Howdy y’all! Five more days until BRODY hits the shelves. Woohoo! I’m going to continue with the excerpts today – everybody okay with that?

I love the fireworks between Brody and Olivia. They drove each other completely nuts. Hee.

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They slept apart that night, yet still beside each other. Olivia had rolled herself into a cocoon of blanket and gave him her back. She woke slowly, which wasn’t normal for her, confused by the body beside her. Sometime in the night she’d snuggled up beside him, her hair loose from the braid she’d put it in the night before. She sat up suddenly, yanking all the covers off them.

Brody’s gun was in his hand before she could even catch her breath.

Although, she did notice his member was as hard as stone beneath his trousers. When she licked her lips, it jerked beneath the fabric.

He cocked the pistol. “You trying to get yourself killed?”

“What are you talking about?”

He gestured to her with the gun. “You look like you were just tussling under the sheets with a man, your hair wild and mussed. Your lips are red and wet like you’ve been kissed and damned if that blouse is still open to show. You, woman, are aiming to drive me loco. That’s what I’m talking about.”

She was driving him loco with her hair, breasts and lips? Who would have thought a tough ranger like Brody could be distracted by her less-than-spectacular feminine wiles? This was a piece of knowledge she would tuck away and use to her advantage soon. It was purely satisfying to see she affected him as much as he affected her.

“I didn’t mean to do anything. I woke up and was startled because I didn’t remember where I was.” She got to her knees. “I don’t need to get shot for it, though.”

He blew out a breath and uncocked the pistol. “Jesus, woman, you are gonna kill me.”

“I hope before you kill me.” She rose on shaky legs, her body betraying her with one look at his hard, and utterly virile form. Loathe to admit it, Olivia had dreamed of him inside her again, of his mouth on her breasts and his hands between her thighs. It had been a night filled with salacious dreams starring Ranger Brody Armstrong.

“I won’t kill you, for God’s sake. I was just startled.” He ran his hands through his jet-black hair, making it stick every which way. “You’d best get up so we can get going.”

Olivia turned toward her saddlebags. “I’m not the one still in bed.”

He cursed under his breath but she heard it anyway. With a smile, she headed toward the small creek to get ready for the day. After morning ablutions with water that could’ve come from a glacier, she came back to the camp, shivering. To her surprise, Brody had made coffee and had cleaned and packed the bedrolls.

“You have skills as a housekeeper, Ranger.” She didn’t know why she kept baiting the man, but, oh, how fun it was to see his nostrils flare at her jibe.

“Just efficient as any man who lives on the trail is.” He poured himself coffee, then to her annoyance, poured the rest of it onto the ground. “You’ve got two minutes to be on your horse or get left behind.”

“You are a bastard.” She stepped up and tried to take the coffee away from him. With longer arms, he easily kept it out of her reach.

“Nope, my parents were married.” He glared down at her. “You wanted to be partners but you treat me like a naughty schoolboy. I’m a man, Liv, and I deserve better than that.”

“You deserve nothing.” She stepped up until she was nose to chin with him. “You earn my respect. I don’t give it easily.”

He dropped the cup with a clang and yanked her against him. Their lips slammed together and heat flooded through her so fast, she could’ve used that ice cold water again. His tongue invaded her mouth, even as his hardness pressed against her throbbing softness. Just like that, she was ready and willing to be with him again.

Utter madness.

He tore his mouth away and stepped back. “Holy hell, woman. What was that?”

“You kissed me.”

“Like hell I did. You pushed up against me and I reacted.”

“By kissing me?”

“No, by pushing you away. You kissed me.”

“Then why did you drop your precious coffee?” She picked up the cup, shaken to her core, her heart pounding so hard it was about to bust out of her chest.

“You knocked it out of my hand.”

Olivia’s laugh was devoid of humor. “You are fooling only yourself, Ranger. I think we’ve got less than a minute to get moving, right?” She tucked the cup and coffeepot away, nearly burning her hands in the process.

The ranger didn’t say a word, but he turned to his horse and mounted.

With no breakfast and no coffee, Olivia saddled Mariposa with little grace and was ready in minutes.

“You’re late,” he groused as he kneed his horse into motion.

“You’re a jackass.” She had the satisfaction of seeing his shoulders tense. Ha! Olivia Graham was not going to lie down and take his rejection. Oh, no, she would be the victor in this war, no matter what.

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