Page 1 of Falling for Sierra

CHAPTER 1

Blake Winters stepped into the Round Up bar and looked around the dim room. This wasn’t the type of crowd he was used to, but tonight, that was exactly what he was looking for. He’d come in from Denver a couple hours earlier and checked into one of two small hotels in town to be prepared for his meeting the next day, but tonight, he wanted to relax.

He was tired of women who knew who he was. Women who knew his net worth and were after little more than a piece of his money or their fifteen minutes of fame. He wanted someone real. Someone who was attracted to him for something more than the number of zeros on his bank account.

Tonight, he’d traded his designer suit for a pair of worn jeans and a faded cap. He’d never been to the area before, so there was little chance he’d be recognized. Tonight, Blake was going to find out if he still knew how to pick up a woman by charm alone.

He scanned the room, looking for something, anything, that caught his attention. At first, nothing stood out, then after a moment, he spotted her. He’d missed her for a moment because she wasn’t looking for attention. Instead, she sat alone at a table, sipping a frozen drink through a straw, while she made notes in the notebook sitting open beside her drink. A woman about his age, maybe a couple years younger, with an understated beauty. Pretty without being overblown or over-made up.

Blake wasn’t sure if it was her lack of interest in what was going on around her or the self-confidence required to be in a busy room like this and do her own thing. Either way, it intrigued him. The woman who’d caught his eye was one of only a few people in the entire place. He was another, who wasn’t all decked out. She looked nice, but not like she’d spent half the day making sure she looked just right before hitting the bar. Something about her, whether it was the way she didn’t seem to care that she wasn’t the center of attention or something else he hadn’t figured out yet, seemed to call out to Blake.

He was out of his element.

Blake was used to boardrooms, and high rises, not small towns where everybody knew everyone. He was used to everyone knowing who he was, but tonight he was the stranger. He had come to town to meet with a realtor about buying a home in the area. But that wasn’t until tomorrow. He shook his head as he gave a mental laugh. He originally thought of the area as rural and maybe a little backward, but he was looking for something bigger than the average house. He’d done his research and knew there were places not too far away like what he was after.

If things worked out the way he wanted, this place would be his escape, his haven. Where he went, and took his family when he had one, when he didn’t have to be in the city. Which, if things went along with his plans, would be often.

Blake had high hopes about how much time he’d be able to spend away from the city. He had started a few months ago, trying to set things up so he wouldn’t have to be there all the time and could build a life outside the office.

From what little he’d seen so far, he liked the little town of Hawthorne, Wyoming. It reminded him of the small mid-west town where he’d grown up.

A wry smile curved his lips as he remembered how much he’d hated the tiny town he’d grown up in and how badly he’d wanted to get out.

He had gotten out. He’d gone to school and made a good living. Now he wanted a life. The irony that seeking happiness should take him back to what he’d once hated and couldn’t wait to escape wasn’t lost on him. He just ignored it as he shook his head and turned his attention to other things.

He glanced again at the woman still sitting at the table. She looked content and like perhaps she wanted to be left alone. Maybe he should stay where he was or find someone else? With a shake of his head, he dismissed the idea. Blake hadn’t gotten where he was today by letting doubt get in his way. If she wasn’t interested, all she had to do was say so. He’d back off.

“Hello, mind if I join you?” he asked as he stopped beside her table.

She looked up and blinked. Blake found that not only was she confident enough to do her own thing in a crowded bar, but she was also beautiful too. More than the just pretty as he’d originally thought. She blinked again as if it took a moment for his words to register.

“Um, sure.” She used her pen to motion to the other side of the table, then laid it on top of her notebook. “You’re not from around here.” She gave him a friendly smile as she turned her attention to him instead of whatever she’d been doing.

“No,” he smiled back, “not yet at least.” He glanced around again and wondered if she was as interested in him as he was in her, or just being polite.

“Not yet?” She tilted her head as she watched him.

“I’m supposed to look at some places tomorrow,” he scanned the room, catching the eye of the waitress and giving her a nod to let her know he was ready. “I’m considering buying a place and moving out here, if I can find what I’m after.”

She narrowed her eyes as she watched him for just a moment. “Where are you from?”

“Originally? Missouri, but I’ve been in Denver for the last ten years.” Blake wasn’t sure why he’d told her that. He normally didn’t tell anyone where he’d grown up. It wasn’t a secret, just something he didn’t enjoy talking about.

“What kind of place you looking for? I grew up around here, and I know most of the area pretty well.”

“A good-sized place, both the house and property. I’ll need at least ten acres, if not more. I want a house big enough for a family.”

“Planning to move your family here? We’ve got wonderful schools. How old are your kids?”

“No kids, I’m not married. At least not yet. I’m looking though.” He gave her his best enticing smile, but hers didn’t change.

Instead, she watched him for a moment, saying nothing.

“You wouldn’t be Blake Winters, would you?” She tilted her head to one side.

He hesitated a moment, wondering who here, in the small town of Hawthorne, might recognize him and why. He wasn’t a celebrity, but he wasn’t a stranger to the press either. His name had been in the paper several times, but he hadn’t expected anyone to know that out here. It wasn’t an accident that he was several hours from Denver. He’d wanted more anonymity than being near the city would give him.

“I am. And you would be?” Had he said anything that might be used against him now that she knew who he was? He didn’t think so. Did she know more than his name? He had to assume so because few knew that without knowing more. He didn’t want to have given her something she might use against him.

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