Four hundred and fifty-three wooly sheep later, Liberty Lou Holiday was still wide awake.

She wanted to blame her sleeplessness on being in the country. After living in an apartment in downtown Houston for the last five years, she was used to the sounds of a big city: bustling traffic, carousing drunks, and blaring sirens. She was no longer used to the creaks and hums of the old farmhouse she had grown up in. Or the chirp and buzz of the insect band that had positioned itself beneath her open window. But the truth was that it wasn’t the cricket quartet or the creaks of the old farmhouse keeping her awake.

To Liberty, sleep was a waste of time. She would much rather be answering emails, uploading photographs from the last wedding on the Holiday Sisters Events website, posting on their social media sites, and maybe even watching some TikTok for event ideas. Unfortunately, the Wi-Fi at the ranch had gone out that morning and the Wi-Fi company couldn’t send someone out until the following week.

So here she was, staring at the Jonas Brothers poster on the ceiling of her childhood bedroom and counting an entire flock of sheep. Maybe that was her problem. As a cattle rancher’s daughter, maybe she shouldn’t be counting sheep. Maybe she should be counting cows.

Not that her father owned cows anymore. All the cattle had been sold to pay off the ranch’s debt. It still hadn’t been enough to save the Holiday Ranch from foreclosure.

A few weeks ago, Liberty had wanted to hog-tie the owner of Oleander Investments, the company who was foreclosing on the ranch, string him up in the old oak tree in the backyard, and take turns with her five sisters beating him with a piñata stick. But after she learned he was the sweet boy she’d gone to high school with, her temper had cooled.

Corbin Whitlock wasn’t the type of person to kick a family out of their home. He probably didn’t even know the Holiday Ranch was being foreclosed on. Oleander was a large company and things happened in a large company that bosses weren’t always aware of. Holiday Sisters Events was a small business and there were still things that slipped past Liberty. Thankfully, she had her twin sister, Belle, to catch those little details.

Liberty was sure as soon as Corbin found out who the ranch belonged to, he would stop the foreclosure proceedings immediately. He’d had a crush on Liberty in high school. When she met with him tomorrow morning, she intended to be the charming head cheerleader, homecoming queen, and student council president of all his adolescent dreams.

That was if she didn’t have big bags under her eyes from lack of sleep.

Maybe what she needed to get to sleep wasn’t sheep as much as exercise.

Tossing back the covers, she sat up and reached for her old roper cowboy boots. The leather was so soft and worn they molded to her feet like a cozy pair of slippers. In Houston, she wore designer high heels that added a good four inches to her already tall five-foot-nine-inch height. But here on the ranch, there were no snobby socialites she needed to impress—no arrogant businessmen she needed to intimidate.

Not wanting to wake her mama, daddy, and Grandma Mimi, she decided to exit the house the same way she had as a teenager. But climbing out the two-story window and down from the elm tree had been much easier when she’d been younger. Or maybe what had been easier was doing it in jeans versus a skimpy tank top and a pair of baggy boxers. By the time she finally made it to the ground, she had bark scrapes on the back of her thighs and a splinter in her butt.

After picking out the splinter, she headed toward the barn that sat behind the house. It was the quintessential country barn—big and red with a hayloft over the wide double doors. Just looking at it brought back sweet memories of grooming beloved horses, playing with litters of kittens and baby farm animals, having secret sister meetings in the hayloft, and, recently, hosting two weddings.

It was still hard to believe that Sweetie and Cloe were married . . . and that Cloe was now pregnant with Liberty’s first niece or nephew. Just the thought of a sweet little baby caused her heart to clench with longing, but she had never been one to wallow in self-pity so she doused the feeling with a good dose of logic. She didn’t have time for marriage or kids. Her entire focus should be on turning Holiday Sisters Events into the most successful event-planning business in all of Texas. She and Belle were well on their way to making that dream come true. Their calendar was filled all the way until next year with weddings, anniversary and birthday parties, and business and holiday events.

Which was why it was so hard being here when she should be back in Houston working alongside Belle. But all six of the Holiday sisters had agreed to take a shift staying at the farmhouse to help their parents and grandmother unravel the mess their daddy had made of the ranch’s finances and help them through the process of losing the land that had been in her family for generations. Sweetie and Cloe had taken their turns and now it was Liberty’s. Instead of bellyaching about it, she needed to concentrate on doing everything she could to keep her family from losing their house too.

And this barn.

After putting together two weddings for her sisters, Liberty had come to realize what a gold mine the barn was. It was a perfect wedding venue. She’d had more than a few clients who had wanted a country-themed wedding and would have loved having their wedding and reception in a barn—even if it was over an hour away from Houston. But since barn venues were snatched up quickly, they’d had to settle for a hotel reception with bales of hay and country decorations.

But if Liberty could convince a sweet country boy to not foreclose on her family’s ranch, her new brother-in-law, Rome Remington, would pay off the loan in exchange for the land and Holiday Ranch would stay in the family. Mama, Daddy, and Mimi would get to keep the house and barn.

A barn that would become extremely profitable if Liberty had anything to say about it.

As she stood there looking at the barn and thinking about how much money she could make on it, a soft breeze blew over her, bringing with it the familiar scent of Texas wildflowers.

While she’d been born in the middle of summer, springtime was her favorite time in Texas. The winds were mild and the humidity low with temperatures usually in the high seventies or low eighties. Everywhere you looked, wildflowers bloomed in a rainbow of colors. Being that it was late April, the bluebonnets were gone, but primrose, poppies, Indian paintbrush, and phlox were in full bloom. The moon hung in the clear night sky like a relaxing C and clusters of stars twinkled like sequins on a prom dress.

As much as she hated to admit it, Liberty had missed home. She had missed the wide-open spaces and the scent of rich earth and cow manure. She had missed the sky that stretched from horizon to horizon without one building or billboard to block the view.

Making her way around the barn, she headed across the open pasture. She didn’t pay attention to where she was going, but somehow her feet knew. Before long, she reached a cluster of oaks, mesquite, and cypress trees.

Cooper Springs had always been one of her favorite spots on the ranch. In the very center of the trees was a crystal-clear pool of water that held memories of picnics with her family, skinny-dipping with her sisters, and fishing with her daddy. The clear blue water looked magical with the moon and stars reflected in its surface.

She didn’t hesitate to slip off her boots and dip her toes in.

The water was cold, but not too cold. After the long walk, it felt good on her sweaty feet. She knew it would feel just as good on her naked body. She stripped off her tank top and boxers and dove in. The shock of the cold water took her breath away and she came up gasping. Her gasp turned to a startled shriek when a deep voice spoke behind her.

“It shore takes your breath away, don’t it, darlin’?”

She whirled to see a man treading water not more than ten feet away. It was too dark to see the features of his face. All she could make out was the dark outline of his broad shoulders and the golden-red tint of his slicked-back hair. Once she got over her surprise, annoyance set in.

“This is private property. You have exactly ten seconds to get gone or I’m calling the sheriff—who just happens to be my brother-in-law and lives right down that road.”

There wasn’t a speck of concern in his reply. Just humor. “I hate to doubt a lady, but I am a little curious about how you plan on calling your big bad sheriff brother-in-law. Because if my eyes didn’t deceive me—and they rarely do when I’m truly focused on something—you aren’t carrying a cellphone.”

Most women would be a little intimidated about now. It was dark. He was a stranger. She was alone . . . and naked. But Liberty wasn’t most women. She had a drawer of first-place ribbons in both the breaststroke and the hundred-yard dash. She knew she could outswim and outrun this cocky man with both hands tied behind her back.

She stared him down. “I don’t need a cellphone when I was voted loudest cheerleader ever to grace the halls of Wilder High. Leave now or I’ll make sure people hear me scream in the next county.”

He held up his hands, moonlight reflecting off a pair of extremely well developed biceps. “Now don’t get all riled, darlin’. I’m not here to cause any trouble. I heard how pretty Cooper Springs is and had to see it for myself.” He lowered his hands and continued to tread. “I also heard that this property no longer belongs to the Holidays. And I’m assuming you’re a Holiday.”

Damn, the townsfolk of Wilder. They never had known when to keep their big mouths shut. “Yes, I’m a Holiday and you’ve heard wrong. Possession is nine-tenths of the law. And as long as my family is still living on this ranch, these springs are ours.”

“That’s not quite how the law works, but I’m not here to argue over who does and does not own these springs.” He glanced around. “There seems to be plenty of space for two insomniacs to enjoy a late-night swim. I’m Jesse Cates, by the way. A mediocre rodeo roper and a restless wanderlust.”

“So, basically, you’re a rodeo bum.”

His teeth flashed. “Pretty much. And you are?” When she started to answer, he cut her off. “No, wait. Let me guess. You’re one of the infamous Holiday sisters. Since I heard Sweetheart and Clover are married and you don’t seem to have a husband in tow, I’m going to say you’re either Liberty, Belle, Halloween, or Noelle. Since I also heard that Belle and Liberty live in Houston and Noelle in Dallas, I’m going to have to go with Halloween. Or Hallie, as I hear you prefer to be called. And I can’t very well blame you. I love the holiday, but sure wouldn’t want to be named after it.”

Liberty didn’t correct him. “It sounds like the townsfolk have been running off at the mouth.”

“What can I say? I have a way of putting people at ease. It’s my face. Red hair and freckles aren’t what you’d call threatening. If you could see it, you wouldn’t be at all worried about sharing your springs with Opie Taylor.” He pleaded, “Come on. Let me stay. I give you my word I’ll keep my distance. I just need to get rid of some pent-up energy.”

Since Liberty knew all about having too much energy, she understood his dilemma. “Fine. But get too close and I swear I’ll scream these trees down.”

Again, his smile flashed. “I believe it.” With only a slight hesitation, he dipped under the water and started to do laps. She joined him, but kept on her side of the springs.

He was a good swimmer. His strokes were strong and consistent. He easily kept ahead of her. Which made her swim faster. But just as she started to pass him, he moved ahead again. It wasn’t a race, but it sure as hell felt like one. Liberty wasn’t about to let him beat her or outlast her. Even though her lungs burned and her muscles had started to cramp, she swam like she was swimming for the gold. But every time she started to pull ahead, he caught up. She got the distinct feeling he was toying with her.

Which really annoyed her.

At the opposite shore, she stopped swimming and came up for air. He went only a few strokes farther before he too stopped. During the swim, they had gotten closer. Liberty realized it had more to do with her than with him. He had stayed on his side, while she had been the one who had edged over in his lane. This close, his shoulders looked even broader and his biceps even bigger. It was still too dark to see his features clearly, but she could tell he was handsome with a strong jaw and that cocky smile.

“I won,” he said in his thick east Texas drawl.

“I wasn’t racing,” she lied.

“Sure you weren’t.”

It annoyed her that he read her so easily. “I wasn’t. If I had been, you wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“Then let’s go again.” She started to decline, but he added, “Unless you’re not up for the challenge.”

Even though her lungs still burned and her muscles felt like they had been wrung through her great-grandmother’s antique washing machine, Liberty had never been able to ignore a challenge. “Oh, I’m up for it. But a challenge isn’t a challenge without a reward. Twenty bucks says I’ll beat that cocky grin off your face. Unless that’s too much for a rodeo bum.”

The cocky grin got even bigger. “Actually, I was thinking more of a hundred.”

She snorted. “As if you have a hundred.”

He stared back at her, his eyes dark and intense. “In the pocket of my jeans lying right over there by that tree, darlin’.”

She hadn’t really given much thought to what he had on under the water. Knowing he was probably as naked as she was made a tingle of sexual awareness settle in the pit of her stomach. She tried not to notice the way water droplets clung to his naked shoulders or the way the muscles in those shoulders flexed as he treaded.

“Fine,” she said. “A hundred it is.”

“And you have a hundred with you?”

“Well, no. But I’m good for it.”

“I’m not saying you aren’t a woman of your word, but you can’t bet something you don’t have. I have a hundred so I can bet a hundred. What do you have?”

“I don’t usually bring money with me when I go for midnight swims.”

“Then you’ll have to bet something else against my hundred.”

“Like what?”

He hesitated for only a second before he spoke. “How about a kiss?” (Wrangling a Firecracker Excerpt by Katie Lane)