The Texan's Promise. Jolene Navarro

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СКАЧАТЬ She reached to shut the gate, but he was already swinging it closed.

      She took a deep breath and reminded herself he was behaving like her brother or cousins would. It was not a personal insult to her abilities.

      They joined Jazz with the kids.

      There were a couple of children left. “Thank you for the help. We’re good,” she told him. “You should take your girls home.”

      He placed a black cowboy hat on his head and rested one boot on the bench next to the twin girls she had met earlier. Were they his? He leaned forward, arms crossed over his knee, and glanced at the trailer then her with a frown. “You’re driving the five-horse trailer alone?”

      “No, I have Cassie and Lucy.” Don’t be insulted.

      The crease lines around his blue eyes deepened. “So, you’re driving with two kids and five horses? How far? Someone should follow you at least.”

      A siren sounded from Main Street, heading toward the other side of town. She said a quick prayer, then looked at her wannabe hero.

      The one she didn’t need.

      Why couldn’t men see she was accomplished at handling whatever life threw at her? Either they had a hard time seeing her as competent enough to take care of herself and her girls, or they didn’t see her at all. She wasn’t sure which was worse.

      She smiled; it was tight, but she didn’t growl. Yay, her. “I’m more than capable of getting the horses and my girls home.”

      “I didn’t mean to imply you couldn’t—”

      “Izabella!” Everyone turned at the booming voice.

      She tilted her head and groaned. Xavier was stomping across the arena. Her cousin had been away for three years but still treated her like a little sister who needed protecting.

      “What are you and Jazz still doing here? You should be at home and locked down. I’ll follow you out to the ranch.”

      From the corner of her eye, she saw Quinn straighten and cross his arms. His lips twitched as if trying to suppress a grin. Complete failure on his part.

      “We had to make sure all the kids were picked up and safe. I couldn’t just take off. The horses are loaded, and as soon as the last kid is gone, I’m heading to the ranch.”

      Tanner Hernandez jumped up. “My dad’s here. Bye, Ms. Belle.”

      Now they were down to her family and Quinn’s. The identical twins had to be his daughters. They had his sharp blue eyes, but the resemblance stopped there. Their thick dark lashes were so long they looked fake, and their perfectly straight, sleek black hair fell to the middle of their backs.

      They were fine-boned and delicate. Their matching features created a picture of sweetness and innocence straight out of a fairy tale. Then they smiled. Wow.

      She glanced at Quinn. They had to look like their mother. If that was the kind of woman he was attracted to, her sisters-in-law’s matchmaking plot had never stood a chance.

      She was about as opposite as a woman could get. Towering over the girls, she wiped her hands on her filled-out jeans before offering one to them. “Hi. Meg and Hannah, right?” She had met them briefly before the meeting started. “I’m so glad you could make it. Sorry about not getting to work with the horses tonight. Next time, okay?”

      They nodded, their movements synchronized.

      Jazz introduced Xavier to Quinn.

      “Mom.” Cassie took Belle’s hand and smiled the smile that meant she wanted something. “Since we didn’t get to go to the horse club, can they come home with us and spend the night?”

      The twins’ eyes filled with joy. They turned to their dad, hope in full force. “Could we?”

      “Please?” all three girls said as one.

      He started shaking his head no, and the girls’ faces instantly fell.

      It had to be hard to be the new girls in a small town, with all the friendships long ago established in preschool. Her heart went out to them. She knew too well the feeling of wanting to belong. “Hey, how about if they go with me? You could follow to make sure we all get there safe and sound. You can check out the house and come back in the morning. I make a pretty mean breakfast.”

      “That she does.” Xavier rubbed the head of her youngest daughter, Lucy. “Her cinnamon rolls alone are worth the trip.”

      Belle hit him in the arm.

      “What did I do?”

      Ignoring him, she turned to Quinn. His girls hadn’t said another word, but...those eyes. How did he ever tell them no?

      Then again, she imagined he didn’t hear no very often, either. Which reinforced the reason she needed to stay clear of him. Not the kind of man she wanted to be interested in. Not that she wanted to be interested in any man.

      He hugged his daughters close and smiled at her again.

      Quinn relaxed his gritted teeth. His first instinct was to tell them no. He never let them spend the night away. Then again, they were nine; the age other girls had sleepovers and made friends.

      Plus, there was the matter of Belle De La Rosa. He knew there was matchmaking on the brains of some of the women in the playgroup. It happened every time he moved to a new town.

      Married folks didn’t like seeing single people run around unattached, even if said single people insisted that they were perfectly happy with the situation. He didn’t want to get involved, to start over and drag his kids through the uncertainty of a new relationship.

      Belle De La Rosa stood her ground with confidence and assurance. He’d never met a woman like her. She was almost as tall as him, her features strong, but in a stunning way he would never have expected he would be drawn to.

      But it didn’t matter. He was not on the market, and she’d made it clear she had no interest in him. Maybe it was her lack of interest that intrigued him.

      Women weren’t usually so fast at shooting him down. It was always the other way around.

      He grinned and blamed his fascination on a wounded ego.

      “Daddy.” Meg’s big eyes were pleading. She stepped away from him so that she could meet him eye to eye.

      He sighed. “Okay. I’ll—” They cheered before he could finish his sentence.

      Xavier patted him on the shoulder. “Good. I’ll make sure Jazz gets home safe, and I’ll leave Belle to you.” He grinned.

      Belle slammed her fists on her hips. “Not you, too. This is ridiculous.” She turned to Quinn. “I’m sorry about my family. Just ignore them. For the most part, they’re harmless.”

      Her cousin didn’t look harmless. He stood well over СКАЧАТЬ