The Cowboy's Double Trouble

Reluctantly, the boy released the cat. But the frown on his face indicated he wasn’t happy about doing so.

“Where’s your sister?” Braden asked. Then, attempting to bridge the language barrier, he added, “Bela? Dónde?”

The boy pointed to the corner of the barn, where his twin sat, holding a black cat, undoubtedly the tabby’s littermate.

What was wrong with people who dropped off their unwanted animals near a ranch, assuming the owner would be grateful to take in another critter to feed?

Having grown up on this horse ranch near Brighton Valley, Braden was all too familiar with what ranchers like him and his late grandpa had to put up with.

Ironically, he thought about the twins and how they’d ended up with him, and he slowly shook his head. Not that he couldn’t afford them or didn’t care about their emotional well-being, but he was completely out of his league when it came to dealing with young children, especially when there was a serious communication problem. But then again, the twins had been raised in Mexico, so the language barrier was to be expected.

He glanced at the boy and girl, who were now sitting together with the stray cats and jabbering a mile a minute, although Braden had no idea what they were saying. He wished he did, though. And that he could talk to them, explain how sorry he was that their parents had died.

Three months ago, Braden hadn’t known they’d been living in a Mexican orphanage—or that they’d even existed. But once he and his half siblings had found them, the older Rayburns had decided to bring them back to the States and provide them with a home.

Now, two weeks later, here they were in Texas. They’d been staying in Houston with Jason, Braden’s older half brother. But Jason and his wife were now on a business trip in Europe, while sister Carly was on a cruise with her new husband’s family. So the only one left to look after them was Braden.

He’d like to reassure them that they were with family now, but he was limited to pointing, miming and, when his memory of high school flashcards came through for him, uttering a Spanish word or two.

Yet in spite of the struggle to communicate and more than a twenty-year age difference, the kids running around his barn and chasing a couple of cats had something in common with him and his half siblings.

They all had the same father.

Wasn’t that just like their old man to have a second family in another country? Charles Rayburn may have been a successful businessman with a net worth of nearly a billion dollars, but he’d been a real failure when it came to making any kind of lasting commitment to a woman.

When Jason headed to the airport with his wife, he left Braden in charge of the six-year-olds. And then he’d driven off like the guy who’d dropped off the two stray cats.

Okay, so it wasn’t the same thing. Beto and Bela were family. And there was no way Braden would want them to be taken in by strangers, although that’s what they were. And if the twins didn’t pick up English quickly, they’d never really get to know each other.

Still, even though Braden had agreed to keep the kids until Jason returned, he’d panicked at the thought of being left in charge of his newfound little brother and sister. What if he failed them—like his... Well, his father hadn’t exactly deserted him. He’d come through with the child support and money for braces, swim lessons or summer camp. But Charles Rayburn had been so caught up with his business ventures that he’d never attended a school play, a football game or even a graduation.

To make matters worse, Braden had never been close with the two half siblings he’d known about for practically all of his twenty-eight years. So he’d always felt like the odd man out, especially since his dad hadn’t even married his mom.

And now there were two more Rayburns to get to know, and Braden didn’t have any idea where he should start.

Heck, even if he and the kids spoke the same language, having Beto and Bela with him for the next three weeks was going to be a real challenge.

But he had a plan. Once Jason and his new bride returned from that business trip, Braden was going to suggest that the twins live permanently with them. After all, kids their age would be better off with a married couple. And the fact that Juliana would be having a baby soon made it all the better.

And if that didn’t work out, his half sister, Carly, had just gotten married, too, and would return about the same time Jason did. She was also pregnant, so there was another opportunity for the twins to join a real family.

In the meantime, the poor kids were stuck with him. Only trouble was, he needed to focus on running the ranch he’d just inherited from his grandpa Miller. Unlike his wealthy and womanizing father, Braden took his family responsibilities seriously.

But how in the hell was he going to get any work done while they were here? Babysitting was turning out to be a full-time job—and one he hadn’t been prepared for. He’d been raised on the Bar M as an only child, so he didn’t have any experience with kids. He’d do his best to do right by them, of course. But these two, as cute as they were, would be much happier with someone else—preferably someone who could communicate with them.

If they were in school, it would be easier. But it was still summer.

Maybe he should hire a nanny to look after them so he could get some work done.

The more he thought about that idea, the better it sounded. Unfortunately, he didn’t know where to begin to find someone qualified. And that was crucial. The woman who’d looked after the twins in Mexico had proven to be cold and rigid. As willing as he was to pass their care on to someone else, he had to be careful.

The poor little orphans had been through enough already, and he was dead set on making sure they were well cared for—and loved. They definitely deserved someone more qualified than a bachelor who was more comfortable around horses and barbed wire than around people, especially those who bore the Rayburn name.

“No!” Beto called out. “Vengan gatitos!”

Braden turned toward the child’s voice, just as the two cats dashed out of the barn, the little boy and girl in hot pursuit. He didn’t blame the animals for running off.

Hell, he’d only had the kids for three days and he had half a notion to run away himself.

* * *

Elena Ramirez unlocked the front door of Lone Star Hay and Grain, then set about to welcome the first customers of the day.

She’d already checked on the baby ducks and chicks that were for sale, as well as the rabbits. Her dad was running a special on the small animals this week, so she wanted to make sure the coops and pens, which she’d put on display near the front door and by the register, were clean and that the food and water had been replenished.

Elena had shopkeeping in her blood, and she knew all the best sales strategies. But recently, the merchandise she sold was the kind to grace the covers of fashion magazines instead of agricultural catalogs.

Now, as she studied her father’s store, she realized not much had changed in the years since he’d bought it, something she intended to remedy while she was here.

She’d been a senior in high school at the time her father purchased the store and moved the family to Brighton Valley. She hadn’t been happy about leaving all her old friends and making new ones, but she was glad her dad finally had the opportunity to be in business for himself. He’d been one of eight children and the first to no longer have to work for someone else.

Taking over a floundering feed store had been tough for him in the beginning. There hadn’t been enough money coming in to hire an assistant, so Elena had worked with him after class each day and on the weekends. By the time she’d gone off to college in Austin that next fall, he’d finally been able to afford to pay an hourly employee.

On the upside, Elena’s retail experience had enabled her to get a job at a dress shop near the university, where she usually had the highest commission of all the other sales associates.

In fact, when she’d graduated in May, she’d continued working in Austin, but between her student loan payments and the cost of rent and utilities, life had eaten into her earnings. Since she had plans to open a store of her own one day soon, one that specialized in trendy fashions and quirky, unusual items, she’d moved back to Brighton Valley until she could sock away some money.

Working at the feed store felt like a step backward, but Papa was so happy to have her home again that she didn’t mind.

“I missed my little girl,” he’d said when he helped her carry her suitcases into the house.

She knew her absence bothered him, but since she was the oldest of his children by seven years, and with six younger siblings, there were still plenty of little ones in the house.

She stopped by the small display pen that held baby ducks, picked up the smallest one and rubbed its soft down against her cheek. Then, after she set it loose again, she brushed off her hands on her oldest pair of jeans.

All of her good clothes—the ones she wore for her old job—were still in a suitcase under the bunk bed she was sharing with her twelve-year-old half sister. She arched her back, thinking of the small twin-size mattress that was much firmer than the one she’d been used to.

While she didn’t mind coming home to help out her family and save money, she definitely missed living on her own in the city.

The first twelve years of her life, she’d been raised by her mother as an only child, so it was only natural for her to enjoy her solitude.

When her mom died, she moved in with her dad and stepmom full-time. She’d tried to help whenever she was needed, and before long, she was babysitting, cleaning up spills and wiping tears.

These days, she often had to referee fights. She loved her siblings, she truly did. But she’d enjoyed getting away from them, too.

A truck engine sounded outside, announcing that their first customer of the day had arrived. She secured the hair clip that held the thick, dark mass of curls away from her face, neck and shoulders while she worked.

Moments later, a man and two children entered the store. The kids both appeared to be Hispanic and didn’t resemble the blond-haired cowboy in the least. So her interest was immediately piqued.