The Cowboy's Double Trouble

“Thanks. Jason and his wife made it a point not to discuss the situation in front of them, even though they don’t speak English. So it would be nice if we could get a better understanding of what went down with their mother and our father before we tell them anything.”

“You mean, they don’t know what’s going to become of them?” she asked, her pretty brow furrowed. “Do they know they’re related to you? It could be very unsettling not to know where you’re going to live or who will be taking care of you.”

“Either Jason or Carly will probably become their legal guardian, although we haven’t decided who’s going to do it yet. We’re still trying to deal with the news and to determine what’s best for them.”

“Who took care of them while they were living in Mexico?” she asked.

“For the past six months, it was the woman my dad hired, but she didn’t offer much information.”

“Because of the language barrier?”

Braden blew out a sigh. “That was only part of it. She wasn’t very warm or loving.”

“Did she treat them badly?”

“You might ask them, but they didn’t appear to have been neglected or abused. Apparently, when my dad didn’t return when he said he would, she assumed that he’d abandoned them and cheated her out of the money he owed her. She was just about to return them to the orphanage where they’d been living before my dad found them.”

“That’s so sad.”

“We thought so, too.” Braden tore his gaze away and studied the pattern on the tile floor. His heart went out to the poor kids, and he was determined to be a good big brother. He just wished he would have had one he could emulate. Jason had often avoided him or ignored him while they’d grown up. Not that he’d been eager to make friends, either.

But that was just one more thing he could blame on his father, one more handicap he hoped he’d overcome.

Fortunately, things were better between the half siblings now, which only made him regret the years they could have had. But that was all water under the bridge.

Yet, in spite of his resolve not to stew about the past—or his lovely companion—his thoughts and his gaze drifted off anyway.

* * *

Elena hadn’t meant to stare at the handsome cowboy, but he was so deep in thought that his expression was hard to read, even though a slew of emotions filled his meadow-green eyes like a soft summer rain.

Besides, he intrigued her. His family did, too, especially when she considered the great effort they’d gone to in order to bring the kids to Texas and their determination to provide them a home.

Even the late Charles Rayburn, with his obvious faults, had gone to retrieve his son and daughter when he’d learned of their situation—and maybe even their existence.

It would seem that finding the twins and claiming them as equals would cost the older Rayburn siblings when it came to dividing their inheritance. She’d heard their father had been worth jillions, so maybe the money didn’t matter that much. Either way, she suspected there was some kind of honor between them, which was nice.

While she didn’t know much about the Rayburn side of the family, she did know something about Braden’s maternal grandfather.

Gerald Miller had ranched in Brighton Valley for years. He’d even spent time on the town council for a while. And Shannon Miller, Braden’s mom, was involved in the women’s auxiliary at the Wexler Community Church. They were what Elena’s father called buena gente—good people.

When Braden looked up and caught Elena studying him, her cheeks warmed and she quickly turned away.

Okay, so maybe there was another reason she’d flushed with embarrassment when he caught her gaze just seconds ago. She hadn’t been just noting his furrowed brow.

She’d also been checking out his profile, his chiseled cheekbones and his square-cut jaw.

He stood, drawing her attention, and returned to the freezer with a long, lean cowboy swagger.

“You want another Popsicle?” he asked, as he turned to face her, a dimpled smile on his handsome face.

“No, thank you. One is enough.” She’d already spent enough time with him and had opened up in an unexpected way. All she needed was to lower her guard to the point of doing or saying something she’d regret in the morning.

Braden was the kind of man who could turn a woman’s head, but Elena wouldn’t let her attraction get out of hand. Of course, that was easier said than done when her hormones were triggering romantic thoughts that were totally inappropriate.

She blamed it on the stillness of the house in the evening and the admiration she felt for him because he was trying so hard to do right by Beto and Bela. But she couldn’t continue to chat with him tonight. It could only lead to trouble—or, at the very least, temptation. She had a job to do. And while it was far removed from anything she’d created on her vision board back in January, she would see her commitment through. She hadn’t been lying when she’d said she loved her stepmom, but Elena had made a vow to herself that she would never settle down as some country housewife and pop out a bunch of babies, especially with a former rodeo cowboy.