Chapter Fourteen

Finished with lunch and clean-up, Tess, Carrie and April joined the men hanging out in the living room, enjoying a bit of downtime while they digested their meal. The temperature outside remained warm, yet nothing like the over the century marks Colorado had seen throughout 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 among siblings. With one notable exception—Dusty. He’d left after cleaning up from his morning chores to run some errands alone, declining the offers from his brothers and April to tag along. He probably needed to be by himself. After three years of basically living with only his animals, sharing a house with seven other people probably chafed on his sanity.

“When did Dusty say he’d be back?” She voiced the question that had been at the front of her mind all morning, since Dusty had pulled out with Ben.

“He didn’t.” Archer offered her an encouraging smile. “Don’t worry. He’s probably off at the nature trails. That’s where he used to run off to when he needed some time to think. He’ll be back before you know it.”

April read the confidence in Archer’s face and blew out a breath. She could easily see Dusty wandering through the wilderness, just communing with nature. After what he must have seen overseas, he probably needed time away. Peace and quiet well apart from the rat race and civilization. If that helped him deal with the horrific memories, awful nightmares and terrorizing flashbacks, more power to him. Though it had been three years, she understood inner scars don’t just go away.

“I’m surprised you guys are home today,” Tess threw out. “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 easily as the office. Might as well hang out for a few days.”

To get to know their younger brother again. 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. You definitely need a full-time 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 lives 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. The little redhead had 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 enjoyed 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 reminders in physical appearance—smiles, gestures, and even the way they 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 day care 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 two short days she’d spent with Dusty’s family, they’d grown on her. Too bad she might not ever see them again once she returned home.

With that 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.

Marmalade had tolerated the fussing for a bit before jumping into Archer’s office chair, curling up and drifting off to sleep. That left April back to her own devices for the next couple of hours until she could start to round up dinner for the horses. Too antsy to plop down on the couch, she’d opted to go grab a horse and do some grooming to pass the time.

“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 her gaze over 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 sneak out 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 had been absent when they’d 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 that 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 fuzzball 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 hardheaded, sawed-off horse to you.”

“Here. If you hold him, I’ll get Miracle in hand.” April stepped through, took Miracle by the halter, then nodded toward Tess, who grasped Mischief’s halter. “You’ll be fine. Women don’t bother her.”

Tess led Mischief into the field and released him. Miracle lowered her head and sniffed Mischief, seemingly content that her best friend had indeed returned. Immediately, she settled down.

April released her and followed Tess back out the gate, making sure to fasten both the latch and the chain behind her.

“Are those whip scars on her rump?” Brand asked.

“Yes.”

Brand cussed under his breath. “No wonder she gets all bent out of shape around men. How can Dusty deal with her?”

“With gentleness, patience and food. He’s slowly gaining her trust. Any other stable, the Humane Society wouldn’t let me have them, but his reputation with horses gave me their approval.” April swallowed the lump forming in her throat. “He’s got a touch. A magical touch.” The soft words faded.

“With horses. Lousy taste in women,” Brand said.

April’s mouth fell open.

“Until now.” Brand strode closer. “He’s a changed man because of you. I don’t think he would have bothered to call us for help if you hadn’t been there.”

“He wouldn’t have endangered the horses.”

Brand shook his head. “Of course not. I’m just saying he would have found another way. You’ve made an impression on him, little lady. A damn good one.”

Heat radiated across April’s face, and not from the warm temperatures either. “I’m being a friend.”

“Good place to start.” Brand winked at April before turning his gaze to Tess.

“I agree.” Tess moved abreast of Brand. She peered up at him with a softness that couldn’t be mistaken. “Does that mean we’re friends?”

“Well, yeah.” He blinked down at her. “What did you think we were?”

Tess shrugged. “Just clarifying things.”

Brand blew out a long breath. “Woman, you tie me in knots.”

“Is that bad?” Tess smiled innocently up at him.

Brand’s lips curled up. “You might drive me insane, but God knows I keep coming back for more.”

April, feeling like a third wheel, started back for the house. The sparks off those two fired hotter than the summer sun. They didn’t need her sticking around and butting in. Besides, she needed to get started on caring for the herd. Dusty was bound to show up sooner rather than later. When he did, she wanted to have made a big dent in the chores.