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Chapter One

Cursing Jack, Morgan tossed the phone onto the seat as she tightened her grip on the steering wheel with both hands Why the hell wasn’t he answering? Didn’t he know she needed him?

The blinding snow rendered visibility i on She had never been to Jack’s lodge in the Colorado Mountains, so she’d stopped for directions when she’d reached Denver

Once again, she’d let her rashness get her into trouble, but this ti the gas station attendant’s warning about a snowstorood She had been sure she could get to Jack’s lodge before the weather turned i

Flipping the defroster on high, she slowed to a crawl as she struggled to keep her sn of another vehicle since turning off theroad, an eerie sense of isolation had unease slithering up her spine Ice-covered trees veiled the rest of theher from the world

According to her instructions, she should only be a few e Why the hell he had to live so far off the hfare was beyond her, and Jack, who told her everything, had refused to divulge anything about his business

As usual, she hadn’t stopped to think things through After discovering Joel, her now ex-fiancé, in bed with another wou and left Her only thought had been to turn to the one person who had ever given a shit about her, and so she’d steered her car toward Colorado and Jack

Morgan had been just seven years old when she’d first rounds on her parents’ estate At fifteen, he’d been big, hardworking, and gruff, but he was more tolerant of her ard antics than her parents, who had continued to ignore her no et their attention By the end of that suan had idolized Jack and vowed to h the next nineschool and it had been reinforced every summer over the next several years when she returned home and spent every available minute by his side

When Jack turned eighteen, he’d joined the Arile ten-year-old heart For four years she hadn’t seen or heard a word from him Devastated over his desertion, she’d coped with it much the sa out

With Jack gone, she wasted no ti with disularity By the time she turned fourteen and Jack returned froan had been expelled fro to vandalisht As to Ds

When Jack returned, he iuest house to work full tiroundskeeper, plu of his return frouest house, calling his name

She’d never forget her first sight of hirin on his face, his ar leap, she threw herself into his ar

“Hello, princess,” he greeted her in his rough voice

Morgan struggled to s past the tight lued in her throat and squeezed her eyes to keep fro his nickna jerk!”

“And I’veher arms, he pulled her away frorown up What happened to the gangly kid with pigtails and skinned knees who I left?”

Morgan was secretly glad he’d noticed the changes in her Much to her rin, she did not take after her By the tiure and topped herhow to respond, she pointed out the changes in Jack “You’ve changed too, Jack You’re even bigger! What did you do in the military?”

“Nothing suitable for young, iirls to hear But I am sorely disappointed in you, princess, if what I hear about you is true”