The New Cowboy

By Rebecca Winters

Homecoming cowboy.

Living on her grandfather's ranch, surrounded by her loving brothers and their families, is helping Avery Bannock put her painful past behind her. But ever since Zane Lawson came home, she's been fighting her feelings for the rugged ex-Navy SEAL who's sworn to keep her safe — in his arms.

After a decade undercover, Zane's ready to settle in Montana horse country. Buying the ranch next to the Bannock spread was the first step. Now he's got to convince the gun-shy archaeologist that he's the only cowboy for her. As they work together to find out who's stealing tribal artefacts from a nearby reservation, Zane will do everything in his power to win Avery's trust and turn their budding romance into a mission possible!

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Australia
• Release date: Jul 1, 2015
• ISBN: 9781760376383

Rebecca Winters

Rebecca Winters lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. With canyons and high alpine meadows full of wildflowers, she never runs out of places to explore. They, plus her favourite vacation spots in Europe, often end up as backgrounds for her romance novels because writing is her passion, along with her family and church. Rebecca loves to hear from readers. If you wish to e-mail her, please visit her website at: www.cleanromances.net.

Book preview

Chapter One

Unca Zen!

Zane laughed. Hey, sport. I can see you on my computer. Can you see me?

Yes.

Did you get those little cars I sent you?

I like this one. The three-year-old held it up for Zane to see. As far as he was concerned, Skype was the best cyberinvention ever.

Say thank-you to your uncle, he heard Sadie say in the background.

Thank you. When are you coming?

Pretty soon. I still have work to do.

But I want you to come home!

Zane could tell his brother’s son was getting ready to cry.

He got a huge lump in his throat. There’s nothing I want more, too. Guess what?

What?

I’ll be there for my vacation on the Fourth of July. Three weeks away. He was living for it. We’re going to have a big party with fireworks at my house!

Goody! Ryan turned to Sadie. What’s fireworks?

She’ll show you, sport. Has Jarod taken you riding?

The boy nodded his blond head. The horse scared me. He’s huge.

Laughter poured out of Zane. They are kind of big.

I’m getting a pony.

When?

Pretty soon, Sadie volunteered.

You’ll be a very lucky boy.

Zane heard her whispering to Ryan. She says I have to go to bed. I don’t want to! He started crying.

But you need your sleep.

No— I want you—

Say good-night, Ryan.

No-o—

Zane heard talking in the background. Ryan was becoming more unmanageable. Someone else had come into the room. He could hear Sadie saying they had to go.

Don’t go, Unca Zen— Ryan wailed, sounding like his heart would break.

Sadie poked her head into view. Sorry. This little guy is tired.

I can tell. Who’s there with you?

Avery just dropped by.

His adrenaline kicked in. Put her on.

Just a minute. He heard more talking. Come on over here, Avery. Zane wants to say hello. Tell him what’s going on at the Bannock ranch while I put Ryan down.

The boy was in complete meltdown mode as they left the room. His nephew’s cries grew fainter and Zane’s heart started pounding harder as he waited to see the woman who kept him awake nights.

His breath caught when she sat down in front of the camera. Hi, Zane. I guess you can’t tell your nephew adores you.

The feeling’s mutual. How are you?

Good. Busy. I’m surprised you’ve come out from undercover long enough to manage this Skype session.

I’ll always make time for my family.

Now that you’ve been working there for a while, do you like the Glasgow area?

It’s all right, but I’d rather be back on my ranch. Matt has the whole burden on his shoulders when I’m away like this.

He carried most of it all the years he worked for Daniel Corkin. I don’t hear any complaints.

Matt isn’t the type to complain. I’m lucky he was willing to be my foreman after Daniel died. But let’s not talk about that. I want to know what’s happening in your world.

Since Jarod’s not home yet, and it’ll be a while before Ryan goes to sleep, I’ll tell you a secret. Jarod is driving us all crazy waiting for his offspring to arrive. He’s due in five weeks. I swear Jarod’s going to wear a hole in the floor of their new house.

He’s still worried about Sadie?

More than ever. I’ve never seen him this bad. I know she’s had a lot of morning sickness, but the doctor says she’s fine. Jarod doesn’t believe him.

I guess that’s not so hard to understand. Sadie’s mom died soon after childbirth.

But Sadie’s not her mom. That heart operation was successful and she’s fine now. But you can’t tell Jarod that. He bites your head off. We have to walk on eggshells around him. He used to work all hours of the day on the ranch. Now he comes home every few hours, and the rest of the time he’s on the phone with her.

The man’s in love. Zane could relate in the most profound of ways.

Between you and me, he’s driving her crazy.

But never too crazy. Trust me on that. When she was in San Francisco, he was never off her mind for a single second. Those two should have been together years ago.

You and I should be together now.

I know. I try not to think about that. But this countdown to the baby is getting hard on everyone. The other day Grandpa got so fed up he told him to take a ride in the mountains and commune with nature. It’s gotten so serious even Uncle Charlo has no wisdom to impart. When I was out on the reservation the other day and talked to him about Jarod, he actually shook his head, indicating he had nothing. I’ve never seen him do that before.

Well, it won’t be long before the baby comes.

That’s easy for you to say. You’re not here to watch Jarod implode on a daily basis.

Zane burst into laughter, causing her to chuckle. I’ll give him a call and try to reassure him that Sadie’s tough.

I’ve seen that strength. She’s already become a mother to her own half brother. Sadie has a remarkable capacity to love. Jarod relies on that love. It’s really touching to watch the two of them.

The wistfulness in her tone wasn’t lost on Zane, who couldn’t take the separation from Avery much longer.

I’m afraid I need to get off now. Grandpa is waiting for me.

No-o—

Zane felt exactly like Ryan. I guess I’ll be seeing all of you on the Fourth of July for the big family get-together.

It’ll be fun. I’ve enjoyed talking to you, Zane. Hold on while I tiptoe to Ryan’s room. Sadie will want to say good-night. There was a slight pause. Take care, she said with a throb in her voice he felt go through his system. It was always there...that little nuance of emotion that told him she missed him, but she’d never admit it.

The same back to you, Avery.

* * *

ANOTHER MONDAYMORNING, but it had started out with a surprise phone call that left Avery Bannock frightened and tense. She’d had to leave the Crow Indian dig site where she was working outside Absarokee, Montana, and drive all the way to Bozeman, Montana.

Once inside the police department on Sixteenth Street, she approached the sergeant at the front desk. A Detective Rymer phoned me two hours ago and asked me to come in because he needed to tell me certain information in person. He said it was urgent. After hearing that message, the warm June morning she’d awakened to had been lost on her.

The officer nodded. Go down the left hall to the first door on the right.

Thank you.

She hadn’t been inside this building for eight years, but the emergency that had brought her here would haunt her for her entire life. Detective Rymer?

He stood up when she entered the small office. Ms. Bannock?

Yes.

I’m glad you came so fast. He shook her hand and asked her to be seated. Detective Palmer, who has worked tirelessly on your case, is having back surgery at the moment and asked me to take over for him.

Was he injured in the line of duty?

No. He has a recurring ailment that needed to be fixed.

I’m glad that’s the reason, but I’m sorry for him. He’s been a great support to me.

To you and a lot of people. We’re all waiting for him to come back.

You said this was urgent?

Very. I’ll get right to the point. The man who assaulted you on September 10, eight years ago, outside the women’s dormitory on campus at Montana State University, was captured in Helena, Montana, last week.

What? She reeled. Is that the truth?

Forensics matched his DNA with the DNA taken from you and two other victims.

Two others? She shuddered. I can’t believe it! After eight years...

"I’m sure it has seemed like a lifetime. He’s a thirty-nine-year-old Caucasian male from Butte, Montana. In the past eight years he’s been responsible for two other assaults that the police know of and probably many more.

Unfortunately those victims who didn’t go to a hospital and notify the police will never know that he’s been arrested. After his trial he’ll spend the rest of his life in prison. If there’s any good news in all this, it’s that you no longer need to fear that he will be back to assault you again.

She put a hand to her mouth and jumped up from the chair. Thank God.

All the particulars are here in the report if you want to look at it.

No— she said. Not right now. I couldn’t. Though she’d promised that she would be willing to testify against the person if he was ever brought to trial, the thought of having to divulge all the details again in front of a room full of people made her ill.

He eyed her with compassion. I understand. Detective Palmer will want to talk to you when he’s recovered. He’ll be the one to keep you informed when the suspect is brought to trial for his crimes. You can discuss all that with him when he’s back on his feet.

Thank you.

Avery rushed out of the office and down the corridor to the front lobby, but everything was a blur. When she reached her truck in the parking lot and climbed inside, she broke down in a convulsion of tears.

A half hour passed before she lifted her head, once again aware of her surroundings. Pulling herself together as best she could, she reached for her cell phone and called Dr. Moser, her psychologist. When she got the other woman on the line and told her the incredible news, the doctor who practiced on the other side of town asked her to come to her office straightaway.

Once inside, Dr. Moser enveloped her in a fierce hug, causing Avery to shed more tears when she hadn’t thought it possible. I don’t have to be frightened that he’s stalking me any longer.

That’s true and takes away a whole world of stress.

Avery sat down. But not all of it, she admitted.

No. With two other victims, there will be a trial and then you’ll have to decide if you want to go through it and face him. For now it’s enough to know he’s been caught. I can’t tell you how proud I am of you. Only a small percentage of victims come forward. How wonderful that you listened to your half brother’s aunt and did the right thing by calling the police right away and getting to a hospital.

One day Avery would thank Jarod’s Aunt Pauline for her wisdom. By listening to her, she now had closure, even if it had taken eight years for her assailant to be caught.

You have a special kind of courage that’s going to get you through this life. Mark my words. One day you’re going to know real happiness again. With this news you can live your life without always having to look over your shoulder in fear. I’ll call the pharmacy in White Lodge and refill your prescription. Is there anything else I can do?

You’ve been here for me. I’ll always be thankful for that.

Avery had been fighting to get her life back since the night the assault had happened, but this news was like receiving a get out of jail free card, even if it couldn’t take away the horrendous memory of it.

She thanked the doctor and left for the dig site. Work helped her keep her sanity, especially on a day like this when she didn’t know what to do with all the new emotions flooding her system. It was so automatic to worry that her assailant might try to attack her again that she’d probably continue to worry out of habit for a long time. Hopefully the news that he’d been caught would finally sink in.

All these years of fearing he would target her again had left their mark. Now that it was over, she could breathe a little deeper. But since there were other assailants out there, the fear would never completely go away.

Today had to be a new beginning—the start of a happy future—but she still couldn’t comprehend it. Happiness was found in all kinds of ways, but she feared that the kind of joy she longed for with the man she’d loved for the past year would always elude her. After talking to him over Skype at Sadie and Jarod’s ranch house the other night, her thoughts had been filled with him.

He was coming home for the Fourth of July, but it was just a vacation. Then he’d go back to northern Montana where he’d be unavailable for who knew how many months. But none of it mattered because even if he was attracted to her, he wouldn’t be able to handle what had happened to her if he ever found out.

* * *

THURSDAYMORNING, ZANE LAWSON left the Bureau of Land Management’s office of Law Enforcement and Security in Glasgow, Montana, where he’d been an undercover special agent, and headed for the parking lot. Once he’d climbed into his unmarked blue four-door Dodge Power Wagon without government plates, he started the engine and headed for Billings.

En route he phoned the Corkin ranch he’d bought a year ago near the Montana-Wyoming border. He needed to talk to his foreman, Matt Henson.

Matt and his wife, Millie, lived in the house next door to the Corkin ranch house. She did the housekeeping for Zane. They were both salt of the earth people. Since a little over a year ago when he’d first come to Montana from San Francisco with his stepniece, Sadie, and his nephew, Ryan, Zane had grown to look upon Matt and Millie as family.

Hey, Matt—

Zane? What’s going on? I thought you were out on a case and couldn’t be reached for a while.

That sting produced results at long last and now I’m coming home.

For how long?

Permanently.

Zane could hear Matt’s mind turning things over. What kind of permanently do you mean? Is that good or bad?

Oh, it’s good. After cleaning up a drug ring that had been plaguing the area for a long time, the transfer I asked for came through to work in the Pryor Mountains area. The lead state ranger in Billings just phoned to let me know I’ve been assigned to the Billings office. They’ve added a bonus I never expected.

What’s that?

I’ll be running a satellite station for the BLM Law Enforcement Division right here at the ranch.

After being in the grasslands around Glasgow at the northern end of the state, the thought of going home to the mountains thrilled him. He’d missed three-year-old Ryan and the ranch so badly he could taste it. Their latest Skype session that had included Avery had been hard on him.

"You’ll be working from the ranch? Matt wasn’t one for drama, but after hearing about the transfer, he let go with a long ear piercing whistle. That’s the best news I ever heard."

Zane smiled. No. I’m pretty sure the best news came the day your rodeo champion daughter married Connor Bannock. But now I’ll be on hand to do the ranching with you more often.

You’ll be just in time to help me calve out the heifers from the herd.

Yeah? I’m looking forward to it more than you know. How’s Millie?

She’s going to be higher than a kite when she hears this.

I’m pretty happy, too. The opportunity to buy the Corkin ranch where Sadie had been raised had come at the same time he’d left the SEALs to work for the Bureau of Land Management—both changes had turned his life around. With two viable careers, one of them ranching in the area of Montana he loved, he could plan for his future and put down roots. How are the lovebirds?

Which pair of newlyweds are we talking about?

Zane chuckled. Both!

I do believe Lizzie and Sadie have found their soul mates.

That’s a fact.

Zane hadn’t been so lucky. Besides being in a marriage that had grown troubled, his wife, Nedra, had been unfaithful to him. He’d retired from a ten-year stint in the Navy SEALs and divorced her. After that his older brother, Tim, his only living blood relative, was killed in a car crash. That left Tim’s pregnant wife, Eileen, Sadie’s mother. But after giving birth, Eileen soon died unexpectedly of heart failure.

Too many deaths...

Together he and Sadie took care of little Ryan. Just eighteen months ago, he’d been jobless, homeless and womanless. He hadn’t known what direction to take with his life. Then fate had stepped in to change everything.

You should see Sadie, Matt went on. She has blossomed with her pregnancy. Once Jarod found out they were having a boy, you can imagine the grin on his face.

Sadie’s husband wasn’t the type to grin. It told you everything. Jarod and Sadie were raising Ryan as their own and now a new son was on the