Page 290 of The Brothers at Horseshoe Ranch

“I just want to be with you,” I told him. “And, you know, I was looking at there are MBA programs that I can do online so we don’t necessarily have to move away. I love it here in Montana. I just want the skills to be able to make this non-profit a success.”

“Well, you have my support no matter what you want to do.” He kissed me again. I felt his fingers sliding between my legs and he rubbed my clit. “And by the way …”

“Yes, Wyatt?”

“I’m ready for special number two if you are.”

“Oh, I’m always ready,” I said with a slight giggle. “Hit me with your best shot, Wyatt Hamilton.”

“Oh, trust me, my dear, I will.” He kissed me and rolled over on top of me again.

I stared up at him my heart racing with love for this man. I couldn’t believe I’d been so lucky as to fall in love with my best friend.

Most Obnoxious Cowboy

Arya Waterstone never thought she’d be a single mom—especially not to her sister’s child. But now that her irresponsible sister has run off with a rodeo cowboy, she has taken responsibility for her adorable niece, Eloise. When she showed up at Horseshoe Ranch hoping to find Eloise’s father, she never expected to meet a wonderful family like the Hamiltons. Or their third son, Chet.

Chet Hamilton is as obnoxious as he is handsome. A tall, gorgeous man who is annoyingly charming and bossy. When he tries to stop her from getting a job at a local bar, Arya knows she has to leave the ranch and get her own place. She doesn’t want to leave the comfort of Horseshoe Ranch, but she doesn’t need the complications that she knows Chet Hamilton will bring to her life—even if he is determined to flirt his way into her good graces.

Chapter Ninety

Arya

The sound of the horses grazing in the field behind me was soothing. Holding the sack of apples I’d brought from the kitchen, I headed towards the mares closest to me. Arabella, the chestnut brown mare that was a particular favorite of mine, glanced at me, a keenness in her eyes that made me smile. Sometimes, I really thought that animals understood a lot more than we gave them credit for.

“Hey, girl.” I opened up the bag and pulled out an apple. It sat on the palm of my hand as Arabella sniffed her way to me eagerly. “You can only have one today, Arabella.”

I laughed as she grabbed the apple and munched on it happily. I ran my fingers through her long mane and patted the side of her face.

“You really are a beautiful horse, aren’t you?” I gazed at the other horses behind her and quickly continued. “Not that all of you aren’t gorgeous as well.” I surveyed the green fields and beyond, the Bitterroot Mountains in the distance, tall and majestic. The Hamilton property stretched far and wide, and I never ceased to be amazed by how much land they owned. For all that they were incredibly wealthy, they were also incredibly kind.

I jumped up onto the solid wood fence and sat there, looking up at the white fluffy clouds above me, feeling peaceful and calm. It was nice to have these moments to myself, moments when I could just think and process my life.

Eloise was in the kitchen with Amelia Hamilton, the matriarch of the family, helping her bake something. I knew that both of them enjoyed their time together immensely. Amelia was married to Ranger, a serious man with twinkling blue eyes that followed her around the room with love. They had seven sons, all of whom were strong, rugged, and handsome. Until recently, they had all been single, but now the two eldest, Beau and Austin, were engaged to two best friends, Olivia and Lucy, and their youngest son, Wyatt, had just gotten together with his best friend, Sadie.

That left four other equally handsome sons and a whole heap of testosterone in the house.

I’d initially come to Horseshoe Ranch because I’d believed the eldest son, Beau, was my niece Eloise’s father, but that had turned out not to be the case. Which hadn’t really surprised me.

My younger sister, Eloise’s mother, had always been a bit of a liar and a manipulator and when she’d run away to be with a rodeo cowboy, I hadn’t been that shocked. I’d been more devastated for Eloise, who was still too young to fully realize what had happened. I thanked God every day that she was still a happy, well-adjusted girl, even though her mother had run off and we had no idea who her father was.

I loved my niece, but sometimes I felt overwhelmed by the responsibility of having to look after her. I had no job, nowhere to live, no savings, and no other family to depend upon. Sometimes I felt like I was one day away from being on the streets, and that scared the living daylights out of me. I knew that if that happened, Eloise would be taken away from me and put in foster care, and there was no way that I would let that happen. She was my absolute world.

I felt myself tearing up as a flock of birds soared overhead. I wondered where they were going. I loved being here on the ranch—it was the first place in my life that I’d ever felt truly comfortable and happy—but it wasn’t my home. The Hamilton family had taken me in and provided me shelter and food, but I was starting to feel like I was taking advantage of their kindness. I wasn’t providing anything, and I didn’t like feeling like I was using them. Even though they had never so much as hinted that they thought that I had outstayed my welcome, I still felt self-conscious.

“It’s time to move on, Arya,” I whispered to myself.

I pulled out my phone and pressed play on the last message I’d received from Chip, the owner of 12 Point Buck Bar. He’d offered me a job as a bartender and the use of the apartment above the bar, for free. He was a nice man, and I was excited to finally be able to make some money. I’d miss not being here on the ranch, though. I’d miss all of the crazy Hamilton family as well. They were some of the best people I’d ever met in my life.

“Arya, there you are!”

Lucy ran towards me, her long blonde hair flying in the wind. Lucy was engaged to Austin, and had actually moved to Montana from New York, though she’d already adapted well to living here.

“Hi, Lucy. I was just feeding the horses some apples.” I held up the bag next to me. “Well, only Arabella got an apple,” I admitted. “What’s up?”

“Oh, not much. Sadie, Olivia, and I were wondering if you’d like to have a girls’ night tonight? We were thinking we could do our nails and stuff. Sadie just got a new shipment of some cool supplies from Korea.”

“Korea?” I raised an eyebrow. “That’s pretty far away.”

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