AN AUCTION BRIDE FOR THE GRUMPY COWBOY

(ROLSTON RANCH BROTHERS SERIES)

HANNA HART

Copyright ©2022 by Hanna Hart - All rights reserved.

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CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Epilogue

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About the Author

CHAPTER 1

***THEO***

Theo felt the tension ease from his shoulders as he left his ranch. He loved it there and had never fought the urge to leave as many of his brothers did, but lately, every step he took, from the cattle pastures to the front gate, reminded him of a new stress. It also reminded him of his father. Rolston Senior, as everyone in the town of Isabel called him, was an ambitious man, and now that he had passed, his sons had huge boots to fill. Theo wished he had one ounce of the drive his late father had, but he had always preferred a more leisurely pace to his life.

He even drove slowly, savoring the flat, rippling horizon of the Texas countryside. It was inevitable that his father would pass away, as it was increasingly certain Theo would have to face the requirements of his father’s will. With irritatingly keen insight, Rolston Senior had created specific milestones each son had to successfully pass before he would inherit his portion of the family legacy. From beyond the grave, his father was still forcing Theo to strive harder and the stress of it was making him more ornery and more callous by the day.

The biggest solace he found was visiting his younger brother’s horse ranch. At first, Theo had stopped by just to see Drake stomping around, sour about one thing or another, and making a mess out of his will requirements. It was even better when their youngest brother, Sutton, returned to Isabel and it was discovered the two had to team up in order to inherit. Theo had enjoyed the surly sibling rivalry like he was watching a comedic stage play. Now, there were much sunnier reasons for visiting the High Creek Ranch.

Theo spotted them from the front gate, riding along a side pasture, their smiles obvious even from behind the white fencing. Drake rode slowly on a high-strung horse while coaching his new wife and encouraging his young son on their more docile mounts. Teddy, whom Theo referred to as his namesake despite being named after a grandfather on his maternal side, was sitting up straight and beaming. The last of Theo’s stress disappeared as he watched the happy family.

It was a relief to see Drake enjoying himself again after a painful divorce and struggling to raise his son alone. It didn’t matter that Freddie had started out as the nanny, she was obviously just the ray of sunshine Drake needed, and the whole Rolston family loved her.

She was the first one to spot Theo and call out a greeting. “Hey there! We were wondering if you might show up for lunch today.”

Theo grinned, not even remotely embarrassed about his tendency to drop in. “My namesake and I don’t mind doing the cooking if you’re in the mood for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches again.”

Freddie pulled up her white horse, still not quite used to riding horseback. “No, thank you. In fact, I have a special menu I was wanting to try out today.”

Drake trotted up, his horse’s nostrils flaring. “How about you meet me and this firecracker at the back paddock?”

Theo tipped his hat at Freddie and his nephew, and strolled to meet his brother on the other side of the barn. “Looks like you almost got him used to the bit,” Theo remarked.

“Good enough to trust him near Teddy,” Drake boasted. “Any interest in buying him?”

“Why would you be selling him?” Theo admired the dappled gelding’s power and energy.

Drake swung down from the horse with ease and began unbuckling the saddle. He hefted it over the fence for Theo to carry. Then he took the rest of the tack off and let the restless horse loose. “Turns out I’m purchasing five more horses this afternoon. Got a good deal from a neighbor.”

“Uncle Theo!” Teddy galloped up and jumped up and down. “We made our very own popsicles yesterday and I saved one for you to try.”

The young boy chatted non-stop as Theo helped carry the saddle to the barn. He didn’t stop until a stern look from his father sent him up to the ranch house ahead of the men.

“So, you gonna tell me yet?” Drake asked.

Theo felt his good mood slip. “Tell you what?” he growled, fully aware of what his brother meant.

Drake punched his shoulder lightly. “It’s about time you fess up to what you have to do in order to inherit. You knew all about the business partnership I had to form with Sutton.”

Theo scoffed. “Know about it? I practically drafted it for you two.”

Drake scowled. “Very funny. I’m trying to offer to help you.”

“Since when do I need my baby brother’s help?” Theo asked.

They had reached the ranch house steps. Drake turned and held up a hand to stop his brother. “Since Freddie invited Dean to lunch today.”

The rest of Theo’s good mood evaporated and he ground his teeth. “Why would that sweet woman decide she needs to torture me?”

Drake sighed. “C’mon, we know your requirements have something to do with Dean, and we thought it might be easier if you have intermediaries.”

“We?” Theo strode into the kitchen and pierced Freddie with a look. “You want to mediate a partnership between me and our eldest brother?”

She looked sheepish but completely unafraid of the simmering rancher. “Go wash your hands; lunch will be ready soon.”

“Uncle Dean’s here!” Teddy crowed from the front room.

Theo glowered at Freddie but took her advice and disappeared into the guest bathroom to wash his hands. When he returned, his elder brother was already taking charge of the simple lunch get-together. Theo, as the second oldest, was the most irritated by the way Dean took charge of everything. Their four younger brothers might accept it as the natural order, but it drove Theo berserk. He watched Dean direct Teddy where to place the napkins while suggesting to Freddie that she put extra condiments on the table. Why couldn’t Dean just let them get on with it?

Drake noticed Theo’s stiff jawline and couldn’t help but smile. “Want to sit next to him?”

Theo drew himself up to his full 6’4” and towered over his brother. “Want me to remind Sutton he should have a say in what horses you buy and sell?”

Dean, seated comfortably at the head of the table, cleared his throat. “Whenever you two are ready.”

Drake pushed past Theo and took his seat next to Freddie. “Sutton stopped by yesterday. He’s really busy now that the hotel is accepting guests. And he would have come for lunch today, but he’s taking out his first trail ride.”

Dean nodded. “Seems like your business partnership may just work out. Could make you two very rich if you make it a full year and manage to inherit.”

“Speaking of inheriting, when are you and Theo going to get your portions?”

“Nosy. And seems a bit disrespectful of the dead, if you ask me,” Theo said.

Drake shrugged. “Father always had to remind you not to drag your feet.”

Dean cleared his throat again. “Now seems like the perfect opportunity to discuss our future plans, Theo. Good food, neutral ground, and a bit of outside perspective.”

Freddie paused, a forkful of salad halfway to her mouth. “You’re welcome to our food and our dining room, but I know enough to stay out of the rest.”

Theo tried to steer the conversation away from Dean’s choice of topic by asking Freddie about work. “I hear your dance club may perform at the summer festival.”

She smiled and nodded but went back to eating her salad and trying to stay out of the obviously set-up conversation.

Dean leaned forward. “You were very interested in Dean and Sutton’s partnership, and I thought that might also apply to our situation. Or are you going to drag your feet for the next few years?”

“Do the requirements expire?” Theo asked.

Dean frowned. “You want your billion-dollar inheritance to expire?”

“Billions? Is it really billions?” Teddy asked. He looked from adult to adult, realized he’d butted in at the wrong moment and went back to his sandwich.

“Small price to pay to get you off my back,” Theo grumped.

Dean gave him a condescendingly stern look. “And a large sum to acquire after a simple expansion.”

“Simple? You can make dressing a scarecrow into a complete production, yet I supposed to believe expanding our ranch enterprises will be easy?” Theo reluctantly pushed away the delicious lunch Freddie had prepared. His stomach was taking as bad a turn as his mood.

Freddie took that as her chance to escape the surly discussion. She popped up and swept away Theo’s plate. “I’ll just head into the kitchen and make sure everything is set for dessert.”

“Can I help with the popsicles?” Teddy asked.

“Bring your plate and you can finish at the kitchen island,” Freddie told him.

Drake stood up and grabbed his own overflowing plate. “Better keep an eye on the kid or who knows what will happen to dessert.”

Freddie glared at him, disliking the implication that she could be distracted by Teddy. “No, sir. Don’t worry about us. You just enjoy the rest of lunch with your kin.”

Drake glanced at Theo’s sour expression and Dean’s deep frown and shuffled closer to Freddie. “Theo’s right; I shouldn’t be so nosy. Better to let my elders hash it out themselves. Plus, I need to ride out to the far gate and meet those new horses.”

Theo pushed back his chair. “You’re nice enough to let me drop in whenever I want; the least I can do is repay you with a little ranch help. I’d be happy to ride out and open the gate for you.”

“New horses?” Dean asked, clearly expecting to be filled in.

Drake’s smile dropped. “Yes, new horses. Our neighbor is trying to raise some funds for something and I told her I’d be happy to take five horses off her hands. The Thirsty River Ranch is known for some of the best roping and ranching horses in Texas, wouldn’t you agree?”

Dean looked skeptical of his brother’s business decisions until he heard the name of the ranch. “Actually, Theo, that brings me back to our expansion—”

“And I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time to discuss that after I do Drake this favor,” Theo said. He headed for the door. “Tell Teddy I can’t wait to try one of those popsicles after I take a little ride.”

Dean threw down his napkin. “I don’t have time to wait around for you.”

“But you do have time to enjoy a popsicle with your nephew,” Theo countered.

He slipped into the kitchen before his elder brother could say another word. There, he grabbed Drake by the elbow. “And you have time to help me saddle up a horse, little brother.”

“Just take the bay in the first stall. Everything should be out on the stand in front,” Drake said. He wrenched his elbow out of Theo’s grasp. “Since you aren’t really doing me this favor from the goodness of your heart, you’ll have to forgive me for not helping you out.”

“You ambushed me with Lord Rolston. What did you expect?” Theo grumped.

Drake almost laughed but shook his head. “Just remember, I tried to sweeten him up with a nice lunch.”

Theo rumpled his nephew’s hair. “Not like this young man will sweeten him up with some delicious handmade dessert.”

Teddy grinned at him. “Can I ride with you, Uncle Theo?”

“No,” Drake and Theo said at the same time.

“But you can have an extra popsicle if Theo doesn’t make it back in under thirty minutes,” Freddie told him.

Theo grinned, his good mood returning as he took another step farther from Dean. “I love a good challenge. See you in twenty.”

He had the beautiful bay horse saddled in no time flat and set off for the far gate at a fast canter. As the back acres of the horse ranch spread out into open space, Theo gave the horse his head and they streaked along the sage-brush trail. It was a hot day, and the fast speed cooled his face and his ire.

One day, sooner rather than later, Theo would have to face Dean and the requirements of their inheritance. He knew he couldn’t give up the money and, in the end, he wouldn’t disappoint his older brother. Theo just wished he could slow down the changes for a little while longer. After his younger brothers had grown up, Theo watched them all leave, and their family changed. Then their father passed away, and everything changed. Now, his brothers were back, and new changes were on the horizon. Theo just wanted everything to settle back into the peaceful pace he had known before.

The bay, on the other hand, kept up its swift pace, and Theo reached the far fence line before he knew it. He followed it along to the gate that opened into the scrub land beyond and scanned the dusty hills for the new horses.

Just as he was beginning to wonder who would be driving the horse from the Thirsty River Ranch, he spotted the woman on a speckled gray mare. She rode at a smooth canter, her body in perfect sync with the graceful horse she rode. In her right hand, she held the lead of another speckled horse, obviously one higher on the pecking order because behind it trailed four loose horses.

Theo watched, mesmerized, as the woman tossed a long, dark braid over her shoulder with the flick of her head. Then she guided the horses easily down the dusty hill and over to the partially open gate.

She tossed him the lead of the speckled horse and whirled back to round up the other four. When she cantered by again, she pierced him with a green-eyed stare and asked sharply, “where’s Drake?”

“You think he’s the only Rolston who can open a gate?” Theo asked, irritated by her impatient tone.

“He’s the one I’m selling to.” She easily brought her horse under control and gave him a thorough inspection. “Aren’t you a cattleman?”

Theo was used to being recognized and respected. The Rolston name carried a lot of weight in Isabel, Texas. “Aren’t you the one getting a favor from my brother?”

She tipped her hat back and gave him a jade-colored glare. “Just like a Rolston to expect everyone’s gratitude for the smallest gestures. Your brother’s getting five top-notch horses, or couldn’t you tell?”

Theo wasn’t sure if it was her startlingly green eyes, her sharp attitude, or the lovely contours of her face that threw him off. He’d been impressed by her riding, attracted by her willowy grace, and stunned by her beauty. But now, all he could react to was her rudeness, so he swung open the gate with unintended force. It slammed against the fence with a reverberating clang and startled the loose horses. Theo watched as they kicked up their heels and scattered back up the dusty hill.

He was certain none of the horses could kick quite as hard as the jolt of anger he saw in those pretty green eyes; it almost took his breath away.

CHAPTER 2

***HETTY***

Time stopped as Hetty watched the horses spin around and gallop off. The frustrating scene summed up exactly how the last few years of her life had scattered all her hard work. No matter how early she rose, how organized her plans, or how much heart she put into her daily tasks, it was never enough to keep it all together.

Some of her difficulties came from hard-headedness; Hetty would have to admit that now. Her ranch team would shake their heads when they heard the loose horses had run off just outside the Rolston gate. Still, Hetty had insisted on bringing them over on her own. Not only did she feel she had to prove she could do everything on the Thirsty River Ranch by herself, but she was also embarrassed she had to sell the horses. Hetty had tried to hide the overwhelming financial problems she was up against, and she wanted to sell the horses as quickly as possible.

Not that she wanted to sell them at all.

In the split second before she reacted, Hetty watched Domino streak through the sagebrush and felt her heart break all over again. The black and white horse was one of her most trusted roping horses, and Hetty had spent hours training the spirited horse to twist and turn with its rider. She’d shared her soul with every horse she trained and she could hardly bear to part with them.

Two horses, both a dusty white, Hetty had raised from the day they were born. Both had the strength and confidence needed to charge into a herd of cattle and help the cowboys bring order out of chaos. Now they were kicking up dirt as they galloped away along the fence line.

The last of the loose horses, a roan beauty with wild, bright eyes, took Hetty’s breath away. She had been rescued from an auction where most of the horses were being bought up by kill farms intending to sell them to foreign meat markets. A tender-hearted couple in Isabel had saved the horse, only to realize they had no idea how to rehabilitate her. Hetty had taken on the challenge and used a regiment of gentleness and routine work to bring the roan mare around. Now she was a cattle rancher’s dream: hard-working, responsive, and high-energy.

That energy shot away like a comet and took Hetty’s words with it.

She gaped at Theo Rolston. He sat on a sleek bay and looked just as shocked by his careless action as her, but that didn’t excuse it. He still held Izzy’s lead and Hetty gestured at it, still helplessly unable to form words.

Izzy was the top of the horses’ pecking order, the born leader who kept all the others in line. Hetty had counted on the fact that if she had Izzy on a lead, the others would follow, and it had worked like a charm until Theo had carelessly banged the metal gate against the fence. Did he have no sense at all?

Hetty’s only comfort that day had been that she was selling her prized horses to a Rolston. Their family had been in Isabel since forever and, despite a few wayward years, all of Rolston Senior’s sons had a reputation for hard work and know-how. Drake had finally returned to the horse ranch and turned it around in just a few short months, so Hetty had been relieved when he accepted her offer of a sale. She knew the Rolstons would take care of her beloved animals.

Now she wasn’t so sure.

“Her lead. Toss me her lead!” Hetty finally managed to gasp. The horses weren’t too far and she still had a chance to round them up if Izzy rode with her.

Theo looked confused. Behind him, in the distance, Hetty could see the High Creek Ranch house, and, in the seconds she waited for him to follow her simple command, Hetty scowled at the bright building. Even from miles away, Hetty could see it was a beautiful home with dozens of gleaming windows and a wraparound porch. It stood two stories high with dormer windows in the attic and not a single shingle out of place on the roof. The white siding was freshly-painted and shone like a pearl in and amongst the horse pastures and paddocks. Any person daydreaming of a sprawling, solvent ranch house would conjure up that very place. Hetty imagined there was room for a huge, thriving family inside, yet the rich Rolstons only used it as a ranch office.

The home on the Thirsty River Ranch had a faded roof and scuffed siding. The hot, relentless Texas sun was peeling back the paint, and Hetty hadn’t paused on the saggy porch in more than five years. She was too busy, and seeing all the desperately needed repairs just about broke her spirit. It had been impossible to convince the stakeholders to invest in the ranch house as well as the daily operations of the cattle herds, and Hetty had watched her family home slowly deteriorate. Now she rented it out to families, none of whom had the time or inclination to make the necessary repairs. And no one stayed long enough to breathe life back into it.

While her family fortunes had failed, the Rolstons had thrived. As much as she loved and respected Rolston Senior, as everyone in Isabel had, she had despaired as he acquired more and more. He made such great investments, knew just how to make them shine, and reaped such great rewards that it made Hetty’s head spin with awe and jealousy. She had always tried to learn as much as she could from his example, even while barely being able to scrape together her monthly budget. Then he had passed as his sons reappeared to claim their inheritance.

Hetty couldn’t bear to think about the amount they were rumored to get.

“Who’s Izzy?” Theo asked before realizing he was still holding her horse’s lead. He tossed the rope to her, then spurred his own horse into action.

Hetty raced to head off the spooked horses and bring them back together as a group. That morning’s ride had been a bright spot in a hard week, and she was determined not to let it end badly. She had personally groomed each horse, whispering love and encouragement into their ears. Hetty had promised the horses they would love the High Creek Ranch. The roan would have plenty of work, the dusty pair would never be apart, and Domino would find a rider just as quick and agile. Izzy would find the respect she deserved, and none of them would be auctioned off when they grew too old. Hetty had heard that the youngest Rolston brother had reopened the hotel and was offering trail rides with horses from the High Creek. So, Hetty had led the horses across the scrub, confident she was making the right decision.

At least now she was getting to see that Theo Rolston was more than just a handsome face. He raced along the fence line, clearly determined to overtake the loose pair and turn them back. His hat had flown off and Hetty saw the hot sun glint off his dark blond hair. He was taller than she remembered, but his height didn’t affect his ability to ride and he handled the bay horse like a man born to the saddle.

Hetty reminded herself that every girl in Isabel knew it was impossible not to be attracted to a Rolston. Senior had sired six very good-looking boys, and they each had caused their own crushes and heartbreaks, known and unknown. Starting with the stern and hunky Dean and ending with the well-dressed and bright blond Sutton, the Rolston boys had fluttered the hearts of Isabel school girls for decades. Half of Hetty’s classmates had fallen head-over-heels for the middle Rolston, Topher, but she had always liked taller men.

Theo had always had a quiet manner and a quick smile, though the notorious Rolston surliness ran through all of them. She’d seen a flash of that smile as she rode up to the gate.

Too bad Hetty’s clearest memory of Theo Rolston was him spurning her at an Isabel town festival. Every year, the scattered inhabitants of Isabel gathered in the town square for a lantern-lit feast called The Harvest Call. There was always live music and dancing. In fact, every child who attended Isabel public school had to learn the dances as an awkward part of their P. E. class.

Hetty took a deep breath and sighed as she rode hard; if only she could call out the dance moves and the running horses would respond.

She tried to push the memory aside and concentrate, but there was young Theo in his fine suit, sprawled out on a picnic table bench. Hetty remembered she had helped decorate all the tables with white tablecloths and bright fall leaves her classmates had helped cut from paper. The music had just started and everyone from school was being shooed onto the dance floor by their parents.

Her own mother had urged her to go dance. Hetty’s parents had argued and her mother was blinking back tears. She wanted her daughter to go have fun and not see how she was suffering. Her father was off flirting with whomever he could find and trying to make the same shifty business deals. Hetty didn’t want to leave her mother’s side, but she was also longing to have fun.

Every other girl at school had spent weeks plotting which boy they were going to smile at and stand near. Hetty couldn’t understand why none of them talked about the boys they were going to dance with because she didn’t know the finer points of how to flirt. She thought it was a waste of energy and good music to wait and hope a boy approached her. That Harvest Call had been warm and clear, the stars bright above, and she didn’t want to waste any of the festive mood she hardly ever saw at home. So, Hetty had approached Theo, seeing he was the only Rolston not dancing.

Hetty had figured since she had been paired with Theo during practice, he would naturally want to dance at the festival. She could still feel how his eyes glanced over her home-sewn dress before his dark blue eyes looked right into hers. Then, he looked away from her and shrugged.

“We only danced together because you were the only girl in the gym tall enough, but we’re not at school anymore,” he told her with a bored drawl.

The memory still stung, and Hetty rode harder, determined to show Theo she didn’t need him at all. It was common knowledge by now that Rolstons did not mix with the Pages, and Hetty wanted the horse sale done so they could go back to being barely seen neighbors. She might have been the only Page left in Isabel, but she still had some family pride, and she wouldn’t let it get bruised by him again.

She finally caught up with Domino and circled around the black and white horse, bringing her into step with Izzy. Then they turned to make a long loop in hopes of catching the roan. Theo had successfully taken over the dusty pair and was herding them towards her. Hetty was impressed when he knew to drop back at the last second and let her sweep the horses into running with the others.

Now he spurred his bay far out to the left in order to stop the roan from charging over the hill and disappearing all together. There were canyons in that direction that could swallow up a horse and rider and keep them lost for days. Hetty knew every nook and cranny of the canyons but did not want to chase the roan through the narrow passes. As hard as it was, she internally applauded Theo for his good instincts.

She also had to admit the man could ride. For as wealthy and spoiled as the Rolston boys had been raised, not a single one of them skipped out on hard work. It was one of the only remaining things Hetty allowed herself to admire about the family.

Theo caught the attention of the roan, who whirled around and headed in a wild run towards Hetty. She turned in her saddle to make sure the other horses were still riding smoothly with her. Izzy led the way with the other horses gathered naturally behind her. Hetty was relieved to see the horses herding instincts were helping out. As she turned back, she realized the roan was closer than she thought, and Hetty tried to pull up her mount, but it was too late.

The roan reared into the air and its hooves shot out with quick slashes. Hetty swung her horse back, still leading Izzy, and almost came unseated. She struggled to get upright as she heard Theo thundering towards them. Worried he would spook the horses again, Hetty flailed her hand that held her reins, hoping to wave him off.

In a clever switch back, Theo bumped the roan into the small herd and rode up close to Hetty. A strong hand grasped her shoulder and pushed her upright in her saddle. “You okay?” he asked.

Hetty gritted her teeth, not wanting to appreciate his help. It was petty, but she felt like spurning him just like he had all those years ago. Why did that still bother her so much?

She shrugged off his hand and squeezed her horse back into motion. The small herd of loose horses was almost together, but they were still wild-eyed and she needed to run them until they settled down.

Irritatingly, Theo understood and fell into pace beside her.

“That roan sure is a beauty,” he said.

“They all are,” Hetty snapped back at him.

Theo moved to tip his hat back, realized it was missing, and ruffled his dark blond hair. His face settled into a frown as he glanced at her from the side.

“Is now a good time for introductions or are you set on being unfriendly?”

He didn’t even recognize her?! Hetty was outraged. Of course only he could go around town being recognized by everyone, while she was just some dusty cowgirl that no one knew.

Theo’s frown deepened. “Not even the courtesy of an answer?”

“Hetty Page,” she bit out. They were almost to the gate and the whole awkward episode could be over. Once she had the horses on the other side, they were Theo’s problem and she could take her heartbreak home alone.

“Thought so,” Theo said. “Hard to forget green eyes like that.”

He then held out his hand for Izzy’s lead and left Hetty wondering how a broken heart could still flutter.

CHAPTER 3

***THEO***

Theo’s mind kept ranging back to Hetty Page and that last look on her face had followed him for days. He didn’t know why he should think about the rude cowgirl or wonder why it was such a jolt to see her again. Theo had lost track of Hetty after school when his mind was solely on securing his own cattle and showing his father he had what it took to run the T ranch.

Those green eyes had a surprising way of bringing back his school days, and he tried to chalk it up to nothing but nostalgia. Hetty wasn’t unusually tall, but she did have a few inches on most of the girls in their school, and he remembered seeing her often in the hallways. She always looked directly at him, and he felt those green eyes had the same dangerous magic as wet moss and could make a boy lose his footing.

Theo shook his head, his thoughts still circling back to those beautiful eyes.

He reminded himself he should be thinking about her rudeness. Why did she have to irritate him so quickly? Drake had laughed for way too long when he heard what held up Theo’s return that day. Luckily, Dean had another appointment and only had enough time to remind him the Page family had been in Isabel with the Rolstons from the very beginning.

Maybe that was why Theo had so many memories of Hetty.

He clearly remembered watching her dance with other boys in the town square, and those remembrances were always accompanied by a twinge of regret. He had rejected a dance with her one year, and she had made a point of avoiding him at every annual event since that one mistaken moment.

Theo’s jaw tensed as he recalled more about that particular Harvest Call. Dean was an upperclassman by then, plus a varsity athlete, and he had begun to boss everyone around. The worst part was most people accepted it as some kind of natural order. Even their father had reminded Theo that Dean was the first born and set to be the head of the household when he was gone. Theo just thought it was ridiculous his brother had to start lording it over people early.

Especially at The Harvest Call. Dean had an army of classmates in regiments following commands about everything from decorations to acceptable beverages to social graces. The upperclassmen were all tasked with making sure all the girls had someone to dance with that night. Dean was big into the idea of chivalry because it made every girl in town swoon.

“You can’t just slump there all night and stare at people,” Dean had told Theo.

Right there and then, Theo had decided that was exactly what he had to do. Unfortunately, Hetty appeared minutes later. With her usual direct look and matter-of-fact manner, she asked him to dance, unaware of the vow Theo had made to himself. After that, Hetty hardly looked in his direction.

Theo couldn’t blame her, but enough years had gone by that he thought she should let it go. Then again, he still felt the same irritable rebellion every time his brother asked him to do something.

Like that very morning when Dean had called up to command Theo to attend the land auction. Acres were getting scarce as Isabel grew, and it made perfect sense for Theo to try to acquire the Thirsty River Ranch. Its lands bordered Drake’s and it had been supporting cattle for as long as Theo could remember. He just wished his brother could treat their expansion as the partnership it was supposed to be, not the dictatorship that Dean made out of everything.

Theo drove to the auction slowly as he tried to get his irritation under control. He tried to keep his eyes on what was best for his T Ranch: expanding his cattle enterprise would secure his property and business farther into the future. The Thirsty River Ranch had gone the way of most struggling ranches in Texas. A few bad business decisions, followed by a few years of rough weather and bad luck, had caused Hetty’s family to divide their ownership into stakes. The stakeholders didn’t have the love and care that people on the grounds did, and the ranch operations suffered. After seeing their investment diminish, the stakeholders were ready to sell out and move on.

That’s why Theo was surprised to see Hetty, he had figured she’d pulled up stakes and left town like her mother did when the ranch was divided. Isabel was a small town, but Theo felt sure he would have seen Hetty around. Granted, he had been hellbent on making the T Ranch succeed and hadn’t taken much time to attend town functions, but he was fairly certain her green eyes were hard to miss.

Theo groaned and concentrated on his driving again.

That same focus that kept him from noticing much around town was what he needed now. All he knew was the Thirsty River Ranch had deep roots in Isabel, and it was his duty as a Rolston to secure his cattle enterprise and benefit the town. Winning the ranch land at auction would keep the ownership within the town and ensure a large, faceless cattle operation didn’t overtake it and run it into the ground.

With his sense of duty intact, Theo parked his truck amongst the others along the winding driveway and headed towards the ramshackle ranch house. A table was set up under a canopy, and he ducked in to get his auction number. As he stepped back out into the sun, he spotted Hetty.

Was she back for a bit of nostalgia?

He watched her slap her cream-colored hat against her thigh as she talked to an older couple. Hetty’s black braid glinted deep blue and onyx as she flipped it over her shoulder. Theo remembered that long hair and felt another tug of nostalgia himself. He had often admired it during lunchtime when most students wandered outside the cafeteria to mingle in the sunshine.

He was snapped back to reality when Hetty tugged her hat back on and her jade-green eyes flashed in his direction. Even from across the dusty driveway, Theo could see the stubborn set of her jaw.

She marched over and stood close enough that she had to tip her chin up to scowl at him. “What brings you here, Rolston? Run out of money to count?”

Theo scowled right back at her. “I turn my money into heads of cattle and there’s no need to count them as long as they’re healthy.”

Hetty looked ready to spit fire. “And you came here to throw that in the face of this ranch team?”

“You want to argue the stakeholders here didn’t mismanage things?” Theo grumbled. Why was she so stuck on being rude?

“Regardless of who owns it, there are people here who put their heart and soul into keeping things going,” Hetty snapped.

Theo wondered how closely Hetty had kept tabs on her family’s old place. As far as he knew, her mother had gone to Florida right after Hetty graduated. Theo had been in college and only returned to see Topher get his high school diploma the same year. Why would a teenage girl be interested in a dusty, failing old ranch? He thought she was taking things way too personally.

“How’s your mother? How do you two like it in Florida?” Theo ground out, reverting to the good manners his older brother had drummed into him over the years.

Hetty’s nostrils flared in annoyance. “You keep my family out of this.”

“They’ve been out of this for years,” Theo retorted.

Just when he thought the conversation couldn’t be going any worse, his youngest brother appeared at his shoulder. Sutton, bright-blond and billboard handsome, had a glowing personality that made Theo feel like a tree stump in comparison. Just his arrival made Hetty’s tense jaw loosen and Theo knew it was only a matter of minutes before his charming brother made her smile.

Why could Sutton pour on the sunshine while the rest of the Rolstons lived up to their surly reputation? He figured it was because his baby brother had been getting by on his good looks for way too long.

Unfortunately, they seemed to be working on Hetty, and Theo didn’t know why that made him feel surlier than ever.

“Always good to see a fellow alumni,” Sutton said.

It didn’t matter that Sutton was too young to have attended school with Hetty. He had appeared, much to his brothers’ annoyance, at every school event they had, until it seemed like Sutton had always been an upperclassman.

“I’ve been meaning to stop by the hotel,” Hetty said. “It’s about time there was a decent place to stay around here.”

“I hear you brokered a deal with my grumpy brother Drake, and now I find you talking to this scowling giant. I’m surprised they haven’t run you out of town.” Sutton joked with Hetty.

Much to Theo’s irritation, that made Hetty smile. Then she countered Sutton’s charm with another jab. “Nothing could run me out of Isabel, unlike the Rolston brothers. I hear there’s still a few of you not even the will can drag back.”

Sutton shrugged, carefree as usual, and glanced at Theo. “Topher and the black sheep of the family are problems for my elders.”

That made Hetty laugh. “Too bad your elders are so grumpy.”

“Tell me about it.” Sutton was about to loop his arm through Hetty’s when she was thankfully called away.

Theo grumbled at his brother. “Call me your elder one more time and I’ll make sure your face is a lot less appealing to the ladies.”

Sutton laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. “Come on, let’s look around. I haven’t been up here in forever.”

“No one has.” Theo reluctantly walked with his brother while he puzzled over when he last saw the Thirsty River Ranch. “I don’t really think anyone’s been up here in decades. I mean, the ranch team comes into town, but they seem to keep to themselves.”

“Diego’s a good man,” Sutton said, tipping his hat to a stout, broad-shouldered man. “He and his wife came to one of the hotel reopening events.”

Theo nodded at the familiar man. “I like Diego too, though Dean has always harped on about him keeping a secret of some sort.”

Sutton snorted. “Dean likes to think there’s drama on every ranch. Makes him feel better about overhearing all the gossip the town spreads about Rolstons.”

“Speaking of Dean, why don’t you tell me why you’re really here,” Theo said.

He stopped by a healthy looking pasture and crossed his arms. Sutton sighed and leaned against the splintering rail fence. At first, he seemed to be weighing his possible words, and Theo knew he was deciding which brother to make mad. Finally, Sutton gave in and it happened to be in Theo’s favor.

“Dictator Dean called me this morning and told me if I didn’t help you win the Thirsty River Ranch, he wouldn’t help me hire a horse camp director.” Sutton stuck his pleading, baby-blues on Theo’s eyes. “And I’m not dealing with a bunch of tourist young-uns whining on horseback.”

He gave a theatrical shudder and hoped Theo wouldn’t yell at him.

Theo gritted his teeth. “Dean sent you to check up on me?”

Sutton carefully slid further down the rough wooden fence. “To support you. Dean sent me to support you, big bro.”

“And you think I need your support?” Theo drew himself up to his full height.

Sutton put up too pleading hands. “Now, come on. I’m not the one that’s been nosing around trying to figure out the requirements you and Dean have to fulfill. That’s Drake. Would you rather he was here?”

It was laughable how quickly Sutton was willing to throw the second youngest Rolston under Theo’s ire. Except Theo was not in a laughing mood. In fact, he was certain his mood was a sickly slime green as he had decided Hetty’s eyes were. That was the only shade that matched her venomous tongue.

Sutton took the pause to mean he wasn’t in too much trouble. He jumped at the chance to smooth things over. “What about the possibilities, huh? This place is pretty great.”

Theo grumbled. “The ranch house is practically falling down. The outbuildings are just as ramshackle. There’s a shanty-looking trailer home on the hill, and the cattle herd is tiny at best.”

Sutton led the way closer to where they could see the cattle. “Those are Wagyu. You have any idea how much their meat is worth?”

Theo glared at his brother. “I know how popular they are. You think going in on trends is the best way to expand our family legacy?”

“Diversify. Isn’t that one of Dean’s favorite words?” Sutton jabbed an elbow into Theo’s side and pointed at the small herd again. “Those Wagyu beef would allow you to show Dean and dear old Dad’s will requirements that you have diversified.”

Theo allowed his youngest brother to rattle off more ideas and possibilities as they ambled back to the old ranch house. The auction was just setting up on the sagging front porch, and he took a front-row stance. The truth was, he was warming to the idea of owning the Thirsty River Ranch. And it had nothing to do with the idea that Hetty Page might occasionally visit when nostalgia got the best of her.

He told himself he could do without that rediscovered enemy in his life.

Still, he found himself wondering if he should head into town that night in the hopes of running into her at one of the few Isabel restaurants. Where exactly had she been all these years?

Also, and it pained him to admit it, but Sutton was right. Adding a herd of specialty cattle to his enterprise would please both Dean and the requirements of their father’s will. He needed to expand and the opportunity was in front of him.

Decision made, Theo was glad when the bidding actually started.

It surprised him how quickly the first bids flew out, but he kept raising his paddle, certain he could easily cover the cost. There was consternation behind him, but Theo kept focused. Not only would this fulfill the requirements of his inheritance, it would get Dean off his back. Theo wondered just how much he would pay for that luxury and, with that in mind, he went on to outbid everyone.

It was tougher than he thought and Theo paid more than he wanted, but the Thirsty River Ranch was signed over to him that afternoon.

He should have felt elated, but Theo found himself looking for a set of jade green eyes. It didn’t matter if they glared at him; something about Hetty’s glance was far more exciting than any auction he’d ever attended or won.

CHAPTER 4

***HETTY***

Hetty’s loyal ranch hands were waiting by the barn, knowing full well she would go there to see her horse after the auction wrapped up. Not that they had predicted she would lose, they just knew she processed big life moments best with her horse. Bill gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze as she entered the barn, Dugger spit on the ground to show how he despised the outcome, and Tripp muttered something like a sorry.

They all took one look at her devastated face and knew the only way to get her past it was to get her riled up about something else.

“Looks like you had a cozy conversation with that tall Rolston,” Bill said.

Dugger took up the distraction. “At least you got to see some people and flirt with Isabel’s most eligible bachelors.”

Tripp couldn’t keep up the ruse and snorted. “Bet they don’t even have dirt under their nails. White collar ranching ain’t no life I admire.”

Hetty knew what they were doing, yet couldn’t help taking the bait. “Theo might be a good cattleman but he’s a terrible conversationalist, and I doubt that man has ever flirted in his life.”

“He flirts with his own sour mood every hour of every day,” Tripp observed.

That made her crack a weak smile that only encouraged the others. Bill declared that Rolston men had learned to cash checks before they learned how to put on clean britches. Dugger decided he’d never go near them again, even if they smelled like prize-winning barbecue. Tripp recalled a long list of times he had seen the Rolston men acting grumpy around town.

“Most recently I heard how that Drake Rolston talks sharp to his stable hand, Justin, day in and day out. Maybe he ought to try that with someone my size.” Tripp rolled the well-worked shoulders of a man in his late forties.

Bill turned reflective. “Not that Theo Rolston don’t boss others around, dress too snappy, or bark orders that I heard, but I sure didn’t like the way he was looking at you.”

“How’s that?” Hetty asked.

Bill’s eyes narrowed until all his well-worn crow’s feet appeared. “Like you was something that just might make him smile.”

Dugger and Tripp burst into laughter. “Can you imagine that! I might pay a million dollars to see Theo Rolston turn gooey over a woman,” Dugger declared.

“Are you saying it’s ridiculous to think a man might get gooey over me someday?” Hetty turned her sharp eyes on the ranch hands.

They immediately straightened up. Hetty was half their age and a skinny young woman to boot, but they had never respected a ranch overseer more. She put her heart and soul into the Thirsty River Ranch, and the three men would happily work their fingers to the bone knowing she would be right there with them.

That’s why it was impossible to keep up the silly conversation and pretend like the auction had not happened.

“Now, Ms. Hetty, you know you don’t want no gooey man,” Bill reminded her.

She sighed. He was right, of course. The ranch hands, for all their rough manners and even rougher education, often were. “I lost the only thing I really want,” she admitted in a heartbreakingly soft voice.

The auction had been brutal. Just seeing all those men ringed around her sagging front porch, waiting to bid on her life’s blood, had almost stopped her heart. Then the bidding started and it went so fast she could hardly catch her breath. By the time she started raising her paddle, the bid was so high it made her dizzy. Yet, Hetty had kept risking more and more in the hopes of winning back her family home.

Then she lost.

The auction ended as quickly as it started, with the sharp bang of a gavel and the instant dispersal of the group. Sure, they milled around long enough for her to lose sight of the auctioneer and the highest bidder, but once the business was done, people started heading for their trucks.

Hetty planned to jump on her horse and head for the hills. She needed to get away, and even the well-intentioned distraction provided by her ranch hands was not enough to stop her.

Only Diego Gutman was able to do that.

“Did you find out who had the highest bid?” Hetty asked her ranch manager.

He considered her red-rimmed eyes and how one hand was already on the pommel of her horse’s saddle, then shook his head. “We’ll find out when you sign the official paperwork.”

Hetty narrowed her eyes at him. “And you couldn’t even overhear a little bit of gossip? None of you saw whose paddle was up last?”

Diego glared at the three men and they all shook their heads in unison.

“What aren’t you telling me?” Hetty asked sharply.

Diego sighed and decided to help her walk her horse to the back door of the barn, knowing full well she was heading out into the wild scrubland. “It’s better not to know. They won’t mean a thing to the day-to-day here. The Thirsty River has seen changes like this before and never changed pace. Why would it be different now?”

Because now Hetty wouldn’t even have a say. Her small stake had been sold with all the rest, and now her ranch’s future lay entirely in someone else’s hands.

“Fine,” she muttered, mounting her horse. “I’ll find out on my own.”

“When you get back,” Diego pointed out. He brushed his hand down her horse’s neck. “You pack everything you need to stay out a day or two?”

Diego, in the absence of her actual parents, had become the one who fussed over things like her safety. Hetty would have hated it if he hadn’t been part of the ranch since her childhood. No one loved the Thirsty River Ranch more than her and Diego, so she allowed him to treat her like a daughter.

“I packed light since I only have one horse to take,” Hetty said. Her voice caught on the last syllable and she gulped down a steadying breath. “I’ll be fine.”

The truth was, she had no idea if she would be fine ever again. Hetty had sold everything she could think of to raise money for her ranch bid. Now she only had the barest of necessities and would, most likely, be out of a job soon. She patted Diego’s hand and urged her horse into a quick escape.

With the ranch team behind her, Hetty tried to turn a blind eye to the rest of the ranch. There was the house where she had been born, that she had leased out to families for the past year in order to bolster her savings with their rent. Past that was the junky trailer she had called home up until the previous weekend when she had sold it to an Isabel graduate ready for a cross-country trip to college. Then there was the horse pasture, empty of the five beautiful horses she had sold to the Rolstons.

The only thing Hetty really had left was Domino’s brother, a black and white gelding named Checkers. She couldn’t part with her horse, and right now, it felt like Checkers was the only one who could save her.

“Let’s get lost for a while,” she whispered to him.

The horse flicked its ears back, listening, then perked them forward. It seemed not all of the auction crowd had left yet, and she would have to wait before letting the horse out of an easy walk.

It was an excruciatingly long way until she could put the ranch house, trailer, and beloved horse pasture behind her.

Hetty felt the tears burning the backs of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. The feeling reminded her of the day she left for college, forced away from home so she could get a degree and be considered a contributing stakeholder. Tugging her roots up even for those few years had almost killed Hetty. Sure, college was exciting and she had fun learning all she needed to run the ranch, but in her absence, her father sold off more stakes. She had graduated a year early just to save some money and get back to the Thirsty River all the more quickly.

She was just never able to save enough money. The little she scraped together was used to patch the holes her father was causing as his decisions became more and more selfish. He wanted out of the life he had married into and didn’t care that he was casting away his wife and child as well as the ranch. Hetty fought to keep what she could, but most of it, including her parents, were gone before she got back.

Hetty’s mother begged her to come to Florida, but she refused to leave her roots. Her father flat-out disappeared, leaving only a few trace debts behind him. Hetty still had her stake, and she dealt with the stakeholders, mostly by taking on all of the ranch work herself. Between that and scraping together little bits of money, Hetty had no life outside the ranch fences at all. She had a singular goal and kept at it every day even as the years dragged on and wore away more and more of her stake in the land. For the last year, she had lived out of the trailer, minimized the herd to a specialty beef, and underpaid her ranch team, but it still wasn’t enough.

And all of it had happened in a nosy small town like Isabel, Texas.

Hetty glanced back and waved at Diego as he stood sentinel in the barn. When she returned from college, the only Page, she had made him promise he would keep her involvement in the ranch as quiet as possible. He hated the agreement, was proud of all her valiant efforts, but had not broken her confidence at any time. Few people in Isabel even suspected a Page still visited the property, much less had a hand in the running of the ranch.

At first, Hetty wanted her name kept quiet because she didn’t want to hear how a ranch was no place for a young woman. Even the most progressive and well-intentioned Texas would look at her askance when she dared talk about her plan to single-handedly take over her family’s cattle ranch, especially the old Page place that was well-known to be plagued with financial problems. Then it became a way to blame the failures on the stakeholders. Diego tried to remind her it was the fault of the stakeholders, none of whom lived in Isabel or cared about the ranch’s day-to-day operations, but she took the decline personally. Hetty worked anonymously, hardly ever went into town, and kept her nose to the grindstone, just for the chance of redeeming her family name.

Of course, the ranch hands knew her secret. All three were from in and around Isabel, and they recognized her name when Diego called it. But, like most cowboys, they kept their mouths shut about things that weren’t their business. By the end of her first month back, they had seen her work and come to a decision. It was one of the few recent memories that made Hetty smile.

Tripp had led the ragtag group up to find her on the front porch. Hat in hand, he had asked her pardon for interrupting her evening off. Hetty had been sitting on the steps polishing a horse bit and had smiled at their seriousness.

“I want us to be a team,” she had told them, “and that means we actually communicate with each other.”

Bill had rolled his eyes at her collegiate-style speech but had one of his own prepared. “We are your team, Ms. Hetty. We, none of us, have seen someone your age work as hard as you. You’re up with the dawn, you ride hard, you try until every broken thing gets fixed, and you care about every inch of this here cattle ranch more than all of us combined. That’s why we pledge to work for you and keep your name quiet until we see this place set right.”

“Right back into your hands,” Dugger had clarified.

So what if other young women had sorority sisters, gal pals, or whole squads of girlfriends. Hetty had her ranch team, and her heart was full. She gave them all one last wave and squeezed her horse into a quick canter.

The only thing that stopped her from clearing the split rail fence and galloping off into the scrub was a tall cowboy. Theo Rolston leaned on the fence, turning casually just as he heard her break into a canter.

Hetty reined Checkers in hard and the horse skittered to a stop just before Theo’s shiny boots. “What are you still doing here?” she hissed.

“Me? What are you doing charging down guests?” Theo asked.

Hetty snorted. “You call that pack of vultures ‘guests?’ Well, I guess it takes one to know one.”

“Must you always be so rude?” Theo snarled. “If you could literally get off your high horse for just one moment, you might notice there’s a beautiful sunset out there.”

“Sunsets are for the idle and the rich,” Hetty snapped, but she did hop off Checkers back so she could aim her ire at Theo more directly. He seemed just as good a target as any.

“So, no manners or sunsets for you. Got it.” Theo arched a brow over his impossibly dark blue eyes, and dismissed her.

Hetty had to march around and lean against the split rail fence just to make sure she spoke to his face. “Who are you to comment on my manners? Another few moments and you’ll be trespassing.”

“So will you,” Theo pointed out. He grimaced, knowing the jab had hit her too hard. “Unless we’re just a pair of regular people enjoying a sunset view.”

She glanced at the glowing swaths of purple and pink and a little of the edge went out of her voice. “You’re not regular.”

He almost smiled. “Neither are you.”

Hetty couldn’t help but break the peace; she had no peace inside her that night. “You know it’s not regular to be given a cattle ranch for a high school graduation present, right?”

Theo scowled. “So, I’m the enemy because my fortunate family was able to hand me my future? You know I work for the T Ranch, right? I work hard for it every day of my life.”

Hetty could respect that but she couldn’t help the burning at the backs of her eyes or her jealousy. Theo had everything she wanted, and it wasn’t fair. “You’re the enemy because instead of extending your hand, you just slumped against a picnic table and forced people to stand alone.”

She had said more than she meant to, misplaced her upset onto an old memory, and her voice had wavered. Horrified, Hetty swung back into Checkers’ saddle and whirled the horse around. After a short canter back towards the barn, she whipped the horse around again and spurred him into a full gallop.

Theo didn’t move so much as an eyelid, and his frown remained immovable as Hetty thundered towards him, cleared the fence on horseback, and streaked towards that sunset he had admired.

CHAPTER 5

***THEO***

“Should someone be worried about her?” Theo asked the ranch team as he walked back to his truck. Sure, Hetty was rude and raised every single one of Theo’s hackles, but he didn’t like the idea of her disappearing into miles of undeveloped Texas countryside.

“Some of us know better than to worry about Hetty Page,” said the man Theo had heard called Tripp.

Theo frowned at his unpleasant tone. “I mean, she can ride, but it gets wild out there after sunset. There’s a maze of canyons to get lost in.”

Diego stepped forward and gestured roughly that he would accompany Theo to his truck. “You can go right ahead and get that young woman out of your mind. She’s fine, and she certainly doesn’t need any help from you.”

That almost made Theo chuckle. “I get the feeling if I tried to help her, she’d spit in my eye.”

Diego nodded, a note of pride in his voice when he told Theo, “she’s not your typical young woman, and she ain’t no damsel in distress.”

Theo allowed himself to be shown to his truck. He liked Diego Gutman, always had. The ranch manager had held everything together at the Thirsty River Ranch after Hetty’s father made a mess of things and left. Everyone in town knew his reputation as a dedicated worker, and Rolston Senior had chipped in to help Diego more than once based on that alone. Theo suspected the man kept some secrets, but he couldn’t begrudge him those. He just wished Diego was more forthcoming about the undeniable intriguing Hetty Page.

Diego cleared his throat just before Theo opened his truck door. “If you see Ms. Hetty, you shouldn’t mention winning the ranch auction. It would be better coming from someone who knows her.”

Theo raised an eyebrow. How well did the ranch manager know her? Hadn’t she been out of Isabel for years? “Sure thing,” he said with a shrug.

Then the older man gave him a small, mystifying smile. “Have fun reading the fine print at the lawyers.”

That strange jab irritated Theo as he drove back through town so, when he spotted Drake’s truck at The Tack and Feed, he swung into the next parking spot. He found Drake cooling his heels by the front counter as Freddie chatted with her cousin. Alessa Jones was the store manager and usually the best source for local information.

“Getting some new Duds to go with your new ranch?” Drake asked.

Theo scowled. “Obviously you’ve talked to Sutton.”

Drake noticed Theo’s eyeline and raised an eyebrow. “Waiting to talk to Alessa? What kind of gossip might you be needing?”

“Thought I should inquire a bit about Wagyu beef. Specialty herds have a tendency to breed difficulties.” Theo tried to act casual.

“And this has nothing to do with the black-haired cowgirl Sutton saw you trying to flirt with?” Drake laughed at Theo’s dark look. “Yeah, Sutton said it was painful to watch.”

Theo sighed. He didn’t have time for his brother to enjoy his discomfort, or time to dance around the subject. “What do you know about the Pages?”

Drake shrugged. “Same as everyone knows. Hetty’s mother married the wrong kind of man, he hated ranch life and eventually tanked the operation, then he took off for some big city. Heard her mother retired to Florida and never looked back.”

“And nothing about the daughter?”

Alessa appeared behind the store counter. “The daughter is a private woman, and wouldn’t you be if your family legacy had been ground into the dirt?”

Both Theo and Drake were surprised. Alessa was usually a fountain of information and everyone’s life story was fair game. Isabel was a small town after all. Drake held up his hands, a sign of surrender. “Hey, we just stopped in to pick up Teddy’s new boots. That’s all I know.”

Alessa turned her sights on Theo, who also steered the conversation into safer territory. “I just wanted to know a bit about Wagyu beef.”

The store manager smiled. “I bring in special-order feed for them. Wagyu are expensive to raise, but they’ll be worth it in the end.”

Freddie joined the conversation. “Just ask the restaurants around here. They love the stuff. In fact, Drake and I were heading over to the steak house. You should join us.”

Theo grumbled, but agreed. It made sense to talk to the local market before he decided what to do. It turned out the steak house was adamant that the Thirsty River Ranch keep the specialty herd. Theo discovered that the meat was in high-demand and it was much better when grass-fed and locally grown.

“There’s also something to be said for keeping the herd in a low-stress environment. It actually affects the texture and flavor. I sure hope this whole auction won’t disrupt them too much,” the chef told Theo.

Coddled cattle, a ramshackle ranch house, and a surly team of workers; what had Theo gotten himself into?

He was also starting to worry about what sort of fine print he would discover when he finalized the sale. It wasn’t too late to back out, and Theo considered it. Even a few seconds into thinking about letting the Thirsty River Ranch go, Theo knew he couldn’t do it. There was something special there; he just couldn’t put his finger on it. And if he didn’t purchase the place, it would go to an outside buyer and that would be bad for the entire town.

Most days, Theo liked being a Rolston. Carrying the name of one of the richest families in town had many benefits, but most people didn’t think about the responsibilities it also carried. Everything he and his brothers did affected the people of Isabel. As heavy as the load seemed, Theo loved it there and always found himself wanting to do what would improve their hometown.

With everything on his mind, Theo decided to order a steak sandwich for take-out, but his brother had other plans. He strolled in front of Theo’s path and shooed him towards the table where Freddie was waiting.

“You should celebrate,” Drake told him. “If anything, you’re one step closer to getting Dean off your back.”

Theo snorted. “Like that’ll ever happen.”

He allowed himself to be herded into a seat next to Freddie. She beamed at him. “Congratulations on the auction! Now tell me about Hetty.”

Theo supposed her curiosity was natural; there were not that many women her age in Isabel and Freddie was always on the look-out for new friends. He gave in and leaned back in his chair. “I don’t know much. Long black hair in a braid. Green eyes. Bit taller than you. Willowy.”

Drake snorted. “Willowy?”

Theo glared at him. “You know, tall and thin. Kinda graceful. You want me to describe her in easier terms you can understand?”

Freddie drew the focus back to the young woman. “Drake says she really knows her horses. Teddy has already picked out the black and white one she called Domino. Where do you think she learned to ride?”

“At the Thirsty River,” Drake said.

Theo frowned. “But what about when she left after graduation? I don’t know too many colleges that let you keep horses.”

Drake sipped his drink and perused the menu. “Isn’t it a bit like riding a bike?”

“Maybe she never left the ranch,” Freddie suggested. “It is a pretty private spot out there.”

“And she never came into town?” Theo shook his head.

“It’s possible,” Freddie countered. “Not every family in Isabel can afford steak dinners and a day of strolling Main Street.”

Drake squeezed his wife’s hand. “We know we’re lucky.”

Freddie smiled at her husband but turned the conversation back to Theo. “So, why does Hetty Page hate you?”

Theo groaned. “I don’t know. I’m a likable guy.”

“Who had a tendency to stonewall the girls in high school,” Drake pointed out.

Theo rolled his eyes. “We can’t all be Ben Summers.”

Ben was a classmate of theirs who had been a high school Casanova. He was now happily married but held the reputation of town matchmaker. He had even set Drake and Freddie up on a first date. It had been a disaster, seeing as Freddie was working as a nanny for Drake’s son, but that story, and their happily-ever-after, only solidified Ben’s instincts as a matchmaker.

Luckily, the server came to take their orders and the subject dropped.

“So, have you told Dean yet?” Drake asked.

Annoyed that his brother couldn’t find a better topic of conversation, Theo rolled his eyes again. “Did you have to bring him up?”

“Well,” Freddie said, with mischief in her eyes, “we could have invited him to eat with us.”

Theo almost got up. “Please tell me you didn’t.”

Freddie laughed as she put out both hands to grab Theo’s wrists. “Sit down! No, I didn’t, but I don’t understand why you two are so against him. I wish I had a big brother like Dean looking out for my best interests all the time.”

Drake looked insulted. “I don’t look out for you enough?”

This time, Theo chuckled. “You’d be changing your turn if Dean was into your business for just one afternoon.”

Freddie shook her head. “You don’t know how lucky you are having a big band of brothers watching out for you. I imagine if Hetty Page had brothers, that auction would have gone differently.”

Theo shook his head. “You should have seen her ranch team. It seems to me she has plenty of people looking out for her.”

“Speaking of,” Drake nodded towards the door, “is that her picking up a take-out order?”

Theo was on his feet before he was even aware of what he was doing. Part of him was jealous that she was enacting his take-out and eat-at-home plan, and part of him was dreading another round of harsh comments from her. Either way, he seemed magnetized to her. Not even her look of total horror stopped him.

“Why are you everywhere?” she asked.

“Why aren’t you out jumping fences?” he countered.

Hetty sniffed. “A girl’s gotta eat.”

Theo nodded, a sudden stab of sympathy getting the best of him. “It was a hard day. You deserve a good meal.”

The hostess appeared. “What’s the name on your order?”

“Uh, I haven’t placed it yet. It’s,” Hetty looked around, then said quietly, “Page. Hetty Page.”

The hostess perked up. “Hetty? I think we went to high school together! I haven’t seen you in ages. What can I get you?”

“She’s joining our table,” Theo broke in.

“Really?” The hostess quickly popped her mouth shut, gathered her manners, and grabbed a menu. “Here you go. Enjoy.”

“Was I really that bad in high school?” Theo grumbled as he led the way back to Drake and Freddie.

Hetty shrugged, reluctantly following him. “Standoffish.”

Theo snorted. “Works for both of us, doesn’t it?”

“You don’t have to be nice to me. I don’t want to crash your dinner,” Hetty dug in her heels, but it was too late.

Freddie jumped up and shook her hand. “Hello! I’m Freddie, ah, Rolston. Wow, that is still taking some getting used to.”

Hetty caught herself smiling. “Yeah, I heard you got married.”

“You heard?” Theo studied her face.

“Here, have a seat.” Drake jumped up, happy to outdo his brother in gentlemanly manners, especially in front of his wife.

“I really don’t want to intrude,” Hetty tried to protest.

“You’re not intruding at all,” Freddie sat down next to her, beaming. “Actually, it’s nice to have another friendly face at dinner.”

Hetty stole a glance at Theo, with his now-familiar frown, and gave a short laugh. “Yeah, I could see that.”

Freddie laughed. “Before we’re done with the salad course, you’ll forget everything you’ve heard about the Rolston reputation.”

“We have a reputation?” Drake asked, starting to frown himself.

Theo shot his brother a grim look. “And you used to be the worst of it.”

“Not possible,” Drake shot back.

The two glared at each other as Hetty gave Freddie a hesitant smile. “So, you were saying?” she prompted.

Freddie shook her head with another laugh. “I swear, beneath the gruff exterior is a pair of softies. You should see Theo with his nephew. The little man just adores him.”

Hetty looked skeptical. “He’s good around kids?”

“He’s sitting right here,” Theo growled.

He was having trouble taking his eyes off Hetty, despite the teasing. Her jet-black hair was swept back into a loose ponytail that flowed like silk over her shoulder. Theo noticed she wore small abalone earrings that caught the light from above and flashed greens and blues. The specks of color complimented the deep blue sheen of her hair and the jade-green of her eyes perfectly. Without a hat on, Theo was able to admire her flawless skin, unmarred by makeup. He marveled at her long eyelashes until she narrowed her eyes at his obvious stare.

“Theo also has a soft spot for dogs, which reminds me! Sutton also told us that he heard about a litter down the road from him. Any interest in a puppy?” Freddie asked Hetty.

Hetty gave her a blank look, then said, “no. Too expensive to feed.”

The server appeared at that moment, and Theo leaned over to Hetty. “Don’t worry, I’m paying. You can order whatever you want.”

Hetty’s cheeks flushed white then pink. “I don’t need your charity, Rolston,” she whispered.

“Why can’t you let me be nice?” Theo growled back.

“Because I don’t think flashing your money in people’s faces is nice,” she hissed.

Drake and Freddie ordered their dinners, oblivious to the hushed argument. When it was Hetty’s turn, Drake also tried to declare that he was paying and she could order whatever she wanted.

Her chair scraped the floor. “I’m sorry, but I just can’t stay for dinner. Thanks.”

Everyone, including the server, watched her march out of the steak house.

Theo shrugged. “And people think I’m grumpy.”

Freddie kicked him under the table. She waited for the server to go put in their order and then demanded, “what did you say to drive her away?”

“Nothing,” he scowled. “I offered to pay for her dinner.”

“So did I,” Drake said, not to be outdone.

Freddie gave a despairing sigh. “Oh, I hope you didn’t insult her!”

Theo took a slurp from his water and crunched an ice cube. “You can’t say I didn’t try. The woman’s just determined to keep me an enemy.”

“Try?” Drake laughed. “You dragged her over here against her will, frowned at her, stared at her, then insulted her. You call that trying?”

Theo snarled, “How about I try to wipe that smile off your face?”

Freddie held up both hands, “Gentlemen, please!”

“Come on, Freddie. You have to take my side,” Drake reminded her. “Tell me Theo here was acting normal and I’ll eat my hat instead of a steak.”

She considered Theo, and an idea popped into her head. “You like her!”

Theo glowered, “what am I, twelve?”

“No,” Freddie warmed to her idea, “you’re infatuated.”

“I think I got a vaccine for that,” Theo grumbled. He definitely did not like the sparkle in his sister-in-law’s eyes.

“Just you wait,” Freddie predicted. She rubbed her hands together. “‘Ooo, I can’t wait to see the two of them in a room together again!”

Drake looked at Theo as if he might have sprouted a second head, then he gave him a devilish grin. “Me neither. When are we going to make that happen?”

Theo left them to their ridiculous plotting and got his dinner to go.

CHAPTER 6

***HETTY***

The auction left Hetty feeling defeated, depressed, and worried, but it also gave her a wild feeling of recklessness. That would explain why she jumped her horse over the fence just feet from Theo’s head. It was also the only explanation for why she had changed her mind after only a few hours of riding, returned to the ranch to borrow Bill’s truck, and headed into town.

After so many years of avoiding Isabel, Hetty felt like a tourist in her own hometown. Plenty of people had seen her at the auction, the Rolston brothers included, so she figured it made sense to appear in town. She also no longer felt like she had anything to lose. The Thirsty River Ranch was slipping through her fingers, and her chances of redeeming the Page name were fading. So, she strolled Main Street like a normal resident and decided to stop in at the steak house.

The chef there had been the first person to suggest she raise Wagyu beef—it was an equal opportunity for her to raise a big payday and for him to put his restaurant on the map.

Unfortunately, she had run into Theo.

Her cheeks flushed again as she remembered him jumping up from his table and making a beeline through the busy tables right to her. Why? Then, perhaps from some latent politeness, he had invited her to his table. It had been great seeing Freddie again, but Hetty was still reeling from the auction, and it had been way too long since she casually sat down at a restaurant. Then Theo had offered to pay for her dinner, and she had to leave before she burst into tears. Hetty regretted her rudeness as soon as she stormed out the steak house door, but there was no going back now.

If Theo thought she was rude before, he no doubt thought she was unhinged now. But why did she care what Theo Rolston thought of her?

After leaving the steak house, Hetty found herself ducking into The Tack and Feed. If there was one place in Isabel she had never been able to avoid, it was the large Main Street store. They sold everything there from cowboy boots to plumbing supplies, and everyone in and around Isabel depended on the store for the things they couldn’t find anywhere else.

That’s why Alessa Jones, the store manager, was one of the only people who knew that Hetty had never really left Isabel at all. She, usually the switch operator of the towns’ gossip line, had kept Hetty’s presence secretive without ever questioning her reasons.

Alessa spotted her minutes after she pushed open the doors and came over quickly to catch her in a tight hug. “I’m sorry you’ve had such a terrible day,” she said.

Hetty blinked back tears but gave her friend a tight squeeze of thanks. “I think we both knew I wasn’t going to win, but I had to try.”

Alessa saw her barely contained tears and pulled her into a back room. “Are you okay? I mean, I know that’s a stupid question and of course you’re not okay, but is there anything I can do?”

Hetty smiled weakly. “You can tell me when you turned this storeroom into a yoga studio.”

Alessa laughed. “When Freddie came back, she had trouble finding her feet, so I let her use this place as a dance studio. Then some other locals caught a glimpse and asked if they could hold a yoga class. Now it’s a full-blown side business. The owners are quite impressed with my innovative ideas.”

“I could use some of your innovation.”

“It was mostly luck,” Alessa admitted. “And, if I could, I would give you all the luck in the world.”

“Actually, I was just hoping for a little gossip,” Hetty said.

Alessa looked pained. “Diego came by earlier.”

Hetty groaned. “He told you not to tell me?!”

“He thinks it would be better coming from him,” Alessa explained. “I love you, my friend, but Diego is Diego, and he has your best interests at heart.”

“I know,” Hetty wailed. There was no point in trying to cross Diego, so she changed subjects. “At least give me the gossip about Freddie becoming a Rolston.”

Alessa grinned. “Now there’s good gossip. Did you ever think Drake would fall for a dreamer?”

They chatted about the wonderful new direction of Freddie’s dance dreams and the happy couple. Hetty was cheered by the fact that another struggling woman from Isabel had found her happily-ever-after. She just couldn’t imagine it with a Rolston brother.

“They really aren’t as bad as they look,” Alessa said.

“You mean they aren’t all the handsome, brooding, perpetually in a bad mood men the whole town has always seen them to be?” Hetty scoffed at the idea.

Alessa pounced, “you think a Rolston is handsome? Which one? It’s Theo, isn’t it?”

“What? Why? How could you?” Hetty gaped at her friend.

“Wow, I didn’t think I’d hit such a nerve there.” Alessa stood back and studied Hetty from head-to-toe.

“He’s the worst,” Hetty assured her.

Alessa shrugged. “I don’t know. Theo has always been reserved, but he never left even when all his brothers decided to try out different cities and lives. I like a man who knows where his roots run deep.”

Hetty did too, but she needed Theo to be an enemy. With all the other confusion in her life, she didn’t need to wonder why he twisted her stomach into knots. It was much easier to be mad at him.

“Too bad his roots are so rude,” she said with finality.

Alessa dropped the sore subject and set about cheering her friend up. “Did you hear the Barters have a litter of puppies?”

Hetty felt a tug at her heartstrings. “Texas Heelers?”

“Not purebred but great cattle dogs. You should go over and let those little pups cheer you up.” Alessa heard a customer call from the front of the store and had to say her goodbyes.

Hetty left, still not knowing the gossip about who bought her ranch, but she did feel better. The feeling lasted until she drove through the gates of the Thirsty River Ranch and realized she had accidentally driven up to the ranch house. Months ago, Hetty had given up her comfortable place in the house in order to make a little extra money. Now she lived in an old trailer on top of the hill and only looked at the ranch house as a source of income. Unfortunately, the family that rented it gave their notice shortly before the auction and were in the process of moving out, so Hetty’s old home looked more abandoned than ever.

She parked Bill’s truck by the barn and walked back to the trailer. It sat on cement blocks, and the only good thing about it was the view. Hetty remembered when the trailer first arrived at the ranch, it was Diego’s temporary residence. She had been eight or nine and marveled how someone could live in a fort. At the time, Diego had a dog with salt-and-pepper fur and black ears. The remnants of his doghouse still leaned against the far side of the trailer.

Hetty’s heart hurt but she was amazed to feel hopeful stirrings inside. She got ready for bed while she mulled over Alessa’s advice. Maybe she should go see the puppies. Nothing said future like a rambunctious pile of furry new life. She reasoned that all the money she had raised was now just going to waste; why not use some of it to buy a dog? Wasn’t there a popular country song about how all a woman really needed was a pickup truck and a dog? Hetty fell asleep dreaming of a new life.

In the morning, she realized heading over to the Barters was a good excuse to avoid Diego. He obviously knew who had purchased the Thirsty River Ranch and, knowing him, he would take his time deciding when to reveal the truth. For once, Hetty didn’t hate his overthinking and caution. She needed some space to breathe, and the only way to feel that was to get off the ranch.

“You go ahead and take the truck,” Bill told her.

The ranch team had the daily operations handled, and Bill had taken to standing guard near the barn as if the new owner was going to come along and take things. Hetty appreciated knowing the ranch was in good hands and promised him a surprise when she returned.

“Well, if it’s making you smile already, then I’ll take it. Otherwise, we’ve had quite enough of surprises around here,” he said.

Even more determined to bring some life and happiness back to the Thirsty River, Hetty drove straight over to the Barters’ house. She had never met the family, so it was easy to relax as the mother, Molly, showed her around to the back yard.

“They’ve been weaned about a month by now, and are all housebroken,” Molly said as they rounded the house.

A tumbling crowd of dogs met them at the back gate. Hetty cooed at the bouncing little balls of black and white fur. “Oh, aren’t they just a bunch of joy!”

A young boy’s happy giggle called the puppies back to the center of the yard. Hetty watched the roly-poly puppies run, then saw Theo. He was sprawled out in a lawn chair, grinning ear to ear as his nephew scooped up the fastest puppy. Hetty could hear his deep chuckle from across the yard as the puppy slurped kisses all over the boy’s face.

Her heart flopped over as Theo’s deep blue eyes settled on her. He tipped his hat back and, for a moment, his smile didn’t waver as he looked at her. Then his lips fell into his customary frown. He caught up the nearest puppy in his wide hands and walked over to Hetty.

“Let’s not have any insults or arguing in front of my nephew,” he said as he handed her the wriggling puppy.

Hetty tried to pry her eyes off his face. The hint of softness she saw there had her dizzy. “Who argues over puppies?” she asked in a breathless voice.

Theo grinned and gestured for her to join his nephew. “Teddy, this here is Ms. Hetty. Looks like she’s adopting a puppy too.”

Teddy clearly had staked his claim on the largest, bounciest puppy. Hetty laughed, imagining Theo had helped choose the one that would drive his brother, Drake, crazy. “Do you want me to help name him? I’m really good with names.”

Hetty looked down and realized the puppy she was holding had snuggled in and fallen asleep in her arms. She was immediately, helplessly in love. She sat down on a bench near Theo’s lawn chair and stroked the puppy’s soft salt-and-pepper fur.

“I don’t know,” Theo told his nephew. “She’s pretty good at naming things herself. This here is the lady that trained and named Domino.”

Teddy gave her a wide-eyed grin. “Domino is the best horse I’ve ever ridden.”

Hetty had to smile. “I ride Domino’s brother every day. Wanna guess his name?”

“Tell me!” The little boy cried. He and his puppy jumped up and down.

“Checkers.” Hetty laughed, then felt her heart do a similar jump as she caught Theo staring at her.

Teddy came right over to her and studied the snuggly puppy. “Know what you should name him? DJ.”

“Why DJ?”

“‘Cause the ‘double jump’ is my favorite move. It’s how I beat Uncle Theo at checkers every time,” Teddy said.

“He doesn’t win every time,” Theo grumbled, but his mock grouchiness could not hide the love he had for his nephew.

“That name is perfect,” Hetty gave the little boy’s arm a squeeze. “Thank you, Teddy.”

He scampered off with his puppy in hot pursuit and left Hetty trying to blink back happy tears. Theo was studying her again, so she quickly swallowed her emotions and took a deep, cooling breath.

“Are you adopting one?” she asked, hoping she sounded casual.

Theo didn’t take his eyes off her face while he shook his head. “I’m no good at training puppies.”

“He’s too big of a softie,” Molly confirmed as she joined them.

The dizzy feeling returned as Hetty watched Theo duck his head and smile. Lounging in the Barters’ backyard, he was a totally different man. Soft affection lit up his face every time he looked at Teddy, and the puppies certainly knew he was soft-hearted. Theo had one large hand hanging down so two could nibble his fingers, while a third clamored on his lap and sniffed all his pockets.

Hetty stood up. “Well, I better get DJ home before I end up adopting one of his siblings as well.”

“Home?” Theo asked gently.

All she could do was nod and leave the Barters’ backyard as quickly as possible. Hetty realized, as she drove away, that the Barters’ was her idea of a home: children’s laughter, friends visiting, and new life all around. Molly even had big pots of zinnias and marigolds along the driveway. Hetty hadn’t grown so much as a daisy in nearly a decade.

The puppy whimpered in the passenger seat.

“Don’t worry, little darling. You’re going to a new life, and I promise it will be a good one.” Hetty comforted DJ as they drove.

She comforted herself too as she cooed about a new life with people to love and care for the puppy. It wasn’t hard for Hetty to hear herself say all the things she needed to hear. Changes were scary but never as bad as they seemed. Life had a way of giving people, and puppies, good surprises every day. Together they would build a real home and fill it with love.

“Now that is about the best surprise I’ve ever seen,” crowed Bill when she arrived back at the Thirsty River Ranch.

“What if the pup peed in your truck?” Tripp asked.

Bill was too busy snuggling DJ. “Nobody could be mad at you, sweet thing.”

Dugger appeared and jostled Tripp out of the way to pet the puppy. “This is just what this place needed. We’ll have you running fences with us in no time.”

Hetty grinned, already glad of her reckless decision to adopt the dog. Even Diego seemed to approve. He eyeballed DJ and nodded, “Texas Heelers are great work companions.”

“Speaking of work, anything you want to tell me?” Hetty asked. She couldn’t help herself.

Diego shook his head. “Now is not the time.”

Dugger agreed. “We’ve got to get this little one a bed, and puppy chow, and some toys, and a proper collar.”

Hetty allowed the ranch team to distract her with puppy thoughts. It helped soothe the hurt she felt every time she looked around the ranch. Though things looked different in the late morning light. Maybe it was the puppy’s happy tail wagging and the men’s ridiculous grins whenever they looked at it. Or maybe it was the spark of a new dream.

Seeing Theo smiling with his nephew made her realize there were bright sides to everything. And it reminded her of what Alessa had told her about Freddie becoming a Rolston. If Freddie could realize her dreams of becoming a dancer in a wholly unexpected way, then Hetty had a shot too.

CHAPTER 7

***THEO***

Theo was glad the new puppy pulled most of the attention from him. He sat on the back steps at Drake’s Victorian home, a family property he never thought would fit Drake’s lifestyle so well and watched his nephew fawning over the new dog. As much as he enjoyed the adorable display, every time Theo looked at the puppy, all he could see was Hetty’s smiling face. Everything about her lit up when she smiled.

Even Teddy had noticed, commenting to his uncle, “I like your new friend. I like how you smile with her.”

Theo didn’t have the heart to tell his nephew the pretty woman was most likely his newest enemy, and things would only get worse between them. Instead, he tried to concentrate on the most ridiculous name possible for the new puppy.

“How about Bratwurst?” Theo called out to Teddy.

“No!” his nephew called back, wrinkling his nose. “That’s like calling him Hotdog. And he’s not food!”

“Fine. What about Bandana?”

Everyone groaned.

Drake joined him on the steps. “How about you explain why you’re so quiet?”

Theo pulled a face. “I’m suggesting dog names; I’m not being quiet.”

“But you’re also not finding ways to bring up how rude Hetty Page was the other night. Seems out of character for you all of a sudden.” Drake was clearly teasing him.

“Maybe she’s not rude all the time,” Theo grumbled.

“Good.” Drake slapped his shoulder. “Because I have some bad news to tell you about her.”

Theo was relieved. He needed another thing to be irritated about otherwise, he worried Hetty’s musical laugh would be echoing in his head all day. “She’s coming to work for you?”

Drake stopped and considered it. “Hey, now that’s a good idea.”

“Just tell me the gossip already,” Theo said.

Drake tried to look insulted, “I don’t gossip; I share information. And I found out that Hetty Page was one of the other top bidders at the ranch auction.”

Theo dropped his head into his hands. “Now she has even more reason to hate me.”

“And me,” Drake pointed out. “I think she may have sold me those horses in order to raise funds for her bid.”

Theo groaned, head still in his hands. “No wonder she hates the Rolstons.”

Drake watched his brother with a speculative gaze. “Since when do you actually care what such a rude woman thinks about our family?”

Theo sat bolt upright, ignoring his brother, “Of course she wasn’t just there for a visit. I mean, she can ride, she’s got a way with animals, there’s no reason she wouldn’t want the ranch for herself.”

“Except she watched it wreck her family,” Drake pointed out.

That didn’t make Theo feel any better. He had assumed all of Hetty’s ties to the Thirsty River Ranch were in the past. He figured she was only there to finalize the sale and see the last of the loose ends tied up. How was he supposed to guess she also thought of the ranch as her future?

He looked at his hands, feeling like a thief. “Not only did I buy up a big chunk of her past, but you’re telling me I might have won her future out from under her too?”

“We don’t know that for sure. Maybe Hetty was just doing it out of a sense of loyalty to her family name,” Drake said.

Theo glared at him. “You’ve seen her ride. You bought horses from her! And you’re telling me you honestly don’t think Hetty had any interest in owning and running that ranch for herself?”

Drake didn’t have an answer for that, and he was thankful his son called him into the yard to play with the puppy again. Theo stayed on the back steps, his whole body feeling like lead.

He knew so little about Hetty except snippets of her past. It was reasonable he thought her only ties to the Thirsty River Ranch were nostalgic, wasn’t it? Theo scowled as he thought about it more. How was he supposed to know that she wanted to stake her claim on the place? You couldn’t just look at someone and know they were a fellow cattle rancher. Surely, Hetty didn’t expect him to know she had pinned her future on regaining her family ranch.

His spinning attempts to pin some blame on Hetty ground to a halt when he realized how he must have looked to her that day. After the auction, there he was leaning on that fence surveying the pastureland like some kind of despot. Theo groaned out loud again and dropped his head into his hands.

That’s how Sutton found him on the back steps. “Hey, big bro. What’s got you so down? Wishing you had brought back a puppy for yourself? I’m sure Molly’s still got one or two left.”

“Why don’t you run over there and find out,” Theo growled at him.

Sutton held up both hands in surrender. “Hey, I’m just asking how you are.”

Theo gave him an exasperated look. “Oh, I’m just great. Why wouldn’t I be when it turns out I’ve gone around crushing people’s futures and severing their last family ties.”

“I think Teddy will give the puppy a great future.” Sutton purposefully misinterpreted his brother’s rant as he sat down next to him on the back steps.

The puppy came gamboling over to greet the newcomer, and Theo had to paste a smile back on his face as his nephew introduced them all again. “Isn’t he great? I love that he has one ear that sticks up and one that kinda flops over. Uncle Theo thinks we should name him Bratwurst, but that’s a terrible name,” Teddy said.

Sutton laughed. “Sure is. He looks more like a Kielbasa to me.”

Teddy groaned at his uncles and ran off again with the puppy on his heels.

Once he was gone, Theo slumped his shoulders and scowled again. “I can’t believe I let you convince me to bid on that ranch.”

Sutton sighed. “It makes sense. Dean would have done it if you hadn’t.”

“I outbid Hetty Page,” Theo snapped.

“And you feel bad?” Sutton wasn’t that surprised. “The Pages lost their claim on the Thirsty River years ago. There was no way their daughter would be able to get it back on her own.”

Theo rubbed the back of his neck. Sutton was right, but he still felt awful. “I think she really wanted to own it and run it herself.”

Sutton nodded. “Honestly, I’ve had my suspicions that she’s been running that place for years.”

“Really?” Theo gave his youngest brother his full attention. “How would you know that and I missed it? One of us never ran off to party in another city.”

Sutton ignored that and explained his theory. “She was born and raised on that ranch; you of all people know how that digs your roots in deep. All Hetty had to do was make sure her ranch team was loyal, and she could always keep tabs on the day-to-day.”

Drake marched over, frowning. “You better not be dissuading Theo from signing the papers on the Thirsty River Ranch,” he snapped.

“Who me? Why would I do that?” Sutton looked around as if maybe he’d stopped by the wrong house by accident.

“You’re making him feel bad about Hetty having a weak bid at the ranch auction,” Drake pointed out.

“And how does that affect you?” Sutton asked, equally surly as his brother.

Drake’s frown deepened. “You know as well as I do that Dean’s been pestering each and every one of us to make this deal go through. Remember Father’s will? Well, Theo here has to expand his cattle business along with Dean otherwise, they won’t qualify to inherit.”

“There are other ways to expand,” Theo muttered.

“And keep our business in Isabel?” Drake countered.

“Fine.” Sutton held up his hands again. “So, the old Page place is Theo’s best bet for getting Dean off his back and for getting his part of the inheritance. You weren’t going to let me dissuade you from billions, were you?”

Theo scowled at him and said nothing.

Drake cleared his throat. “You aren’t going to let anything get in the way of smoothing out your business expansion with Dictator Dean and getting on with a peaceful life, are you?”

Theo knew he had no choice. His duty was with his family and, despite his irritation, he could never let Dean down. Rolston roots were deep in Isabel, so Theo also could not pass up a deal that kept his expanding cattle enterprise in town. Buying the Thirsty River Ranch was a necessity.

Plus, he had unknowingly beat Hetty fair and square. Theo recalled standing at the front of the pack of bidders, unaware of his competition as he raised his paddle. If the woman wasn’t so rude and secretive, perhaps Theo would have realized her plans, but now it was too late. If he had not bought the place, someone else would have. Theo wasn’t the only other person at the auction that day, and many had been out-of-towners. Would Hetty ever be happy that her old family ranch went to a fellow hometown rancher?

Theo knew she wouldn’t. Just like he would never be happy if he had to watch the last of his ties with his land be severed by bad circumstances. He thought back to Sutton’s theory that she had continued to oversee the ranch, and his feelings of guilt got even heavier. Theo knew what it was like to pour his heart and soul into a place every day, and he couldn’t bear the thought of that hard work meaning nothing.

“What if I just give Hetty the ranch back?” he blurted out.

Sutton leaned back as if a strong win had pushed him, and Drake stepped forward as if he hadn’t heard him right. “What?” they both cried.

Theo frowned. “What if I just give the Thirsty River Ranch back to Hetty. I mean, there’s no reason why we can’t still expand our business there. I would just have to form some sort of partnership with her as well as Dean.”

“Woo hoo!” Drake cried. He took off his hat and slapped it against his thigh. “Freddie is going to do a backflip when she finds out her theory is right!”

Theo jumped up, grabbed Drake’s hat, and crushed it back on his head.

Sutton also jumped up, pushing his older brothers apart. “What theory? Come on, tell me, what theory?”

Drake laughed at their childishness but couldn’t wait to spill the beans. “Freddie thinks the reason Theo is always so cranky around Hetty, and always complaining about how rude she is, stems from the fact that he’s falling for her!”

“You have got to be kidding me,” Theo snapped. “How old are you?”

Sutton clapped his hands in excitement. “I can totally see it! I saw it when they were talking at the ranch auction. Didn’t I tell you, Theo?”

Theo shoved past his brothers, disgusted with them. “Have fun with your puppy and your gossip. I have a meeting to get to.”

“Oh my god,” Sutton laughed, “can I be the one to tell Dean?”

“No way,” Drake snapped.

Theo whirled around and marched back to tower over his brothers. “Tell Dean what exactly?”

“That you’ve fallen for Ms. Hetty Page so hard you’re even considering giving her back the Thirsty River Ranch,” Sutton said.

Theo reached out to grip his collar, wanting to lift him off the ground and shake him, but caught himself and threw his hands up in the air instead. “I’ve had enough of you children.”

“What about me, Uncle Theo?” Teddy ran over with the puppy.

Theo softened immediately and knelt down to hug his nephew. “Never you. And never good old Bratwurst here.”

Teddy rolled his eyes over a big smile. “Say hi to Uncle Dean for me!”

Theo stood up and tipped his hat at his nephew. He then took a deep, steadying breath and headed the few short blocks into the heart of Isabel.

The family lawyer, Mr. Penn, had a corner office in one of Main Street’s nicest buildings, and Theo had agreed to meet his eldest brother there to finalize the ranch purchase. He was still reeling from Drake’s revelation, Sutton’s suspicions, and his own instinct to return the ranch. Plus, every time he thought of Hetty, Theo now saw her cradling a puppy with a heartbreakingly beautiful smile on her lips.

He stopped on the sidewalk outside the lawyer’s office. Hetty had bought a puppy and named it DJ at Teddy’s suggestion. Theo recalled what Hetty had said about Teddy’s horse having a brother that she rode every day. What if Sutton was right and she had been there running the ranch all along?

“Glad to see you aren’t late.” Dean marched up the sidewalk and gestured for Theo to proceed him inside.

Theo groaned. “You couldn’t spare a few extra minutes to meet your nephew’s new puppy?”

Dean gave his brother an impassive look. “I’m having dinner there tonight. After business.”

Business always came first with Dean. Theo followed him up the stairs, feeling like the walls were closing in on him. How could he explain to Dean that he was having reservations? Without a rock-solid, logical reason for hesitating on the paperwork, Theo had no choice but to go ahead with the purchase. There was no way he could explain the obstacles he felt. Theo hardly understood them himself.

Was the theory about him falling for Hetty even possible?

That idea, more than the three flights of stairs, made Theo sweat, and he pulled at his collar as they entered Mr. Penn’s office.

“Right on time, Dean. Thank you. Nice to see you, Theo.” Mr. Penn was standing in the door to his office, ready.

His secretary scrambled to greet them and gather the paperwork, while Mr. Penn led them inside. He, per usual, was as cool and calculated as a shark. His reputation as the sharpest lawyer in the South of Texas was based on his predatory calm and focus, reasons why he had served as the Rolston council forever.

“Any issues you need to mention before we begin?” Mr. Penn asked Theo.

He cleared his throat. Theo knew the lawyer meant details like evidence of stealing assets and other issues with purchasing an auctioned ranch, but he couldn’t think of anything but Hetty Page. Would a lawyer like Mr. Penn know anything about how a woman could twist your heart around in your chest?

Dean gave his brother a bemused glance. “Anything you want to say, Theo?”

Theo had to shake his head. “I won the bid so I’m ready to sign.”

And, consequently, Theo had to be ready for Hetty to hate him forever

CHAPTER 8

***HETTY***

Hetty watched over the herd from the top of the hill, her heart content as the sun rose. Behind her, the barn shone with new paint and the ranch house was stirring. Soon there would be the familiar smack of the screen door opening and closing, and the sound of children’s laughter would chase up the hill to her. She sipped from a warm mug of coffee.

The sip turned to a slurp and Hetty woke from her dream. DJ’s puppy kisses made her laugh. Sometime in the night, Hetty had given in and let the puppy snuggle with her in bed, and now she was being rewarded with a wriggly ball of joy that was up before the sun.

“Better get you outside,” Hetty told the puppy.

She stretched, dressed quickly, and got DJ outside to do his business. The sunrise wasn’t quite as idyllic as her dream, but Hetty blinked happily in the morning light. For some reason, things looked different.

Since it was early and the puppy needed room, Hetty spent the morning tidying up her trailer. After months of focusing on the ranch, it was like she was seeing it for the first time. Sunlight streamed in through the small windows, and the views of the pastureland beyond were spectacular. Hetty had missed the small blessings of her life for way too long.

Happy with the state of her small domicile and armed with a strong Thermos of coffee, Hetty headed to the barn. Introducing the puppy to her horse, Checkers, further buoyed her mood. Checkers was enamored with the small, fluffy animal immediately, and DJ did not seem intimidated by the horse’s size. He bounced around and finally balanced on his back paws in order to touch noses with Checkers. Finally, the busy puppy settled into a pile of hay and took a nap.

In the momentary quiet, Hetty groomed Checkers and fell into a daydream:

This time she watched over the herd from horseback, and she wasn’t alone. Next to her was a man equally at ease on horseback, equally at home on the ranch, and just as eager as her to see the day’s work done well. She couldn’t see his face under his Stetson, but his tall frame and large hands comforted her. Someone who could help her carry the load of the Thirsty River ranch. Someone who wanted to be there for her through early mornings and late nights.

“You’re up early,” Bill remarked as he sauntered into the barn.

DJ awoke with a happy snuffle, untangled himself from the hay, and gamboled over to the surprised ranch hand. Bill’s face, hardened by the sun and years of hard work, broke into a goofy grin, and he immediately knelt down to receive his share of puppy kisses. Tripp and Dugger were not far behind and soon all three were kneeling on the barn floor, fawning over the new puppy.

Hetty grinned as she told them about her spontaneous trip over to the Barter’s house. “It was hard to bring back just one,” she admitted.

Checkers snorted, demanding his fair share of the attention, and the puppy ran over to his new best friend. The men nodded their approval; a good ranch dog had to make friends with horses and cattle.

Hetty explained DJ’s name. “Double jump, as in the board game move. See? He’s the perfect compliment to Checkers.”

“You come up with that all by yourself?” Tripp asked.

Hetty noticed him and Bill giving the barn door anxious glances. The peace of her morning ebbed, and she asked, “What’s going on?”

“Who else was putting in dibs on the Barter dogs?” Dugger asked.

Bill scoffed. “You thinking of getting a dog? I bet your girlfriend’s cats might have something to say about that.”

The men argued for a few minutes while Hetty finished grooming Checkers and Tripp watched out the barn door. Something was off, and all her worries came rushing back. It was a relief to have new life on the ranch, but there were other bigger, scarier changes ahead. Hetty tried to calm her heartbeat as she put in Checker’s bit, secured the bridle, and led the horse out of its stall.

“All right, someone better tell me what this is all about.” Hetty glared at the three men blocking her way.

They looked at each other and silently elected Bill to tell her. “A general contractor came by this morning to inspect the ranch house. Diego is just finishing up showing him around.”

She tossed Dugger her horse’s reins and marched out of the barn with the puppy close at her heels. Diego was just finishing a conversation with a man in the driveway when she caught up with him.

“Who’s this fine fellow?” Diego asked, reaching down to scoop up DJ.

Hetty scowled at him. “You didn’t think to tell me about the walk-through?”

The general contractor tipped his hat at them, got into his truck, and drove off down the driveway. Diego watched him go as he snuggled the puppy, clearly wishing he could avoid Hetty’s questions.

Too late, she realized she could have asked the general contractor who hired him and finally discovered who now owned the Thirsty River Ranch. Feeling defeated, Hetty asked, “What did he say about the old place?”

Diego cleared his throat. “He said it was good we no longer have renters because the roof needs major work. There’s more dry rot than we expected, and most of the flooring will have to be replaced.”

Hetty’s heart stopped at the thought of the cost, then she remembered someone else was going to foot the bill. “And what kind of budget did he say he was working under?”

“No talk about budget. Sounds like everything that needs doing will be done.”

She was torn between frustration and relief. Hetty no longer had control over what would happen to the ranch, but the new owner was going to spend the money to make the place right again.

“Now are you going to tell me who won the auction? Who exactly is pouring all this money into my ranch?”

Diego immediately changed the subject. “I heard that Theo Rolston bought one of this puppy’s brothers.”

“He bought one for his nephew,” Hetty answered.

“Seems like a nice thing to do.” Diego studied her. “So, you ran into him and managed to have a civil conversation this time?”

She gave Diego an impatient frown. “Theo was with his nephew, a real sweet kid, and we were surrounded with puppies. It wasn’t really the place to give him another piece of my mind.”

Diego chuckled. “So peace is possible between the two of you.”

“Peace, yes, but if you think for a minute I don’t still resent that Rolston and how he’s been handed everything good in this world, then you’ve got another think coming,” Hetty told him.

“Being rich and idle don’t always go together,” Diego reminded her.

Hetty snorted. “Too bad being rich and rude seem to go hand in hand.”

That made Diego laugh out loud. “Rudeness never needs a budget.”

“Speaking of,” Hetty checked her watch. She stroked the puppy’s head while he snuggled contentedly in Diego’s arms. “Could you watch over DJ while I run an errand in town?”

Diego raised an eyebrow. “After all these years, suddenly you like going to town?”

“Everyone thinks I’m visiting because of the ranch auction, so there’s no need to hang my head and worry everyone knows what a failure my family turned out to be.” Hetty blinked hard but kept her stubborn resolve. “And I have to face everyone in Isabel one of these days.”

“You know I never approved of you hiding your face. In Texas, we appreciate hard work, and no one would fault you for doing whatever you could to save your ranch,” Diego reminded her.

Hetty sighed and kissed the sleepy puppy’s head. “They can’t say I didn’t try.”

Diego squeezed her shoulder with his free hand. “I’ll look after the young pup. You go into town and try to enjoy yourself for once.”

She shook her head with a sad smile. “I’ll be back soon.”

Diego carried the puppy back to the barn and was glad to see the ranch team already at work. Of course, they all paused once again to fawn over the puppy, but that gave him a chance to catch them up.

“They gonna knock down the old place and put up some modern monstrosity?” Tripp asked straightaway.

“The opposite,” Diego told him. “The new owner wants to restore the old ranch house. The general contractor says it’s a classic Victorian farmhouse and he’s been tasked to bring it back to its original glory.”

“Sounds expensive,” muttered Bill.

“Well, our new owner has deep pockets,” Diego said.

Dugger looked suspicious. “Some out-of-towner?”

“Nope.” Diego decided it was best to deliver the truth point-blank. “Theo Rolston bought the Thirsty River Ranch.”

All three men went slack-jawed. Diego deposited the puppy in an unused horse stall for a nap and turned to face his team. “Think about it before you go flying off the handle. The Rolstons have deep roots here, they want Isabel to flourish, and they have the money this place needs.”

“And the know-how,” Bill reluctantly admitted.

“But Theo seems to rile Ms. Hetty up,” Dugger pointed out.

Tripp snapped his jaw shut and tore his hat off in a panic. “Ms. Hetty! She told me yesterday she had to go and meet with the lawyer today. Theo Rolston is as close to an enemy as that girl’s got and she’s walking into a meeting with him. It’ll feel worse than an ambush!”

In town, the temporary cease-fire was definitely over and Hetty stood toe-to-toe with the overly tall Theo. “You dirty snake!”

“Me?” he shot back. “You’re the one that’s been lying about your involvement with the ranch. How long have you been there running things behind the scenes?”

“My whole life!” Hetty almost shouted. “And it’s not my fault if you’re too wrapped up in your rich Rolston life, running off to all corners of the globe whenever you feel like it, to realize that people you don’t know live all around this town.”

“You may have been here, but you are seriously out of touch,” Theo growled. “Otherwise, you’d know I have never left Isabel. My roots are here and, unlike some of my brothers, I have always stayed to tend what is ours.”

“And buy up what belonged to others!” Hetty’s voice broke. She looked at the impassive lawyer and the stoically embarrassed Dean and apologized. “I’m sorry, I need a minute.”

Theo chased her down the stairs from the lawyer’s office, out onto the sidewalk, and around back to the shade of the side alley. There she whirled around to face her tormentor.

“Why didn’t you tell me?!”

He at least had the decency to look upset. “I didn’t know,” he stammered.

Hetty slapped his hand away. “Liar. You knew the Pages owned that farm. We went to school together! How could you casually chat with me knowing that you’d bought up the last of my family legacy?”

“They didn’t leave you a legacy, Hetty. They left you a mess.”

She drew herself up, indignant. “I stayed too.”

“What?” Theo looked confused. He was trying to block her from bolting again while also shielding her from curious passers-by.

Hetty drew in a shuddering breath and tried to explain. “You said you stayed to tend what’s yours; well, so did I. And I sold everything I could to keep it, but you went ahead and bought it out from under me.”

“I didn’t know you were involved,” Theo said.

Hetty shoved past him and onto the sidewalk.

“Really,” he called, chasing after her. “How was I supposed to know that you were up there working the ranch? You kept it secret from everyone in town!”

“Not everyone,” Hetty said tearfully. “Just the people I knew would judge me.”

Theo scowled. “You think I would judge you for trying to save your ranch?”

“No,” Hetty snapped. “I think you’d pop that silver spoon out of your mouth, say you wanted it, and get it. Oh wait, that’s exactly what happened!”

She realized people were staring and marched back in the doors of the Main Street office building. Through blurry eyes, she made her way across the foyer and back to the staircase. There, she took a deep breath and steeled herself for what was ahead. Like it or not, Hetty had lost the ranch and she needed to sign those papers. It didn’t matter that she felt like her whole life was passing out of her hands. The only thing she could do was face it bravely.

Hetty made it up three steps before one of Theo’s big hands on her shoulder stopped her. When she turned around, he was at eye level, those deep blue eyes staring right into hers.

“I’m not your enemy, Hetty.”

She shook off his hand. “That’s exactly what you are.”

His jaw flexed in frustration but, before he could argue with her again, Hetty turned and marched up the stairs. She made her way back into the lawyer’s office and declared herself ready to sign the papers. With a quick scribble of a pen, it was done.

Mr. Penn, unruffled by the wide range of emotions he had witnessed, opened a folder and cleared his throat. “Now that you’ve signed off on the sale of the ranch, we must discuss a caveat the stakeholders put in place.”

“Caveat?” Theo and Hetty asked at the same time.

Mr. Penn gave them a patient glance. “A caveat is a condition placed on the sale of the ranch. In this case, it stipulates the person holding the overseer position must continue uninterrupted in order to ensure the smooth transition of ownership.”

Hetty’s head was spinning, and she wasn’t sure how much more she could take. “Fine. Who’s the unlucky man stuck as overseer?”

A flicker of what may have been amusement crossed the lawyer’s face. “The stakeholders, at the insistence of the ranch team, named you as overseer of Thirsty River Ranch.”

She sat down with a thump in one of the office chairs. “And what exactly does that mean again?”

Behind her, Theo groaned. “It means you work for me.”

Mr. Penn smiled as he contradicted Theo. “It means you must work together.”

CHAPTER 9

***THEO***

Theo felt the oxygen sweep out of the room. No one said a thing. For one moment, Hetty was frozen, her beautiful green eyes as still and hard as agates. Then, without a word, she abruptly stood up and left Mr. Penn’s office. No one tried to stop her, and this time Theo let her go. It was a long moment before any of the men cleared their throats and started talking.

Finally, Dean said, “I know you think she’s always rude, but that seems like a forgivable exit.”

Theo glowered at his older brother. Of course he didn’t blame Hetty for wanting to get out of there as quickly as possible! Why did everyone think he was so set against her. Not that their last few exchanges helped the situation any.

“So, she lost the ranch but she still has to work there?” Theo asked Mr. Penn.

The lawyer disapproved of his wording. “Mr. Gutman fought hard with the stakeholders to put that caveat in place. Without Hetty, Mr. Gutman argued, the ranch would cease to work and it would take the new owner too long to get things in order. This is supposed to be a benefit to both parties.”

“Weren’t you just worried how she would feel having to leave the Thirsty River?” Dean studied his brother carefully. “And now you want to complain that you’re stuck with her?”

Theo ground his teeth. “Neither of you think that could have been handled better? You realize you just put the poor woman through an emotional ricochet?”

Mr. Penn was not affected. “Would you like me to see what I can do about breaking the contractual stipulation? I’m sure I could get it removed without much difficulty. Perhaps Ms. Hetty would prefer a clean break.”

“I just wish it was all handled better,” Theo grumbled. “Did either of you know that she still lived out there and ran the place?”

Dean shrugged and settled into one of the office chairs. “I may have suspected that she was still connected to the ranch, but it seemed fairly natural. And Diego never had any issues, so why should it have bothered anyone else?”

“Because she was acting like it was some big secret up there and now I’m the one that looks heartless for coming along and buying a ranch I didn’t think anyone actually wanted.” Theo took a deep breath and tried to bring his volume back down. “I don’t need more people in town thinking I’m some sort of cranky dream-crusher.”

Mr. Penn stifled a chuckle. “Dream-crusher? I don’t think so. If anything, your ability to invest in the ranch will ensure Ms. Hetty does not have to watch her dream parceled up and sold to out-of-town investors who are more interested in cheap real estate than running a ranch.”

He was right, but Theo couldn’t help still feeling like the villain. “Maybe it is best if we find a way to give her a clean break. I can’t imagine this has been easy.”

“No way.” Dean’s refusal to let Mr. Penn remove the stipulation surprised both Theo and the lawyer.

“It would not take much time,” Mr. Penn assured him, aware of how much his billable hours cost his clients.

Theo was not as practical in his response. “Are you trying to torture me?”

Dean smirked at him. “Stop being so dramatic. You’re starting to act like Sutton.”

Theo fumed at the comparison to their youngest brother but kept his mouth gritted shut in order to hear his brother’s reasoning. “Please elaborate,” Theo said with as much restraint as he could muster.

Dean checked his watch, an infuriating move that meant he thought his time would be better spent elsewhere, then answered his brother. “We all know and respect Diego Gutman, he went out of his way to secure this stipulation, and it makes sense that it will help smooth the way for your new ownership status.”

Theo couldn’t help but think of how sparks would fly from Hetty’s jade green eyes if she heard the phrase “ownership status.” It was easy to see how Hetty viewed his good fortune and involvement as the opposition. Without any worry or much effort, he now owned something she had fought to keep almost her entire life.

Was there any way he could make her see he wanted to help? Or would Theo always be her enemy?

As if he could read his brother’s mind, Dean blew out an impatient breath. “No matter what you do, that woman is going to hate you. You now have what she cannot afford to acquire, and that will most likely be true for a long time.”

“Unless she wins the lottery,” Theo muttered.

“Or marries rich,” Mr. Penn contributed.

Dean stood up and adjusted the cuffs of his shirt. “All I’m saying is that your focus should be on business. This is the expansion we were needing and now you have to make it work.”

Theo fumed all the way home, but he had to admit his brother was right. As personal as the entire thing was for Hetty Page, it was just a business transaction for Theo. He had not intended any of the pain he had unknowingly caused, and if she wanted to act as if he was her enemy, that was up to her. All he could do now was prove he intended to work to save the Thirsty River Ranch.

He gave Hetty the rest of the day to cool off, then figured he better go face the lion in her den before she thought he was plotting against her. Theo arrived early the next morning and pulled slowly up the driveway in what he hoped was a casual manner. At first, he thought he might be able to get to work unannounced, then he heard the yips and barks charging down from Hetty’s trailer.

The little puppy he had watched her fall in love with at the Barters’ house bounced around his boots. Theo stooped to greet the puppy and couldn’t help but grin. Of course, at that moment, Hetty appeared and caught him looking like he didn’t have a single care in the world.

She looked disgusted, even when the adorable puppy bounced back over to her. “I’ve already given the ranch team their orders for the morning, and they’re not much for pep-talks, so you can go ahead and just stay out of the way,” she said.

“Good morning,” Theo replied. “I’ll just say hello unless you took care of that for me too.”

Hetty narrowed her eyes. “We work here, not chat. Plus, my job as overseer is to make sure the men don’t have to stop and entertain the owner instead of getting their work done.”

Theo watched the men moving around the barn. Two were loading up a truck with hay bales and Diego led the other out on horseback. No one acknowledged him. He watched them ride as he settled down his ire. Day one was not going to be easy, but he knew that ahead of time. Theo also knew that as long as the team worked well together and got things done, it shouldn’t matter to him if they ignored him or not. The Thirsty River Ranch was just business, after all.

“Don’t you have your own ranch to deal with?” Hetty asked.

He snapped out of his thoughts and scowled at her. “This is my ranch,” he reminded her before he could stop himself.

Hetty took off across the driveway at a fast clip and Theo had to catch up. She was blinking hard but her jaw was set, and there was no taking back the truth. So, Theo simply walked along beside her. They both headed down the hill back towards the ranch house, and that gave him an idea.

“Did you hear we’re fixing up the old place?” he asked.

She glared at him, scooped up the whining puppy, and kept going.

“From top to bottom,” Theo continued. “I would think you would be interested as the overseer is meant to live there instead of a tiny trailer.”

Hetty whirled around. “And what if I love my trailer?”

Theo arched a skeptical eyebrow. “Decision is yours, but I could use your eye on the interior design.”

It was meant to be a peace offering but Hetty’s nostrils flared. “Interior design? Do I look like I spend all daydreaming up frilly curtains and nonsense?”

He stopped walking. “I was thinking more about flooring, paint colors, and major appliances.”

“And you think because I’m a woman, I should be inside taking care of all that?” Hetty paced in a circle and came back to glare at him.

Theo grit his teeth. She was dead set on hating anything he said, but that didn’t mean he was going to stop. “You used to live there and have the best idea of what works for the place. That’s all I meant.”

The puppy started to whimper as Hetty’s voice rose. “I’ll have you know that I can out work and out ride any man on this ranch.”

He’d had enough. Sure, she was beautiful with her jade green eyes all backlit in anger, but Theo didn’t need the extra aggravation. He was still steamed about the way Dean ordered the entire process and put him in charge. And, in all his years of successfully running his own cattle ranch, he had never had an employee talk back to him or be so confrontational about every little thing.

“Fine. You don’t want to see your old home restored, then I’ll hire someone.” Theo yanked out his cell phone, turning slightly to dismiss Hetty. “As for you, why don’t you prove what you say and go deal with all that standing water in the south pasture.”

Spring was rough in Texas with rolling storms, hard ground, and heavy rains. Puddles, flooding, and large washes of mud were just part of the problem ranchers handled every single year. If Hetty truly was running the Thirsty River Ranch, she would know what to do with the mucky pasture. It was messy and frustrating work but necessary and there was nothing she could say to contradict that fact.

“Here,” Hetty put the puppy down at Theo’s boots. “I don’t have time to bathe and groom him and since you won’t be getting dirty, he can keep you company.”

Theo was sure she meant for the puppy to irritate him, or imply that all he did was soft work, but he enjoyed the bright-eyed ranch dog. Together they inspected the house and greeted the returning general contractor. A new interior designer was added to the team, with strict instructions to run everything by the overseer for the final say.

That work done, Theo walked with the puppy up the hill to the trailer. The door was open, so he let the dog inside and only took a quick peek. The inside was neat and tidy. He spied a clean, cozy quilt on the bed, a well-stocked pantry, and a big pile of paperback mysteries. As he closed the door and glanced at the well-made Adirondack chair next to the fire ring, Theo could picture Hetty curled up there under the stars. The image was fleeting but sent a sharp stab of longing through him.

Shaking it off, Theo climbed farther up the ridge and surveyed the south pasture. Hetty clearly wasn’t lying when she said she could outwork any man on the ranch. In that short time, she had dug two long trenches that were effectively siphoning off the extra water. By the evening, the Texas sun would do the rest of the work and dry up the mud.

Not to be outdone, Theo slipped on his heavy leather work gloves and started clearing the brush between the trailer and the barn. He’d uprooted a monstrous pile of dry weeds when Hetty came marching up the hill.

“Gardening?” she asked.

“Getting rid of this fire risk,” Theo grumbled.

Without a word, Hetty got to work beside him. He knew she must be tired from digging in the south pasture, but she refused to show it. So, Theo refused to slow his pace. In fact, he worked harder than he had on his own. Together, in a tight competitive silence, they worked all the way down the hill to the backside of the barn in under an hour.

Diego, an amused smile on his face, pulled his truck up next to the panting pair. “I’ll want me to load this up while you take a breather?”

Theo was glad to see that Hetty glared at Diego too. She snapped, “since when do I break before lunch?”

“It’s almost 1:30 pm.” Diego’s smile spread wider. “Why don’t you offer our new owner a bite to eat?”

Hetty lifted her chin. “His delicate stomach can probably only handle restaurant food.”

Theo looked at his watch, using Dean’s annoying trick for changing the subject. “I have an appointment with our new interior designer. Lovely-sounding lady by the name of Ms. Anders.”

Hetty froze for a moment, her mouth working to hide a frown. Then she straightened her shoulders and gave Theo a tight nod. “Enjoy talking about curtains.”

The men watched her march up to the trailer and slam the door. Then Diego took his hat off and chuckled.

“You two had quite the work pace going. Perhaps I should have mentioned we need manure hauled.”

Theo gave a gruff laugh. “Guess I should say thanks for that.”

Diego smiled and made no move to go back to work. In fact, he studied Theo from top to bottom and then gave him a long, considering look straight in the eyes. Diego Gutman was well-respected around town, and Theo was relieved when he made some positive internal decision. Diego nodded at him.

Before he could walk off, Theo asked, “Has she thanked you for securing her the overseer position yet?”

Diego sighed and pulled his hat back on. “All I did was tell the stakeholders the truth: if they wanted to secure a new owner, they needed to ensure the ranch kept running. That girl there is the only reason this ranch ain’t chopped up and sold for cheap real estate.”

“And that’s why you kept her secret all these years?”

The older man frowned. “It wasn’t so much a secret as it was keeping others out of her business. Hetty was hurt mighty bad when her father failed them and her parents split up. If you remember, it was quite a public disaster. Her mother left to avoid the gossip and Hetty didn’t have anything but this place. So, yes, I supported her wish to stay away from town speculation.”

Theo felt a squeezing pressure in his chest. He could imagine Hetty on the ranch house front porch, her parents gone and her last name synonymous with ruin.

“Well, she should hold her head high now,” Theo told Diego. “She’s the youngest female overseer I’ve ever heard of, and she works harder than all of us.”

Diego tipped his hat brim at Theo. “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”

CHAPTER 10

***HETTY***

Puppy kisses woke Hetty up again a few days later, but she had been too exhausted to dream. Late spring was always a busy time on the ranch, but Theo’s intrusion had brought a whole new pace to Thirsty River. Her assumption that he would purchase the place and disappear back to his own business was the opposite of what happened. He had appeared every day since they argued in Mr. Penn’s office. Despite her best efforts to run him off with rudeness, Theo kept arriving early, working all day, and staying late.

“Too bad I can’t train you to be a masseuse,” Hetty told DJ. She groaned and rolled out of bed. The puppy flopped back into the warm covers and went right back to snoring. “Get some extra sleep for me too.”

Hetty left the snoozing puppy and shuffled into the trailer’s small galley kitchen to make some strong coffee. She was stiff and sore but somehow felt lighter than she had in weeks. It was nice to look out her narrow window and see the ranch house covered in fresh siding. The new metal roof winked at her in the morning sunshine, and she couldn’t help but smile back.

Next, Hetty looked for Theo’s truck. It burned her the few times he had arrived before she was up and working, so she found herself hurrying to get dressed. If she had time, Hetty could think about how Theo’s gruff presence had given her a needed boost of motivation, but she was too busy trying to outwork the man. Seeing that DJ was too exhausted to move and Theo wasn’t yet onsite, Hetty decided to gulp her coffee down and go for a ride.

Everything always looked better from Checkers’ back, and ten minutes into her morning ride, Hetty had to admit the ranch auction hadn’t turned out too bad. What she had once thought of as the end of her known life, Hetty now regarded as a new beginning and, thanks to Diego’s quick thinking, she was still an integral part of the ranch. Things looked a little different, felt a little different, but the ranch was still running, and that was all she cared about.

Humming to her horse, Hetty cantered down across the wild back portion of Thirsty River and was surprised to see Theo coming through the gate where they had first met. She pulled up abruptly, but it was too late. The insufferable man waved.

“Coming in the back way to spy on us?” Hetty asked as he trotted over.

Theo shook his head with a sour look. “Good morning to you too.”

Hetty pulled Checkers in front of his horse and waited for an answer.

“If you must know, I drove to Drake’s this morning so I could have breakfast with my nephew. I haven’t been able to see much of him lately,” Theo explained.

She thought of the sweet boy, and it was hard not to soften at the thought of a man who went out of his way to see his nephew. “Bet he wanted to skip school and ride with you,” she said.

Theo’s deep blue eyes lit up but he didn’t smile and he kept his tone as neutral as hers had been. “He sends his regards to DJ, Checkers, and you. In that order,” Theo told her.

Hetty had to laugh. “I like a boy who has his priorities straight. Animals should always come first.”

“Then school,” Theo said. He nudged his horse past her. “Then work.”

Theo was right. She shouldn’t be thinking about his adorable nephew or how the two had probably grinned at each other over huge stacks of pancakes. There was work to be done and she was with her boss. Hetty pulled Checkers around and rode side-by-side with Theo. Their two horses strained to be first, and it wasn’t long before they were cantering towards the barn.

Suddenly, Hetty was reluctant to let their tacit peace go. She reined Checkers into a slow walk and was pleased when Theo pulled back to keep pace with her.

“How is Teddy’s puppy?” she asked.

Theo’s impassive expression broke into a small smile. “He’s already chewed two pairs of Drake’s shoes. I call it money well spent.”

Hetty smiled too. “I think DJ is missing his siblings. We should get the puppies together for a good romp one of these days.”

“Might be nice.”

Hetty realized Theo’s surprised glance meant she had gone too far. Why was she being so friendly to the man who had bought her ranch out from under her? And, more importantly, she was being too familiar with her boss. She slipped off her horse, glad to put a little distance between them.

Despite the distance, Hetty was still too aware of Theo’s eyes as she walked Checkers into the barn. Her heart felt too buoyant, and she worried he was distracting her from the more serious business at hand. Then she saw her ranch team.

Bill, Dugger, and Tripp jostled each other as if they were five-year-old boys as soon as she caught sight of them. Even Diego was unable to hide his smile.

“The men have a surprise for you,” Diego explained.

They revealed a doghouse for DJ, complete with his name carved on a sign above the door. “Not that we don’t approve of him sleeping in the extra stall, but the way things seem to be going, we figured there might be another horse in there soon,” Dugger said.

Tripp shoved him. “You better not be talking about that Rolston’s horse. He don’t need to be here so much.”

Bill agreed and told Hetty, “We’ve been doing everything we can to ignore his suggestions and keep things running just the way they always have.”

“Thank you,” Hetty said to both gestures. She appreciated the men supporting her opposition to Theo’s changes, and she was impressed they had found time to complete the doghouse without her knowing.

She hoped that didn’t prove how distracted she was by Theo’s presence.

“Now you just have to decide if we should put this next to the trailer or the ranch house,” Diego said. He had made it clear he thought she should move into the ranch house again as she was officially the overseer.

“The trailer is fine,” Hetty told him. “Just like the way we’ve been doing things is just fine and we don’t need to bend over backward to make changes for the new owner.”

Hetty would remember those words when, a week later, she stood in the same spot in the barn and explained to the ranch team how Theo’s idea actually made the most sense.

“No matter what, we have to spray the weeds, and his method is proving to be a big time-saver,” Hetty told them.

The men grumbled, still loyal in their opposition to anything Theo suggested, but even they had begun to soften. It seemed Theo Rolston was more than just rich; he was a real rancher and an excellent cattleman.

After a day of using Theo’s suggested method, the ranch team actually saw fit to tip their hats at Theo as he left. Hetty noted the late hour, again, and had to admit she was impressed. He had to be pressed for time, balancing work between two ranches, but Theo was always there when they needed an extra hand. He could have hired new people to take his place, but his personal interest spoke volumes to her ranch hands and to her.

A few short weeks after the sale was finalized, Theo was beginning to feel like part of the Thirsty River Ranch.

Hetty had tried hard to keep him out. She had raced to get up early in order to give the men her orders first. She had deliberately chosen chores that put her on the opposite end of the property. Every time he consulted her about something, she had made sure to point out his opinion was the only one that mattered. And still he sought her out.

Theo had even managed to get her opinion on paint colors, kitchen counters, and upstairs flooring. Hetty wasn’t sure how he did it because he was gruff, hard-working, and mostly quiet. Yet, somehow, he had discovered the ranch house hallways used to be sky blue, she preferred white counters, and her parents had always wished the upstairs was carpeted.

In order to keep her distance, Hetty had given her boss all sorts of tests. He didn’t get frustrated and abandon repetitive tasks. He could ride and rope better than most cowboys. Theo even knew the cattle she had marked to keep for breeding and the silly names she had given them.

He also only yelled to be heard, never in anger. Though his voice did tend to rise when he was arguing with her. And they argued a lot.

Try as she might, Hetty couldn’t help but get worked up when Theo was around. Her now long-standing habit of being rude to him meant he always approached her with a grim set to his mouth, expecting her to say something that would make him frown. Then she would catch a glimpse of something more in his deep blue eyes, maybe humor or admiration, and she really had to fly off the handle to make it disappear. Seeing those blue eyes soften made her stomach do funny flips, and that was no way for Hetty to feel about her boss.

The worst part was, no matter how much they argued, she and Theo worked well as a team. They got incredible amounts of work done together every day. And Hetty missed him when he was gone for even an hour.

Diego waved goodbye to Theo as well, then caught Hetty’s lingering look. “Think you may have misjudged him?” he asked.

Hetty glared at Diego but there wasn’t too much heat in her eyes, she was too tired from working alongside her boss all day. “I’ll have a chance to judge him again tomorrow,” she pointed out.

Diego laughed. “He’s a reliable man, that’s for sure.”

Hetty shifted uncomfortably and tried to mutter her own goodbye, but Diego wasn’t done yet.

“Might be nice if you greeted him from the ranch house front porch tomorrow, don’t you think?” he asked.

Hetty raised an eyebrow. “And why would I be there?”

“Because it is high time you moved into that beautiful house. It was built for the overseer and it’s just your stubbornness keeping you in that hot tin can.”

She had noticed the trailer was getting hotter as summer came on strong, but she still couldn’t bring herself to face the memories inside the ranch house. “I still think our boss is wrong and should rent the place out.”

“Whatever you say, Ms. Hetty.” Diego emphasized her name. For some reason, he disliked how often she called Theo boss.

What Diego didn’t understand was that constantly reminding herself of their boss/employee relationship was one of the only successful ways Hetty had to keep down her feelings for Theo. Her heightened awareness of his presence, her sadness at his absence, the stomach flips, and even her habit of needling him just to see his eyes change, all made Hetty worry she was falling for the new ranch owner.

It didn’t help that he was willing to ride fences with her the next day and fix the patches and problems they ran across. The long, hot, and dusty work didn’t seem to bother him at all. Hetty hated how often she found herself admiring him instead of the beautiful Texas countryside.

She vented some of her own frustration in an angry cry when she realized she’d ridden all that way without her pliers. “What a waste of time!”

Theo could have made fun of her for forgetting the important tool, or he could have scolded her for being so negligent. Instead, he gave her a long, steady look and said, “I don’t think riding with you is a waste of time.”

Summer was definitely on the way, as Hetty started to sweat. They worked side-by-side in the hot sun, and she blamed it for her little bouts of dizziness. It had nothing to do with catching glimpses of Theo stubble or his firm lips.

“I got this, Boss. You should head back.” Hetty resorted to the one trick that got her mind back in line, but it didn’t work.

“Hetty?”

Despite the rising heat of the day, she felt a delicious shiver as he said her name. “Yes?”

Theo’s eyes softened in response to her breathless tone. They were just inches apart, both kneeling at the base of a fence post where the wire had come loose and frayed. “Could you untangle me?”

Hetty wished she could. They had gone to school together, and many of her memories there, good or bad, included him. He had bought her family’s ranch and was therefore tied to the thing she loved the most. They worked together every day and had to consult each other dozens of times. More and more, Hetty realized their goals overlapped, as well as their preferences and joys. No matter how she looked at it, Hetty knew she was hopelessly tangled up with Theo Rolston.

“The barbed wire got me on the back of the sleeve, and I can’t reach it.” He said the words softly as if he didn’t want to startle her out of her thoughts.

She could have gotten up, walked around him, and knelt back down on the other side, but Hetty wasn’t sure she could move. Telling herself to just get it over with, she reached across his chest, tugged at the wire, and heard the fabric of his coat start to rip.

“I don’t want to tear you up,” she told Theo.

“Too late.”

His eyes were on hers, a blatant look of longing on his face. Hetty’s heart stumbled as she saw that Theo felt the same magnetism she could no longer pretend didn’t affect her. It pulled her closer.

He was the one that leaned forward the last inch, his lips capturing hers with a pent-up sigh. She tried to pull back but the fence line was behind her and there was nowhere to go. Not that she wanted to go anywhere in the world at that moment. Unable to help herself, Hetty leaned forward and gave in to the kiss fully.

Theo’s free arm wrapped around her waist and pressed her close while his mouth delved deeper into the kiss. She dropped the tangled wire and put a steadying hand on his wide shoulder, her other hand reaching up behind his neck. With the way the world seemed to be tipping out from under her, Hetty needed to hang on.

When they finally came back to earth, separating to breathe, Hetty bit back a gasp. She’d kissed him—the ranch owner, her boss, the one man that was strictly off limits. Theo would think she was desperate, or worse, a gold digger!

Horrified, she swung onto her horse and galloped away, hoping to leave her mistake tangled in the far fences of the ranch.

CHAPTER 11

***THEO***

It should have been easy to pretend the kiss never happened. He and Hetty had been at the farthest point of the ranch with no one but the cattle to see them. Plus, they had been huddled along the fence line working the entire time. Theo comforted himself with the fact that even if anyone had been watching from afar, they probably would not have noticed the quick intimacy.

He noticed.

Theo let out the breath he realized he was holding and remembered how the entire world had stopped spinning the moment his lips touched hers.

It was easy enough to dismiss it as a dream.

He smoothed over the small rip on his coat sleeve and took another deep breath. All he had to do was remember how fast Hetty galloped away, and Theo was able to bring himself back to reality.

They could pretend it never happened, but they still had to work together. And that is why Theo was able to justify seeking Hetty out for every small detail. He pestered her about every decision on the ranch from the shape of the bales—rolled was easier to move while rectangular was easier to stack—to where he should park his truck in the mornings.

Really, he just liked to see that she also held her breath whenever they were in close proximity.

“The driveway is long enough; you should be able to figure it out,” Hetty snapped when she managed to draw a steady breath. She was clearly sick of his constant need for consultations and wished he would leave her alone.

Theo wished the memory of their kiss would stop running through his mind on a dizzy, breath-stealing loop. Her lips tasted like sweet clover. He could still feel the moment those jade-green eyes fluttered shut and she gave into their joining. Hetty’s waist was so easy to encircle, her form fitting so perfectly against his burning chest. Theo could still feel the caress of her long black tresses as they brushed against his face and caught in his stubble.

“Is that all, Boss?”

Hetty’s sharp tone brought his back to their present, oppositional stances on the driveway. She was too far away and he longed to pull her towards him, but her use of the word ‘boss’ brought him up short. The overseer was strictly off limits. Theo could easily imagine how the scandal would rock their small town.

He cringed inside as he thought about how everyone would label him a monster, the kind of man who would take advantage of his power to manipulate his employee. The sinking stone of that thought left a cold pit in his stomach.

Theo walked away without saying anything.

He yanked open the door of his truck, jumped in, then slammed it behind him. The engine cranked to life, and Theo threw the pickup into drive. Using more speed than needed, he charged up the driveway and skidded to a stop in front of the barn so he could unload some of his tools. The marks on the dirt from his tires only showed an inch of the frustration he was feeling.

One glance in the rear-view mirror at the beautiful cowgirl standing there and he felt it in his stomach like a horse kick: the only woman he had felt anything for in years, and she had to be the only one he could not pursue.

Not that Theo had been a monk. Despite his grumpy reputation, he had flirted and dated on and off over the years. It was just that no one gave him that upended feeling that was supposed to signify you needed another to help balance you out.

Until he’d kissed Hetty.

Now he felt as if he would never find his footing again. Everything was off and he was constantly being pulled in too many different directions. Between the T Ranch and Thirsty River, there was always something that needed his attention, yet his thoughts were always on her. Theo had his brothers to juggle, their complicated inheritance looming over him, and his nephew and new sister-in-law, whom he wanted to get to know. The balance that had kept him steady for years was gone, and Theo was really starting to feel the strain.

A small voice of reason in his head reminded Theo that Hetty didn’t really need his help on the ranch. She had more than proven herself over the last few weeks, and there was no reason he had to watch over her or the ranch team. The way she worked was relentless, her team was admirably loyal, and she knew what needed to be done. The only problem was that Theo felt pulled there every day.

He pulled up her driveway only to find she still refused to stay in the ranch house. Hetty had stubbornly kept her perch in the tiny trailer on the hill. Theo gritted his teeth as he thought about how much he had spent on fixing up her childhood home only to see it sit empty. He tried to reason that the smart investment was to fix the ranch house before the damage became more expensive, but now Theo doubted his own motives. Had he done it for Hetty?

Either way, she was ungrateful.

Theo tried to use that irritating fact as a wall between him and his feelings for Hetty, but his mind kept climbing back to the moment they kissed.

“Uncle Theo!”

The adorably exuberant greeting from his nephew should have been enough to rouse him, but Theo was slow to realize what he was seeing. Drake, Freddie, and his nephew guided their horses down the path from behind the barn. Teddy was waving furiously, with a grin as big as the Texas horizon, and finally, Theo called back:

“Who are these wild rustlers?!”

“We rode all the way across the range,” Teddy declared.

Theo reached up to help his nephew down from his black and white horse. Drake swung down and then helped Freddie to the ground. The three were dusty but smiling, and Theo wished seeing them helped his mood.

Instead of smiling back, he watched Hetty come out of the barn and break into a welcoming smile. “Hello! Oh, it’s so nice to see Domino so happy with her new rider,” Hetty called.

Teddy ran right over to her. “Do you think Checkers will be happy to see him?”

Hetty bopped the little boy’s cowboy hat. “I’m sure of it. And I bet DJ can’t wait to sniff you and snuffle out any information he can about his brother.”

Theo decided he didn’t like how friendly Hetty was with his family. Why couldn’t she smile at him like that?

“Watch out,” he warned Teddy, “the overseer is mighty busy and she might not want to visit for too long.”

“I bet T here could keep up with me,” Hetty declared.

Teddy beamed at his uncle. “See? She likes me.”

Before Theo could stop the pair, Hetty invited his nephew to see her puppy’s new doghouse. Drake nodded his permission, then turned his full attention on his brother.

“So, you two are getting along great, I see,” Drake commented.

Theo scowled. “Why don’t I shove a thorn in your boot and you can see how it feels,” he told Drake.

His brother laughed. “I’d rather have a tour of the ranch house. Sutton said it was falling down when he saw it at the auction.”

Freddie joined them. “It looks like a dream now. Can we go inside?”

“Sure. You’ll be the first, seeing as my overseer refuses to set foot in the place,” Theo grumbled.

He led them up the solid front steps and across the cool shade of the front porch, with only one glance up the hill towards Hetty and his nephew. Then, seeing as she was looking down at them, Theo made a big show of opening the front door and welcoming his brother and sister-in-law inside.

“We restored the original staircase,” Theo told them as they admired it from the tight foyer. “Had to pay to have the missing spindles made especially so they would match.”

“Looks great.” Drake ran his hand over the newel post but was more interested in his brother’s sour expression. “So, Hetty really hasn’t been inside yet?”

Theo shrugged, pretending he didn’t care. “Not while I’ve been here.”

Freddie laughed. “I’m sure she’s not sneaking in under the cover of darkness. Seems like you found someone every inch as stubborn as you.”

“Stubborn is not even the half of it,” Theo grumbled. “She’s rude, bossy, infuriating, and refuses to admit she’s wrong.”

“I heard she’s whip-smart, one of the best riders in town, and leads the most loyal team this side of Houston,” Drake added.

Theo glowered. “If that all sounds so good to you, why don’t you hire her?”

“Are you thinking of firing her?” Freddie asked with a note of excitement in her voice.

Theo paused in the dining room, blocking their view of the renovated kitchen, as his mind jumped back to their kiss. The thought of not having Hetty on the ranch, of never having her within arm’s reach again, stopped him in his tracks.

“Did something happen between you two?” Drake asked, more curious about his brother’s uncharacteristic behavior than about the house tour.

“No. Of course not. Not at all. Why would you ask that?” Theo snapped.

Freddie glided into the kitchen, smiling. “I think he protests too much.”

“You’d protest too if you had someone bossing you around whenever they get the chance,” Theo told her.

Freddie laughed again and laced her arm through Drake’s. “I did, remember? And as soon as we weren’t working together, it all worked out.”

Theo rolled his eyes, though his frown softened. He couldn’t help but be happy for his brother, though he had to point out, “It took a little while.”

Drake leaned against the new granite countertops. “I can’t imagine how Theo firing Hetty would make her any less of an enemy.”

“You’re telling me you don’t see the way she looks at him?” Freddie pointed at Theo’s face. “Her expression is a perfect match to that! All longing and resignation. You really haven’t seen it?”

“I’ve seen sparks flying every time they’re around each other, but that doesn’t mean the fire will actually start,” Drake pointed out.

“Speaking of fire,” Theo interrupted gruffly, “we had to install all new lines but the gas range works great now. Want to see upstairs? The views are spectacular.”

The rest of the tour was quick and Theo herded them outside as soon as he could. He completely ignored the rest of their questions and speculations, which, thankfully, both his brother and sister-in-law gave up eventually. The peaceful small talk was a welcome change but it still didn’t improve Theo’s mood.

He scowled when Hetty joined them in the driveway. Teddy was promising DJ a visit from his own puppy, and she was nodding her agreement. “Maybe you two can teach him to sit and actually stay,” Hetty said.

Theo watched them all chat happily and felt his chest get heavier. How could Hetty stand there with the sun glinting off her black hair and not feel a thing? Theo burned with the ideas his brother and sister-in-law had casually put in his head. What if she wasn’t his employee? He could bring her that knot of wildflowers he had seen that morning; he could ask her to his place where he’d grill them dinner out back; he could take her small but strong hand in his and kiss her lightly on the knuckles; he could show her he was gallant instead of grumpy.

He stopped himself and stifled a groan. Could Hetty really feel the same?

Theo watched her but couldn’t tell and the curious longing to know her feelings was killing him. So, he said a quick goodbye to his visitors and lit into the ranch team for leaving tools out in the dirt.

“Someone could trip on these and get hurt,” he snapped at Bill. “And, if the weatherman is anywhere near right, there’s rain coming, and all these tools will rust.”

Dugger glared at him but gathered up the offending items.

Tripp ignored him completely and helped their guests get saddled up again. “You all are welcome at Thirsty Ranch anytime.” Then he glared at Theo, clearly indicating he was not on that list.

By the time Drake, Freddie, and his nephew had topped the ridge and disappeared towards the horse ranch, Hetty had joined the ranch team in glaring at Theo. “You know my men always clean up. They also keep a better eye on the weather than you. There’s a big storm brewing.”

Theo ignored the threatening horizon. He felt the storm inside every time he glanced in her direction. And Hetty was standing there with her hands on her slim hips as if they had never once let down their walls and been close. How could Freddie think this distant woman felt the same way he did?

“That doesn’t mean your team has remembered to prep the propane tanks, tighten up those loose barn boards, or bring the back herd to the south pasture,” he snarled at her.

Hetty’s flashed like the foreshadowed lightning. “You honestly think you can stand there and tell me how to prepare Thirsty River for a storm?”

The men moved off to take care of the loose barn boards, so Theo went to get his horse. He was irate when Hetty followed suit and rode out beside him. They kept neck-and-neck, occasionally firing sharp suggestions and rude retorts at each other, but the more they argued through a long list of storm prep, the more it appeared they were on the same page.

“I’ll open the gate; you bring ‘em around,” Hetty said.

Theo rode along the side of the herd, yelling and waving his hat. It was enough to encourage the cattle into moving and their instincts steered them towards the more-sheltered pasture. Hetty rode back and forth, discouraging those cows that tried to break from the group.

He watched her whirl and whoop, successfully getting the herd through the gate, and Theo felt the burning in his chest change to something different. The air was electric with the coming storm, they were far from the others, and he felt the words rushing out like a tornado.

“I know it’s for the best, but pretending we didn’t kiss is killing me,” he told her.

Hetty reined her horse in sharply, her eyes wide. “We can’t talk about this.”

“It doesn’t bother you?”

She looked pained. “It’s in the past.”

Theo scowled. “That never stopped you from bringing up the one time I wouldn’t dance with you.”

Hetty looked like she might laugh or cry, then she shook her head. “We were just kids then. This is different.”

“This.” Theo hung on to that word. It meant there was still something between them, something unnamed but present instead of past.

She pressed her lips shut and turned away from him. Then Hetty tied the gate closed between them and rode back to the ranch, leaving Theo to hold that one word and wonder how he was going to weather the storm growing inside him.

CHAPTER 12

***HETTY***

There was plenty of work to do ahead of the storm, but Hetty kept getting caught staring into space. Dugger gaped at her, shocked that he had to repeat himself for the third time.

“Do you want Checkers in the barn or do you want to let him loose?”

Some horses grew distraught during storms, kicking and crashing in their stalls, and they did better in an outside paddock with a shelter. He was busying securing the other stalls in the barn and paused awkwardly for her answer.

She’d been thinking about Theo again. He had taken his time returning, thinking to secure things along the way that she had completely forgotten. Now that he was back and busy shuttering the ranch house, she couldn’t stop her mind from wandering back to where she had left him at the pasture gate.

Would he have said more?

Hetty could still hear the tone in his voice as he repeated the word “this.” Was it hope that she had heard or just his usual dry distaste for her rudeness?

Was he glad she had slipped up and not securely pressed their kiss into the past where it belonged? Hetty shook her head. It was nonsense to be speculating on that man’s thoughts. Theo Rolston was surly, short of patience, and sharp-toned. He was also the owner of the ranch and far above her status.

So why did he care if they ignored the kiss?

It was hard to think the memory was running through his mind as well. Any time Hetty let herself wonder that, she felt her stomach turn to jelly. And there wasn’t time for wondering or going weak-in-the-knees before the bad weather hit.

“Checkers will be fine in the barn,” she finally managed to answer Dugger.

Hetty noticed the horse that Theo normally rode was already groomed and secured in its stall. For some reason, the sight of it cozied up next to hers irritated her. “Where’s the room for your horse and Bill’s?” she asked Dugger.

He shrugged, too busy to be bothered by the switch. “Plenty of room over here. My old boy doesn’t mind and all Bill’s horse needs is extra straw and he’d be happy in a swamp.”

Dugger's acceptance of Theo’s use of any old stall annoyed Hetty even further. She marched out of the barn, determined to clear her head, then saw Theo’s pickup blocking half the driveway.

“We only have a few hours before the storm hits and you’re slowing us down by parking right in the middle?” she yelled up to the ranch house.

Theo finished securing a shutter and sauntered down the front steps. “Aren’t you the very same overseer who told me parking didn’t matter because the driveway was big enough?”

Hetty narrowed her eyes. “I didn’t think you’d take that to mean you could be inconsiderate but, then again, you own it all, don’t you.”

“And I could sell it for a song if I wanted to,” Theo snapped back. Then he gave her a challenging look. “Or a smile.”

“I have to go into town for supplies. Move your truck.”

She knew it looked like she was running away, but Hetty didn’t care. Her insides were buzzing like a beehive and Theo’s direct looks didn’t help. He should have been angry at her for riding away from him again, but there he was in front of her challenging her every step.

What would he do if she smiled at him?

Hetty’s head spun as her thoughts immediately whirled into another kiss. No. That wouldn’t happen. Theo knew just as well as she did what the boundaries were. He probably just brought up the whole kiss thing because he wanted to make sure she wasn’t going to file paperwork against him or something.

She had to believe there wasn’t a romantic bone in his body.

The ranch needed extra drinking water, food, batteries, and first aid supplies just in case the storm flooded the roads and kept them stranded for a few days. Hetty kept her mind on her list and marveled at how different it felt to run into town now. Everyone had heard she was appointed overseer. The rumors of her secretive presence on the ranch had already spread and subsided. General opinion said she was a hard worker and a level-headed rancher, so the rest didn’t really matter to Isabel, Texas.

Hetty wondered what everyone was saying about her working with Theo.

She scolded herself for her sudden new interest in gossip, and promised herself it would just be a quick trip to town for simple supplies. Then, Hetty saw people greeting her. There was a hat tip from a man on the sidewalk, and a wave from a woman on the corner. Hetty called back “howdy” to an elderly cowboy that hailed her from his own truck at the intersection. On Main Street, she had the intoxicating feeling that everyone recognized and was glad to see her.

That was much better than thinking about Theo and hearing that strangely wistful ‘this’ of his over and over in her head. So, Hetty decided to park and enjoy a quick stroll down Main Street.

“Ms. Hetty! I’ve been meaning to stop by and bring you a plate of cookies. You paid far too much for that troublesome little pup.” Molly Barter crossed the street to catch up with her.

“He’s no trouble at all. I’m so glad to have the company,” Hetty told her.

“I hear you’ve got lots of company up at Thirsty River now that Theo is working. I know lots of people gossip about the Rolston brothers all escaping our small town as soon as they could, but he always stuck around. And, boy, does he love that nephew of his. Totally adorable.”

“Theo or his nephew?”

Molly laughed. “Well, both, if we’re being honest, right?”

Hetty smiled politely but left the conversation as quickly as she could. “We’ll catch up soon. I’ve got to get to The Tack and Feed before the line gets too long.”

Inside the general store, Hetty discovered she wasn’t too far off. The line extended halfway down the store where customers had come to buy batteries, tarps, snacks, and rain gear all ahead of the storm. She headed to the back of the store to find what she needed and heard a familiar voice call her name.

“Out here!” Freddie waved from the back door.

Hetty stepped outside to discover the store manager, Alessa, and her cousin making sandbags. Residents and ranchers alike used the sacks of sand to ward off unwanted flooding. Not one to turn down work, Hetty grabbed a spade and started shoveling alongside the other women.

“Can I tell her now?” Alessa asked.

Freddie dropped sand on her shoe. “You knew?! You knew Hetty was up at Thirsty River this whole time and you didn’t tell me?!”

Alessa tipped her chin up. “I may be known as the central line for all town gossip, but I can also keep a secret.”

Hetty gave Freddie a shy smile. “It wasn’t like I was sneaking around.”

Freddie grinned. “And I was in San Francisco. Not all of us know our dreams are here and it takes us a while to figure that out. You and Theo are lucky to have known what you wanted all along.”

Hetty finished filling up a sandbag. She sighed, “Sometimes I think it makes it harder, especially when the thing I want is off-limits. I mean, out of reach.”

Both women looked at her closely but didn’t press. Instead, Freddie agreed in her easy-going way. “I fell in love with off-limits so, trust me, I know what that is like.”

Alessa gave an optimistic smile. “From what I’ve seen, off-limits just means that something has to change. All change needs is a little time.”

Hetty like the sound of that. She didn’t have to solve all her issues with Theo that day; and there were a lot of issues. Despite suspicions that her feelings were growing, Hetty mostly felt irritated when she thought of that insufferable man. If time could change that, then miracles could happen.

“And nothing is out of reach,” Freddie assured her. “It’s just sometimes when you finally grasp that thing, like I did when I got offered a dance company position, you realize it isn’t the thing you really want.”

Alessa laughed, “like when I go up the ladder to get those high-shelf items for a customer. Nine times out of ten, it’s the wrong thing.”

They all laughed.

“Not that we’re saying the Thirsty River Ranch isn’t the right thing for you.” Freddie finished tying off a sandbag.

Hetty understood. She told her, “Struggling all those years to try to buy it wasn’t the right idea. I lost out on a lot of other things that way. Now, I’m still on the ranch but the financial strain is gone. It’s been a huge change.”

“Too bad it came attached to a grumpy Rolston brother?” Freddie studied her new friend closely.

Hetty felt her cheeks color slightly. “I’d say ‘surly’ is more Theo’s word. At least he knows what he’s doing and he seems fully invested.”

“More than that, if you ask me,” Freddie said with a mischievous smile.

Hetty worried she had said too much. Did the women realize she had slipped up? She had accidentally been thinking of Theo when she said ‘off limits’ and now she had to assume the gossip would get back to him or his brother.

Alessa patted her hand. “Don’t look so worried. The storm will pass.”

“Speaking of the weather,” Hetty brushed off her hands, “I better grab what we need and get back. I’m sure Theo will want to get to the T Ranch.”

Freddie grinned again. “And I’m certain he’ll stay at Thirsty River tonight.”

Alessa nudged her cousin, then helped Hetty gather all her supplies. The women soon had Hetty’s truck packed and waved as she headed back to the ranch. For all their friendly teasing, reassurances, and help, Hetty still couldn’t help but wonder if they would gossip about her wanting something off-limits. They had to know she meant Theo; what else at the ranch was forbidden?

And continuing a crush, or whatever it was, with Theo was certainly forbidden. He owned the Thirsty River Ranch and, therefore, held her home, career, and future in his insufferable hands. Hetty gripped the steering wheel hard as she thought about how Theo could get sick of her and simply fire her one day. Then what would she do?

That thought drove her back onto the ranch and easily brought a scowl to her face when she was stopped by the man himself. To make matters worse, Diego was with him and clearly on his side.

“We want you to get your stuff and move into the ranch house tonight,” Diego said. He crossed his arms as she got out of the truck in a huff.

“Is that an order?” she asked.

“It can be,” Theo snarled. He caught her by the arm. “If you can’t get it through your pretty little head that that tin can up there is not going to be safe in a storm, then I will order you brought down by force.”

Hetty twisted her arm free, happy for the challenge. “You and what army?”

“The ranch team,” Diego said sharply. “We’re all worried for your safety.”

“Speaking of safety, you should be heading home before the rain breaks,” Hetty reminded her ranch manager.

He refused to move. “Not until I know you’ve gotten past your authority issues and seen the good sense of staying in the ranch house tonight. Even Tripp has agreed to head inside tonight.”

The one silver lining was Hetty had discovered how to keep her head while Theo was around. She did have authority issues, stemming from the fact that her father had turned out to have made all the wrong decisions. Now Hetty was hardwired to decide things for herself and she couldn’t listen to anyone above herself. That character flaw would save her from any sillier feelings for Theo as he was the ultimate authority on the ranch.

“Fine. Just for tonight,” Hetty said.

“See?” Theo nudged Diego. “And you thought moving her stuff in without asking was going to cause a problem.”

Diego chuckled and stepped around Hetty’s hard glare. “Not any problem I have to deal with tonight. Like you said, my girl, I gotta get home before the rain.”

He left Theo and Hetty standing in the driveway with the dark clouds gathering above them. She sneered at him and proceeded to try to unload the pickup truck herself. Theo, of course, grabbed more than his fair share and hauled the supplies inside behind her.

“You know I could sue you or something for invasion of privacy,” Hetty said.

“Feel free to consult with Mr. Penn anytime.”

Hetty hated how quickly her work was done when she had Theo to help, so she began to nitpick everything he did. “You forgot the puppy’s bed and training pads, or did you want him to pee on your fancy new floor?”

“Your restored floor,” Theo snapped.

She couldn’t stop to admire the polished hardwood. “And I’m sure you didn’t think of things like toothpaste.”

Theo rolled his eyes. “You need fuzzy slippers too? This isn’t a sleepover.”

The thought had Hetty’s cheeks heating up, so she went quickly out the door and up the hill. Unfortunately, her nitpicking had the wrong result and caused Theo to follow her up to the trailer in order to see for himself how little he forgot to bring.

“Did you remember to secure those barn boards?” she asked, at a loss for what else to say. It felt crowded yet strangely cozy with Theo in her trailer.

“Did you remember to get propane for the grill? We’re going to need to feed the men tonight.”

Hetty shook her head. “Oh, no, we don’t need you sticking around. The team and I will do just fine.”

At that moment, a huge, hill-shaking crack of thunder ripped across the sky. It was so sudden, close, and loud that Hetty leaped into Theo’s arms. She regretted her instinct the second it occurred, but it was his arms that were slow to let go.

He finally released her and cleared his throat. “Did you remember extra drinking water? The roads might wash out if this gets bad.”

This time, a blinding flash of lightning helped prepare her for the deafening thunder. The clouds were growling up above and the torrents of rain would drop at any moment. Hetty grabbed the few things she needed and headed out of the trailer.

She stopped on the hill and spun around to Theo. “Don’t go thinking we needed any of your advice to get ready for a storm. So, why don’t you follow your own advice and get out before the roads get bad.”

It was too late. Another hair-raising flash of lightning and Theo grabbed her hand. Behind the trailer, they could both see a black swath of heavy rain racing across the pastures. Together, they ran down the hill and made it onto the porch just before the downpour began.

CHAPTER 13

***THEO***

The rain hit the porch roof with such force, they both jumped. Hetty’s hand slipped from his and Theo immediately missed her warm grip. Even under the covering, the rushing rain soaked them. He looked in horror at his pickup, alone and unprotected out in the driveway. It was too late to go anywhere or do anything else.

“We should go inside,” Hetty said.

Her eyes were wide and Theo fought the urge to reach for her hand again. Despite her words, she couldn’t move either. He noticed her shirt was going from damp to wet, clinging to her form, yet neither of them could look away from the fearful force of the thunderstorm. The rain came down in sheets so thick it was hard to see the barn. Lightning illuminated the torrential downpour, and thunder shook the sky above and the porch below.

Another flash hit so closely that Hetty and Theo sprang together again, but seconds later, the front door flew open and scared them apart.

“There you are! You’re both soaked. Get inside,” Bill waved them into the ranch house. “Dugger just made it in the back door, and Tripp is already complaining he is claustrophobic.”

“What about DJ?” Hetty asked.

Theo longed to wrap her shivering form in his arms again. He followed her inside and was at least warmed by the fuzzy reunion between her and the skittish puppy. Hearing the poor thing whimper, Theo took his chance to get near her again and stroked the puppy’s head.

“Lucky pup,” he told DJ, “you get a free pass to jump on all the furniture and use any of the blankets tonight.”

Windows rattled during the next roll of thunder, and Hetty clung to the puppy. Theo reached out to steer Hetty into the cozy living room, but Bill was already ahead of him. The ranch hand wrapped a blanket around her and settled her into an oversized armchair along with the puppy.

“Maybe we should get some candles out, just in case,” Bill decided. He shoved past Theo and went to search the pantry.

“I could have told them where they are,” Theo commented as they heard Bill crashing around in the kitchen.

Hetty sniffed. “Easy enough to figure out.”

Theo could tell she had her walls back up, so he went to grab a towel from the guest bathroom. By the time he dried off and walked back, her seat was empty. Hetty and the three ranch hands had made themselves comfortable in the kitchen. She sat in one of the chairs with the puppy wrapped up in her lap while Bill dodged in and out, putting votive candles in glasses and distributing them throughout the house. Dugger watched his phone and rattled off the play-by-play of the storm while Tripp pulled everything he needed out of the cabinets to make a giant pot of chili.

“There are steaks in the refrigerator, ready to go, and there’s a new grill section on the stove top. Did you see it?” Theo asked.

No one answered him.

“I made sure to get each of you a steak, figuring we’d be caught inside by the storm,” Theo said, louder.

“Chili is just fine with me,” Hetty told Tripp.

“It’s my specialty,” Tripp boasted.

Dugger snorted. “You mean it’s your necessity.”

Bill popped back in the door. “I’ve got the generator on the back porch just in case, but we should be good.”

“Not according to this,” Dugger waved his phone in the air.

“The basement is finished,” Theo mentioned. “There’s a couch and television down there now.”

“Good. Why don’t you head down,” Hetty told him without glancing in his direction. They were still determined to make him feel out of place.

“I’m going to go check the windows and shutters,” Theo told no one in particular. He marched out of the room and stiffened when he heard them all chuckle at some chili-related joke Tripp made.

They didn’t need or want him on the Thirsty River Ranch. Theo supposed he should be grateful. It would be much easier to make the second ranch nothing but a business expansion if he didn’t need to visit often. The overseer knew what she was doing and her team was ready to work. Now that the ranch house renovations were done, and unappreciated, Theo could go back to the T Ranch and wait to see his profits increase.

The only trouble was, Theo couldn’t think of anywhere he’d rather be than at the Thirsty River. He loved his ranch, but there were many memories of his father there, and the last few years he had felt those dragging at him. Rolston Senior was a loving father by all accounts but he was also hard-headed, ambitious, and relentless in his expectations. With that legacy looming over him, it was small wonder that Theo preferred the open possibilities he saw at Hetty’s ranch.

If only she was one of those possibilities.

Theo rattled the window shutter harder than necessary, almost beating out the storm in his sudden frustration. The lights flickered and, for a moment, Theo wondered if he’d shaken something loose. The shutters held fast but the storm raged on, and by the time Theo headed back to the cozy crew in the kitchen, the light went out.

Guided by one of Bill’s votive candles, Theo made his way slowly down the stairs. More candles had been scattered around the living room, shimmering in everything from wine glasses to tumblers. More thunder shook the house, and when Theo turned around, he was surprised to see Hetty standing in the doorway.

She stepped closer to be heard over the pounding rain, but Theo couldn’t concentrate on her words. Her skin was golden cream in the candlelight. He had never noticed how flawless it was, or wondered how soft it would feel. Again, he felt the urge to reach out. Then he remembered he was unwanted and dropped back.

“You weren’t worried about me, so what do you want?” he asked Hetty.

Her eyes, fringed by impossibly long black lashes, blinked at him. She looked as if she was going to say one thing, swallowed it, then informed him, “Dugger says the radar is warning of hail. We might be in for a tornado. Any chance you’d let the men eat chili on your fancy new basement sofa?”

“It’s your sofa,” Theo barked. “As the overseer, you are expected to live on the ranch, and I’m not having any representative of my company living in a tin can.”

She thought about a sharp retort but was cut off by the hard pinging of hail. It ricocheted off the new roof and rattled onto the fresh sidewalk. The noise was so intense, talk was over and Theo instinctually closed the gap between them. Hetty stood strong until the hail stopped and an eerie quiet fell over the house.

“Gaps like this could mean tornadoes,” she said, reaching for Theo’s hand.

They headed to the basement and Theo was disappointed to see the men had also sought shelter there. The whimpering puppy ran to greet them, and the men all looked up. Perhaps they couldn’t see well in the dark, but they certainly seemed to notice and disapprove of his proximity to their Hetty. Though, this time they offered him a cup of chili. He had to let go of her hand to accept the offering.

Dugger, who still hovered over his phone, declared, “Go ahead and eat. Looks like the worst of it is heading off to the north.”

The lights flashed back on, and soon, the rain started to let up. Everyone ate their chili, sure they would have plenty of work to do once the storm was done. Sooner than he would have liked, Theo followed Bill up the stairs to survey the damage. Bill dodged around the house, blowing out candles, and Theo opened the shutters.

“See anything yet?” Hetty asked as she went by to the kitchen with the dirty dishes.

Theo was surprised to see she was speaking to him instead of Bill. He cleared his throat. “We won’t really know until we ride out.”

“Not taking the horses out in this mud,” Tripp said, pushing past him.

“In my truck,” Theo amended impatiently.

Hetty reappeared and announced, “I’m going with you. Someone has to make sure you don’t leave ruts all over the ranch.”

Theo wanted to give her a gruff retort, but he was pleased she planned to accompany him. He opened the front door and gestured for her to go ahead. Dugger sailed past too, the puppy in his arms.

“We’re off to check the barn,” he said.

Hetty sloshed across the driveway and climbed into Theo’s truck without letting him open the door for her. He climbed into the driver’s seat and slowly cruised past the barn and up the back road.

“Everything looks good, no loose boards,” he said.

Hetty frowned. “You thought my team would leave it loose?”

Theo sighed, his surliness returning. “Looks like your tin can survived but, then again, eyesores have a way of doing that.”

Hetty ignored him and rapped on her window. “Stop here; looks like a washout.”

She hopped out of the truck before Theo had fully put it in park. Alongside the back road, a large mud puddle sloped dangerously down towards the ditch. He joined her on the edge, fighting the urge to grab her hand and pull her back.

“We can put in a small retaining wall and add some extra hard-packed dirt when it all dries,” he decided.

Hetty scowled at his quick decision. “Or we could add a culvert along here. This ditch is meant to subvert any overflow from the creek.”

“The creek? It’s been dry for years from the looks of it,” he pointed out.

Then he heard it. An ominous rushing sound swept towards them. He saw Hetty’s eyes go wide and reached out his arms. She jumped into them just as the flash flood flew by like a freight train behind her.

Theo scrambled to step back as the muddy ground gave way. The dirt road was slipping into the fast flow.

“Hurry or it’ll get your truck too!” Hetty cried, clinging to his neck.

Theo yanked open the door, tossed her in the passenger side, then climbed in after her. Hetty scrambled across the console and into the driver’s seat, revving the truck to life and driving up the embankment just before the mud slipped out from under the tires.

“We’ll have to take the long way back,” Hetty joked in a shaky voice.

She parked a way up and they both watched the frothing, dirt-colored water rampage down the way they had come. Luckily, the strategic ditch did its job and the flash flood veered off before going anywhere near the barn or ranch house. Once it rejoined the creek bed, the water levels dropped back to non-terrifying.

“Quick thinking. Thank you,” Hetty said quietly.

Theo shrugged. “Thanks for the quick driving.”

There was so much more to say. For a moment, Theo watched Hetty’s petal-pink lips and hoped she would let loose a flood of her own. They parted then popped shut a few times in the silence of the truck cab. Then she sighed.

“Looks like the team is ready to report.”

Theo saw the men in the rear-view mirror, gathered in the muddy driveway, trying not to shoot his truck suspicious looks. “Let’s hear it,” he said glumly.

The reports were all good, but somehow that did not lighten Theo’s mood. After the pure electricity of the storm and the adrenaline of the flash flood, his body was jumping. He felt like he could outrun a horse or dance like a foolish college kid. Theo wanted to celebrate, he felt the gift they had all been given of riding out the storm with minimal damage, but the only person he wanted to celebrate with was back behind her high walls.

Hetty was clearly happy with the reports, but she wouldn’t even look in Theo’s direction. Instead, she patted her ranch hands on the back, scooped up her puppy, and smiled out over the pastures. He didn’t even make it into her periphery.

That is the only reason he was happy to see his brother’s number pop up on his cell phone. “Hello, Dean. How’d you fare at the Double R?”

“We did just fine. The boys have to ride out and round up a few strays, but we should be back on track in no time. How about you?”

“I’m over at the Thirsty River, and it looks like we came through without a scratch. A little flooding but nothing the team here can’t handle,” Theo told him.

Hetty glanced over, and Theo hoped she realized he was complimenting her and her team. She didn’t look pleased but she also didn’t look annoyed, so Theo took that as a win. He tried to ignore the way he hoped she would glance back again.

Dean didn’t sound at all surprised to hear his brother was at the Thirsty River Ranch. “Glad you found a cozy spot to ride out the storm.”

Theo was surprised by the genuine approval in his brother’s voice. “I’ll head back to the T Ranch soon, but my manager there already texted to say all’s well.”

“Check in with Sutton on your way, will you? I haven’t heard from him yet,” Dean commanded.

“Yup.” Theo hung up.

He was torn; he wanted to stay but could feel he still wasn’t welcome. There wasn’t enough work to justify him hanging around, and he obviously had other places he needed to go. Why did he find it so hard to leave her?

Then Sutton called and made it easy. After hearing his brother’s rapid-fire report, Theo promised he was on his way. He called out to Hetty on the way to his truck, “my brother’s hotel got damaged in the storm. I’ve gotta go help him.”

Theo didn’t turn to catch her response; it was easier that way.

CHAPTER 14

***HETTY***

Hetty found an excuse to leave the ranch team, and watched Theo drive away. She hiked up the rain-soaked hill to check on her trailer, but her eyes kept watching is pickup truck. Why did she care when he came and went?

Despite Diego and Theo’s worry, the little trailer had survived the storm just fine. She walked all around it, noticed some puddles, but didn’t see any damage. What she saw was his truck turn out of the ranch drive and disappear. Instead of breathing a sigh of relief, Hetty was surprised to find herself filled with a quiet feeling. Now that the rush of the storm was done and everything was fine, she felt like she was waiting.

Assuring herself it had nothing to do with when Theo would return, Hetty marched back down the hill to the barn. There, she overheard the ranch team chatting:

“I’m glad he noticed those loose boards,” Bill admitted. “Otherwise, these three stalls could have been exposed during those winds.”

“He does have an eye for details,” Tripp conceded.

Dugger snorted. “And what if he has an eye for Ms. Hetty too?”

“Wouldn’t be the worst man for her,” Bill said.

Tripp chuckled. “They argue enough; I think Ms. Hetty may have met her match.”

“At least he can keep up with her work.” Dugger was more dubious than the others, but his comment about Theo’s work ability was high praise coming from him.

Hetty didn’t know why but overhearing the men made her stomach fizz. She turned quietly at the barn door and headed towards the ranch house instead. Their opinion mattered a lot to her, and Hetty was glad they didn’t despise the new ranch owner. She just wasn’t sure she liked how their comments had more to do with Theo as a match for her than as a cattleman.

Knowing that work would keep her mind busy with more practical thoughts, Hetty decided to tackle the clean-up in the ranch house. Of course, the men had already cleaned up all evidence of chili-making. She discovered that every single candle had been put away, and one of them had even swept the floors. Everything was immaculate, and her team’s diligent work left her standing at a loss in the foyer.

For just a moment, Hetty allowed herself to look at the home she used to love.

It was hard not to notice the gleaming hardwood floors or how the woodwork around the doors finally had a stain that matched. The staircase had all its spindles again, and she ran her hand over the hand-turned wood as memories accosted her. She remembered how her father never noticed the small projects and dismissed them as nagging every time her mother brought up the list.

Theo had immediately seen and completed everything. The dining room chandelier finally turned on when you flipped the switch. The missing threshold to the kitchen had been replaced. The cabinets all had new doors and not a single one hung crooked. Hetty drifted through the beautifully rehabbed old house and tried not to let tears blur her eyes.

Upstairs she had to lean against a doorframe and catch back her sobbing breath. Theo had seen the little bay window and fulfilled her mother’s long-time wish of making it a window seat. It was the perfect room for a child, and the thought filled Hetty with longing she didn’t know she could feel. The thought of raising her only family in that house had been buried under work and financial woes for so long, she assumed it had suffocated.

Hetty took a deep breath and steadied her thoughts.

Theo was simply different from her father, and that was a fact. He minded the details, made wise investments, and worked at what mattered most.

The list could have gone on, but Diego called her from the front porch.

One look at her dazed expression and Diego decided not to comment on her being inside the house. Instead, he reported on storm damage around Isabel. “The Rolston hospitality ranch took the biggest hit. Straight-line winds tore through there, and I hear the damage needs to be dealt with immediately,” he told her.

No wonder Theo had left without a backward glance.

“What about the roads out that way?” Hetty asked.

He smiled, already approving of the direction she was headed. “Rough. Anyone in a vehicle would have a hard go, but someone on horseback could make the ride easy enough.”

Hetty hopped down the porch steps and went to saddle Checkers. The ranch team was surprised when she burst into the barn so determined, and they immediately worried something was wrong with their ranch.

“We miss a downed line or washout?” Bill asked, jumping to help her.

“No, everything’s fine here. I just got word they need help over at the hotel,” she explained, glad to keep her eye on her task and ignore their raised eyebrows.

“The Rolston place?” Tripp asked.

Hetty rolled her eyes. “Now that everyone knows I’m around, it’s about time I be neighborly, don’t you think?”

The men agreed, more heartily than she liked, but soon Hetty was saddled up and riding towards Sutton’s hotel and ranch. She was halfway up the debris-scattered drive when Hetty realized she might be diving in over her head. Half a dozen trucks were parked in front of the damaged hotel, and four of the six Rolston brothers greeted her with surprised glances.

“Something wrong at Thirsty River?” Theo rushed to catch Checker’s bridle and help her down.

“Uh, no.” Hetty’s head spun, and he swung her down from her horse. “I just thought Sutton might need an extra hand. I didn’t know you all would be here.”

Theo gave his eager brothers an irritated glance. “They can’t resist getting in each other’s business, good or bad.”

Hetty found herself shaking Drake’s huge hand. “Good to see you again,” he said.

Sutton was next and surprised her with a quick hug. “It means a lot you thought to come and help, neighbor. I appreciate it.”

Dean was last and the most intimidating. He gave Hetty a cool look, as if waiting to see if she would fly into a rage like she did at the lawyer’s office, but after a pause, he nodded at her. “We’re glad you’re here.”

“Dean Rolston, stop making the woman feel like she’s facing a firing squad.” A woman marched down from the front porch and shooed him back.

Theo smiled down at Hetty when she bumped closer to him. “This here is DeeDee, cook and housekeeper at the Double R.”

Hetty smiled, though she was intimidated. Dean was the most imposing man she, and most of Isabel, had ever met. Unless you were six-foot-tall and a Rolston, Hetty couldn’t imagine many people addressing Theo’s eldest brother that way. DeeDee, small but definitely in charge, had no such reservations.

“Why don’t you leave this crew to their arguing and come cook with me,” DeeDee suggested. Her smile was welcoming even as she took charge of the group.

“Or you could help me!” Freddie flew down the porch and grinned at her friend. “It is so nice of you to come help us out! There’s a ton of water-damage inside and I’ve been mopping for hours.”

Theo laughed at both women. “You want Hetty to cook or mop floors? Clearly you haven’t met this woman before.”

Hetty’s cheeks colored. “I’m glad to help wherever you need me.”

“We need you out here,” Dean decided with his usual air of finality. “Someone has to keep Theo on task.”

It was Theo’s turn to flush. He took a menacing step towards his eldest brother, and Hetty stepped nervously out of the way.

DeeDee just laughed. With one small hand, she pushed Dean back a step and dismissed them all. “Well, go on then, get on with it.”

Freddie waved and followed DeeDee back to the hotel: a sprawling ranch-style home with a sizeable hole in the roof from the storm. Hetty was left with the men who immediately began arguing about where to begin work.

“Those horses could be miles from here by now. We need to go after them,” Theo told Dean.

Dean ignored him and gave Sutton a list of priorities.

Drake butted in with, “Don’t you think the roof is literally above all else?!”

Theo was given orders by Dean and vehemently shook his head. “I’m here to help Sutton, not do your bidding.”

Hetty fought back a sudden smile. Theo thought she had problems with authority!

Luckily, Teddy arrived to disrupt the bickering before it got any more heated. He smiled at Hetty, then stamped his foot. “I want to ride out and help bring the horses back too. It’s not fair! You know I can do it.”

Drake groaned. “Great, another Rolston man showing his surly nature.”

Theo gave his nephew a sympathetic smile. “Sorry, little man, but the ground’s full of puddles and potholes. It’s rough riding, and those horses were scared by the storm so they won’t be easy to bring in.”

Teddy glared at his uncle with an expression as dark as his disapproving father’s. “You don’t even have a horse, so why would you get to go instead of me?!”

“Because you are lending him Domino and helping Freddie mop up all that stormwater inside,” Dean dictated.

Teddy gave his eldest uncle a look of helpless anger. He knew what Dean said was law, but he couldn’t help but grumble. “I’m not a little kid anymore.”

“Don’t worry, T. I’ll keep an eye on Domino for you,” Hetty assured him.

Teddy’s frown lifted slightly. “Fine. Uncle Theo can borrow him.”

“Thanks,” Theo said dryly. He turned to Dean, “can we go now, your highness?”

Dean ignored his sarcasm and gave him a royal nod. Then he shot Hetty a quick, surprising smile and said, “good luck with that one.”

Hetty decided it was best not to say anything at all, and she was glad when Theo kept quiet too. They rode out through the side paddock and began searching for the escaped horses. It was much easier to concentrate on the task at hand without worrying Theo would question her presence.

“There are the tracks,” Theo pointed out after fifteen minutes of searching.

Hetty squinted at the hoof prints. “We’re looking for about four horses?”

Theo nodded, then didn’t look away. He frowned, then finally said, “thanks for coming to help. It was very thoughtful of you.”

She shifted in her saddle, uncomfortable with his look. “Just being neighborly,” she reminded him.

His deep blue eyes stayed on her for a moment longer. He clearly wanted to say more, so Hetty interrupted him.

“It looks like they headed east, don’t you think?”

“Yup.” Theo pulled his horse’s reins and led the way.

They rode down a hill and discovered the gate leading to the back pastures was swinging open. It reminded Hetty of the day she and Theo had met, and she said as much before she could stop the words.

Theo stopped his horse and looked at Hetty again, surprised. “The day we ran into each other after so many years,” he corrected her.

Hetty gave him a dry laugh. “The day you spooked my horses and we had to round them up.”

“The day you were so rude,” he reminded her.

“Is that all you think of me?” Hetty meant it as a lighthearted comment to end the conversation, but Theo brought his horse closer and gave her a serious look.

“I thought you were the loveliest cowgirl I have ever seen,” he told her. “I still do.”

“You shouldn’t,” Hetty told him.

Theo shrugged. “Doesn’t make it any less true.”

He scanned the back pastures while Hetty gaped at him. How could he say things like that to her and then go about his business? Her head was spinning.

She fought the urge to ask him what they should do. Yes, that would reveal she was equally attracted to him, but it was becoming a problem Hetty couldn’t ignore. Unfortunately, Theo was the only person who could help her with that problem. Did they acknowledge their attraction and deal with it from there?

“Four horses following the back fence.” Theo pointed, then took off.

Hetty was glad for the task. She leaned into the hard ride and helped circle around the skittish horses. Unfortunately, it did not take them long to coax the small herd back through the gate and secure them once again.

Needing work to keep her mind off what she almost revealed, Hetty declared they needed to patch the missing shingles on the barn roof. Theo didn’t argue, and they got to work without another word. Thirty minutes later, that task was done, so he suggested they fix a pasture shelter that had been knocked askew by the winds. The afternoon was quickly winding down, but they both kept hard at work.

It should have been easy to focus on the fixes, but Hetty felt more whipped up than the stormy winds had been. Working side-by-side with Theo was its own form of intoxication. He knew when she needed his extra strength, and she easily guessed what tool he needed in his open hand. Their shoulders grazed, their bodies worked in tandem, and their glances often showed they were both marveling at their teamwork.

During one of those longer-than-necessary looks, Sutton interrupted them, and Hetty promptly dropped a hammer on Theo’s boot. He didn’t look away, and she had to be the first one to turn towards his youngest brother.

“What else can I do to help?” Hetty asked Sutton.

The young man grinned at her, then his brother, and his smile widened. “Nothing else to do. You two sure are an amazing team. I could watch you two together all day.”

Theo moved away from her suddenly. “I better take care of Domino before my nephew comes to check on him.”

Sutton stepped aside for Theo but blocked Hetty’s path. “I really can’t thank you enough,” he told her.

“It was nothing. Neighbors should always help neighbors,” she said. Her glance stole around Sutton’s shoulder to watch Theo’s path to the barn.

“The cleanup and repairs are great, but that’s not what I’m talking about.” Sutton moved to block her view.

Hetty leaned for one more look, then glanced up at Sutton. “What are you talking about?”

He chuckled. “Theo. You have no idea how long it’s been since any of us have seen him this happy.”

Hetty raised an eyebrow. “This is him happy?”

Sutton laughed out loud. “Honestly, the way he looks at you makes the entire Rolston family happy. And, for a bunch of surly cowboys, that’s saying a lot. So, thank you.”

Hetty was at a loss for words. Sutton had stirred up the storm inside her again. No matter that Theo was her boss, people were noticing more than a work exchange between them. Why did no one disapprove? They couldn’t possibly think it was appropriate for her to have feelings for their brother. She tried to keep herself steady by listing all the obstacles and problems, but her only clear thought was Theo’s deep blue eyes.

CHAPTER 15

***THEO***

Theo was not happy when Sutton cornered him in the barn moments later. “If I knew helping you would necessitate so many conversations, I would have stayed home,” he said.

Sutton scoffed. “You mean, you would have stayed on the Thirsty River Ranch, don’t you?”

Theo glowered and turned back to grooming Domino. “Did you want something? Or are you coming to thank me too?”

“Listening in?” Sutton asked. He leaned on the door of the horse stall. “Worried about what I might say to Hetty?”

“She came to help us; the last thing I want is for you to make her uncomfortable,” Theo said.

Sutton sighed. “I didn’t try to make her uncomfortable. It’s not my fault you and your employee are falling for each other.”

Theo turned a threatening look on Sutton. “You brought up the whole boss/employee thing to Hetty?”

Sutton held up both hands. “God, no. I just pointed out that beyond that little obstacle, you two make a great pair.”

“That’s no small obstacle,” Theo pointed out. He went back to brushing Domino. “Hetty seems to think I hold her entire life in my hands and she’s just waiting for me to do something stupid and crush it.”

“Isn’t that what love is like?” Sutton asked.

Theo gave up on grooming the horse and came to face his brother over the stall door. “How is that anything like love?”

Surprised by Theo’s earnest question, Sutton stood up straight and tried to explain. “Isn’t love when you put your heart and life into someone else’s hands and hope they don’t crush it?”

His youngest brother had a point. Maybe that’s why Theo always felt equal to Hetty. He didn’t have any power over her because of his position as owner of the Thirsty River Ranch because she had power over him. One look from her and all thought fled from Theo’s head. One brush against him and he was filled with that unfamiliar and aching longing. Was that what love truly felt like?

The idea that Sutton knew more about love than he did annoyed him. Theo grumped back to grooming the horse. “Why should I listen to you? I seem to recall the closest you’ve come to love is helping your best friend leave you.”

Sutton’s eyes narrowed. “You’re talking about Bethany?”

“You been hanging around any other girl since elementary school?”

“She’s my friend!” Sutton reminded Theo.

“So you haven’t been in love. You haven’t felt someone have that power over you and then squeeze away all your hope.” Theo didn’t feel good making his point.

Sutton would have stormed out of his own barn, if Drake hadn’t arrived at that moment. “Who’s squeezing your heart?” he asked.

Theo rolled his eyes. “I said ‘hope.’”

“Well, I hope you’re talking about Hetty because that woman is the best,” Drake said.

Sutton relaxed a little as the conversation turned back to Theo. “I was just telling him that they make a great pair.”

“Of co-workers,” Theo insisted.

Drake laughed. “Seems to me you thought that same situation shouldn’t get in the way of Freddie and me.”

“Things have a way of working out for you spoiled brats,” Theo told his younger brothers.

“Oh, here we go again! Poor Theo, poor second-born. Always stuck in the middle, roped into the high expectations without any of Dean’s glory,” Drake said.

“Without any of the allowances made for us young and stupid ones,” Sutton continued.

“Always doing the right thing and keeping the peace and being crabby as—”

“Enough,” Theo barked. Domino jumped and he had to soothe the horse. “They wouldn’t trade places with me for the world, and that says it all,” he told Domino.

“I would!” Piped up Teddy. He marched into the barn and climbed right up on the stall door to check his uncle’s work. “Domino is my horse and I should have been the one that rode out to get those horses.”

Drake laughed. “I bet your uncle there didn’t do much. We all know that Hetty can ride circles around him.”

“Enough talking about Hetty,” Theo grumbled. It didn’t help that she had been constantly riding through his thoughts for days.

“Why can’t we talk about her?” Teddy asked. “I think she’s really nice. And she must really like you, Uncle Theo, otherwise she wouldn’t have come over to help us.”

Sutton grinned. “And why do you think it’s because she likes Theo. What about me?”

“What about you?” Teddy asked, matter of fact. “She and Uncle Theo are always by each other. Benny told me that if a girl likes you, she’s always around like the way Abigail follows me around on the playground.”

Drake choked on a laugh. “Wait, who’s Abigail?”

His son ignored him. “And you like her back, don’t you, Uncle Theo?”

For once, Theo was glad to see Dean join them. “More orders for us?”

Dean looked them all over with an impatient glance. “I sent Teddy out here to tell you it’s time to eat. What is taking so long?”

“We were talking about Uncle Theo and Ms. Hetty,” Teddy told him.

One corner of Dean’s mouth curved upwards. He pinned Theo with a steady look. “And what exactly is everyone saying about them?”

Suddenly Drake and Sutton were ready to head inside and they quickly scooted Teddy along with them. Theo could hear his nephew protesting the whole way, but it did him no good. He was alone with the eldest Rolston brother, the one notorious for giving lectures on everything.

“We work well together,” Theo snapped. “That’s all people are saying.”

“Come on, T. You used to tell me things,” Dean said.

Theo balled his hands into fists. It was true; he used to confide everything in Dean. They were the two eldest Rolston brothers and, growing up, had been subject to all sorts of rules and expectations the others did not have to face. All through school, they had been in it together. Now, though, they were men, and their heavier responsibilities left them very little time to really talk.

“It doesn’t matter,” Theo told him. He started for the barn door.

Dean grabbed his arm, his hand as strong as a bear trap. “I know my opinion doesn’t really matter to you, but I like seeing you and Hetty together. Working relationship or not, you two have a way of inspiring me when you’re together.”

Theo shook him off, not willing to admit how much his eldest brother’s opinion actually meant to him. Would Dean still approve if he ruined his bond with the Thirsty River Ranch overseer just to pursue a personal relationship?

It was moments like that both men missed their father. Rolston Senior would have stepped in with a decided speech, then left them to hash it out together. Now, they both struggled to make decisions they knew full well affected their entire family. Busy worried about those repercussions, they didn’t have time to talk it out anymore.

Instead, they quickly joined the others inside the hotel’s huge kitchen. Despite the power being out all over the ranch, Dean’s long-time cook had created a magnificent spread. She’d used the gas-powered grill outside to make chicken, burgers, and bratwurst. A huge salad fresh from her own garden filled the center of the smorgasbord. Fresh-made salsa, tortilla chips, hummus, an enormous vegetable tray, and a heaping bowl of coleslaw added color. Then there were stacks of cheeses, pickles, olives, and Dean’s favorite beets.

On the other end of the huge spread stood Hetty, looking totally overwhelmed. As soon as she spotted Theo, she edged her way through the Rolstons and glued herself to his side. He had to try hard not to show how pleased he was that she felt the most comfortable with him.

Instead, he explained, “DeeDee is used to feeding the ranch team at the Double R. Think of your team, then multiply by eight.”

Hetty leaned in so the others couldn’t hear her. “How can one small woman turn out this big of a feast without power? I can barely put peanut butter on bread for my team.”

Theo put a protective arm around her and pressed his hand lightly on the small of her back. “Don’t worry; I’ll get you through it.”

Hetty was overwhelmed enough to let him guide her along the enormous buffet. He put a plate in each of her hands and then proceeded to fill them both up. Not wanting to give up the proximity they hushed conversation necessitated, he leaned down and continued to fill her in.

“DeeDee was the first employee Dean ever hired and, honestly, he’d be lost without her.” Theo saw Hetty eyeing an olive and held it up to her lips; she hesitated, then took it. “And there’s no way the rest of us would enjoy the holidays if she wasn’t the one in charge of the menu.”

“I’ve never done so much as an Easter ham, and I hear those come already cooked,” Hetty admitted, wide-eyed.

Theo chuckled. “I’m more of a ‘food is fuel’ kinda guy, myself.”

“Then you must have enough fuel to make it to Minnesota,” Hetty said. She hefted the heavily laden plates.

Theo took one and reluctantly removed his hand from her back. He was inordinately pleased when she followed him into the dining room and dropped into the seat next to him. He couldn’t help shifting in his seat so his thigh was pressed alongside hers. Hetty didn’t move hers away, and a warm honey feeling rushed over Theo. He offered her another olive from his plate, but this time she took it with her fingers and left him with that now-familiar feeling of longing.

It continued to grow as Hetty’s attention was pulled into his family’s conversation. She answered their questions, asked her own, and tolerated the outburst of bickering that accompanied every meal the brothers had ever had together. Theo barely joined in as he watched her smile and enjoyed the surprising heat of her leg still pressed close to his under the table.

Despite the damaged roof and all the work that still had to get done, the atmosphere was light around the long table. Not even the weather report could darken their moods.

Dean, of course, was the first to announce the change. “Looks like that window between weather systems is closing. We’re in for another big bout of lightning and rain within the hour.”

Sutton groaned and glanced up to the hole in the ceiling, visible from the dining room through the wide front hall. “At least we had plenty of tarps and wood to patch it for now.”

Drake checked his phone. “The storm’s supposed to last through the night. Mind if we stay over?”

Teddy cheered. “I get to stay up late tonight!”

The brothers all agreed to stay and help Sutton keep an eye on the already-damaged roof, and DeeDee declared someone had to stay and feed everyone. Then Theo turned to Hetty.

“You shouldn’t ride back tonight. It’ll be dark soon, sooner because of the storm. Don’t worry about room. Remember, this is a hotel,” he said.

Hetty shook her head. “I can’t impose on you all any longer. And I should check on my, I mean, your ranch.”

“I hear your ranch team can handle things just fine,” Dean said. “In fact, I tried to hire them away from you but that’s a loyal bunch. They’ll make sure your place makes it through another night of thunderstorms.”

Hetty nervously tidied up her place at the table. “Thanks, but I really should be going.”

A chorus of voices opposed her and, for once, Theo was glad his family always spoke their minds. After an onslaught of opinions and worries about her safety and their need for additional help, Hetty agreed to stay the night.

“You’ll be all right, I promise,” Theo told her. He patted her thigh in a gesture of innocent reassurance.

Hetty hopped up from her place and gathered up her empty plate. “Well, then. I guess I should go ahead and make myself useful.”

“I’ve got the dishes,” DeeDee said. “Don’t worry. Teddy has volunteered to help me.”

Teddy groaned. “But I want to go ride with Hetty!”

Theo stood up. “Sorry, little man, but I’m going to ride with Hetty. We’ll check the back roads and shore up any spots that look like they may wash out.”

He pretended not to notice the nods of approval, smiles, and winks. Who cared what inappropriate ideas his brothers may have? All Theo knew is that he had a little more time with Hetty. It was the first time he’d seen her outside the ranch when she wasn’t spitting mad at him, and Theo had to admit the feeling was addictive.

They readied their horses in a comfortable silence and then rode out side-by-side. The sun was setting in an orange blaze, and they could see the black strip of thunderous clouds creeping up over the horizon. The coming storm didn’t distract Theo as much as Hetty’s bouncing black braid or the occasional grazing look from her jade-green eyes. Their horses were companionably neck-and-neck, and Theo realized how easily he could get used to after-dinner rides with her.

“At least we don’t have to worry about a flash flood creeping up on us,” Hetty told him.

Theo didn’t smile. He was too busy remembering how it felt to scoop Hetty up in his arms and have her cling to his neck. Why did memories of touching her jolt him harder than lightning?

“This looks like it could be a problem,” he pointed out in a gruff voice.

There was a mud-puddle spread across the road, with one end seeping into the ditch. They both halted their horses a fair distance from the muddy patch and moved forward on foot to inspect how bad the rut could become.

Theo lost his gruffness as the mud gave way under Hetty’s boot and she slipped off balance, groping for his arm. Steadying her, he tried to step forward only to find his own boot skating out from under them. With a series of shrieks, splattering shuffles, and a final splat, they both fell flat in the mud. Surprised by the noise, their horses ran off and left them wallowing in the three-inch swath.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to drag you down.” Theo couldn’t get on his feet, and his apology turned into frustrated grunts.

Hetty would never forgive him now. She’d be mortified to head back to his family covered head to foot in mud. Plus, she’d want to leave right away and head home where her clean clothes were. Theo vented his upset in the muck as he struggled to get onto his hands and knees.

When he was upright, he saw Hetty still flat on her back in the mud. Her shoulders twitched and he scooted over to her, terrified she was hurt.

“Oh, Hetty, it’ll be all right. I promised you’d be all right.”

“I’m fine,” she told him in a tremulous voice.

Then he saw her eyes, bright and twinkling with mirth. Hetty dragged herself upright and the mud at her back made a horrible sucking sound. She burst out laughing. Her laughter doubled as she looked over and saw him covered in muck.

They grabbed hands and tried to get to their feet but the mud kept slipping their balance sideways. Hysterical with laughter, Hetty finally beckoned Theo to follow her and they crawled back to the patch of dry road where they had left their horses. Finally, hand-in-hand, they managed to struggle to their feet.

Neither let go as laughter rocked them, and Theo realized why he still felt like he might tip back into the mud: he had fallen in love with Hetty.

CHAPTER 16

***HETTY***

The laughter bubbled up faster than a fresh-dug spring, and Hetty’s cheeks started to hurt from smiling. Half of Theo’s head was smeared with mud from where he’d tried to smooth back his hair. His hat was a complete loss, most of his shirt was splattered, and his jeans were thick with mud. He did a funny little dance, trying to shake the mud off and Hetty bent over with laughter.

Gone was his gruff expression and intimidating stature. Hetty felt a tumble inside her as she saw Theo bright-eyed with humor and free of the stiffness that held him up so tall during the day. One boot stuck in the muck and he tipped over, flailing his arms for her help.

Lending Theo her shoulder, Hetty felt another change inside her. The laughter had spread a warmth through her chest that expanded at his touch. She wanted to dismiss it as silliness, brought on by the muddy scene they were making, but she knew the feeling was more.

“It’s like it has an appetite all its own, and now it’s trying to eat my boot,” Theo exclaimed.

Hetty giggled as the mud let go of his boot with a thick slurping sound. “Luckily it didn’t swallow us whole!”

He leaned on her while slipping his boot back on, then his hand did not leave her shoulder. “Maybe we should wait outside until it rains. I’m not sure Sutton’s going to welcome us back at the hotel looking like this.”

They eyed each other again and broke into more peals of laughter.

Their hilarity continued until they reached the front porch of the hotel and saw the Rolstons all watching them. Hetty gulped down another laugh. She and Theo were walking arm-in-arm, needing support as the laughter kept clutching their muscles. His entire family could now see how close they were, and Hetty froze as she realized how horribly inappropriate it appeared.

Theo’s eyes met hers as she slipped her arm away, and Hetty could see a shade of sadness color their deep blue. He was reluctant to let her go and slow to shuffle towards his waiting family. Their laughter faded to soft, shy smiles.

“I’ll have water heated up as quick as I can!” DeeDee called. “We might not have power but you’ll have baths.”

Drake sauntered across the lawn, enjoying his older brother’s obvious discomfort. “This reminds me of that ill-fated charity event at school, remember?”

A laugh burbled out of Hetty again. “The mud-wrestling!”

Theo threw his eyes heavenward. “Dean planned the whole thing then decided the Homecoming King couldn’t get covered in mud.”

“So he signed you up instead!” Drake laughed.

Hetty clutched Theo’s mud-crusted arm again as she giggled. “You tried to back out of it but the whole school started chanting your name.”

“At least I was able to put the P. E. Teacher down in the muck,” Theo recalled. “It would have been worse to get pinned by Mr. Wendell.”

Hetty tipped her laughing face up to Theo and was pleased to see him grinning down at her. Despite his brother’s obvious glee at the embarrassing memory and Theo’s current state, he still hadn’t reverted to his grumpy self. She saw his eyes flick happily down to where her hand rested on his arm. Was her touch part of the reason he was still smiling?

She drew her hand away reluctantly as Freddie came to her rescue. “Don’t worry about a thing! I brought extra clothes along, we’re about the same size, and we’ll find something you like.”

Freddie drew up short when she saw the lingering look Theo was giving her friend. Hetty could feel it and was glad her cheeks were mud-smeared so no one could see her blush. She felt like it was obvious now to everyone that she was attracted to her boss, and her chest burned at how that must make her look.

Were they worried she was a gold-digger? He owned what she wanted; what if everyone thought she was flirting with him in order to get her ranch back?

Hetty dropped her hand and moved towards Freddie. “I wouldn’t care if you found me a flour sack, as long as I can get this mud off before it dries.”

Freddie led her into the hotel and was kind enough not to laugh outright at her friend’s mud-covered state. “DeeDee’s probably using the grill and a bonfire to get you enough water, but don’t worry, the bath will be warm enough soon.”

“I’m such a disaster,” Hetty whimpered, meaning more than just the mud. “You must all think I’m a complete fool.”

“We all think we’re lucky to have you.” Freddie guided her into a first-floor room and into the bathroom.

“Theo is stuck with me,” Hetty told her. “He would never have chosen me.”

Freddie gave her a sympathetic look but shook her head. “Theo’s the luckiest one of us all because he got a second chance to know you.”

“As an employee.”

Freddie sighed and started helping Hetty peel off her mud-crusted clothes. “A lot of people meet at work, you know. I don’t think feelings care one bit about who’s the boss. That’s why they’re different than thoughts.”

Hetty wanted to believe her. “But it matters what other people think.”

“As long as you don’t forget that other people can understand as well,” Freddie told her.

DeeDee arrived with the water and had to hear the entire story of the mud. All three women were giggling by the time the story was done and the bathtub was full. They left her to scrub the mud from her hair and soak herself in the warm, rose-scented water. It was heavenly, and Hetty was finally lulled out of her worries.

Her self-conscious fretting returned once she was dressed in a pair of Freddie’s jeans, a white t-shirt taken from Teddy’s duffel bag, and a soft pink flannel shirt that DeeDee claimed was too hot to wear in the kitchen. Sure, she looked like one of their tight-knit clan, but Hetty was still an outsider. She walked around the luxurious hotel room and reminded herself their family lived like this on a regular basis. Then, Hetty worried about all the things the Rolston family had given her: a job, a renovated ranch, a safe place to ride out the storm, and their support. What did they have to gain by being nice to her?

Nothing. Hetty still had nothing but her hard work and her dreams, and those weren’t worth anything to an affluent family like the Rolstons.

She promised herself she would scrub her clothes clean, saddle her horse, and get back to the Thirsty River Ranch before the storm hit. After she had returned all the things she borrowed, sent thank you gifts, and worked extra hard at her own job, she would feel better about what she owed them.

Then Hetty found the note:

“Roses are red; they come from a bud; like you they look pretty, even in mud.”

Hetty laughed out loud. Theo had jotted down the quick poem, plus a note reminding her that it wasn’t safe to travel and she was stuck with them for the night. He promised her his family would be on their best behavior, no mud-slinging, and it was safe for her to come out.

“P. S. Teddy wants you to play checkers with him because he says I cheat.”

How could she resist?

Hetty opened the hotel room door and peeked down the hallway. It was quiet except for the tarp-flapping sounds around the hole in the roof. She paused close to the damage and looked out the window. The sky was black long before sunset and the trees were whipping around ahead of the coming rain. They were in for another big storm, and she had no choice but to stay the night.

Outside, the thunderstorm growled closer, but inside felt like the preparation for a party. Hetty walked through the wide entryway and spied Drake and Freddie working in the dining room. She was going to offer to help set the table, but she saw Drake catch his wife around the waist and whirl her into a kiss. Freddie laughed then kissed him back.

“Mr. Rolston,” Freddie teased. “What if your son sees us?”

Drake grinned. “Then he’ll know I married the right woman.”

Hetty quickly left them to their happy flirting and headed down the front hallway to the other kitchen entrance. There she was startled to see Dean leaning against the door frame, hidden in the shadows of the hallway. In the kitchen, DeeDee was singing. Despite having to work by candlelight, she was whipping up another wonderful spread for dinner. Dean leaned forward, and Hetty could see a smile on his usually stern face. There was a softness around his watching eyes that stole a little of Hetty’s breath.

Theo looked a lot like his eldest brother. Had he ever looked at Hetty like that?

She tried to turn around and sneak away, but Dean caught sight of her. He cleared his throat and dodged out of the doorway before DeeDee caught him. Gesturing for Hetty to join him in the library across the hallway, he led her to a warm fire and offered her a seat.

“Theo should be along any second now,” Dean told her.

“Oh, I’m not looking for Theo,” Hetty stammered.

Dean looked straight at her, the softness still there though his expression was, once again, stern. “To be honest, I like seeing the two of you together.”

“He’s a great boss,” she said.

“Don’t sell yourself short, Hetty. Times and titles change, but you’re still a good match for my brother.”

Hetty couldn’t breathe. Match? What was Dean saying?

Teddy bounded into the room at that moment, waving a book in his hand. “Hi, Hetty! Uncle Theo says you’ll play checkers with me later, but first, he’s going to read me my favorite book.”

Theo smiled at Hetty, then shot his brother a suspicious look. “He wasn’t lecturing you, was he?”

Dean scowled at Theo. “I was encouraging her.”

Hetty’s heart flipped nervously. She wiped her hands on her borrowed jeans, then stood up. “I should go help DeeDee in the kitchen. Not that I’m a good cook, I can’t cook at all, but maybe I can haul firewood or something.”

She tried to stop herself from babbling by backing towards the door.

Theo stepped forward and caught her hand. “He didn’t say anything awful, did he?”

Hetty shook her head. “No, I just want to be a help instead of a nuisance.”

He squeezed her fingers. “Thanks, by the way, for helping me out of the mud.”

“Thanks for your note.” Hetty caught herself staring into his deep blue eyes and shook herself free with a nervous laugh. “Who knew you were a poet?”

“You wrote her a poem?” Dean asked.

Hetty escaped as Theo whirled around to argue with his eavesdropping brother. Once in the hallway, she leaned against the wall to catch her breath. Her fingers still felt warm from where Theo had grasped them. Where had all his gruffness gone? Instead of looking at her with mild irritation or wariness, he now had a warmness to his glances that melted her insides.

She couldn’t turn into a pile of goo every time her boss looked at her!

Telling herself she must have imagined it, Hetty peeked around the door one more time. She hoped to see Theo glowering at his brother in order to remind herself that he was nothing more than a grumpy cowboy. Inside, Theo was sprawled in a comfy armchair with Teddy wedged next to him. He read his nephew’s favorite story with animation and ruffled the boy’s hair affectionately.

The loving scene didn’t help Hetty at all. Where was the bossy and obnoxious man who bought her family’s ranch out from under her? Where was the surly man she remembered jilting her in high school? Why couldn’t she look at him without feeling like she was still slipping around in the mud?

DeeDee caught her in the hallway, wringing her hands. “I thought someone was out here! Come on, dear, I could use some company.”

The busy kitchen was a welcome distraction. DeeDee was using a propane camp stove to make a delicious soup. Somehow she’d used the bonfire outside to bake phenomenal potatoes as well as heat the water for the baths. There was also grilled fish crusted with fresh herbs and Parmesan. Hetty was able to help put everything on plates, glad that was all the amazing cook needed.

Together, they delivered the plates to the candlelit dining room and the whole Rolston family gathered around again.

This time, Hetty tried not to look at Theo and concentrated her attention on his nephew. Despite the boy’s bravery, the roof-shaking thunder was getting to him and he was trying his hardest not to look scared. Hetty told him all about the day she brought Domino and Checkers to the Thirsty River Ranch, and before she knew it, the wonderful meal was over and it was time for Teddy to go to bed.

“We’ll play the game of checkers some other time,” she promised him.

After dinner, Dean retired to his room early and Drake promised his son he would read the rest of the book that Theo had started. Freddie fell asleep in an armchair, woke up during a huge crash of thunder, and followed her boys upstairs. Sutton made a phone call that turned into an hour-long conversation.

“He’s talking to his best friend, Bethany,” Theo explained. “She’s the one that convinced him to come back to Isabel and make this hotel work. I’m sure she needs a full report on everything the storm has done to the place.”

Hetty nodded and let Theo lead her down the hallway. DeeDee refused to let anyone help her clean up because she wanted to listen to her favorite podcast undisturbed, so they went past the kitchen quietly. At the end of the hallway, Theo pushed open a door and showed Hetty into the solarium.

“I should really be getting to sleep soon too. There’s going to be a lot of work to catch up on tomorrow. Unless Sutton needs more help,” Hetty said.

Theo shrugged. “We’ve got it under control. And the Thirsty River can wait until tomorrow.”

She avoided his glance again and admired the tangle of tropical plants. Outside the tall windows, the storm raged on, but they were on the leeward side of the house and sheltered from the lashing rain. It was quiet enough there that she could hear Theo sigh.

“It’s really nice here,” Hetty admitted. “I can imagine taking a vacation at a hotel like this.”

Theo snickered. “You take a vacation? I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“Like you’re one to talk,” Hetty whirled to confront him.

He was standing too close to her, looking down with that warmth in his eyes, and it made her sway back, off balance.

“Sorry,” Theo said softly. “I didn’t mean to startle you.” He caught her shoulders to steady her.

“You surprise me,” Hetty corrected him. “You’re supposed to be all surly and bossing me around but sometimes you’re so sweet and close.”

Theo kissed her, yet somehow it didn’t surprise her this time. It felt right, like a pair of notes that finally hit the right harmony. Hetty grasped his strong arms, held the kiss for a moment longer, then said goodnight and forced herself to flee.

No matter how right it felt, she was never going to be more than his employee, and she had to face that before they grew any closer.

CHAPTER 17

***THEO***

Theo woke far before his normal early hour and tried to quietly pace in his room. Everyone had chosen hotel rooms on the first floor and close to each other, so he didn’t want anyone else to hear his nervous energy. It didn’t help to know that Hetty was only a few doors down, and Theo frowned in her direction every time he paced towards that side of his room.

Why was she always running from him?

He knew kissing her was wrong. Everything in his head had told him to step back and keep his distance, but he had seen her expression. It reminded him of every time he caught a glimpse of himself; full of longing and weary of trying to hold it back. So, he had given in and she had met him halfway.

Or had he imagined that part?

A sick twist in Theo’s stomach made him stop in his tracks. What if his instincts were wrong?

Theo heard rustling down the far end of the hallway and knew his brothers were also up. The Rolstons were early-risers, and DeeDee would have breakfast ready soon. Not appearing at his normal hour would strike them as odd, but Theo was worried about running into Hetty in the hallway.

Worse, he worried what would happen if they arrived at breakfast together.

He paced again, resolving to wait until he heard her door and her footsteps, but he felt like a tiger in a cage. Within minutes, Theo had his hotel room door open and was peering out like a sneaky child. Hetty’s door was still firmly closed.

For a moment, Theo wondered if she was pacing and worrying as well. He’d seen a different side of her at the hotel, one that made him dare to think they felt the same way. Was Hetty hoping he would knock on her door? His mind immediately jumped to gathering her in his arms for another kiss, one she couldn’t avoid talking about, one she couldn’t deny she also felt to the very marrow of her bones.

He shook the thought off. Theo knew he should knock on her door and immediately apologize for making her uncomfortable. After all, she had fled from him as quickly as she could and that said more than anything he thought he saw in her expression. It didn’t matter that she had pressed close to him, reached for him, kept her eyes on his even as others watched, or walked with him as if she too didn’t want the candlelit night to end.

The fact was she had stopped and turned away.

So, Theo did the same, turning from her door and heading into the kitchen for what he hoped was a normal breakfast. Luckily, everyone was still tired and had their minds on the mountains of work waiting for them. DeeDee fed everyone, including Hetty, who arrived last and hung back near the far counter. Discussions of what needed to be done before they left popped up between pancakes and fire-smoked bacon. Then his brothers headed out the door, followed quickly by Freddie. His nephew and Hetty left together and Theo was left to finish up alone.

“It’s nice to see you taking the load off your shoulders, even for a few minutes,” DeeDee said.

“Here, let me help you with that.” Theo offered to help scour the big skillet but she refused. “You’re right, I should get out there too.”

DeeDee blocked him with the dirty skillet. “I know your brothers need you, goodness knows Dean can’t go a day without running things by you, but why don’t you take thirty seconds and tell me what’s bothering you.”

Theo sighed. DeeDee was relentless but he didn’t want to give away too much. “Ever feel like all your instincts are wrong?”

“I’ve never seen your instincts steer you wrong.” DeeDee put down the skillet and gave him a sympathetic pat. “But you often get in your own way.”

“Wish it was just me this time,” Theo confessed.

“Since when does a Rolston brother need a clear road to get where he wants to go?” DeeDee asked. “Speaking of roads, you tell that brother of yours that I’m leaving at 9 am sharp. I have work to do at the Double R.”

Theo smiled and gave his brother’s cook a quick hug; DeeDee was the closest thing he’d ever had to a sister, and her advice was invaluable. He went out and tried to see just how many obstacles were between him and Hetty.

She smiled as soon as she saw him, then caught herself and forced the expression into a neutral nod. At least she acknowledged him and didn’t run, Theo reassured himself. Hetty also did not hesitate when Sutton asked them to finish the barn repairs together. They worked side-by-side and she wasn’t stiff or awkward, just quiet. She touched him on the back when pointing out a patch that needed more work. Their hands lingered on each other’s when he passed her a hammer. And Theo caught her eyes on him more than on the rain-soaked nails they were driving in.

Each little hint helped Theo to trust his instincts more and more. Then he asked if she wanted a lift back to the Thirsty River Ranch. “Or I could borrow Domino and ride with you,” Theo offered.

Hetty shook her head. “I’d rather go alone.”

His shoulders sank and he added another hash mark to the negative column. “I’m sorry if I offended you in any way,” he said gruffly.

Hetty laid a gentle hand on his arm. “We’ll talk about it later.”

Theo tried to put her vague promise out of his mind, but it was the first thing he thought of when he saw her at the ranch later that morning. Did she mean they’d talk about her wanting to be left alone, or would they actually acknowledge their second kiss? Theo hated that he felt like he was in junior high school, waiting for a note in his locker.

His mood sunk further when later turned out to be never. Hetty was busy with her ranch team and Theo didn’t want to press her. Instead of teaming up like they did to help Sutton, she avoided him at the Thirsty River. Theo began to feel like when he’d just arrived and everyone was dead set against him. He worked alone and waited for the later that, by the evening, was obviously never coming.

“What’s the meeting about?” he barked as he came across Hetty and the ranch team talking on the front porch.

Hetty narrowed her eyes but decided to fill him in. “We have a number of expectant cows and the calving could happen any day now.”

“Any hour,” Bill pointed out.

Theo frowned. Did they really think he didn’t know his own business? “I already notified my vet, and I cleared the second paddock. They’ll be close enough to the barn if they need assistance. Do you want to round them up now or tomorrow?”

“Not at all,” Hetty snapped. She put her hands on her hips. “We don’t round up the cows that are about to give birth. They do better if they continue to graze and let the birth come on naturally. That’s the way we’ve always done it.”

“I’m part of the ‘we’ now, a large part of it, and we’ll do it my way this year,” Theo said with gritted teeth. “At least then the results will be a conversation and we can have a more productive talk about it later.”

Her green eyes flared. “I suppose that means you want to take on the meeting with the new buyer too. I mean, if you’re such a large part of it all, you won’t mind covering the extra work.”

“Done.” Theo turned and marched away. Instincts or no, he needed space from Hetty to clear his head.

Unfortunately, Theo spent the night roaming the T Ranch, second-guessing every thought and word he’d said in the last few weeks. Was he just fooling himself where Hetty was concerned? How could she kiss him one moment and then cut him out of his own ranch the next?

He went to bed with his head still spinning and dreamt about how some roads were just impossible to traverse. Mountain passes, steep canyons, rivers without bridges, and rockslides all haunted his thoughts until he woke.

Exhausted, Theo groaned when he remembered he said he would meet with the new buyer that morning. Instead of his normal work clothes, he pulled on a suit, tightened his understated bolo tie, and slipped on his least-scuffed pair of boots. An organic grocery store was interested in grass-fed beef from Thirsty River and, despite the circles under his eyes, Theo was determined to charm them into a huge order. He wanted Hetty to see just how good he was for the ranch.

Forty minutes and two coffees later, Theo was seated in the front window of The Bluebird Cafe with the grocery store buyer. The large doses of caffeine helped, but so did the buyer’s bright red curls and smiling demeanor. She laughed easily and flirted with him across the cafe table.

“We especially love the local, organic, and grass-fed angles,” she told Theo as she leaned forward and smiled again. “I think this could be a great partnership for both of us.”

Theo chuckled, “You haven’t even had one of our steaks yet. Perhaps we should have dinner before you make such a big decision.”

The buyer batted her eyelashes. “Sounds delicious.”

He was about to answer and set up the second meeting when Theo caught sight of Hetty marching through the cafe door. Her green glare was locked on him, sharper than a laser.

Theo cleared his throat. “I’m sorry. Apparently, our ranch overseer needs a word.”

The beautiful buyer nodded and sipped at her coffee as Theo met Hetty at the hostess stand. He blocked her view of the front-window table, but Hetty leaned around him, looked at the woman he was meeting with, then glared up at him.

“Looks like the buyer meeting isn’t too much of a hardship,” she said. “I should just leave you to it.”

Theo kept his voice down but made sure Hetty could hear the irritated edge in his words. “I told you I would handle this and I am. What are you upset about?”

“Nothing,” she snapped. Hetty turned to go.

He wanted to grab her arm and force her to face him again, but Theo was too frustrated. After all his hard work at the ranch, Hetty still didn’t trust him? He watched her push her way back out the cafe door and storm off down the street.

“Sorry about that,” Theo explained to the buyer when he returned to their table. “We have multiple calves that will be born any minute.”

The attractive young woman only half-bought his excuse. She kept the rest of the brunch meeting strictly business. Though it was pleasant and productive, clearly the buyer had seen something between him and Hetty that cooled her flirtation. Theo couldn’t fathom what that meant for him and Hetty, so he concentrated solely on work.

At the Thirsty River Ranch, it seemed Hetty was determined to do the same thing. She stuck close to her ranch team, taking on more of the workload as she tried to avoid Theo. He should have been glad for the progress they made on the ranch, but Theo’s mood was anything but pleased.

Then Dean arrived for a surprise visit. Per usual, the first words out of his mouth annoyed his brother. “Something happen between you and Hetty?” Dean asked.

Theo scowled. “She asked me to meet with the buyer for that new organic grocery store and got mad when I did.”

Dean almost cracked a smile. “I’ve met with that buyer, very attractive. You think there’s any chance Hetty was jealous?”

At first Theo couldn’t answer. Since when did his brother notice interpersonal relationships? And what made him think Hetty would feel jealous? Theo felt he had to point out the obvious. “Kinda inappropriate for an employee to be jealous over a meeting,” he told Theo.

His eldest brother kept his face neutral but his eyes twinkled. “There’s a difference between inappropriate and natural.”

That bothered Theo more than thinking Hetty was jealous, so he immediately switched topics. “What brings you here today of all days? We have calves that could come at any minute. Kinda busy here.”

“That’s exactly why I came,” Dean said. “Need any help getting the cows into the pen for the vet?”

Did Dean somehow know how difficult Hetty was being? Theo glowered at his brother’s curiosity but allowed him to help. Without the ranch team’s cooperation, it had been difficult wrangling the pregnant cows into the convenient paddock. With Dean’s expert skills, the task was done in a few short hours.

His brother left just before the first cow started showing signs of labor. Theo stood at the fence and kept an eye on her, waiting to see if they would need the vet. He wasn’t surprised when Hetty appeared, a deep frown on her face.

“I told you we prefer to let the cows graze until their time comes,” she snapped.

“They could be anywhere in the pasture, too far for us or the vet to reach if something goes wrong. This way we guarantee the calf a higher chance of survival.” Theo looked away from the cow and studied Hetty.

There was nothing to do except wait and she didn’t appear to be going anywhere. Was now finally the time they could talk about what happened between them? The ranch team was busy handling daily tasks, and they were finally alone.

Hetty kept her eyes hard on the laboring cow. “You didn’t think of all the stress you put her under as you rounded her up.”

“Does she look stressed?” Theo asked.

Hetty shot him a sharp look. “You want me to judge things by the way they looked?”

He got the feeling she was no longer talking about the cow, so Theo waited. If Hetty had anything to say about his meeting with the attractive buyer, she had to bring it up on her own. On his part, it was simply an enjoyable exchange of business and nothing more. It irritated him that Hetty could suspect him of anything more.

She stood next to him at the fence for a long time before she spoke again. “Just because you own this place, doesn’t mean you can make changes without consulting the people that work here.”

Theo stepped back, his shoulders sagging. So, all she wanted to talk about was work. Hetty was back to pointing out the vast divide between them, and there was nothing else that Theo could do.

Maybe his instincts really were wrong and Hetty had not felt anything for him beyond a passing fancy. Theo felt his chest tighten as he began to suspect her feelings would never match his own. It was time for him to put up some walls of his own before he made a fool of himself.

“Call the vet if there are any problems,” he told Hetty. Then Theo turned and left the Thirsty River Ranch.

CHAPTER 18

***HETTY***

Hetty tested herself every day to see how long it was before she started looking for Theo. Work was picking up at his T Ranch, as it often did in the summer, and he carefully balanced his time on both ranches. She understood but also knew he was spending less time around her than he had before. On any given day, Hetty only made it about twenty minutes before she caught herself looking for Theo.

She also tested how she felt when he was actually around. It had been much easier when his presence simply reminded her of the time he’d rejected her in school. Now there were more memories between them and Hetty was always surprised by what came to mind. She would never admit their kisses popped into her head first. Mostly, she got the warm remembrance of some job they did well together that went through her thoughts like a ray of sunshine. That made it hard to be irritated with him on sight.

The more she measured her feelings around Theo, the more Hetty realized she no longer thought of him as an enemy, or even a rival. Sometimes it hurt to see him because she knew she should keep her distance, and she felt a deep aching sense of longing.

Hetty knew she was in love.

She also knew she had pushed that love away. Theo didn’t spend extra time at the Thirsty River Ranch. Hetty rarely caught him gazing at her with those deep blue eyes anymore. His gruff expression no longer hid a smile under the surface and he looked more stiff than surly.

“I’m running into town for a break,” Hetty told Diego. He nodded without saying anything.

It was obvious the ranch team knew something was up. They had gone back to their quiet shut-out of Theo and made sure to double-check everything with Hetty first. They also watched her like a hawk, and it was starting to drive her crazy.

On Main Street, Hetty managed to take a deep breath and get herself back under control. Loving Theo was just plain impossible. He owned the Thirsty River Ranch and she was the overseer. Beyond the boundaries of their work, Hetty knew she would never be seen as a good match for Theo. He was rich, Rolston-rich, and she had lived in a tin-can trailer until he forced her to use the accommodations her job provided. Without her job, Hetty was nothing, and she couldn’t love Theo without jeopardizing it.

It all made perfect sense in her head. She had to stop caring about Theo, and that was that. Then she saw him heading into The Bluebird Cafe. He opened the door for the pretty red-headed buyer, and Hetty’s eyes instantly blurred with tears.

In a panic, she ducked into The Tack and Feed and pretended she had gotten a speck of dirt in her eye. Alessa followed her into the restroom and locked the door behind them both.

“What is it? Did something happen at the ranch?” Alessa asked, alarmed.

Hetty shook her head but a sob escaped. “Nothing. It’s just, I just, I saw Theo going into the cafe.”

Alessa crinkled her forehead, thought for a moment, and then gave an empathetic sigh. “You saw him with the buyer for that new grocery store chain.”

“I was supposed to meet with her but I was annoyed with him for changing things at the ranch so I told him to do it and now he is and now he’s with her!” The words, and more tears, spilled out of Hetty.

“He is meeting with her. Theo isn’t with her,” Alessa assured her.

Hetty sniffed. “Why shouldn’t he be? He’s attractive and kind and not seeing anyone else.”

“Except he has been spending a lot of extra time with you.”

Hetty pressed both hands to her mouth, horrified. Then she asked, “Is everyone talking about that? Do they think I’m trying to seduce him just so I can get the ranch back?”

Alessa laughed. “Are you?”

“No!”

“For goodness sake, Hetty. No one thinks that. You are definitely not that kind of girl and everyone in Isabel knows that. Except now I’m starting to think you might be in love.” Alessa pulled Hetty’s hands from her face and squeezed them.

“I’m not.” Hetty shook her head. “I’m not. I’m just jealous. He has all the power, he owns the ranch, he can go out to lunch with whomever he wants whenever he wants. I just wish the Thirsty River ranch was mine again.”

“So, it’s about the ranch, not Theo?” Alessa did not look convinced.

Hetty swiped away her tears and forced her breath back into a steady rhythm. “Yes. I’ve just been stressed out about stuff at the ranch, the storm and everything.”

Alessa smoothed back some of Hetty’s black hair. “Well, I hope to hear more about that ‘everything’ part sometime.”

Hetty promised they would have a girls' night with Freddie soon and then steeled herself for the walk past The Bluebird Cafe. Theo was not in the window or at any of the tables. Hetty breathed a little easier thinking they must just have grabbed coffee. Then she reminded herself she couldn’t care.

It was easy for Hetty to blame her outburst on stress when she got back to the ranch. The vet was already checking a new calf and monitoring two more pregnant cows. He complimented her on moving them to a safe, convenient paddock for him. Everything was going well and it was all due to Theo. Not only did he have the power to make those decisions without her, Theo was making the best decisions for her ranch. That was why her chest was all tight and clamped down even tighter when she saw his truck drive up.

“We haven’t lost one and everything is going great,” she grumbled at Theo when he slowly walked up to join her.

“That’s a good thing, right?”

Was he in a good mood? Somehow, that made Hetty even more upset. “If you think it’s good that you trust your vet more than you trust me.”

Theo frowned at her. “This isn’t about trust.”

“No,” Hetty scoffed. “How could it be about trust? That would mean that I could guess what you were thinking and that I knew where I stood with you and that we could have open, actual discussions about things like this.”

“Actual discussions?” Theo grabbed the paddock fence like he needed to strangle something. “You want to have an actual discussion now?”

“About the ranch, yes,” Hetty snapped. “Whatever else you decide to do with whomever is entirely up to you.”

“Is this about that buyer I met with? You told me to handle the meeting for you!” Theo’s eyes were wide with confused anger.

“Is that what you were ‘handling’ today?”

Theo gritted his teeth and answered her tightly. “I finalized the new orders with the buyer today. Is that what’s bothering you?”

Hetty knew she was acting ridiculous but the upset she felt kept blocking logic from her mouth. She tried to focus. “Yes, it bothers me that you finalize things for the ranch without consulting me. Without needing to consult me. I hate that you own this place when it should be mine!”

Theo was very still, his eyes grim on her face. “That’s all this has ever been about, isn’t it?”

She couldn’t trust herself to say anything else, and Theo walked away.

That out-of-control conversation, and all the things that went unacknowledged, haunted Hetty far into the night. She paced the ranch house and was almost glad when a set of dim headlights distracted her. Was Theo coming to clear the air in the middle of the night?

It wasn’t his truck, it couldn’t be because Theo’s truck was brand new with bright, spotless headlights. These were grimy and yellowish, and they snapped off partway up the driveway. Hetty held her breath. Rustlers? Robbers? Who else would drive so strangely through the ranch gates in the middle of the night?

Theo answered his cell phone before she realized she had called. “Are you okay? Is everything all right at the ranch? You need me to come now?” Theo asked, his voice graveled with sleep.

She explained about the strange truck, whose faint outline she could see down by the front fences. “I don’t know. Dugger’s sleeping in the barn to watch over the new calves,” Hetty said.

“Get your rifle. I’m on my way,” Theo told her.

Hetty held the heavy gun across her chest, the muzzle pointed at the floor, and peered out the window until she saw Theo’s headlights. Then she flipped on the ranch house lights, burst onto the porch, and marched down into the driveway. Two hunched figures fled from the side paddock and raced towards their truck. Theo caught them in his blinding headlights.

“You’re trespassing,” Hetty yelled, loudly loading her rifle.

She was surprised when Theo let the rusty pickup tear past him and back to the main road. Pulsing with adrenaline, she waited for him to drive up and explain.

“Couple of kids, obviously wanting to try their hand at cow-tipping.” He chuckled.

Hetty smiled but she couldn’t breathe. Theo wore nothing but a pair of jeans and an undershirt. He’d thrown his hat on the seat beside him and his dark blond hair was a rumpled mess. She could see stubble on his cheeks and chin and somehow the shadow only enhanced the brightness of his smile.

“Sorry I called,” she said.

Theo’s smile dropped. Hetty thought he would just turn around and go home, like she was, but then she heard his truck door rip open. He caught up to her and blocked her way.

” That’s it?” he barked.

He was too tall, too mad, and far too handsome standing there in the light from his truck’s high beams. Hetty took a step back and stammered, “thanks. What else am I supposed to say?”

Theo ran a hand through his hair then balled it into a fist. “You’re messing with me, aren’t you? Is it fun for you to toy with my feelings and see me running around?”

“I’m not toying with you,” Hetty exclaimed.

“Then tell me right now whether you kissed me back or if I just imagined it,” Theo demanded. “Tell me right now if I’m the only one that keeps thinking about those kisses.”

Hetty reeled back another step. “What do you think about them?”

Theo groaned. “I think you’re making me a fool. And I can’t stand it anymore.”

She blinked hard, glad when a sudden surge of anger saved her from her other feelings. “You know what I can’t stand? I can’t stand that I have to depend on you for everything: my job, my living situation, and my connection to this ranch. How am I supposed to feel anything else? Feeling anything more makes me worse than a fool and you know it!”

Theo threw his hands up in the air and marched back to his truck. “I didn’t ask for any of this.”

Hetty stormed after him. “Any of what?”

“I didn’t want another ranch; I didn’t want a double load of work or an extra set of headaches. I didn’t want an angry overseer constantly making me an enemy. I didn’t want you!”

“So, now what?” Hetty asked, a sob almost escaping.

Theo glared at her in the dark. “I was going to tell you all of this at a reasonable time, but since you’re so bad at following up on discussions, I might as well tell you right now. I’m planning to step back from the Thirsty River Ranch. You and the ranch team have everything handled; I can just check in from time to time. You don’t want me here, and I don’t need this.”

Hetty dug her hands into her hips. “You’ll just check in from time to time?”

“Preferably not in the middle of the night,” Theo snapped.

She couldn’t let him leave; it was all still too confusing. “So now we’re just something that you own, just a way for you to meet the requirements of your father’s will and go on to inherit billions.”

He slumped against his truck. “That’s right. There’s another reason for you to hate me. I got handed everything on a silver spoon so I must not know how it feels to be a real person.”

“You’re really my boss. I can’t go beyond that; don’t you get it?” Hetty couldn’t help but step closer to Theo. Why did he look so sad?

“What if you could, just for a moment, one real moment with me,” Theo pleaded with her. “What would you be able to tell me then?”

“That’s not fair to either of us,” Hetty pointed out.

Theo snorted. “What’s fair? I got money and you got your ranch sold out from under you.”

“You got an overseer who knows this ranch inside and out.” Hetty softened. “And I got an owner who worked side-by-side with me for a while.”

“Don’t you know why I stopped?” Theo stood up again, stepping closer to her.

Hetty shrugged, feeling more confused than ever. “You were busy?”

“Busy wondering why every time I got close to you, you ran away.” Theo caught her hand. “It meant something to me, that kiss in the solarium. It all meant something to me, but you just ran off and never mentioned it again.”

“How could I?” Hetty asked in a whisper. “We’re worlds apart, Theo. You’re my boss and I’m dirt poor, and it would never be right for us to be together.”

“We’re together right now,” Theo said, his voice husky.

Hetty shook her head, tears welling up. “I want more than now.”

He pulled her closer, frowning as he tipped her eyes up to meet his. “I’ve been with you the whole time whether I wanted to admit it or not. I went all in on the ranch, I tried to help, I worked with you, and I was as involved as you would let me be.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Hetty tried not to panic. Theo was too close; it was all too real. “I don’t know what I meant.”

Theo’s frown deepened but he didn’t let go of her hand. “You don’t know what you want. You don’t know how you feel.”

Hetty finally let the feelings she was holding in spill over. “I know you were the first and only person I thought of calling tonight. I know that I look for you every day, every twenty minutes. I know that I couldn’t stand seeing you with someone else because I want to be with you. I know it hurts how this is all so inappropriate and people will think I’m—”

He put a finger on her lips. “I don’t care about people, Hetty. Just you. Are you saying you actually do have feelings for me?”

She nodded.

Theo put his hands on her shoulders, his face inches from hers. “If I told you I loved you, would that be enough?”

“Enough for what?” Hetty asked.

“Enough to remove these silly obstacles and be with me,” Theo said. “Would you quit your job at the ranch so we could be together?”

“I—” This time, Theo stopped her answer with a quick kiss.

“Please, Hetty, just think about it.” He pleaded with her with his deep blue eyes one more time, then Theo got into his truck and drove off into the darkness.

CHAPTER 19

***THEO***

Theo drove back to the T Ranch and noticed his hands were shaking. He sat in the driveway, in his truck, and tried to calm his nerves. That night had been a whirlwind of emotions and he was still worried his thoughts were dizzy. Had he really asked Hetty to be with him?

On one shaky hand, his heart was doing joyous leaps at the thought of being in a real relationship with Hetty. It would be wonderful to reach for her hand without hesitation. Theo tipped back onto the headrest and dared to dream about what it would feel like to put his arm around her and kiss her cheek. If Hetty didn’t have to pull away, he imagined they would be close to each other all the time.

Her tendency to pull away was the other shaky hand. Theo knew he had probably hoped for too much. How could he expect her to go from work partners to a couple? His own strong feelings made it feel possible, but he couldn’t be sure about Hetty’s heart.

Theo took one minute more to remember her sweet confession, then he got out of his truck and dragged his tired self inside. He knew he would hardly sleep that night, but he still tried. His mind kept playing moments of their emotional conversation over and over again until his phone woke him up.

Still in a daze, he fumbled to find it and wasn’t surprised to see a voicemail from Hetty. She had waited until sunrise to call, and Theo had the sinking feeling it wouldn’t be good news. He had, after all, asked her to give up too much.

Her voice was strained with sleeplessness and her words were a breathless rush, but Theo understood exactly why she had called. “You asked me to quit the ranch, my ranch, in order to be with you. How could you?”

Theo held the phone back as the voicemail increased in anger and volume. Among her upset comments, she pointed out that any man who truly cared for her would never have asked such a thing. Hetty also accused him of planning this all along as an easy way to get rid of her.

Easy?

He tossed his phone aside. Having his heart stomped on by Hetty Page was anything but easy. Then again, Theo reminded himself, he deserved it. Long ago, he had rejected her, then he had made an enemy by purchasing what she had fought so long to keep. He was a fool if he thought any woman would have feelings for him strong enough to conquer those obstacles.

Deciding he would rather take his licks immediately, Theo dragged himself out of bed, got dressed, and drove to the Thirsty River Ranch. He had to see her face to face before he decided what to do.

It felt worse than he thought it could.

Hetty pretended as if nothing at all had happened. She was curt but cordial, and completely focused on business. Theo didn’t have the heart or the hope to corner her and search her lovely face for more of the emotion he had seen that night. Instead, he decided to let her be. It didn’t matter that he could see shadows under her eyes, or the way her lip trembled when she felt him looking at her. Hetty had decided and Theo knew he should be grateful for an end to all the drama. Now, they were just polite partners who only spoke about work.

The summer dragged on. Texas heated up to the 100s, the cattle grazed and grew, and the Thirsty River Ranch went on without much input from Theo. He made a habit of checking in with Hetty by phone, and when he arrived on the ranch, he sought out Diego so as not to disrupt her. The ranch team was confused but seemed to shrug it off quickly and go back to ignoring him.

One particularly hot day, Theo realized he had gone two full weeks without speaking to Hetty. Ranch operations were steady and he had no worries, but he’d gone through fourteen days in a haze. He couldn’t remember having done anything except work. His nephew was busy with summer camp, and all his brothers were avoiding his perpetual bad mood. Nothing much interested him, and Theo began to think he would finally have to leave town to find some spark again. With that in mind, he went to see the well-traveled chef at the steak house and get his advice on travel as a cure.

Three steps into the restaurant, Theo spotted Hetty at the bar. She was obviously out for happy hour with Freddie and Alessa, but they were busy chatting as a man leaned on the bar and flirted with her. The man reached forward and casually caught the end of Hetty’s black braid. She smiled as he twirled it in his fingers and asked her something.

Before he had decided to stay or bolt, Theo found himself standing behind the man at the bar. He cleared his throat. “Take the day off work?” he asked Hetty.

Her eyes widened and she quickly tugged her hair back from the man’s fingers. “It’s too hot for the repairs we had planned, so I gave the team the day to relax. We’ll get it done early in the morning before the temperature rises.”

Theo felt his own temperature soaring. He’d been walking around like a heartless zombie and she was going about her day to day like she hadn’t been the one to crack open his chest cavity. Hetty was going out on the town and picking up guys? He couldn’t get another word out around the lump in his throat.

“This your boss?” The man stood up and turned around with a cocky expression. It faded as soon as he clapped eyes on Theo. “Mr. Rolston, nice to see you again.”

“He owns the ranch I oversee. I’m the boss,” Hetty pointed out in a huff.

Theo glared at her around the now-nervous man. “There’s more to it than that and you know it.”

“Look, I didn’t mean to get in the middle of any lovers’ spat.” The man held up both hands and tried to slip past Theo.

“We’re not—”

“No, no,” Theo stopped him with one huge palm to his chest. “You stay right there and continue your fun. I’m late for a meeting.”

Theo was glad it wasn’t a lie. His idea to talk about traveling with the chef was just supposed to kill time before he met his brother and Mr. Penn. For once, Theo was glad he had been summoned by Dean and the lawyer. At least it would distract him. He nodded to Freddie and Alessa, then left Hetty to her flirtations.

Unfortunately, Dean noticed his especially grim mood as soon as he entered Mr. Penn’s office. “You look as if a bull has gored you,” Dean said.

“Feels that way,” Theo muttered. Then he took off his hat and slapped it on his thigh. “I thought this meeting was supposed to be good news.”

Mr. Penn studied Theo for a moment, gave Dean a meaningful glance, then gestured for them both to sit down so they could begin. “Really, this is just to assure you both that your joint enterprise is qualifying you for your inheritance. Once you have documented your expansion for a full year, you will both be billionaires.”

“Then I can go off and buy some deserted island, right?” Theo asked.

Dean snorted. “You wouldn’t make it five minutes at a beach, much less on an island. What’s got you discontent with work now?”

Theo ignored him, thanked Mr. Penn, then slapped his hat back on his head. He was about to leave the lawyer’s office when Dean blocked his way.

“Seeing as we aren’t at a full year yet, I thought it might be a good idea for me to come and tour our current expansion,” Dean said.

“You mean the Thirsty River?” Theo glared at him, sure his eldest brother was trying to torture him. “It’s a ranch, Dean. What are you going to see there that you can’t at the Double R or the T?”

“Not sure,” Dean shrugged. “Guess I’ll find out when I see it.”

He thanked Mr. Penn and led the way down to the sidewalk. Theo tried to walk away but Dean caught his shoulder in a vice grip. He turned Theo around, studied his face, then told him, “I’ll meet you there tomorrow morning.”

Theo spent another sleepless night. He almost wished he was a drinking man so he could have blown off the entire thing, but he never had a taste for alcohol. Did Hetty? Did that man at the bar buy her drinks? He tried to push the poisonous idea out of his head.

He should have been relieved to see her fresh-faced at the ranch, no sign of a hangover, but her effortless beauty did nothing to make him feel better. Theo gave her a grim look and said nothing, again feeling an odd sense of relief when his eldest brother showed up for his tour. At least Dean could do all the talking.

Dean, however, was soon embroiled in a conversation with the ranch team. He had an uncanny knack for being the most imposing person that everyone wanted to talk to. Theo watched his buffer head into the barn and found himself alone with Hetty. He was surprised when she didn’t turn on her heels and run.

“You weren’t interrupting anything at the bar yesterday,” she told him. “You could have stayed and talked with Freddie and Alessa.”

“Ask Dean,” Theo said. “I had a meeting to get to.”

“Nothing happened with that guy, you know.”

Theo turned to glare at her. “And why would you tell me that?”

Hetty blinked a few times. “I don’t know. It just felt like you should know. I’m not dating or anything. The ranch is still my number one priority.”

“Dean will be happy to hear it,” Theo said. “He’s here checking up on our expansion in order to make sure the inheritance comes through.”

“I’ve never known anyone who could sound so glum about so much money,” Hetty said, shaking her head.

“Who needs money when you have handsome men buying you drinks,” Theo said as he started to walk away.

Hetty caught up to him and kept up with his fast stride. “I had one drink, nothing crazy, and I bought it myself.”

Theo stopped and glared at her again. “Why are you telling me this?”

She looked pained. “I don’t want you to think badly of me. I wouldn’t neglect the ranch, go out drinking, and not get my work done.”

He started walking again. “That’s right. It’s all about the ranch.”

This time she didn’t follow him and Theo was able to sulk around his truck until Dean reappeared. He couldn’t stop himself from still being upset about seeing Hetty flirting with another man. It didn’t matter that she assured him nothing happened.

Why had she done that?

Theo decided that made him even more upset with her. How cruel of Hetty to reassure him she wasn’t dating. Didn’t she realize that gave him a faint glimmer of hope? The kind of hope that had him doing stupid things like asking her to choose him over the ranch in the first place. The kind of hope he wanted to put down like an injured horse.

Hetty would always choose the ranch over him, and Theo had to accept that.

“I’m disappointed,” Dean said, snapping Theo out of his thoughts.

“About the ranch? This place is a goldmine.”

Dean shook his head. “I’m disappointed that I had to take on all of Father’s sacrifices only to watch you screw up your fortunate life.”

“Money is only part of good fortune,” Theo spat.

“Exactly.” Dean looked at him, then shook his head and sighed. “You should be happy, Theo. I want you to be happy.”

Theo pinched the bridge of his nose. He preferred it when his brother was a dictator, it was much easier to ignore. “I’ll be happy when we get the next lot to auction. Want to stick around and help load them?”

Dean shook his head and fixed his cuffs. “No, thanks. I’ve got to check back in at the Double R.”

“Say howdy to DeeDee,” Theo said. He turned his sights on the cattle chute and decided nothing else would matter to him that day.

The ranch team did not seem at all surprised when he joined them. They didn’t even raise an eyebrow when he insisted on working the tightest spot. Massive cows came reluctantly down the chute and Theo shoved them one by one in the right direction. Until he spotted Hetty.

She stood on the front porch of the ranch house, one hand up to shade her vision as she watched him. Was that worry on her face? Theo had a split-second daydream of her waiting for him there; he would get done with work, sweep her into his arms, and carry her into the home they shared with their growing family.

An ornery cow came too fast toward him, and Theo missed his grip. Getting turned sideways in the chute, he was pushed past a hinge that tore at his thigh. The cut was short but deep, and the blood rushed out to stain his jeans.

Hetty came running with the first aid kit but Diego waved her away. “I got this. You go ahead and get that truck heading towards the auction.”

“Thanks,” Theo said. He was glad when Hetty moved away from him.

Diego glanced between the two of them. “You know, I’ve seen worse cuts. You’ll live.”

Theo wondered if Diego was talking about his leg or something more. He kept his mouth shut, refusing to flinch even when Diego cleaned the wound.

“Did I ever tell you how many times I had to propose to my wife before she said yes?” Diego asked.

Theo assumed it was an attempt to distract him from the stinging pain in his thigh. “You’re a good man; she must have been crazy.”

Diego chuckled. “She was right. Every time I asked her, there were little strings attached, little things in the way. They seem little now, but then they were too hard to get past.”

“What exactly are you trying to say?”

“I’m saying I had to be very clever to tie up all those loose ends,” Diego said.

Theo brushed his hand and put the bandage on himself. “You still clever or are you just telling me a quaint story?”

Diego smiled, liking Theo’s directness enough to excuse his rudeness. “I’m telling you there’s a loophole in your contract with Ms. Hetty.”

Theo grimaced, wondering just how much Diego knew of what had transpired between him and Hetty. “What kind of loophole?”

“The kind where if she receives a better offer than her current position, the contract is null and void. If someone tries to hire Hetty elsewhere, and they’re willing to pay better, she will no longer be overseer at the Thirsty River Ranch.”

“And you think that is a good thing for her?” Theo asked.

Diego nodded. “Sometimes it has to sting before the healing starts.”

CHAPTER 20

***HETTY***

Hetty wished she could blame her hectic thoughts on the summer heat. Ripples of it showed along the far edges of the flat pasture like the blurriness she often saw in her own eyes. This hot season was particularly difficult, and Hetty tried hard not to think about why.

She still looked for Theo every day. After she had left that breathless and upset voicemail, he had found reasons to be elsewhere almost all the time. Not that he wasn’t a busy man. It had slowly dawned on Hetty how much time he had sacrificed from his own ranch and family just to be with her at Thirsty River. Now it was obvious he found no reason to show up and simply called occasionally instead.

Every twenty or so minutes, Hetty still found herself glancing around for his tall figure. She peered out to the horizon for his fast-moving mount, no one rode quite as hard and well as Theo did, and Hetty felt the familiar sinking feeling in her core. She’d finally gotten what she wanted: a property owner that left the entire running of the ranch to her and her team.

So, why did it feel like she had lost something instead?

Fed up with her own bad habit of searching for Theo, Hetty whirled her horse around and rode the fences alone. The steady pace of her horse and the constant flow of scenery used to put her mind at ease. Now, it only filled her thoughts with dusty memories.

All of Hetty’s memories were centered on the ranch. She learned to walk on the south side of the barn; she posed for her first-day-of-school picture on the front porch of the ranch house; she’d learned to ride a horse before driving a car. Often the bad memories of her father losing their stake in the ranch and her parents splitting up shook her free from nostalgia, but now it was another apparition.

She remembered the weather the day she ran into Theo again at the far gate to his brother’s ranch. Hetty rarely rode out that way anymore because she found herself staring into space, recalling the handsome figure she’d seen there. It mattered less and less that she had vowed to dislike him from high school on. Now, Hetty realized Theo appeared in many of her school memories. So many, in fact, she began to suspect she had a crush on him all along.

Theo had also made new memories for her at the Thirsty River Ranch. Productive work, renovations, challenges, and future plans all seemed to include him. She could hardly turn in any direction without seeing something his helpful hands, those big strong hands, had touched.

In order to escape the memories, Hetty tried to daydream. She used to envision owning the ranch every day, but now details cropped up of their own accord. She would see Theo laughing with Diego as they fired up the big smoker at the back of the house. It was so vivid, Hetty could almost smell the ribs cooking. Or she would daydream of the holidays, and his large, rambunctious family would fill her ranch house with laughter and joy.

“Come on, Checkers, we need to find more substantial work,” Hetty told her horse. Only hard work seemed to banish the memories and daydreams.

They rode back to the barn and the steady rocking of Checker’s gait lulled Hetty into another daydream: Teddy riding Domino at her side, the two of them laughing, and then there was Theo on the front porch holding a little girl on his knee as he waved.

Sometimes the only thing that helped was to work up another bout of righteous anger. Hetty decided to dismount so she could stomp along and kick stones. “How dare he make me choose!” she exclaimed to Checkers.

The ranch team was busy elsewhere, so Hetty kept up the one-sided conversation with her calm horse. “If Theo Rolston knew me at all, he wouldn’t have thought to make me choose between him and this ranch. What was he thinking?!”

Hetty worried that she knew what had been on his mind that night. She had seen it in his eyes and felt it in his soft kiss. He loved her and wanted to be with her. So much so that he was willing to risk asking her the most awful question in order for them to have a chance. Theo had to have known what her answer would be.

So, why did he torture her by asking?

There was no way Hetty could give up on the Thirsty River Ranch now. And she could never do so for a man. It went against everything she was and all that she had fought to do.

“I should hate him for it,” Hetty told Checkers.

The worst part was that she didn’t hate Theo. She thought about him all the time. Then he had gone and gotten himself injured, so now she worried about him on top of all the memories and daydreams.

At least that was something she could stop. Hetty finished up with Checkers in the barn and went to borrow Bill’s truck. He always left the keys on top of the visor, and she knew he wouldn’t miss it while he was moving hay with the others. No one would think twice about the overseer going to check on the owner and his injury. Hetty drove straight to the T Ranch to see Theo.

She expected to see him surly and grim, still lurching around his ranch despite the doctor’s orders to take it easy. Hetty knew through Diego that Theo had to have ten stitches put in and wasn’t supposed to walk too much in case he pulled them loose. She had to laugh, knowing full well she would never find him lounging on his front porch.

What she hadn’t expected was the rush of yearning she felt as soon as she drove under the T Ranch sign. Theo’s ranch filled her with a sense of familiarity, and she found she loved it there before she even parked the truck. It confused her enough that she stood listless in the driveway until a kindly, white-haired cowboy interrupted her uncontrollable yearning.

“You must be Ms. Hetty. I’ve heard all about you from my neighbor, Theo.” The elderly man said. His clear, sky-blue eyes twinkled at her.

Hetty winced, wondering just how close Theo was with his neighbor. Then she stuck out her hand and shook the cowboy’s. “Nice to meet you.”

“Pearson,” he introduced him. “I own the ranch that borders to the east.”

“Of course, Mr. Pearson.” Hetty knew him by reputation. He had a small holding but had run it with enviable efficiency and profit for nearly five decades. “I’d love to know your secret.”

Mr. Pearson smiled. “Hiring the right people. In fact, that is why Theo was talking to me about you. I’m looking to retire this year but I haven’t found myself an overseer. We should talk about that one of these days.”

Flattered, Hetty shook his hand again. Then Theo appeared from his stables and called out his surprise. “Well, I couldn’t have planned this any better!”

“Perhaps it was fate,” Mr. Pearson said. Then he gave Theo a conspiratorial smile. “Though I’ve always found that fate needs a hand.”

Uncomfortable, Hetty turned to Theo. “I just came by to make sure you weren’t dead from your injury. Now that I can see your defying doctor’s orders, I’ll be on my way.”

“We were actually just on our way to lunch at the cafe. You should join us,” Mr. Pearson said. “I may even be persuaded to tell you a ranching secret or two.”

Theo nodded his own invitation but warned her. “Mr. Penn will be joining us too. It’ll be a shock to the system, but this man here can make Mr. Penn smile like a real human.”

Mr. Pearson laughed. “Don’t let that old shark fool you. He may be a killer lawyer but he’s still the same class clown I put up with at school for years.”

Hetty found herself swept along and into the passenger seat of Mr. Pearson's large SUV. Theo wedged in behind her and off they went to the cafe. The two men chatted companionably, making it seem like inviting her was an easy gesture. How could Theo pretend like nothing had happened between them?

Hetty reminded herself that was exactly what she had been doing for weeks. She stole glances at Theo in the side view mirror and felt her heart wobbling. It was like she was still balanced on the fence line of his idea. If she left the Thirsty River Ranch, then she and Theo could be together. Somehow, despite everything, that possibility still made her waver.

That was yet another one of Hetty’s tests, and she was failing. The fact that she was still not 100% about his ultimatum was a painfully clear indication that she loved Theo Rolston.

He grinned at his neighbor and her heart stumbled. That was another test she failed. She couldn’t even look at the man without feeling herself falling for him. The fact that his good mood delighted her was also a bad sign. Why couldn’t she keep her walls up when he was smiling?

It had been too long since that smile had been directed at her.

Theo caught her looking at him in the reflection of the side view mirror, and his expression sobered. Hetty stared back, relieved that she didn’t see any hatred or resentment there. Why couldn’t he make this any easier on her?

Hetty didn’t dare to think about how he might really love her.

Luckily, the men hadn’t lied about Mr. Pearson’s effect on the lawyer and her shock was a great distraction. He opened the door of The Bluebird Cafe and waved them inside with a welcoming smile.

“Ms. Hetty, I had no idea you were joining us today. How fortunate!” Mr. Penn said as he led the way to their table. He held a chair out for her. “You must have known we were talking about you.”

Theo was strangely quiet and suggested they eat first. The older men gave him sympathetic looks and studied the menu. Hetty picked her lunch at random, spending most of her time looking at Theo over the edge of the menu. He was trying hard not to look at her, but their eyes met, and she felt that familiar electricity.

“So, you’re recovering all right?” she asked.

Theo blinked at her, then his expression cleared. “You mean my leg? Sure. The stitches are starting to itch but everyone tells me that’s a good sign.”

He kept looking at her, the longing in his deep blue eyes an exact reflection of her own. Hetty realized she had daydreamed this whole scenario, minus the older men, just that morning. How heavenly it would be to sit across a cafe table and share an easy lunch with Theo! She resolved to talk to him that afternoon. Better for them both to admit how hard keeping their distance was. If she and Theo were going to be able to continue working together, they would have to figure out a way to deal with their impossible feelings.

Despite her nervousness over their coming conversation, Hetty enjoyed the lunch. True to his word, Mr. Pearson was able to reveal an entirely different side of the lawyer. Mr. Penn chuckled about past scenes like the time he brought a chicken to school, and everyone enjoyed themselves.

Finally, the tone turned more serious. Mr. Pearson put down his napkin and told Hetty, “I’ve decided I just can’t wait. I would like to offer you a job running my ranch so that I can retire.”

Theo started to protest but Mr. Pearson held up a hand and stopped him.

“No more hesitating. I’m sure Rolston here is paying you a decent salary, but I will go higher.” The older man scribbled a number on a napkin and handed it to Mr. Penn to review.

The lawyer nodded. “This is a very generous offer. Apologies, Ms. Hetty, but you would be a fool not to take this job.”

Hetty’s head spun, turning faster when she glimpsed the salary Mr. Pearson offered. She had never thought about her yearly salary because her focus was always on staying at the Thirsty River Ranch. The number before her suddenly opened up a whole world of other possibilities.

She swallowed hard and shook her head, her stubbornness once again holding her in check. “I’m sorry, Mr. Pearson, but I cannot accept your offer. Thank you for thinking of me and being so generous, but I am going to have to say no.”

Theo gave a small choking sound, then stood up suddenly. “Well, that’s the end of that,” he said in a grim tone.

The older men didn’t look phased at all. In fact, they both looked strangely happy with the outcome. Mr. Penn poured his friend another cup of coffee, and it was clear they were staying for dessert. Hetty thanked them again and jumped up to follow Theo out the cafe door.

“Wait, Theo. We have to talk,” she called to him on the sidewalk.

He spun around and pierced her with a pained look. “Now? You want to talk now?” he asked.

“We have to,” Hetty insisted. “If we’re going to keep working together, we need to figure out all of these, uh, feelings between us.”

Theo groaned. “Don’t you get it? There can’t be feelings between us as long as we work together.”

Her eyes teared up. “I know, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.”

He scowled at her. “You’re messing with me again.”

Hetty had to race to catch up to Theo’s long, angry strides. “I’m sorry, I know this is awkward, but I can’t go on without acknowledging there is something between us.”

Theo pulled her off the busy sidewalk and onto a quiet side street. His voice was harsh. “I just watched you choose the Thirsty River Ranch over me again! How can you do that and then say you have feelings for me? You love a piece of land more than me.”

“It’s more complicated than that,” Hetty cried. She had to clutch Theo’s arm to stop him from striding away again.

His eyes were tight and glossy, his jaw rigid. “It’s not complicated anymore. By rejecting a generous offer for a comparable position, you forfeited your claim to the overseer position at the Thirsty River Ranch. It’s in the contract, the fine print.”

Hetty froze, clinging to his arm. “What?”

Theo forced himself to meet her eyes. “You chose the ranch over me but, in doing so, you got yourself fired.”

CHAPTER 21

***HETTY***

Hetty didn’t move and, for a moment, she didn’t appear to be breathing either. Theo put his hands on her shoulders and tried to explain. “It was part of the agreement the stakeholders created. If you were offered a better-paying version of the same position, then the new owner would be free to hire someone else. It was the compromise Diego managed to make with them.”

“Diego?” Hetty asked in a daze. “He knew about this?”

Theo cursed at himself inwardly. Then he shook her slightly and said, “Don’t you see? It was meant to give you as much freedom as the owner of the ranch.”

She pulled away from him. “You call getting fired ‘freedom?’”

“Yes,” Theo declared, setting his jaw. “Now you’re free to decide on your own future. You can think about what you want for a change, instead of just focusing on the Thirsty River Ranch.”

Hetty’s voice trembled. “It’s more than a ranch; it’s my home. It’s all I have left of my family.”

“They let it go. Now it’s time you do the same.”

“Easy for you to say. You still have your family ranch.” Hetty dodged his hands again and stepped back.

Theo sighed. “It isn’t going anywhere. I’m not going anywhere, and you never have to worry about the ranch getting parceled out or sold to a big corporation. You can trust me to do what’s right by it.”

“Trust you?” Hetty’s head snapped up and she glared at him. While Theo was glad to see some fire return to her eyes, he wasn’t happy it was aimed at him. “Why in the world would I trust you?”

“I just told you! I promise to do right by the Thirsty River Ranch. You should know by now that I can run the place. You also know my ties with this town, and you can trust that I will always keep it local.” Theo stopped trying to catch her shoulders and crossed his arms over his chest.

Hetty Page was the most stubborn woman he had ever known. He’d put up with weeks of her thinking he was the enemy, when his actions proved otherwise. If she couldn’t see he was trying to help her, then he didn’t know what to do.

“It’s not like I won’t let you visit. Heck, I’d even let you stay living in the ranch house if that would make you happy,” he told her tightly.

She wasn’t listening. Hetty poked a finger into his chest and told him, “You tricked me. You knew about this loophole, and you made sure I got that job offer.”

Theo refused to admit his part in the plan as it had been surprisingly minimal. He was shocked when Diego told him about the loophole and had immediately checked with Mr. Penn. Then the lawyer had mentioned his friend, Mr. Pearson, was looking for someone to take over his place. The older men seemed to think it was some sort of matchmaking mission and had concocted the rest of the scheme themselves. They planned to have Mr. Pearson make the offer in writing in front of Mr. Penn so there would be no dispute over the better job offer. Theo had essentially been along for the ride.

“It wasn’t a bad job offer,” Theo reminded her. “You can still take it if you want. And, like I said, I’d let you continue to live at Thirsty River.”

“You’d let me live in my own home?” Hetty scoffed and turned away. “I can’t believe you don’t hear how awful you sound.”

“At least I’m being honest,” Theo snapped.

“And I’m not?” Hetty gaped at him. “How can you say that?”

“How can you go around telling yourself and everyone that will listen that the Thirsty River Ranch is the only thing in life that matters to you?” Theo snatched his hat off his head and gripped it hard so he wouldn’t reach for her again. “How can you put it above all the people that care for you?”

She was wide-eyed and still refusing to listen.

Theo twisted his hat in his hands and tried to make her understand. “Diego thinks it’s time for you to move on; he’ll take the overseer position in your absence. The ranch team deserves a chance to take on responsibilities themselves. They want to show you they love the place as much as you do.”

“So, they all just want me to get out of the way?” Hetty asked, her voice breaking.

“They all want you to be happy!”

Hetty scrunched up her face in frustration. “I was happy there until you came along!”

Theo stopped. “Is that really what you think?”

“I think you came along and bought the ranch out from under me, then decided you wanted me as well. So, now you got me fired and are expecting me to fall into your arms now that we’re free to have a relationship,” Hetty declared.

Theo rocked back on his heels, then put his crumpled hat back on his head. “I shouldn’t be surprised. I mean, you chose the ranch over your mother and your own future. Why did I ever think you would pick me?”

“Over my mother?” Hetty asked, her voice faint.

“Diego said she was heartbroken that you didn’t move away with her. She wanted to give you a fresh start, but you were too stubborn, so she lost the ranch and her only daughter too.” Theo spoke in a flat voice, his own heartbreak too close to the surface to contain much longer.

“Now you’re leaving?” Hetty asked his back as he walked away.

“You made your choice,” he reminded her over his shoulder.

“You fired me!” Hetty yelled at him.

Theo didn’t look back but said, “See you around the ranch house. Just don’t be surprised if I don’t stop to talk.”

“The ranch house?!” Hetty’s voice rose to a hysterical level. “I wouldn’t stay in that cursed house one more night. Goodbye, Theo Rolston! Goodbye Thirsty River!”

Theo forced himself to walk away. Mr. Pearson found him shuffling back along Main Street and offered him a ride back to the T Ranch.

“Should we find Ms. Hetty?” the older man asked.

Theo shook his head. In the side-view mirror, he could see Hetty marching into The Tack and Feed where Alessa would no doubt give her a lift back to the Thirsty River Ranch.

“She doesn’t want my help,” Theo told Mr. Pearson.

They rode in silence all the way back to Theo’s ranch. Then Mr. Pearson patted his slumped shoulder and told him, “It hurts to push the people we love, but sometimes they won’t take the next step without a shove.”

Theo thanked Mr. Pearson for the ride and kept his advice in mind, especially when he spotted Dean waiting in his driveway. If there was anyone Theo wanted to shove, it was his eldest brother.

“Why couldn’t you buy up that ranch yourself? I would have done my share of the work and you know it. Instead, you dumped it all on me, and look what happened,” Theo confronted Dean.

All Dean did was lift an eyebrow. Theo was taller and very upset, but Dean wouldn’t have backed down if faced with a charging bull, so he stood calmly and let his brother rant.

“You knew I liked her during school and this was just one of your stupid set-ups, wasn’t it?” Theo took off his hat and whacked Dean on the arm. “You’re always thinking you can pull my strings like I’m some sort of puppet.”

“Mr. Penn mentioned your lunch did not end well,” Dean said.

“Didn’t end well?” Theo yelled at the sky. Then he directed his anger back at his brother. “We could have done any number of other things to expand our cattle enterprises, but you insisted it be the Thirsty River. This is all your fault!”

Dean sighed. “You let me know when you’ve got it all worked out.”

He turned and left without another word, leaving Theo to yell his frustrations at his wide back. Theo kept yelling until Dean drove off his property, then he turned to kicking rocks across the driveway.

Nothing helped.

He stomped his hat into the dirt but knew there was only one thing that would ease the heavy burden in his heart. Theo had to make sure Hetty knew exactly how he felt. He couldn’t walk around carrying that much love for her any longer. He would drive to the Thirsty River and drop it all at her feet. If she still didn’t pick up on his true feelings, then he could let it go with a clear conscience.

The ranch team was not surprised to see him fly into the driveway like a bat out of hell, but they did seem confused. Bill stood still for the first time Theo could remember. Tripp had his hat off despite the bright heat of the day, and Dugger had his normally busy hands in his pockets.

“Diego told us it might be a hard day,” Bill told Theo.

“He told you all about breaking the contract?” Theo asked.

Each man nodded, then Tripp said, “We agree with Diego that she needed a push. She needed to get past this ranch and see what else life has to offer her.”

Dugger snorted, “We just didn’t know the push would be more like a slap in the face.”

“I didn’t kick her out. I gave her a choice. You know that, right?” Theo wanted the men to believe him but he also looked over their shoulders, anxious to see Hetty.

“Last we saw, she headed into the barn,” Bill told him.

“We thought it best to wait out here and give her some time,” Dugger said.

Theo went to tip his hat at the men and realized he had left it smashed into the dirt in his own driveway. No wonder they were treating him kindly; he looked a mess and felt it too.

He headed to the barn, trying to keep his gait steady. Theo had never felt like this about a woman before, and he tried not to run. Though he was still hurt and angry, he knew in his heart that Hetty was worth it. He knew it was foolish to ask her again to love him, but he had to take that chance. To live without her knowing how he really felt was unbearable, even though she would probably spit in his eye.

The inside of the barn was eerily quiet. Would he find her crying? Was Hetty as heartbroken as him?

He heard soft snuffling, then whimpers, and found her puppy locked in a far stall. A note was stuck on the outside of the stall, asking the men to care for DJ. Hetty made no mention of where she was going or when she would be back. Her horse was gone, and so was she.

“She left?” Diego stood in the barn door and nodded at the note in Theo’s hand. “Her kit is gone too.”

“You checked up at the house?” Theo asked.

Diego nodded. “She took some supplies from the kitchen and the bare essentials of her camping gear.”

Theo crumpled the note in his hands. Then he let the puppy out of the stall, angry when it ran straight to Diego. “Some plan you had. Thanks a lot.”

“It’s not like I set you up,” Diego pointed out. “You had to know she would be upset. This ranch is all she’s thought about for too long.”

“You’re right; it was stupid of me to hope she would think about me too.” Theo tried to march past Diego and got mad when the older man stopped him. “Or maybe you wanted us both out of your way so you could gain control of the ranch.”

“Watch it,” Diego growled. “Owner or not, I can still put you in your place.”

Theo snorted. “I’m not going to fight you, old man.”

“Then what are you going to do? Give up?”

The men faced off while the puppy whimpered at their feet. Finally, Theo said, “I’ll ride the ranch and look for signs of which way she went. You head to town and ask Alessa what she knows.”

The ranch team joined in and they searched all afternoon for a clue as to which way Hetty might have gone. Remembering the way she jumped the fence after she lost the auction, Theo started there and rode in increasingly wide arcs looking for her trail. Bill and Dugger drove around the ranch and surrounding dirt roads, while Tripp rode straight to Drake’s horse ranch to see if Freddie had heard from her friend.

By that evening, half the town of Isabel was looking for Hetty Page, but no one had any clue where she could have gone.

Theo stayed on the Thirsty River Ranch that night, sitting by a small fire at Hetty’s old trailer. Diego joined him there and the men said next to nothing as they scanned the darkening horizon.

“Did she really choose the ranch over her own mother?” Theo asked Diego after an hour of futile searching. It was too dark to see anything but the stars above.

Diego sighed. “I know her mother loved her, but losing the ranch was too much. She saw everything she had to give her daughter get sold off, and it broke her heart. In the end, I think it was almost a relief when Hetty wanted to stay. Her mother might have needed the fresh start more than her daughter ever did.”

“So Hetty stayed. She was so young. No wonder she only loves this place.”

Diego stirred the fire and smiled. “I remember a time when both her and her mother still loved this ranch equally. Hetty was so young, but her mother would take her riding well past the fences. They had a secret trail they used to ride, just the two of them. It led to one of those pocket canyons out yonder, and they used to camp overnight under the stars. They both always came back smiling.”

Theo stood up. How could he compete with her home, her childhood memories, and the place she had dedicated her whole life to? He said goodnight and drove back to his own ranch, still scanning the dark horizon in hopes of spotting Hetty. He looked for her even in his dreams, and woke at the crack of dawn.

“The canyon!”

He called Diego from the road, but the older man wasn’t optimistic. “There are dozens upon dozens of those canyons out there. Anyone can get lost trying to ride those little game trails.”

“I can try to track her, look for campfire smoke,” Theo said.

Diego disagreed. “You could ride around for a week and never see a wisp of smoke. You have no idea how deep some of those canyons run.”

Theo stopped his truck and turned around. “Fine. Then I’ll get someone who does.”

“You know a turkey vulture that talks? They’re the only ones that could spot Hetty camping in a secret canyon,” Diego said.

“He’s not a vulture, but I do know a man who can fly. I just have to apologize to my brother Dean first and hope he’ll do me a favor.”

CHAPTER 22

***HETTY***

Hetty was glad to find Alessa doing inventory in the back of The Tack and Feed. She had barely escaped the curious looks of the customers and the new clerk. It still felt like the whole world was tipping under her feet and she clung to the tall shelves of supplies as she tried to calm down.

“You tell me if I’m wrong,” Alessa said, “but this doesn’t seem like a normal lovers’ spat.”

Hetty snorted, glad for the spurt of anger. It was much easier to deal with that straight-forward emotion than deal with all the other complications she felt. “Theo Rolston isn’t my lover. How could he be when everything he does takes Thirsty River away from me?”

Alessa hugged her. “He probably thinks he’s helping you which, of course, is making things worse.”

Sniffing back another wave of upset, Hetty agreed. “He’s made everything worse. In fact, he’s ruined everything!”

Alessa sat calmly through Hetty’s hectic explanation of her day. She appeared to know about Mr. Pearson’s search for someone to take over his ranch. In solidarity with her friend, Alessa cried out at the mention of the loophole, and looked just as shocked as Hetty was when it was revealed the job offer negated her from working at her own ranch.

“So, the caveat of staying on as overseer was just Diego’s way of giving you time to find something better,” Alessa figured.

Hetty didn’t like how practical and plain her friend made it sound. “They all conspired behind my back to make sure I had to move on from the ranch!”

Alessa grabbed both Hetty’s hands and forced her to look her right in the eye. “And you’re still not sure that’s a good thing?”

Hetty slumped her shoulders. “It’s turning out just as my mother predicted, isn’t it?”

Before her mother had moved on, when she was still trying to convince Hetty to go with her, she had enlisted Alessa’s help to convince her daughter. Alessa had tried to encourage Hetty to go, just as she had when Freddie left to dance in San Francisco, but Hetty had refused to listen.

“I’m worried that ranch is destined to break your heart the way it did mine,” Hetty’s mother had told her.

“It’s been too long since you talked to her,” Alessa pointed out quietly.

Too overcome with her current emotional turmoil, Hetty could not face the inevitable reconciliation she needed with her mother. Instead, she asked, “Could you give me a lift back to Thirsty River? I need to get some of my stuff so I can go and take a break for a while.”

Alessa maintained a kindly silence in the car and even stayed to chat with the ranch team so that Hetty could pack up in private. Using Alessa as a distraction, Hetty packed a bag and food supplies quickly. She then sneaked into the barn for a tearful goodbye to DJ.

“You’re too little to rough it with us,” Hetty told the puppy. “Checkers and I are used to riding hard and sleeping out under the stars. Don’t worry; the guys will take care of you.”

Hetty let the puppy gambol about her feet as she saddled up Checkers. She tied on saddlebags full of food, extra blankets, a lantern, and sleeping bag. A few days on the open range always cleared her head, and she tried to focus on that instead of the feeling that she was running away.

The note was hard to write, and it was even harder to leave the whimpering puppy in the empty horse stall, but Hetty had to do it. Now that the Thirsty River Ranch was out of her hands, and she was forced out of her position there, she needed to get away.

There was a moment of exhilaration as she sneaked her horse out of the barn and quietly picked her way through the back paddocks and off the ranch property. Unfortunately, the old cliche of riding off into the sunset never took into account what happened when the sun went down. The landscape cooled, and so did Hetty’s feverish need to escape. Checkers slowed to an apprehensive pace, and even the bright appearance of the stars couldn’t raise Hetty’s spirits.

Riding into the sunset was supposed to be triumphant, romantic, and thrilling. Instead, Hetty felt uprooted, childish, and alone. Surely the men would scoff at her as a coward. She should have stayed and refused to let the lawyer’s fancy fine print get the better of her. She should have given Theo another piece of her mind.

Hetty felt a sob rise up and she gasped aloud, glad she was alone. “Why did he look so broken-hearted? I’m the one that lost everything.”

Her horse had no answer, and they drifted along a faded game trail farther into the night. Thoughts of Theo tracked her, and Hetty pushed late into the night. Was Alessa right? Was Theo really just trying to help her? Had her mother truly been trying to help her avoid a broken heart all those years ago? Was leaving Thirsty River the only way Hetty would ever find real happiness?

She slept rough that night, not wanting a fire to give away her position out on the plains. As she desperately scanned the stars for some answer, Hetty saw a plume of smoke rise up from the ranch. She estimated that someone was up at her old trailer, and her heart ached as she tried not to imagine, or wish, who it was.

What if Theo had come looking for her? Hetty knew it was foolish romanticism, but what if Theo was the one sitting by her trailer, stoking a small fire. Would he scan the horizon, hoping to see signs of her solitary camp? If he spotted a wisp of smoke, would he saddle up and ride out to find her?

Hetty had to remind herself she had pushed those possibilities far away.

Now it seemed fitting that the dark night sky was a wide gulf between her and whomever it was staying up in hopes of her return. If it was Theo, he would be sitting there hopeless after the countless times she rejected her hints at a relationship.

Hetty curled up, cold in her sleeping bag on the hard ground, and tried to keep her thoughts focused on what she had lost. How many years and how much had she sacrificed to hold onto the ranch where she was born? She had watched her father fritter away his claim to it, and seen her mother give up her stakes after losing so much. Then, Hetty had given up years of youth and possibilities just to work the unforgiving cattle range. Finally, she had sold off everything she could and still lost out to Theo Rolston and his rich resources.

The Thirsty River Ranch had finally slipped through her fingers, and Hetty wanted to grieve its loss in private.

As she finally drifted to sleep, all she could think about was Theo.

In her dreams, Theo left the trailer-side campfire and came rounding up horses like he had the day they had unexpectedly reunited. Then the dream swept them into a storm, except this time she slept comforted by his strong arms until the damaging winds had passed. Her subconscious shifted, as did her body on the hard ground, and Hetty dreamed herself repeatedly reaching for Theo’s outstretched hand. She was never able to reach it, or always stooped for something else when she woke abruptly and found herself alone again.

“Today is all about the future,” Hetty told her horse as she saddled up Checkers. “The sunset cliche might have turned out to be bull, but the sunrise always equals a new start.”

Hetty was still young, capable, strong, and had many useful skills. She could ride and rope, care for herds, fix and maintain any ranch equipment, and balance even the most dismal books. Once upon a time, she had dreamed of training horses, and Hetty realized now she had years of practical experience doing just that. She could also manage ranch teams, and she was sure the guys would write her glowing recommendations.

As she rode on, Hetty’s thoughts drifted naturally to the job Mr. Pearson had offered her. Without its catastrophic connotations, it was a dream job. His small holding was well-run already, efficient, and would be a breeze for someone used to larger chaos. Had it not come at the wrong time, and for the wrong reasons, Hetty would have been overjoyed by the opportunity.

Despite her undying loyalty to her family’s ranch, Hetty longed for a fresh start and couldn’t help but wonder what relief she would feel if she pursued one.

She glanced over her shoulder and gathered up her resolve once again.

No! Despite her present difficulties, Hetty would not give up on the Thirsty River Ranch. It might have bested her father and broken her mother’s spirit, but Hetty was bound and determined to keep that land and bend it to her will. Even as she pressed on, farther away from her family land, Hetty renewed her vow to keep what her family had once had together.

“We’ll get through this,” she told her horse. Up ahead a rock slide had obliterated the faint trail, and Hetty jumped down in order to lead Checkers through.

Not even the heavy-lifting and the far-ranging detour could dissuade her from forging ahead. Theo may have cursed her stubbornness, but Hetty knew it was the one thing she could count on to get her through.

Hetty had gone two whole days without seeing another soul but Checkers and a coyote. There were no more signs of modern life except for the few times a helicopter buzzed by far overhead. She treated it as nothing more than a passing insect and concentrated on her own personal search.

On the third day, Hetty found the secret canyon.

Before her father had started to break apart the ranch and their family, Hetty and her mother had taken regular camping trips out on the range alone. She had cherished those times as her mother would tell her stories about growing up at Thirsty River. The hidden canyon had been discovered by Hetty’s grandfather and was where he had proposed to her mother’s mother. It was full of good memories and deep roots, and Hetty knew it was the place she would finally clear her head.

Long ago, after her mother had finally left and Hetty had stayed, she had come out to the secret canyon. One of the last pieces of advice her mother had given her was that true love could always be found again. Even after everything her father had put them through, Hetty’s mother still believed in love. She had given her daughter a heart-shaped locket in the hopes she would believe in it too.

Hetty had buried the locket in the secret canyon. As she set up camp, she wondered what it would mean if she found it now.

Theo had probably thought he was helping her by forcing her to break ties with her painful past. He was as different from her father as night and day. She couldn’t shake her memories or thoughts of him even when she spent days trying. Hetty finally had to admit that Theo might be the one, but how could she go back now?

She built a fire and settled into the canyon, sure that was the only place she would find her answer.

CHAPTER 23

***HETTY***

Theo paced up and down the front room of Dean’s palatial home on the Double R Ranch. He was glad for the wide walkway in front of the enormous fireplace and didn’t care one bit if he wore out the handwoven rug under his boots. Dean took his role as patriarch of the Rolston family too seriously, and none of his meticulously displayed status symbols meant a thing to Theo.

Hetty was gone.

Worse than that, she was in a reckless state of mind and it was all Theo’s fault. He had thought cutting her ties with Thirsty River Ranch would finally give Hetty the sense of freedom that she needed. He had daydreamed she would see the opportunity standing right in front of her.

Instead, Hetty had run again.

Theo flipped between anger and worry as he continued to pace. She had chosen the ranch over him once again, but she had been in shock and he shouldn’t have pushed her. It was his fault she was reeling from her sudden disconnection with her family’s land, yet she was clear-headed enough to accuse him. Theo could hardly tell if he was going to apologize or yell at her when he found her. All he knew was he needed to see Hetty again as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, that meant waiting for Dean.

“Don’t worry, darling.” DeeDee bustled into the large library and stopped Theo’s nervous pacing. “I told him he wasn’t going to eat right for a week if he didn’t come down here and help you out.”

Theo gritted his teeth. “After he shoved me into this mess, it’s the least he can do,” he told her.

“I didn’t force you to do anything.” Dean sauntered into the room and took the time to straighten the shade on one of his Tiffany lamps. “I presented an option and you jumped at the chance. You have to admit you took a shine to the Thirsty River Ranch as soon as you laid eyes on it. And Hetty.”

Theo bunched his fingers into fists. “I came here to apologize. Can’t you make anything easy?”

“Can’t you admit you love the woman?”

All the air went out of Theo’s insides. “What do you know about love?”

Dean chuckled. “Probably as much as you know about apologizing.”

“I’m sorry I tried to blame this whole mess on you,” Theo bit out.

“And?”

Theo lunged for his eldest brother but DeeDee stepped in. “And now you can help him out, the way brothers should come to each other’s aid no matter what.”

Dean’s bright sapphire eyes challenged his brother for a moment, then he shrugged his wide shoulders. “What can I do for you, Theo?”

“I need you to fly your helicopter over the range and help me find Hetty’s camp,” Theo told him.

“She’s gone that far to get away from you?” Dean asked.

“Not helping,” DeeDee admonished him.

Theo forced himself to speak calmly though he felt like screaming. “Hetty very naturally took the news of her position change badly, and our conversation afterward didn’t go well. I need to talk to her.”

“She can’t camp out there for more than a few days without needing fresh supplies. Why not just wait until she comes back?” Dean asked.

DeeDee gave an exasperated sigh. “Because contrary to what the Bible says, love is not always patient. Help him, Dean.”

Dean studied his brother carefully. “You hate the helicopter. You told me it’s nothing but an expensive toy for a spoiled rich man.”

“Are you going to help me or not?” Theo asked.

“You really can’t wait for her to come back in on her own?”

Theo shook his fists at the high ceiling. “She might decide not to come back at all. Or Hetty will swing through and take off for some big city and I’ll never see her again. I need her to think things through one more time and answer me honestly.”

“This all stems from you owning the Thirsty River Ranch, doesn’t it,” Dean said solemnly.

Theo was glad his brother was finally coming around to his way of thinking. “I know the expansion is important, Dean. I know you won’t do anything to compromise our inheritance, but can’t you understand I don’t feel the same way? Especially right now.”

Dean gave his brother a steady look. “I have other ideas about our expansion, but you were too busy blaming me.”

Theo sighed. “I’m sorry. I really am. I know it’s not easy to be the brother that has to take on Father’s roles. I’m sorry I vented all my frustration on you.”

There was another tight nod from Dean, then he stuck out his hand. Theo shook his hand only to get pulled into a bear hug. “Just don’t forget I’m your brother first and foremost, and your business partner second.”

Relieved they had made amends, Theo still wanted to stay on task. “Can we find Hetty now and talk about your other expansion idea later?”

“I’ll get ready,” Dean agreed.

Wondering what Hetty would do next was torture, but so was waiting for Dean to suit up and get into the cockpit of his helicopter. Finally, they were flying in steady sweeps across the range with Theo leaning out and hoping for any sign of a campfire. They flew back and forth for nearly an hour before Theo spotted Hetty’s horse. He waved at his brother to land but Dean just shook his head.

“Too dangerous,” Dean pointed out. “I’ll fly back to our starting point, then buzz right past here again. You try to map out your route.”

After a second buzz past Hetty’s campsite, Theo had a pretty good idea of which way to ride. He wanted to get going as soon as they landed but, by the time they got back from the private airport, it was too dark to leave on horseback. Theo spent the night at Thirsty River because it was the best starting place for his early ride.

“She always comes back,” Dugger told him as he packed everything the night before in the barn.

“This time, she might not think she has anything to come back to,” Theo pointed out.

Tripp held up her puppy. “Hetty doesn’t leave loved ones behind.”

Theo wished he was one of those loved ones. Again, he knew he was being a fool, chasing down a woman that had already rejected him. Still, he couldn’t let her go. The thought of her out in the tight, maze-like canyons with the coyote and snakes made him sweat, and he couldn’t wait to see the sunrise.

Bill didn’t try to stop him from leaving early, he just showed up with a mug of coffee and a few words for Theo. “She’s been stuck on the one thing for so long, you can’t imagine her to snap out of it so suddenly. It’s like Hetty has been staring at the sun. She just can’t see anything else until her eyes adjust.”

“Well,” Theo told him, “I can’t leave her out there blind. Someone has to make her see she has options before she decides to go and do something crazy.”

“Like leave Texas?” Tripp’s idea made every man shudder.

Theo slurped his coffee quickly, thanked the men, and left before the sun had risen an inch over the horizon. He kept in mind the coordinates and landmarks he had marked from above and hoped he had mapped out the best route to her hidden canyon. It was entirely possible he could get into the wrong rut and miss her completely.

Theo didn’t want to think about how fitting an end that would be—it already felt like they were so close but always missing each other.

He rode hard, only taking breaks to scale the canyon walls and double-check his position. Just when he thought he was lost, Theo spotted a thin plume of smoke. Within the hour, he ventured slowly into the secret canyon and found Hetty’s camp.

“What are you doing here?” Hetty looked at him as if she’d seen a ghost.

“I came to ask you the same thing,” Theo grumbled.

She jumped to her feet, still unsure he was real. “How did you? Why? Theo, I don’t understand why you would come so far.”

That hurt Theo like a kick to the chest. Hetty still didn’t understand his feelings for her or why he would ride so far out just to see her face to face. “I didn’t like the way we left things. I didn’t like the way you left. I needed to make sure you were okay.”

Hetty fidgeted with firewood and camp supplies, anything to keep herself busy as she realized the magnitude of his gesture. Theo had come all that way just to finish the conversation she had frayed so badly.

Finally, she frowned at him. “I need to clear my head. I can’t have anyone clogging up my thoughts with the things they want.”

Theo wanted to hate her answer, but he could see the logic in it. Didn’t he want Hetty to choose him because she wanted to, not because he was her best option? He nodded and jumped down from his saddle.

“Oh, no,” Hetty told him. “You have to go!”

Theo glanced at the long shadows that had nearly engulfed the canyon. “It’s too late to head back now. Don’t worry; I won’t bother you.”

He made a point of walking his horse all the way to the far side of the canyon and setting up his own small camp. Hetty frowned at him the entire time. It was dark in the canyon, but it was still a long time until sunset. He took care of his horse, then settled down to wait.

She stoked her campfire and marched around her end of the canyon in a huff. “This has to be a bad dream. How did you find me?”

“I thought you wanted me to leave you alone,” Theo pointed out.

Hetty crossed her arms. “Exactly.”

Theo frowned. “I came here with things to say, but I understand you want your time to think first. I’ll just wait over here and we can camp in complete silence.”

The silence lasted through the long evening. Theo eventually made his own fire and cooked himself a small dinner. Hetty’s supplies had dwindled but she didn’t so much as bat an eyelash in his direction. It seemed like an eternity before the stars came out above them.

Finally, she couldn’t stand it any longer and asked, “What exactly did you come out here to say?”

It was too late, Theo had foregone sleep for too many days and he finally gave into his exhaustion. He knew there was a chance she could leave in the night, but he didn’t think that was likely. Along the cliffside on her camp side were childlike carvings. He recognized her mother’s initials. This was a special place and Hetty would never leave the canyon before him.

He woke up first and made fresh coffee.

She frowned when he sauntered over and offered her a cup. “I can’t believe you’re still here.”

“I’m not such a bad dream, am I?” Theo asked.

Hetty glowered but accepted the fragrant coffee. “How did you find me?”

“Helicopter,” Theo explained.

“That was you! I should have known it was a rich Rolston buzzing all around as if he owned the skies.”

Theo winced. “The helicopter belongs to my brother, Dean.”

“He helped you find me?” Hetty’s face softened with a momentary confusion.

“Yeah. We actually worked together. Can you imagine that?” Theo asked.

She fell silent again and tried to ignore him. It only lasted about fifteen minutes before Hetty marched across the canyon and pointed at his horse.

“You have to leave. I came here to clear my head and you are doing nothing but distracting me,” she snapped.

Theo took a moment to catch back the balloon of hope he felt rising in his chest. If she was distracted by his presence, maybe she really was considering him in her future plans. Was there still a chance she cared enough for him to stay in Isabel and consider a relationship?

“How can I distract you when you don’t care about me,” he asked her.

Hetty blinked at him. “How can you pretend to care for me when you’re making me give up the one thing I love?”

Theo’s shoulders slumped. “The one thing.”

She scowled at his sad retreat and marched forward to confront him again. “The one thing you have always known matters most to me. It’s completely unfair of you to think I can just give up my family’s ranch and move on like it was nothing!”

He stood his ground but felt defeated. “I know what it means to you, though I’m not sure you know what it means to me.”

“Just leave, Theo! You’re not helping me at all!” Hetty’s voice rang off the canyon walls.

Theo nodded in surrender. He dug in his back pocket and pulled out a long, sealed envelope. “You want your job back, you can have it.”

Hetty reached for the envelope, then stopped and looked him in the eye. “Are you serious?”

“Go ahead. The job is yours again if that’s what you want.”

She snatched the envelope and relief broke out over her face. “I won’t have to leave the Thirsty River Ranch?”

“Nope.” Theo turned away, not willing to let her see a second more of his heartbreak. He was certain now she would always make the same choice and the ranch would always mean more than he ever could.

“Well, then,” Hetty said to his back. “The least I can do is cook you dinner.”

“We need more firewood,” Theo told her over his shoulder.

“No problem.”

He heard the lightness in her voice and it crushed him. Even though Hetty was inviting him to stay in her secret canyon and eat with her, Theo knew it was merely a gesture. She got what she wanted and it wasn’t him. She rode off to search the scrub for firewood and Theo could hear her whistling.

He packed up and was gone before she returned.

CHAPTER 24

***HETTY***

Hetty gathered up the driftwood she had spotted crashed up against the side of a neighboring canyon from a flash flood. She was glad it was summer and the tumbled tree was now bone dry. They would have a good blaze tonight. Hetty broke the branches with her boot and imagined how Theo’s blue eyes would look by firelight.

She hoped they would be happier than when he had turned away.

Surely he could see that first, things had to be settled between her and Thirsty River Ranch before she could think about anything else. Yes, he was her boss again but it also meant they wouldn’t be parted. Somewhere down the line, perhaps they would figure out a way to work together and pursue more to their partnership. For now, she was relieved that everything felt right in the world again.

Then Hetty returned to the canyon and found Theo gone. The afternoon sun magnified the emptiness of the canyon, and she could only see traces of where he had been. She ran over to the place he had settled in so silently, so patiently the night before. What had he been thinking then, and what changed?

Hetty knew the answer. She trudged slowly back to her own campfire and stared down at the ashes in a daze. Her choice had to be the ranch, but why did that suddenly feel so wrong?

She felt a sharp pang in her chest as she realized just how Theo must feel. Like her father had put his own happiness above her and her mother’s, Hetty had dismissed every thought of what Theo wanted when she made her choice.

And Theo had made it clear all he wanted was her.

He must have had to plead with his intimidating brother in order to get Dean to fly that helicopter over the range looking for her. Then Theo had dared ride out to try and trace what route he had seen from the sky. Hetty pressed a hand to her heart as she thought about the rockslide and a dozen other places where Theo could have gone wrong and disappeared forever.

Like he was gone now.

The loss was suddenly acute, and Hetty crashed down on her knees next to the burnt-out fire. She had hung onto her family’s ranch so hard because it represented the last time she felt safe and loved. Everything fell apart when her parents’ grip on it loosened. Hetty pressed her hands into the dusty dirt next to the ashes and started to cry.

She had clung to the ranch because she was certain she would never feel loved again, and now she had chosen it over her one chance at the real thing.

Theo was her one and only chance at love. Hetty knew that now. No one else was willing to match her stubbornness or work as hard. She had never met another man who would work side-by-side with her all day and still linger on her porch steps at night. Hetty had never known anyone who went ahead and gave her the things she needed no matter how much she protested.

He had ridden out all that way just to give her her job back and get nothing but heartbreak in return.

Hetty tried to brush her tunnel vision away. Was the Thirsty River Ranch really worth it? It was full of old, dusty memories and long stretches of heartache. She’d made a life there, but it was a solitary and sad one. Theo was the one that had breathed life back into the place and driven her back out into the world. And how did she repay him?

She clutched at the canyon dirt and cried. Then she sat up, determined. Calculating the distance from a small etching on the canyon wall, Hetty felt her way along the rough ground. Finally, her fingers found a cool shape and triumph pulled her from her regret. There was the locket she had left behind long ago alongside her mother’s sage advice.

Hetty snatched it up and sprang to her feet. It wasn’t too late to save her chance at happiness. All she had to do was catch Theo and beg him to forgive her for her blind stubbornness. Hands shaking, she looped the dusty necklace over her head and raced to pack up camp. Checkers seemed just as anxious as her to get back to the ranch and they took off at a good pace.

The trail was familiar to her but still treacherous, and Hetty had to take extra care around the rockslide and up to the top of the canyon walls. She scanned the horizon but couldn’t catch sight of Theo. Her heart lurched. If something happened to him now, she would never be able to forgive herself.

Frantic, she turned in her saddle and scanned all around her. When Hetty turned back, she was relieved to see Checkers’ ears pricked forward. Far ahead, almost a sliver against the afternoon sky, she spotted Theo. She spurred her horse forward and prayed she could catch him still in the wild. Hetty had things to say to him that no one could say to their boss and she wanted to be free to tell him everything as soon as she could.

After half an hour, another fear took hold of Hetty. Theo never once looked back. She began to fret that her chase was all for nothing. Why would he look back? She had already tossed him aside more than a man could take, and Theo was no ordinary man. Yes, he was rich and well-respected, but he was also strong in his convictions, honest in his dealings, and had never once played games with her.

Hetty, on the other hand, had messed everything up from the moment she saw him at that gate.

She rode harder but still lost sight of Theo along a low bend in the trail.

Regrets seemed to chase her and Hetty spurred her horse to a dangerous pace. The unwise choice caught up with her as Checkers stumbled. Hetty cried out and fell from the saddle, spinning down an embankment and landing in a dry creek bed. She was unhurt but unhopeful that she would be able to catch Theo and explain anything before they got back to the constraints of their professional lives.

She dusted herself off and was glad to see Checkers waiting on the ridge patiently. At least she wouldn’t have to walk home. She took a step to climb up the embankment and cried out again. Her ankle was twisted, and suddenly, the situation was dire. If she couldn’t climb out, then it was very unlikely anyone would find her.

“Hetty?” Theo’s voice was faint.

“Here!” she cried, clutching at the crumbling sides of the dry creek bed.

His voice echoed back and forth, bouncing off the confusing corridors of the canyons and cliff trails. If he tried to follow the sound of her voice he could be led astray by miles. Hetty tried to keep panic out of her voice as she called out in short bursts that wouldn’t get caught in ricocheting echoes.

“What are you doing?” Theo’s scowling face appeared on the ridge and didn’t appear to have any room for relief.

She reached up. “I was trying to catch up to you.”

“You’re blaming me?” Theo heaved her up to the ridge and deposited her roughly on the ground next to her horse. “Why did you think you needed to catch me? Let me guess; I forgot to sign some of the paperwork?”

Hetty hadn’t even looked inside the envelope. She frowned at Theo. “Thanks for helping me out.”

“See you around,” he said and turned to go.

Hetty clutched his arm. “It’s too dark to ride much longer and this next stretch is treacherous.”

Theo looked unconvinced. “Not everyone falls into creek beds,” he grumbled.

She wanted to stamp her foot in irritation but her swollen ankle made her wince. “Fine, go ahead without me. I’ll be just fine.”

Some reconciliation this was turning out to be. Hetty limped to her horse with her jaw set hard. Why did the man have to be so disagreeable all the time? Even as he saved her, even when she had longed for hours for him to turn around and see her, they couldn’t say an easy word to each other.

“Come on,” Theo snapped. “There’s a little alcove ahead where we can rest and check your ankle.”

He laid out a blanket, brushing aside her help and also stopping any attempts at talking with a wave of his big hand. “It echoes here too much to talk,” he told her in his perpetually surly tone.

Hetty didn’t know how to broach the topic. How did one casually tell another that everything they had worked for was suddenly not important? And how was Hetty supposed to admit the true feelings of her heart when Theo was busy grumbling about every little thing?

They spent nearly an hour in silence as she sat with a first-aid ice pack on her ankle. Hetty got up to test her injury limping across the opening of the alcove, determined that he would not disappear on her again. No matter if her words echoed up to heaven itself, she would figure out a way to tell Theo she had been wrong.

She spent a few long minutes wondering if he’d set aside his love for her forever. Hetty watched him carefully.

He sat up with a surly sigh. “Spit it out,” he told her.

“I love you.”

Theo’s jaw fell open and he stared at her.

Hetty cleared her throat. “I thought about what to say the whole time I was on your trail but there really isn’t anything but that. I love you.”

“I’m sorry, Hetty, but I don’t think I know what you mean,” Theo said.

She threw up her hands. “Neither do I! I know you’re my boss and nothing should actually happen between us, but somehow something did. And I have no idea what loving you is going to mean when we’re back at the ranch. All I know is that I needed to tell you.”

Theo stood up. “You’re right. Except about the boss part.”

“What?” Hetty let him help her as she stumbled on her still sore ankle.

“The boss part doesn’t matter anymore,” Theo said. He still hadn’t let go of her hands.

Hetty struggled against his grip. “It does still mean something, and that’s why the second thing I have to tell you is that I quit.”

Theo bit back a smile. Was he so shocked he was addled?

After a long moment of silence, Theo asked her, “Tell me the first thing again?”

Hetty arched an eyebrow at him. “I love you.”

He laughed. “You sound so exasperated by that!”

She yanked her hands free. “Well, you are the most exasperating man I’ve ever met!”

Hetty felt her heart stop. Was this going to be like high school all over again? Would Theo leave her standing there without a dance partner?

“And what was the second part?” he asked.

She whirled around and poked a finger in his chest. “I quit. I wouldn’t work at the Thirsty River or be an employee of yours for any amount in the entire world!”

“Why?”

The stark honesty of Theo’s quiet question cut to Hetty’s core. She took a step closer to him. “Because I don’t want to be with you because we’re being forced to work together. I want to be with you because I love you. I want to be with you because I look for you every day and I know I will until the day I die.”

“Hetty?”

She waited, breathless, to hear Theo’s confession of love.

“You really should read the paperwork in that envelope,” he said.

Tears stung her eyes as Hetty turned away. She blinked hard and pulled the envelope out of her saddlebag. She was certain now that she had missed her chance, pushed him away for the last time, and the contract she saw would bind her to be nothing but his employee for lonely, loveless decades to come.

Hetty read the pages and felt the air go out of her. She turned, wordless to Theo who caught her up in his arms.

“Is this the deed to Thirsty River?” she asked breathlessly.

“Yes,” Theo said. “It’s yours, and so am I.”

EPILOGUE

***HETTY***

“Theo! Hetty!”

Theo turned around, his heart still leaping happily at the fact that his name was now inextricably linked with Hetty’s. He was doubly glad when he spotted Mr. Pearson. Theo couldn’t think of a better person to greet them on their return to Isabel, Texas than the man who had finally helped them come together.

“Mr. Pearson, how are you?” Theo reluctantly let go of Hetty’s hand so he could shake the older man’s. “Has my brother been treating you fairly?”

After Theo gave Hetty back the Thirsty River Ranch, he and Dean had to figure out another way to expand their cattle enterprise or forfeit their large inheritance. Admittedly, Theo had not cared whether they got the money or not, but he was pleased when Dean outlined a new plan: they acquired Mr. Pearson’s ranch instead, and it was already turning a nice profit for them.

“Your brother is wonderful,” Mr. Pearson said. “Works a bit too much for my taste, but that’s a problem that will solve itself one of these days. Speaking of work, you didn’t spend your whole trip making sales, did you?”

Hetty laughed. “Wagyu beef practically sells itself, so we were able to have plenty of vacation time as well.”

Theo nudged her shoulder. “She says that, but this one doesn’t know how to take a day off to save her life.”

Mr. Pearson beamed, happy to see them together. “Well, welcome home.”

As they continued down Main Street, Theo teased Hetty. “See? I told you no one was going to believe we took an actual vacation.”

“No one’s going to believe we went to visit my mother either,” Hetty said, eyes shining.

She clutched the locket around her neck and felt its warmth. Her mother had cried when she saw her daughter still wearing it. Now the locket would always represent the resilience of love.

Theo kissed the top of her head. “Best detour ever,” he told her.

Hetty had not only come to peace with her attachment to the Thirsty River Ranch, but she had completely forgiven her mother for escaping it. The two women were overjoyed to be back in each other’s lives, and Hetty’s mother promised to come back to Isabel for their wedding.

Their wedding! Theo’s heart did another gallop of happiness.

“And no one’s going to believe how I proposed to you,” he reminded Hetty.

She beamed up at him the same exact way an hour later when the Rolston clan was gathered around and pressing her for the story. Theo let her keep smiling as he told them the details:

“I waited until we were in Galveston. Hetty was so taken with the ocean, she never even noticed me kneeling down! Then, just as she turned and saw me waiting there on one knee, a big wave swept up the beach and soaked us both,” Theo laughed.

“Did you lose the ring?” Freddie gasped.

Hetty burst out, “He already had! Turns out, Theo had lost the ring in the lobby of our hotel and only had a plastic ring he got out of a candy machine to give me.”

“The porter went down on one knee as soon as we got back and gave me the real ring,” Theo added in. “There were lots of confused guests wondering who was proposing to whom, but she said yes!”

Everyone laughed and congratulated the happy couple, who then told the exact same story all over again an hour later. The ranch team whooped and cheered and promised Hetty everything would be perfect at the Thirsty River Ranch when they cleaned up for her wedding.

Theo nodded as soon as she turned to him. “We can’t have it anywhere else,” he told her. “Our wedding will be here, and so will we, as long as you’ll have me.”

Hetty’s only answer was a long, true kiss.

* * *

Did you enjoy this grumpy cowboy’s love story? If so, CLICK HERE to read “A Nanny for the Grumpy Cowboy” for a sweet story about Theo’s grumpier brother Drake! This troubled single dad falls head over heels for his happy-go-lucky nanny Freddie. But when his overprotective nature kicks in and he finds out she has been keeping a secret, Drake’s surly nature turns this love story into a tragedy. CLICK HERE to see if Drake gets his happily ever after in book 1 of my NEW series “Rolston Ranch Brothers”.

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About the Author

Hanna Hart is a passionate sweet clean contemporary romance author who has found a love for writing since the age of 6.

Hanna lives in the beautiful Santa Cruz California with her loving husband, two children and dog Milo. Other than dreaming up extremely sweet and romantic stories, Hanna enjoys spending time with her family, going to the beach, cooking great food, travelling the world, and getting a lot of exercise.

Hanna’s purpose is to deliver very sweet romantic stories to her readers that will touch their hearts in a very meaningful way, taking them to another place that will positively impact their life.

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