Saddled and Spurred (Blacktop Cowboys 2)

Bran grinned. “If I thought I had a snowball’s chance in hell that Celia would go for it, I’d suggest it. But I’ve seen that girl castrate calves. I shudder to think what she’d do to me if I offered to marry her on her brother’s behalf.”

The front door opened. Voices echoed from the entryway and Hank threaded his fingers through Lainie’s when she tensed.

Abe and Nancy came into the kitchen. Abe clapped Bran on the back. “Hey. How’s calving been so far?”

“Slow. Not quite to where you guys are, as I’ve barely started.”

“There’s a lesson for you,” Nancy said. “Maybe you should get Abe’s advice before you turn the bulls out with the herd so your calving doesn’t lag so far behind everyone else’s.”

Bran froze. Had this woman actually just told him how to better manage his cattle operation? What the hell did she know? She worked as a secretary in an auto repair shop.

Abe looked embarrassed. “Nancy, Bran runs one of the most successful cattle businesses in the county. Me’n Hank should be takin’ his advice, not the other way around.”

But Nancy had tuned Abe out. She frowned at the dishes piled by the sink and the food scattered across the countertop. “Why in the world didn’t you clean up after you finished eating? I hate coming home to a dirty kitchen.” With a dramatic sigh, she headed to the sink.

Lainie said, “Leave them. I planned to do them after our company left.”

Nancy ignored Lainie. How the woman could be oblivious to the tension in the room—tension she’d caused—boggled Bran’s mind.

Water ran. Dishes clanked. Hank glared at Abe. Abe merely shrugged.

Lainie pushed to her feet. “I said I’d do them, Nancy.”

“It’s fine.”

“No, it’s not fine.” Lainie reached over and shut off the water. “I don’t do things on your timetable. And I’m not going to let you run roughshod over me in my own damn kitchen and continue to embarrass me in front of our friend. Now please leave.”

Nancy’s head whipped around and she gave Abe a hangdog look, as if she expected him to intervene on her behalf.

Abe didn’t.

She snagged a towel, dried her hands, and stomped away. Abe trailed behind her. Ten seconds later Abe’s bedroom door slammed shut with enough force that the dishes in the china hutch rattled.

This Nancy woman was trouble. She’d already driven a wedge between Abe and his siblings. Sadly, Bran had seen it happen many times with families whose working lives were tied to the family ranch. Hatred and resentment ripped families clean apart simply because of a sibling’s unfortunate marital choice. It’d kill Bran to see the Lawsons so divided, but it would happen if Abe didn’t pull his head out of his ass and rid himself of Nasty Nancy.

Bran donned his coat and hat and said his good-byes. For the first time ever, he was damn glad to be an only child.

Chapter Three

The following morning, Bran said, “Let’s take a ride in the truck and I’ll show you around the ranch. That’ll give you a better breakdown of what I need in a worker. Sound fair?”

“I suppose so.”

They dressed in winter gear—hers appropriate today except for the bright purple zebra-striped scarf and matching gloves. Bran led her to his Dodge Diesel quad cab. When Harper started to put her seat belt on, Bran shook his head. “Not that I ain’t about safety first, but you’re gonna be hopping in and out of the truck, opening gates. Top speed in this rig as we’re checkin’ stuff out is never more than twenty miles per hour.”

“I remember the gate thing from helping Celia.”

“So you ain’t completely green?”

Harper smiled brazenly. “Oh, I’m completely green.”

At the first barbed wire gate, he gave her the rundown. “This one is the old loop kind. Lift the loop off the fence post and pull the gate inward. I’ll drive through and you close it behind us.”

She hopped out and followed his directions to the letter. For some perverted reason, that caused him to wonder whether she would follow directions in the bedroom that easily too.

Her voice startled him out of his mental  p**n  starring the former Miss Sweet Grass. “You work all by yourself? No other family members?”

When phrased that way, it sounded awful damn lonely.

It is, isn’t it?

“I’ve been doin’ everything since my grandparents died. But truthfully, they were getting on in years as I was growing up, so I’ve been running this place by myself since I was seventeen. I’m an only child of an only child, so it ain’t like I’ve got a lot of choice.” Don’t give her your life story, dumb ass, especially when it’s so damn boring. He paused at the next gate. “This one’s got a hook on the top.”

She slid from the cab. It took two tries, but she managed to open the gate. After she climbed back inside, she said, “This gate opening and shutting thing takes twice as long when you’re by yourself?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Bran focused on the cattle huddled by the windbreak. One was lying down, away from the herd. “You ever seen a live birth?”

Harper faced him, her eyes wary. “Umm, no. Not human or dog or cat or cow.”

“Well, that’s about to change.” He pointed to the prone cow. “Stick close and watch.” Bran threw the truck in park, facing away from the laboring animal. “Let’s go.”