Home on the Ranch

by Trish Milburn

  Giggling and giving her hands a few quick claps, she hurried toward the thin rope. Up close, she realized it was affixed to the entire edge of the paper, giving her a way to unwrap whatever was underneath without having to climb a ladder.

  Not having any clue what to expect, she took hold of the rope and pulled it sideways as she walked the length of the birthday hat–decorated wrapping. Once the paper was hanging by only a lower corner, she stepped back so she could see what she’d uncovered. She gasped and raised her hands to cover her mouth.

  Hanging there over the barn’s entrance was a wooden sign with the words “Restoration Decoration—What Was Old Is New Again” painted on it in what looked like the same shade of paint Austin had used on the exterior of the house.

  Ella stared at the words, trying to understand what they meant. Finally, she turned and looked back at Austin. He smiled and stepped forward to take her hand again. Before she could form a question, he led her inside. At the sight in front of her, her heart swelled and her eyes blurred.

  “Oh, Austin, it’s too much.”

  He squeezed her hand. “No, it’s not. You deserve this.”

  Ella let her eyes roam over the showroom he’d constructed of what looked like the front half of the barn. Rustic white walls surrounded her, and some of the upcycled lighting fixtures she’d made out of everything from teacups to old coffee cans to vintage silverware hung from the lowered ceiling. Several of her furniture pieces sat around the space, smaller items sitting atop them.

  “How did you do all this without me hearing or seeing?”

  “I have my ways. Remember, I’m a master at logistics. Plus, you’re not always here.” He smiled, and she hoped that smile was always a part of her life.

  Realization hit her, the timing of her mother’s most recent visit. “Mom was in on this.”

  “Yep. And so was Verona, Keri, Simon and his brothers. Pretty much half the town.”

  Her love for this man, her mom, her adopted hometown, her friends and neighbors filled her with so much joy she thought she would surely burst.

  Ella reached up and placed her hand on Austin’s cheek. “Thank you. It’s beautiful.”

  “It will be once you work your magic.”

  “Magic, huh?” She smiled. “We’ve come a long way from junk.”

  Austin pulled her into his arms. “Let’s pretend I never used that word, okay?”

  “Only if you kiss me.”

  “No hardship there.” Austin lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her with the same passion he’d shown that first day in the rain, when she’d been faced with a big decision—run to protect herself from possible heartache or take a chance. She couldn’t begin to express how thankful she was that she’d shoved caution away and told him she was interested in more.

  Austin’s lips left hers. “Come on.”

  “What? This isn’t it?”

  “You’ll see.” He slid his hand down her arm to claim her hand, then led her toward a door in the back of the newly enclosed space.

  Beyond it lay a quarter of the barn he’d converted into a work space for her. Tools were arranged on hooks, in drawers and along the surface of a long workbench. And on the wall, he’d painted “One man’s trash is another woman’s treasure.”

  She smiled. “I like the change you made to the quote.”

  “It seemed appropriate.”

  “I love it all.” She let her gaze roam over every little detail. “It’s a dream come true.”

  She noticed another door in the side of the room. “Tell me you left poor Duke some space.”

  “Yeah, he and all my tack and equipment fit fine in what’s left.”

  Ella opened the door and poked her head through. Duke raised his head at the sound and looked toward her.

  “Hey, boy. How you like your new digs?”

  Duke sneezed, making her laugh.

  Austin came up behind her and spun her slowly to face him. “One more surprise.”

  “Austin, no. This is so much already.”

  “I took a page from your book and fixed up an old piece of furniture.” He pointed toward an old wardrobe in the corner of the workshop.

  He’d painted it red then obviously sanded it to give it the distressed look she liked. Her heart filled almost to bursting that he would have done this, so different from the man she’d met who thought her love of old things really odd.

  “It’s pretty.”

  “Go take a look. I made some shelves to hold supplies.”

  She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. “This is the best birthday ever. Only way it could be better is if you told me that my birthday cake isn’t fattening. I am getting birthday cake, right?”

  He chuckled and kissed her on the forehead. “Yes, ma’am, there will be cake later. Now go check out my handiwork.”

  She crossed to the wardrobe, then ran her hand along the surface of the doors. She smiled back over her shoulder. “Not bad for your first upcycling project.”

  Ella opened the two doors and saw he had indeed filled the wardrobe with shelves that would come in handy. Then her gaze found what looked like a small box. She moved closer and reached for it. The moment her fingers wrapped around it, her heartbeat skyrocketed. Could it be? Or was it, was all of this, a big, beautiful dream?

  Her hands shook as she pulled the little black box from the wardrobe and opened it. She couldn’t help the squeak of surprise she made when she saw the contents, a gorgeous diamond ring sitting in the midst of black velvet.

  Slowly she turned and met Austin’s eyes. “Am I dreaming?”

  Austin took his time as he walked toward her, holding her gaze, causing her heart to beat more rapidly with each of his steps. When he reached her, he slipped the ring from the box and went down on one knee as though she was living in a fairy-tale romance.

  As he looked up at her and she saw the depth of feeling in his beautiful blue eyes, she knew she’d never loved anyone so much in her entire life.

  “I didn’t expect you to come into my life, but I couldn’t be happier you did. Not only did you make me see what I really wanted from my life, but you’ve shown me what true love feels like. And I never want to lose that feeling. So, Ella Garcia, will you please marry me?”

  Tears welled in Ella’s eyes. “You’re sure?”

  He smiled. “I wouldn’t be down here if I wasn’t.”

  She laughed, then nodded. “Yes. So much yes.”

  He slipped the ring onto her finger, and to continue her magical birthday, it fit perfectly.

  She noticed the way the ring made her hand look different. “You shouldn’t have spent money on something so expensive, not after everything else you’ve done for me.”

  Austin stood and held her hand in his, her palm down so the ring was on full display.

  “Sometimes a woman deserves something that is just hers and hers alone.”

  Despite her love of making sure nothing was wasted, she couldn’t deny she liked the idea that this ring would be special only to her and Austin, a symbol of how they felt for each other.

  “I love you,” she said, her voice thick with emotion.

  Austin caressed her cheek with his thumb and raised her left hand to his lips. “And I love you.”

  Ella knew she would never tire of those words. A lifetime of hearing them seemed pretty good to her.

  Perfect.

  * * * * *

  Be sure to look for the next book in Trish Milburn’s BLUE FALLS, TEXAS series!

  Available in July 2016, wherever Harlequin books and ebooks are sold.

  Keep reading for an excerpt from COUNT ON A COWBOY by Patricia Thayer

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  Looking for a Western romance filled with rugged cowboys who’ll get your heart racing?

  If you can’t get enough of romantic ranchers and you love a sexy Stetson-wearing hero, don’t miss this:

  One Night with a Cowboy: A Western Romance Sampler

  In this new sampler, we’ve rounded up some of our hottest Western reads by some of our most popular and bestselling authors!

  Once a Rancher by Linda Lael Miller

  Untamed by Diana Palmer

  One Night Charmer by Maisey Yates

  Rustler’s Moon by Jodi Thomas

  Home on the Ranch by Trish Milburn

  Hard Rain by B.J. Daniels

  Texas on My Mind by Delores Fossen

  Texas Rebels: Jude by Linda Warren

  Out Rider by Lindsay McKenna

  From traditional cowboys to modern mystery-solving wranglers, you’re sure to find the right Western romance for you! So kick off your boots and get ready to be roped by these hot cowboys as they rein in the women of their dreams.

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  Count on a Cowboy

  by Patricia Thayer

  Chapter One

  Brooke Harper drove along winding Interstate 70 that bordered the powerful Colorado River. It seemed as if the road was carved out of granite. Through the driver’s-side window, she saw miles of lush green hillsides dotted with the rust-and-golden shades of the aspen trees that bordered the magnificent Rocky Mountains.

  The scene took her breath away. Hidden Springs, Colorado, was so different from the southern Nevada landscape she’d been used to. And soon she’d be going back there. This was a short visit, so she didn’t need to get used to anything. Once she was finished with her business, she’d be on her way back to Las Vegas.

  Brooke slowed her seven-year-old compact, but not her heart rate, as she approached the turnoff that led to her destination. Following the GPS’s directions, she took a side road, then after a few miles, another turn onto a gravel lane. She drove even slower through the grove of trees and was about to turn around when she came to a clearing, and the voice on the GPS announced, “You’ve reached your destination.”

  Just then she saw a large metal archway that read The Bucking Q Ranch.

  Her heart began to race even faster. She was here. All she had to do now was put her foot on the gas pedal, drive up to the house and ask Rory Quinn about his daughter... Laurel Quinn.

  Her sister.

  Brooke felt her nerves take over and her grip tightened on the steering wheel. After all these years being told her father was dead...then to have her mother confess that there was a twin sister. Or was this just one of Coralee Harper’s confused memories? Her mother had had more of those moments the past year with the progression of her disease.

  Still riddled with guilt, Brooke knew she’d had no choice, after her mother kept wandering off, but to put her into a nursing home two months ago for her early-onset Alzheimer’s.

  Pushing aside thoughts of Coralee, Brooke exhaled a long breath. She wasn’t here to meet her long-lost father, only to bring back her sister, Laurel Quinn, to see their mother. She was hoping to find out if Coralee’s ramblings were true.

  She continued down the wide gravel road lined with pine and aspen trees that opened into a clearing where several large structures came into view: a glossy white barn and five outbuildings. A long split-rail fence ran beside a pasture housing several beautiful horses. The fence also lined the yard around a magnificent stone-and-cedar two-story house.

  Brooke parked the car and climbed out, waiting for someone to come out, but the place looked deserted. She started up the lengthy drive and noticed decorative ribbons draped over the fence, each post tied with flowers. She reached the house where baskets of flowers lined the large porch.

  She knew she could be interrupting something, but that didn’t stop her. She went around the house to the back and froze, seeing rows of white chairs with a white runner down the middle, leading to a floral archway. On one of the chairs, she found a program detailing for Laurel Quinn and Jack Aldrich’s nuptials. Great. She was crashing her sister’s wedding.

  * * *

  TRENT LANDRY RACED his truck to the Bucking Q. A lot of good it had done him to go chasing into town after Aldrich. The creep was long gone, and so was their money. He took the corner off the highway too fast and kicked gravel up behind him, but he didn’t slow down. He needed to stop Rory and Laurel from going after the runaway groom.

  “Dammit!” Trent’s fist hit the wheel. He knew that something wasn’t right about the guy. “I should have listened to my gut.” A dozen years in Special Forces and he’d let a two-bit hustler run off with their money.

  His cell phone rang and he pushed the button on the wheel to answer Rory’s call. “Rory, what’s going on?”

  “We’re on our way to Denver. Laurel’s hell-bent on finding Jack so he can explain his disappearance. I could barely talk her into letting us go along.”

  He was afraid of this. “Not a good idea, Rory. Aldrich has already broken the law. He’s not going to let anyone take him into custody.”

  “I know,” Rory said, his voice an angry whisper. “But I’m the one who hired this jerk. I gave him access to my daughter. Hell, he asked me for her hand in marriage. Dammit, I need to protect Laurel now.”

  Trent ran his hand over his jaw. “Okay, but you better be back in forty-eight hours, or I’m coming for you.”

  “Deal.” There was a long pause. “I’m sorry about this mess, Trent, and what it’s done to our partnership. I hate to ask any more, but could you let the wedding guests know...?”

  “Sure, I can handle it. We’ll talk later.”

  Trent disconnected the call.

  He would do anything to protect the Quinns. Years ago, his father, Wade Landry, and Rory Quinn had ridden the rodeo circuit together. After the two retired, they settled here to raise their families and cattle. Then suddenly one day their tranquility
had ended, and it had all gone bad for the Landrys...

  Trent quickly shook away the dark memories. He had to deal with today. He pulled up to the Quinns’ home and saw the car with Nevada plates. Who was the out-of-state guest?

  “Time to find out.”

  Placing his Stetson on his head, he climbed out and glanced toward the deserted barn. The men had left early to repair a stretch of downed fence, so they could get back in time to get cleaned up for the wedding. Trent thought to his own rented tux, hanging in the back of his truck. Now he had to tell everyone the ceremony wasn’t going to happen.

  Trent cursed and started off around the back of the house. He was immediately greeted by rows of empty white chairs. A long white runner spanned the middle aisle, dotted with rose petals, and ending at a huge flower-covered archway where the bride and groom were to exchange vows. The real star of the show was the incredible view of the north-facing mountain range sprinkled with the fiery colors of the aspen’s fall leaves mixed with evergreen ponderosa pines. A perfect setting for a late afternoon wedding. That was if you were into believing in happily-ever-after.

  Feeling the warm late September sun, Trent rolled his sleeves on his Western shirt. Time to get to work. He paused when something caught his eye. A woman walking toward him.

  Great, an early wedding guest. He took a second glance and something looked familiar about her. She came up the aisle in long easy strides. Dark trousers covered her long slender legs and a cream-colored silky blouse showed off gentle curves. Her chin-length hair was a silky, golden blond with some rich highlights. When she reached him a tentative smile turned up the corners of her full mouth, causing more of a reaction than he wanted to admit.

  He swallowed and asked, “May I help you with something?”

  “I hope so. I’m looking for Laurel Quinn,” she said.

  “Well, you just missed her. She’s not here.”

  Brooke tried not to react to the man’s abruptness. She considered going into town and returning another day. Too late. She straightened her shoulders. “Then could you tell me where I can find Rory Quinn?”