness expeditions, but in his spare time he’ll be taking the necessary steps to transfer his business to Shoshone.”

  Sitting across from her at the kitchen table, Mary Lou nodded. “I think that’s great. And his mother still doesn’t know about little Archie?”

  “Wyatt’s not planning to volunteer the information, but I feel guilty every time I think about it. I’m wondering if maybe I should contact her and—”

  “Don’t buy trouble, Sarah. She hasn’t exactly inquired about whether her son married and had a child, now, has she?”

  “No, she hasn’t.” Sarah cradled her coffee mug. “That’s a valid point. And she may end up here even without me contacting her. I fully expect Wyatt and Olivia to get married before the summer’s out. They’re so in love. I can’t imagine Wyatt marrying Olivia without his family here, can you?”

  “No, I can’t. But do you think Jack sees all that coming down the pike?”

  Sarah nodded. “I think he knew from the first time Wyatt showed up that it was only a matter of time before he had to confront his mother.”

  “His biological mother. You’re his real mother.”

  “I appreciate you saying that, Mary Lou, but…he’ll never be totally free of her, so maybe it’s better if he faces her and gets it over with. If Wyatt and Olivia get married soon, as I predict, it will force the issue. That could be intense, but a good thing in the end.”

  “Guess so.” Mary Lou pushed back her chair. “More coffee?”

  “No, I should get busy. Pete’s coming by in an hour to go over last-minute details for when the teenagers arrive.”

  “About that.”

  Something in Mary Lou’s voice alerted Sarah. “Are you having second thoughts? I hope not, because they’ll show up in a week and a half.”

  “I know.” Mary Lou fiddled with her mug. “The thing is, Watkins finally wore me down.”

  “Wore you down?” Then Sarah’s eyes widened. “You’re getting married?”

  Mary Lou actually blushed. “Stupid, isn’t it?”

  “No! It’s wonderful! But we don’t have much time to plan with the kids coming, but don’t worry about that. We’ll figure something out. Mary Lou, I’m so excited for you!” She hurried over to give her friend a fierce hug.

  “No planning needed,” Mary Lou said. “We’re going on a twenty-one-day cruise starting next week, and we’ll have the captain marry us on board the ship. It seemed like an easy solution and wouldn’t cause anybody any trouble.”