Tempting Love (Cowboys & Angels 3)

Mom shook her head. “John, you should have spoken to Steed and Paxton before you did this.”

“Yeah…Dad. You really should have!” Steed added. “Besides, she helps Wade each morning and night to take care of Patches and the other goats. She’s already learning.”

Chloe walked around the table to give each of us a good morning kiss. Of course she lingered longest with Wade. When she got to me, she wrapped those little arms around my neck.

“Uncle Mitchell, can I come spend the night with you, Aunt Corina, and Milo?”

“Of course, you can, pumpkin. Anytime you want.”

“Tomorrow night?” she asked, her little blue eyes looking hopeful.

“Tomorrow night, it is.”

She did a hop and spin, and then turned to Tripp. “Uncle Tripp, guess what?”

“Chloe, honey, don’t you need to help me with something?” my father quickly said.

Chloe faced him. “Nope.” Focusing back on Tripp, she said, “My new goat is coming from—”

“Chloe!” my parents shouted, causing all of us to jump.

Spinning around, Chloe held her hand over her heart. “You scared me right out of my skin. I wasn’t going to tell Uncle Tripp your secret.”

Oh hell, here it is. The reason my mother has that look on her face.

My mother closed her eyes and sighed while my father shook his head in defeat.

“Secret?” Tripp asked.

Chloe turned on her heels. “Yep. I’m a good secret keeper. So, you won’t be hearing from me that your old friend is the new vet.”

Tripp’s brows pulled tight. “My old friend?”

Leaning in close, Chloe whispered loudly, “I can’t tell you Harley’s name, ’cause that’s the secret, and granddaddy said he needed to find a good way to tell ya about it.”

“Oh hell,” Cord and Trevor said at once.

Steed and I looked at each other and then back to Tripp. Tripp wore a carefully schooled face, but I knew the hurt beneath the surface. Swallowing hard, he cleared his throat. “Looks like my wish for a drama-free life isn’t about to come true.”

Harley Carbajal was back in town.

“You really think you should let him drive the tractor with the forks on it? I mean, look at how he’s jamming it into the hay,” I said as we watched Tripp drive around and pick up the hay bales and load them onto the trailer.

“Wade’s got the dangerous job. He’s on the trailer directing him,” Trevor answered.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead. “I can’t believe Harley’s back in town.”

“And is going to be the new vet. Talk about sticking a knife in Tripp’s back.”

“How do you think he’s gonna take it when he sees her?”

Trevor shrugged. “Not good. Especially if she’s married.”

My chest ached for my brother. “Shit, I hope that isn’t the case.”

“You know she met some dick in college. That was one of the reasons she broke things off with Tripp. They could still be together.”

Nodding, I put my cowboy hat back on my head. “He’s gonna have to get used to the idea of her living here.”

Trevor let out a gruff laugh. “Considering anytime she’s come to town, he’s left for one reason or another, he probably hasn’t seen Harley in over five years…at least.”

Steed pulled up in the John Deere tractor that had the cutter on it. Chloe had driven it for a bit before she got bored out of her mind. Dad had to take her back up to the house after about an hour.

Steed opened the door and started talking. “I need to fill the forty-six with fuel. We still have the north pasture of alfalfa to cut. You gonna follow behind me with the baler, Mitchell?”

“That should work. You think the dew is dried off?” I asked Trevor.

“Yeah, it’s hot enough for it to be ready. You still want round bales on that, Mitch?”

I nodded. “Yeah, it’s easier for the horses.”

Shortly after I started working full time on the ranch, I stared to focus on getting a few good stallions and mares for breeding. I’d recently purchased a champion barrel racing horse named Firelight. I was hoping to breed more champions out of him. Chloe had already shown an interest in the horses, along with barrel and pole racing. I’d started working with her on Firelight, and I could tell she was hooked.

Steed looked past me. “Jesus, is Tripp trying to kill someone? He’s whipping that tractor and hay all around.”

Trevor and I glanced that way. “Yeah, I don’t think he’s taking the news about Harley so well,” I said.

Slapping me on the back, Trevor said, “Let’s get this taken care of then head to Cord’s Place. I have a feeling Tripp is gonna need a hard, stiff drink.”

A horn honked, drawing our attention to one of the ranch trucks as it pulled up. Amelia and Corina jumped out of it. Wade motioned for Tripp to take a break before he jumped off the trailer and made a beeline straight to our sister. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.