The Bull Rider's Twin Trouble

by Ali Olson

  Before Cassie could answer, Carter tugged on her shirt. “Momma! What about the splinters?”

  Cassie leaned down to him. “If you couldn’t find the tweezers, they must still be in a box somewhere. Once I finish what I’m doing, I’ll go help you search, and then we’ll be able to get out all the splinters.”

  “Do you have a bad one? I can get it out using a credit card,” Brock offered.

  Cassie gave him a skeptical look. “You can get splinters out using a credit card?”

  Brock smiled, carefully extricated his wallet from his back pocket and pulled out a credit card. “Sure. They didn’t teach you that in your big-city college?” he asked, glad to clear the air from their earlier heated moment.

  “I must’ve missed that day,” she said. “Carter, do you want to show Brock your splinter?”

  Brock took the young boy’s hand in his, stretching the skin around the splinter. In a few moments, he had used the corner of the card to push the splinter out.

  “Cool!” Carter exclaimed, his eyes wide.

  Brock looked up to Cassie, who nodded in agreement. “That was pretty cool. I’ll need to remember that trick.”

  Diego cleared his throat, bringing Brock out of the moment. “I’ll keep an eye on the boys. You three go talk business,” he said.

  Soon, Cassie was walking with Jose and Diego out into the fields and Brock was directing the boys on the final additions to the lumber pile while he stretched his back. If he could loosen it up some, he and Cassie would be able to get her doctor’s office all ready before he needed to leave for the evening. Amy had flown in that morning and, with Jose and Diego now in town, he’d be expected at the family dinner Ma had mentioned.

  Brock reached toward his toes as far as he could until the scream of pain quieted. When he straightened, his eyes sought out Cassie and his brothers, who had moved a good distance away, and he could only see the backs of their heads as they talked and gestured. He tried not to imagine Cassie laughing at Jose’s jokes, smiling back at him when he gave her his patented thousand-watt grin.

  Brock kept stretching, getting more and more annoyed at the efforts he was sure Jose was putting into seducing Cassie. Luckily, they were back before Brock’s imagination could run away with him too much, and Jose and Diego shook Cassie’s hand once more. Jose said, “It was so nice to meet you, Cass. Everything will be baled and out of your hair by the end of next week. And please think about the dinner invitation, okay?”

  Cassie nodded and smiled back, but before she could say anything more to Jose, Brock broke in. “I’ll see you two out.”

  With that he stomped toward the side of the house, knowing the two would need to follow before Jose could say anything else. In a flash and despite the still-prominent ache in his back, he had made his way through a broken section of fence and around the side of the house, until he could see his brothers’ truck waiting beside his in the driveway.

  “Whoa, what’s the rush?” Jose asked as Brock ushered them toward the vehicle.

  Brock thought he might hit his brother, but Diego got there first, smacking Jose on the back of the head. “You’re lucky Brock’s not killing you right now,” he said.

  “What? Why?” Jose asked, rubbing the back of his head.

  “Cass? Dinner? What’s with the smooth talk, Jose?” Brock said, folding his arms in front of him.

  “I was just being polite,” Jose said in his defense.

  “You were being fresh,” Brock shot back.

  Diego jumped in. “Brock, nobody says ‘fresh.’ Stop acting like an old man. Jose, brothers don’t go after the same girls. Brock was here first, and if he has a thing going with Cassie—”

  “I don’t have a thing with her,” denied Brock. “It’s just that...” He searched for an explanation that didn’t involve the story of how she’d shot him down when he asked her out. “She’s our parents’ new neighbor, and a very nice widow, and she doesn’t need to fend off your flirtations.”

  Diego raised an eyebrow. “Nothing’s going on with you two? Seriously?”

  Brock wasn’t sure what to say to that. “We’re friends” sounded like a lie, but what else were they? If he was being honest with himself, he had no answer. No answer he liked, anyway.

  The silence lengthened between them until Jose burst out, “Fine, I will no longer be, um, polite to Cass. I mean, Mrs. Stanford,” he added after seeing the look on Brock’s face.

  Brock nodded and walked them the last few steps to their truck.

  “In my defense, though,” Jose continued, “I wasn’t asking her out to dinner. I was inviting her to dinner at home. Ma told me to. So don’t worry so much about me getting too fresh, Grandpa.”

  With that and another big smile, Jose hopped into the passenger side of the truck. Diego shook his head. “I’ll keep him under control. See you in a few hours?”

  Brock nodded and Diego got into the driver’s seat and started the engine. Brock turned around, feeling equal parts annoyed and ashamed.

  He had jumped down his brother’s throat for flirting with Cassie. If they were just going to be friends, why should he get to say who flirted with her? Brock knew that wasn’t fair to her, or to Jose, or to any guy who liked her. If she didn’t want to date because of her husband’s memory, that was fine, but he should leave that decision to her. She could decide to go out with anybody she liked.

  Still, the thought of Cassie with someone else bothered him more than he wanted to admit.

  Brock ran his fingers through his hair. If he could survive another ten days around her, it wouldn’t matter, anyway. He’d go back to his regular life and that would be it for this whole thing.

  Brock sighed and went back to where Cassie was standing, the pile of boards back to the state it had been before it tumbled. The boys were nowhere to be seen.

  Her eyes lit up when she saw him in a way he was sure Jose would never experience, and in that moment of triumph, he threw caution to the wind and kissed her again, hoping that this time...

  Any thought after that disappeared as her body and lips met his, sending bursts of electricity flowing through his veins. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close, though she needed no urging.

  Then she pulled away, and in a flash his arms were empty and she was standing beside the dilapidated fence, not looking at him and shaking her head.

  Brock laughed ruefully. “If that kiss did anything near to you what it did to me, then your husband must’ve been some amazing guy for you to be so loyal to him.”

  It was Cassie’s turn to laugh, though hers was bitter and hinted at struggles beyond her young years. “Hank? If he’d survived the car crash, we would be divorced and I would probably still be kissing you right now. He was...not a very good husband.”

  Brock was confused. Everything he’d heard about the man painted him as a saint. Cassie seemed to know what he was thinking. “I don’t want the boys to know the darker sides of their father. For now at least, they should think of him as a heroic police officer.”

  “Instead of...” Brock prompted.

  He could see the pain in her eyes, and thought she might want to share the story. When she didn’t speak at first, though, he opened his mouth to change the subject. Before he could say anything she began speaking, all in a rush, as if the words had been walled up and the dam had just burst.

  “Hank was a cop back in Minneapolis. I got pregnant when we had only been dating for a few months, and we got married. Things started to fall apart even before the boys were born, and we had a lot of arguments about me going back to school to finish getting my MD. Still, I tried to stick it out.”

  Brock watched her intently. Cassie took a deep breath and continued. “He was gone a lot—working extra shifts, he said—which meant we didn’t see much of each other those last couple of years. It was probably the reason we stayed together as
long as we did. But—”

  She paused. Brock wasn’t sure she was going to continue. When she spoke again, her voice was quiet.

  “But I had no idea what was really going on. It was only after the accident that I found out. He got in a car crash in the middle of the night. He’d crashed into a pole. He died...”

  She grimaced, either in hurt or disgust, Brock wasn’t sure. “The woman in the passenger seat survived.”

  Brock moved forward and stood beside her, aching with the betrayal she must have felt. “She was—”

  “His girlfriend,” Cassie said, the calmness of her voice belied by the sparkle of a tear in her eye. “One of many, it turned out.”

  Brock wasn’t sure what to say, but before he could find words, Cassie continued, “And they found drugs in the car, too. I had been so busy with the twins and finishing my residency that I had no idea any of this was going on. I felt so stupid.”

  Cassie covered her face with her hands and fell silent for a moment. Brock wanted to hug her, but held himself back, only looping a single arm around her back as a show of support. She dropped her hands back to her side and forced herself to continue.

  “The rumors about Hank were everywhere. He was a cop, after all. A ‘pillar of the community’ sort of thing. Every person we talked to would look at us with pity, and I hated it. I didn’t want the scandal of it to ruin the boys’ memories of their dad. So I packed them up and moved them across the country to keep them safe and happy. Sometimes I’m not so sure it was a great idea, but here we are,” she said, standing and looking out the barn toward the ranch house.

  “Anyway, that’s why nothing can happen between us. I’m not loyal to Hank’s memory. I’m loyal to Zach and Carter and the memories of their father that they hold so dear. They’ve been through so much, and we’re finally getting into a good place. I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize that. That means no dating, no kissing, no flings, regardless of the man.”

  Brock could see in her face and hear in her voice how much she desired him, and if it didn’t give him what he really wanted, at least it soothed the feeling of rejection. Before he could do more than nod, the twins came running up to their mom, chattering excitedly about their adventures searching for the tool chest.

  Cassie looked up at Brock, none of the emotions she had experienced so recently showing on her face. “I sent Zach and Carter to find the toolbox so we can work on the office, unless you need to get home and be with your family?” she asked.

  She was giving him an out, a chance to slink away without discussing all that had happened in the past few minutes. He knew she would understand if he walked away now and never came back. “I’ve got enough time to help. And if we have that out of the way, we can get started on the paddock tomorrow.”

  Cassie’s smile transmitted her relief without the need for words, and Brock walked with her and the boys into the house. He wished there was something he could do to convince her that she deserved to be happy as much as her children did.

  But if he couldn’t do that, at least he could respect her wishes and do whatever possible to make her life a little easier. If anyone deserved a helping hand, it was Cassie.

  * * *

  AN HOUR AND a half later, Cassie watched from her doorway as Brock walked to his parents’ house. She wasn’t sure if she was relieved or disappointed that they’d never had a chance to speak privately after her confession by the fence. The boys had been so eager to help as they hung her diplomas and organized the furniture, there was no opportunity for her and Brock to be alone.

  So Cassie couldn’t help but wonder what he thought about everything she’d said. It was clear Brock was still willing to help her, but that was all she knew.

  Once he was out of sight, Cassie walked into the kitchen and took a long drink of cold water. She had just put the glass down and started to consider what to do with the rest of the afternoon when her phone buzzed. She glanced at it to find a message from Brock: Ma wanted me to make sure you were coming to dinner. Will you be coming? She wants you here by 6.

  Dinner with the McNeals. An entire night of unsatisfied lust for Brock and fending off Jose’s flirtations didn’t sound all that appealing, but she couldn’t find it in her to say no. Mrs. McNeal was so nice, after all, and she didn’t want to disappoint the old woman.

  Cassie knew it was a lie to say she was going for any reason besides Brock. She might not be able to have him, but she still couldn’t stop herself from spending what time around him she could. Even when she engineered ways to stay away from him, she still managed to sabotage them.

  She cut off the internal monologue and texted back. We’ll be there.

  Once the decision was made, Cassie went to tell Zach and Carter. Then they needed to decide what to bring their hosts, and she would need to go through the long process of agonizing over what to wear so it wasn’t flirtatious, yet attractive enough that the little voice inside her still hoping for some impossible romance didn’t shout too loudly.

  A quick trip to the bakery solved one of her problems, and an hour in front of the mirror solved the other, and by that time it was nearly six o’clock and she had to hustle Zach and Carter out the door.

  Cassie watched her boys run ahead of her through the late-afternoon sunshine toward the McNeal home. The lights shone through the windows, creating an inviting scene, but it did nothing to ease Cassie’s nerves. She told herself that she was just nervous because she was planning to spend the evening with a bunch of people she hardly knew, not because of anything to do with Brock McNeal.

  She didn’t believe it, but it was better than admitting the alternative: that her feelings toward Brock were getting more confusing all the time. She couldn’t forget the way her body reacted to his kisses, or the way her heart melted at his smile.

  All Cassie wanted to do was get her ranch finished and keep her heart unscathed, and instead she was planning to spend an entire evening in Brock’s presence under the eyes of his whole family, who also happened to be her neighbors in her new hometown. She really had a knack for creating the perfect recipe for disaster.

  Zach and Carter hopped onto the porch, then waited for their mother to catch up. For one crazy second, Cassie considered calling them back to her and turning around. They could just go home and send their apologies.

  The door opened and Mrs. McNeal, an older woman with a head of white curls and a wide smile, greeted the two boys. “Come in! My, but it’s good to see young boys in my home again. If I’m not mistaken, you’ve grown taller since you moved here. ’Fore I know it, you’ll be as tall as my boy Brock.”

  Cassie walked up the porch steps and saw the look of astonishment on the boys’ faces. “I’m going to be that tall?” Carter asked with wide eyes.

  Mrs. McNeal nodded confidently. “Taller, if I’m not mistaken. And I’m never mistaken. Now come in off the porch, you three.”

  “Thank you for inviting us, Mrs. McNeal,” Cassie said as she entered the large, well-kept ranch home.

  Brock’s mother waved her hands as if getting rid of a bad smell. “Sarah, if you please. We’re neighbors, after all. We don’t put on any airs here, Cassie.”

  Before Cassie could reply, Sarah had her arms wrapped around the boys and was leading them through the house. “You two will call me Nana Sarah, won’t you? My children haven’t given me any grandbabies to spoil yet, so I’ll need to spoil you instead.”

  Cassie followed Sarah and the boys, trying to gird herself for the jolt of electricity she felt every time she saw Brock. Even so, there was no way she could have been prepared for the wash of emotions she felt when she walked into the kitchen, where Brock stood with his arm around the waist of a beautiful, tall blonde woman.

  Cassie couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Did Brock have a girlfriend he’d never told her about? The pain she’d felt when she discovered the truth about her husband ca
me washing back over her, taking her breath away. Was Brock taken and simply trying to have some extra fun on the side with her? Cassie’s heart ached at the thought.

  Brock turned toward her, giving her a smile that cut right through her. It hurt to realize that she wasn’t as special to him as she’d believed, that he was another cheating man like Hank. She considered running out the door right then and there, but she stopped herself. She wouldn’t let another man embarrass her like that.

  Chapter Nine

  Brock felt his heart speed up at the sight of Cassie standing in the doorway, holding what looked to be another of Emma’s pies, which his ma smelled with glee. When Brock smiled at Cassie, though, he was surprised to see her give him a stony expression. He wondered if something had changed since he’d seen her a few hours before. Maybe she was mad about the kiss and regretted telling him about her husband. Or maybe, despite her determination to stay single, she had fallen for Jose’s smooth talk after all and had decided to create a cool distance between them before pursuing something with his little brother.

  He knew that didn’t make sense, but even so, it was difficult to push the thought away.

  “Brock, why don’t you introduce Cassie to everyone while I take this pie and the boys into the kitchen? I need a couple of taste-testers to help make sure everything’s ready,” his ma urged, breaking the silence before disappearing through the doorway to the kitchen, boys in tow.

  “I know everyone except—” Cassie paused, looking at Amy.

  Brock used the arm around Amy’s waist to turn her toward Cassie. He tried to grin at her again, hoping he was just reading too much into things. “Cassie, this is Amy, my sister.”

  “Oh!” Cassie exclaimed, her eyes wide in surprise and maybe something else. Relief?

  Cassie shook hands with Amy, her friendly manner completely restored. Brock decided he must have just imagined her previous hesitation. He guided Amy to a chair, where she sat down with a sigh.