Page 3 of Cowboys Next Door

Dear Ms. Winterbourne,

Thank you for submitting your DNA to our state-of-the-art facility. We have exciting news to share with you. Your results confirm that you have new DNA matches that are close relatives!

I stare at the words like I’m reading a foreign language, none making a lick of sense to me in the order they’re written.

What? How? Who?

For a fleeting second, I consider that this is a scam, but as quickly as the notion is formulated, it dissolves. Suddenly, I remember the ancestry test that Tony had given me for Christmas, the one I’d taken at his insistence, even though it had left a sour taste in my mouth.

I’d done it to please him, his own excitement overriding my discomfort.

“It’ll be fun,” he had said, grinning that stupid, goofy smile. “You never know who you might meet.”

“My entire family is dead,” I’d told him then, hoping the flatness of my words would discourage him. “How fun can it be to get confirmation of that?”

But after several more minutes of prodding and urging, I’d finally relented, if only to stop him from asking.

And now I’m eating my own words.

This has to be a joke,I muse, blinking as my eyes scan the email further, taking in the rest of the message.They must be looking to make more money or something.

Swallowing, I force myself to continue, but the rush of blood in my ears makes it impossible to focus. I expect some vague reference to a distant second cousin, three times removed, but as I continue to peruse, my astonishment mounts.

The Family Tree Discovery database has discovered that your paternal grandmother, Katherine Winterbourne, born September 12, 1950, currently resides near Helena, Montana. Her records indicate that she is open to reconciling with lost familial matches.

If you would like more information, please respond to this email, and we will connect you to Ms. Winterbourne.

Congratulations on your familial match!

Sincerely,

The Family Tree Discovery Team

Gasping, I slam the computer shut, leaving me in complete darkness. I’m on my feet, rushing toward the door, grabbing for my purse as I rush out into the hallway, not bothering to lock the condo in my wake.

Slam!

It slaps close behind me like it always does, but I don’t look as I run down the hall, determined to get to the convenience store before it closes. I’m going to need that bottle of wine tonight—or something a hell of a lot stronger than that.

Like tequila.

CHAPTER2

Rose

My fingers curl and uncurl around my purse as I stand at the curb, a cool wind trickling down the collar of my jacket, taking me by surprise. I don’t know why I expected it to be warmer in Montana, even though it’s only mid-spring.

Maybe I’ve watched too many Western movies.

A black pickup truck glides to a stop at the airport curb. The passenger window smoothly rolls down, unveiling the driver’s stunningly attractive face, which is partially obstructed by the wide brim of a black cowboy hat.

“Rose? Rose Winterbourne?”

My pulse races. I’m amused by the hat, but it doesn’t displace my distrust of this stranger.

“Are you Rose Winterbourne?” he asks again, his tone both sexy and with a hint of irritation.

Don’t talk to strange men in strange cars, Rose. That’s like rule 101 on the street… even if they kind of make you tingle all over.

---