A Family for Christmas

Raised on the run, free-spirited Breezy Hernandez has never stayed in one place too long. But now that she has joint custody of her late brother’s twin daughters, she’s determined to give them a stable home. Even if it means cooperating with the twins’ bossy uncle. Texas rancher Jake Martin learned the hard way that women can’t be trusted. But as he and Breezy care for the orphaned girls, Jake begins to open his heart. Is Breezy ready to put down roots in Martin’s Crossing, or will she run from the one thing she’s always wanted: a family?

Martin’s Crossing: In this small Texas town, every heart finds a home

When was the last time anyone had looked out for Breezy?

“Are you okay?”

He kneeled next to her, bending those long legs and folding his arms over his knees. He pushed back the black cowboy hat and peered at her. He looked concerned.

She took a breath and waited.

“Of course I am.” Breezy made sure to smile. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Jake grinned. “Well, you were almost toast out there with that bull.”

“I am glad you came along when you did.”

“Me, too,” he replied. His voice was soft, like wind through the trees, and it undid her a tiny bit. “Here, you’re probably cold.” He slipped off his jacket and eased it around her shoulders. “This should help.”

Words failed her. Yes, the jacket helped.

Or did it?

It smelled of Jake Martin, like pine, mountains in the fall and cold winter air. She wanted to bury her nose in the collar and inhale his scent. At the same time she wanted to tell him she didn’t need his jacket or the unexpected emotions it stirred in her.

BRENDA MINTON

started creating stories to entertain herself during hour-long rides on the school bus. In high school she wrote romance novels to entertain her friends. The dream grew and so did her aspirations to become an author. She started with notebooks, handwritten manuscripts and characters who refused to go away until their stories were told. Eventually she put away the pen and paper and got down to business with the computer. The journey took a few years, with some encouragement and rejection along the way—as well as a lot of stubbornness on her part. In 2006 her dream to write for Love Inspired Books came true. Brenda lives in the rural Ozarks with her husband, three kids and an abundance of cats and dogs. She enjoys a chaotic life that she wouldn’t trade for anything—except, on occasion, a beach house in Texas. You can stop by and visit at her website, www.brendaminton.net.

A Rancher for Christmas

Brenda Minton

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

— Philippians 4:11

Dedicated to my sweet ladies at the residential care facility. Your prayers, hugs and love have meant so much to me. Lola, this one is for you.

And to friends who are always just a phone call away. Pam, Lori, Tracie, Steph and Shirlee.

Melissa Endlich, as always, thank you!

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

About the Author

Title Page

Bible Verse

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Epilogue

Dear Reader

Questions for Discussion

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

Breezy Hernandez stood in front of the massive wood door on the front porch of her brother’s Texas Hill Country home. When she’d met Lawton Brooks two months ago, he had filled in the missing pieces of her life.

Now he was gone. In one tragic accident Lawton, his wife and his mother had been taken. The lawyer in Austin had given her this address. He’d told her in Martin’s Crossing she would find Jake Martin, executor of the estate.

She knocked on the door and then looked out at the windblown fields dotted with small trees, waiting for someone to answer. No one did. There was no muffled call for her to come in, or footsteps hurrying to answer the door. She leaned her forehead against the rough wood, her hand dropping to her side. Her heart ached.

After a few minutes she wiped away the dampness on her cheeks and reached for the handle. It wasn’t locked. She pushed the door open, hesitating briefly before stepping inside. Why should she hesitate? Nothing would change the reality that Lawton and his wife had been killed in a plane crash two weeks ago. She’d missed the opportunity to see him again. She’d missed the funeral and the chance to say goodbye.

But she could be there for his girls.

As she stepped inside she flipped a switch, flooding the stone-tiled foyer in soft amber light. The entryway led to a massive living room with stone flooring, textured walls in earthy tan and a stone fireplace flanked by brown leather furniture.

Enveloped by silence and the cool, unheated air, she stood in the center of the room. There were signs of life, as if the people who had lived here had just stepped out. There were magazines on the coffee table, a pair of slippers next to a chair. Toys spilled from a basket pushed against the wall. Her throat tightened, aching deep down the way grief does.

“It isn’t fair,” she said out loud, the words sounding hollow in the empty space.

She should have come to Texas sooner but she’d needed time to come to terms with what Lawton had told her. His father, Senator Howard Brooks, had an affair with her mother, Anna, a drug addict from Oklahoma City. Breezy was the result of that brief relationship. She’d known for years that she wasn’t the true granddaughter of Maria Hernandez, the woman who had taken her in years ago. Maria had given her that information shortly before she passed away.

Now she knew who she was. But what good did that do her?

She left the living room and walked to the kitchen. The room was large and open, with white cabinets and black granite countertops. She moved from that room, with sippy cups in a drainer next to the sink, to the dining room.

A table with four chairs and two high chairs dominated the room. On the opposite wall were family portraits. She stopped at the picture of an older man in a suit, a flag of Texas behind him. Her father, Senator Howard Brooks.

In the next picture his wife of over forty years stood next to him. They looked happy. Evelyn Brooks hadn’t known about her husband’s brief affair or his daughter. He’d confessed the secret on his deathbed one year ago.

Breezy drew in a breath and fought the sting of tears. She’d never been one to cry over spilled milk. Not even if that meant she might have had a real family.

This was different, though. This was a family lost. Her family. She had a habit of losing family. It had started more than twenty years ago, after her mother’s death, when she and her siblings were all separated. Mia was adopted by the Coopers and Juan went to his father’s family. Breezy had been taken in the night by Maria because she had worried they would eventually learn the truth, that Maria’s son wasn’t really Breezy’s father.

Out of fear, Maria had kept them moving from town to town, living in cars, shelters and sometimes pay-by-the-month hotels.

Breezy brushed off the memory. It was old news.

A wedding photo hung on the wall. She studied the image of her brother and his pretty bride, both wearing identical looks of joy. At the last picture her heart stilled. Lawton, his wife, their two baby girls.

Just then, a sound edged in, a door closing. Footsteps, heavy and booted, echoed in the empty house. She held her breath, waiting.

“Who are you?” The deep male voice sent a shiver of apprehension up her spine.

Breezy turned, not quite trembling in her shoes, but nearly. The man filled the doorway. His tall, lean frame in jeans and a dark blue shirt held her attention, and then her eyes connected with pale blue eyes in a suntanned face. His dark hair was short but messy, like he’d just taken off a hat. She let her gaze drop, almost expecting a holster, Old West style, slung low on his hips.

Of course there wasn’t one.

“I’m Breezy. Breezy Hernandez.” Chin up, she swallowed a lump of what might have been fear.

His eyes narrowed and he frowned. “The missing sister.”

She wanted to argue she hadn’t been missing. She hadn’t known she was lost. She’d needed time to process that she had this brother. She’d needed time alone to figure out what it meant to find out who her father was. The ache in her heart erupted again. She’d been on the run for most of her life; it had become second nature to take off when things got a little dicey. Maria Hernandez had taught her that.

“So we know who I am. Who are you?” She managed to not shake as she asked the question, meeting his somewhat intimidating gaze.

“Jake Martin.”

“Of Martin’s Crossing.” The town in the middle of nowhere that she’d driven through to get here.

“Yes, Martin’s Crossing.”

“The girls?” She glanced back over her shoulder and saw that he was moving toward her.

“They’re safe.” He stepped close, smelling of the outdoors, fresh country air and soap. “I got a call from Brock, the attorney in Austin. He said he told you to come here and talk to me.”

“Yes, he told me about Lawton and asked me to find you.” She shook her head. “I missed the funeral, I’m sorry.”

She didn’t give him explanations.

She guessed the Goliath standing in front of her wouldn’t want to hear explanations. He wouldn’t want to know how much it hurt to know that all these years she’d had another brother. And now he was gone.

“Right.” He looked away, but not before she saw the sorrow flash across his face, settling in his eyes. She started to reach out but knew she shouldn’t. Her hand remained at her side.

Maybe they were feeling the same sense of loss but he didn’t seem to be a man who wanted comfort from a stranger. From her.

“So, you came for your inheritance?” He dropped the words, sharp and insulting.

“Is that why you think I’m here?”

“It would make sense.”

She shook her head. “No, it doesn’t. It’s insulting.”

He shrugged one powerful shoulder. “Your brother was my best friend. His daughters are my nieces. I have every right to keep them safe.”

“I’m not here for any reason other than to see them.” She turned and walked back to the kitchen.

“Running?” He followed her, light on his feet for a man so large.

“Not at all. I need a minute to cool off so I don’t hit you with something.”

At that, the smooth planes of his face shifted and he smiled. She was slammed with a myriad of other emotions that seemed more dangerous than her rage. At the sink she filled a glass with water and took a sip. He scooted a chair out from the island in the middle of the big room and bent his large form to fit the seat. She ignored the lethal way he sat, like a wild cat about to attack. She ignored that he had beautiful features, strong but beautiful. She could draw him, or chisel his likeness in stone.

Or grab a chunk of granite and...

His eyebrows lifted, as if he guessed where her thoughts had gone.

“I’m not here to take what I can and leave.” She remained standing on the opposite side of the island, not wanting to be anywhere near him. She needed that force of wood and stone between them.

“Really.” His voice was smooth but deep, and full of skepticism.

“Yes, really. I had a father and a brother that I never got to meet. I wanted to come here because this is where Lawton lived. I thought I might somehow...” She shook her head. “Never mind. He’s gone. I want to meet his daughters. Please, just let me meet them.”

* * *

Jake stood, rethinking what he’d come to tell her. Rethinking her. She stood on the other side of the counter, as if the granite could protect her. As he eased out of the chair, she moved a little to the right, her back against the counter. Brown eyes the unfortunate color of caramel watched him.

Unfortunate because her eyes were strangely compelling. And more, there were emotions that flickered in their depths—sadness, anger, loss. He hadn’t expected to feel anything for her other than distrust.

“I’m going to get a glass of water, nothing else,” he said.

He opened the cabinet and found a glass, filling it with cold water from the fridge. He took a drink and studied the sister of his best friend, looking for similarities. She had long straight dark blond hair that framed a face that he’d call beautiful but strong. She was tall and slim but not thin. The peasant skirt and blouse gave her a bohemian look. She would stand out in Martin’s Crossing. If she stayed. He doubted she would. She had city written all over her.

Yes, she looked enough like Lawton for him to believe she was his sister. Lawton had obviously believed it. Even before the DNA test.

“Well?” she asked.

“You remind me of your brother.”

“I hope that’s a compliment.”

“It’s an observation.” He watched her, still unsure. He’d been unsure from the beginning when Lawton first told him about her. “I need to head back to my place. You can meet me over there.”

Jake poured out the remaining water and put the glass in the dishwasher. She had moved away from him again. He didn’t comment, just walked past her and headed for the front door, grabbing his hat off the hook on his way out. She followed.

He had more on his mind than a sister who suddenly showed up when it looked as if the gravy train might have derailed in her front yard. Back at his place he had a mare about to foal. He’d lost a good cow that morning and now had a calf to tend to. He had fifty head of cattle heading to the sale tomorrow and a brother who couldn’t get his act together.

They both stopped on the porch. The temperature, typical of late November, had dropped fifteen degrees while they’d been inside. Clouds were rolling, gray and full of rain.

“How far?” She looked past him to the open land and seemed unsure. Then she focused her attention on the horse he’d tied to the post.

“Not far.” He untied his horse, tightening the girth strap and watching her over the top of the saddle. “Since I’m riding, you’ll need to go back down the drive, turn left and in a mile take a left at the entrance to the Circle M.”

“How long before you get there?”

“It’ll take me a little longer but I’m cutting through the field, so not much.” They stood there staring at each other and he noticed the softness in her brown eyes. The last thing he wanted was to give in to the softness. Lawton had immediately trusted her. That wasn’t Jake’s way. He had to be the one to draw lines and make sure no one got hurt. But he wasn’t an ogre. “I’m sorry.”

She gave a quick nod her eyes registering surprise. “Thank you.”

“He was a good man.” More words of kindness. His brother Duke would have been proud. He’d told Jake to be nice to their new sister. He’d almost laughed at that. She was not their new sister.

Jake didn’t need one more person to watch out for. His plate was full of siblings that couldn’t seem to stay out of trouble.

With a goodbye nod, he put a foot in the stirrup and swung himself into the saddle. She shot him a wary look and headed for her car.

He watched her go, holding the gray gelding steady as the horse tossed his head, eager to be on his way. The car was down the drive when he turned the horse and headed for home. The rain had blown over but the air was damp and cool. It felt good, to let Bud loose. The horse was itching to run. So was Jake. But he knew he couldn’t outrun the problem that was driving to his place in a compact car with Oklahoma tags.

Fifteen minutes later, with his horse unsaddled and back in the pasture, he headed for the house. Breezy was standing on the front porch of the stone-and-log home he’d been living in alone for more years than he cared to count. He’d be thirty-four soon. He guessed that made him a crusty bachelor.

“Pretty place,” Breezy said when he reached the front porch of the house.

“Thank you.”

He nodded toward the door. Time to get it over with. He figured she’d be here another ten minutes, and then she’d be gone and he wouldn’t have to worry about her. He’d hand her a check and they’d go their separate ways.

Today he’d said a few prayers on the matter and maybe it was wrong, but he’d prayed she’d take the out. Of course he knew God didn’t exactly answer prayers based on Jake Martin’s wants. But he’d sure be grateful if the good Lord made this easy on him.

“Let’s go inside.” He led her across the porch with the bentwood furniture. Ceiling fans hung from the porch ceiling and in the summer they made evenings almost bearable. Not that he spent a lot of time sitting out there.

“Do you live here alone?” she asked, turning a bright shade of pink. “I mean, do you have family here? In Martin’s Crossing?”

“This is my home and I do have family in Martin’s Crossing.” He didn’t plan on giving her the family history.

What would he tell her? That he and his twin sister had helped raise their younger siblings after their mom had left town, left their dad and them? This ranch had been in their family for over one hundred years and keeping it going had put his dad in an early grave. Now he’d lost his sister, and he was determined to find a way to keep the family together, keep them strong, without her.

But no, he wasn’t alone. He had his brothers, Duke and Brody. They had their little sister, Sam. Short for Samantha.

Duke lived in the old family homestead just down the road.

Their little brother, Brody, only came around when he needed a place to heal up after a bad ride on the back of a bull. The rest of the time he stayed with friends in a rented trailer in Stephenville.

Sam had been in boarding school and was now in college. Out of state. That was his idea, after she couldn’t seem to keep her mind off a certain ranch hand. Their dad, Gabe Martin, hadn’t seemed to connect with the thought that his family was falling apart. It had all been on Jake.

The house was dark and cool. He led Breezy through the living room and down the hall to his office.

He flipped the switch, bathing the room in light, and motioned for her to take a seat. He positioned himself behind the massive oak fixture and pulled out a drawer to retrieve papers.

Breezy took the seat on the other side of the desk. With a hand that trembled, she pushed long blond hair back from her face. Lawton had mentioned she sang and played guitar. Something about being a street performer in California. Jake had taken it upon himself to learn more.

“Why didn’t you come back here with Lawton?” Jake asked, pinning her with a look that always made Samantha squirm. He didn’t have kids of his own, probably never would, but he knew all the tricks.

She looked away, her attention on the fireplace.

“Miss Hernandez?”

“Call me Breezy,” she whispered as she refocused, visibly pulling herself together. “I needed time to come to terms with what he’d told me. I didn’t know how to suddenly be the sister he thought I would be. Or could be. And I have a sister in Oklahoma.”

“I understand.” It had come out of nowhere, this new family of hers. “Lawton’s dad kept his skeletons hidden pretty deeply. But as he got older—” he shrugged “—guilt caught up with him.”

“I see.” She bit down on her bottom lip. “I could have been a part of their lives.”

His heart shifted a little. And sympathy was the last thing he wanted to feel.

“Yes, I guess.”

“And Lawton’s wife. She looked very sweet.”

That’s when his own pain slammed him hard. He cleared his throat, cleared the lump of emotion that settled there. He hadn’t yet gotten used to the loss. “Elizabeth was my twin sister.”

She bit down on her bottom lip and closed her eyes, just briefly. “I’m so sorry.”

“So am I.”

“So why am I here?”

“Because Lawton came home from Oklahoma and changed his will.” He brushed a hand over his face, then he reached for the manila envelope on his desk. “He left you his house, money from his dad’s estate, as well as a small percentage of his software and technologies company. He left the twins a larger percentage as well as a trust fund. The business manager, Tyler Randall, also inherited a small percentage of the company.”

“I see.” But she clearly didn’t understand. He was about to make it clear. And he prayed she’d take the out.

“Breezy, Lawton and Elizabeth left us joint custody of their daughters.”

He and this woman were now parents to two little girls.

Chapter Two

“No.” Breezy shook her head. This couldn’t be happening. No one would give her custody, even shared custody, of two little girls. “He couldn’t have done that.”

“I’m afraid he did.”

She met his blue gaze, knowing he disliked her. Or at the least, disliked the situation he’d been forced into with her. He knew these little girls. They were the children of his twin sister. Of course he was angry. She was angry, too.

What had made Lawton, a man she barely knew, think this was a good idea? She’d never stayed in one place longer than six months until she moved to Dawson, Oklahoma. She’d never had real family until her sister, Mia, found her. She definitely didn’t know how to raise a child.

“I’m not sure what to say,” she admitted.

“That makes two of us. I never planned on losing my sister and my best friend. And I certainly couldn’t have seen this coming.”

Jake Martin studied her. His blue eyes were sharp; his generous mouth was a straight, unforgiving line.

He shook his head and hit a button on an intercom. A woman answered. “Okay,” he said.

She sat quietly, forcing herself to maintain eye contact with him. The door behind her opened. She didn’t turn, even when he looked past her, smiling at whoever had entered the room. There were footsteps and quiet voices.

Curiosity overrode her desire to hold his gaze, to not feel weak. She glanced back over her shoulder and the room spun in a crazy way that left her fighting tears, trying to focus. Twin girls toddled across the room wearing identical smiles on identical faces.

“These are your nieces.” His voice came from far away.

“Oh.” What else could she say? The toddler girls were smiling as they bypassed her to get to Jake Martin.

“The lovely lady behind them is Marty, their nanny,” he explained, nodding toward the older woman who had remained in the doorway. He leaned down, holding out his arms. The girls ran to him and climbed onto his lap. He hugged them both tight.

“They’re beautiful.” They were dark-haired with blue eyes and big smiles. After all they’d been through, they could still smile. Though she didn’t want to, she attributed that to the man sitting across from her.

“They are.” He kissed the top of each dark head. “And we are their guardians.”

“You should have told me.”

He shrugged and looked at the girls, who had picked up pens and were drawing on the papers on his desk. He moved the envelope out of their reach.

“I think I just did.”

“I meant from the beginning.”

“Really? I should have disclosed this to someone I’ve never met?” He shook his head. “I’ll do whatever I need to do to keep them safe.”

“I get that.” She kept her voice soft, not wanting the girls to hear anger. She had too many memories of loud and unforgiving voices as she hid beneath the bed with Mia and their brother, Juan.

Was she really angry with him? As she studied the little girls on his lap, she thought not. He wanted to protect them.

He grinned at the girls and they reached up to pat his lean cheeks. “Rosie and Violet, this is your aunt Breezy.”

She had nieces. She wanted to hug those little girls close. She wanted to hold them forever. They were looking at her, wide-eyed, curious but not ready to come to her.

“Hi, girls.” What else could she say? Her vision blurred. She raised her hand to wipe away the tears that drifted down her cheeks.

Jake Martin looked at the little girls he held, his gaze serious and then he refocused on Breezy. He studied her, as if looking for a sign that she might run. He pushed a box of tissues across the desk, never removing his eyes from her. She wouldn’t run. She didn’t know what he knew about her, about her past, but she wouldn’t run. She couldn’t. Not now.

“Marty, why don’t you take the girls back to their playroom?” He set the girls down, easing them onto their feet. They walked around the desk and Breezy wanted to touch them. Rose smiled up at her and toddled close, little legs and bare feet peeking out from her colorful sundress, white with big brightly colored flowers. Violet held back, letting Rose take the lead.

They were identical, but not. Rose had a slightly rounder face. Her dark hair had a bit of wave. Violet’s dark hair was perfectly straight.

“Hi, Rose.” She leaned and the little girl walked up, unafraid, her little face splitting in a dimpled grin.

“Hi, Rose,” the toddler repeated and giggled. Breezy smiled.

“You’re both very pretty.”

“Very pretty,” Rose repeated and Violet giggled.

“And smart.”

“Smart a...” Rose started what sounded like something inappropriate.

“No!” Marty jumped forward. “Uncle Duke is a bad influence.”

“I know he is.” Jake shook his head. “He’s going to start putting money in a college fund if he doesn’t watch his language around them.”

Marty took the hand of each girl and they left the room with soft words, giggles and the patter of their bare feet.

“They’re precious.” Breezy turned to face what felt like her judge and jury. He had leaned back in the big leather chair and his booted feet were on the desk.

“Yes, they are. And I will do anything to protect them.”

“I’m sure you would.” She studied him for a minute. “But you don’t have to protect them from me.”

“That’s the problem. I don’t know you, Breezy. I know you were Lawton’s sister and he had the crazy idea that this would be best for his girls. But he also didn’t plan on dying so soon.”

“You don’t want me in their lives?”

He exhaled sharply and shook his head. Of course he didn’t. “I’m not sure what I want.”

The answer surprised her. “Did you hope I wouldn’t show up?”

He shrugged. “It would have made my life easier.”

“Right, but I’m here and those little girls are just as much my family as they are yours. Tell me what I need to do.”

Jake Martin tapped his pen on the desk and studied her.

“Lawton left us joint custody as long as you remain here, in his house. But there are stipulations. If you leave, you lose custody and ownership of the house. If I see a reason that you’re not capable of this, I take full custody. If either of those should happen and I should take full custody, the house goes to the girls. The money is yours no matter what happens. He had hoped...”

“That I would be in their lives.”

“Yes. He said you’d lived a life of independence and adventure. He wanted his daughters to learn that from you.” He brushed his hands through his hair and she saw the lines of exhaustion around his eyes. “Lawton had a very different life. Structure was the senator’s favorite word.”

“I see.” She let her gaze travel to the windows that offered a view of the rolling fields dotted with cattle. Craggy, tree-covered hills rose in the distance, gray and misty, as clouds spread across the sky.

Her brother had seen her life as adventurous. She guessed it had been, if a person wasn’t fond of knowing where one would sleep or where their next meal would come from.

Jake moved in his chair. His shoulders were broad, his arms corded with strong muscles. Breezy had always been taller than average. She wasn’t a petite little thing who backed down easily. She had street smarts, and a black belt.

All of that aside, Jake Martin intimidated her. He was lethal, she thought. The type of man who had always had power, never felt afraid or out of control of his life.

“I guess you’ll have to trust me,” she said after several minutes of trying to get a handle on her emotions.

“You have the option to take your money and leave.” He slid a check and a few papers across the desk.

She took both and he sat there like a rock, a solid mountain of a man with a strong chin and a mouth that shifted the smooth planes of his face when he smiled, making him less intimidating.

She considered the offer, to take the money and leave. That was the option he wanted her to take. And maybe he had the right of it. How long could she stay here without feeling caged? What about her life in Dawson with Mia and her adopted family, the Coopers? Did those two little girls really need someone like her?

Martin’s Crossing was another small town. For a girl raised in cities, she wasn’t used to small-town closeness, church on Sundays, people who knew her story. A picture of those two little girls on his desk caught her attention, making her rethink who she used to be and forcing her come to terms with the person she needed to be now.

“I’m not going anywhere.” She sat back and gave him a satisfied smile that trembled at the edges. Hopefully he didn’t notice it, or how her hands shook as she took the check and looked at the amount. She repeated her mantra. “I’m staying here with my nieces. If this is what Lawton wanted, then I owe it to him.”

“For how long?” His jaw clenched. “What would it take to buy you out, to make you leave?”

“I’m not for sale. I have two nieces who have lost both of their parents.”

He sighed and stood up, obviously not happy with her response.

“Okay, fine. So here’s the deal, Breezy.” He walked to the window and then looked back at her. “I don’t want the girls to be upset by this situation. They’ve been through enough.”

“I agree.”

“That means you’ll understand that I make the rules.”

“Why is that?”

“Several reasons. Lawton left the decision-making to me. They’re comfortable with me, and with Marty. I’ll bring them over to the house so they can get to know you.”

“Joint custody?” she reminded him with a voice that unfortunately shook.

“Right, and that will happen. But first we’ll go slowly. You’ll visit with them. I’ll supervise. If all goes well, we’ll come up with an arrangement that works for us both.”

“When do I get to spend time with them?”

“Tomorrow.” He picked up the hat he’d dropped on his desk. “I have work to get done and you’d probably like to settle in.”

“I guess that’s my cue to leave.” She stood, picking up her purse and waiting for him to say something.

He rounded his desk and walked with her to the door. “I’m sure you’ll find what you need at Lawton’s place.” He pulled a key out of his pocket and handed it to her. “Anything else you need, you’ll find in Martin’s Crossing.”

“Is there a grocery store?”

“Yes. Grocery store, gas station, restaurant and feed store. There are a couple of little shops, antiques and the like.”

He opened the front door and motioned her out ahead of him. She shivered as she stepped outside, surprised by how cold it had gotten. With this weather, she could believe Christmas was coming. She’d been looking forward to spending the holidays with Mia.

“Do you have any other questions?” Jake asked.

“None.” She nodded at him, her final goodbye. And then the case of nerves she’d been fighting hit and she couldn’t get her feet to move forward.

Her brother and sister-in-law were gone. She had two nieces who needed her. She needed them just as much. The man standing next to her seemed to be calling all of the shots. Everything inside her ached.

“Are you okay?” His voice rumbled close to her ear. She shivered at his nearness.

“Yeah, I’m good.” She swiped at her eyes and looked away from his steady gaze, taking a deep breath. A hand, strong and warm, touched her arm, sharing his strength.

“It’ll all work out. Maybe it doesn’t seem that way right now, but it will. And I’m sorry, that you and Lawton didn’t have a chance to spend more time together.”

She nodded and closed her eyes. The hand remained on her arm. But then it slipped away. She opened her eyes and took in a deep breath. She could do this.

“Thank you.” She looked up at him, surprised by the way his presence gave her more strength than she would have imagined.

Maybe someday they would be friends, even allies.

He pulled a business card out of his shirt pocket and a pen, quickly writing something on the back before handing it to her. “That’s the information for the alarm system. And you can call if you have any problems. I’ll see you tomorrow at noon.”

She took the card, glanced at it then slipped it into her purse. “I’ll make lunch.”

He gave her a look but then he nodded. “You can do that.”

Breezy walked down the stone steps to her car, her mind reeling. As she backed out of the drive Jake Martin still stood on the porch. He raised a hand as she pulled away and she returned the gesture.

It was the beginning of a truce. Truce, but not trust. Jake Martin wasn’t the type of man who would give trust easily. She understood because she was the same way.

* * *

Jake walked back inside. He found Marty waiting for him.

“Are the girls down for a nap?” he asked on his way to the kitchen, knowing Marty would follow.

“Yes. They were asking again.” She shook her head, and he knew that meant the girls wanted their mommy and daddy. “They’re a little lost, of course.”

Jake tossed his hat on the counter as he went for a glass of iced tea. “Aren’t we all?”

“Yes, but I worry about you, Jake, about you taking on one more burden.”

He shook his head at that. “The twins are family, not a burden.”

“You’ve raised a family. You’ve been taking care of people your whole life.”

Of course, he’d raised a family. His brothers and sisters had been counting on him for as long as he could remember. He’d made sure they were fed. He’d been the one to hire Marty years ago when his dad was sick and not really paying attention. He’d made sure the ranch kept making a profit.

Now he’d make sure Rosie and Violet were loved and protected.

Marty handed him a cup of coffee and then patted his arm the way she’d been doing for a long time, since she and her husband first came to town. Long before she was the cook and housekeeper, she’d figured out what life was like at the Circle M for a bunch of ragtag kids trying to make do with a mom that had left and a dad who had checked out.

“Brody called,” she said as she moved back to the counter and a bag of carrots that suddenly held her interest.

“And?” His younger brother had a knack for finding trouble.

“He and Lincoln had a fight. He’s coming home.”

Brody and his roommate and traveling partner were always one argument away from killing each other so Jake wasn’t surprised. He shrugged and took a drink from his cup. Marty started peeling carrots again.

“Well, I guess he’ll figure it out. The bull-riding season is almost over. He’s probably tired of being on the road.”

“He does get homesick, even if he doesn’t admit it.”

He set the glass in the sink and leaned a hip against the edge of the counter, crossing his arms over his chest as he waited for Marty to tell him what he needed to do. She was good at giving him advice. And, even if he wouldn’t admit it, she was usually right.

“Don’t lecture him,” she finally said. “I heard something in his voice.”

“I’ll go easy on him. He’s a grown man. It’s time he made his own decisions, anyway.”

Marty put a hand on his arm. “Is it really possible for you to do that?”

He grinned at her fairly unsympathetic tone. “No, probably not. What’s for dinner?”

“I’m making beef stew.”

“Okay.” He waited, watching. He could see the furrow in her brow and knew she had more on her mind than the stew.

“It’s okay for you to let this young woman help. I know you have reservations...”

“Because we don’t know her at all,” he reminded.

Marty shot him a look that he couldn’t fail to understand. He was being too “Jake” for her liking. He did like to take control. He liked to know his family was taken care of and safe. Old habits were hard to let go of.

“You’ve raised your siblings. Now you’re looking at raising two little girls. And I’m sorry, but they need more than you, Jake. I think Lawton was right. These girls need Breezy. I might not know her well, but I think I’m a good judge of character and she seems like someone you can trust.”

“It’s possible she won’t stay.”

Marty stopped dicing up an onion. “Because of her childhood? All I see is a young woman that was a victim of her situation.”

He grinned and kissed the top of Marty’s head. “I love you, Marty.”

She sniffled and wiped at tears trickling down her cheeks. “Silly onions.”

“Onions never make you cry.”

“Oh, hush. Go to town.”

As Marty cried, he placed a hand on her shoulder. She covered that hand with her own.

“I’m okay.”

“Of course you are.”

She was always okay. He’d known Marty most of his life. She and her husband had moved to Martin’s Crossing to pastor the Community Church at the edge of town. That had been close to twenty-five years ago. After Earl passed away, Marty had stayed on. She’d been the cook and housekeeper for the Martins. Then she’d gone to work for Lawton and Elizabeth after the girls were born.

“I need potatoes,” Marty said on a sigh.

“I’ll get a bag in town.”

“I should have planned better.”

He shrugged it off. “I’m sure there are other things we need. I’ve got a calf to check on, then I’ll come back in for a list.”

As he reached for his hat, she stopped him. “Give her a chance. I don’t think she’s had a lot of them.”

“That’s the Marty I know and love. You always see the good in people.”

“This is the Marty who knows that God doesn’t need us to judge for Him. That doesn’t mean she gets a free pass. Our baby girls come first.”

He laughed at that. “And there’s the Marty who protects her little ones.”

Her smile returned, settling in her gray eyes. “You’d better believe it.”

Jake believed it.

And he’d do his best to give Breezy a chance. But flat-out trust? That was something he’d have to work on. He’d learned—in life and in business—to reserve the right to form opinions at a later date.

Time would tell, he told himself as he headed out to the barn. She’d stay or she’d go. While she was in Martin’s Crossing he’d do his best to treat her like family, because that’s what Lawton would have wanted.

Chapter Three

Breezy was standing on the porch when Jake pulled up to Lawton’s house the next day. She could see two little girls in the backseat of the truck. Her heart thumped hard against her ribs. This was it. Her new life.

She’d spent the rest of yesterday and this morning wondering how she would do this. How would she stay in Martin’s Crossing? How would she know how to take care of two little girls? After cleaning a layer of dust off the furniture the previous evening, she’d sat down and tried to list the pros and cons of staying in Martin’s Crossing.

And she’d gotten stuck on Jake Martin, on the wariness in his eyes, on the way he’d questioned her, on the way his hand had touched her arm. Jake Martin had trust issues. Breezy had her own issues. She didn’t know how to settle, how to put down roots.

Sticking around now took on a lot of importance, for herself and for two little girls. She watched Jake unbuckle the girls from their car seats. Staying meant everything. She headed his way to help.

If he would let her.

It shouldn’t bother her. She’d grown up used to people giving her suspicious looks. She’d spent her life adjusting to new people, new situations. She knew how to reinvent herself. She could be the person two little girls needed her to be. Once she figured out who that person was.

She stepped close to the car, watching as he unbuckled one of the twins. Then he placed that little person in her arms. Dark hair straight, face thinner than the other little girl. “Hello, Violet.”

The little girl just stared, her eyes big and unsure. Yes, Breezy was getting used to that look. It mirrored the expression on Uncle Jake’s face. The man in question pushed the truck door closed. He held Rose in one arm against his side and the little girl patted his cheek with her tiny hand. Breezy watched the change that took place when he was in the presence of these little girls.

The twins made him human. They softened the distrust in his blue eyes.

“Are you ready for us?” he asked with a grin that surprised her.

Breezy nodded. “I’m ready.”

She walked in front of him, Violet in her arms. The little girl smelled like baby soap and fabric softener. Her arms had gone around Breezy’s neck. They reached the front door and Jake reached around her to push it open, a small touch of chivalry she hadn’t expected.

As they stepped inside, Violet struggled to be free. Breezy let the little girl down and Violet toddled as quickly as her little legs could carry her. In the center of the living room, she looked around, unsure. And then she cried.

“Momma!” Violet wailed, walking through the room. “Momma!”

Jake went after her, scooping her up with his free arm. “It’s okay, baby girl.”

By then both twins were crying and clinging to Jake.

“I’m sorry.” Breezy stood helpless and unsure of how to help. Should she reach for the twins? Maybe she didn’t have the mom gene. How could she, really? She’d never truly had a mother of her own.

Jake noticed and his expression softened although the concern remained in his eyes.

“It isn’t your fault. It’s just too soon to bring them here.”

Breezy looked around, trying to come up with something. “They have toys here. Let’s pull out the toys and let them settle down. I’m not sure that avoiding this house is what they need. They lived here. It’s familiar to them.”

“I think I know where they lived.”

“I think you should give me a chance.” She reached over and this time Rosie held her arms out and fell into Breezy’s embrace. The toddler’s arms around her neck took her by surprise.

“I’m working on it,” he said in a raspy voice.

Of course he was. She sat down on the edge of the sofa and Rose slid off her lap and headed for the guitar Breezy had left leaning against the wall. The little girl moved quickly. Breezy moved faster, getting the instrument before the child could grab it. But she held it, letting Rose pluck the strings. With a few strands of hair on top of her head in a pink bow, Rose smiled and jabbered.

“Do you want a song?” Breezy asked, settling on the sofa again. Rose rested against her knees.

Jake had moved to the nearby chair, still holding Violet. As Breezy started to play, the child slid down from his lap and joined Rose. Breezy swallowed past the lump of emotion that lodged in her throat. She managed not to cry. Instead she sang a Christmas song because it sounded like one a child would be soothed by.

As she sang, Rose clapped a few times and sounded as if she might be singing along. But it was hard to tell in the language of a two-year-old. She finished and set the guitar back on the floor. Violet had wandered back to Jake and was leaning against him, her thumb in her mouth, twirling dark curls around her finger.

He cleared his throat, and the little girl looked up at him. He scooped her into his arms. “We should feed them.”

“Yes, of course.”

If the music had soothed the girls, it seemed to have had the opposite effect on Jake. He headed off to the kitchen like a lion with a thorn in his paw. She remembered the folk tale, and knew, with certainty, that she wasn’t the mouse who would offer to remove the thorn. She wouldn’t want to get that close to the lion.

“I made soup and grilled cheese.” She walked to the stove, ignoring the man who had taken the girls to the dining room. “I have the sandwiches ready to grill and the soup is warm.”

She wasn’t about to admit that she’d pondered for a very long time over what to feed the girls. She had no idea if they could eat a sandwich or if they were still eating baby food.

“They’ll eat that.” He settled Violet in her high chair and then reached for Rosie.

Breezy watched from the doorway but then turned to the kitchen and the job of finishing lunch. She turned the griddle on and pulled the already buttered bread out of the fridge, along with the cheese slices she would put in the middle. When she had them on the electric griddle, she found Jake Martin in the doorway watching her.

“You play well,” he said in an easy tone.

“Thank you,” she said, turning back to the griddle. “What would you like to drink?”

“I can get our drinks. The girls are buckled in and I can see them from here,” he offered as he took glasses from the cabinet.

She nodded, as if she wasn’t making a mental list of parenting dos and don’ts. One: always make sure they are buckled and within line of sight. Yes, those things seemed like common sense, but what if she forgot something? What if there was a rule that most people knew but she didn’t? She’d learned a lot of those rules when she’d moved in with Mia, but Mia’s stepson, Caleb, was almost seven now. He didn’t require safety seats or high chairs anymore.

“Are you talking to yourself?” He opened the fridge and pulled out the pitcher of tea she’d made that morning. Tea should never be instant. Mia had taught her that rule. There were other rules, too. Going to church on Sunday was another one.

Had she been talking to herself? She bit down on her bottom lip and shook her head, hoping that was the right answer. “No, of course not. I was telling you there are sippy cups here and milk in the fridge.”

“Of course. Because the word milk sounds like rules.”

“It could,” she hedged. She flipped the sandwiches off the griddle onto a plate.

He laughed. “You’re kidding, right?”

She started to feel a little bubble of laughter coming to the surface. She didn’t want to laugh, not with him. Laughing with Jake would make them feel like friends and he clearly was not a friend.

“There aren’t rules, Breezy.”

“Aren’t there?”

She ladled the soup into bowls, adding just a tiny amount for the twins. How much soup would they eat?

“A little more than that,” Jake responded to her unasked question. “And I guess there are some rules.”

Great, she loved rules. She might as well ask now and get it over with before she broke them all and found herself dismissed from the lives of her nieces. He’d made it clear he had the power to do that.

“Okay, tell me the rules.”

Jake cut up the sandwiches and placed them in front of the girls. She’d forgotten to do that. Next time, sandwiches in four triangles. That was simple enough. She set the soup on the table. Jake moved it back.

“What?”

“Soup out of reach or it’ll be on the floor before we can turn around.”

“Rule one, no soup.”

He laughed, the sound a little rusty but nice. He should laugh more often.

“I didn’t say no soup,” he clarified. “I said out of reach.”

She handed him a glass of tea and he took the seat next to Violet. Breezy took that as her cue and moved to the seat next to Rose. The little girl had already reached for a triangle of sandwich and was nibbling crust.

“Next rule?” Breezy asked as she reached for her sandwich.

Jake held out his hand. “We pray before we eat.”

Of course. She let out a sigh and took the hand he offered. She ignored the fact that with one hand in his and one hand holding Rose’s, she felt connected.

And a little bit trapped. No, she couldn’t ignore that.

* * *

Jake took a bite of sandwich and nearly choked. “What in the world is that?”

Next to him Violet gagged. Rose continued to nibble as if it was the best thing she’d ever eaten.

“It’s grilled cheese.”

“That is not cheese,” he pointed out.

“No, it’s not,” she admitted. “It’s cheese substitute.”

Jake put the sandwich down on his plate and took a long drink of tea, hoping it was real tea. It was. After he washed the taste of fake cheese out of his mouth he pinned the woman across from him with a look. “Rule three, no fake cheese. That’s not even real food.”

She laughed a little and smiled at Rose, who was happily chowing down. Rose grinned up at Breezy. Drool and cheese slid down her chin.

“Rose likes it,” she informed him.

“Rose doesn’t know better.” He pushed back from the table and headed for the kitchen. “I think we’ll have more soup and crackers, if you haven’t found a substitute for those.”

When he returned to the dining room, she looked less than sure of herself. “I thought it would be healthier for them.”

“They’re two, they need to eat dairy.” He ladled more soup in the bowls and tossed a sleeve of crackers in front of Breezy. She had taken a bite of sandwich and made a face.

“It is pretty gross.”

“So you’re not really a vegetarian?”

She shook her head. “No, I just thought it sounded like the right thing for children.”

He laughed and then she laughed. Maybe this is how they would get through this mess, with laughter. Maybe they would work out a friendship and he would learn to trust her. But he wasn’t ready for that. Not right now. He sat back down and pushed the sandwich away. “I think maybe next time we’ll stick to real cheese.”

“Right,” she said. “And maybe we should go over the rest of the rules.”

He leaned back in his chair, his gaze settling on Violet’s dark hair as she sipped soup from her spoon. “It isn’t as if I’ve made a list of rules, Breezy. I’m not trying to make this difficult. I just have to be the person who keeps them safe.”

“You think you’re on your own with this?”

He didn’t answer the question because he didn’t want to explain that having Sylvia Martin for a mother meant he’d been taking care of children since he’d been old enough to reach the stove.

He didn’t know how to let go. And in his experience, women had a tendency not to stick around. At least not the ones in his life.

“I’m not on my own,” he finally answered. “But I’m the head of this family and I will always make sure these little girls are taken care of.”

“Maybe give me the benefit of the doubt and understand that I want the same for them. I want them happy and healthy. I want to be part of their lives.” She leaned a little in his direction. “C’mon. Give me the rules. You know it’ll make you feel better.”

“I don’t know what the rules are.” Even as he said it he found himself smiling, and surprised by that. She did that, he realized. She undid his resolve with a cheerful smile and a teasing glint in her golden-brown eyes.

“You have rules,” she said. “Should I get some paper or do you think I can remember them all?”

“Okay. Church. We always attend church.”

She smiled at that. “Because it’s a law in Martin’s Crossing or because you are a man of faith?”

“What does that mean?”

She shrugged. “You made it sound like a law,” she said. “If broken, they’ll what? Stone me in the town square?”

“No, they won’t stone you in the town square and yes, I’m a man of faith.”

“Okay, Rule Number Three, church. I can do church.”

There was a hesitance to her voice that he wanted to question but he didn’t.

“We eat as a family on Sunday afternoons.”

“Am I considered family now?”

“You’re family.” He hadn’t planned this, for her to be in their lives, a part of their family, but she was. Man, she complicated his life in so many ways.

On the other hand, the rules made him smile, because he’d never intended to list them. He hadn’t even thought of them as rules until she pointed it out.

“Okay, church and Sunday dinner. That’s nice. What if I bring the tofu pizza?”

“Rule Number Five...”

She laughed. “No tofu?”

“Never.” He pushed back from the table and she did the same. “I need to check on the cattle.”

“Is checking on cattle a rule?” She grinned at him.

“No, it isn’t a rule. It’s something that has to be done.”

“Can I help you do things here? I mean, I’m going to be around, I might as well earn my keep.”

He unbuckled Violet and lifted her from the high chair. He hadn’t expected Breezy to offer her help. What was he supposed to tell her, that he’d been looking for an excuse to get away from her for a few minutes? He hadn’t expected her to tease, and he definitely hadn’t expected to enjoy her company.

“You want to help out with the cattle?”

She looked a little unsure. “Well, maybe. I mean, is there a way I can help?”

“Have you ever lived on a ranch, Breezy?”

“My sister was raised on a ranch in Oklahoma.”

“But you, have you ever lived on a ranch?”

“I’ve seen cows.” She said it with a wink.

He held Violet close but he smiled at the woman opposite him. “You’ve seen cows but thought cheese came from a plant?”

“Okay, let’s not mention that anymore, and I promise to never buy nondairy again.”

“Thank you. I can’t even believe they had such a thing at the store in town. And we still have a few rules to cover.”

“Such as?” She had Rose in her arms and the little girl’s eyes were droopy. Breezy kissed her cheek and stroked her hair, causing those droopy eyes to close and her head to nod. She’d be asleep in a few minutes. So would Violet.

He headed for the living room and she followed. “If you are here long enough to date, we don’t bring dates home, or around the girls.”

“That’s absurd. Are you planning to stay single until they’re eighteen?”

He didn’t like the question, and as he settled into a rocking chair with Violet he tried to ignore it. Bottom line was he wouldn’t let a mother walk out on Violet and Rose. The twins had already lost enough.

Violet nodded off in his arms. Rose was already on the sofa, a blanket pulled up over her. He started to get out of the rocking chair with Violet but Breezy moved to take her from him, her blond hair falling forward. The silky strands brushed his arms as she lifted his niece. Their hands touched and he looked up to meet her gaze head-on.

The strangest feelings erupted as she moved away from him with Violet in her arms. It made him want to reach out to her, to know her better, to trust her.

He shook off those thoughts because they didn’t make sense.

He watched as she carried Violet away from him, cradling her gently and then settling her on the opposite end of the sofa from her sister. He remained in the rocking chair, as she covered the little girl with a pink afghan. She kissed Violet’s cheek and brushed her hair back from her face.

If she was going to leave, he hoped she left before the twins got used to her touch, to her softness.

“I’m going to the barn,” he said, heading for the front door. She didn’t have a chance to question him. He didn’t need more tangled-up emotions to deal with. He needed fresh air and a few minutes to clear his thoughts.

And a few rules for himself when it came to Breezy Hernandez.

Chapter Four

Thursday morning, just a few days into this new life of hers, Breezy stepped outside with a cup of coffee. It was cool, crisp, but not cold. She breathed in the slightly frosty air as she settled in a rocking chair on the front porch. The land stretching forever in front of her was different than Oklahoma, yet similar. The terrain surrounding the house was flat with small trees; the leaves had turned and were falling. An old barn stood in the field, gray wood against a backdrop of a foggy morning. A short distance away the ground rose in rugged hills, also dotted with trees. She knew there was a lake not far from Martin’s Crossing, and the creek that ran through this property emptied into that lake.

The sun rose, turning the frosty air to morning fog and touching everything in pinkish-gold. It made her think of faith, of believing in something other than herself. She’d tried, since she was little, to capture that faith.

Not just the faith, but what came with it. The sense of having purpose, of belonging, of Sunday dinners and laughing families.

She wanted that life. She wanted a home that would always be hers, with belongings that were hers. Maybe she wouldn’t have to leave. Maybe she could fill this house with pictures and things she collected.

Her gaze drifted in the direction of the metal barn, a newer structure, part lean-to for cattle and part machine shed for farm equipment. Something was off. She tried to figure out what was different. And then she saw the cattle moving outside an open gate.

They definitely shouldn’t be out. She would have to do something about the problem.

She set her cup down and slipped her feet into her slippers As she ran across the yard and then down the dirt track to the barn, she was struck with the realization that she didn’t have a clue what she needed to do once she reached the cattle. Of course she knew she should put them back in the field. But exactly how did a person go about putting up a small herd of cattle?

As she ran she shouted and waved her arms. The cattle continued to drift, separating into several small groups. They were gigantic black beasts. One eyed her with a glare. She glared back.

“Back inside that gate, you wooly mammoths.” She waved her arms and ran at the animals.

For the most part they stood their ground. A few moved out of her way but definitely not toward the gate. Several dropped their heads to graze on winter-brown grass. One took several cautious steps in her direction.

She paused to watch, hopeful he wasn’t going to charge her but not really positive. Time for a new tactic.

“Back in the field. If you please, Sir Loin.”

She shooed him with her hands. He shook his massive head. She started to run at him, slipping a little on the frosty grass.

“Listen, hamburger, I was giving you the benefit of the doubt when I thought you were a gentleman, now go.” She charged at him, waving her arms.

He snorted and took a few quick steps away from her before turning back to face her again. It clicked in her city-girl brain that she wasn’t going to win a battle against a one-ton animal. Plus, she had nowhere to run. The small herd of cattle were between her and the barn. The house was a few hundred feet behind her. There were definitely no trees to climb.

Her legs suddenly grew a little shaky and she started to worry how much it would hurt to be trampled by a bull. He had turned his attention back to her. The other cows were grazing and moving away. Maybe she should have started with them because they definitely looked less aggressive.

Walk away, slow and easy. It was the same advice she’d given herself on city streets at night when someone walked a little too closely behind her or came out of an alley looking for trouble. Never let them see your fear.

She started to walk, glancing over her shoulder to make sure he wasn’t going to charge. He seemed content to watch. But as she moved toward the barn, she heard him moving. She looked back over her shoulder and he was trotting toward her, his head lowered.

“No!” She started to run.

Sharp barks and the sound of a horse’s hooves broke through her fear-fogged brain. She saw the flash as a dog rushed past her, heard his warning barks, and then a horse moved next to her. She looked up, her entire body turning to jello as her heart tried to beat itself out of her chest.

Jake Martin smiled down at her and then he swung, with casual ease, from the saddle. He landed lightly on the ground, all six-plus-feet of him.

“Having some troubles, Miss Hernandez?”

“Oh, no, I just felt like playing with the cattle, Mr. Martin. They seemed lonely. I thought the bull would like to play fetch.”

“Yes.” He grinned. “Bulls do love to play fetch. I hate to ruin your fun, but what say we put your playmates back in the field and figure out how they got loose.”

“Good idea.” She peeked around his horse, a red-gold animal that was huge, because a man like Jake Martin needed a huge beast to ride.

The dog, a heeler, was having a great time circling the cattle and bringing them toward the gate.

“Why don’t you wait inside the barn?” Jake pointed and she nodded in agreement, her insides settling now that he was there.

He swung back into the saddle and the horse spun in a tight half circle, going after a few cows that were making for the house and the yard. Breezy watched from the door of the barn, somewhat entranced by the beauty of it. Jake’s horse seemed to obey with the slightest touch of his hands on the reins or his knees on its sides. The dog kept an eye on the cattle and an ear perked toward Jake, waiting for various commands.

Within minutes the cattle were back in the field and the gate was closed. Jake slid to the ground again and wrapped the reins around a post. The dog plopped down on the ground and proceeded to lick his paws.

Jake walked toward her, no longer smiling but giving the place a careful look. When he got to her, he peeked inside the barn.

“Have you been in there?”

She shook her head. “No. I was sitting on the porch with a cup of coffee when I saw that they were out and this door was open.”

“The door was open?” His brows came together and his eyes narrowed. “You haven’t been out here at all?”

“No, of course not.”

“I’m sorry, I’m not accusing you, just trying to figure things out. Stay out here.”

“No!”

He smiled, his features relaxing. “Chicken?”

“No, of course not. But why would I stay out here if you’re going in there?”

He pushed the door open a little wider and motioned her inside. “By all means, be my guest.”

She stepped inside the hazy, dark interior of the barn. Jake was right behind her, his arm brushing hers as he stepped around her. Without a word he headed down the center aisle for the open door at the other end.

“You haven’t seen anyone? Any cars? Any sounds last night?”

“Nothing.”

He slowed as he reached the open door. For the first time she felt a sliver of fear. It shivered up her spine as she stepped close to the wall. Jake eased close to the room and looked inside. And then he stepped through that door, leaving her somewhat alone.

“Is everything okay?” she whispered.

He stepped out of the room, shaking his head. “The office is ransacked. I’m not sure what anyone was hoping to find in there. But I’m going to call the police and file a report, just to be on the safe side.”

So much for her calm, peaceful existence in Martin’s Crossing. Breezy sank with relief onto an overturned bucket and watched as Jake paced a short distance away from her. He spoke quietly on his cell phone, making it impossible to hear him. But she couldn’t help wondering if he suspected her. Why wouldn’t he? She’d showed up in town, the mysterious sister of Lawton Brooks. She was a woman who had lived on the streets. Her resume included panhandling, singing for change and an arrest record—although no charges were ever filed. Why wouldn’t he suspect her? Most people did.

Even her sister Mia’s husband, Slade, had been a little on the suspicious side when he first found her. He’d looked into her past and dug up what dirt he could find. He’d done it for Mia. Even bringing her to Oklahoma had been for Mia, not for Breezy.

It had worked out, though. And had given her a taste of what it was like to belong. It had only been a few days, but she wanted to belong in Martin’s Crossing. Belong to a town with a small grocery store and neighbors who asked how she was doing.

Jake ended his call and walked back toward her. With his long, powerful strides he was there in a matter of steps. He kneeled next to her, bending those long legs and folding his arms over his knees. He pushed back the black cowboy hat and peered at her. He looked concerned.

She took a breath and waited.

“Are you okay?”

“Of course I am.” She made sure to smile as she said it. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

His face split in a grin. “Well, you were almost toast out there with Johnny.”

“The bull’s name is Johnny? How ridiculous.”

Eyebrows arched. “Really? What would you name him?”

She shook her head. “I thought perhaps Sir Loin. But then he didn’t seem very chivalrous for a knight, so maybe Johnny is better.”

“He usually isn’t aggressive, but he does like to play. And when a bull his size decides to play, that makes you the bouncy ball.”

“I’m glad you came along when you did.”

“Me, too,” he replied. His voice was soft, like wind through the pines, and it undid her a tiny bit. “You’re probably cold.”

She was cold. She’d been wearing yoga pants and a T-shirt when she’d gone on this wild adventure. And her slippers were soaked from the damp morning grass. As she considered her pathetic condition, he slipped off his jacket and eased it around her shoulders.

“This should help.”

Words failed her. The jacket smelled of Jake Martin, like pine, mountains in the fall and cold winter air. She wanted to bury her nose in the collar and inhale his scent. She wanted to tell him she didn’t need his jacket. Without his jacket she was safe. Not tangled up with him, longing to be a part of something she’d never be a part of. In her experience, wanting always ended with disappointment. What she wanted was always taken from her or left behind when she moved on.

* * *

Jake watched as a train of emotions flickered across her face. He’d seen gratitude when he’d first put that coat around her, then he’d seen fear and maybe regret. He wished she wasn’t so easy to read. She’d be less complicated if she could be as composed as she thought she was.

Breezy was poetry, classic novels and maybe the Bible, all rolled into one very open book. It was a book he thought he might like to read. In any other life but his own.

For Violet and Rose’s sakes, he couldn’t mess this up. He’d seen, even in their short introduction to Breezy, that the girls would need this woman in their lives. But he couldn’t need her. His entire life was a juggling act. The ranch, his career, the twins, his family. One more thing might set the whole mess falling fast around him.

But he would handle the moments when she made him smile, made him laugh. He was selfish that way.

“Do you want to go back to the house?” he asked, needing to get past whatever vibrated in the air between them.

She shook her head; he’d known she would. “I’m cold, but I’m not going to faint or fall apart, Martin.”

He smiled again. “I didn’t begin to think you would, Hernandez.”

At that she actually smiled, and he saw her vulnerability slip away. She was strong again. Snuggled in his jacket that she would leave scented with her lavender-and-citrus fragrance.

“If you need to do something, go right ahead,” she offered. “I know you didn’t come over here with the intention of rescuing me and then solving a mystery.”

“No, I came over to feed. To do that, I’ll have to get the tractor and hook a round bale. I’ll be gone in about fifteen minutes.”

“I haven’t forgotten how to protect myself. I’ve been doing it a long time.”

He had no doubt she could protect herself. And he also knew that was her way of telling him she didn’t need him to look after her. He walked away, taking a spare jacket that had been left inside the tack room and heading out the side door to the tractor. He climbed up into the big green-and-yellow machine and closed the door, blocking out the sounds and thoughts that were bombarding him this morning.

But one thought wouldn’t be evaded. When was the last time anyone had looked out for Breezy? Had she ever been made to feel safe, to feel protected?

It wasn’t his job, that role of protector. She did have a sister in Oklahoma. And she had made it clear that she relied on herself, her own abilities.

Jake had the twins, Samantha, Brody and sometimes Duke to watch over, to keep out of trouble and to protect. Lawton had put Breezy in his life but he hadn’t made Jake her guardian.

With that settled in his mind, he drove out through the field with a round bale on the back of the tractor and cattle following behind him. He’d hired a kid to do this job but it hadn’t worked out. James had been twenty-one and wanting to save up to go to welding school. After a week of taking care of things at Lawton’s place, James had stopped showing up.

That left it to Jake. Maybe when Brody came home he’d help out. And Duke would do what he could.

As he headed back to the barn to park the tractor the county deputy was pulling up in his car. Mac the blue heeler greeted him, his stub tail wagging. Jake knew the deputy. They’d gone to school together a long time ago.

When he stepped back into the barn after parking the tractor, Deputy Aaron Mallard was in the office. Breezy stood in the doorway answering questions and apologizing because she really hadn’t seen anything other than loose cattle and an open door.

The deputy nodded in greeting when he saw Jake. “Jake, been a while.”

“Aaron, yeah, it has. I didn’t touch anything, but I can tell you it wasn’t like this yesterday.”

“Didn’t figure you left it a mess. And I know Lawton was a stickler for neatness. Someone was looking for something in the filing cabinet. It’s pried open. Funny, because I’m not seeing anything but feed bills and farm equipment receipts.”

“That’s really all that we kept in here.”

“Anything in the house that someone would want?”

“I guess there could still be paperwork or research in Lawton’s office. He took most of his work to Austin but sometimes he worked at home,” Jake responded. He tried to remember anything Lawton had said or even hinted at. Had they had prowlers before? It wasn’t unheard-of these days.

The country used to be safe. They hadn’t locked their doors for more years than he could remember. Yeah, life had changed. People didn’t mind stealing from neighbors. Worse than that, now they even stole from the church if they got a chance.

What had happened to respect? Leaning against the door frame, he shook his head at the turn of his thoughts. “I’ll take a look around, and see if I can find anything that might have been interesting to a burglar.”

“Could be it isn’t a burglar, Jake.” The deputy closed the filing cabinet drawer and walked out of the office. “Could be they’re searching for something and it isn’t a random break-in. Lawton developed some pretty serious financial software. Could he have left something around here that he was working on? Something new?”

“Yeah, maybe,” Jake agreed, trying hard not to think about how this put the twins, and Breezy, in danger. If someone was searching for Lawton’s latest project, what would they do to get their hands on it?

“I’ll make sure we send a patrol by here a couple of times a day, and you all keep the alarm system activated.” The deputy gave Breezy a look this time. “And keep the doors locked.”

Jake walked Aaron out. They discussed the odds of it being someone they knew. They talked about the weather and Christmas. As they talked, Breezy walked out of the barn, closing the door behind her. She told Jake she’d meet him at the house.

She was still wearing his jacket. He watched her walk down the driveway, his dog next to her. He knew her scent would linger on his jacket. Every time he pulled it on, he’d smell that light spring fragrance.

Jake had been around awhile. He knew temptation when he saw it, when it walked away with his dog and his coat. And maybe took a little of his common sense with it.

It had been years since he’d met temptation head-on like this, but he still recognized it for what it was. And he still knew where that road led. He knew he wasn’t going there.

Chapter Five

After Jake left, Breezy decided to unpack her few belongings. She’d been putting off the task of settling in, thinking something would happen, preparing for the reality that this, too, could be taken from her. She’d kept her clothes in her suitcase and her toiletries in the bag she’d put on the bathroom counter. Unpacking meant staying. Unpacking meant a commitment to remain here and help raise two little girls.

It meant staying in Jake Martin’s life. For a long, long time. Always being the person he tolerated. A person he’d rather not have in his world.

She had news for him. He was no picnic, either. But they were stuck with each other and she’d make the best of it.

The decision to stay meant picking a room. There were two bedrooms and a craft room upstairs. She had picked a spare room on the ground floor, close to the room that had belonged to the twins. A room those twins would return to in time. They would spend nights with her. Maybe even weeks.

Breezy’s new room was pretty with tan, textured walls and another wall of stone, with a fireplace in the center and French doors that led to a patio. She stood in the middle of that room and tried to imagine herself living there. She tried to picture herself helping Jake Martin raise two little girls, picture them growing up. She would be there as they went to school, as they started to think about boys and dating, and then someday they would leave. And where would she be then? Still in Martin’s Crossing, still single and wishing she could find a place to belong?

What if she grew to love this town?

How would it feel to grow old in Martin’s Crossing? For some reason, images of Jake Martin popped into her mind. Unattainable, undeniably gorgeous, a man with rules, a man of faith. She would be coparenting those little girls with a man who was everything she’d never been.

She headed down the hall to the kitchen, where she quickly made a list of things she needed from the store. What she really needed was to get out of the house. Breezy headed for Martin’s Crossing, AKA: The One-Horse Town. As she drove she called Mia. She needed to tell her sister everything that had happened. She also needed to know she still had an ally, someone who trusted her.

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