Jeannie Watt - Crossing Nevada

Is he her chance to stop running?

After the attack that ended her modeling career, Tess O’Neil wants only to feel safe. She thinks she’s found a sanctuary on a Nevada ranch, where she can live in solitude. Too bad rancher Zach Nolan isn’t getting the message. The single dad wants to lease her land, and he won’t quit until she says yes. That means he’s always around!

Letting the cowboy with the see-right-through-her baby blues into her life is too dangerous. Almost as dangerous as the wild hope and yearning Zach and his three daughters are awakening in Tess. She’s already risked so much. Maybe it’s time to take the biggest gamble of all on the one thing she never dreamed she’d find—a home.

The dogs growled, reminding Tess that she was tough

A survivor. Plus she had two big dogs and a gun.

She could see her visitor through the slit in the curtains. He was of average height and weight—as her attacker had been.

Tess unlocked the dead bolt and opened the door a crack, reassured by the dogs behind her.

“Hi,” the guy said. The corners of his mouth tilted up and the result was rather breathtaking. In another time or place Tess could have appreciated this man. Blue eyes, incredible angles to his face, dark hair under his cowboy hat.

But not now. She did not smile back. “Can I help you?”

“I’m Zach Nolan. I called yesterday about renting your pasture for my cows.”

And she’d said no. So what was he doing here?

Renting the pasture meant the dogs getting used to the sounds of someone being around. Which seemed like a good way to compromise her safety.

“I’m sorry. I’m not interested.”

Zach stared at her in seeming disbelief as she pushed the door shut and then snapped the dead bolt in place.

Believe it, cowboy.

Dear Reader,

I’m delighted to announce exciting news: beginning in January 2013, Harlequin Superromance books will be longer! That means more romance with more of the characters you love and expect from Harlequin Superromance.

We’ll also be unveiling a brand-new look for our covers. These fresh, beautiful covers will showcase the six wonderful contemporary stories we publish each month.

So don’t miss out on your favorite series—Harlequin Superromance. Look for longer stories and exciting new covers starting December 18, 2012, wherever you buy books.

In the meantime, check out this month’s reads:

#1818 THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS

Liz Talley

#1819 THE TIME OF HER LIFE

Jeanie London

#1820 THE LONG WAY HOME

Cathryn Parry

#1821 CROSSING NEVADA

Jeannie Watt

#1822 WISH UPON A CHRISTMAS STAR

Darlene Gardner

#1823 ESPRESSO IN THE MORNING

Dorie Graham

Happy reading!

Wanda Ottewell,

Senior Editor, Harlequin Superromance

Crossing Nevada

Jeannie Watt

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeannie Watt lives off the grid in a historic Nevada ranching community. Before being published, Jeannie made Western belts and bridles out of hitched and braided horsehair, and her gear was featured in several Western art shows and museums. Jeannie no longer has time to make cowboy gear—instead she gets to write about cowboy life, which she likes even better. She still displays gear at the occasional rodeo, where she spends most of her time observing the participants and dreaming up story lines.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Epilogue

Excerpt

CHAPTER ONE

IT HAD BEEN another in a long string of sleepless nights.

Tess O’Neil finally drifted off from sheer exhaustion just after sunrise, only to be awakened by a sharp bark and the bounce of the mattress as her dogs leaped to the floor.

For one terrifying second she thought Eddie had found her, and she automatically reached for the weapon she kept under the bed. Her hand had just touched metal when the phone rang again and she realized what had sent her dogs on alert.

The two Belgian Malinois shepherds, Blossom and Mac, stood shoulder to shoulder next to her bed, their amber eyes fixed on the bedroom door on the other side of the room, ears pricked forward at the unfamiliar sound of the phone. Tess pushed back the covers, heart pounding. It had to be a wrong number, but if it wasn’t...

The ringing continued as she and the dogs crossed the hall to the old-fashioned ranch house kitchen where the plain white phone hung on the wall next to the refrigerator. She’d had the landline connected so she could send and receive faxes and have ridiculously slow internet. She never expected the damned thing to actually ring.

Tess hesitated for a few seconds, decided it was better to know than not, and snatched the receiver off the hook.

“Hello.” She fully expected to hear her stepfather’s drug-roughened voice either threatening or taunting her and unconsciously put a hand on Mac’s head for reassurance.

“Ms. O’Neil?” The voice was deep, somewhat hesitant, definitely not Eddie. But how the hell did this guy know her name? Or rather, her assumed name?

“Who is this?” Tess demanded, then instantly regretted her tone. Brittle. Edged with fear. She didn’t want to sound fearful, didn’t want to give Eddie the satisfaction if the guy on the other end of the line was one of his minions. But it was hard to sound normal when her heart was beating a hundred times faster than usual.

There was a brief, quite possibly stunned, silence before the caller said, “I’m Zach Nolan. I live across the road.”

“I see.” Tess took hold of the phone cord. Anyone could say they lived across the road.

“I was wondering if you have plans for your fields and pastures?”

It took Tess a moment to wrap her mind around the unexpected question. “My fields and pastures?” she asked blankly.

“Yeah. The big green things surrounding your house.”

There was a touch of gentle humor in his voice, as if he was trying to make a connection, reassure her. Tess instantly drew back. No connections.

“Why?”

“Until you took over the place, I grazed my cattle on those fields and paid a rental fee. I was wondering, if you aren’t using the fields, if we could make a similar arrangement.”

He’d barely finished his sentence when Tess blurted, “No.” She let go of the phone cord and pressed her fingertips against the thickened skin on her left cheek where the stitches had been, felt the residual pain from the torn and stitched muscles below then dropped her hand. It was a habit she was trying to break.

“You’re sure?” The touch of humor was gone, replaced by irony bordering on sarcasm, triggered no doubt by her instant and adamant response.

“Yes.”

“Well, thanks. Sorry to have wasted your time.”

“No problem.” Tess hung up the phone without saying goodbye and put a hand on her forehead, pushing the bangs back and wishing she’d asked how he’d gotten her name. It had to be from that overly friendly lady who ran the local post office.

Tess O’Neil was the authorized signature for the Angstrom Land Company, the limited liability corporation that had leased the small ranch where she was living. If you could call it living. More like hiding.

In reality, Tess was the Angstrom Land Company, but no one knew that—the beauty of an LLC in the state of Nevada. She could conduct her financial business without using personal, traceable credit cards or her real name—Terese Olan to her former employers, Terry to her handful of friends. But her grandmother had called her Tess and that was who she’d become. If she was skirting the law by informally becoming Tess O’Neil in addition to hiding behind the LLC, she’d take that chance. It beat the alternative.