by Leslie North
Trent may have been Trevor's identical twin, but their disparate personalities had manifested themselves physically long ago. It sometimes felt to Trevor like he was looking in a funhouse mirror, where every feature was the same yet somehow inverted, rather than directly at his twin. Trevor found the time to shave less often than his brother did, and his skin was dark in comparison to Trent's town-tan. The heels of their work boots still made them equally tall, and the physical activity required by their professions made them equally broad, but Trent's face was a lot pleasanter to look at, or so Trevor thought. His brother gave up a smile or laugh far more readily, and he put people at ease with no effort at all; he had laugh lines to Trevor's frown lines.
Trent's identical dark eyes sparked with humor all of a sudden. Trevor had the distinct feeling he was about to find out he was the punchline to some secret joke his brother kept, but was surprised by Trent's next comment. "Might share the same taste in women, too," Trent hinted.
An image of Sabrina came unbidden into Trevor's head. For a city girl, she was just about everything he had been expecting her to be, down to her impractical designer jeans, and yet…their first encounter had left him feeling strangely winded. He couldn't be certain it wasn't just all the breath he had expended on arguing with her. She had an animation and energy to her that the profile picture on her company's website simply hadn't been able to convey.
So yes, at the end of the day, Sabrina Hearthstone had surprised Trevor. He wouldn't deny that he found her attractive, and something told him her eager personality was just as magnetic to anyone who happened to enter her orbit. Personally, he didn't know what to make of it.
Still, if Trent insisted on continually throwing the adventure coordinator at him as a distraction, he supposed he would have to set his brother straight. "I can't speak to taste," he said finally, "but what we don't share is the same opinion about things. This whole 'glamping' thing is just a temporary means to an end," he reminded his brother. "The ranch is still going to operate like it always has. Once we're out of the red, I'll cut the adventure program and send Miss Hearthstone and her glue gun on their way to bedazzle someplace else."
"Does Sabrina know that?" Trent asked.
"Miss Hearthstone and I have reached an understanding," Trevor said curtly. "She stays out of my side of the business, and I stay out of hers. We come together to discuss any overlap. At the end of the day, nothing happens on this ranch without my stamp of approval. Same as it's been since Grandpa passed."
"You know, it might not be a bad idea to consider changing with the times," Trent reminded him. They’d had this conversation more than once since the untimely death of their grandfather, and Trevor never warmed to it. Change, and one as significant as what his brother hinted at, wouldn’t so easily fit into the schedule, even if he wanted it to begin with.
"Grandpa James was a good man," Trent continued. "He didn't mean to leave you in a hole…"
"I'm sure he didn't mean to leave at all," Trevor grunted.
"But he wouldn't want you to stay in that hole on his account either, Trev. Hell, you're a horseman. You know better than I do that the most recent stock he purchased isn't paying for itself. And without them, you don't have the money to make that balloon payment he still owes," Trent concluded. "Wildhorse doesn't have to just breed quarter horses. Why don't you just admit this glamping program is a good idea? It might just be the thing that saves your sorry ass and keeps the ranch operating for another season."
"I'll find a way out of this on my own." Trevor turned away to work a kink out in the hose. "Always have before. More importantly, the ranch will find its way out. So, you don't need to worry yourself with trying to retroactively contribute to the family legacy. Grandpa didn't expect you to care about this sort of thing before, and I certainly don't expect you to start caring now."
"And when this sort of thing happens again?" his brother demanded angrily. Trevor could see that he had hit a sore point, and it wasn't exactly unintentional. A part of him felt guilty for continually stonewalling his brother, but another part knew it was only a matter of time before Trent threw up his hands and walked away. "You could have the most successful breeding program in the world, and you're still going to run into this sort of trouble again down the line! It's inevitable!" Trent exclaimed. "You need a back-up plan for the long haul, brother. You need a gal like Sabrina bringing fresh ideas to the table. Lord knows you don't listen to me—maybe you'll be more likely to listen to reason when it comes from a beauty in blue jeans."
"Sabrina doesn't belong here!" Trevor snapped. The stable block descended into silence. When Trent didn't respond immediately, Trevor glanced up from his work to see if his rise in temper had caused his brother to retreat. Trent was leaning on the other side of the aisle, same as before, only this time he appeared to be keenly studying him.
"Then send her back and choose another coordinator," his brother stated finally. "Hell, choose another program. One that better suits your narrow idea of what you think this place is. One that you're comfortable dealing with."
"I'll deal with Miss Hearthstone just fine," Trevor responded as he kneeled to scrub once more. "So long as she follows my rules."
Grab your copy of Breaking The Cowboy's Rules from
www.LeslieNorthBooks.com
