Her Texas Cowboy. Jill Lynn

just don’t know how safe that would be for you.”

      She laughed.

      He scowled.

      “Oh, you were serious? I thought you were kidding around, because it’s in the middle of two ranches where I know both families. The only visitors would be crickets and frogs.” And hopefully not mice.

      Her brother did remember she’d been living on her own for the last six years, right? In a city much bigger than this one. A bit of that old friction radiated between them. Rachel had been excellent at pushing Cash’s buttons in high school. Admittedly, she’d enjoyed every minute far more than she should have. But she really didn’t want to fight with him now. She wasn’t that girl anymore. Or, at least, she made a serious effort not to be.

      Liv came back downstairs with Ryder on her hip and paused at the edge of the table, glancing between Cash and Rachel. “It’s weird how Rachel rarely comes home to visit. Here she has all of this tension waiting right here for her and she doesn’t even take advantage.”

      Rachel couldn’t help it. She laughed, earning another frown from her brother.

      Ryder bounced in Olivia’s arms and Rachel reached for him. He came right to her, and she lifted him in the air, earning a flash of baby teeth, a sloppy grin and a bit of drool. When she settled him on her lap, he grabbed the R pendant she wore on a simple gold necklace and gave it a firm tug. Thankfully the chain withstood his efforts.

      Grayson might be her favorite nephew for adventuring, but Ryder was the best at snuggles. His hair was a few shades lighter than Gray’s. Almost had an auburn shade to it. No one knew where that had come from. His cheeks were squishable, and the boy was as solid as a summer day was long. Liv talked about percentiles and other momish mumbo-jumbo, but Rachel just knew her nephew was built like a one-year-old linebacker.

      Oliva dropped into the chair next to Cash. “Rachel and I talked about the house earlier today, and I think it’s not such a crazy idea. In fact, I think it’s a good one. How many times have we said we need to get it cleaned up, even if we don’t decide to rent it out again? You don’t have the time. Rachel and her friends will have it done in a few days. We could even use it as a guesthouse if you don’t want to rent it. My parents could stay there when they visit. And Rachel would have a place to crash when she comes back to see us.”

      Every time Rachel thought she couldn’t love Olivia more, she was proven wrong.

      “Rachel staying there makes perfect sense,” Liv continued. “I’m surprised we didn’t think of it earlier.”

      Cash looked part contemplative, part concerned. “I don’t know why she’d want to live in that hunk of a house, anyway. It’s as big as a cracker. And old.” And Rachel didn’t know why her brother was talking about her as if she wasn’t in the room.

      “And quiet. And quaint.” Liv sat up straighter in her chair. “Maybe I want to move out there.”

      “Ha.” Cash’s eyes narrowed. “Not funny.”

      She stacked their empty dinner dishes. “Who says I’m joking?”

      A shaking head–grin combination came from Cash. “You’d miss me, city girl.”

      Before Liv could retort—and Rachel had the utmost confidence her sister-in-law would have had a good one—Cash turned serious again. “I don’t know that it’s a good idea for you to be out there by yourself, Rach. Something could happen.”

      “And now this sounds like when Rachel was in high school.” Liv jumped in, compassion evident despite the disagreement. “She’s twenty-four. Not seventeen. Besides that, by the end of the summer she’ll likely be living in Houston by herself.” If anyone could talk her stubborn brother into something, it would be Liv. “Ryder cries at night, and even though he’s going back to sleep, he’s waking up Grayson who’s crawling into bed with us. I, for one, am exhausted. I’d like to sleep without a foot in my mouth.” Olivia scooted closer to Cash, placed her elbows on the table and propped her head in her hands. “Do you see this face? This is a tired face.”

      In answer, Cash leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her lips. “It’s a beautiful face.”

      “Flattery will get you everywhere.”

      While Rachel appreciated Liv having her back, she wasn’t sure how much PDA she could handle. The house might not be worth it. “I like to think I’ve evolved into a mature version of myself, but you two are kind of grossing me out right now. Somehow you are just as annoyingly sappy as you were when you first got married.”

      They laughed.

      Rachel glanced at the time on her cell, which was lying on the table. She’d told Hunter she would meet him at the house tonight so they could start working, assuming her brother wouldn’t have any issue with it. She should have known better. The two of them had always been like rams, crashing into the other until one of them won. Though they had gotten better over the years since she’d been gone. Rachel appreciated her brother far more now than she had when she’d been a teen. She’d pushed and clawed at him in high school, but he’d never backed away from her. Even at her snarky teenage best.

      She could do the house without his agreement; she knew that. He’d come around eventually. But it wasn’t about permission. It was about getting along. She liked the idea a whole lot better without her brother being upset. They’d been down that road one too many times before, and she had no desire to repeat history.

      Which was why, if he really didn’t want her to live in the little house, she wouldn’t.

      “Well?” The toe of Rachel’s flip-flop tapped under the table, her gaze steady on Cash. “What are you thinking?”

      His hands rubbed his eyes as he leaned back in the chair. “Are you actually waiting to hear my opinion?”

      Ryder shifted on Rachel’s lap, as though he wanted to get down. “I’m a docile version of my old self. Sweet. Compliant.”

      Cash snorted as she deposited Ryder on the floor, and he toddled toward the couches and toy bin. He’d only recently started walking, and every few steps he’d tumble to the floor and crawl a little before pulling himself back up on a piece of furniture.

      An accusing look flashed from Cash to Rachel and Liv, though it was tempered with amusement. “If I even attempt to say no, the two of you will conspire and do it, anyway.”

      Liv’s hand landed on her sternum. “Rachel and me, scheme? That would never happen.” She shot a grin in Rachel’s direction. “Plus, you heard Rach. She’s the picture of innocence these days.”

      In the past, her name and scheme in the same sentence would have offended her, even though it likely would have been true. But now Rachel could embrace the humor instead of the embarrassment.

      “I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you,” Cash continued. “I know you can make your own decisions and take care of yourself. It’s just having you here makes me think you’re my responsibility again.”

      “We’ve been over this.” He’d struggled so much with protecting her after their parents passed away. Over feeling responsible for things that weren’t in his control. “God’s got me covered. I’ve always been in His hands.” And it was true. Rachel didn’t always understand the way God answered prayers, but she did know what-ifs got a person nowhere. “Something could just as easily happen to me in Houston as it could here. There are no guarantees.”

      “Well, that’s not helping anything.” A reluctant tilt claimed one side of his mouth. “At least promise me you’re going to fix the broken latch and put the best lock known to man on there. In fact, I’ll get the replacement lock. I’ll spring for whatever supplies are needed to get it functioning again. Only makes sense if we’re going to benefit from your work.”

      She whooped and ran over, hugging him.

      “Who did you say was going to help you?”