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  The other man’s shoulders sank a little, his burdens seemingly heavy. “You always do. Thank you, Tanner. I’ll be in touch.”

  ***

  Neil Luther, Special Agent in Charge of the Minneapolis field office, had a heavy heart as he watched his best agent walk out the door. At the age of thirty-three, twelve years into his career with the FBI, Tanner James had shown a level of dedication and sacrifice most agents would never match. What he’d been through in the last six years would break most men, and considering that, it was no wonder he didn’t mind long days in the computer lab. It was a piece of cake compared to the mental and physical demands of his primary field of service.

  Unfortunately, he wouldn’t be back in the lab for a while. His hard duty wasn’t over yet. SAC Neil Luther had been asked to prepare Tanner for his next job in the field, and as Luther learned more about what that was going to entail, he’d decided the best thing he could do to get his man ready would be to simply allow him to live a normal life. Even if it was for only a little while.

  The young agent needed to get to know his country again. To see what he was fighting for firsthand.

  The bureau owed him that chance, and more.

  CHAPTER 2

  It was an off week at the Full Heart Ranch Veterans Retreat Center, where the schedule was two weeks on, one week off. To be more specific, two weeks of basically non-stop action working with wounded veterans and their families, then a week of rejuvenation for the staff, and time to get ready for the next retreat.

  Employee Izzy Harding enjoyed all the weeks. She loved her work as a physical therapist, and there was absolutely nowhere she’d rather put her skills to use. Working with the veterans who came to the ranch was challenging, fun, and extremely rewarding.

  The retreats were also exhausting, so the down weeks were much appreciated.

  Today was Monday following a retreat wrap-up on Saturday, and the physical therapy staff was finishing up paperwork from the last group of participants. It was a relaxed day, with no set schedule, and Izzy had plenty of time to deliver a birthday gift to one of her friends working in another building.

  “I’ll be back in twenty minutes,” she called to her two co-workers across the room. “Today is Andi’s birthday and I’m going to run my gift over to her.”

  She got waves from Jolene and Lowell as she hurried out clutching a gift bag brimming with pink and blue tissue paper. The bag made Izzy grin every time she looked at it. She’d bought the gift a week ago, and it had been torture waiting a whole seven days to give it.

  She could hardly wait to see her friend’s face when she pulled out the adorable maternity top. Andi thought she’d done such a good job hiding her very new pregnancy, but Izzy had guessed almost right away. She’d caught her normally very focused friend gazing off into space more than once, and she’d watched her sob almost uncontrollably when Debbie the horse had given birth. Most telling of all, she’d seen the secret looks Andi and her husband, Charlie, had been exchanging when they thought no one was looking.

  Yep, the girl was definitely pregnant, and it was time for the best friend to be brought into the loop. Izzy would of course keep their secret, but she wanted Andi to know she knew. Girls needed to talk about these things.

  As she walked, Izzy said a silent prayer for a healthy pregnancy. Andi and Charlie would be fantastic parents, and were in a great place to start a family. Izzy couldn’t help but think back to when they had first come to the retreat center as participants, back when Izzy had been interning there. Charlie had been one of their most challenging veterans. He’d lost the lower part of both legs in Afghanistan, and his and Andi’s marriage had been on the rocks because he refused to accept his disability, or to get help. He’d been angry and abrasive, and Izzy and the other physical therapists had been almost scared to work with him.

  In the end, though, events had conspired to change his outlook and convince him he had a contribution to make, legs or not. Two years later, the couple had returned as permanent staff. Charlie was now a licensed counselor, and Andi had chosen to put her nursing career on hold indefinitely in order to help run the equestrian center. She was a big fan of the hippotherapy program the center had recently implemented, and her enthusiasm and organizational skills were put to good use.

  When Izzy had returned to work at the retreat center herself, she and Andi had immediately hit it off, and a strong friendship had been born. Thankfully Charlie approved, and was willing to share his wife from time to time.

  Izzy exited the gym building and lifted her face to the warm summer sun. Ahh, summer in North Dakota was nothing short of delightful. Not too long ago she would’ve staunchly claimed she’d never come back to live in Barlow, North Dakota, and yet here she was, happy as could be and hoping she never had to leave. The retreat center had become the center of her world, and being groomed to take on the responsibility of heading up the physical therapy department was her new dream come true.

  Izzy felt fulfilled personally, spiritually, and professionally. Life was wonderful, and she thanked the good Lord daily for the opportunities she’d been given.

  Entering the equestrian center, affectionately referred to on campus as “the barn”, she scanned the big open area, looking for her friend. There were several horses being worked in the rings, but no Andi that she could see.

  That was good. If Andi was already in her office, Izzy wouldn’t have to worry about trying to lure her there in order to give the gift in private.

  She veered off down the hallway to the office wing, taking a left when she came to a tee, heading toward the room Andi shared with one of her assistants. A few steps in, Izzy’s eyes grew wide and she stopped in her tracks, needing to be still and quiet in order to fully appreciate the view before her.

  A man was standing in Andi’s doorway. His back was to Izzy, but oh gracious, what a back view it was. He was tall, at least a few inches over six feet she guessed, with broad shoulders, a trim waist, an eye-catching behind, and endless legs clad in faded denim. His stance was casual, one knee bent, his left forearm resting along the doorframe above his head, his right hand clutching a folder he was tapping against his leg.

  Was it okay to appreciate the sight quite so much? At one point in her life Izzy wouldn’t have thought twice about it. Shoot, she’d already be in the doorway with the guy, talking and flirting up a storm, trying to grab his interest before anyone else had a chance.

  But that was then. Izzy hadn’t flirted with a guy in over two years, and she didn’t intend to start now.

  Still, she couldn’t help but be curious about this man. Who was he, and why was he talking to Andi?

  She crept closer, wanting to hear his voice. She predicted a nice smooth baritone—and bingo, she was totally right. He was asking about the eating habits of a particular horse, and his voice was every bit as attractive as the rest of him. But why was he talking about feeding horses? Had Andi hired a new staffer and not mentioned it?

  Okay, now Izzy had to know more.

  First she needed to see his face. She pictured it in her mind’s eye. He’d have blue eyes, in contrast to the dark walnut brown of his hair. They’d be sparkling and animated, with laugh lines at the corners. His nose would be straight and perfectly proportioned, and his lips would be just a touch on the full side and curved into a warm smile, indicating a good sense of humor and a healthy enjoyment of life.

  He would definitely be gorgeous—not that it mattered especially, she just figured the front view needed to match the rear view. She walked toward him and cleared her throat to announce her presence, preparing to be wowed by his awesomeness.

  He stepped away from the door frame and turned toward her, and Izzy actually faltered, coming to a halt about five steps away from him. Her smile froze and she swallowed hard, trying to regroup. Oh, this wasn’t at all what she’d expected. Not that he wasn’t gorgeous, because he totally was. Although his eyes were dark chocolate instead of blue, and his lips were totally masculine and
not at all pouty, he was an incredibly beautiful man.

  This particular beautiful man, however, had the coldest, hardest eyes she’d ever seen, and it didn’t look like those lips had smiled in a very long time. When his gaze met hers, there was no welcome there, none of the appreciation she usually saw when meeting a man for the first time. No raise of an eyebrow, no suggestive smile, no calculating glint in his eyes.

  Instead there was no expression whatsoever, just a quick flick of those dark eyes as he coolly assessed her from head to toe. It left her feeling as if he’d summarily cataloged her for future reference, just in case recalling her from memory was ever necessary, and then he’d dismissed her.

  He looked back toward whoever he’d been talking to in the office. “Looks like you have another visitor. I’ll catch up with you later.”

  Izzy heard Andi’s voice telling him she’d meet him in the stable area in a half hour, then the man walked toward her—and past. Without a word.

  Oh, that wasn’t going to fly. Not even close.

  “Um, excuse me,” Izzy called, coming out of her paralysis and spinning around, because, manners. He obviously had none, but she wasn’t going to let him brush her off like a gnat or some other insect he considered bothersome and beneath his attention. “Excuse me,” she repeated, a little more forcefully. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”

  He stopped, hesitated, then turned around, his dark, dark eyes finally showing some expression. Too bad it was only annoyance.

  “I’m Tanner,” he said curtly.

  “Izzy. I work over in the physical therapy department.” She stood there a little awkwardly, feeling like a hand-shake would be in order, but too afraid to put it out there because he might leave her hanging.

  He nodded shortly. “I’ll probably see you around then.” He started to turn away once again, but Izzy wasn’t having it.

  “Wait,” she said, frowning. “Do you work here?”

  He slowly turned back, his gaze cooler than ever. “I’m volunteering for a while.”

  “Oh, well, that’s good. We always need volunteers.” She tilted her head and managed a smile, determined to be welcoming to this taciturn man in spite of his obvious lack of social skills. “When did you start?”

  “Two days ago.”

  “That’s not much time to settle in. Have you seen the whole campus yet?” Oh, ugh. Where had that come from? It sounded like she was offering to show him around, and that’s not what she’d intended—was it?

  He folded his arms across his chest, his expression now one of exaggerated patience. “Most of it. I can find my way around.”

  Izzy scowled to cover her embarrassment about being blown off. She folded her own arms, matching his stance. “Did Andi forget to tell you we’re friendly around here?”

  His eyes narrowed and she couldn’t help but admire his thick black lashes.

  “What Andi told me was that no one will bother me if I don’t want to be bothered.”

  “Hmm,” Izzy murmured, wondering what made the man tick. “We don’t get many loners around here. Why did you come to a place that’s teeming with people if you don’t want to interact with them?”

  “I like the horses,” he said shortly.

  She tilted her head a little further. “So you’d rather spend time with creatures that don’t force you into conversation?” Izzy gave him a slow, speculative smile. “You’re a challenge, Tanner.”

  “I’m also not interested, Izzy,” he said cuttingly, “so don’t bother.”

  She raised her brows, taken aback by his bluntness. He obviously assumed her questions were come-ons, which she found more than a little embarrassing. Which in turn made her a little snippy. “For the record, I’m not flirting. You’re definitely not my type. I’m just being civil and nice, like people tend to be around here. Maybe you should give it a try.”

  A muscle jumped in his jaw before he replied. “Why would I want to do that? So more people could not flirt and keep me from my work?”

  Wow, the man didn’t hold back. Before she could respond, he went on. “My job is the horses. That’s it. No socializing required.”

  Call her stubborn, but Izzy wasn’t quite ready to give up. “Not required, no, but certainly preferable to being surly and alone the whole time you’re here. Don’t you think?”

  “Nope.”

  She grinned now, more intrigued than ever. “We’ll see about that,” she said lightly. “I don’t know why you’re so determined to push people away, but be warned, no one leaves the Full Heart Ranch unchanged. This place has a way of meeting needs we don’t even know we have. You just have to be open to it.”

  “Thanks, but I’m good.” He turned on his heel and this time Izzy didn’t call him back. She watched until he left the hallway, then hurried into Andi’s office.

  “You might as well give up before you even start,” her friend said as soon as Izzy got through the door. “Tanner James is too hard of a nut to crack, even for you.”

  Izzy glared at her. “I don’t know what you’re inferring,” she said defensively. “I was just being friendly.”

  Andi raised a knowing brow and Izzy protested further. “I honestly wasn’t trying to flirt, if that’s what you think. He’s way too scary to flirt with. Yet he still totally blew me off.”

  “He obviously thought you were flirting.”

  Izzy fought a childish urge to stomp her foot. “I wasn’t though! I admit the old Izzy would’ve been all over a man like that in a hot second, but I’m the new Izzy, remember? I’m no longer looking for love in all the wrong places.”

  Andi stood up and circled around her small desk, hugging her friend warmly. “I know you’re a new creation,” she said proudly. “I also know that men still tend to drop at your feet, begging for the crumbs of your attention. I’m pretty sure a tiny part of you is a little peeved that Tanner didn’t react that way, but don’t take it personally. He’s locked up tight. The only time he relaxes is when he’s with the horses. Otherwise, there’s no emotion evident at all.”

  “He said he’s only been here for two days.”

  Andi nodded. “Yeah. I didn’t even know he was coming. He evidently knows Ryan and Tuck, and that’s how he ended up here. He’s on a short sabbatical or something.”

  Izzy’s ears perked up. Ryan and Tuck and their wives were the owners of the retreat center, but the men weren’t involved in the day-to-day operations. They were actually FBI agents working out of the Fargo field office.

  “Wait,” Izzy said, her mind busy with possibilities. “Tanner knows the guys? Is he with the FBI, too?”

  Andi shrugged. “Dunno. They’re the ones who vetted him, I just got assigned to supervise him until he’s comfortable with the horses and our routine.”

  “Well it’s a shame he’s such a downer. I wish there was a way to get him to lighten up.” Izzy didn’t know why she felt so strongly about it, but for some reason she didn’t want to walk away and leave Tanner with the solitude he claimed to want.

  Andi put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes. “Izzy Harding, I see the wheels turning in that curly head of yours. Whatever you’re planning, I’m not sure it’s a good idea.”

  “I’d just like to see him relax and smile a little,” Izzy said with an innocent shrug. She thought about it for a moment, then tossed her head determinedly. “I think I’ll make that my new short-term goal in life. Tanner James needs to lose the scary glare, and replace it with a smile.”

  “Oh please don’t irritate him,” Andi begged. “He’s really good with the horses, and we need him because Bob had to go on extended leave—his father is really sick. I don’t want an overly friendly staff-person to drive Tanner away, and I don’t think Tuck and Ryan would like it either. They seem really excited about having him here.”

  “But it’s not like I was even being overly friendly,” Izzy insisted, raising her hands palm up, the almost forgotten gift bag dangling from an index finger. “I asked if he’d had a tour of th
e campus, and he bit my head off.”

  “Well, he’s made it clear he doesn’t want to be bothered. Let’s honor that wish, okay?”

  “But—”

  “No buts. He’s my volunteer and I want him to stay. He’s basically a horse whisperer, you know. The animals love him already.”

  “So I can’t go for the smile?” Izzy asked, feeling defeated.

  “He doesn’t even smile for the horses, and he actually likes them.”

  “Dang. What a waste.” Izzy shook off Tanner’s rebuff for the moment—she’d figure out what to do about him later. Now she held up the gift bag.

  “Back to the reason I’m here. I came to wish you happy birthday and give you your gift.”

  “Aww, you didn’t have to get me anything,” Andi protested automatically as she grabbed for the bag.

  “Of course I did. And I wanted to. Trust me, you’re going to love, love, love it.”

  Andi excitedly dug through the tissue paper and pulled out the pretty floral shirt. “Oh, it’s so cute!” She held it up, her eyes widening and her jaw dropping when she realized it sported a label from the maternity section. “No way, Izzy! Oh my gosh, that’s why you chose a pink and blue gift bag.” She quickly folded the tags inside the shirt, lest anyone walk in and see it. Her voice lowered to just above a whisper. “How in the world did you find out? Charlie is the only other person in the universe who knows! Other than the people at the doctor’s office, that is.”

  Izzy gave her a happy hug. “I’m your best friend, I pick up on these things. Of course, I haven’t told a soul, and I won’t. But you can confide in me now, see? Charlie’s great, but every pregnant girl needs another woman to talk to. It’s a hormone thing, from what I hear.” She held out her arms and gave a little bow. “Lucky for you, I’m your woman.”