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This is it! The twentieth book in THE WESTMORELANDS series and the fifth book about those Denver Westmorelands. For those two reasons alone I knew this book was special from the moment I began writing it.

I always thought of Jason Westmoreland as the quiet storm. Of the three, Derringer, Zane and Jason, Jason was the one who didn’t have a lot to say and wouldn’t have a lot to say … until it was his time to take centre stage. Now, it is his time.

Jason is a man who thinks he knows what he wants, but when he meets Bella Bostwick he isn’t so sure anymore. He thinks he would be happy to make Bella an offer, the ultimate proposal, one he thinks she can’t refuse. What he doesn’t count on is awakening to passion the likes of which he’s never had before. And it doesn’t take long for him to figure out that Bella is the one woman whose heart he needs to conquer.

I present you with another Westmoreland man who has to come up with a plan to get the woman he wants. That one woman who will make his life complete. It’s going to be up to him to prove to Bella that together they can have a forever kind of love.

Happy reading!

Brenda Jackson

About the Author

BRENDA JACKSON is a die “heart” romantic who married her childhood sweetheart and still proudly wears the “going steady” ring he gave her when she was fifteen. Because she’s always believed in the power of love, Brenda’s stories always have happy endings. In her real-life love story, Brenda and her husband of thirty-eight years live in Jacksonville, Florida, and have two sons.

A New York Times bestselling author of more than seventy-five romance titles, Brenda is a recent retiree who now divides her time between family, writing and traveling with Gerald.

You may write Brenda at PO Box 28267, Jacksonville, Florida 32226, USA, by e-mail at WriterBJackson@aol.com or visit her website at www.brendajackson.net.

Dedication

To Gerald Jackson, Sr. My one and only.

To all my readers who enjoy reading about the

Westmorelands, this book is especially for you!

To my Heavenly Father. How Great Thou Art.

He hath made everything beautiful in his time.

—Ecclesiastes 3:11 KJV

Prologue

“Hello, ma’am, I’m Jason Westmoreland and I’d like to welcome you to Denver.”

Even before she turned around, the deep, male voice had Bella Bostwick’s stomach clenching as the throaty sound vibrated across her skin. And then when she gazed up into his eyes she had to practically force oxygen into her lungs. He had to be the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen.

For a moment she couldn’t speak nor was she able to control her gaze from roaming over him and appreciating everything she saw. He was tall, way over six feet, with dark brown eyes, sculpted cheekbones and a chiseled jaw. And then there was his skin, a deep, rich chocolate-brown that had her remembering her craving for that particular treat and how delicious it was. But nothing could be more appealing than his lips and the way they were shaped. Sensuous. Sumptuous. A perfect pair for the sexy smile curving them.

He said he was a Westmoreland and because this charity ball was given on behalf of the Westmoreland Foundation, she could only assume he was one of those Westmorelands.

She took the hand he’d extended and wished she hadn’t when a heated sizzle rode up her spine the moment she touched it. She tried forcing the sensation away. “And I’m Elizabeth Bostwick, but I prefer just Bella.”

The smile curving his lips widened a fraction, enough to send warm blood rushing through her veins. “Hi, Bella.”

The way he’d pronounce her name was ultrasexy. She thought his smile was intoxicating and definitely contagious, which was the reason she could so easily return it. “Hi, Jason.”

“First, I’d like to offer my condolences on the loss of your grandfather.”

“Thank you.”

“And then I’m hoping the two of us could talk about the ranch you inherited. If you decide to sell it, I’d like to put in my bid for both the ranch and Hercules.”

Bella drew in a deep breath. Her grandfather Herman Bostwick had died last month and left his land and prized stallion to her. She had seen the horse when she’d come to town for the reading of the will and would admit he was beautiful. She had returned to Denver from Savannah only yesterday to handle more legal matters regarding her grandfather’s estate. “I haven’t decided what I plan on doing regarding the ranch or the livestock, but if I do decide to sell I will keep your interest in mind. But I need to make you aware that according to my uncle Kenneth there are others who’ve expressed the same interest.” “Yes, I’m sure there are.”

He had barely finished his sentence when her uncle suddenly appeared at her side and spoke up. “Westmoreland.”

“Mr. Bostwick.”

Bella immediately picked up strong negative undercurrents radiating between the two men and the extent of it became rather obvious when her uncle said in a curt tone, “It’s time to leave, Bella.”

She blinked. “Leave? But we just got here, Uncle Kenneth.”

Her uncle smiled down at her as he tucked her arm underneath his. “Yes, dear, but you just arrived in town yesterday and have been quite busy since you’ve gotten here taking care of business matters.”

She arched a brow as she stared at the grand-uncle she only discovered she had a few weeks ago. He hadn’t been concerned with how exhausted she was when he’d insisted she accompany him here tonight, saying it was her place to attend this gala in her grandfather’s stead.

“Good night, Westmoreland. I’m taking my niece home.”

She barely had time to bid Jason farewell when her uncle escorted her to the door. As they proceeded toward the exit she couldn’t help glancing over her shoulder to meet Jason’s gaze. It was intense and she could tell he hadn’t appreciated her uncle’s abruptness. And then she saw a smile touch his lips again and she couldn’t help reciprocate by smiling back. Was he flirting with her? Was she with him?

“Jason Westmoreland is someone you don’t want to get to know, Bella,” Kenneth Bostwick said in a gruff tone, apparently noticing the flirtatious exchange between them.

She turned to glance up at her uncle as they walked out into the night. People were still arriving. “Why?”

“He wants Herman’s land. None of the Westmorelands are worth knowing. They think they can do whatever the hell they please around these parts.” He interrupted her thoughts by saying, “There’re a bunch of them and they own a lot of land on the outskirts of town.”

She lifted an arched brow. “Near where my grandfather lived?”

“Yes. In fact Jason Westmoreland’s land is adjacent to Herman’s.”

“Really?” She smiled warmly at the thought that Jason Westmoreland lived on property that connected to the land she’d inherited. Technically that made her his neighbor. No wonder he wants to buy my land, she thought to herself.

“It’s a good thing you’re selling Herman’s land, but I wouldn’t sell it to him under any circumstances.”

She frowned when he opened the car for her to get in. “I haven’t decided what I plan to do with the ranch, Uncle Kenneth,” she reminded him.

He chuckled. “What is there to decide? You know nothing about ranching and a woman of your delicacy, breeding and refinement belongs back in Savannah and not here in Denver trying to run a hundred-acre ranch and enduring harsh winters. Like I told you earlier, I already know someone who wants to buy the ranch along with all the livestock—especially that stallion Hercules. They’re offering a lot of money. Just think of all the shoes, dresses and hats you’ll be able to buy, not to mention a real nice place near the Atlantic Ocean.”

Bella didn’t say anything. She figured this was probably not the time to tell him that as far as she was concerned there was a lot to decide because none of those things he’d mentioned meant anything to her. She refused to make a decision about her inheritance too hastily.

As her uncle’s car pulled out of the parking lot, she settled back against the plush leather seats and remembered the exact moment her and Jason Westmoreland’s eyes had met.

It was a connection she doubted she would ever forget.

One

One month later

“Did you hear Herman Bostwick’s granddaughter is back in Denver and rumor has it she’s here to stay?”

Jason Westmoreland’s ears perked up on the conversation between his sister-in-law Pam and his two cousins-in-laws Chloe and Lucia. He was at his brother Dillon’s house, stretched out on the living room floor playing around with his six-month-old nephew, Denver.

Although the ladies had retired to the dining room to sit at the table and chat, it wasn’t hard to hear what they were saying and he thought there was no reason for him not to listen. Especially when the woman they were discussing was a woman who’d captured his attention the moment he’d met her last month at a charity ball. She was a woman he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about since.

“Her name is Elizabeth but she goes by Bella,” Lucia, who’d recently married his cousin Derringer, was saying. “She came into Dad’s paint store the other day and I swear she is simply beautiful. She looks so out of place here in Denver, a real Southern belle amidst a bunch of roughnecks.”

“And I hear she intends to run the ranch alone. Her uncle Kenneth has made it known he won’t be lifting one finger to help her,” Pam said in disgust. “The nerve of the man to be so darn selfish. He was counting on her selling that land to Myers Smith who promised to pay him a bunch of money if the deal went through. It seems everyone would love to get their hands on that land and especially that stallion Hercules.”

Including me, Jason thought, as he rolled the ball toward his nephew but kept his ears wide-open. He hadn’t known Bella Bostwick had returned to Denver and wondered if she remembered he was interested in purchasing her land and Hercules. He definitely hoped so. His thoughts then shifted to Kenneth Bostwick. The man’s attitude didn’t surprise him. He’d always acted as if he was entitled, which is probably the reason Kenneth and Herman never got along. And since Herman’s death, Kenneth had let it be known around town that he felt the land Bella had inherited should be his. Evidently Herman hadn’t seen it that way and had left everything in his will to the granddaughter he’d never met.

“Well, I hope she’s cautious as to who she hires to help out on that ranch. I can see a woman that beautiful drawing men in droves, and some will be men who she needs to be leery of,” Chloe said.

Jason frowned at the thought of any man drawn to her and didn’t fully understand why he reacted that way. Lucia was right in saying Bella was beautiful. He had been totally captivated the moment he’d first seen her. And it had been obvious Kenneth Bostwick hadn’t wanted him anywhere near his niece.

Kenneth never liked him and had envied Jason’s relationship with old man Herman Bostwick. Most people around these parts had considered Herman mean, ornery and craggy, but Jason was not one of them. He would never forget the one time he had run away from home at eleven and spent the night hidden in Bostwick’s barn. The old man had found him the next morning and returned him to his parents. But not before feeding him a tasty breakfast and getting him to help gather eggs from the chickens and milk the cows. It was during that time he’d discovered Herman Bostwick wasn’t as mean as everyone thought. In fact, Herman had only been a lonely old man.

Jason had gone back to visit Herman often over the years and had been there the night Hercules had been born. He’d known the moment he’d seen the colt that he would be special. And Herman had even told him that the horse would one day be his. Herman had died in his sleep a few months ago and now his ranch and every single thing on it, including Hercules, belonged to his granddaughter. Everyone assumed she would sell the ranch, but from what he was hearing she had moved to Denver from Savannah.

He hoped to hell she had thought through her decision. Colorado’s winters were rough, especially in Denver. And running a spread as big as the one she’d inherited wasn’t easy for an experienced rancher; he didn’t want to think how it would be for someone who knew nothing about it. Granted if she kept Marvin Allen on as the foreman things might not be so bad, but still, there were a number of ranch hands and some men didn’t take kindly to a woman who lacked experience being their boss.

“I think the neighborly thing for us to do is to pay her a visit and welcome her to the area. We can also let her know if there’s anything she needs she can call on us,” Pam said, interrupting his thoughts.

“I agree,” both Lucia and Chloe chimed in.

He couldn’t help but agree, as well. Paying his new neighbor a visit and welcoming her to the area was the right thing to do, and he intended to do just that. He might have lost out on a chance to get the ranch but he still wanted Hercules.

But even more than that, he wanted to get to know Bella Bostwick better.

Bella stepped out of the house and onto the porch and looked around at the vast mountains looming before her. The picturesque view almost took her breath away and reminded her of why she had defied her family and moved here from Savannah two weeks ago.

Her overprotective parents had tried talking her out of what they saw as a foolish move on her part mainly because they hadn’t wanted her out of their sight. It had been bad enough while growing up when she’d been driven to private schools by a chauffeur each day and trailed everywhere she went by a bodyguard until she was twenty-one.

And the sad thing was that she hadn’t known about her grandfather’s existence until she was notified of the reading of his will. She hadn’t been informed in time to attend the funeral services and a part of her was still upset with her parents for keeping that from her.

She didn’t know what happened to put a permanent wedge between father and son, but whatever feud that existed between them should not have included her. She’d had every right to get to know Herman Bostwick and now he was gone. When she thought about the summers she could have spent here visiting him instead of being shipped away to some camp for the summer she couldn’t help but feel angry. She used to hate those camps and the snooty kids that usually went to them.

Before leaving Savannah she had reminded her parents that she was twenty-five and old enough to make her own decisions about what she wanted to do with her life. And as far as she was concerned, the trust fund her maternal grandparents had established for her, as well as this ranch she’d now inherited from her paternal grandfather, made living that life a lot easier. It was the first time in her life that she had anything that was truly hers.

It would be too much to ask David and Melissa Bostwick to see things that way and they’d made it perfectly clear that they didn’t. She wouldn’t be surprised if they were meeting with their attorney at this very moment to come up with a way to force her to return home to Savannah. Well, she had news for them. This was now her home and she intended to stay.

If they’d had anything to say about it she would be in Savannah and getting engaged to marry Hugh Pierce. Although most women would consider Hugh, with his tall, dark and handsome looks and his old-money wealth, a prime catch. And if she really thought hard about it, then she would be one of those women who thought so. But that was the problem. She had to think real hard about it. They’d dated a number of times but there was never any connection, any spark and no real enthusiasm on her part about spending time with him. She had tried as delicately as she could to explain such a thing to her parents but that hadn’t stopped them from trying to shove Hugh down her throat every chance they got. That only proved how controlling they could be.

And speaking of controlling … her uncle Kenneth had become another problem. He was her grandfather’s fifty-year-old half brother, whom she’d met for the first time when she’d flown in for the reading of the will. He’d assumed the ranch would go to him and had been gravely disappointed that day to discover it hadn’t. He had also expected her to sell everything and when she’d made the decision to keep the ranch, he had been furious and said his kindness to her had ended, and that he wouldn’t lift a finger to help and wanted her to find out the hard way just what a mistake she had made.

She sank into the porch swing, thinking there was no way she could have made a mistake in deciding to build a life here. She had fallen in love with the land the first time she’d seen it when she’d come for the reading of the will. And it hadn’t taken long to decide even though she’d been robbed of the opportunity to connect with her grandfather in life, she would connect with him in death by accepting the gift he’d given her. A part of her felt that although they’d never met, he had somehow known about the miserable childhood she had endured and was giving her the chance to have a way better adult life.

The extra men she had hired to work the ranch so far seemed eager to do so and appreciated the salary she was paying them which, from what she’d heard, was more than fair. She’d always heard if you wanted good people to work for you then you needed to pay them good money.

She was about to get up to go back into the house to pack up more of her grandfather’s belongings when she noticed someone on horseback approaching in the distance. She squinted her eyes, remembering this was Denver and people living on the outskirts of town, in the rural sections, often traveled by horseback, and she was grateful for the riding lessons her parents had insisted that she take. She’d always wanted to own a horse and now she had several of them.

As the rider came closer she felt a tingling sensation in the pit if her stomach when she recognized him. Jason Westmoreland. She definitely remembered him from the night of the charity ball and one of the things she remembered the most was his warm smile. She had often wondered if he’d been as ruggedly handsome as she recalled. The closer the rider got she realized he was.

And she had to admit that in the three times she’d been to Denver, he was the closest thing to a modern-day cowboy she had seen. Even now he was riding his horse with an expertise and masculinity that had her heart pounding with every step the horse took. His gaze was steady on her and she couldn’t help but stare back. Heat crawled up her spine and waves of sensuous sensations swept through her system. She could feel goose bumps form on her skin. He was definitely the first and only man she’d ever been this attracted to.

She couldn’t help wondering why he was paying her a visit. He had expressed interest in her land and in Hercules when she’d met him that night at the charity ball. Was he here to convince her she’d made a mistake in moving here like her parents and uncle had done? Would he try to talk her into selling the land and horse to him? If that was the case then she had the same news for him she’d had for the others. She was staying put and Hercules would remain hers until she decided otherwise.

He brought his horse to a stop at the foot of the porch near a hitching post. “Hello, Bella.”

“Jason.” She gazed up into the dark brown eyes staring at her and could swear she felt heat radiating from them. The texture of his voice tingled against her skin just as it had that night. “Is there a reason for your visit?”

A smile curved his lips. “I understand you’ve decided to try your hand at ranching.”

She lifted her chin, knowing what was coming next. “That’s right. Do you have a problem with it?”

“No, I don’t have a problem with it,” he said smoothly. “The decision was yours to make. However, I’m sure you know things won’t be easy for you.”

“Yes, I’m very much aware they won’t be. Is there anything else you’d like to say?”

“Yes. We’re neighbors and if you ever need my help in any way just let me know.”

She blinked. Had he actually offered his help? There had to be a catch and quickly figured what it was. “Is the reason you’re being nice that you still want to buy Hercules? If so, you might as well know I haven’t made a decision about him yet.”

His smile faded and the look on his face suddenly became intense. “The reason I’m being nice is that I think of myself as a nice person. And as far as Hercules is concerned, yes, I still want to buy him but that has nothing to do with my offering my help to you as your neighbor.”

She knew she had offended him and immediately regretted it. She normally wasn’t this mistrusting of people but owning the ranch was a touchy subject with her because so many people were against it. He had wanted the land and Hercules but had accepted her decision and was even offering his help when her own uncle hadn’t. Instead of taking it at face value, she’d questioned it. “Maybe I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.”

“Yes, maybe you shouldn’t have.”

Every cell in her body started to quiver under the intensity of his gaze. At that moment she knew his offer had been sincere. She wasn’t sure how she knew; she just did. “I stand corrected. I apologize,” she said.

“Apology accepted.”

“Thank you.” And because she wanted to get back on good footing with him she asked, “How have you been, Jason?”

His features relaxed when he said, “Can’t complain.” He tilted his Stetson back from his eyes before dismounting from the huge horse as if it was the easiest of things to do.

And neither can I complain, she thought, watching him come up the steps of the porch. There was nothing about seeing him in all his masculine form that any woman could or would complain about. She felt her throat tighten when moments later he was standing in front of her. Something she could recognize as hot, fluid desire closed in on her, making it hard to breathe. Especially when his gaze was holding hers with the same concentration he’d had the night of the ball.

Today in the bright sunlight she was seeing things about him that the lights in the ballroom that night hadn’t revealed: the whiteness of his teeth against his dark skin, the thickness of his lashes, the smooth texture of his skin and the broadness of his shoulders beneath his shirt. Another thing she was seeing now as well as what she remembered seeing in full detail that night was the full shape of a pair of sensual lips.

“And what about you, Bella?”

She blinked, realizing he’d spoken. “What about me?” The smile curving his lips returned and in a way that lulled her into thoughts she shouldn’t be thinking, like how she’d love kissing that smile on his face.

“How have you been … besides busy?” he asked.

Bella drew in a deep breath and said. “Yes, things have definitely been busy and at times even crazy.”

“I bet. And I meant what I said earlier. If you ever need help with anything, let me know.”

“Thanks for the offer, I appreciate it.” She had seen the turnoff to his ranch. The marker referred to it as Jason’s Place. And from what she’d seen through the trees it was a huge ranch and the two-story house was beautiful.

She quickly remembered her manners and said. “I was about to have a cup of tea. Would you like a cup, as well?”

He leaned against the post and his smile widened even more. “Tea?”

“Yes.”

She figured he found such a thing amusing if the smile curving his lips was anything to go by. The last thing a cowboy would want after being in the saddle was a cup of tea. A cold beer was probably more to his liking but was the one thing she didn’t have in her refrigerator. “I’d understand if you’d rather not,” she said.

He chuckled. “A cup of tea is fine.”

“You sure?”

He chuckled again. “Yes, I’m positive.” “All right then.” She opened the door and he followed her inside.

Beside the fact Jason thought she looked downright beautiful, Bella Bostwick smelled good, as well. He wished there was some way he could ignore the sudden warmth that flowed through his body from her scent streaming through his nostrils.

And then there was the way she was dressed. He had to admit that although she looked downright delectable in her jeans and silk blouse she also looked out of place in them. But as she walked gracefully in front of him, Jason thought that a man could endure a lot of sleepless nights dreaming about a Southern-belle backside shaped like hers.

“If you’ll have a seat, Jason, I’ll bring the tea right out.”

He stopped walking as he realized she must have a pot already made. “All right.”

He watched her walk into the kitchen, but instead of taking the seat like she’d offered, he kept standing as he glanced around taking in the changes she’d already made to the place. There were a lot of framed art pieces on the wall, a number of vases filled with flowers, throw rugs on the wood floor and fancy curtains attached to the windows. It was evident that a woman lived here. And she was some woman.

She hadn’t hesitated to get her back up when she’d assumed his visit here was less than what he’d told her. He figured Kenneth Bostwick, in addition to no telling how many others, probably hadn’t liked her decision not to sell her land and was giving her pure grief about it. He wouldn’t be one of those against her decision.

He continued to glance around the room, noting the changes. There were a lot of things that remained the same, like Herman’s favorite recliner, but she’d added a spiffy new sofa to go with it. It was just as well. The old one had seen better days. The old man had claimed he would be getting a new one this coming Christmas, not knowing when he’d said it he wouldn’t be around.

Jason drew in a deep breath remembering the last time he’d seen Herman Bostwick alive. It had been a month before he’d died. Jason had come to check on him and to ride Hercules. Jason was one of the few people who could do so mainly because he was the one Herman had let break in the horse.

He glanced down to study the patterns on the throw rug beneath his feet thinking how unique looking they were when he heard her reenter the room. He looked up and a part of him wished he hadn’t. The short medium brown curls framing her face made her mahogany colored skin appear soft to the touch and perfect for her hazel eyes and high cheekbones.

There was a refinement about her, but he had a feeling she was a force to be reckoned with if she had to be. She’d proven that earlier when she’d assumed he was there to question her sanity about moving here. Maybe he should be questioning his own sanity for not convincing her to move on and return to where she came from. No matter her best intentions, she wasn’t cut out to be a rancher, not with her soft hands and manicured nails.

He believed there had to be some inner conflict driving her to try to run the ranch. He decided then and there that he would do whatever he could to help her succeed. And as she set the tea tray down on the table he knew at that moment she was someone he wanted to get to know better in the process.

“It’s herbal tea. Do you want me to add any type of sweetener?” she asked.

“No,” he said flatly, although he wasn’t sure if he did or not. He wasn’t a hot tea drinker, but did enjoy a glass of cold sweet tea from time to time. However, for some reason he felt he would probably enjoy his hot tea like he did his coffee—without anything added to it.

“I prefer mine sweet,” she said softly, turning and smiling over at him. His guts tightened and he tried like hell to ignore the ache deep within and the attraction for this woman. He’d never felt anything like this before.

He was still standing and when she crossed the room toward him carrying his cup of tea, he had to forcibly propel air through his lungs with every step she took. Her beauty was brutal to the eyes but soothing to the soul, and he was enjoying the view in deep male appreciation. How old was she and what was she doing out here in the middle of nowhere trying to run a ranch?

“Here you are, Jason.”

He liked the sound of his name from her lips and when he took the glass from her hands they touched in the process. Immediately, he felt his stomach muscles begin to clench.

“Thanks,” he said, thinking he needed to step away from her and not let Bella Bostwick crowd his space. But he also very much wanted to keep her right there. Topping the list was her scent. He wasn’t sure what perfume she was wearing but it was definitely an attention grabber, although her beauty alone would do the trick.

“You’re welcome. Now I suggest we sit down or I’m going to get a crook in my neck staring up at you.”

He heard the smile in her voice and then saw it on her lips. It stirred to life something inside of him and for a moment he wondered if her smile was genuine or practiced and quickly came to the conclusion it was genuine. During his thirty-four years he had met women who’d been as phony as a four-dollar bill but he had a feeling Bella Bostwick wasn’t one of them. In fact, she might be a little too real for her own good.

“I don’t want that to happen,” he said, easing down on her sofa and stretching his long legs out in front of him. He watched as she then eased down in the comfortable looking recliner he had bought Herman five years ago for his seventy-fifth birthday.

Jason figured this was probably one of the craziest things he’d ever done, sit with a woman in her living room in the middle of the day and converse with her while sipping tea. But he was doing it and at that moment, he couldn’t imagine any other place he’d rather be.

Bella took a sip of her tea and studied Jason over the rim of her cup. Who was he? Why was she so attracted to him? And why was he attracted to her? And she knew the latter was true. She’d felt it that night at the ball and she could feel it now. He was able to bring out desires in her that she never felt before but for some reason she didn’t feel threatened by those feelings. Instead, although she really didn’t know him, she felt he was a powerhouse of strength, tenderness and protectiveness all rolled into one. She knew he would never hurt her.

“So, tell me about yourself Jason,” she heard herself say, wanting so much to hear about the man who seemed to be taking up so much space in her living room as well as in her mind.

A smile touched his lips when he said, “I’m a Westmore land.”

His words raised her curiosity up a notch. Was being a Westmoreland supposed to mean something? She hadn’t heard any type of arrogance or egotism in his words, just a sense of pride, self-respect and honor.

“And what does being a Westmoreland mean?” she asked as she tucked her legs beneath her to get more comfortable in the chair.

She watched him take a sip of his tea. “There’s a bunch of us, fifteen in fact,” Jason said.

She nodded, taking in his response. “Fifteen?”

“Yes. And that’s not counting the three Westmoreland wives and a cousin-in-law from Australia. In our family tree we’ve now become known as the Denver Westmorelands.”

“Denver Westmorelands? Does that mean there are more Westmorelands in other parts of the country?”

“Yes, there are some who sprung from the Atlanta area. We have fifteen cousins there, as well. Most of them were at the Westmoreland charity ball.”

An amused smile touched her lips. She recalled seeing them and remembered thinking how much they’d resembled in looks or height. Jason had been the only one she’d gotten a real good close-up view of, and the only one she’d held a conversation with before her uncle had practically dragged her away from the party that night.

She then decided to bring up something she’d detected at the ball. “You and my uncle Kenneth don’t get along.”

If her statement surprised him the astonishment was not reflected in his face. “No, we’ve never gotten along,” he said as if the thought didn’t bother him, in fact he preferred it that way.

She paused and waited on him to elaborate but he didn’t. He just took another sip of tea.

“And why is that? ”

He shrugged massive shoulders and the gesture made her body even more responsive to his. “I can’t rightly say why we’ve never seen eye-to-eye on a number of things.”

“What about my grandfather? Did you get along with him?”

He chuckled. “Actually I did. Herman and I had a good relationship that started back when I was kid. He taught me a lot about ranching and I enjoyed our chats.”

She took a sip of her tea. “Did he ever mention anything about having a granddaughter? ”

“No, but then I didn’t know he had a son, either. The only family I knew about was Kenneth and their relationship was rather strained.”

She nodded. She’d heard the story of how her father had left for college at the age of seventeen, never to return. Her uncle Kenneth claimed he wasn’t sure what the disagreement had been between the two men since he himself had been a young kid at the time. David Bostwick had made his riches on the east coast, first as a land developer and then as an investor in all sorts of moneymaking ventures. That was how he’d met her mother, a Savannah socialite, daughter of a shipping magnate and ten years her senior. The marriage had been based more on increasing their wealth instead of love. She was well aware of both of her parents’ supposedly discreet affairs.

And as far as Kenneth Bostwick was concerned, she knew that Herman’s widowed father at the age of seventy married a thirty-something-year-old woman and Kenneth had been their only child. Bella gathered from bits and pieces she’d overheard from Kenneth’s daughter, Elyse, that Kenneth and Herman had never gotten along because Herman thought Kenneth’s mother, Belinda, hadn’t been anything but a gold digger who married a man old enough to be her grandfather.

“Finding out Herman had a granddaughter came as a surprise to everyone around these parts.”

Bella chuckled softly. “Yes, and it came as quite a surprise to me to discover I had a grandfather.”

She saw the surprise that touched his face. “You didn’t know about Herman?”

“No. I thought both my father’s parents were dead. My father was close to forty when he married my mother and when I was in my teens he was in his fifties already so I assumed his parents were deceased since he never mentioned them. I didn’t know about Herman until I got a summons to be present at the reading of the will. My parents didn’t even mention anything about the funeral. They attended the services but only said they were leaving town to take care of business. I assumed it was one of their usual business trips. It was only when they returned that they mentioned that Herman’s attorney had advised them that I was needed for the reading of the will in a week.”

She pulled in a deep breath. “Needless to say, I wasn’t happy that my parents had kept such a thing from me all those years. I felt whatever feud was between my father and grandfather was between them and should not have included me. I feel such a sense of loss at not having known Herman Bostwick.”

Jason nodded. “He could be quite a character at times, trust me.”

For some reason she felt she could trust him … and in fact, that she already did. “Tell me about him. I want to get to know the grandfather I never knew.”

He smiled. “There’s no way I can tell you everything about him in one day.”

She returned the smile. “Then come back again for tea so we can talk. That is, if you don’t mind.”

She held her breath thinking he probably had a lot more things to do with his time than to sip tea with her. A man like him probably had other things on his mind when he was with someone of the opposite sex.

“No, I don’t mind. In fact I’d rather enjoy it.”

She inwardly sighed, suddenly feeling giddy, pleased. Jason Westmoreland was the type of man who could make his way into any woman’s hot and wild fantasies, and he’d just agreed to indulge her by sharing tea with her occasionally to talk about the grandfather she’d never known.

“Well, I guess I’d better get back to work.”

“And what do you do for a living?” she asked, without thinking about it.

“Several of my cousins and I are partners in a horse breeding and horse training venture. The horse that came in second last year at the Preakness was one of ours.”

“Congratulations!”

“Thanks.”

She then watched as he eased his body off her sofa to stand. And when he handed the empty teacup back to her, she felt her body tingle with the exchange when their hands touched and knew he’d felt it, as well.

“Thanks for the tea, Bella.”

“You’re welcome and you have an open invitation to come back for more.”

He met her gaze, held it for a moment. “And I will.”

Two

On Tuesday of the following week, Bella was in her car headed to town to purchase new appliances for her kitchen. Buying a stove and refrigerator might not be a big deal to some, but for her it would be a first. She was looking forward to it. Besides, it would get her mind off the phone call she’d gotten from her attorney first thing this morning.

Not wanting to think about the phone call, she thought about her friends back home instead. They had teased her that although she would be living out in the boondocks on a ranch, downtown Denver was half an hour away and that’s probably where she would spend most of her time—shopping and attending various plays and parties. But she had discovered she liked being away from city life and hadn’t missed it at all. She’d grown up in Savannah right on the ocean. Her parents’ estate had been minutes from downtown and was the place where lavish parties were always held.

She had talked to her parents earlier today and found the conversation totally draining. Her father insisted she put the ranch up for sale and come home immediately. When the conversation ended she had been more determined than ever to keep as much distance between her and Savannah as possible.

She had been on the ranch for only three weeks and already the taste of freedom, to do whatever she wanted whenever she wanted, was a luxurious right she refused to give up. Although she missed waking up every morning to the scent of the ocean, she was becoming used to the crisp mountain air drenched in the rich fragrance of dahlias.

Her thoughts then shifted to something else or more precisely, someone else. Jason Westmoreland. Good to his word he had stopped by a few days ago to join her for tea. They’d had a pleasant conversation, and he’d told her more about her grandfather. She could tell Jason and Herman’s relationship had been close. Part of her was glad that Jason had probably helped relieve Herman’s loneliness.

Although her father refused to tell her what had happened to drive him away from home, she hoped to find out on her own. Her grandfather had kept a number of journals and she intended to start reading them this week. The only thing she knew from what Kenneth Bostwick had told her was that Herman’s father, William, had remarried when Herman was in his twenties and married with a son of his own. That woman had been Kenneth’s mother, which was why he was a lot younger than her father. In fact her father and Kenneth had few memories of each other since David Bostwick had left home for college at the age of seventeen.

Jason had also answered questions about ranching and assured her that the man she’d kept on as foreman had worked for her grandfather for a number of years and knew what he was doing. Jason hadn’t stayed long but she’d enjoyed his visit.

She found Jason to be kind and soft-spoken and whenever he talked in that reassuring tone she would feel safe, protected and confident that no matter what decisions she made regarding her life and the ranch, it would be okay. He also gave her the impression that she could and would make mistakes and that would be okay, too, as long as she learned from those mistakes and didn’t repeat them.

She had gotten to meet some of his family members, namely the women, when they’d all shown up a couple of days ago with housewarming goodies to welcome her to the community. Pamela, Chloe and Lucia had married into the family, and Megan and Bailey were Westmorelands by birth. They told her about Gemma, who was Megan and Bailey’s sister and how she had gotten married earlier that year, moved with her husband to Australia and was expecting their first child.

Pamela and Chloe had brought their babies and being in their presence only reinforced a desire Bella always had of being a mother. She loved children and hoped to marry and have a houseful one day. And when she did, she intended for her relationship with them to be different than the one she had with her own parents.

The women had invited her to dinner at Pamela’s home Friday evening so that she could meet the rest of the family. She thought the invitation to dinner was a nice gesture and downright neighborly on their part.

They were surprised she had already met Jason because he hadn’t mentioned anything to them about meeting her.

She wasn’t sure why he hadn’t when all the evidence led her to believe the Westmorelands were a close-knit group. But then she figured men tended to keep their activities private and not share them with anyone. He said he would be dropping by for tea again tomorrow and she looked forward to his visit.

It was obvious there was still an intense attraction between them, yet he always acted honorably in her presence. He would sit across from her with his long legs stretched out in front of him and sip tea while she talked. She tried not to dominate the conversation but found he was someone she could talk to and someone who listened to what she had to say. She could see him now sitting there absorbed in whatever she said while displaying a ruggedness she found totally sexy.

And he had shared some things about himself. She knew he was thirty-four and a graduate of the University of Denver. He also shared with her how his parents and uncle and aunt had been killed in a plane crash when he was eighteen, leaving him and his fourteen siblings and cousins without parents. With admiration laced in his voice he had talked about his older brother Dillon and his cousin Ramsey and how the two men had been determined to keep the family together and how they had.

She couldn’t help but compare his large family to her smaller one. Although she loved her parents she couldn’t recall a time she and her parents had ever been close. While growing up they had relinquished her care to sitters while they jet-setted all over the country. At times she thought they’d forgotten she existed. When she got older she understood her father’s obsession with trying to keep up with his young wife. Eventually she saw that obsession diminish when he found other interests and her mother did, as well.

That was why at times the idea of having a baby without a husband appealed to her, although doing such a thing would send her parents into cardiac arrest. But she couldn’t concern herself with how her parents would react if she chose to go that route. Moving here was her first stab at emancipation and whatever she decided to do would be her decision. But for a woman who’d never slept with a man to contemplate having a baby from one was a bit much for her to absorb right now.

She pulled into the parking lot of one of the major appliance stores. When she returned home she would meet with her foreman to see how things were going. Jason had said such meetings were necessary and she should be kept updated on what went on at her ranch.

Moments later as she got out of her car she decided another thing she needed to do was buy a truck. A truck. She chuckled, thinking her mother would probably gag at the thought of her driving a truck instead of being chauffeured around in a car. But her parents had to realize and accept her life was changing and the luxurious life she used to have was now gone.

As soon as she entered the store a salesperson was right on her heels and it didn’t take long to make the purchases she needed because she knew just what she wanted. She’d always thought stainless steel had a way of enhancing the look of a kitchen and figured sometime next year she would give the kitchen a total makeover with granite countertops and new tile flooring, as well. But she would take things one step at a time.

“Bella?”

She didn’t have to turn to know who’d said her name. As far as she was concerned, no one could pronounce it in the same rugged yet sexy tone as Jason. Although she had just seen him a few days ago when he’d joined her for tea, there was something about seeing him now that sent sensations coursing through her.

She turned around and there he stood dressed in a pair of jeans that hugged his sinewy thighs and long, muscular legs, a blue chambray shirt and a lightweight leather jacket that emphasized the broadness of his shoulders.

She smiled up at him. “Jason, what a pleasant surprise.”

It was a pleasant surprise for Jason, as well. He had walked into the store and immediately, like radar, he had picked up on her presence and all it took was following her scent to find her.

“Same here. I had to come into town to pick up a new hot water heater for the bunkhouse,” he said, smiling down at her. He shoved his hands into his pockets; otherwise, he would have been tempted to pull her to him and kiss her. Kissing Bella was something he wanted but hadn’t gotten around to doing. He didn’t want to rush things and didn’t want her to think his interest in her had anything to do with wanting to buy Hercules, because that wasn’t the case. His interest in her was definitely one of want and need.

“I met the ladies in your family the other day. They came to pay me a visit,” she said.

“Did they?”

“Yes.”

He’d known they would eventually get around to doing so. The ladies had discussed a visit to welcome her to the community.

“They’re all so nice,” she said

“I think they are nice, too. Did you get whatever you needed?” He wondered if she would join him for lunch if he were to ask.

“Yes, my refrigerator and stove will be delivered by the end of the week. I’m so excited.”

He couldn’t help but laugh. She was genuinely excited. If she got that excited over appliances he could imagine how she would react over jewelry. “Will you be in town for a while, Bella?”

“Yes. I have a meeting with Marvin later this evening.”

He raised a brow. “Is everything all right?”

She nodded, smiling. “Yes. I’m just having a weekly meeting like you suggested.”

He was glad she had taken his advice. “How about joining me for lunch? There’s a place not far from here that serves several nice dishes.”

She smiled up at him. “I’d love that.”

Jason knew he would love it just as much. He had been thinking about her a lot, especially at night when he’d found it hard to sleep. She was getting to him. No, she had gotten to him. He didn’t know of any other woman that he’d been this attracted to. There was something about her. Something that was drawing him to her on a personal level that he could not control. But then a part of him didn’t want to control it. Nor did he want to fight it. He wanted to see how far it would go and where it would stop

“Do you want me to follow you there, Jason?”

No, he wanted her in the same vehicle with him. “We can ride in my truck. Your car will be fine parked here until we return.” “Okay.”

As he escorted her toward the exit, she glanced up at him. “What about your hot water heater?”

“I haven’t picked it out yet but that’s fine since I know the brand I want.”

“All right.”

Together they walked out of the store toward his truck. It was a beautiful day in May but when he felt her shiver beside him, he figured a beautiful day in Savannah would be a day in the eighties. Here in Denver if they got sixty-something degree weather in June they would be ecstatic.

He took his jacket off and placed it around her shoulders. She glanced up at him. “You didn’t have to do that.”

He smiled. “Yes, I did. I don’t want you to get cold on me.” She was wearing a pair of black slacks and a light blue cardigan sweater. As always she looked ultrafeminine.

And now she was wearing his jacket. They continued walking and when they reached his truck she glanced up and her gaze connected with his and he could feel electricity sparking to life between them. She looked away quickly, as if she’d been embarrassed that their attraction to each other was so obvious.

“Do you want your jacket back now?” she asked softly.

“No, keep it on. I like seeing you in it.”

She blushed again and at that moment he got the most ridiculous notion that perhaps this sort of intense attraction between two people was sort of new to Bella. He wouldn’t be surprised to discover that she had several innocent bones in her body; enough to shove him in another direction rather quickly. But for some reason he was staying put.

She nibbled on her bottom lip. “Why do you like seeing me in it?”

“Because I do. And because it’s mine and you’re in it.”

He wasn’t sure if what he’d said made much sense or if she was confused even more. But what he was sure about was that he was determined to find out just how much Bella Bostwick knew about men. And what she didn’t know he was going to make it his business to teach her.

Bella was convinced there was nothing more compelling than the feel of wearing the jacket belonging to a man whose very existence represented true masculinity. It permeated her with his warmth, his scent and his aura in every way. She was filled with an urge to get more, to know more and to feel more of Jason Westmoreland. And as she stared at him through the car’s window as he pulled out his cell phone to make arrangements for their lunch, she couldn’t help but feel the hot rush of blood in her veins while heat churned deep down inside of her.

And there lay the crux of her problem. As beguiling as the feelings taking over her senses, making ingrained curiosity get the best of her, she knew better than to step beyond the range of her experience. That range didn’t extend beyond what the nuns at the private Catholic schools she’d attended most of her life had warned her about. It was a range good girls just didn’t go beyond.

Jason was the type of man women dreamed about. He was what fantasies were made of. She watched him ease his phone back into the pocket of his jeans, walk around the front of his truck to get in. He was the type of man a woman would love to snuggle up with on a cold Colorado winter night … especially the kind her parents and uncle had said she would have to endure. Just the thought of being with him in front of a roaring fire that blazed in a fireplace would be an unadulterated fantasy come true for any woman… . And her greatest fear.

“You’re comfortable?” he asked, placing a wide-brimmed Stetson on his head.

She glanced over at him and she held his gaze for a moment and then nodded. “Yes, I’m fine. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

He backed up the truck and then they headed out of the parking lot in silence but she was fully aware of his hands that gripped the steering wheel. They were large and strong hands and she could imagine those same hands gripping her. That thought made heat seep into every cell and pore of her body, percolating her bones and making her surrender to something she’d never had before.

Her virginal state had never bothered her before and it didn’t really bother her now except the unknown was making the naughtiness in her come out. It was making her anticipate things she was better off not getting.

“You’ve gotten quiet on me, Bella,” Jason said.

She glanced over at him and again met his gaze thinking, yes she had. But she figured he didn’t want to hear her thoughts out loud and certain things she needed to keep to herself.

“Sorry,” she said. “I was thinking about Friday,” she decided to say.

“Friday?”

“Yes. Pamela invited me to dinner.”

“She did?”

Bella heard the surprise in his voice. “Yes. She said it would be the perfect opportunity to meet everyone. It seems all of my neighbors are Westmorelands. You’re just the one living the closest to me.”

“And what makes you so preoccupied about Friday?”

“Meeting so many of your family members.”

He chuckled. “You’ll survive.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Then she said, “Tell me about them.” He had already told her some but she wanted to hear more. And the ladies who came to visit had also shared some of their family history with her. But she wanted to hear his version just to hear the husky sound of his voice, to feel how it would stir across her skin and tantalize several parts of her body.

“You already met the ones who think they run things, namely the women.”

She laughed. “They don’t?”

“We let them think that way because we’re slowly getting outnumbered. Although Gemma is in Australia she still has a lot to say and whenever we take a vote about anything, of course she sides with the women.”

She grinned. “You all actually take votes on stuff?”

“Yes, we believe in democracy. The last time we voted we had to decide where Christmas dinner would be held. Usually we hold everything at Dillon’s because he has the main family house, but his kitchen was being renovated so we voted to go to Ramsey’s.”

“All of you have homes? ”

“Yes. When we each turned twenty-five we inherited one hundred acres. It was fun naming my own spread.”

“Yours is Jason’s Place, right?”

He smiled over at her. “That’s right.”

While he’d been talking her body had responded to the sound of his voice as if it was on a mission to capture each and every nuance. She inhaled deeply and they began chatting again but this time about her family. He’d been honest about his family so she decided to be honest about hers.

“My parents and I aren’t all that close and I can’t remember a time that we were. They didn’t support my move out here,” she said and wondered why she’d wanted to share that little detail.

“Is it true that Kenneth is upset you didn’t sell the land to Myers Smith?” he asked.

She nodded slowly. “Yes, he told me himself that he thinks I made a mistake in deciding to move here and is looking forward to the day I fail so he can say, ‘I told you so.'”

Jason shook his head, finding it hard to believe this was a family member who was hoping for her failure. “Are he and your father close?”

Bella chuckled softly. “They barely know each other. According to Dad he was already in high school when Kenneth was born, although technically Kenneth is my father’s half uncle. My father’s grandfather married Kenneth’s mother who was twenty-five years his junior.”

“Do you have any other family, like cousins?”

She shook her head. “Both my parents were the only children. Of course Uncle Kenneth has a son and daughter but they hadn’t spoken to me since the reading of the will. Uncle Kenneth only spoke to me when he thought I’d be selling the ranch and livestock to his friend.”

By the time he had brought the truck to a stop in front of a huge building, she had to wipe tears of laughter from her eyes when he’d told her about all the trouble the younger Westmorelands had gotten into.

“I just can’t imagine your cousin Bailey—who has such an innocent look about her—being such a hell-raiser while growing up.”

Jason laughed. “Hey, don’t let the innocent act fool you. The cousins Aiden and Adrian are at Harvard and Bane joined the navy. We talked Bailey into hanging around here to attend college so we could keep an eye on her.”

He chuckled and then added, “It turned out to be a mistake when she began keeping an eye on us instead.”

When he turned off the truck’s engine she glanced through the windshield at the building looming in front of them and raised a brow. “This isn’t a restaurant?”

He glanced over at her. “No, it’s not. It’s the Blue Ridge Management, a company my father and uncle founded over forty years ago. After they were killed Dillon and Ramsey took over. Ramsey eventually left Dillon in charge to become a sheep rancher and Dillon is currently CEO.”

He glanced out the windshield to look up at the forty-story building with a pensive look on his face and moments later added, “My brother Riley holds an upper management position here. My cousins Zane and Derringer, as well as myself, worked for the company after college until last year when we decided to join the Montana Westmorelands in the horse training and breeding business.”

He smiled. “I guess you can say that nine-to-five gig was never our forte. Like Ramsey we prefer being outdoors.”

She nodded and followed his gaze to the building. “And we’re eating lunch here?”

He glanced over at her. “Yes, I have my office that I still use from time to time to conduct business. I called ahead and Dillon’s secretary took care of everything for me.”

A few moments later they were walking into the massive lobby of Blue Ridge Land Management and the first thing Bella noticed was the huge, beautifully decorated atrium with a waterfall amidst a replica of mountains complete with blooming flowers and other types of foliage. After stopping at the security guard station they caught an elevator up to the executive floor.

“I remember coming up here a lot with my dad,” Jason said softly, reflecting on that time. “Whenever he would work on the weekends, he would gather us all together to get us out of Mom’s hair for a while. Once we got up to the fortieth floor we knew he would probably find something for us to do.”

He chuckled and then added, “But just in case he didn’t. I would always travel with a pack of crayons in my back pocket.”

Bella smiled. She could just imagine Jason and his six brothers crowded on the elevator with their father. Although he would be working they would have gotten to spend the day with him nonetheless. She couldn’t ever recall a time her father had taken her to work with him. In fact she hadn’t known where the Bostwick Firm had been located until she was well into her teens. Her mother never worked outside the home but was mainly the hostess for the numerous parties her parents would give.

It seemed the ride to the top floor took forever. A few times the elevator stopped to let people either on or off. Some of them recognized Jason and he took the time to inquire about the family members he knew, especially their children or grandchildren.