True Love Cowboy by Jennifer Ryan

Trinity wondered how long it took Jon to look up what happened and how it would impact her current mental state. She didn’t mind Emmy asking about her scar. Kids were curious creatures by nature. But she could have handled herself better. She didn’t need to rush out of there that way.

Of course, Jon had been amazing, stopping her before she escaped to her car and had a full-blown panic attack.

Instead, he’d distracted her. Just his hand on her, the warm tenor of his voice as he asked about what happened and coaxed her to open up to him, they calmed her. His touch, the amazing kiss, they pulled her out of the past and right into his arms where she liked being way more than she should given the fact they barely knew each other.

Still. She appreciated his kindness and understanding. He didn’t dismiss her feelings or tell her to get over it. Everyone liked to remind her Clint was dead and she didn’t have anything to worry about. Intellectually, she knew that, but her brain hadn’t processed that message yet. It stored away the trauma and fear, and when it got too much to hold back, it came right out, front and center, and took over her mind and body all over again.

But Jon seemed to know how to make it all go away.

Or maybe she should put into practice what her therapist told her and use distraction to change her mindset. Until now, she hadn’t found anything that did that for her.

Except Jon.

She could kiss him again and again and never get tired of it.

“Please tell me that secret little smile you’ve got going has something to do with the new guy in your life.” Her soon-to-be sister-in-law Skye bumped shoulders with her.

She couldn’t help or hide the blush that only made Skye smile even wider at her. “Maybe.”

“Spill it. Is he as gorgeous as Adria says?”

“Most definitely.” Tall with wide shoulders and a trim frame, his body toned to perfection. Blue eyes set off by his dark hair. And the way he looked at her . . . Smokin’ hot. “I could look at him all day.”

Skye’s eyes turned dreamy. “And he’s a good guy. You’d only pick a good one.”

“I think he picked me.” It felt that way at the hospital when they stood in the lobby and he’d made it clear he wanted to get to know her better. “But I think I’ll keep him. For now anyway.” She tried to hide another smile but couldn’t.

Skye touched her arm. “I’m so happy for you.”

She looked at Drake leaning back against the counter, Adria in front of him, his arms wrapped around her, one big hand on her round belly. Declan was chatting with Tate, but his gaze kept drifting to Skye. And Tate stood there holding Liz’s hand, their fingers linked. Everyone in the family had someone. She was here alone, but it kind of felt like she and Jon were on the right track to really start something that could last.

“I’m happy for me, too.” It had been a long time since she’d really felt happy, not just pretended to be that way.

“I’m glad. You work so much and after what happened . . . Well, we were all worried about you.”

She thought she hid her feelings so well. Adria swore she’d kept all Trinity’s episodes under wraps. She didn’t want anyone to know she was struggling, because then her brothers would hover and try to take over her life after she’d worked so hard to get them to see her as the strong, independent, nothing-bothers-me woman she used to feel like all the time.

“Why were you worried?” She knew why. Because of what Clint did to her. But she really wanted to hear Skye’s take on it.

“You’re the one who checks on everyone. You take care of your brothers. But after what happened, you’ve been . . . quiet. I think Declan said it best. Clint locked you in your head.”

Like he’d trapped her in that trunk. She definitely felt that way sometimes. In the beginning, she couldn’t get out of her head to save her life. It had scared her how the darkness sucked her under and wouldn’t let go.

Skye rubbed her hand up and down Trinity’s back. “You’ve excused your way out of all the other family gatherings, except for Declan’s proposal and the dinner that followed. Otherwise, you always say you’re too busy.”

In her defense . . . “We opened two more stores.”

“Adria found the time. You didn’t want to, or couldn’t bring yourself to take it and face us with whatever you were going through.”

“I didn’t want you guys to see,” she confessed.

Her brothers would worry. They’d tell her what to do or order her to snap out of it. None of it would have worked. And although she’d wanted to be with them, she’d desperately wanted to be left alone.

“You should talk to Drake. He knows what it’s like to live in nightmares. He might be able to help you.”

“He’s happy now. He’s looking forward to the future with Adria and his babies. I’m okay enough not to mess that up for him by reminding him of his past.”

“We all want you to be better than okay.”

“I know. I’m getting there.” She distracted Skye from asking more about her with another tidbit about Jon. “I have a breakfast date tomorrow morning.”

Skye’s bright smile returned. “Date number two. Excellent.”

Feeling giddy, she admitted, “It’s just a means to get him to kiss me again.”

Skye nearly spewed soda all over the place. She held her fingers to her lips and swallowed while also smiling and laughing. “Well, that’s a good way to do it.”

“It’s the first time we’ll actually be alone.” She couldn’t wait.

“He has a little girl, right?”

Trinity nodded, her heart melting when she thought about the little one. “Emmy. She’s four. And adorable.”

“Sweet.”

“Her mother’s not.” Anger flashed for Emmy and Jon. “She seems to give Jon a difficult time and doesn’t seem to take very good care of Emmy.”

Skye frowned. “That’s sad.”

“He moved back here to be a better dad and spend more time with Emmy.”

Skye’s eyes lit with approval. “What does he do for a living?”

“He’s some kind of businessman. He owned several companies I think, then sold some before moving here. But now he wants to simplify his life. He’s fixing up his family ranch.” Maybe he’d like to run cattle for Almost Homemade. Declan and Tate had about all they could handle here, but they could partner with Jon.

Something to think about.

“Sounds like he’s got his priorities straight.”

He cared. And she loved that about him. “He’s a great dad. Watching him with Emmy, it just makes my heart melt.”

Tate overheard them. “When do we get to meet this guy?”

She met Tate’s gaze across the kitchen. “Actually, I gave him your number. He wants to buy a couple horses for him and Emmy to ride. I thought you could hook him up with one of your buddies.”

Tate held up his beer bottle. “No problem.”

“He’ll probably need your help and one of the trailers picking them up and getting them over to his ranch.”

“His ranch?” Declan asked.

“Mr. Crawford decided to move to a senior place in town so he’s not so lonely.”

“So Jon is living there now, right?” Declan nudged her for more details.

“Yes. Emmy stays with him Friday to Monday. Mr. Crawford is still recovering, but Jon says he’ll be chasing women and playing poker any day now.”

All of her brothers smiled and saluted with their beer bottles.

She shook her head, but smiled with them.

Liz released Tate and leaned over the counter. “I heard you cooked for him and Emmy on your first date.”

Adria smirked. “He walked right into the store and said he needed to see her. The man was on a mission.”

Trinity tried to play it off. “Because he wanted to reschedule our date. His ex couldn’t deal and asked him to pick Emmy up a day early.”

Adria added, “But you invited him into your place, cleaned up the little girl, and made them dinner.”

“She looked like a bedraggled rag doll. I don’t know when her mother last fed her, but she devoured a plate of spaghetti like she hadn’t eaten in days.”

Drake’s eyes narrowed. “Sounds like there’s some trouble there. You sure you want to get involved in that?”

She had a fierce attachment to them already. “I like Jon. I feel for Emmy. It can’t be easy for either of them to deal with the mom. Maybe his life is a bit complicated, but I’m not going to hold it against him when he’s been nothing but nice and forthcoming about his situation.”

“Okay then.” Drake dropped it. But he’d pick it right back up if she indicated at any time that Jon wasn’t treating her right.

Her brothers would be all over Jon then.

“Great. I’d at least like to get through a few more dates before you guys grill him about his intentions, or whatever.”

Drake and Declan both glanced at Tate, which meant they’d leave it to him to check out Jon when they set up the horse deal.

“You knew Jon in high school,” she reminded Drake.

“That was a long time ago. People change. And he wasn’t interested in my baby sister.”

Maybe she should have warned Jon about her brothers. Then again, he could hold his own. He’d have to if he wanted to date her because while he came with Emmy, she came with three overprotective brothers.

Tate started the questions. “When are you seeing him again?”

“Tomorrow morning. Breakfast date.”

“Nice,” Liz said. “He doesn’t mind your wonky schedule.”

“He seemed fine with an early dinner and now breakfast.”

He made it clear he just wanted to see her. If the happy surprise she’d seen on his face when she showed up at his place unannounced said anything, it’s that he wanted to spend a lot more time with her.

Her phone dinged with a text. She pulled it out, hoping she didn’t have to go into work for some emergency, but smiled when she saw Jon’s name come up.

The picture of him and Emmy with empty plates smeared with cobbler remains made her heart melt and smile widen.

“Share,” Adria called out.

If Jon was going to be a part of her life, that meant being part of her family. She flipped the phone around and showed them all the picture.

Liz touched her chest. “Oh my God, she’s adorable.”

Skye chimed in. “She looks like her dad. Dark hair. Those blue eyes. Wow, Trinity, he really is gorgeous.”

“Hey.” Declan frowned at his fiancée.

Trinity tapped her camera icon, turned her back to her entire family behind her, held the phone up so she could get everyone in the shot. “Say cheese.”

They all smiled; a few of them actually complied with the order. She snapped the photo and sent it back to Jon.

Declan, Skye, and Liz carried the huge chicken divan casseroles to the table.

“Let’s eat and talk about the wedding.” Skye clasped her hands at her chest, excited about marrying Declan.

They were perfect for each other. And Trinity loved Skye. She’d become a part of the Almost Homemade family, too, when they partnered with the farm she grew up on in Wyoming where she and Declan planned to get married. Sunrise Farms was a huge collective of people who lived as a community on the property. Everyone there had been shaken when the leader of what was at the time Sunrise Fellowship murdered Skye’s friend and partnered with a militia group bent on taking down the government with guns and bombs. But Skye and Declan helped the FBI take them down.

Skye reorganized the whole business. Her parents took over the new poultry and egg operation that supplied Almost Homemade. The other members went back to doing what they loved, working the farm and supplying the stores with fruits and vegetables.

Declan and Tate ran Cedar Top Ranch and supplied Almost Homemade with all the beef they needed.

They liked to keep business in the family.

And family came first.

Everyone took their seats around the long farmhouse table. While plates were filled with the yummy, cheesy casseroles, salad, and rolls, Trinity took a moment to glance around and take them all in. She loved that they made time to come together like this.

After the texts with Jon, she wished he and Emmy were here. It didn’t matter if they hadn’t known each other long. The connection was there. Their attraction was electric.

She really liked kissing him and hoped that turned into more.

She’d put her social life on the back burner for a long time now to get the stores up and running. She’d lived an all-work-no-fun life for too long.

And she hated that she used work as an excuse because she didn’t want to admit how hard it had been to overcome the trauma after her kidnapping and find her way back to being someone who didn’t shut others out for no reason but her own paranoia.

No one had really interested her until Jon.

So why not dive in, explore the heat between them, and see where things went from there?

Declan laid out the wedding plans. “So the wedding will be here. Something very similar to what Tate and Liz did for their wedding.”

“I thought you were going to hold it at Sunrise Farms,” Trinity interrupted.

Skye shook her head. “We’ll have a small ceremony here. Family and close friends. Adria shouldn’t travel right now.”

“You guys don’t have to change your plans because of me.” Adria rubbed her hand over her enormous belly. Twins took up a lot of space.

“We want to be surrounded by our family,” Declan explained. “That includes you, sis. So Skye’s parents, sister, Adria’s family, and a few close friends from Sunrise will come here for the ceremony and small reception. Then, Skye and I will go on our honeymoon, and when we return, we’ll have a bigger reception at Sunrise Farms.”

“When is the wedding?” Trinity asked.

“We finalized all the arrangements yesterday and will hold the ceremony four weeks from this Saturday.” Skye got nods from all of them.

No matter what they had planned, if anything, for that weekend, they’d all rearrange things to make it for the big day.

And Adria would love to have her sisters Roxy and Sonya, plus their husbands, here for a visit. They’d all become close.

Skye turned to her. “I’d love for you to be a bridesmaid.”

Trinity expected to be asked. She’d been everyone’s bridesmaid so far. “Absolutely.” She’d add another dress to her collection of dresses she’d probably only ever wear once. “I assume your sister will be your maid of honor and your father will walk you down the aisle.”

Skye nodded. “And Declan will have Drake and Tate stand up with him. Your parents can’t wait to come home and see all of us. They’re talking about getting a place in town so they’ll be here for the birth of the babies and enjoy being grandparents.”

“With Adria and Liz pregnant, they’ll expect you and Declan to get working on the next McGrath addition soon,” Trinity teased.

“That’s what the honeymoon is for, right?”

Everyone stared at Declan, then looked at Skye for confirmation he wasn’t joking.

She shrugged. “We want to start a family soon.”

Trinity set down the beer she’d been drinking. “Wow. You guys don’t waste any time.” And by that, she meant all her brothers.

“When you know what you want, everything seems to fit into place.” Declan had always been the practical, organized one among them. Of course he had a plan for this. Get married to the love of his life, start a family, be happy.

It seemed so easy.

Check, check, and check.

All of her brothers used the same plan.

She knew it was anything but simple. And her brothers had all been through the ringer getting to the aisle for one reason or another. So maybe it made perfect sense that once they got past all the bad, they wanted all the good.

After being kidnapped and scared for her life, she understood not wanting to waste precious time.

Maybe that’s why she was so ready to wallow in the way Jon made her feel when they were together, and she was absolutely ready for more of it.

After dinner, the joking, teasing, and just having fun with her family, she helped clean up and grabbed her stuff to head back home.

Drake surprised her by taking her shoulders. “I haven’t heard you laugh this much in a long time.”

Declan added, “You smiled a lot more tonight.”

Tate hugged her. “If this is because of Jon, we’re happy you’re happy again.”

Trinity glanced at the other women. “What’s going on?” Her brothers had never been this way with her.

Adria touched her arm. “They’ve been worried about you, Trinity. We all have. What happened with Clint changed you.”

“You were too quiet for too long,” Drake said, an understanding in his eyes.

She didn’t know quite what to say except, “I’m fine.”

Tate tugged a lock of her hair. “You say that all the time. Today you actually look it.”

Unsure and a little embarrassed, she shook her head. “Don’t worry about me. Things are good.” And if that had to do with Jon, well, all the better, because she couldn’t wait to see him tomorrow. It had been a while since she’d been excited about anything, so that was a good sign. For her. And for them. “I’ll see you all soon. I need to get on the road.”

She had the longest drive back. Drake and Adria only lived about fifteen minutes from the ranch, and Tate and Liz lived in the cabin on the property they’d renovated several months ago.

Alone in her car, the radio down low, she had plenty of time to think about what her brothers said and what it meant.

They had some idea she was still dealing with the mental fallout from the kidnapping, but somehow she’d finally managed to let that not be her mind’s only focus.

As distractions went, Jon was a good one. But it was more than just him. Finally, she had hope for the future and dreams of what that could look like.

Maybe, hopefully, it included a gorgeous man and a beautiful little girl.