Count On A Cowboy. Patricia Thayer

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

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

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

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

      Trent’s voice pulled her back to the present.

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

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

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

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

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

      “Your mother never married?”

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

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

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

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

      “And your mother?” he asked.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

      “What about the downed fence by the creek?”

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

      She shook his hand. “Brooke Harper.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

      “He’s just being friendly.”

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

      She shook her head. “I work in a casino. I know when someone is flirting