Chapter One

      “I like Zeb Turner for the assistant ranch foreman position.” Travis Maxwell looked across the conference table at his sisters, Lucy and Emma, hoping for confirmation, and then shoved another cinnamon roll into his mouth.

      “Hey, you ate the last one,” Emma said, grabbing the tin for the crumbs.

      “I’m a growing boy.” Travis patted his flat abdomen. He glanced at his older sister, who continued to scribble notes on a pad. “What do you say, Lucy?”

      “Turner isn’t even in my top three,” she returned.

      “What are you talking about? He passed the background check and the fingerprint check, and his résumé is top-notch,” Travis said.

      “That’s true for all of the final candidates, Travis,” Lucy stated.

      “The point is that Zeb and I go way back. I can work with this guy and get the program off the ground and file for that grant. We’d meet the ninety-day deadline for that state funding faster than a bronc out of the chute.”

      Emma groaned. “Spare us the hyperbole, please.”

      “I’m telling you, my gut feeling is no to Zeb,” Lucy said. “Now stop annoying me. I’m not feeling well.”

      “Lucy, are you all right?” Emma asked.

      “Something I ate, I imagine.”

      “Excuse me, but with all due respect, Madam Ranch Director, I’m pretty sure the Fair Hiring Practices and Job Discrimination laws do not include your gut in the guidelines.”

      “Perhaps they should,” Lucy shot back. “I asked you not to hire Rusty Parnell, remember?”

      “I’ve written Rusty up and he is aware he’s one boot away from being let go.”

      “Travis,” Lucy said, “you and Rusty have known each other since high school and he’s taking advantage of your friendship. Please, let’s not make the same mistake by hiring Turner.”

      Emma clapped her hands to end the discussion. “Pardon me, but we have another candidate to interview before we proceed to decision making.”

      “Leave it to the Big Heart Ranch children’s director to be the voice of reason,” Lucy said.

      “AJ Rowe.” Travis glanced at his watch. “It’s bad enough Mr. Rowe went to the University of Oklahoma. He’s also late.”

      “Now, Travis. Not everyone can be an OSU Cowboy,” Lucy said with a laugh. “Let’s not let our college rivalries blind us to a potential employee.”

      Heads turned when Lucy’s assistant, Iris, stepped into the doorway. “Ms. Rowe is here.”

      Ms. Rowe? Travis mouthed the words to his sisters as he scrambled to search the candidate’s résumé for a hint as to how he’d missed that particular bit of information.

      He looked up in time to see AJ Rowe enter the room.

      In a gray business suit with black heels, the woman looked every inch the professional. AJ Rowe had twisted her honey-blond hair into some sort of knot at the back of her head. She carried a black leather briefcase in her hand as she entered the conference room.

      Travis did a double take. With those big blue eyes and that golden skin, the woman bore more than a passing resemblance to Travis’s former fiancée. A woman who’d left him face down in the dust and had walked over him with her boots on.

      His heart continued a crazy gallop as he carefully picked his jaw up, hoping no one had heard it slam into the ground.

      Nope. This was not going to work. He was looking for a combination rancher and bouncer. Someone to keep everyone in line, so he could get something done on occasion. The last thing he needed was a beautiful woman distracting him and his ranch hands.

      “Ms. Rowe. We’re delighted to meet you,” Lucy said. His sister continued the introductions.

      When Lucy came to him, Travis offered AJ a handshake, though he declined to meet her gaze, and he also declined to notice how soft her hand was.

      “The Travis Maxwell?” the woman murmured with dawning recognition in her voice.

      His head jerked up at the questioning tone and he connected with clear blue eyes.

      “Have you two met?” Lucy asked.

      “No. I recognize Mr. Maxwell from the cover of Tulsa Now magazine.”