Chapter 1

      Casey Westmoreland entered the barn and paused, mesmerized by the sound of the warm, seductive masculine voice speaking gently to the huge black stallion being given a brush down. She was mesmerized even more by the man himself.

      McKinnon Quinn.

      In her opinion, he was as gorgeous as any one male had a right to be. Mixed with Blackfoot Indian and African-American Creole, she couldn’t help but wish for more time to just stand there and admire what she saw.

      Tall and ruggedly built with thick wavy black hair that fell to his shoulder blades, his blue shirt swathed a massive chest, and the well-worn jeans that covered a well-structured butt almost took her breath away when he leaned over to replace the brush with a comb. She didn’t need for him to turn around to know what his features looked like. They were ingrained deep in her brain. He had an angular face with eyes as dark as a raven’s wing, high cheekbones, medium-brown skin that almost appeared golden, a straight nose, stubborn jaw and full lips. She took a trembling breath and felt the warmth of a blush stain her cheeks just thinking about those lips and her secret fantasy of having her way with them.

      Another thing she knew about McKinnon Quinn was that, at thirty-four, he was considered by many—especially now that his best friend and her cousin, Durango Westmoreland, had recently gotten married—to be the most eligible bachelor in Bozeman, Montana, and its surrounding areas. She’d also heard his bachelor status was something he valued with no plans to relinquish.

      It was her opinion from their first meeting a little over two years ago that there was a quiet and innately controlled nature about him. Although he shared a rather close relationship with her cousins, there was still something about him that gave the impression that not too many others got close to him. He picked those he wanted to be associated with and any others he kept at a distance. Whenever she was around him she always felt he was watching her, and she could always feel his gaze on her like it was some sort of a physical caress.

      “Are you going to state your business or just stand there?”

      His words, spoken in a deep, cutting voice, caught her off guard and made her wonder if he had eyes in the back of his head. She was certain she hadn’t made a sound, yet he had sensed her presence anyway.

      “I know how important grooming time is and didn’t want to intrude,” Casey heard herself saying after a moment, deciding to finally speak up.

      It was only then that he turned around and she forced herself to continue breathing—especially when a surprised glint shone in the dark eyes that connected with hers. “Casey Westmoreland. Durango mentioned you were here visiting your dad,” he said in a voice as intense as the eyes looking at her.

      Your dad. That term in itself was something Casey was still getting used to since discovering she had a father who was very much alive after being told he had died before she was born.

      “I’m not visiting, exactly. I’ve decided to move to Bozeman permanently,” she said, wishing he wasn’t staring at her so intently.

      She watched as he hooked his