Twins for the Rancher Read online

  “Thanks.”

  “No problem. Where to?” Thank goodness she didn’t ask him why he’d been hoofing it down the shoulder of the road.

  “Primrose Café, downtown.”

  “They have good food?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Great. I’ll give it a try, too. Was headed out in search of lunch, just hadn’t decided where. Though I look a fright.”

  “No, you don’t.” Far from it. “And besides, the Primrose isn’t fancy. You’ll see everyone from tourists to ranchers who have a load of cattle waiting outside.”

  When they reached the café, the parking lot was pretty full. With her small car, however, she was able to squeeze into a space that would hold only about half of his truck if he split it down the center. Thankfully, the spot was close to the door.

  “One of the joys of having a small car,” she said. “Along with great gas mileage.”

  They raced for the front door to the café, which he held open for her.

  “Thanks.” She offered a brief smile, but it was enough to make his insides feel wobbly. He looked away, trying to convince himself it was just his hunger reasserting itself.

  Lauren got the attention of a waitress when they stepped inside. “Who do I see about placing a to-go order?”

  “Any of us. But honestly, you’ll probably get your food faster if you just eat here. We got a big group takeout order in about two minutes ago, so you’d be behind all those. Different cook working on dine-ins.”

  Adam looked around the crowded room, not unusual for this time of day, and spotted a two-top over by the wall. He caught Lauren’s gaze and pointed toward the table. “You’re welcome to join me if you think you can stand me a little longer.”

  He tried not to take it personally when she hesitated a little too long before nodding.

  They’d barely sat down before a woman at the next table said, “Oh, my God. You’re the Brazos Baker, aren’t you?”

  Lauren smiled, similar to the smile she showed on her website. It was different than the more natural ones she wore when not in what could be considered the public spotlight.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “I don’t believe it.” The woman looked at her friends, who suddenly appeared just as excited. “We all love your show.”

  “I made your pineapple cream cake for my daughter’s wedding,” one of the other women said. “I had to hide the top tier for her and her husband or it would have been gobbled up, too.”

  “Well, I’m glad everyone enjoyed it.”

  The back-and-forth was interrupted by the same waitress who’d greeted them at the entrance. “What can I get for you?”

  They hadn’t even cracked the menus open, not that Adam ever had to. Other than the daily specials, the menu at the Primrose didn’t really change. Still, Lauren hadn’t been here before.

  “She needs time to look at the menu,” he said.

  “No, I’m okay. You go ahead. I can decide quickly.” She opened up her menu to give it a quick perusal.

  “Burger and fries for me,” he said, not feeling the daily special of turkey and dressing.

  “That actually sounds good,” Lauren said. “Give me that, too.”

  When the waitress hurried away, Lauren pulled out her buzzing phone. “Sorry, I have to respond to this.”

  “No need to apologize. You’re a busy woman.”

  She flew through answering the text like a teenager who could text faster than she could speak. He took the opportunity to text Angel for a ride home after he ate. When he looked up, Lauren pointed at his phone.

  “Looks as if I’m not the only one.”

  “Arranging the family version of Uber.” At the curious expression on her face, he confessed, “I might have run over a deer and crunched the front of my truck on the way into town.”

  “Oh, no. My sister once completely destroyed her car when she hit, I swear, the biggest buck I’ve ever seen. He was like a ninety-eight-pointer or something.”

  He laughed at that mental image. “Bet he had a neck ache before his untimely demise.”

  One of those genuine smiles appeared on her face, and he swore he’d never seen anything so beautiful.

  The waitress had been right. She appeared with their food just as the other staff members behind the counter started bagging up a large number of takeout containers. As their waitress moved on to her next customers, he noticed a couple of the women who’d been chatting with Lauren were now looking at him. They smiled then shifted their gazes away, but he felt odd, as if they’d been sizing him up.

  He’d taken one bite of his burger when the group of women started making moves to leave. When they stood, the one who’d originally recognized Lauren drew her attention again.

  “I’m so glad to see you doing well and moving on. The way that boy treated you was so wrong. I wanted to hit him upside the head with my purse, and it’s not an unsubstantial weapon,” she said, lifting what to Adam’s eyes looked more like a piece of luggage.

  “Uh, thank you.” Lauren’s answer sounded strangled, as if she suddenly wished she was anywhere but where she sat.

  Thankfully, the women didn’t stick around any longer, especially since one of the waitresses was already clearing their table so more customers could be seated. But Adam only saw that activity with his peripheral vision because his gaze was fixed on Lauren and how any hint of a smile, of happiness, had just evaporated right before his eyes.

  Chapter Three

  Lauren had read books where the characters were placed in situations so embarrassing that they wished for a hole to open up and swallow them, but she’d never experienced it herself. Not until now anyway. Even during the trial Phil had forced her into with claims she’d promised him half her business, she hadn’t experienced the need to pull herself into a shell to hide like a turtle. Then she’d had her attorney beside her, and she’d been filled instead with righteous anger and a fierce determination to prove that Phil was full of crap and not entitled to one red cent of her money.

  The determination had paid off. Only after it was all over did she realize the emotional toll it had taken on her. But as the woman had said, Lauren was moving forward—just not in the way the other woman had assumed. Before Lauren figured out some way to correct her while also not offending Adam, the woman and her friends were already headed for the exit.

  Oh, how she wished she hadn’t gotten a text from Papa Ed earlier that he and the girls had already eaten and were about to take a nap. She’d intended to order her lunch to go so she could head back to work. She wanted to get a good amount accomplished but also leave plenty of time to play with Bethany and Harper before their bedtime.

  Movement across the table brought her back to the present. She couldn’t meet Adam’s gaze, didn’t want to invite any questions about what the other woman had meant. Hoping by some miracle he’d missed it entirely, she latched on to the first nonrelated topic that came to mind.

  “So, you said your company only employs family members. How many people is that?”

  “We’re up to eleven if you don’t count the kids, although one’s a toddler so she gets a free pass.” She smiled at his joke, causing him to do the same. “Some have other jobs, too, but we all pitch in on the ranch whenever and wherever needed. You’re welcome to come out and see the operation sometime, if that would help make your decision easier.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” she said, more out of gratitude that he’d not asked about the woman’s comment than any real need to see the beef still on the hoof.

  Thankfully, their conversation flowed into even safer territory with him telling her about the various businesses in town that brought in tourists, or that were popular with the locals—or both.

  “You’re going to have some competition from Keri Teague. She owns Mehlerhaus Bakery and is considered the best bake
r in Blue Falls.”

  “I don’t mind a little friendly competition. It’s been my experience that there can never be too many desserts available. The number of people with a fondness for sweets is directly proportional to the number of sweets they can get their hands on.”

  Adam laughed. “You and Keri should get a cut of Dr. Brown’s business. He’s the local dentist.”

  She smiled. “That’s not a half-bad idea.”

  Adam’s smile lessened a fraction as he glanced beyond her. Before she could turn to investigate why, an older woman stepped up to the table and placed her hand on Adam’s shoulder.

  “I hear your family’s about to get a little bigger again.”

  “You hear correctly.”

  Was Adam married? She didn’t see a ring on his hand, but that didn’t mean anything. She knew ranchers who didn’t wear rings so they didn’t get caught on machinery and rip off a finger. Of course, he could be a father without a wife. He had mentioned kids on the ranch earlier. Though she barely knew him, she really didn’t want to believe he might be married and having a friendly, chatty lunch with her. She was well aware that men and women had business lunches all the time, but the fact that Adam didn’t come across as a married man made her hope he wasn’t. Not that she wanted to be with him. She just didn’t want to be faced with another lying, self-serving man.

  Adam made eye contact with Lauren. “My oldest brother, Neil, and his wife just announced they’re having their first baby.”

  “Oh, good for them.” She ignored the strange and unexpected feeling of relief that the child wasn’t his. She tried finding a valid reason for her reaction. When she couldn’t, she chose to ignore it.

  “Yeah, it’s so nice seeing all the joyful events your family has been having—weddings, babies.” The woman shifted her attention toward Lauren. “I’m sorry. I must have left my manners in the car. I’m Verona Charles. I wanted to welcome you to Blue Falls. Everyone is so excited to have you here, and we can’t wait to see what you do with your place.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate that.” She wondered if there was a soul left in the county who didn’t know what she was up to. She accepted Verona’s hand for a shake. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Verona used to be the head of the Blue Falls Tourist Bureau before she retired,” Adam said.

  “Yeah, but old habits die hard. I still have this urge to greet newcomers and visitors as soon as they cross the city limits.”

  Lauren caught a shift in Adam’s expression—as if he was trying really hard not to smile or maybe even laugh. What was that about?

  “Verona, your order’s ready,” one of the waitresses called out from behind the counter.

  “Oh, I better get that. Taking lunch out to everyone at the nursery.”

  After Verona took her leave, Adam explained her final statement. “Her niece, Elissa, owns Paradise Garden Nursery, a big garden center a short distance outside of town. That’s another tourist draw to the area, especially in the spring.”

  “Ah. So now explain what was so funny.”

  “You caught that, huh?”

  She nodded as she swirled a fry through her pool of ketchup.

  “I guess someone should warn you. Verona has appointed herself town matchmaker. If you spend any time here at all, she’ll try to pair you up with someone.”

  A cold ball of dread formed in Lauren’s middle. A matchmaker was the absolute last thing she needed in her life right now.

  * * *

  ADAM CONSIDERED HIMSELF lucky that his attempt to not laugh at Verona was all Lauren had noticed. If she’d guessed that he’d momentarily been okay with the idea of Verona trying to match up the two of them, that likely would have been the end of any chance he had of winning her business. He had all the evidence he needed in her reactions to what both the unknown woman and Verona had said. He wasn’t Sherlock Holmes or anything, but even he was able to deduce she wasn’t interested in a romantic relationship. He had to admit he was curious why, but he wasn’t about to ask such a personal question of someone he’d met only a little more than an hour ago.

  After they’d finished their meals, he asked Lauren if she wanted dessert.

  “Better not. I’m so full now that I’m likely to want to take a nap when I get back instead of working.”

  “Speaking of, you’ll want to be careful with that ladder, especially if you’re alone. When I first came by earlier, I was afraid you were about to topple off it.”

  “I’ll be careful. A full body cast isn’t my idea of a good time.”

  “That’s nobody’s idea of a good time.”

  After they both paid for their meals, he once again held the door open for her. The rain had passed, leaving behind a faint hint of sun trying to burn its way through the clouds.

  “You need a ride somewhere else?”

  He spotted Angel just pulling into the parking lot. “No, thank you. My ride just showed up.”

  She glanced across the parking lot. He could tell when she spotted Angel.

  “One of the family members who works at Rocking Horse Ranch?”

  He nodded. “My sister, Angel. She’s mainly a photographer, a darn good one, but she’s been known to string fence and muck out stalls.”

  “My little sister dabbles in photography, too. Nature stuff, mostly. Does Angel specialize?”

  “Ranch life and rodeos. She’s beginning to gain some recognition, has had some photos in a couple of national magazines.”

  “That’s great. Well, I’ll stop talking your ear off and let you get on with your day.”

  “No problem. Hope to hear from you soon.”

  She simply nodded and headed toward her car, and he hoped he hadn’t come across as too pushy. He didn’t think he had, but you never knew how far was too far for other people.

  When he realized he’d been watching her a bit too long, he turned away and headed for Angel’s vehicle.

  “That was her, wasn’t it?” Angel asked as soon as he opened the door to her car.

  “Yeah.”

  “Looks as if things must have gone well if you two had lunch together.”

  “I think our meeting went okay, but lunch was just an accident.”

  Angel started the engine but didn’t pull out of the lot. Instead, she watched as Lauren drove by and gave a quick wave to them.

  “How does an accidental lunch happen exactly?”

  With a sigh, he recounted the story of his morning, right up until Lauren had given him a ride to the Primrose.

  “Well, that’s a good sign.”

  “Not necessarily. She was just being a decent person, preventing me from getting soaked to the bone.”

  “I’d give you that except she agreed to have lunch with you, too.”

  “It wasn’t her first choice.” As Angel finally drove out of the lot onto Main Street, he told her how he and Lauren had come to share a table.

  “She could have waited for takeout or gone somewhere else.”

  “Yeah, but she was hungry then.”

  “Whatever. I just think you must have made a good impression.”

  He hoped so, and he tried to tell himself it was only for professional reasons.

  “I think she’s already in Verona’s crosshairs.”

  “I wonder who Verona has in mind for her,” Angel said, not even trying to disguise her teasing tone.

  “Well, judging by Lauren’s reaction to the idea of a matchmaker, I’m guessing Verona is out of luck on this one.”

  “Oh, I suppose that does make sense.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Lauren went through a really ugly and public breakup with her fiancé. And then the bastard took her to court, tried to sue her for a big chunk of her profits.”

  “Did he help her start her business or something?”
<
br />   “No. From what I read, he claimed she’d promised him a half stake when they got married. When the engagement got called off, he sued, saying he was still entitled to what he was promised.”

  “He sounds like an ass.” Adam supposed this ex could have been cheated somehow, but his gut told him Lauren wasn’t the type of person who would treat someone that way. He based that on the look he’d seen on her face when the woman at the café had mentioned the guy doing Lauren wrong. She’d seemed very adamant in her support of Lauren. What was it with men who couldn’t treat women decently?

  “That’s the general consensus,” Angel said.

  “Verona ought to know about that and lay off.”

  “Maybe she thinks the way to get past such a bad breakup is to find someone new and better.”

  “She might mean well, but she should mind her own business.”

  “I’ve wondered sometimes if Verona is lonely. She’s never married, and I’ve never seen her out with anyone.”

  “Still doesn’t give her the right to push people together.”

  “I think it’s more like gentle nudges.”

  Adam snorted. “I’d hate to receive one of those nudges if I was anywhere near a cliff.”

  When they reached the ranch, he changed back into work clothes so he could help his brothers replace some rotting timbers on the side of the barn. As he rounded the corner of the barn, he spotted Neil first. His eldest brother was standing back and watching as Ben nailed a board in place.

  “Playing supervisor again?” Adam asked.

  Neil smiled. “Perk of being the oldest.”

  “Yeah, you’re going to feel old soon when that baby gets here,” Ben said. “I speak from experience. There were days in those early months after Cassie was born that I almost had to tape my eyes open to get any work done.”

  Suddenly, Adam felt more separate from his brothers than he ever had before. Their lives had moved into a different stage, which included marriage and children. They could share experiences, along with their sister, Sloane, to which he had nothing to add. Even Angel had a child, though no husband. In that moment, Adam felt more like an outsider than he had since arriving on this ranch as a child.