Twins For The Texas Rancher

Chapter Three

“She looks mean,” Tommy said late Saturday afternoon.

Logan studied Sweet Pea and tried to see the mare through the eyes of a three-and-a-half-foot-tall four-year-old. “Why does she look mean?”

The kid ignored the question and kicked the pile of hay next to the stall, sending the feed flying into the air. Distracted by the dried grass fluttering to the ground, he jumped around, trying to catch the bits and pieces in his hands.

“What do you think, Tyler?” The boy hadn’t spoken since he and his brother arrived at the ranch with their mother and Amelia fifteen minutes ago. Logan had returned from delivering hay to the cattle just in time to entertain the twins while Gramps and the women gathered in the kitchen to discuss Amelia’s latest wacky idea.

Tyler remained silent and he didn’t press the boy to speak. Logan had been drawn to the brothers the moment he’d met them. He’d always anticipated being a dad, but fatherhood wasn’t in the cards for him. When he’d had to quit rodeoing and returned home to run the ranch, he’d missed interacting with the children who traveled the circuit with their fathers.

Logan didn’t badger Tyler into talking. Instead he asked, “Who wants to feed Sweet Pea a carrot?”

Tommy walked off and climbed onto the hay bales in the corner. Logan looked at Tyler, whose gaze remained on the horse. After a few seconds he said, “She looks sad.”

Startled, he studied the mare. “You’re probably right. A few weeks ago her best friend went away.” Ranger had been twenty-eight and had developed a tumor that put pressure on his heart. The vet had had to put him down.

Tyler’s brows scrunched in concentration. “Is her friend gonna come back?”

“No, he isn’t.” A sliver of guilt pricked Logan. He should pay more attention to the mare, but when did he have time? He was the only one who did any work around the ranch. Gunner was busy running the motel and fixing up Emmylou Schmidt’s downtown antiques shop, which Amelia had purchased for Lydia as a wedding gift. They’d converted the lower floor into an office for Lydia’s interior design business and were turning the upper floor into an apartment.

That left his middle brother to help Logan, and Reid sure in heck wasn’t going to leave New Mexico to muck stalls. The thousand dollars Reid sent to their grandfather every month was guilt money, but Logan couldn’t figure out what his brother had to feel remorseful about.

“I think Sweet Pea could use a friend,” Logan said.

Tyler’s blue eyes blinked at Logan. “I can be her friend.”

“How about you climb up that ladder—” Logan pointed across the aisle “—and I’ll bring Sweet Pea out of her stall so you can rub her nose. She likes that.”

Logan checked to make sure Tommy wasn’t getting into trouble at the back of the barn, then he set Tyler on the ladder. “Sit back so your butt sticks through the opening.” Tyler obeyed. “Are you wedged in there nice and tight?” Another nod. “Don’t move.”

Logan walked Sweet Pea out of her stall and brought her to stand before Tyler. “Touch her like this.” Logan stroked the mare’s nose.

When Tyler rubbed Sweet Pea’s face, the horse snuffled the front of the kid’s shirt. “She’s soft.”

“Can I have a turn?” Tommy tugged on the back pocket of Logan’s jeans.

“Wait over there until I tell you to come closer.” He didn’t want the boy to get kicked by a horse, or to have to explain to Sadie how he’d let it happen.

Tyler leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Sweet Pea’s neck, resting his cheek against her face. The tender scene yanked Logan’s heartstrings.

“Do you boys have any pets at home?” he asked.

“Mom says we can’t have a dog,” Tommy answered. “’Cause she’s gotta work and it costs a lot of money.”

Logan and his brothers had grown up with dogs, barn cats, horses, chickens and even a pet raccoon that took up residence beneath the shed behind the house. Their last hound dog, Blue, had died several years ago, and when Logan had asked his grandfather if he wanted to get another dog from the shelter, the old man had declined, arguing that he wouldn’t be around long enough to take care of the mutt.

Gramps acted as if death was knocking at his door, but Gunner believed their grandfather was too ornery to ever die. When Amelia Rinehart had begun her campaign to resurrect Stampede, Logan and his brother had seen a change in their grandfather. He was still a grumpy old man, but he had more get-up-and-go and was determined to contest the older woman in all manner of ways.

Tommy patted Logan’s leg. “Is it my turn?”

Logan set Tyler on the ground behind him, then lifted Tommy into his arms and held him by Sweet Pea’s head. After petting the horse twice, the boy said, “I’m bored.”

Logan placed Tommy on his feet and returned the mare to her stall. “I promised Tyler he could read in the hayloft.” Logan nodded to the ladder. “When you reach the top, keep away from the edge.”

“I wanna see the hayloft,” Tommy said.

Logan followed the boys up the ladder.

Tommy walked around the space. “How come it’s full of hay?”

“The hay is for the horses and the cattle to eat.” Logan pulled the string hanging from a naked lightbulb. “Do you think this is a cool place to read, Tyler?”

The boy nodded.

“What else can we do up here?” Tommy asked.

“Not much, I’m afraid. While Tyler reads, you can help me muck stalls.” Tyler stared at the bales Logan had stacked in the shape of a giant chair. “You want me to toss your backpack up here?” Logan asked.

Tyler nodded.

Logan helped Tommy down the ladder, then walked to the barn entrance, where the boys had tossed their backpacks aside. He grabbed the one with the image of the dog on the front. “Stand back so you don’t get hit.” Logan flung the bag into the loft. “Holler when you’re ready to come down and I’ll help you.” Logan had fond memories of playing in the hayloft as a kid. As soon as he and his brothers were old enough to climb the ladder, their grandfather had let them hang out in the barn while he’d taken care of the horses.

“How do you muck stalls?” Tommy asked.

“You’ll see.” The boy dogged Logan’s heels as they left the barn. “First, you’re going to sit on the corral rail and watch me bring the horses out.” He plopped Tommy down. “After that we take the wheelbarrow and—”

“What’s a wheelbarrow?”

“You’ll see.” The only way to spare himself the twenty-question game was to tire the kid out, but Logan knew from personal experience that boys like Tommy were never tired out.

* * *

THIS WAS NOT how Sadie anticipated spending her first day in Stampede. She and her aunt sat at Emmett’s kitchen table while he stood at the counter with his back to them, waiting for the coffee to finish brewing—obviously not happy at having to play host to an afternoon coffee klatch.

At eighty-five, Emmett was the same age as Sadie’s aunt, but he looked older. His shoulders sloped toward the ground as if life’s problems had piled on year after year, weighing him down. Decades of ranching had etched deep crevices across the back of his neck and marked his arms with scaly sunspots.

Sadie surreptitiously studied her aunt. Blue veins crisscrossed the back of her hands, but unlike Emmett’s leathery skin, Amelia’s appeared pearlescent beneath the box light in the ceiling.

During the drive to Paradise Ranch, Aunt Amelia had rambled on about how developers had built single-family-home subdivisions north of the towns of Mesquite and Rocky Point. Stampede was too far away for those families to shop. And with a population that had never exceeded three thousand—even in its heyday—the dusty hidey-hole needed to find a way to survive or it would become nothing more than a ghost town. Which, apparently, was exactly what the old-timers who’d elected Emmett mayor wanted. When Sadie had asked why her aunt hadn’t sought someone else’s help to carry out her plans, she’d grown misty-eyed and said she was trying to involve Emmett because he’d been in a funk for such a long time.

This past summer, Lydia told Sadie that their aunt and Emmett had dated in high school. Sadie couldn’t help wondering if Amelia still carried a torch for the old man and all this fuss over the town was just a ploy to get his attention. Feeling a need to break the silence, she said, “I like that rooster cookie jar on the counter, Emmett.”

“I gave that to Emmett’s wife, Sara, for her birthday years ago,” Amelia said.

“Lydia said you and Sara were best friends.” And that Sara had died of cancer when the Hardell boys were still in middle school.

The coffeemaker dinged and Emmett delivered three mugs of hot brew to the table. Then he sat and engaged Amelia in a glare-down. Neither said a word. This meeting had better kick into high gear because Sadie didn’t want to leave Logan in charge of the boys for too long. She wasn’t worried about Tyler getting into mischief, but—as Logan had discovered earlier—Tommy was adventuresome.

This morning wasn’t the first time her son had wandered off. Once at preschool he’d escaped the playground through an open gate. Thankfully another parent had spotted him in the parking lot and had brought him inside. Although she hadn’t been happy with Logan’s decision to take her son to the convenience store without telling her, she gave credit where credit was due—he didn’t know about Tommy’s ADD, yet he’d had the common sense not to let her son out of his sight. If anyone was at fault, it was Sadie—she’d slept through the noise of Tommy opening all the locks on the motel room door. “Maybe I should check on the twins,” she said.

“The boys are fine.” Amelia sipped her coffee, then said, “I thought about building a town square after the motel was renovated, but I changed my mind when Walter Franklin called me.”

“You cozying up to the bank president now?” Emmett looked at Sadie. “Your great-aunt’s fortune keeps the bank’s doors open, so she thinks she has the right to stick her nose into everyone’s business.”

Amelia ignored his barb. “Walter says you’ve fallen behind on the ranch mortgage.”

Emmett’s spine snapped straight. “What are you talking about?”

“The bank is ready to foreclose on your property.”

“Walter’s got no right sharing my personal business with you.”

“He’s concerned, Emmett. He knows Sara and I were close and the three of us go way back.”

“Logan handles the ranch accounts. He hasn’t said a word to me.”

“The bank sent late-payment statements in April, May and June.”

“Logan would have said something to me if he’d gotten them.”

“Maybe he did and you forgot,” Amelia said.

Emmett glared. “You think I’m addled now?”

Sadie held her breath when her aunt leaned forward, fingers curling as if she wanted to choke him. “If I thought your brain was stuck in some mental mud, I’d suggest building a sanatorium on your property instead of a tourist attraction.”

“Why didn’t Walter come out here and tell me?”

“Don’t you remember? Walter was traveling through Europe all summer. The manager who took his place drove down from Dallas once a week and stayed only long enough to make sure the bank hadn’t burned down before leaving again.”

Emmett shook his head. “Doesn’t make sense.”

“Walter made calls on your behalf, but the bank refuses to give any concessions. You have thirty days to come up with the cash or you’ll lose the ranch,” Amelia said.

The sip of coffee Emmett gulped must have slid down the wrong pipe, because he fell into a coughing fit.

Amelia leaped from her chair and pounded his back. “Quit hacking or you’ll break your ribs.” Her aunt’s hand went from whacking to rubbing in slow circles. Emmett’s eyes drifted closed, then a moment later popped open.

“Quit slappin’ me, Mimi.”

Mimi? Where had that nickname come from? When Sadie’s grandmother was alive, she’d never called her older sister Mimi.

“This is some cockamamy plot you and Walter conjured up so you could get your hands on my land.”

Amelia sucked in a quick breath. “Don’t be an ass. I would never conspire to steal Paradise Ranch out from under you.” She sat down and lowered her voice. “I’m willing to pay off your debt.”

“There is no debt until Logan says so,” Emmett said.

“I knew you’d be stubborn—” Amelia nodded to Sadie. “That’s why my niece is here.”

“What’s she got to do with you and Walter scheming against me?”

“Sadie has an accounting degree. Let her examine the ranch books. If the bank made a mistake, she’ll find it.”

Emmett drummed his knobby fingers against the tabletop. “You aren’t offering her services out of the goodness of your heart. What’s the catch?”

“If Walter’s correct, I’ll take care of the delinquent payments.”

Emmett squinted. “In exchange for what?”

“For you agreeing to give up twenty-five acres of your property.”

His lips parted and his breath escaped his mouth in a loud whoosh. “What are you going to do with twenty-five acres?”

“I plan to build a tourist attraction that you, Logan and Gunner will manage.”

Amelia sipped her coffee and winced.

Emmett’s mouth twitched. “Too strong for you?”

Sadie’s aunt glared.

“What kind of tourist attraction?” Emmett asked.

“I want to use the acreage for trail rides and a petting zoo.”

The coffee mug halted halfway to his lips, then returned to the table in slow motion.

“Before you tell me to jump in a lake, let me explain.” Amelia held up one finger. “First, you don’t have to invest a dime of your own money. I’ll pick up the entire tab. Second—” another finger popped up “—everyone knows the land bordering the Los Lobos Ranch is useless rocky terrain, which makes it perfect for trail riding.” A third finger appeared. “A petting zoo will interest families with children.” Four fingers wiggled in front of his face. “And the attractions will bring in extra income for you and your grandsons.”

Emmett didn’t say a word and Amelia pushed harder. “Gunner and Lydia have a child on the way. Wouldn’t you like to start a college fund for them?”

Her aunt had left off the fifth reason, but Sadie could guess what it was—Amelia hoped having to cater to tourists would breathe life back into her old flame.

“What do you think?” Amelia asked.

“You know what I think. It stinks,” he said.

Her aunt crossed her arms over her chest. “Stampede would be the first town in the area to offer trail rides and a petting zoo. Rocky Point and Mesquite don’t have anything similar.”

“If you’re bored, find a new hobby and stop messing with Stampede,” he said.

“You can’t afford to be your stubborn self—not when the ranch is at stake.” Amelia drew in a deep breath. “This is a win-win situation. Paradise Ranch stays in your possession and brings in added income, and the town has a new tourist attraction.”

“What man in his right mind would agree to turn his ranch into a three-ring circus?”

Amelia’s face softened. “A man on the verge of losing what he’d hoped to keep in his family for generations to come.”

Emmett’s cheeks drooped as the reality of his situation sank in. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to let your niece have a look at the books.”

“Aunt Amelia.” Sadie jumped into the conversation. “Reviewing the finances of a large ranch will take hours or even days, and I have the boys to think about.” The twins were too much for her aunt to handle for more than a couple of hours at a time.

“We’ll figure out what to do with Tyler and Tommy later,” Amelia said.

Emmett nodded to Sadie. “Logan will have to show you where everything is. I don’t go into the office much anymore.”

It was one thing to have a grumpy old man breathing down her neck while she pored over bank statements and ledgers, and another to have a handsome man close to her age watching her every move.

Emmett got up from the table and walked outside. As soon as the door closed behind him, Amelia clapped her hands together. “That went well, don’t you think?”

“I’m not comfortable prying into Emmett’s finances.” Besides, her trip to Stampede was supposed to be a chance for her and the boys to catch their breath and spend time together while she figured out her next steps.

“Nonsense.” Amelia walked to the door. “With your experience it won’t take long to uncover the truth, and then Emmett will have no choice but to go along with my plan.”

“I apologize if I’m stepping out of line,” Sadie said. “But it’s not like you to bully someone, and Emmett doesn’t want you digging around in his private affairs.”

“I may have come on a little strong, but it’s for his own good.”

“You still have feelings for him, don’t you?”

Amelia pressed her hand over her heart. “I’ve never stopped caring for Emmett, not even when I was married to Robert.”

Back in the day, Emmett and their aunt had broken up after an argument. A few days later Uncle Robert, an oil executive, had passed through Stampede on business and had swept Amelia off her feet.

“Let’s find out what time Logan will be available to help you in the office tomorrow.”

Sadie followed her aunt out the door and they cut across the yard. The sound of laughter met their ears as they approached the barn and they paused in the doorway to take in the scene.

Emmett sat on a hay bale in a corner next to Tyler, grinning as he watched Logan trot down the center of the barn pushing a wheelbarrow with Tommy seated inside. At the end of the aisle Logan applied the brakes and her son catapulted through the air and disappeared into a gigantic pile of hay. A moment later his head popped into view and he gasped for air between giggles.

“I want a turn!” Tyler shouted.

Sadie gaped in astonishment. Tyler hadn’t smiled since Pete said his goodbyes and left town.

“Give the other young’un a turn,” Emmett said.

Her aunt stepped forward, but Sadie grasped her arm and pulled her back into the shadows, then pressed a finger against her lips.

“That was cool, Uncle Logan!” Tommy crawled out of the hay.

Logan set Tyler in the barrow and backpedaled down the aisle, then said, “Ready?”

Tyler nodded.

“Go, Tyler!” Tommy yelled when Logan took off running. Tyler flew into the hay just like his brother had, his giggles warming Sadie’s heart.

“Your turn.” Tommy yanked Emmett’s shirtsleeve.

“I’m too old for that nonsense.”

Tommy tugged harder. “It’s fun!”

Aunt Amelia’s mouth dropped open when Emmett said, “Maybe I’ll give it a try.”

“Look out, Gramps wants a turn,” Logan said.

Tyler walked over to Tommy’s side and both boys planted their hands against Emmett’s backside and pushed him forward. “Don’t be afraid, Gramps,” Tyler said. “You won’t get hurt.”

Sadie’s throat grew tight when Tyler called Emmett “Gramps.”

“You think you can push me?” Emmett asked Logan.

“Uncle Logan’s got big muscles. He can push you,” Tommy said.

Sadie’s eyes skimmed over Uncle Logan and agreed that he looked plenty strong enough.

Logan helped his grandfather climb into the wheelbarrow. Once the old man was seated with his knees pulled up to his chest, Logan spoke. “You boys want to help me push?”

Tommy stood on Logan’s right, Tyler on his left, both grasping the handle behind Logan’s grip. “On the count of three,” he said. “One...two...three!” They took off running.

“The old fool is going to break his neck,” Amelia whispered.

Emmett went flying face-first and landed with his butt sticking up in the air. The boys jumped in after him, pushing the hay away from his head.

“Was it fun?” Tommy asked.

Emmett chortled, his chest shaking. Sadie watched her aunt’s lips curve in a soft smile—she definitely had a crush on the old man.

“Give Gramps another ride!” Tommy and Tyler helped Emmett stand.

Amelia cleared her throat loudly and stepped out of the shadows.

“Busted,” Logan said.

“Mom! Did you see what Uncle Logan did? He gave us a ride in a—” Tommy looked at Logan. “What’s it called?”

“Wheelbarrow.”

Tyler ran up to Sadie. “I got to read in the hayloft.”

Sadie locked gazes with Logan. “Who knew barns could be so much fun?”

Logan’s gaze dropped to Sadie’s mouth and remained there too long to be considered a casual glance. “I better get back to work.”

“What time should Sadie return tomorrow?” Amelia asked.

Logan nodded to his grandfather. “What’s going on?”

“Amelia’s niece is gonna look over the ranch books,” Emmett said.

Sadie couldn’t be sure the shadows in the barn weren’t playing tricks with her eyes, but she swore Logan’s face grew pale. “I don’t understand.”

“I’ll explain later,” Emmett said. “When’s a good time you can help Sadie in the office?”

Logan rubbed his gloved hands down the front of his pants. “Late afternoon.”

“Can I come, Mom?” Tommy said.

“Me, too,” Tyler whispered, his eyes pleading.

“Not tomorrow, boys.” A deafening “Pleeeeease” threatened to damage her eardrums.

“I’ll watch the boys,” Emmett said.

“Gramps can play with us.” Tommy raced over to Emmett’s side.

“What are we gonna do?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You can’t keep up with two four-year-olds,” Amelia said.

Emmett planted his knuckles on his slim hips. “I might have one foot in the grave, but I ain’t dead yet.”

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