The Rancher Next Door. Cathy Gillen Thacker

with?”

      “Ten. But I expect to expand rapidly.” Rebecca gave him a moment to absorb all that. “So, can I expect this will be done today?”

      Trevor begrudgingly relented. “I’ll have to get some temporary help. I don’t employ anyone else on a regular basis.” He paused. “That may take a few days to arrange.”

      She glanced out at the far pasture, where he had some thirty steers grazing. “Or you could start right now,” she suggested with a discreet lift of her brow, “doing it yourself.” Seriously, how long could it take?

      His hazel eyes darkened. “I can see living next door to you is going to be a challenge.”

      She slapped him on the back, rancher-style. Strode off, calling over her shoulder, “Cowboy, you don’t know the half of it.”

      AN HOUR AND TWO PHONE CALLS later, Trevor met up with Tyler and Teddy at his horse barn. He’d known he could count on his triplet brothers to drop everything and help him out of this predicament, just as he had assisted them on numerous occasions, emergency and otherwise. The three of them were more than brothers and confidants; they were best friends. Their two much younger brothers, Kurt and Kyle, were growing up the same way.

      “That totally sucks,” Teddy said, after Trevor had finished filling them in on everything that happened that day.

      The ever-practical Tyler shrugged. “Should have had a contract with Miss Mim.”

      Trevor brought out the lassos and handed one to each brother. “We’ve never had a contract on any of our arrangements. I just told Miss Mim what I wanted to do. She always said okay. When she needed something, she let me know, and I took care of it for her. I knew she’d want to sell the land eventually—she’d been thinking about moving into town for some time. I just figured when the time came she’d sell it to me.”

      Tyler carefully cinched his saddle. “When it comes to women, I’ve learned the hard way, never assume anything,”

      Trevor squinted, grinned. “You talking about women in general or Susan Carrigan in particular?”

      Teddy swung himself up into the saddle. “You ought to just go ahead and admit it, Ty. There’s never going to be another woman for you but Susan.”

      Tyler guided his horse between Trevor’s and Teddy’s. “Susan and I don’t get along.”

      “Sometimes you do.” Trevor winked, thinking how smugly content his veterinarian-brother could be when his relationship with Rebecca’s older sister, Susan happened to be humming along. And how miserable Ty was at times—like now—when it was “off.”

      “The two of you should just quit all the drama and get hitched,” Teddy agreed, as they rode toward the pasture.

      “You should talk,” Tyler grumbled, with a sharp look at Teddy. “Since you’ve never had eyes for anyone but Amy Carrigan.”

      “Amy’s my friend,” Teddy muttered.

      Trevor stopped at the pasture gate and dismounted to open it. “I don’t see you dating anyone else—at least not for long.”

      Teddy turned his glance toward the cattle they were going to have to move. “That’s because I’ve been busy getting my horse-breeding operation up and running.”

      Trevor knew how hard he’d worked. The Silverado was fast becoming known in Texas as the place to get quality, affordable quarter horses. “Now if you could only train a woman as well as you school a horse,” Tyler teased Teddy.

      Trevor frowned, his thoughts jumping back to the problem that had brought them all together on such short notice. “I could sure use a few tips on how to handle Rebecca Carrigan,” he said, closing the pasture gate, before taking the reins once again.

      “Burr under your saddle, huh?” Teddy replied.

      Worse, Trevor felt responsible for protecting her, since it had been Trevor’s lively public exchange with Rebecca at the feed store that had brought her feisty presence to Vince Owen’s attention.

      Rebecca didn’t know about the bet the conniving jerk had tried—and failed—to make about her that morning. If Trevor had his way, she never would. What worried him was the thought that Vince was going to be living—at least part of the time—on The Circle Y Ranch, on the other side of Rebecca. If Vince were true to form, he’d soon be using his proximity to Rebecca every which way but Sunday in order to get to Trevor.

      Vince’s efforts to annoy, distract and otherwise make miserable were already working. Trevor’s mind was on anything but the business he was supposed to be running on the Wind Creek cattle ranch.

      Instead, he kept waiting for Vince to start up the ugly cutthroat competition again, via Rebecca, as a way of punishing Trevor for succeeding academically, professionally, romantically, where Vince had not. Knowing Vince, he’d probably go after the financial success of The Primrose Ranch and the Wind Creek cattle ranch before he was finished, too.

      Unfortunately, the only way Trevor would be able to protect Rebecca and her newly acquired property was by befriending her first, a task not made easy by the fact that she thought, erroneously—her parents actually wanted the two of them to start dating. And was, of course, absolutely opposed to having anything at all to do with him. Now or in the future….

      Aware his brothers were waiting on Trevor’s response to his pretty new neighbor, he frowned and said, “You’re right about that much. Ms. Rebecca Carrigan is going to be one royal pain.”

      As a kid she’d had a reputation for never listening to anyone in a position of authority. From what he could tell so far, that had not changed.

      Tyler slowed his mount’s pace as they reached the opposite side of the Wind Creek pasture and the gate that separated it from the Primrose Ranch pasture, where alpacas would soon be grazing. “Not to worry about it, bro.”

      Teddy winked and continued the ribbing, “If any man can handle her—”

      And that was a mighty big if, Trevor thought grimly.

      “—you can,” Tyler said.

      “REBECCA, DEAR, I’ve already thought of at least half-a-dozen things I forgot to get from the house,” Miss Mim said.

      “No problem, Miss Mim. I’ll get them for you.” Rebecca picked up the chalk from the tray on the message board in the kitchen. “Just tell me what they are and I’ll make a list.”

      “My favorite vase, on the dining room table.”

      “Check.”

      Miss Mim rambled off four more items while Rebecca wrote. “And I was going to ask you for my binoculars on the hook by the back door, but I’ve changed my mind. I thought you might want to use those to keep an eye on your new neighbors.”

      Rebecca rolled her eyes, even as she took the binoculars and looped them around her neck. “Very funny, Miss Mim.”

      “I’m serious, Rebecca. Those two men are going to be vying for your hand in marriage in no time. Just don’t make my mistake and say no to romance, like I did. When you get to be my age, you’ll find you regret it.”

      Rebecca knew that was true.

      Although Miss Mim had been “family” to every parent and child who’d come through the Laramie Public Library, lately she’d been regretting the road not taken. Fortunately, Rebecca was saved having to respond by muffled voices on the other end of the connection.

      “Dear?” Miss Mim was back. “The canasta game is about to start. I’ll phone you later.”

      “When would you like me to bring the items by?”

      “Two days from now—say around seven in the evening? I’m going to be busy prior to that.”

      “No problem.”

      Rebecca hung up the