HE'D NEVER BEEN AS ATTRACTED TO—OR SUSPICIOUS OF—A WOMAN IN HIS LIFE…

Raising horses—not spying on scheming females—was rugged Russ Simon's passion. Still, for his family's sake, he grudgingly agreed to discover whether poor if pretty rancher Marigold Crowley was a gold-digging impostor…or a truly missing heiress.

Cynical-about-women Russ never expected to fall for his golden-haired quarry. With her unsuspecting smile, her soft lilac scent and her innocent love of horses, orphaned Mari seemed hungry for a family, not a fortune. And Russ ached to make her his. Trouble was, could he trust her? Worse, once Mari uncovered his seductive charade, would she trust him?