Moonlight Cowboy (Victory Island Series, #1) / Victory Island Series (ePub)

Widower Daniel Gallagher's life is a façade. Most know him as a high-school art teacher. Very few understand what drove him to moonlight as the world-renowned artist David Benjamin.

When his private-investigator friend needs help and asks Daniel to blend into the artsy community on Victory Island, he accepts. His mission is to monitor the spending habits of Emma Wagner, whose mother is accusing her of stealing the family fortune.

Emma, a lifelong island resident, works at her aunt's art gallery. Having endured the fallout of her father's poor business sense, she wants a man who is honest to a fault. A new resident on the island, Daniel Gallagher, appears to have all the qualities. However, there is one problem-he thinks she's nothing more than a petty thief!

Considering her family history, Emma knew better than to yank money from the gallery's cash drawer and stuff it into her pocket. She has a good reason though-part of her job is to perform missions of mercy for her employer. But the words stick in her throat when Daniel pronounces her guilty with one swift glance of his dreamy, chocolate-colored eyes.

After witnessing Emma's snatch and grab from the gallery's cash drawer, Daniel believes Emma's mother's accusations. But when he follows the young woman into the grocery store and finds her pushing a cart full of baby supplies, he has two questions. One. Why is a childless single woman purchasing baby food, formula, and three boxes of diapers? And two. What possessed him to ask her out to dinner?

Daniel's thoughtfulness surprises Emma. Especially when he arranges a dinner for two at her favorite spot on the island. Complete with a waiter, antique table settings, and a moonlit walk on the beach. Particularly when he shows no reaction as she opens up about her family's scandalous past.

Following the young woman's escapades proves to be entertaining, and Daniel soon acknowledges he should have left his gumshoes at home, along with his heart. Especially when Emma discovers the man who audited her father's books is none other than Daniel's father. Daniel now faces a dilemma-how can he tell Emma everything she knows about him is a lie?

Daniel resigns his short-lived P.I. career, but not soon enough for him. When Emma's mother demands a status report, he is more than happy to convey his findings-Emma is innocent.

When Emma overhears Daniel's conversation with her mother, years of pent-up anger spill out of her. Anger at her father for his poor decisions that ruined their lives. Anger at her mother for being the parent who escaped when things got rough. And anger at Daniel for wooing her just to get the information he wanted. But mostly furious with herself for expecting her family, albeit a dysfunctional one, to love and trust her with the truth.

So, come on over to Victory Island, kick off your shoes, and dig your toes in the sand and watch the sparks fly. Can Daniel and Emma face the betrayal of their past and find the love and trust they both so eagerly search for?