Patricia Thayer - Count On A Cowboy

“Has that creep come back to Hidden Springs?”

“No, Aldrich hasn’t shown up. That would be too easy for us.”

“Yeah, and if you’d gotten ahold of him...all that would be left would be to dispose of the body.” A laugh came over the line. “I know you Special Forces types. Get in and get out before anyone knows what happened.”

“Believe me, I wish I had a chance with this guy, but that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.”

Trent paused, trying to figure out how to phrase his words. “This is a different matter altogether.”

There was a pause, then Rory said, “Just tell me straight out, son.”

“You had a visitor show up yesterday right after you left. A woman named Brooke Harper. She says she’s Laurel’s half sister.”

“The hell you say?”

“Strange, but true. Rory, have you ever known a woman by the name of Coralee Harper?”

There was more silence, then Rory finally spoke. “Coralee Harper came to the ranch?”

“No, but her daughter, Brooke Harper, arrived yesterday just hours after you all left.”

Rory cursed.

“So Laurel’s adopted?” Trent already knew the answer, but needed Rory to confirm it.

“Since I’m Laurel’s biological father there was no adoption, I got full custody. It cost me enough money to get Coralee to sign my daughter over to me. And she was never supposed to contact me or Laurel again.”

“Well, Coralee’s other daughter is sitting in your kitchen, waiting to see Laurel.”

“Get her the hell out of there.”

“Hear me out first, Rory,” he said, wondering why he was playing Miss Harper’s advocate. Yet, he found himself calming Rory down and telling him the story about Coralee’s Alzheimer’s and her wanting to see Laurel one last time.

“No way. That woman has caused me enough problems. I’m not sure I even believe this story. It’s more than likely Coralee just wants more money.”

“That’s why you need to tell Laurel, and let her decide if she wants to come home and meet her sister.”

He heard the long sigh, then the curse. “We always meant to tell Laurel, but we kept putting it off. Damn, I knew this would happen...” Rory’s voice wandered off.

“Well, it looks like you don’t have a choice now.”

“Okay, then you tell me just how in the hell do I do it?”

“Like you always tell me, straight-out.”

“I guess you’re right.” Rory released a long breath. “I need to ask you another favor. Trent, could you have that friend of yours, the PI, investigate Coralee? And have him look into Aldrich, too. The police here haven’t been able to help us.”

“Consider it done. I’ll contact Cody Marsh today. So when should I expect you back here?”

“Give us a few days,” Rory said. “You’re right, Diane and I need to explain all this to Laurel. This news—and she’s still dealing with the aftershocks of Aldrich’s betrayal—is going to take some time.”

“So you want me to send Brooke back to Las Vegas?”

“No, I don’t want her to leave until you find out the truth. Do you think you can keep her there a little while longer? If Coralee is running a scam, I swear... Just keep her there.”

“I’ll do my best. But please, Rory, just get back here soon.”

After promising to stay in touch by phone, Trent hung up and walked back into the kitchen. He wasn’t about to apologize for wanting privacy. “Rory asks if you’ll stay a few days until he gets back. So how about I show you around the ranch?”

* * *

BROOKE DIDN’T LIKE how Trent just brushed over the important parts of the phone call. “Wait a minute. What did Rory ask? Does he remember Coralee? Is he going to tell Laurel about being her daughter?”

Trent held up a hand. “Slow down. First of all, yes, he remembers Coralee. And that’s all I’m saying because this is his story to tell you.”

She wasn’t happy. “So I’m just supposed to sit around and wait until Rory Quinn decides to come home.”

“No. You can return to Las Vegas at any time, but Rory did request that you stay here until he returns. He wants to meet you. But first he needs to talk with Laurel and explain things. And as you know, she’s going through a rough time. Although I might think Jack Aldrich is a bastard, Laurel thought she loved him.”

Brooke backed down. “I’m sorry. You’re right, I’m the one asking for a big favor.” She was eager to meet her sister, but it was more than that. Thanks to her mother, she’d been alone all her life. She’d only been able to dream about having a family.

And if telling a white lie got her the opportunity, so be it. She wasn’t leaving Colorado until she had a chance to make a connection, at least with her twin sister.

Chapter Four

An hour later, Brooke sat beside Trent in his truck, bumping along the winding dirt road that led to his ranch.

Grabbing hold of the safety handle to steady herself, she stole a glance across the bench seat to the man who suddenly had become her closest connection to her family. His clean-shaven jaw was set tight and his forehead furrowed in a deep frown, as if he were thinking about something serious. Was he her ally, or was he hoping she’d give up her quest and just leave Colorado?

She faced forward and concentrated on the incredible view. The lush green grass was waving in the warm autumn breeze while the cattle grazed in the pasture with the Rocky Mountains as a backdrop. It was like a different world here. A world she knew nothing about until two weeks ago, when she found the secrets hidden in Coralee’s safety deposit box.

Suddenly she had a sister...and a father. And now she was on a ranch in Colorado waiting for her new family to come home.

Panic hit her. What if they wanted nothing to do with her? Didn’t want her in their life? The familiar feeling of rejection caused an overwhelming ache in her chest.

Why should it matter whether Laurel or Rory Quinn accepted her? She’d been used to people turning their backs on her. Her mother was at the top of the list, unless she needed something. Even the men who’d walked in and out of Coralee’s life over the years hated having a kid around.

When she was a child, her mom’s career hadn’t taken off yet, so Coralee had spent money on clothes to look nice for auditions. That meant they had to cut corners on other things like their apartment. So they ended up living in bad neighborhoods with slum apartments. A lot of them had been rent-by-the-week rooms with a kitchenette. Then there’d been the time when one of Coralee’s boyfriends had stolen everything, including their money. She and her mother had had to go and live in shelters for a few weeks.

That had been the day Brooke decided she would never depend on anyone for anything, especially a man. She glanced at Trent. So what did she do? She was relying on a total stranger and letting him take her to his ranch.

She released a slow breath. What was going to happen when the whole truth about her came out?

“You’re going to hurt yourself, thinking so hard.”

Trent’s voice pulled her back to the present.

“Sorry, I’m just worried about my mother,” she lied. “She depends on me.”

Trent glanced at her. “I thought she was in a care facility.”

“She is, but I’m usually there nearly every day. I help her get bathed and dressed. She doesn’t trust anyone else to do it.”

His mesmerizing gaze locked on hers. “You must be pretty close.”

“We’ve never had anyone else.” She looked out the window. The beautiful scenery was distracting, but this man also had a strong pull.

“Your mother never married?”

She shook her head. “She was busy with her career. So it’s always been just us,” she said in a half truthful way. Men never stuck around for long. Had it been that way for Coralee with Rory Quinn? She’d asked her mother, but according to her, the man had been crazy about her.