Page 1 of Shielded Hearts

Chapter One

Aspen Grace adjusted the leather messenger bag over her shoulder and slipped out of the big rusty pickup truck. As her designer high heels hit the gravel driveway, her ankle tilted sharply, threatening to launch her face toward the ground.

She quickly found a spot of level footing to stand on and threw a look back at the man who’d kindly offered to drive her. “Thank you for the ride…” She paused. He’d introduced himself as Big Mike, but she couldn’t bring herself to use that name.

He gave her a nod. Around the chewing tobacco stuffed in his bottom lip, he said, “Enjoy the weddin’.”

After she closed the door and got her bearings, she turned toward the expansive ranch house. The sprawling home seemed to have been added on to several times and was recently painted in a deep color that was nearly black, giving the country home a modern appeal.

A big lawn stretched toward several more impressive buildings, including a massive barn. Aspen looked around.

Music pulsed in the air, the strains of violin and acoustic guitar music drifting on the Wyoming breeze along with the low hum of voices.

Aspen’s heart sank. Well, this was terrible timing. It sounded like the wedding was about to start. Her plan of arriving at the Black Heart Ranch to personally hand-deliver the honeymoon portfolio to the newlyweds, Oaks and Shiloh Malone, quickly took a nosedive.

First, her plane left late. She thought owning a private jet would put an end to her days of following somebodyelse’s schedule, but she was wrong. Her crew came highly recommended and they had never let her down—until today, when she had a tight timeframe. She couldn’t imagine what caused them to be delayed, but she could only roll with it.

Then, she arrived in the teeny-tiny town of Willowbrook thinking that she’d have a rental car waiting, only to learn that she couldn’t rent a car in Willowbrook.

After talking to every single person working in the small hangar of the airport where she landed, she finally found someone who would give her a ride to the ranch. Big Mike’s truck smelled like exhaust and the seat looked like it had been smeared with motor oil weekly for the past decade, but it had gotten her here.

Late.

She adjusted the strap of her messenger bag again and plastered on her best wedding-crasher smile.

Hurrying forward, she tried not to twist her ankles on the uneven lawn. She hoped that the grime of the truck seat hadn’t left stains on her dress. Not only did she want to give the best first impression possible to the newlyweds, but the deep green was one of her favorite dresses to wear in the fall season.

She also hoped that she could track down the best man of the wedding before the wedding actually started.

The venue was set up on the lawn with pristine white chairs tied in blue bows that swished in the wind.

A thrill hit Aspen. It wasn’t easy finding the exact shade of blue for the honeymoon portfolio, but she’d done it.

Aspen’s personal goal was to always give her customersthe besttravel experience, from start to finish. In this case, a hand-delivered portfolio containing the itinerary and tied with a “skydiver blue” silk bow. The not-quite-navy hue wasn’t well-known and even rarer to find.

The music changed from gentle and beautiful to…Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March.”

Oh god. Notnow. Was shethatlate?

She was.

She groaned and spun around to see the bridesmaids drifting toward her. Panic hit. Should she rush up the aisle in front of them or wait and slip in after the bride?

She darted to the side—hopefully out of sight—and waited respectfully as the first bridesmaid made her way up the aisle.

When the woman, dressed in a lovely shade of blue that complemented the color of the bows on the chairs, reached the big traditional white wooden arch, she took her place opposite the groomsmen.

Aspen felt her eyes widening. She’d been to plenty of celebrity events, rubbed elbows with models and actors. All very attractive, but these groomsmen were mouth-watering—tall and muscular with perfectly tailored tuxedos.

She glanced from the groom to his best man. The dark-haired man said something to the groom that made him chuckle, but the best man didn’t laugh with him. Instead, his attention fixed on something at the back of the venue.

Oh god. Was he narrowing his eyes ather?

She gulped and felt the disturbance of someone passing by her. A second woman floating down the aisle in blue. Her blonde hair was teased by the light wind that seemed to have cooperated just for this day by giving the wedding party and guests a way to cool off against the warmth of the autumn sun.

To a crescendo of the music, the bride appeared. Glowing. Stunning. Shiloh looked like a model in a dress that stroked every curve.

Aspen felt a silly smile spread across her face. Weddings always made her cry.

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