Patricia Thayer - Count On A Cowboy

God, was this a mistake to come here? Would Rory Quinn reject her when he learned that Coralee had lied to him about a second baby?

“Are you okay staying until Rory gets back here?”

She shrugged. “I’m sure there are other card dealers who are willing to take my shifts.”

“And your mother?” he asked.

“I’ll explain it to her. After all, it was Coralee who wanted me to come here.”

“Good. Rory should be home in a couple of days.”

“I probably should have called the Quinns before I drove all this way, but I thought—”

“You thought that Rory might tell you not to come,” he finished for her.

She opened her mouth to deny it, but his words were true. “I’m still not sure what’s going to happen.”

“I’ve known Rory all my life. There isn’t a mean bone in his body. He’s a friend to everyone, and very generous. Besides, this only has to do with Laurel. She’s an adult so it’s her decision whether or not she wants a relationship with her sister.”

Brooke wanted so badly to believe that. How about when they all learned the rest of the truth? Of course, she didn’t expect Rory to immediately love her, but with her mother’s debilitating illness it would be nice to have...someone. She felt the familiar tightness in her chest that reminded her of the years of loneliness.

She turned to Trent. “How well do you know Laurel?”

A smile appeared across his face. “Since they moved here when Laurel was a baby. She was cute, and quite a little chatterbox. Then when I got older, she soon became a pain in the butt, following me around everywhere.” His smiled faded as if he was thinking of something sad. “I moved away at fourteen and didn’t see her much until I came back a few years ago.”

Why did he move away so young? “So she’s always lived here with her parents?”

He nodded. “Except for her years in college. She loves horses too much to leave the ranch permanently. And she’s building a name for herself training quarter horses.”

Trent glanced at Brooke’s profile. He could see a strong resemblance between the two sisters. “That’s the reason Rory wanted to build the cabins, the extra income would help Laurel get her dream of breeding and training her own horses.”

He caught a trace of sadness in Brooke’s green eyes. He doubted she’d lived an idyllic life back in Las Vegas. It couldn’t have been easy for a single mother to raise a daughter alone. He hoped he’d find out more when Cody investigated Coralee. “Has your dream always been to work in the hotel business?” he asked, wanting to learn more.

She shrugged. “You can make a good living at it in Las Vegas, but I would prefer a smaller venue. That way you can give your guests a more personal touch.”

He pulled up to the archway that read Lucky Bar L Ranch. “Be right back.” He climbed out and swung open the metal gate, got back into the truck and drove through, then closed it again.

Further up the gravel road the two-story Landry house came into view. It had been freshly painted this past summer. Trent recalled the long hours he’d put in with a brush in his hand up high on a ladder. Come spring, the barn would be next to get a new coat.

He saw Brooke’s interest as she looked around. “This is very nice.”

“It’s a work in progress. My dad was sick a long time and the place had gotten pretty run-down. I’ve been tackling as much as I can while keeping the ranch going.”

She gave him a rare smile and suddenly his heart tripped.

“Your work has been worth it. The house looks lovely.”

He pulled up in front of the barn. Going around the truck, he helped Brooke down from the high cab. His ranch hand, Rick Pierson, walked out to greet them.

“Hey, Trent,” he called. “I didn’t expect you back this morning.” The twenty-two-year-old spoke to him, but his gaze was riveted on Brooke.

Why did that bother Trent? “I needed to check up on you to see if you’re staying out of trouble.”

“That’s no fun.” The part-time college student grinned, showing off those straight white teeth. He pushed his straw cowboy hat back and let his too-long blond hair fall across his forehead. Did the kid ever get a haircut?

“Don’t worry, I’ve done all the chores, and Mike just rode out to check the herd.”

“What about the downed fence by the creek?”

“When Mike gets back we’ll head out to fix it. Unless we’re needed for something else.” He reached out a hand to Brooke. “Hi, I’m Rick Pierson.”

She shook his hand. “Brooke Harper.”

Rick didn’t let go. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. You’re new in town.”

Whoa, slow down, cowboy. “Brooke is here to see Laurel. And I’m capable of showing Miss Harper around wherever she needs to go.”

The young boy faced off with him. “If you say so.”

“I say so,” Trent repeated. “Now, go load the truck up with the new fence posts I got in town the other day.”

The kid’s smile didn’t waver as he tipped his hat. “It was nice to meet you, Brooke. Maybe I’ll see you later.”

She waved as he walked off. “Nice to meet you, too, Rick.”

Trent sighed. “That boy flirts with every girl that gets within fifty feet of him. It surprises me he has time to work.”

“He’s just being friendly.”

“I don’t want Rick to make you feel uncomfortable.”

She shook her head. “I work in a casino. I know when someone is flirting with me. Besides, I think he’s charming.”

Charming. He hadn’t hired Rick to be charming. “You want to come up to the house, or would you like to look around?”

“Do you have horses?”

He nodded. “A few. Come on, I’ll introduce you.” He surprised himself when he grabbed her hand. Although he felt some resistance, she went with him into the barn.

Inside it was cooler, a little darker and smelled of hay and horse manure. Waiting for his eyes to adjust to the dim light, he looked around at the ten stalls. The new wood he’d used to rebuild most of them stood out, but as soon as he painted the rails no one could see the repairs.

He continued to hold her small hand and walked her over to the first stall and the seasoned mare, Cassie. He reached over the railing and the buckskin came to him immediately.

“Hey, girl.” He rubbed her muzzle. “How you doing today?” She bobbed her head and blew out a warm breath. “I brought someone to meet you.”

He glanced at Brooke to see her standing back, looking a little anxious. “Hey, this old girl is as gentle as they come. She would never hurt you. Castle Rock, better known as Cassie, this is Brooke.” He reached for Brooke’s hand and he had her stand on the bottom rung, then instructed her how to pet the horse.

“Oh, she’s so soft,” she said when her fingers came in contact with the horse’s neck.

“She’s just been bathed.”

Cassie nuzzled her nose against Trent’s arm as if to agree. He laughed. “She’s pretty special to me.”

Brooke’s gaze met his. “Looks like she thinks you’re pretty special, too.”

He couldn’t look away from the woman. “Yeah, we’ve been together a long time. My dad got her for me the first summer I came to visit him after my parents divorced. She was only a yearling then.” Why was he telling her all this? He patted the horse’s neck. “We’re both getting up there.”

“It’s nice you still have her.”

He nodded, unable to speak as good and bad memories flooded back. How he’d ride miles on Cassie, trying to outrun the memories of the brother he’d lost. He swallowed. “Yeah, she’s been a good friend. Come on, I’ll introduce you to the others.”

They walked to the next stall and a large chestnut stallion came to the gate. “This is my mount, Red Baron.” He took hold of the halter and held the horse’s head steady. “He’s a lot more spirited than Cassie.”