by Elsa Nickle
Her mother squeezed her hand. “I can be proud and practical at the same time.”
Laurel pulled her fingers out of her mother’s grasp.
Her mom put her own hand to her forehead, and Laurel could see her former weariness descend again. “Baby, I’m sorry. But I do not have the money to pay for another round of college. The tuition is higher, and it’s in New York, for goodness’ sake. We simply can’t do it. So even if you make the final cut, I will not let you walk into a mountain of debt for art school.”
The thing was, Laurel knew her mom was right. The school was too expensive, it was too far away, and there were no guaranteed jobs after graduating from ECAA. She also knew it would be unwise to take on so much debt to follow her dreams of being a working artist. And that’s all she really wanted—to sell her paintings. She didn’t need to go to that school, but it was the only way she could think of to get good enough to sell her art. There was no easy way forward. The hollow pain in her heart flared, and she tried not to cry.
“Okay, but can I please stop going on dates?”
Her mom was so worn out she looked like she was about to fall asleep right there in that splintered chair. “Honey, I keep telling you that you can stop any time you want.”
Laurel spoke robotically. “You mean, I can stop if I go back and finish the accounting degree at ASU, or if I get a job and move out.”
Her mom crossed her arms. “If you’re living in my house, benefiting from my job without contributing for the time being, you will live by the very fair rules I’ve set. If you are spending all day making art, or whatever, instead of working, you’ll also go on dates with men who’ll hopefully be able to support you.” She added under her breath, “Or at least give you some decent alimony.”
“But it’s so ridiculous!” Laurel knew that she sounded like a whining baby, but seriously, it was crazy that her mom was making her date guys in exchange for time spent making art.
Sheila waved a hand. “I know, I know. What would the feminists say? But honey, this is how the world works—you need money to live, and if you can’t make it yourself, you better find a partner that can make it for you.”
Laurel felt a burst of righteous anger swelling inside. “But I’m all out of guys. I’m telling you, there’s nobody else around here to date.”
Her mom revealed a little secret smile. “And I’m telling you, there is always someone else.”
Wait. What was her mom hiding? Did some random Bisbee business owner or teacher just get a divorce? Because that wouldn’t be awkward at all, to immediately pounce on a brand new divorcé. Or was it worse than that? The suspense was killing her.
“Mom—”
“No, you interrupted me before, so let me speak now. I was about to tell you that Mrs. Bassencherry was at the store tonight, and she always knows everything that’s going on in this town. Well, guess what? You remember how I was talking about those Wyle boys the other day?”
“Oh, Mom, please stop.”
Her mother came alive then, buzzing with energy. “Come on, you remember. I was telling you about the twins. They were a little older than you, but you went to high school at the same time—”
“Yes, I remember. You said one of them is marrying a movie star, or whatever, but please—”
“Let me finish! One of the brothers is having a big wedding in about a week, and the one marrying a movie star is getting married three weeks later, so the entire family is in town. And wouldn’t you know it? The oldest brother is going to be here a whole month, and he’s single. And he’s a veterinarian! How’s that for eligible?”
Horror flushed through Laurel. “The oldest brother? The twins are already older than me. How old is this guy?”
Sheila scrunched up her face. “He’s only twenty-nine, honey. It’s just a six-year age gap.”
“And, of course, you’ve already done the math.”
Her mother shrugged. “Hey, maybe I could have been an accountant, if I’d ever had the opportunity.”
Laurel groaned at the dig. She owed her mom a lot for all her sacrifices, but she was racking up a lot of sarcastic jabs she would have to pay back some day as well. “It’s not like I know the family. Sure, I saw the brothers around school when I was a freshman.” Everyone knew who the Wyle twins were. They were handsome and strong, and one of them was a huge flirt. That sort of thing didn’t go overlooked in high school. “But I can’t just walk up to their house and introduce myself to their older brother.”
Sheila laughed. “They don’t have a house; they have a ranch. A big, pretty ranch with lots of space and cows and stuff. And you sure can drive up there and introduce yourself, if you come to the door with homemade muffins and a card to congratulate the family on their upcoming weddings.”
Terror froze Laurel solid. “Please don’t make me do that. It’s not a normal thing to do.”
Laurel’s mom leaned back and grinned. “Honey, you should see your face right now. It’s priceless.”
“Tell me you’re not serious.” Laurel’s neck had seized up. She was having a hard time moving her head.
Her mother stood and stretched her legs. “I’m serious as the grave. You can tell them the basket is from me if you want, but you are going, and you are gonna say hello to the single Wyle boy, and maybe slip him your number, unless you want to go back to ASU and finish that accounting degree.”
Now Laurel’s windpipe hardened up. She could barely squeak a protest.
Her mother was enjoying herself way too much. “If your face was priceless before, it’s darn near classic now.” She laughed and walked toward her room. “If you want to paint all afternoon tomorrow, you better earn your keep and take that basket of muffins to the Wyle ranch in the morning.” She studied Laurel up and down, and her smile fell. “Oh, come on, honey. You can bring a little treat to a family you don’t know very well. It’s not going to kill you.”
Any flush that had tainted Laurel’s cheeks before was now drained and gone. “It might.”
Her mom chuckled and patted Laurel’s shoulder on her way out of the room. “You know I have to give you opportunities to prove how much you love your art. If you really want to paint, you’ll do this first. Tell you what—I’ll make the muffins myself as soon as I get up tomorrow.” Her footsteps softened as she walked down the hall and into her bedroom.
Well, that conversation had gone terribly wrong. Now Laurel was alone in the kitchen, and instead of getting excused from future dates, she was being forced to drive to a ranch, uninvited, to throw herself at a man she’d never met.
She could only hope he wouldn’t be home.
Chapter Four
Ethan rummaged through his suitcase, looking for his jeans. He shouldn’t be here, back at the ranch. He knew his brothers would try to convince him to stay, all while giving him grief for leaving in the first place. But there was no way he would miss his brother’s wedding, not for the world.
Dang it, where were they? There was his red, faded T-shirt, his boxer briefs, but not a single pair of pants. Then he saw it, a post-it note on the mirror of his old pine dresser, Jaxon’s handwriting scrawled across the yellow paper.
Welcome home, big brother. Don’t forget to wear your uniform, Cowboy.
Uniform? He pulled open the top drawer to see a stack of jeans next to a few flannels. But these weren’t just any jeans. He lifted a pair out and shook his head. Wranglers. Most likely his old ones from ten years ago. So this was how it was going to be, huh? His brothers had stolen all of his regular jeans and were forcing him to either wriggle into a pair of pants he was sure wouldn’t fit, or go down in his underwear to beg for his own clothes.
After a few minutes of struggling into the tight, faded blue jeans, Ethan pulled on one of his soft T-shirts and headed downstairs to face the band of brothers who, no doubt, waited to humiliate him.
Sure enough, there they were. Landon, Dillon, and his girlfriend were at the kitchen table, and Jaxon was sprawled out on the couch, “Ha! L
ook at you, Cowboy!” he said, then whistled. “You’re walking a little funny there. You ok?”
Ethan forced a smile, then started down the stairs. His thigh muscles strained against the tough fabric of the jeans.
“Want something to eat?” Jaxon asked, sitting up.
“Nah, I’ll just grab a cup of coffee,” Ethan said.
“Well, dang.” Jax winked. “I was going to have you make me some bacon and eggs.” Jax stood, following Ethan into the kitchen where Dillon and his girlfriend, whose name Ethan couldn’t remember for the life of him, were at the kitchen table, cooing over each other.
“Ethan!” the girl nearly squealed when she saw him, and for a brief moment, Ethan was worried she’d come over and try to hug him. It’s not that he’d mind too much; it was just that he had never even met the girl. Besides, coffee first.
Ethan gave the girl a polite nod before she had a chance to do anything and went to the old coffee pot by the sink. He reached up to the cabinet just above it to find a mug. At least that hadn’t changed. He poured himself a cup and took a sip but then nearly spit it out again. Apparently his brothers didn’t know how to brew a good cup of joe. Trying not to raise a fuss, he poured it down the sink, gently set the mug down, and then turned back around.
“Mornin’.” Landon stood. His eyes were weary in a way Ethan hadn’t seen before. He knew Landon was working the ranch hard since Dad died, but he hadn’t realized what a toll it had taken on him. “But if you think you’re getting off easy while you’re here, guess again. Time to get to work.”
Jax nodded his head toward the door, indicating that Ethan should follow, then went outside. Ethan caught the door before it closed and followed his brother to the old blue truck. The attached trailer was loaded with bales of hay. Ethan groaned inwardly. Throwing hay bales around would make his arms ache for the rest of the week.
“What?” Jax asked innocently. Obviously Ethan had done a poor job of masking his chagrin. “Here you go, Doc.” Jax tossed Ethan the keys to the truck. He caught them in one hand and opened the door, sliding inside.
They got to the hay barn and Ethan backed the truck in as far as possible, hoping to make unloading a little easier.
“Top or bottom?” Jax said, wiggling his eyebrows. Ethan just rolled his eyes. After Jax’s daughter was born, he’d grown up a lot, but Ethan wasn’t sure he’d ever truly be an adult.
“Top, I guess.” It meant he had to climb up the hay that was already there and catch the bales, but it was a little bit easier than throwing. He’d done plenty of that during his time on the ranch. It was his baby brother’s turn.
The work moved along swiftly: toss, catch, stack. It gave him too much time to think. The clinic came to mind for a second, but he really didn’t have anything to worry about there. His business partner, Jason, was a perfectionist, never really letting go of the reins long enough for Ethan to do much anyway. Did he hate the fact that he wasn’t allowed to make any changes or have any input in a clinic he had invested so much into? Absolutely, but every day he reminded himself that being a partner was an accomplishment in and of itself and got him one step closer to his own clinic.
Ethan’s thoughts moved to the night before. To the fight and his brothers. Not even a day in and he was already letting Landon down. He felt the familiar pang of disappointment as he took the bale and lifted it into place, slamming it down with a little too much force. A million tiny pieces of hay rained down on him. Lifting the bottom of his shirt, he wiped his face clean. Maybe that wasn’t the best thing to think about at the moment.
His thoughts then drifted to the girl from last night. There was something about her, something different. With her blonde curls that bounced when she walked and the way her face lit up when she smiled while she thanked him, the girl was like sunshine personified. He wondered if he’d see her again. Four weeks was a long time. Then again, he’d most likely be stuck at the ranch doing chores they really should hire out: stacking hay, mending fence lines, and, of course, they’d have him helping out with the pregnant cows.
The good old Arizona heat turned the barn into an oven. Sweat trickled down his shoulder blades, and he considered taking off his shirt. Jax had discarded his shirt as soon as they started, but Ethan didn’t want to deal with all the itchiness that came with hay.
Jax stopped to wipe his brow. “Hot yet?” He looked up at his brother.
“What gave it away?” Ethan asked sarcastically.
“Oh, I don’t know … maybe the giant pit stains?” Jax took off his gloves and whipped them against his leg to get out the stray pieces of hay from inside.
“Just take off the shirt, Doc. There’s nobody for miles around.” Jax stretched his arms out wide as if to prove a point. “And besides that, maybe it’ll help with the giant stick up your—”
“Fine!” Ethan pulled the wet shirt over his head and threw it down at his brother. Jax whistled and laughed, tossing it on the ground.
“Ok, pretty boy. Break’s over. Time to get back to work.”
After that, things only got harder, the sun hotter. The last few minutes were hell, and yet Ethan felt better afterward. Like completing a good workout at the gym.
He climbed down from the loft and grabbed his shirt from off the ground. The thing was covered in sweat and dirt. Putting it back on would only make him feel even worse. Besides, he reasoned, it’s not like I’m going to see anyone before I take a shower. Jax, on the other hand, slinked back into his nice, clean shirt since he had left it on the hood of the truck before they even got started.
Ethan climbed into the cab, making his brother drive back. All he could think about was the shower he’d take as soon as he got to the house and the big glass of ice cold water he’d drink.
By the time they pulled up, he was starving. Maybe he should’ve had a little more than a sip of coffee to start his day out. Had he really been gone so long that he couldn’t even remember how much fuel his body needed to do all the work that the ranch needed? The answer only made him feel ashamed.
Yes, he had been gone that long. But he’d been busy. After all, veterinary school was not for the lazy. He’d had barely enough time to eat and sleep, let alone come home on the weekends. And yet, he couldn’t help noticing just how much things had changed since the last time he had been there. Jax’s daughter had grown up so much. Landon and Jax were both engaged. And by the looks of it, Dillon was well on his way to the altar himself.
And Ethan had missed it all. Sometimes he wondered if becoming a veterinarian was a good idea, and in truth, he still couldn’t say.
He got out of the truck and trudged up the back steps, his dirty shirt in his hands. He swung the kitchen door open and had taken two steps inside before he realized they had company. Kitty, Landon’s fiancée, was leaning against the counter while the girl from the café stood by the table, awkwardly holding a basket of muffins in front of her.
It had been a long time since Ethan Wyle had blushed, but he was sure he was as red as a beet. But her? He wondered if she realized that her eyes had just scanned the entire length of his body. He resisted the urge to flex.
“Hey, Ethan.” Kitty nodded toward the girl. “This is Laurel. Her mom is friends with Mrs. Bassencherry.”
“You could say we’ve met before.” Ethan tried to stop his grin by biting his lip. Laurel’s eyes flickered to his mouth before she turned scarlet.
“Muffin?” she asked, holding the basket out to him.
Ethan gave her a nod of thanks as he reached for one. His stomach rumbled but his hands were covered in dirt and grime, and he was sure the rest of him matched. “On second thought, I’d better wait until after I get washed up. I’m glad to see you made it home in one piece.”
“Uh, yeah. Thanks again.” Laurel bit her lip and it was Ethan’s turn to blush.
“No problem.” Ethan shrugged it off as Landon walked through the door. “I’ll be your brother anytime.”
Landon’s eyes went from Laurel to Ethan an
d then to Kitty. He raised a brow in question, but Kitty only lifted her shoulder as if to say she had no idea what was going on. Ethan could have crawled into the smallest of holes at that point. He could be her brother any time? Who says that?
“Well, Miss Laurel, I suppose I should really get cleaned up now. Nice to meet you … again.”
“Wait.” Landon went over to stand next to Kitty. “Before you go get all fresh, there’s a cow that needs to be looked at. She seems like she’s presenting more than she should be.”
It would have been nice if Landon had asked rather than demanded. Ethan gave a nod. “Angela off today?” She was the Wyle Away’s regular vet and knew the herd much better than Ethan did. The cow could probably wait a day or two to be looked at.
“Well.” Landon rubbed the back of his neck, eyes meeting his fiancée’s for the briefest of moments. “She’s moving to a practice in Tucson.”
Jaxon cleared his throat. “Landon dumped her for Kitty.”
“I didn’t dump her,” Landon corrected. “Because we were never actually dating.”
“Angela won’t take our calls anymore,” Jax said. “They all die lingering deaths in her voicemail.”
“The point is,” Landon cut in, “we really could use you around here.”
“But I—” He was about to tell them that sooner or later they would have to find someone else, but Jax cut him off.
“I know, I know. Your specialty is poodles now, but you haven’t forgotten everything about cattle. Could you at least go and have a look at her?”
Ethan sighed, then remembered Laurel was watching and straightened up. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She just stood there, holding the basket of muffins, probably wanting to go home. “Sure. I can have a look at her. But no promises.”
“That’s all I’m asking. She’s out by the old abandoned shed. D’you know which one I’m talking about?”
Ethan nodded. The calf was probably presenting upside down or backwards. Not too big of a deal. Ethan tried to recall exactly how to get to the shed as he ran up the stairs to put on a clean shirt. Just as he pulled out an army green tee, he realized he had been an idiot and had forgotten to say goodbye to Laurel. He found himself rushing to shrug into the worn cotton shirt, telling himself that it was only polite to thank her. Maybe even walk her to her car. Get her number.
