Chapter 1

Chapter

One

Walker Daniel Coleville was in a funk. Nobody could blame him. Just two weeks ago he'd given up the love of his life, Lily Lillywhite, to his older brother, Sheriff Clint Coleville. It had been the right thing to do. Lily was obviously in love with Clint and Clint deserved every happiness.

Just because it was the right thing to do did not mean that Walker was happy about it or optimistic about his future. A future alone. No love. No happiness.

He scoffed as he rode his horse Tantrum along the exterior fence of Coleville Ranch with his twin brother Easton. The perimeter fence was an impenetrable eight feet of metal and barb wire, electric, and had no weak spots, but they still checked it every day.

If his brother could hear his thoughts, he'd try to tease him out of it. Easton was charming, happy, and lived to joke. Everybody adored his twin, especially the female everybodys. Walker had never been jealous of Easton and they had stuck by the blood pact made as young teenagers to never go after each other's girls. Walker got plenty of female attention being a championship steer roper and with his ‘devastating cowboy smile' and ‘mesmerizing blue eyes'.

Sadly, the one woman he'd always thought was his match was the woman he could never have. His oldest brother's fiancée. He'd dated other girls, a lot of them, but he'd crushed on Lily for over ten years. Two weeks ago, he'd officially shut down any longing for Lily and put her safely in the future sister-in-law box.

When Lily had been Miles's girlfriend, it had been obvious to Walker that though they were both loyal to each other, the relationship wasn't progressing and they wouldn't end up together. With Clint and Lily, it was easy to see they were perfect for each other, crazy in love, and would be together forever. If that left Walker alone and miserable, so be it. He wanted his brother and Lily to have every happiness.

Easton rode up close. "Papa said to head on back. The rizzy Aiden Porter himself has brought us a new case."

"Really?" Walker liked Aiden Porter. The infamous retired Marine was the ‘second top security specialist in the world next to Sutton Smith'. The title the charismatic Aiden had given himself probably wasn't accurate any longer. Walker thought Aiden had passed up even the illustrious Sutton.

Their ranch had been used for various protection details over the years, but the demand had increased lately. They'd both been trained since birth by their former Green Beret father to shoot, fight, track, and pay attention to details to rival most military special ops teams.

"Yes, bruh." Easton grinned and spurred his horse Baby. "Race ya."

Walker found himself smiling as Tantrum took up pursuit with minimal nudging and nickering. His horse was fast, mean-tempered, and competitive. His brothers teased that Tantrum was Walker's opposite, but he thought his everyday horse was his perfect compliment. He and Tantrum won every race.

Within a quarter of a mile, he'd caught Easton. He laughed as he rode on past and heard Easton begging Baby, "Come on, girl! We can't lose to that bully Tantrum again."

He hadn't laughed much in the past two weeks. It felt great.

He raced along the main trail to the ranch and up to his parents' massive lodge. He, Easton, their brother Miles, and several ranch hands had cabins spread throughout the woods east of the main house and barns.

A black Cadillac Escalade pulled up to the house just as he burst through the trees. Walker had seen this happen a dozen times. A new person in danger coming to their picturesque, remote, and safe ranch to stay for anywhere from a day to a year.

Why did something feel different? Something important was about to happen. His neck tingled as if lightning was going to strike.

"Whoa boy." He reined in his horse, slowing to a walk to let Tantrum cool down as Aiden Porter and one of his top men, Nick Jacobs, exited the SUV. Aiden turned and opened the rear door. Walker noticed his parents walk out on the porch and heard Easton rein in behind him.

He was only a hundred feet away, Tantrum moseying, as the woman in the back seat popped out of the vehicle. She thanked Aiden and then looked around at her surroundings.

She wasn't very tall, probably five-four or five-five, a brunette with skin like honey. She wore only a blue sundress even though it was a crisp mid-September morning in the mountains. She shivered, and then she focused in on him.

Her walnut-brown eyes widened and her full lips softened. Their gazes locked, and the world shifted under Tantrum's hooves.

"Whoa," Walker murmured. "Whoa there, boy." He wasn't sure if he was speaking to himself or the horse. His eyes never left the woman's and she returned the favor, staring at him as if she were soaking him in, as if he were meant to be her future.

"Dibs," Easton said in a low tone as he and Baby sauntered past Walker and Tantrum.

Walker's chest tightened and his stomach soured.

No. No way. Easton could have any lady he wanted. His twin couldn't have ‘dibs', not on this woman. Ironically, Walker had called dibs on Lily years ago. That hadn't worked out, and dibs was a stupid term anyway.

Easton reached the group and swung off his horse, taking off his hat and all but bowing to the breathtaking newcomer. Walker's gut churned. The dark-eyed angel would simply be another conquest in Easton's quest to forget about Cassie Johnston, his long-lost love. Though he and Easton had honored dibs for years, a teenage term couldn't factor in when Walker was certain he'd just exchanged glances with his soul mate. That look in her eyes earlier had said she felt the same.

Walker nudged Tantrum and the horse pounded up to the group. Everyone's gaze focused on him and his magnificent horse. He only cared about one pair of deep-brown eyes framed with long lashes. She was dialed in, locked in, completely enraptured with him. Yes!

He tugged Tantrum to a stop, leaped off as if he were going to take down a steer, and ‘bumped' Easton out of the way with his shoulder. Sweeping his own hat off, ruffling his hair, and inclining his head, he heard his mama breathe, "Walker," in a surprised tone. Usually it was Easton who drew attention to himself.

Walker was too focused on the brunette to even apologize to his mama. "Ma'am," he said. "It's a real pleasure to meet you. I'm Walker Coleville."

Her deep brown eyes were wide, her full lips soft, and her pulse raced in her smooth neck. Walker wanted to touch that pulse point, but he gripped his hat in his left hand and held his right out to shake instead.

" Ay, caramba ," the woman said softly as she put her hand to her heart. "That was exquisito. You took my breath away. The most epic cowboy hero approach imaginable." Her dark eyes sparkled at him as she put her hand in his. She spoke with the slightest accent that could probably be heard routinely on the streets of Miami.

His heart raced from her complimentary words and the touch of her smooth, warm palm. Was she Spanish? South American possibly? Her features were more European than what he pictured as the Cuban image of Southern Florida.

"Can you repeat that racing up to us and leaping off your horse again so I can get all the details down? Oh, and don't forget the sweeping your hat off your head and ruffling your hair. Oy! I loved it all. Muy encantador ."

The whole group laughed at her exuberance. Except for Easton. Walker wished he knew what encantador meant. He thought the translation was enchanting. He hoped so.

"Anything for you, ma'am." Walker's chest expanded, holding onto her hand rather than shaking it.

Easton chuckled and pushed against Walker's right side, trying to shove him out of the way, but Walker held his stance. The twins never competed for women; their loyalty to each other was supreme. There was also the fact that Walker stepped aside to let his brother swoop in the infrequent times a woman caught both of their eyes.

Not this time.

He would compete with, thump, or even work to out-charm Easton to get this lady's attention. Luckily he wouldn't have to do any of those things. As soon as he explained to Easton the connection and feelings he'd just experienced, Easton would be the one who'd step aside. His brother loved him and would drop his ‘dibs' claim once they talked.

"You'll want me to display the most gucci cowboy hero," Easton said in his smooth, charming voice.

"Now, boys, stop your preening over our guest," Mama scolded. "Miss Marci Richards, this is my son, Walker."

"A pleasure, Miss Richards," Walker repeated. Was Mama as off her game as he was? He'd already told Miss Marci Richards his name. Marci Richards was not a Latin name, but she looked and sounded Spanish, exotic in his mind. Marci was a sweet, beautiful, fun, and enchanting name just like the lady.

"Just Marci, por favor ." She squeezed his hand and let go, wrapping her arms around herself and shivering. A large purse hung over her shoulder. She clamped one hand protectively around the bottom of it. "Aiden stole me away in the middle of the night from my balmy island with nothing but my laptop bag. Though I adore this epic scenery"—she looked at Walker and then at the wooded forest—"more than I can even explain without my computer and a thesaurus." She winked and Walker chuckled. "I mean, mountains!" She pointed to the east, as delightful as any person he'd ever encountered. "But he promised you all have warmer clothing."

"Oh yes, doll, we do." Mama wrapped her arm around the woman and turned her toward the house. "I'll go get this angel settled. You men figure out the details and such." She looked to Aiden and Nick. "You're staying for dinner." It wasn't a question.

"Of course we are," Aiden answered. "Neither of us would miss out on the most delectable home-cooked food on the planet."

"You charmer." Mama smiled and hustled Marci away, across the drive and up the porch steps.

Marci glanced back before they entered the front door. Walker felt the gravel beneath his feet shift. He spread his stance and returned her longing look. Her gaze was locked on him and his heart beat out of control. He gave her what he'd heard defined as his ‘devastating, slow cowboy grin'. She smiled in return, and the Montana autumn day was sparkling with opportunities that lit a fire in his chest.

The ladies disappeared into the house. Walker wanted to chase after Marci, get one more heart-stopping exchanged glance to last him through the minutes they had to be apart. He'd never experienced anything like this.

"Wow. Did you see the look and smile she gave me?" Easton murmured. "I think I've found my future wife."

"No way." Walker rounded on him. "You don't even know her."

"Neither do you."

Walker wanted to protest. Of course he knew her. Marci Richards had knocked him to his knees from a simple look and she'd said he was the epic cowboy hero, not Easton. He glanced around and saw Aiden and Nick both smirking at him and Easton. His dad gave them a concerned look.

"And you're not over Lily. You don't want a rebound relationship, bruh." Easton spoke out of concern and love, not competition. Walker knew that, but they had to talk. Alone.

He had been gone over Lily for years. It was crazy that the second he'd seen Marci, he hadn't thought about Lily until Easton brought it up. His years-long crush on Lily had always felt significant. Right now, anything about Lily paled in comparison to the powerful deep-brown gaze and soft touch of Marci's hand. Lily's kindness had been the stars. Marci's touch, smile, and unique way of expressing herself was the sun. Lily was his past. Marci was his future.

"Okay, enough," their dad said. "Miss Richards is here for protection, not for you two to fight over."

Walker wanted to explain to his dad that he would protect her single-handedly, that Marci had been sent here from the angels above, not just for protection.

"What's happened?" he demanded. "Who would dare threaten Marci?"

Aiden's smirk grew as Walker revealed how invested he already was in this woman he barely knew. But then any trace of teasing disappeared and Aiden's blue eyes grew serious. "Benjamin Oliver and King Frederick's son Wilhelm."

Walker's focus was yanked from the magnetic draw to Marci to an unsettling churning in his gut.

"Excuse me?" his father said as he and Easton were both speechless.

Benjamin Oliver was a depraved lunatic on every most wanted list, and the Colevilles had helped protect his daughters Jacey and Elizabeth from him. Walker had never known a human, let alone a parent, to be so corrupt and selfish. Aiden and his team of expert security personnel had been searching for Benjamin but to no avail.

King Frederick was a dictator who had taken over the country of Banida by a military coup two years ago and then proceeded to invade neighboring countries and kill millions of innocent people. He and all his closest supporters had been hunted down and terminated or captured by an elite Navy SEAL unit two years ago. His son Wilhelm had never been found and had been presumed dead in an earlier battle.

"Sadly, you heard me correctly." Aiden spread his hands and shook his head. "The past few weeks, Benjamin has appeared to be colluding with the world's most dangerous criminals to try to build up his financial reserves and return to power. The assumption is he's doing a favor for Wilhelm Frederick for a large payout."

"The favor?" Easton asked.

"Securing funds from Miss Richards, torturing her for the information they believe she has, and then murdering her."

"No cap!" Easton exploded.

Walker's eyes widened and he took the words like a gut punch. He looked from Aiden to Nick and back again. They both liked to tease and joke. Neither of them had a glint of humor in their blue eyes currently.

"What does torturing and murdering that angel do for either of them?" Walker asked. Money as a motivator for criminals made sense. Marci hadn't come across as an extremely wealthy person, but even securing Aiden's protection showed she had significant financial means.

"Marci Richards is a bestselling romantic suspense author," Aiden said.

Walker's brows lifted. That was impressive.

"She wrote and released a series of eight books featuring a dictator eerily similar to King Frederick right as he began his reign of terror. There was no way she could've known about the coup and Frederick's intentions of possessing the Delta Weapon, a devastating hidden weapon of mass destruction. She claims it was inspiration from heaven like all of her books, but King Frederick and his people didn't see it that way. They were certain there was a spy or mole who revealed it to her. They harassed her with emails and even some visits. Marci wisely hired me for her security and they left her alone. Plus the fact their world imploded not long after."

He took a breath and continued, "Everything died down. My men installed security sensors and cameras in the guest house Marci had built on her grandmother's Key Largo estate after she graduated university, but we haven't had a guard assigned to her in over eighteen months. Her grandmother insisted her own security was good enough. Yesterday, Marci was away at a writing conference. When she returned home, her grandmother had been forcibly taken. The perpetrators must have planned to kidnap Marci but changed their plan when she wasn't home. They left a handwritten note. The prints on the note are Wilhelm Frederick's." He nodded to Nick.

Nick clicked on his phone and read, "‘Tell us who the spy is, give yourself up, bring five million dollars, or Grandma dies.'" Nick glanced up. "Miss Richards is to meet them on a certain pier at Key West tomorrow night. We're sending Autumn Cardon to impersonate her, with the money and a team of eight backing her up. We'll have a boat and helicopter ready to follow."

Walker nodded and saw his dad and Easton doing the same. Autumn was an impressive and gorgeous female op who loved to flirt and tease with Easton, and probably every other man she met. Easton was a player to the tenth degree and liked Autumn's teasing. Just another reason his brother could not have ‘dibs' on Marci.

"We'll get to the bottom of this and hopefully capture Wilhelm Frederick and Benjamin Oliver." Aiden gritted his teeth. "That man is treading on my last nerve. But we wanted Miss Richards safe and far away from any danger until it is finished. Which brings us to our favorite impressive cowboys." He smiled and his charm was restored.

"How do you know Benjamin Oliver is involved?" his dad asked.

"Intel from the dark web."

"Interesting." Their dad turned to them. "Well, boys. Looks like we'll be busy, as usual." He smiled. Papa Jared was as driven as any man Walker knew. He'd expanded his great-grandfather's ranch and land and his father's successful bull-breeding business. He'd also invested in real estate ventures throughout the country and trained his sons and ranch hands to be warriors, his vision of a protective custody ranch coming to fruition. Papa liked busy, and he liked a challenge. "Easton, I'm assigning you to stay by Miss Richards' side and sleep in the room next to hers." He inclined his chin to the upstairs of the main house.

"Now wait a minute," Walker protested. "I want that assignment."

"I'll bet you do," Easton teased, grinning, but there was a load of frustration in his eyes. He'd never had Walker challenge him when he wanted to go after a beautiful lady. "But you didn't get it. Papa and Miss Marci Richards chose ‘da bomb'." He gestured to himself.

Easton and Walker hadn't come to blows in almost three months. Walker was too laid back to let his twin goad him often. If Easton couldn't talk about this reasonably and honor how deeply Walker felt for Marci already, apparently it was time for a battle.

He pivoted to his brother, fists clenched.

"Walker." His dad's voice was a warning. "You're due in Amarillo tomorrow through Sunday. You can't leave Joey high and dry."

Walker ground his teeth. He mostly focused on steer roping, but his good friend Joey wanted to qualify for the NFR this year in team roping. He'd agreed to help his friend out and liked the challenge of a different style of roping. He'd won the national steer roping championships two of the past five years. Though it was recognized by the NFR, it wasn't an event at the most epic rodeo on earth. He liked the idea of competing with the best in the world in team roping. Currently, he and his partner were number seventeen, and only the top fifteen were selected for the events in Vegas. They needed as many wins and as much practice as they could get at national rodeos before the finals in December.

"That's right, bruh, you are." Easton clapped Walker on the shoulder. "Guess I didn't need to call dibs. Fate knew Marci and I were written in the stars." Easton darted for the front porch steps.

Walker would've leaped after him and knocked him down, but his dad grabbed his arm and lowered his voice. "No need to go fighting about a lady you don't know who will be gone before you know it. You need to let your heart heal from Lily and pray for the right one to come around."

Walker shook his head. His brother or dad could claim it had only been a few gazes, one touch, and some words, but he knew Marci Richards was the right one for him.

He wasn't a sucker who fell for any pair of pretty brown eyes. He'd been loyal to his dreams of Lily for years and had only stepped down because of his love for Clint. Now he realized the good Lord had been paving his path, as He always did, and had brought the right angel for him into his life. Marci could heal him, lift him, make him laugh, love him, and he would do everything in his power to love, inspire, and protect her.

How could he leave the woman of his dreams to the vulture, aka his twin brother, while he flew to Amarillo? Easton would chew her up and spit her out. Walker knew Easton would never move past his longing and pain for Cassie Johnston; Marci would just be another fling.

How could he protect his Marci from his twin? And get his own chance with her?

He couldn't. Not if he was flying out in the morning.

All his hopes and dreams from earlier crashed at his feet. It felt a lot like roping the steer, leaping off his horse and getting his foot caught in the stirrup, crashing head first into the dirt, and being dragged painfully for good measure.