Second Chances (16 page)

The
thought of April as a sister-in-law struck a sour chord.

Dusty
bit his lip, sipped his beer, and remained mute.
I’ve got Colette and she’s perfect for me.

The
words sounded weak to his own mind.

Finished
with lunch and clean up, Tess, Carrie, and April joined the men hanging out in
the living room, enjoying a bit of down time while they digested their meal.
The temperature outside remained warm, yet nothing like the over the century
marks Colorado had seen over the past month or so.

Finding
an empty spot on the love seat, April plopped down. Tess sat down next to her
while Carrie squished between her husband and Colt on the couch. This must be
nice, simply hanging out with the family after lunch.
Nothing special, just another day to strengthen the cohesive bonds
between siblings.
With one notable exception—Dusty. He’d left after
cleaning up from his morning chores to pick up Colette and take her to lunch in
town.

April’s
gut clenched. She ignored the uncomfortable sensation and focused on the
moment. What Dusty chose to do was his business. She didn’t have a leg to stand
on if she tried to sway him her direction, so she chided herself for patience
and to take the high road. Unfortunately, the high road sucked.

“I’m
surprised you guys are home today.” Tess threw out one of the questions running
through April’s mind. “Considering your very important jobs.”

Archer
shrugged. “Decided to take a few days off, not only to help Dusty out, but to
spend time with this ragtag crew.”

Colt
agreed. “I can work from here as much as the office. Might as well hang out for
a few days.”

To get
to know their younger brother again who happened to be absent because a leggy
brunette waltzed back into his life and led him around by the nose.
Don’t go there.
April drew in a deep
breath and quickly changed the topic. “Tell me more about this ranch. From what
I’ve seen, it looks huge.”

Brand
smiled proudly. “Eight hundred seventy-five acres total. At any moment, around
four to five hundred head of beef cattle. We also raise hay, corn, wheat, and
silage. A self-sufficient operation and profitable as long as we stick to our
budget and don’t screw up.”

“Wow.
That’s amazing. No wonder you need a fulltime rancher and a couple of helpers.”
April blinked in awe at the size of their family farm. No wonder the men knew
how to work and work hard. They had probably been busting their rears their
whole life to keep this place afloat while their father worked in the court
system.

“It’s a
big investment, I’ll say that. Brand keeps this place going like a well-oiled
machine, though.” Carrie smiled. “The others step up, as well. Just because
they’ve been at work all day doesn’t mean they come home and sit on their
rumps.”

“Got to
work off all this wonderful food you feed me.” Archer smiled, wrapped an arm
around his wife, and pulled her in for a quick kiss.

Brand’s
gaze settled on Tess. “What does a person do with alpacas besides keep them as
pets?”

“Shear them
and sell the hair, of course. It’s similar to wool, without the lanolin,
hypoallergenic, and soft. It’s a specialty market in the US but there’s a
demand.” Tess warmed to her subject. “They’re easy to work with and don’t eat
as much as you think, mostly grass with a little grain, and they’re pretty
cute.”

“Looks
like they’d make an easy dinner for a hungry coyote,” Brand pointed out.

Tess
nodded. “That’s the big problem. A lot of people who raise alpacas keep stock
guard dogs with them all the time to ward off predators. I went a different
direction and purchased Bogart. Llamas are instinctively very protective and
make a suitable guard for the herd.”

“At
least that spitting monster has a use,” Brand grumbled under his breath.

Tess
chuckled. “Yeah, he does. Poor Bogart had too much interaction with people at a
young age, so he tends to treat people like he would another llama. Blame the
people who raised him. But, he’s really sweet.” Her eyes twinkled. “He’s gelded
if that makes you feel any better.”

The
dark haired man shrugged. “Maybe.”

“I have
the alpacas sheared in the spring, so they’re a bit ragged right now. Not sure
I could make a living off the wool they produce, but they definitely pay for
themselves. And, for Bogart too.”

“How
much room do they need?” Brand sat forward, clasping his hands together.

“Oh,
the literature says about ten animals per acre. If you rotate pastures, I
suppose that can work. As a bonus, they all eliminate in the same place, so you
have a fairly clean walk through their enclosure.”

“I can
see the wheels turning.” Evan shook his head at Brand. “Don’t tell me you’re
thinking of adding alpacas to the herd?”

Brand
grinned. “Maybe.” He stood, walked over to the loveseat, and held out an arm to
Tess. “I’d like to visit your pets again and learn more about your program.”

Tess
stood and linked her arm in his. “Of course. I love educating people about my
babies.”

Together,
they strode to the front door and slipped out in the early afternoon sun.

“Oh,
my.” Carrie fanned her face. “Talk about a smoldering look he gave her.”

“I
guess I should consider her off the market?” Colt asked.

Archer
bobbed his head. “Probably a smart idea. Brand can be a bit temperamental when
it comes to his woman.”

April
grinned, thrilled Tess had finally found common ground with Brand, and settled
in for what hopefully proved a romantic and long lasting relationship with the
tall man who reminded her of Dusty. Heck, all of the brothers shared common
features, a testimony to shared genetics. As long as she hung around them, she
couldn’t quite push Dusty from her mind, not with the constant reminder in
physical appearance, a smile, a gesture, even the way he walked.

“That
leaves you, little lady.”

She
blinked at Colt. “What about me?”

“Looks
like you’re still on the market for a man lucky enough to corral you.”

Her
face heated. “Ummm.” What could she say to such a blatant proposition?

Evan
came to her rescue. “No way, bro. She’s sleeping in my bed. That gives me first
dibs.”

“And
you’re sleeping in my bed, so what does that mean?” Colt fired back.

“You’re
cuddly as a teddy bear?” Evan smirked and jumped out of the reach of one large
paw headed his direction.

“I’ll
show you a bear.” Standing up, Colt began stalking his younger brother.

Evan
waggled his eyebrows. “Bear, huh? I always thought so with that thick mat of
hair on your back.”

“I
don’t have hair on my back.”

“How
would you know? You can’t see your back.”

“You’re
cruising for a bruising.”

“Gotta
catch me first.”

April’s
gaze flicked back and forth between the bickering brothers. She giggled as Evan
winked at her, then made a mad dash out the front door, Colt hot on his heels.

“It’s
like working in a daycare some days, I swear.” Archer shook his head, but the
grin gave him away. He enjoyed the bantering just as much as everyone else.

She
sighed as a wave of sadness cascaded over her. In the short two days she’d
spent with Dusty’s family, they’d grown on her. Too bad, she’d probably never
see them again once she returned home. Dusty would return with Colette in tow,
spending holidays and special occasions with his family. April had no
inclination to be invited and wouldn’t want to be, not with another woman in
Dusty’s life and bed.

With
the depressing thought, she stood. “I better go spend some time with Marmalade so
she doesn’t think we’ve totally forgotten her.” Ambling down the hall, she
headed toward Archer’s office.

“Umm…April?”

She
glanced up from pulling on her tennis shoes to find Tess staring out the front
door.

“Yeah?”

“Your
white miniature horse is on the front porch.”

April’s
heart stuttered. She quickly tied the shoestrings and rushed over. Sure enough,
Mischief stared back at her through the screen door. “Oh, no. How did you get
out?” She opened the door, caught his halter, and raked the nearby pastures,
praying he hadn’t unlocked all the gates, setting the rest of the menagerie of
animals free.

Tess
closed the screen door behind her as she stepped out with them.

Brand
walked up the steps of the porch, stared at Mischief, and shook his head. “I
wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.”

April
shared in his amusement, rubbing her pet’s face. “He’s a troublemaker, all
right. I know he can unlatch doors, but the gate is supposed to be chained.”

“He’s a
little guy. Seems to reason he could either crawl under the gate or walk
between the bars.”

“True.”
She tugged on Mischief’s halter. “Come on. Time to go back to your temporary
home.”

Mischief
walked as far as the edge of the steps, then planted his feet. No amount of
coaxing would get him to move.

“He’s
too heavy to lift and I’m afraid giving him a shove might send him toppling.
Better to avoid that if at all possible,” Brand pointed out while rubbing his
chin.

“I have
an idea.” Tess disappeared and returned with a carrot. “Here. Try this.”

April
shot her an appreciative smile and held out the treat to Mischief. He stretched
out his neck, but she kept it out of reach as she trotted down the stairs and
stood on flat ground. “You got up the steps, you can get back down.”

Mischief
whinnied.

Miracle
answered from the pasture.

April
turned in time to see the gray filly rush to the gate and start pacing,
obviously concerned her best friend wasn’t closer.

“Why’s
she getting all worked up?” Brand eyed Miracle before turning his attention back
to Mischief.

She
recalled Brand was absent when they first arrived and explanations were given. “They
bonded at their previous home, a horrendous place where the owner not only
starved his horses, but beat them as well.”

Brand
frowned as his jaw ticked. “The bastard.”

“Yeah.
By the time something was done, several of the horses were dead. The humane
society came in, rescued the rest, and started the long road to recovery.
Miracle was nothing but skin and bones, nearly dead from neglect. Mischief kept
her going through the whole ordeal.” She glanced over at Miracle who still
crowded the fence, whinnying now and again in summons to her buddy. “Miracle
survived, but carries scars, both physical and mental. She’s afraid of men,
doesn’t care for strangers, and will lash out if cornered.”

“Damn.”
Brand shook his head as he watched Miracle. “Guess that means we better get
this little guy back to her before she has a total meltdown.”

“Yep.”
April waved the carrot in front of Mischief. “Come on, you stinker. Come and
get it.”

Mischief
took the first step, then the second, before jumping straight to the ground,
nearly running over April in his bid for the treat.

“What
am I going to do with you?” He crunched happily as April lightly scolded him.

She
tugged him along, heading for the pasture where Miracle waited anxiously.

Brand
and Tess followed along.

“You
said something about the gate is supposed to be chained?” Tess asked.

“He’s a
little Houdini. Normal latches won’t keep him in. Everything has to be chained or
tied.” April ruffled his forelock. “He’s too smart for his own good.”

Almost
to his pasture, Mischief took a hard right, nearly dragging her over to the
smaller enclosure containing Tess’ pets. He stuck his head through the gate and
sniffed at a couple of the alpacas that had come over to check him out.

“Aww.
They like him.” Tess chuckled as the rest of the small herd came over and
snuffled Mischief, each trying to push closer to the little guy. Even the llama
stopped by, lowered his head, and nuzzled Mischief. “Even Bogart.”

Brand
snorted. “Of course that fuzz ball on stilts would like him. He’s not a man.”

April
grinned at Brand’s put upon tone.

Tess
tsked
him. “He might be a bad llama, but
I still love him all the same.”

Brand
sighed and rolled his eyes.

April
read between the lines, knowing Brand tolerated the beast because of Tess, the
woman he found attractive and intriguing right now. The sparks were there, if
they would just mosey on down the path of romance together.

A
sliver of envy took foothold before April shoved it aside. No sense wallowing
in self-pity when she should be happy for her new friends.

“Okay,
Mischief. Meet and greet time is over.” She nudged him back to the entrance to
his pasture. Miracle met them there and immediately pinned her ears when Brand
moved to open the gate.

“Whoa.”
He stepped back slowly and lowered his voice. “It’s okay, little lady. I’m not
going to do anything but return this hard-headed, sawed off horse back to you.”