Chapter 1

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Chapter 1

Annabella Carmichael hadn’t been back to Boston Massachusetts in almost twenty years. She and her mother had left when Ana was fifteen because her mother wanted to move out to Las Vegas to take up a career as a show girl. Ana hated growing up in Las Vegas but when she hit eighteen she took the money her mother had saved for her and bought a horse ranch a few miles off the strip. She raised, bred and trained top breed horses for all sorts of things. She trained them for racing, showing and rodeo. At 5’2” tall Ana barely looked the part of a horse rancher. She had a small frame and though she had muscles from years of working on the ranch, her arms were lean and well toned. Her bright red hair was always worn in a braid down her back so it was out of her way. She wore a straw cowboy hat that an elderly man gave her. Joseph Matthews had been like a father to her.  The older gentleman had come to work as the stable manager for her when she opened the ranch and had been with her until he died fifteen years later. He had given her his only worldly possession in his will. His hat, he had treasured it and she had never seen him without it, but the day he was on his death bed, he told her that he had no family and she was the closest thing he had to a daughter. He had made her promise him she would take the hat for herself and wear it. Now people barely see her without it. 

The plane landed in Logan International Airport and as she pushed her way off the plane she wondered if any of her family would be there to pick her up. She knew her father wouldn’t be there, he had split the moment he learned that her mother was pregnant. Her grandmother passed away a few years ago and her grandfather had all but forgotten about Ana and her mother, so she assumed no one would be there for her and as her eyes scanned the crowed she knew she was right. No one had come. She didn’t even know what she was doing back in the city. Her mother died a week ago and her dying wish was to be buried in the family plot. She wasn’t sure how her grandfather was going to react but Ana did as her mother instructed. She grabbed her bag from the belt and moved toward the door.

Ana muttered a curse under her breath. It was winter time, but in Nevada it wasn’t cold and here in Boston it was snowing. She forgot because she hasn’t been back in a long time. She cursed at her self for not checking the weather. A thick blanket of snow was falling outside and she stood in her dark denim jeans, a red and black plaid long sleeve shirt rolled up to the elbows and her cowboy hat. Her work boots were the only thing that were even remotely close to being good for the winter. She frowned and cursed again. She would have to go shopping while she was in the city. 

Her eyes moved to the outside entrance where cabs were coming and going and she moved quickly to catch one. A rude kid pushed past her and grabbed the cab before her. She made a noise but didn’t do anything else. She stood there with the snow falling around her and shivered as she waited for another cab. A cab pulled up and a man got out. She couldn’t help but take a second glance at him, she felt like she had seen him before.

He was tall at a height of probably six foot five inches. He had short spiky black hair with frosty blue eyes hidden beneath a pair of thin framed square glasses. He wore a black suit with a white shirt and a black tie. On his feet he wore expensive shoes. Her eyes moved back to his face, he had a very nice face. A square jaw, high cheek bones, and full sensual lips were finished by a squared jaw. His face was neatly shaven, and his hair should have been shiny with product, but it wasn’t. She could tell that his hair spiked that natural. She bit down on her bottom lip as she tried to remember, she knows that she knows this man somehow. She did. Jackson Myers was the man who was trying to buy out her ranch so he could build another hotel. 

“Miss Carmichael” He was obviously as surprised as she was to see her. His eyes seemed to darken a bit. “What are you doing here?”

“I should be asked you the same thing Mr. Myers” Ana found her voice, even though she didn’t grow up in the south, she had picked up the southern drawl most of her clients had. The southern accent on his voice sent shivers down her back. He had been born and raised a cowboy so the accent was natural and she was a bit envious. 

“I had some business out here” His tone was even. She knew he didn’t like her and he should know that she didn’t like him, except that wasn’t what her heart was telling her as it began to beat wildly in her chest. “Why are you here?”

“If you must know, I was born here” Ana didn’t know why she was telling him this. She had known the man for three years now and he had been nothing but a pain in her a*s. “My mother died and her funeral is in a few days, but I will be home in no time.”

“I’m sorry to hear that” For once since she met him, Jackson Myers sounded sincere. She knew the surprise she felt was showing in her eyes, but she said nothing. “I’m in no rush to get back, would you like to get a cup of coffee?”

“Umm, sure, I could use something to warm up” Ana kept her eye on him, suspicion clinging to her like her tight shirt. She could tell he was sizing her up. His eyes moved over her body and she suddenly felt self-conscious. “Let’s go”

He helped her back into the cab he had just gotten out of and instructed the cab driver to take them to the local Starbucks. She sat next to him in the cab looking out the window. Her dark green eyes taking in the city, even though she saw the city of Las Vegas nearly everyday, something about Boston seemed different. It wasn’t as bright or as loud as Las Vegas. The cab driver pulled up to the Starbucks and Jackson moved around to open the door for her. She smiled politely as he paid the cabbie. She opened the door of the star buck. She ordered herself a coffee with no cream, but three sugars and she sat next to the heater. He joined her a few minutes later with a latte. 

“So for someone who was born here, you forgot what the weather was like” Jackson said softy. Ana couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or if he was teasing. 

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been back ho… here” Ana caught herself before she said the wrong thing, but she hadn’t caught herself soon enough. He has caught on she could tell by the look he gave her. Boston may have been where she was born and lived until she was fifteen, but it wasn’t her home.   

“I noticed you stop yourself” Jackson eyes her over the top of his glasses. She felt her heart stop as she met his gaze. 

“I may have lived here for the first fifteen years of my life, but this is not my home” Ana took a sip of her coffee. She had been sitting quiet for so long she hadn’t even sipped her coffee and now it was semi cold. She drank it anyway. “My mom and I left here mostly because she couldn’t get her parents support no matter what. She told me it was because she wanted to get a job in Vegas, but I knew better. My ranch is my home; I lived there with Joe. No matter what you say, I will not sell my ranch. It is my life now, Mr. Myers” 

“Who’s Joe?” Jackson asked her and she could have swore there was a hint of jealousy in his voice. He seemed to be holding his breath as he waited for her answer.

“He was the foreman of my farm.” Ana watched him. He seemed to visibly relax and let out a breath she was sure he didn’t know he was holding as she mentioned he was just the foreman of the ranch. “He was a kind older gentleman. He died a few years back and since then I’ve been taking care of the ranch myself.” 

Jackson didn’t reply and Ana knew his brain was reeling. She sighed as she watched him. He was a very attractive man, she hadn’t noticed it before, because she had been too busy hating him that she never took a moment to look at him. From what she remembered from him coming to the ranch, he wore jeans and a black t-shirt, always boots, never expensive shoes. She had never seen him without a hat, usually a baseball cap. This was a side of him she wasn’t sure she liked. She liked the rough cowboy side where he used legal terms to try to persuade her to turn over the ranch to him or when he used the worst of curses when she stubbornly refused to give in to him. She had thought about giving in a few times when a fire had nearly destroyed everything, but she got back on her feet when Joe had come into her life. 

Jackson shifted uncomfortable in his chair and she broke her gaze from his piercingly icy eyes. He had pulled off his tie and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt while she was lost in thought. The top part of his chest showed through and she felt herself wondering what the rest of his body looked like. Heat swept across her face as she pushed any sexual thoughts of him out of her head. He wanted to take her ranch from her. She would not let him have it.

“I’m sorry Mr. Myers, I have to go” Ana stood up. Jackson stood up as well. “Please, stay and enjoy your latte. I have to attend to plans for my mom’s funeral” 

“Let me help you” Jackson tossed away his empty cup in the trash that was a few feet from him.  

“I have to talk to my grandfather” Ana watches his face. He shrugged not understanding. “It won’t be easy, my grandfather disowned my mother when he found out she was pregnant and unwed. My grandparents were very traditional.”

“Maybe its best if I’m there, then” Jackson placed his hand on the small of back as they walked out of the Starbucks. “There’s a small hotel down the street if you want to check in.”

“That would be great” Ana didn’t know where the man who was trying to steal her ranch went, but she liked the new man who was standing next to her, guiding her, helping her and giving her strength. 

While Ana checked into the hotel Jackson had went to rent a car. When she came down wearing a fresh set of jeans, a long sleeve shirt and leather jacket, he was coming in the door, and somewhere between bringing her to the hotel and picking up the rental car he had changed his clothes. He wore the dark jeans and a tight black t-shirt with a baseball cap that she was used to, he must have put contacts on because his glasses were gone. She looked to his feet and saw the black cowboy boots she was used to see on him. The baseball cap he wore read Boston Red Sox on it. She almost laughed, even though she had moved to Las Vegas she had kept up with the sox. She didn’t know he was a fan.  He wore a dark blue down jacket over his black t-shirt. Ana watched him come towards her carrying a bag. He handed it to her. She raised a brow but politely opened it. Inside was a dark red down jack and a pair of matching gloves.

“Thank you, Mr. Myers” Ana took off her leather jacket and slipped the jacket and the gloves on. It was definitely warmer then her leather jacket and less likely to get ruined in the snow. “I appreciate this”

“It’s not a problem and please, call me Jackson” Jackson looked at Ana; she had pulled her hat off to put on her jacket. He took her hat from her and placed it back on her head. “You don’t look like yourself without it Miss Carmichael.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment” Ana smiled “call me Annabella, and since we’re being honest, I like the way you look with your glasses.” 

“Oh, thank you, I don’t wear them very often” He suddenly became rather shy, as the smallest hint of a blush rushed across his face. “I was late for a meeting this morning, so I didn’t have time to put my contacts in.” 

“Well, I still think glasses fit you. I promise I can pay back as soon as we find an ATM.” Ana allowed him to lead her to the door with his hand on the small of her back. She could swear she felt the heat of his hand through her jacket and shirt underneath. Once outside she pulled up her hood trying to make it work with the cowboy hat, but it didn’t work so she left the hood down.

“Don’t worry about it,” Jackson held the door open and led her to the rental car which turned out to be a black Honda Prelude, not what she expected for a man of his stature. She was expecting maybe a BMW or a Mercedes. He even seemed to be the kind of man who would drive a Mustang. 

“Why?” She knew her tone sounded accusing, but she didn’t mean it to be. She was always suspicious of people who are kind for no reason. She had learned young that when someone was kind they always wanted something in return. She was sure he would come back and tell her he wanted something from her or demand that she give him the ranch for buying her a hundred dollar coat.

 “You looked cold, and you don’t have time to go shopping for a new jacket before we go to you grandfather’s so I figured I’d help” Jackson really wasn’t sure why he bought it for her. 

When he saw her standing there in the cold with nothing but her plaid shirt and tight jeans, he wanted immediately to make her warm. He wasn’t sure how else to make her warm except to get her a jacket. He had never been in a relationship where his partner didn’t want anything from him. Jackson had been in a few relationships before but the women always demanded something of him since he had the money to buy them anything they wanted. Ana was nothing like that and it confused him. She didn’t want his money, didn’t want to be bought off. She wanted to keep her life and her dreams. She wanted him to leave her alone, so she could run her ranch without fear of being bought out. He shifted the car into gear and they moved swiftly through the snowy streets of Boston. Both of them lost in their own thoughts and an uncomfortable silence settled between them. 

Anna gave him directions to where her father lived. Her grandfather was a very wealthy man who had succeeded as a defense attorney in JAG before being discharged with honors and starting his own firm. He made a lot of money, but he never shared it with Ana, even when she called him telling him she was broke and she was going to loose her ranch. He refused, said she was no family of his and told her that she would have to do it without him. She had been heartbroken and that was the year she nearly sold her ranch. If Joe hadn’t showed up to help her put out the fire she probably would have. After the fire had been put out, they sat and talked for hours on the pouch swing. She had told him about her dream, how she wanted to breed the finest horses in that part of the country. She wanted people to come to her when they needed their horse to be trained by the best. 

Joe listened with an open heart and a smile on his face. He said that day; for her to never give up on her dream, no matter how bad things got the sun will rise again tomorrow. Things will get better, and they did. He had been by her side time and again when the representatives from Jackson’s company came to her and asked her to sell, or threatened to sell. Joe had told her not to give it up, if she sold her ranch she would give up everything she worked so hard for and he had been right.  Had she given up on her dream she would be back in Boston, crawling to her grandfather with her tail between her legs, instead of returning on her own two feet with her head held up.

As Jackson drove towards Harbor Towers, where her father lived, they remained silent. Ana dreaded this moment since her mother was diagnosed with cancer and then died three weeks later.  Her grandfather was not a pleasant man and when she called him, he practically told her to do what she wants, he doesn’t care. She lets out a soft sigh causing Jackson to look briefly at her. He looked at her with a bit of concern. She wasn’t sure what to do with this man. He was cold hearted and could be mean-spirited and he had a mouth that would make her grandmother cringe in her grave, but here he sat driving the rental towards the one man that Ana had hoped to never see again. Jackson had no idea what he was getting himself into when he agreed to accompany her to her grandfather’s, but the fact that he had told her that maybe he wasn’t as cold-hearted as he wanted everyone to believe. God, the thought of him being so kind and gently almost made her laugh out loud. That wasn’t him, and she doubted it ever would be. 

He wasn’t the kind to settle down with a woman and make a home. He had to be in charge and he hated to let others control him. She knew he didn’t like her, maybe even hated her, because she had control over him at the moment. She had something he wanted and she wasn’t giving it to him. She could tell he wasn’t used to be treated like that. She took another glance at him and saw he was staring straight ahead. He looked so different then when she saw him last. 

A week ago when she last saw him, he had been sporting a black disturbed t-shirt, and light jeans, and on his feet he had riding boots and a straw cowboy hat. He had been there to give her a large folder filled with legal terms on how he could get her land from her. She had told him to leave, using a bit more colorful language and he had obliged her. She never would have thought he would do something for her out of the kindness of his heart. She had sorely misjudged Jackson Myers and why? Because the man wanted to take her land, take her home from her just to make more money. She glanced over at him from underneath her hat. His jaw was set tight as if he wanted to ask the question that was on his mind. How bad could her father really be? Well he was about to find out.