Cindy Kirk - Your Ranch Or Mine?

Mitch dragged the toe of his boot in the sand and when his swing came to a complete halt, he stood. “But you didn’t know what made me tick and I certainly never knew what drove you.”

“All these years we’ve been left to wonder what might have been,” she mused as her swing slowed to a stop. “Wondering if great sex would have led to a great relationship if given the chance.”

He grabbed her hand and tugged her to her feet. “That’s why we should date. By the time it ends there won’t be any more unanswered questions.”

“How long do you think it will take for us to get sick of each other?”

“I don’t know,” he said, unable to pull his gaze from her lips. “I guess that’s what we’re going to find out.”

Dear Reader,

Do you ever wonder what it would be like if you ran into an old boyfriend? For me the encounter would probably happen on a day that I looked my worst. One of those days when I decide to just pop over to the grocery store for some milk. One of those days when I tell myself there’s no need to dress up. No need to fool with makeup or hair. After all, who am I going to see at such an oddball time? I’ll tell you who I’ll see—people I haven’t seen in years. People who look their best making me look even worse. People who will forever have that horrible image of me in their mind’s eye.

Life doesn’t give too many do-overs. That’s what I like about Your Ranch or Mine. Mitch and Anna are given the opportunity to see if love they felt for each other all those years earlier is still there. And despite their fears, they put their hearts on the line.

Here’s hoping you get that elusive second chance in your own life!

Cindy Kirk

www.millsandboon.co.uk

has loved to read for as long as she can remember. In first grade she received an award for reading one hundred books. Growing up, summers were her favorite time of the year. Nothing beat going to the library, then coming home and curling up in front of the window air-conditioning unit with a good book. Often the novels she read would spur ideas and she’d make up her own story (always with a happy ending). When she’d go to bed at night, instead of counting sheep, she’d make up more stories in her head. Since first selling to Harlequin in 1999, Cindy has been forced to juggle her love of reading with her passion for creating stories of her own…but she doesn’t mind. Writing for the Special Edition series is a dream come true. She only hopes you have as much fun reading her books as she has writing them!

Cindy invites you to visit her Web site at www.cindykirk.com.

To my wonderful friend, Susan Powers-Alexander.

We may not be related by blood, but in my heart

I’m proud to call you my sister.

Thank you for all the support and caring.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Epilogue

Thirty-year-old Anna Anderssen never considered herself a coward. Still, she backed out of the café in Sweet River, Montana, as fast as her legs could carry her.

Once outside she pressed her spine against the brick wall, taking in huge gulps of air. Her heart slammed against her ribs and her insides trembled.

Mitchell Donavan. Her first lover. The man she thought she’d never see again…had come home.

She’d been lucky. Although his back had been to her, at any moment he could have turned around. If he had, their eyes would have locked. Anna knew what would have happened then. The surprise in his vivid blue depths would have been replaced by anger. Perhaps even hatred. After all, what kind of woman—

Stop, she told herself, as she had so many times over the past years, you’re not that girl anymore. But was that true? Could a person really change their character? A frisson of doubt washed over her and it suddenly became hard to breathe. Anna closed her eyes and a mantra—or was it a prayer?—found its way to her lips. “Oh, God. Please. Oh, God—”

“Anna?”

Her lids flew open and Anna blinked against the bright sun. When the person who stood before her came into focus, she nearly groaned aloud. Having a meltdown on Main Street was bad enough. But having one in front of Loretta Barbee, the pastor’s wife, was disastrous.

“Are you all right, dear?” Clearly distressed, the woman’s hands fluttered in the air as she spoke. The short, quick movements reminded Anna of the wrens that frequented her backyard bird feeder. “You’re white as a sheet. Tell me what’s wrong. I’m sure I can help.”

Help? Anna swallowed a nervous giggle. There was no cure for what ailed her. And, as far as what was wrong, what could she say? That she’d seen Mitch Donavan talking to her brother and had run out of the café faster than a white-tailed jackrabbit?

Yeah, right. Saying that to this concerned soul would be the height of foolishness. Although Mrs. Barbee was a genuinely nice person, she was also one of Sweet River’s biggest gossips.

Since a direct answer was clearly out, Anna was forced to try a different tactic. She fanned her face with exaggerated movements of one hand. “I’m fine. Just overheated.”

“Perhaps I should get Seth.” Mrs. Barbee’s gaze darted to the front door of the café as if expecting Anna’s brother to instantly appear. “He could take you home.”

“No.” The word burst like a bullet from Anna’s lips.

Mrs. Barbee took a step back and brought a hand to her chest as if she’d felt the impact. But instead of pain, her eyes gleamed with curiosity.

The screen door of The Coffee Pot swung open and Anna jumped. Two cowboys she recognized as acquaintances of Seth’s strode out of the café. When they shot a curious glance her way, Anna realized that unless she wanted her reunion with Mitch to occur under Mrs. Barbee’s watchful eyes, it was time to get moving. She looped her arm through Mrs. Barbee’s and propelled the woman around the corner.

“I’m so happy I ran into you,” Anna chattered, before the minister’s wife had a chance to speak. “I promised Stacie I’d ask Pastor Barbee if he could mention something in his community announcements this Sunday about the Young Professionals group having their first meeting Tuesday night.”

Anna almost ran out of breath before she got it all out. But the string of nonstop words had the desired effect. The suspicious glitter in Mrs. Barbee’s eyes dimmed.

“Lloyd should be at the church.” A thoughtful look crossed the matron’s finely lined face. “I’m headed there now. Would you like to come with me and ask him yourself?”

“What a good suggestion.” Even as she spoke, Anna started down the sidewalk. The way she saw it, each step toward the church was one more step away from the café. “I stopped by The Coffee Pot this morning hoping business would be slow so Stacie and I could have a cup of coffee. But when I saw all the customers, I knew she was too busy to talk.”

“Once your roommate decided to settle here, she certainly embraced our little community.” Mrs. Barbee slanted a sideways glance at Anna. “Buying the café. Resurrecting the Young Professionals group.”

“Stacie likes to keep busy.” Anna kept her response simple, knowing whatever she said would be analyzed and repeated.

“Yes, well.” Mrs. Barbee’s lips pursed together. “Hopefully you can convince her to use some of that boundless energy for projects that benefit the Lord, as well.”

“I’m sure she will, once the wedding is out of the way.” The wedding, or rather the bachelorette party, had been the main reason for Anna’s trip to the café this morning.

A smile lifted her lips at the realization that in only four short weeks, Stacie would marry local rancher Josh Collins. When she’d brought her two friends to Sweet River for a brief stay, she’d never expected one of them to fall in love, buy a diner and decide to make this small town in southern Montana her permanent home.

Of course, Anna had never expected to see Mitch, either. Still feeling the shock, Anna let her gaze linger on the active senior next to her, arms churning as she power-walked her way toward the church. Everyone knew this petite dynamo had her finger on the pulse of the small community. Anna experienced an overwhelming urge to ask her what she knew. Why was Mitch back in Sweet River? Was he here to stay? Or just visiting?

Thankfully she came to her senses before the questions made their way past her lips. Satisfying her curiosity wouldn’t be worth the price she’d pay for the information. One simple question and by nightfall, it would be all over town that Anna Anderssen had been asking after Mitch Donavan.

So, instead of treading on dangerous ground, Anna kept the conversation light. By the time she concluded her business at the church, she’d had a chance to recover from her shock and plot a course of action.

The next time she saw Mitch Donavan she wouldn’t run. She’d walk over and very politely say hello. After all, she wasn’t a spineless wuss. She was a mature, confident woman. It was time she started acting like one.

Anna stared at the picture and wondered if Mercury was in retrograde.

When she’d gotten home from her visit with Pastor Barbee, her roommate, Lauren Van Meveren, had been waiting. The psychologist had announced she had a surprise, then asked Anna to meet her on the porch for some lemonade. Anna had barely sat down when Lauren had pressed a photo of Mitch into her hand.

“Meet Mr. Right.” Lauren flashed a bright smile. “Survey says…the two of you are perfect for each other.”

A distant clap of thunder punctuated the comment. Anna dropped the picture to the table like a hot potato. “Is this a joke?”

Lauren looked up from the lemonade she was pouring and chuckled. “I know. You are so lucky. The guy is superhot.”

There wasn’t a woman alive who’d argue with that. From the time Mitch had been a small boy in Sweet River, Montana, the black-haired child with brilliant blue eyes had turned female heads. His rugged good looks coupled with a standoffish attitude had certainly caught her eye. And with the confidence of a seventeen-year-old beauty queen used to getting her way, Anna had been determined to make him hers. There had been several months of exciting secret trysts before the fun had come to an abrupt end.

Lauren’s blond brows pulled together when Anna didn’t comment. “Do you know him?”

“I do.” Anna kept her voice offhand, but when she picked up the crystal tumbler filled with lemonade, her hand trembled. If Mitch had been any other ex-boyfriend, Lauren would have already known all about him. But Anna had kept secret her long-ago relationship with Mitch. From the community. From her family. From even her closest friends.

Staring into the pale yellow liquid in the glass, Anna marveled at the change a few hours could make. When she’d hopped out of bed this morning, her life had been sunny-side up. Now the yolk had busted.

“Is something wrong with him?” Lauren pressed. “Should I drop him from the study?”