“Don’t you just have temporary custody of your daughter until her mother and new stepfather get back to the States?” Tucker asked.
“Yes, but we’re working on more permanent arrangements. It seems Leslie’s new husband will be working on the project in Cuba longer than expected. We’re talking about joint custody, but with Jaci spending summers and most holidays with her mother and the rest of the time with me and Grace.”
“How does Jaci feel about that?”
“She loves the ranch. Well, mostly she loves horses, but she’s handling the divorce like a trouper. We’re family. She even calls Esther ‘Grandmother’ and Grace ‘Mommy.’”
“And Esther seems to love that,” Tucker said.
“So getting married so soon after meeting Grace doesn’t frighten you at all?” Riley asked.
“Not in the least.”
“You’ve definitely been roped and tied,” Tucker said.
“Except I was the one doing the roping. I was hooked from practically the moment I met Grace. When I thought I was going to lose her to a madman, I knew for certain my life would never be complete without her.”
“I guess that explains the rush to the altar,” Riley said.
“I was ready to marry her the day after she said yes. She was the one who encouraged me to wait until you two could actually coordinate your schedules enough to show up for the ceremony. She’s big on family ties.”
“It all sounds great,” Riley agreed, “but you were madly in love before and look how that worked out.”
“I failed in that marriage,” Pierce admitted. “Leslie and I were like two horses pulling in different directions. There was no way we were going to arrive at the same destination.”
“But you got Jaci out of that marriage,” Tucker said. “She’s a terrific kid, so it wasn’t a total loss.”
“Exactly,” Pierce confirmed.
And Riley should probably leave it at that, but what kind of brother would he be if he didn’t say what he was thinking?
“You haven’t known Grace very long. What happens if you and Grace start pulling in opposite directions? Another divorce? More emotional trauma for Jaci?”
“I get your concerns,” Pierce said. “But I have no doubts about Grace or my love for her. It’s about love, but it’s also about shared experiences and trust and knowing that the other person will always be there for you. Grace and I have that.”
“Then I guess you’re ready for the marriage game.”
“It’s not a game,” Pierce argued.
“Right. It’s your life. If you’re happy, then I couldn’t be happier for you.”
Riley meant that. It was just that settling down to one woman, one ranch, one set of options seemed a lot like sticking a horse in one pasture and never letting it taste the grass on the other side of the fence.
“To change the subject, do you guys remember our first day on the Double K Ranch?” Tucker asked.
“All too well,” Pierce said. “I was scared to open my mouth, afraid Esther and Charlie would kick us out if we did anything to annoy them.”
“Same here,” Riley said. “And if we got rejected by the Kavanaughs, that scary old hag of a social worker would take over and place us in three different foster homes.”
“I cried the day the social worker said that,” Tucker said, “but I hid so you two couldn’t see me. At twelve, I figured I was way too old to cry.”
The truth was they’d all had trouble dealing with the grief. One morning they’d had loving parents, a home, security. A few hours later a policeman showed up at the door and told them their parents had died in a car crash.
They’d spent the next ten months with Charlie and Esther before a great-uncle they’d never met showed up and took them to live in Kansas with him until they turned eighteen.
But Riley had never truly gotten over that feeling that he was one second away from a catastrophe. Maybe none of them had. Could be that was why Tucker risked his life almost daily riding two-thousand-pound bulls that would just as soon crack his skull with a hoof as not.
Maybe that was why Pierce had become a Navy SEAL and had been so good at it. And the reason Riley could never commit to anything. There was no certainty of anything in life.
Or maybe they were all just three brothers out there trying to find where they fit.
“I had a few minutes alone with Esther this morning,” Tucker said. “She still seems to think Charlie was murdered.”
“I know,” Pierce said. “I’ve looked in to it some, but there’s just no evidence to support that.”
“Yet hard to believe he committed suicide,” Riley said. “Were there health issues?”
“Not that Esther’s mentioned,” Pierce said. “But like I said, there are lots of money issues. The ranch is mortgaged to the hilt and Charlie was behind in his payments. His bank account is down to a few thousand dollars and he’d been steadily selling off his livestock since the drought two years ago.”
Riley leaned against a bale of hay. “Looks like your offer to buy in came just in time to save the ranch.”
“It’s working out that way,” Pierce agreed. “It’s great for Esther, too. She gets to stay in her home she shared with Charlie for so many years and still tend to her beloved chickens and her vegetable garden. Charlie’s ranch doesn’t fall into the hands of the bank. It’s a win-win all the way around.”
“Except that you’re buying a ranch that you admit has fallen into a state of serious disrepair.”
“I like a challenge. Besides, I had some money saved, thinking I might buy a ranch. Even after I pay off the debts, I’ll have enough left to hopefully make the Double K a profitable operation again.”
“You’ve got your work cut out for you,” Riley said.
“Yep, and I’m hoping my brother the rambler might settle down for a few months and help me out.”
“Why did I not see this coming?” Strangely, Riley wasn’t put off by the idea. He had to be somewhere; might as well be here helping out his brother and Esther—for a while.
“Just don’t get any ideas that I’m going to settle down in Winding Creek forever, big brother.”
“That possibility never entered my mind.”
So now the cute, little redheaded pastry chef with the sparkling eyes and the heart-melting smile wasn’t his only excuse for hanging around Winding Creek.
“You think we have time to saddle a few horses and race out to the swimming hole like old times?” Tucker asked.
“I don’t see why not,” Pierce said. “I’m banned from seeing my bride until the wedding and it’s not going to take me long to shower and struggle into the monkey suit.”
“Now you’re talking,” Riley said.
The three Lawrence brothers racing on horseback once again. This was as good as it got.
Riley stood with Pierce and Tucker a couple of yards to the left of the flowered arbor, where the minister was patiently waiting.
Guests had been arriving for the past half hour or more, filling up the rows of folding chairs.
Riley recognized very few of them. “You