Second Chance Rancher. Patricia Thayer

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      Addy jumped up and down. “Can I go, too?”

      Kase stood. “Addison Marie, it is not polite to ask to be invited.”

      “Maybe another time,” Laurel said, wondering how she would get out of this. “I think your daddy and Papa need you here to help with supper. How about when I come back to check on the mare in a few days?”

      “To see if she has a baby in her tummy?”

      “That’s right.” Laurel fought a grin as she hugged the little girl. “So we’ll say goodbye for now. You be good and I’ll see you soon.”

      “I’ll be good, I promise.”

      Laurel stood. “I better get back before they send out a search party.”

      “Glad to see you again, pretty girl,” Gus said and hugged her. “Don’t be a stranger, you hear?”

      She forced a smile. “I won’t. You take care of yourself.”

      She looked at Kase. “Goodbye, Kase.” She started for the door.

      “Daddy, you didn’t hug Laurel.”

      Laurel tensed, seeing the stern look on Kase’s face.

      “You’re right, Addy, I didn’t.”

      He went to her, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. At the feel of Kase’s hard body against her, the years suddenly melted away. His familiar scent, which she’d know in the darkness, nearly brought tears to her eyes.

      As he finally released her, he said, “I’ll walk you out.”

      “There’s no need, Kase.”

      He tensed. “I said I would walk you out.” He opened the screen door and motioned for her to go through.

      She stiffened, but she wasn’t going to argue with this man, not in front of his daughter. She stepped off the porch and started toward the corral where the ATV was parked.

      “Hey, slow down.”

      She didn’t look at him. “I don’t take orders from you or any man.”

      “Whoa, I didn’t give you orders... Sorry, I guess I did, but I wanted to talk to you.” His long stride easily kept up with her pace. “I wanted to thank you for what you did for Addy.”

      Darn it. That took the fight right out of her. “She’s easy to be nice to. Sorry about your wife. That’s got to be hard on both of you.”

      “Yeah, it’s been a difficult year.”

      Those gray eyes met her gaze. She could see the pain. He must have loved his wife a lot. She wasn’t sure she could deal with him being around again. Not that she had any remaining feelings for the man. “So being home might help you both.”

      “Looks like I don’t have much choice in the matter.”

      That bothered Laurel. Seemed he hadn’t changed his feelings about life here. “There’s always a choice, Kase. You could just leave again.”

      She started to walk away, then he took hold of her arm and stopped her. His touch seared through her shirt, reminding her of years ago. Although she’d been young, she’d still never experienced the depth of desire as she had with Kase.

      “I’m not leaving, Laurel, at least not for now. Dad needs surgery, and his rehab could take months. Then there’s Addy, and her world has been turned upside down. She needs a stable home.”

      “As long as you’re there for her, Addy will have all the stability she needs.” She pulled out of his grip. “So, I guess we’re going to be neighbors again.”

      He released a long breath. “Look, Laurel, it’s been ten years. I would think we could be civil.”

      She smiled to keep from slugging the man. “I thought I was being civil.” She released a breath. “Okay, I’ll admit, you did hurt me. I was eighteen, but don’t think that I’ve been mourning you all these years.”

      Kase glanced away, and even his profile was gorgeous. “I know, I heard about you getting married.”

      She was trying really hard to keep her emotions in check, but it was difficult. “Then you probably heard the rest of the story. The groom took off before the nuptials. It seems I have that effect on men.” She marched off toward the vehicle, climbed in and started the engine, then shot off. She finally let the tears flow.

       Chapter Three

      That evening, Laurel sat at the picnic-style table of her favorite restaurant, Joe’s Barbecue Smokehouse. In front of her was a huge sampler platter of ribs. Untouched. The cause of her distraction and her lack of appetite was Kase Rawlins. Seeing him today had caused a reaction she didn’t need or want. Could her personal life get any more pathetic?

      “Laurel, you aren’t eating,” her sister said.

      Laurel looked across the table at her twin sister, Brooke Landry. They weren’t identical, with Brooke’s hair a darker blond, and her face a little longer, but close enough.

      They’d met for the first time only last fall when their biological mother, suffering from Alzheimer’s, told Brooke she had a twin whom she’d given to their father to raise. Seemed their father, rodeo star Rory Quinn, had been in Las Vegas for the NFR and met singer Coralee Harper. Twin daughters were the result of the brief union, but Rory knew about only one of his children, until Brooke showed up at his door. And Laurel was more than happy to have her here permanently. She got her wish when Brooke had fallen in love and married their neighbor Trent Landry, and now they were expecting a baby soon.

      “Sorry, I was just thinking about what happened today with Wind.”

      Her father spoke in between bites of his ribs. “I told you that horse would be trouble.”

      Rory Quinn was a big man with green eyes the same as hers and Brooke’s. He had thick gray hair and a deep, rich laugh. His face was wrinkled from the sun and years of ranching. He and her mother, Diane, had always been there for her.

      “Well, he’s worth it,” Laurel said. “And he’s going to make money.”

      Rory shook his head. “You’re lucky you’re not getting sued for what that crazy stallion did today. And now that Kase is home, and with him being a lawyer and all, he could cause you problems.”

      Would Kase do that?

      Brooke’s eyes brightened. “Yes, tell us about seeing Kase Rawlins.”

      Even torture wouldn’t make Laurel admit that the man got her pulse revving once again. “There’s nothing much to tell, really. Of course he wasn’t happy about what happened to his mare. What surprised me was that he owns a horse.”

      Brooke picked up her short rib. “No, I mean tell me about seeing Kase again. СКАЧАТЬ