Blazing Hot Cowboy.

Kim Redford.

Chapter 1.

Up on Cougar Lane, the Wildcat Bluff Fire-Rescue Station's front door banged open. A half-naked man stepped into the open doorway and peered outside, drying his sable-brown hair with a white towel.

Lauren Sheridan stepped back in surprise to make room for him, not wanting to be run over by so much muscle ma.s.s. She'd been about to grasp the stainless steel handle of the metal entry door and walk inside. Now she simply gazed in appreciation at the hot body of a guy who belonged as the centerfold of a firefighter calendar. He could definitely claim the blazing month of August, particularly since he wore nothing but faded, ripped-in-the-knees blue jeans that he'd zipped up but hadn't b.u.t.toned so he'd left a slightly gaping fly. Eye candy.

"You seen Hedy?" He flicked a glance in Lauren's direction before he studied the parking lot while he used the towel to rough up his thick hair. "She must've slipped out while I took a shower."

Lauren felt his husky voice strike a deep chord within her, causing a memory-tantalizing by the feel of it-to swim up from the depths of her subconscious and hover on the edge of her conscious. Yet the memory eluded her until she caught the spicy, musky, with a hint of leather scent that was all his own. And just like that, she fell headlong back into the memory of that hot, steamy summer of love when she was just sixteen.

She jerked her gaze upward to look at the guy's face and felt her mouth go dry. Kent Duval, as she lived and breathed. She knew this man. At least, she'd known him as a boy. He'd once been her everything. And she'd shared wild kisses with him in the bed of his blue pickup up on Lovers Leap overlooking the Red River just north of their hometown of Wildcat Bluff.

He'd grown taller and wider in the shoulders, carved of muscle upon muscle with long, powerful legs. Once his sun-bronzed skin had been smooth, but now lines radiated outward from the corners of his eyes as if he laughed a lot or squinted in the sun. Maybe both. The planes of his face were sharper and more angular with high cheekbones and a square jaw. But his eyes were still the same fascinating hazel mix of brown, gold, and green.

Back then, they'd been head-over-heels in love and totally immersed in each other till one fateful day. She still felt the sting of her personal loss when her parents had told her that her daddy had a great new job. They were moving from Wildcat Bluff, Texas, to Stamford, Connecticut. And just like that, she'd been torn from Kent's arms. They'd been too young to fight the separation, although they'd stayed in touch for a while. Soon distance and college had drawn them into separate worlds. And she'd stuffed away her Kent-fueled, sweet-sixteen memories.

Now he was back in raw, vibrant color. As a boy he'd been irresistible. As a man he was the stuff of hot, sweaty dreams. She must have made some sound deep in her throat because he looked back, focused on her, then his eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Lauren?" He dropped the towel-as if forgotten-and reached toward her with long, strong fingers outstretched as if they'd scoop her up like ice cream for a sweet, delicious treat.

"Yes." She smiled, feeling warmth for him uncurl in her depths just like the old days. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Way too long-thirteen years too long." Kent grinned, revealing straight white teeth and a deep dimple in each cheek.

She felt the past tug hard at her. Those dimples had once made him look like a naughty imp when he'd made suggestions that had pushed her limits. He'd always walked a bit on the wild side, and she'd always tried to pull him onto the straight and narrow. They'd seesawed back and forth, teasing and tormenting until they'd made everything come out right in the heat of their love and pa.s.sion.

She'd been well aware that he'd featured in the fantasies of many a starstruck girl back in high school, what with Kent being a rodeo and football star as well as a smart and popular student. Still, he'd only had eyes for her till she'd moved away. Now she bet he had a well-deserved reputation with the ladies. Who could possibly resist him? Not that it mattered to her anymore. She'd sworn off guys, particularly heartbreakers.

She heard the soft, lilting, birdlike voice of Dolly Parton singing her famous song, "Jolene," drift outside from a radio somewhere in the station. The song jolted Lauren back to reality. No point in begging a woman to leave your man alone if he was bound to wander like Jeffrey, her player of a former husband. Burned once. Twice shy. She wasn't ever treading that dangerous territory again.

Even so, she wouldn't walk away from Kent's friendship. She was glad to see him-a lot of him. She grasped his hand and matter-of-factly shook it.

He chuckled as he rubbed his rough thumb across the smooth flesh of her palm. "When were we ever on a hand-shaking basis?" He jerked her against his hard, damp chest, then wrapped her in his strong arms and gave her a big bear hug.

"Stop! You're squeezing the life out of me." And truth be told, she could hardly catch her breath-maybe from the crush but maybe from the fact that the sheer masculine power of Kent was causing her to lose her breath.

"Got to make up for lost time, don't I?" Despite his words, he set her back but kept his hands on her shoulders. "How'd you stop the clock? You look better than ever. And that's saying a lot."

When he followed those words with a flash of his dimples, she felt a telltale blush that she hadn't felt in years warm her cheeks.

He grinned even bigger at that display of how he was affecting her and planted a hot kiss on her forehead before he dropped his hands. "Hope you're back in town for more than a short visit."

She nodded, getting her feet under her now that he wasn't scrambling her brain and body with his touch. "I came to see Aunt Hedy."

"Join the crowd. I swear she gets around just as fast in that motorized wheelchair as she ever did on two legs."

Lauren smiled fondly, knowing what he meant. Hedy Murray was a former rodeo queen, current backbone of the volunteer fire-rescue department, and owner of Adelia's Delights, a popular gift shop in Wildcat Bluff's touristy Old Town. Hedy was pushing seventy, and she'd never let anything in life slow her down. At least, not till lately.

Kent pushed long fingers through his damp hair in agitation, glanced around the parking lot again, and then gave Lauren a concerned look. "I don't mean to alarm you, but you ought to know upfront about Hedy."

"What?" She felt her breath catch in her throat, wondering if he knew something about her aunt that she didn't.

As if stalling, he reached down, picked up the towel, and twisted it in his strong hands, bronze skin in stark contrast to the white towel. "Last six months or so, Hedy hasn't been herself. It's as if she's got some kind of secret."

"Thanks for the heads-up," Lauren said on a sigh of relief that nothing new had come up, "but Ruby already told me." Lauren didn't mention it, but she'd always stayed in touch with Ruby Jobson, a longtime family friend and owner of Twin Oaks Bed & Breakfast where volunteer firefighters met to plan fund-raisers and other events.

"You've been in touch with her?" He slung the towel around his neck, letting the ends hang over the front of his shoulders. "She never said a word about it."

"I'm the closest thing Aunt Hedy's got to a daughter since she doesn't have kids of her own." Lauren didn't share her own little secret that she'd asked Ruby not to mention to anybody in town that she might return. Gossip had wings in Wildcat Bluff, and she hadn't wanted Hedy-or anybody else-to be disappointed if she hadn't been able to come to town. And truth be told, she'd tried not to think about Kent at all because she'd locked those memories tight and thrown away the key. And now here he was in the flesh, holding that very key in his large hand.

"That's not strictly true and you know it. We all belong to her."

Lauren smiled, agreeing with his sentiment because Hedy had taught math in high school and rodeo in the arena. She'd always been a nurturing presence-like a second mother-in local kids' lives. "Mom wanted me to check on her, too. You remember they're sisters, don't you?"

"Yeah. But Connecticut's a long way from Texas."

"My parents still live there, but I was fairly close by."

"How close?" He took a step toward her as his eyebrows came together in a frown. "I thought you were back East."

"Houston. I finished up college in Texas."

"You've been in the state that long?"

She let a simple nod be her answer, not wanting to hear any recriminations, although she didn't really expect them. Still, he looked unhappy that she hadn't contacted him when she'd returned to Texas.

"You could've said something. Let me know you were back."

"We'd both moved on with our lives." She shrugged, feeling surprised that he'd still been interested enough that he'd wanted her to contact him. "Besides, I'd heard you were engaged to a Dallas model."

He shook his head as he gazed out into the distance, expression suddenly shuttered, then focused on Lauren again. "Yeah. But you should've also heard that's long over."

She nodded again, not sure if she should offer condolences or congratulations. He was giving her no clue as to how he felt about his former fiancee. She wouldn't be surprised if he still carried a torch for the beautiful gal who'd broken his heart and left him at the altar.

"Anyhow," he finally said. "I wish you'd have let me know."

"I'm here now. I drove in today."

"If you'd told me you were coming, I'd have flown down and driven you up here myself. I don't like to think about you coming all that way alone."

She cleared her throat, not wanting to get this personal with him so quickly but not knowing how to back out. He'd know the truth soon enough anyway. "I wasn't alone."

"Oh h.e.l.l, don't tell me you brought a boyfriend."

"No."

"Girlfriend. Good. Best you don't take chances crossing Texas alone."

"I've been taking care of myself for a long time now." She smiled to take the sting from her words and at the notion that he still felt protective of her. Most likely his reaction was nothing personal, but just his cowboy way to respect and help ladies.

He gave her a rueful grin, revealing his dimples. "I'm sure you can. Guess old habits die hard."

"Thanks for the concern." She hesitated, not sure how he'd react to her important news. "Naturally, Hannah came with me."

"Hannah?" He c.o.c.ked his head to one side as he looked at Lauren in confusion. "Am I supposed to know her?"

"She's my daughter."

He froze in place, staring at her with eyes gone wide in surprise.

"Hannah is four years old now." Lauren babbled and knew it, but she desperately wanted to override Kent's shocked silence. "She's got her heart set on being a cowgirl."

"Kids." He spoke the one word on a wistful note. "I remember when we talked about having some of our own."

"That was a long time ago."

He nodded in agreement. "Congratulations. You beat me to the punch. I wish-" He shook his head as if driving away thoughts of what could've been. "Bet she's a doll, if she takes after you at all."

"Maybe too much. Sometimes she's a handful." Lauren chuckled, feeling relieved that the awkward moment with him had pa.s.sed so easily. Once she'd thought he'd be the father of her children, but that was just a teenager's unrealistic dream. She'd always thought he'd make a great dad and was surprised he didn't have half a dozen kids already. She wished Jeffrey had been a family man, but that'd been beyond him. Even so, she'd always be grateful to him for Hannah, the most precious gift in her life.

"Guess your husband is with you."

She shook her head in the negative, feeling the usual sadness at what could have been and what never would be now. Sometimes there were no second chances or good choices in life. Most times you did the best you could with the cards you'd been dealt. "He's no longer with us."

Kent raised an eyebrow, looking surprised at her words. "I don't mean to be nosey, but I'd like to know why not."

She took a deep breath before she spoke. Maybe she'd only need to share this information once, and then it'd be all over town. "Jeffrey died instantly in a small plane accident."

"Lauren, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," she said in a stilted voice. Jeffrey had been her friend and Hannah's father, even if not a good husband. She wasn't sure she'd ever loved him-not like she should've. Hannah had been on the way and they'd decided to marry for her sake. But it couldn't last. She'd been talking with an attorney about divorce at the time of Jeffrey's fatal accident. Yet she still felt the shocking loss, and Hannah still missed a father figure in her life. A traditional family was over for them, but they were getting along just fine. Maybe she'd tell Kent about those years someday, but right now she could tell he didn't want to talk about his former fiancee any more than she wanted to talk about her former husband. She guessed painful memories had that effect on a person.

Kent stepped close and tilted up her chin with long fingers as he gazed into her eyes. "Are you still hurting from the loss?"

She shook her head in denial, but she could tell he didn't believe her because he wrapped her tightly in his arms. This time, she gave into the temptation to be comforted and to feel cherished-if only for a moment. She laid her head against his bare chest, felt the dampness from his shower, smelled his heady scent, and listened to the strong beat of his heart that matched her own elevated heart rate.

When he stroked up her back with his strong hands, she felt his body grow hotter. She felt an answering response in her own tingling awareness. He spiked long fingers into her short hair and tilted back her head so she had to look up at him. What she saw in the depths of his eyes was all too familiar from those long-ago days. She hoped he didn't see something similar in her eyes. After Jeffrey, she didn't want a rekindling of what she'd shared with Kent. She'd run from involvement with guys after Jeffrey. Pa.s.sion-even a man's love-were in her past, not her future. Kent was an old flame turned old friend. And she intended to keep it that way.

She gently cupped his face with one hand, gave another negative shake of her head to let him know they shouldn't go any further, and watched his gaze shutter in response. She felt a last caress of her shoulders, and then she was free and stepping back out of his reach. No words were spoken. No words were needed. And yet she felt as if she'd lost something special.

"Friends?" he asked in a voice husky with repressed emotion.

She smiled in response, feeling relieved that he'd bridged the gap before it'd had a chance to widen between them. "Always."

"Where are you staying?" He grasped the ends of the towel in his fists-as if to control his impulse to reach for her again-while he gazed at her.

"Twin Oaks B&B." She spoke crisply to prove she could be just as matter-of-fact as he after their hot embrace. "I checked in before I came over here. I left Hannah trying on Ruby's red cowgirl boots."

"Sounds about right." He chuckled at the image, flashing his dimples again. "Y'all aren't staying with Hedy?"

"Hannah can have a lot of energy. I didn't want her to disturb Aunt Hedy's life." Lauren felt renewed worry at the thought of her adorable child. Hannah hadn't been the same outgoing little girl since the loss of her father, even if Jeffery hadn't made much effort to be a dad. Now Hannah seemed more cautious-as if life wasn't completely trustworthy. Lauren had tried to mend that wound in a variety of ways, but so far nothing had worked. She hoped Wildcat Bluff was a step in the right direction to heal her daughter.

"I bet she's like the wild child you were."

Lauren smiled, only too glad to be pulled out of her internal worry. She put her hands on her hips in mock annoyance. "Like you weren't in the middle of it all?"

He laughed, shaking his head at the memories. "If there was trouble, we could find it."

"Or make it." She joined his laughter.

"Weren't we lucky to be raised in Wildcat Bluff?"

"That's what I want for Hannah." She grew serious, letting her laughter die away. "I'm raising a free-range child."

He appeared confused by her words. "Is that what they're calling kids nowadays?"

"That's what they're calling children raised the way we were in this county."

"Oh, I thought somehow we were wandering into free-range eggs, chickens, or cattle territory."

She chuckled, enjoying his lighthearted banter.

"Are you back in Wildcat Bluff to stay?"

"I'm here for Aunt Hedy and to see how it goes with Hannah."

"Maybe you'll figure out you belong here-with all of us."

She smiled in response, knowing they were both skirting around the truth that the old sparks were blazing between them. But they were older and wiser now. They'd already been down that path and moved beyond it.

She was back in town for Hannah and Hedy. She wouldn't let whatever she personally might want or not want play a part in her decisions.

Chapter 2.