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  “Stet?” she asked softly. They just stared at each other for about ten breaths. Stet couldn’t believe it.

  Finally, Abby whispered, “Did you try to steal my company?”

  Stetson shook his head, confused. “No, I bought your stock so Morgan couldn’t steal your company.” Stet took off his hat and pushed his bangs aside. “You’re engaged?”

  “No, Rob is such a jerk. He was trying to get approved for a loan, if you can believe it.” AJ laughed.

  They both started to smile, and then they laughed as they ran the last few feet into each other’s arms. Stet rocked her back and forth, holding her tight, unwilling to let go.

  “I thought I had lost you.” Stet looked down into her face and wiped a tear from her cheek. He took her hand, and they walked back up to the porch. “So, you know my grandfather?” They both sat down on the steps, looking out over the ranch.

  “Your grandfather is a wonderful man. But he stole this property right out from under me.” Abby gave him a wry grin. “This was my childhood home more often than not.”

  “Well, my grandfather wanted me to have the entire 2,000 acres. He wasn’t happy you stole that portion out from under him. “Stetson pointed over to Abby’s newly purchased ranch and smiled.

  “What are we going to do about that? I spent a million too much for that land next door—I’m not selling.”

  Stet smiled and kissed her. “Marry me. I love you, and I can’t live without you. It will be a merger.”

  AJ looked up into his eyes and knew she could spend the rest of her life anywhere as long as she was with this man. “Can we make this our home?”

  Stetson wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. “You are my home.”

  Epilogue: One Year Later

  The new Strasburg building, just outside of Cody, won an award as the most beautiful place to work. This was largely due to the landscape designer AJ had hired, but also the beautiful models who came in and out of the building every day. The Strasburg brokerage occupied the upper floor and was an instant success.

  Ruth managed the New York office of Style Magazine, and AJ flew in quarterly for board meetings. AJ did not renew her contract with Rob’s photography firm and hired a new up-and-coming photographer from Denver. The magazine was a success in Europe now as well as the States.

  Jed’s ranching empire now owned the feed conglomerate Pet Pride which boasted billions of dollars in profit each year.

  Rob ended up with Sherrie, and they spent many hours complaining about the Strasburgs. He had secured his retirement, but being retired turned out to be a lot more work than he’d expected.

  As Abby and Stet took their evening ride up to the canyon behind their home, they were surprised to see Jed sitting on a rock. “Grandpa, what are you doing up here?”

  “I fell off my horse again and decided to sit here and see if she would come back. But you know Vixen. I could sit here a long time waiting.” Jed tried to stand up, but winced and lowered himself back onto the rock.

  AJ stepped down and sat beside him. “The house is almost finished, and you know we have that apartment just for you. It has its own porch and overlooks the new lake. You can even have my favorite rocking chair.” She touched her belly. “The baby will be here in six months. Who is going to sit there and tell her stories?”

  Stet sat down on the other side of Jed. He looked over at Abby, and his heart filled with joy.

  Jed smiled. “You remind me so much of Stet’s mother.” He looked over at Stetson. “I have been thinking about your grandmother lately. She is somewhere with your mother and father just waiting for me to arrive. I am sure Heaven looks a lot like this ranch. Now that you are here, I can die a happy man.”

  Abby frowned, and Stet could tell she was fighting to keep her voice steady. “No, you can’t, Jed. You have to give me a chance to redeem myself at rummy first!”

  Jed laughed. “Well, if that’s the case, I am going to live a long, long time.”

  * * *

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  Her other books in this series:

  Her Billionaire Cowboy

  Her Billionaire Protector

  Her Billionaire in Hiding

  Her Billionaire Christmas Secret

  The Billionaire Royals

  The Heir

  The Crown

  The Duke

  The Duke’s Brother

  The Prince

  The American

  The Spy

  The Princess

  * * *

  Her Billionaire Protector

  Chapter One

  Colton sat in his commander’s office, not believing his next assignment.

  “Sir, you want me to register to attend a dude ranch for the week?”

  “You are already registered, Colton. We want you to surveil the granddaughter of a war hero. We have been watching him and his friend for decades, and we don’t quite know what they are up to, but if it’s what we think, we want you there to help them accomplish their goals. Officially, we really can’t do anything, but with a man there on vacation, we will be in place if we are needed.”

  “May I speak freely, sir?” He waited for his commander’s nod. “Why me?”

  “Colton, you are the only one in the office who’s still single and can speak Texan. You know ranching. And Lieutenant Wickers assures me that you are admired by the ladies.”

  Sometimes he felt his looks were a problem. He hated being the center of attention. Living on his own ranch in the middle of nowhere was the life he really wanted.

  “Wickers will give you your travel documents and all the information you need. Get yourself some appropriate civilian clothes, and you better get those cowboy boots out of storage.” Commander Buckner laughed. “Why the long face, Colton? Consider this a vacation. To make it more authentic, we have even deducted vacation days for the time you will be away.”

  “Thank you, sir” Colton smirked as he left the office

  Wickers winked as she gave him the information. Colton knew she was just trying to get his goat, so he waggled his eyebrows when she handed him the packet. They both laughed.

  “How is it you get all the sweet assignments?” she asked.

  “Just my karma I guess.” Colton gave her a bitter smile and left the office. Spending his vacation days babysitting on a dude ranch was not his idea of a great assignment. He thumbed through the folder and found he had reservations on the same flight as his target, Elsie Warner. His first job was to make sure she arrived at the ranch safely. He felt sure he could at least accomplish that.

  Colton’s family had a strong tradition in the military. His father and grandfather had served. Colton was proud to serve as well, but he was anxious to get back to the family business. They’d recently sold one of their divisions, adding billions to the family-run conglomerate. Colton couldn’t even wrap his brain around that much money.

  The exciting thing about the money was how much good they could do with it. Wealth had never been one of his life goals. He was happy to help manage aspects of the family business—as long as he could live on his ranch.

  Colton sighed and let his mind drift to the forested canyon and high mountain peak he tackled every year. He loved it there on his ranch. The plans he had for the land had been put on hold long enough. It was just about time for him to get busy and put those plans into action.

  But first, off to pretend ranch on someone else’s property, taking care of someone’s daughter. He wondered what had necessitated such an assignment, and more than once, he wondered what kind of woman would need protecting. They’d kept her file strangely bare. No picture, very little past. His curiosity got the better of him and found himself looking forward to solving the mystery surrounding this woman.

 

 

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