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Chapter One

After a leisurely drive ad wildflower-laden fields, open pastures, and acres of cattle and horses, Eden’stook a sharp U-turn back into Sucksville Only this time she wasn’t trapped at work, she was stuck in unknown territory Boone Ranch Refuge was far off the beaten track, ss had been looking up when she turned off the two-lane county road and driven through the impressive wood and stone archway that assured her she’d reached Boone Ranch

Her sudden flare of nerves wasn’t surprising She had a lot to do and a limited time to do it And this time, she was determined to earn her father’s respect Did she wish there was another way? Yes, definitely HerAnd on paper, the work done here orth funding But her father insisted things weren’t as on the up-and-up as they see—to look deeper, review every scrap of paper, bill, invoice and ledger Her father h to sway the board’s opinion, but Eden knew better Before she left, she’d make sure her father and the board were satisfied

Logically, she needed to start at the refuge But dropping in on a grantee for a surprise audit was a first Norive her applicants a checklist of what she needed and ti in order But this was different She had a job to do and not much time to do it The infamously prickly Dr Boone would have to deal with the inconvenience Still, she suspected he wouldn’t be pleased But dealing with Dr Boone would be worth it if she left with information that made her father happy

The sun poured into her s and drove on, bouncing over a cattle guard The farther she drove, thecows and a herd of red-and-white goats dotted the sprawling pastureland It was peaceful and quiet, soothing to her frazzled nerves She bounced across another cattle guard and dodged a wild-eyed roadrunner

But her drive was cut short when the car’s engine sputtered She coasted to a stop, staring at the dash No lights No beeping No clicks And no air-conditioning Just dead She opened the door, the heat i so She closed her eyes, rested her head on the headrest and tried to think

But when she opened her eyes, she screa herself back into the car seat to avoid the massive black horse that had shoved its head inside the tiny car, putting the the crap out of her

Her screa its head on the door fra in its wake

She pried her fingers off the steering wheel and covered her face What rong with her? It was a horse A horse On a horse refuge

Her fingers sought out the three turquoise stones on her braided leather bracelet Three stones, three words Take a breath Krista, her counselor, said it was a centering phrase Take a breath Soether

Yes, having an immobile car was inconvenient And her dead cell phone, which she’d been charging in the car, was no help But she wasn’t the damsel-in-distress type Was she thrilled about the two-plus-mile trek ahead of her? No Not at all She was irritated and hot, but none of this was earth-shattering

That included an excessively inquisitive aniiant black horse A horse that was already too close again, its thickly fringed eyes focused on her

She aze “Would you please back up?”

The horse didn’t move

She took a deep breath and slowly climbed out of the car

The horse flicked its ears in her direction, the head rose, big brown eyes blinked She stood, her back pressed against the hot metal of her car, and waited But the horse didn’t ainst the side of a cactus

“Da to examine the spot Two sharp needles stuck out of her pale skin Her sweat-slick fingers e One she cursed through By the ti “Damn it”