Chapter One

      Twenty-four hours ago, Jude Stephens had his life figured out.

      Then his father started talking about retirement, and he clearly viewed Jude as the heir apparent to the business he’d spent decades building.

      Hands clutched around the steering wheel of his police SUV, Jude made another pass down Ouray, Colorado’s Main Street, looking for anything out of place among the rows of quaint Victorian-era buildings. He was honored that his father thought so highly of him that he was willing to entrust him with the business he’d started with nothing more than a dream and a small patch of land. Problem was, Jude did not want to be a cattle rancher.

      Clouds obscured the sun, spoiling what should have been a beautiful October day. Helping his father out was one thing; he’d done it all his life. But the man had four other sons. Why not turn the business over to one of them?

      Jude drummed his fingers on the dash. Because he was the one Dad counted on while his brothers were out chasing their dreams.

      He shook his head. Just because he was the only brother who had never left Ouray didn’t mean he didn’t have dreams, too. If only his father would recognize his woodworking for the viable business it was instead of just a hobby. Jude was passionate about the work he was doing, and his custom and reproduction millwork was already providing him with more income than his job as a police officer. He’d even talked with the chief about his desire to resign. He was simply waiting until they hired another officer. Then he’d be free to focus on his business and take it to the next level.

      But first he’d have to find a way to tell Clint Stephens he wanted no part of his cattle operation. And with the man getting older, that wasn’t going to be easy. That bout of pneumonia he’d had last year had everyone concerned.

      Passing the hot springs pool, he roughed a hand over his face. Couldn’t his father just sell off the cows and leave Jude to follow his own path? Dad knew all about dreams, after all. He’d chased his own all those years ago when he and Mama first started Abundant Blessings Ranch. Now, Jude’s oldest brother, Noah, had built a successful rodeo school on the land, and Jude longed to do the same with his business. All he needed was a bigger shop. Something he was more than capable of paying for.

       So when are you planning to tell the man?

      Good question. He should have said something about his plans to resign after talking to the chief. But he hadn’t. Now he was faced with the very real threat of disappointing his dad. And just the thought of that nearly killed him. The last thing he wanted was to destroy the good relationship they had.

      He straightened in his seat. Lately he’d been doing a fair amount of work for a builder in Telluride. Maybe that would help his father understand. Unfortunately, the majority of his sales were done online, and that was something his father couldn’t comprehend, no matter how many times a week that big brown shipping truck came rolling up the drive.

      He wound past the sparsely populated RV park that had been bursting at the seams only a couple of months ago. Perhaps Noah would have some advice. Despite their eleven-year age difference, he and his eldest brother were quite close. Close enough that Noah had asked him to be his best man.

      Jamming his fingers through his hair, Jude released a frustrated sigh. He was going to drive himself crazy if he kept dwelling on his father. He needed to think about something else. Like the meeting with his soon-to-be sister-in-law, Lily. He didn’t have a clue as to why she’d