The fancy cast iron knocker in the shape of a lariat hadn’t been on the carved front door the last time she’d stood in front of it, either, and the boot scraper was new. She used it to clean her boots, or rather, her mom’s boots. Her entire riding outfit was thanks to her mother. They’d fit into the same size since Mandy turned fifteen, but she hadn’t worn her mom’s clothes until today.

  As she reached for the knocker, the door opened. Aunt Kendra gave a whoop and grabbed Mandy into a tight hug. “I’m so glad to see you! I thought I heard your car, so I decided to come and…” She held Mandy away from her and looked her up and down. “You look exactly like your mother did at twenty-seven. Same hair, same eyes, same smile. To think she was younger than you are now when I first met her.”

  “Hard to believe.” Mandy was a little shaky, but Aunt Kendra’s enthusiasm helped.

  “Come on in and take off your coat. Zane texted me that he has a few more things to take care of down at the barn.”

  Mandy left her coat and hat on a coat tree that was just like her mom’s and walked into a living room filled with reminders of her childhood. She’d spent hours here racing around like a maniac playing chase with the boys, making tents with blankets and watching cartoons on TV. She wondered if Aunt Kendra still had the train set they’d played with endlessly.

  “Have a seat.” Aunt Kendra waved her to a cushy chair and perched on the sofa. “I think Zane’s dawdling on purpose. He knows how much I wanted to see you and find out how you’ve been. How’s the job?”

  “It’s good.” Mandy gave her standard answer. “I’ve always loved fashion and working for an innovative company is fun.” The thrill wasn’t there anymore, but she hoped to get it back.

  “I’ll bet it is fun.” Kendra slipped off her shoes before curling her feet under her. “Your mom said your boss is great.”

  “She is. She takes me with her to some of the shows, which is fabulous experience for whatever I want to do in the future.” She had no idea what that was, but surely she’d figure it out soon. “You look terrific, Aunt Kendra.”

  “Thanks.” She combed her dark hair back from her face. Silver strands made it appear professionally frosted, although more likely it was natural. “I put on makeup this morning because you were coming. How silly is that? But you’re from the big city, now, and so I…“ She waved her hand in the air. “I spruced up.”

  “I’ve always thought you were beautiful.”

  She blushed. “Wow, thanks again. Your mom’s the natural beauty around here. Not many women can wear a short haircut like hers and still be stunning.”

  “She’s beautiful in a different way, but you’re both my role models.”

  Aunt Kendra waved her hands in front of her flushed face. “You’re totally embarrassing me, but thank you.”

  “Listen, before Zane shows up, let me apologize for not coming to see you when I visited Mom.”

  “Hey, don’t worry about it.” She gazed at Mandy with affection. “You’re here, now. Let’s start there.”

  She exhaled with relief. “I see where Zane gets it.”

  “Gets what?”

  “His ability to forgive and forget.”

  Aunt Kendra smiled. “I learned a long time ago that life’s short. It was a very hard lesson but it stuck with me. I tried to pass it on to my boys.”

  “Zane has it down pat.” She hesitated. As a kid, she’d accepted that Aunt Kendra’s husband and her parents had all died. She hadn’t thought to question it, although somewhere along the way she’d heard about the car accident. But she knew nothing about Aunt Kendra’s husband’s death. “Forgive me if this is a terrible subject, but how did your husband die? I’ve never known, but if you’d rather not –”

  “It’s fine. It took me a while, but I’ve come to terms with it. Ian died instantly from a brain aneurism at twenty-four.”

  Mandy flinched. “How awful.”

  “Yep. And ironic. After surviving three years of aerial combat missions, he ended up dying of something that would never have occurred to either of us at that age.”

  “That’s so sad, especially so soon after losing your parents.”

  “I won’t pretend it was easy, but I’m still a very lucky woman. My parents willed me the ranch and I can’t imagine living anywhere else. Ian gave me five amazing sons, and I’m grateful for that every day. They’ve kept me going during times I wanted to give up.”

  Mandy gazed at her in admiration. “What a wonderful attitude.”

  “I give a lot of credit to my women friends, especially your mom. She has a knack for knowing just what to say or do.”

  “Yes, she does.” Mandy loved hearing Aunt Kendra praise her mother. The move to New York would separate those two good friends, but maybe Aunt Kendra would fly back there for a visit. Having both Aunt Kendra and her mother in the city would be incredible.

  She started to mention the potential move, but the sound of a door opening in the back of the house signaled that Zane was on his way.

  Aunt Kendra called out to him. “We’re in here!”

  “Figured!” Seconds later he walked into the living room bringing with him the scent of pine and enough masculine energy to set Mandy’s blood humming.

  She left her chair because seeing him made her restless and eager to move. “Hey, Zane.”

  He touched the brim of his Stetson in greeting. “Hey, Mandy. Get the flat taken care of?”

  “I did.” She loved the way cowboys said hello. Two fingers touching the brim of a Stetson was sexy as hell, but she hadn’t admitted that until a couple of seconds ago. A man in a tux could be dashing, but she’d take a cowboy in a Stetson any day.

  Aunt Kendra stood and gave her another hug. “Zane said you two were riding up to the lookout.”

  “That’s the plan.”

  “You’re welcome to stay for lunch afterward if you have time.”

  “That sounds great, but Mom should be home from her hair appointment about then and we’re supposed to clean out the garage today.”

  “I don’t envy you. I hope I never move. Cleaning out the attic would do me in. Anyway, I’d love to see you again before you go back.”

  “Let’s plan on it.” Mandy noticed that Zane had grabbed her jacket off the coat rack and was holding it for her. She thanked him as she slipped it on. He’d done that for her a bunch of times in the past because he had cowboy manners, but today the gesture felt like a caress.

  She was probably imagining things. Settling her hat securely on her head, she waved goodbye to Aunt Kendra and left with Zane. As they started up the hill to the cabin where he stayed, she asked how many birds he was caring for.

  “Seven. Used to be eight before the release yesterday. I have another female golden and she should be released in a week or so. She’s more than ready to go. Her mate keeps coming by to check on her.”

  “You’re sure it’s her mate?”

  “I’d bet on it.”

  “I never thought of what happens with a mated pair if one gets injured.”

  “Probably depends on the circumstances, but he was nearby when I found her tangled in baling twine.”

  “Was anyone with you?”

  “No, and that made it a challenge. I wondered if her mate would attack me but he didn’t. I took off my coat and managed to wrap it around her.”

  “This coat?” She looked at the sheepskin jacket he was wearing, the same one he’d had on the day before.

  “Yep. Had to have it professionally cleaned and a couple of places mended, but that’s okay. I brought her back here and Kyle doctored her claw. Her mate followed me and that lovesick bird’s been hanging around ever since.”

  “Aw.” What an image – Zane riding home in bitter cold wearing only his t-shirt with the eagle wrapped in his warm jacket.

  “In fact, that’s him, right up in that pine tree, about halfway to the top.” He paused to point into the branches. “See him?”

  “No.”

  “To the left a little more.” He took her by the shoulders and repositioned her. “Now look straight up. See him?”

  “I don’t…oh, wait, now I do.” She acted as if having Zane take hold of her like that was nothing special. Once upon a time it wouldn’t have been. But that was then and this was now. He smelled delicious, a combination of evergreen and aftershave. “He’s big.”

  “She’s bigger.” He let go of her and stepped away.

  “Right, she would be.” She glanced at him. “I remember the day we found out that the females are larger than the males. You weren’t happy.”

  He grinned. “I got over it. Come on. Let’s go see the gang.” He led the way to a wooden structure a short distance from the small cabin that had been the original home of the couple who’d built the ranch.

  She remembered the cabin fondly. She and the McGavin boys had been allowed to play in it years ago, but it was perfect for Zane now that he had the raptors to care for. The aviary reminded her of a giant chicken coop, although she’d never seen a circular one before. Supported by what looked like fence posts, it stood about four feet off the ground and was at least eight feet tall. Chicken wire divided it into pie-shaped sections and a pointed tin roof sheltered the cages.

  Because it was in the shade of several large pines, Mandy couldn’t see into the enclosures very well and she didn’t want to startle the birds by getting too close. “Am I likely to scare them?”

  “Not if you go slow. I think the shade helps them feel safer because they’re more camouflaged. The bird you’re heading toward is hard to see, anyway. He’s not very big.”

  She crept forward and peered into the enclosure. At first she saw only a gnarled branch, but then something moved and two golden eyes stared right at her. Her breath caught. “Oh, my gosh. You have a pygmy owl.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He came to stand behind her.

  Her body responded to the heat of his and she fought the urge to move back and snuggle against his chest. A girlfriend would, but she wasn’t his girlfriend. “Hard to think of an adorable little bird like that as a raptor.”

  “But he is, all seven inches of him. Rescue folks don’t name the critters they will be releasing because then we might stop thinking of them as wild animals. But I gave in and called him Socrates.”

  “Cute.” What would she do if Zane put his arms around her and pulled her close? Not that he would. “Where did he come from?”

  “Some kids found him huddled in the snow out on the playground. He’d been shot in the wing with a pellet gun. Naturally they wanted to keep him, but their parents convinced them he’d be better off here until he’s well enough to be released.”

  “Hey, Socrates.” Mandy leaned closer to the wire. “You’re precious.”

  The little owl blinked at her.

  “Zane, I’m in love.”

  “Yeah, join the club. Aunt Jo and Mom adore him, too.”

  She stepped back, careful not to bump into Zane. “It must be hard to let them go.”

  “Sure. I get attached to them while they’re here, but they’re wild. They don’t want to stay. When I remind myself of that, it’s easy to release them. It’s what they want.”

  “You’re right.” Mandy gave the little owl one last look before moving away. “Who else do we have?”

  “I’ll introduce you around, but none of the others have names.”

  “I can see why that’s a good idea. I’m already attached to Socrates.” She followed him as he pointed out the golden female with the injured claw, a male golden who’d been shot in the chest, and a bald eagle who had also become tangled in baling twine.

  “Baling twine is a real problem for eagles,” he said. “They find it lying around, use it for their nests and get snared by it. Those three are my eagle population. The other three are hawks.” He continued to move around the structure. “I ended up modifying the enclosure for these two red-tailed ones because they wanted to be together.”

  She smiled. “How could you tell?”

  “Just watched them in their separate cages. Seemed obvious after a while. They’re young so they might be brothers who got in the way of someone with a pellet gun.”

  “You say that so calmly. It makes me furious to think a person would do that.”

  Zane shrugged. “Some folks were never taught to respect nature.”

  “Have you ever caught someone shooting at them?”

  “Once. Heard them up by the lookout and followed the sound. Fortunately, he was a bad shot and hadn’t hit anything yet.”

  “What happened?”

  His eyes took on a steely glint. “The guy wasn’t real cooperative when I first told him his behavior was unacceptable, but I think he finally got the idea that keeping it up wouldn’t work out well for him. Besides, he’d have to buy a new gun.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “It’s amazing how flimsy they are. One good whack against a boulder and they’re useless.”

  “Gee, what a shame.”

  “Yeah.” He held her gaze and the space between them shimmered with energy. Then he drew in a quick breath and turned toward the aviary. “This last one is a Cooper’s hawk. Kyle found her by the road pretty banged up. He thinks she was after prey and crashed into a windshield. She’s coming along, though.”

  “She’s lucky. All of them are. Do you have a website, a way for people to donate to the cause?”

  “Not yet.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Fact is I should build another aviary like this one before I spread the word or I’m liable to get more birds than I can handle. Besides feeding them and checking their progress, I exercise the ones who can fly by taking them to the flight cage as often as possible.”

  “Where’s that?”

  “In that little meadow near the creek. I’d show you but we don’t have time to go there and it’s not very interesting. Just a wood and wire enclosure where they can keep in shape.”

  “I wish I had time to help you while I’m here.” She wished it more than she’d expected to. “Unfortunately, clearing out Mom’s place will take most of the week.”

  “I understand.”

  “But your setup is great, Zane. Really great.”

  “Thank you.” His gaze warmed. “Glad you like it.”

  “Who wouldn’t?” For the first time in her life she considered kissing him. Imagining what that might feel like gave her the shivers and she looked away. “Guess we should get the horses and head on up to the lookout. I want to make sure I’m home by the time Mom’s finished with her hair appointment.”

  He nodded. “Right. Let’s go.” He started down the hill.

  His voice had sounded funny, though. She was super aware of him as they walked side-by-side toward the stable. What if he’d considered kissing her?

  Chapter Five

  Zane wasn’t pleased with himself. Last night’s video chat had established what needed to be done regarding Mandy’s plan to move Aunt Jo to New York. Ryker had delegated him to convince Mandy it was a bad idea.

  He’d been pumped to do it until he’d seen her today in her cowgirl duds looking so happy to be visiting his birds and riding up to the lookout with him. He didn’t want to spoil everything with a discussion that she might not like all that much.

  On the other hand, her plan was a huge mistake, so wouldn’t a good friend point that out and try to get her to reconsider? In years past he’d thought he could talk to her about anything. If he could recreate the easy familiarity they’d had before her parents’ drama had screwed it up, she might give some weight to what he said regarding her mom and New York. Or she might pitch a fit and never want to see him again.

  On top of that issue, he had another one. When he gazed into her eyes, he wanted to kiss her. Now there was a truly bad idea. He’d also wished he could gather her close and offer comfort for the rotten way her dad had behaved. But he wasn’t supposed to mention that so he had no excuse to give her a hug, either.

  This attraction was doomed so he might as well quit daydreaming about what could never be. He could so easily lose track of his goal – convincing Mandy that her mom needed to stay in Eagles Nest. If he failed, Aunt Jo and the McGavins would suffer.

  He, Ryker and their mom would take the biggest hit. Zane didn’t want to think about how Ryker would react if Aunt Jo was gone by the time he came home. Those video chats had provided a clear image of the world Ryker expected to be waiting for him and Aunt Jo was part of the picture. She was a second mother to him, too. She’d always been there, if not as a replacement for their dad, at least another parental type who doled out love, advice, and the occasional reprimand.

  But that wasn’t the important point to make with Mandy. He didn’t want to end up in a tug-of-war where they argued about who should get to live in the same zip code as Aunt Jo. Mandy had a lock on that because of biology. Instead Zane would emphasize how the move would negatively impact the woman they all loved.

  At least he would if he could focus on the issue at hand instead of drinking in the sight of Mandy decked out in boots, jeans, a denim jacket and a hat that made her look like she had in the old days. Back then, he’d been used to seeing her dressed that way. The effect was different now and gave him inappropriate and counterproductive ideas.

  He’d saddled Eeyore and Jake in advance and had left them tied to the hitching post. They made quite a pair. Jake stood tall and proud, mahogany coat glistening and head up. Eeyore had adopted the pose that had earned him his name. Head drooping and ears at half-mast, he appeared old and feeble, barely able to stagger out of the yard.

  He put on the same performance for the trail riders. Zane always had to assure them that it was an act and Eeyore wasn’t about to keel over.

  Zane glanced at Mandy. “See, your horse hasn’t changed a bit.”

  She sniffled and her eyes watered.

  “Are you okay?”

  She nodded, but tears rolled down her cheeks.