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Chapter One

Keely McKay’s lucky cowgirl boots kicked up clouds of dust as she paced across the wooden plank floor

A mouse skittered in front of her and she jumped like a scalded cat

Sonerves of steel

Well, at least she hadn’t shrieked like a scream queen from some cheesy slasher flick

In the last twenty-three minutes and forty-two seconds she’d chewed her bottom lip to the point she tasted blood beneath the cherry-flavored lip gloss Not only that, her fingers hurt fros jumped in her stomach and were stuck in her throat She’d clenched her jaw hard enough toGiven her erratic physical reactions, one would believe she was facing the hangman’s noose An executioner’s blade Or a blind date

She wasa man A man she didn’t know A man she’d never spoken to A man who held her entire future in his hands

And that absolutely chapped her ass, sucked balls and blew donkey dick

No man ever had that much power over Keely McKay She’d made sure of it Even with five older brothers, and a dozen olderher stubbornness to get her way, not her feminine wiles

Not that she was opposed to flashing her cleage to get a leg up in this situation

No need You are a professional, qualified woman Not a Nervous Nellie Not a Wild Child Buck up

Chin up This is your time to shine

There were a hundred reasons why good fortune should finally sht on the business front: secured the funding and found the building to further the cause she believed in

On the personal side: she was a loving daughter, a dedicated sister, a loyal friend, an involved aunt A proud rown up in and hoped to grow old in She took pride in her ability to connect with people fro people Heck, she’d chosen her career because she was good at those things

She wasn’t looking for kudos or glory, just a place where she could do what she loved, help people heal close to home—close to their families

Now that her drea a need for rural healthcare—ithin her grasp, would this mysterious man help smooth a path to success? Or would he trip her up?

Maybe all this worry was for nothing Maybe she’d get lucky God knew if the decision were based on hard work, dedication, knowledge and drive, she’d be golden

Restless, she wandered through the inally Moorcroft’s first general store During the course of its existence, it’d housed the post office and an attorney’s office For the last thirty years it’d sat empty

She’d alondered why no one had renovated the stalwart stone building—an answer she was now learning firsthand New construction of steel frame structures was easier, cheaper, faster and s were lost to the blade of a bulldozer or tu ball A sad situation for a western state with precious few architectural treasures in the first place

So the State of Wyo the Wyo Historical Western Preservation Committee to deal with the lax construction policies and aded a structure’s historical ister, as well as overseeing any structural and architectural changes of registered buildings, both on the state level and with recoister

Talk about a taste of bureaucracy

After dealing with co sources, Keely discovered the entire house of cards depended upon whether she could convince the certified architectural restoration specialist to oversee the project The co a personal appearance to gauge the validity of the proposed project before rendering a decision

As if the situation wasn’t convoluted enough, she’d inadvertently discovered the restoration company she’d contacted and the co she lived in…were one in the same

Western Property Manage shared the same PO box in Denver