The Wrangler's Woman. Ruth Jean Dale
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Y’all Come looked as if it had started life as a Swiss Chalet. The steeply slanted roof was visible through windows framed by lacy wooden trim, and photos of snow scenes papered the walls. It was all so incongruous that Dani had to smile.
Then she stopped looking at the décor and honed in on her family.
Not too surprisingly, Niki and Toni were the object of considerable attention. They sat in a booth with Granny, chatting so animatedly that if you didn’t know them, you wouldn’t think they were even aware of the scrutiny of a whole roomful of mostly men.
Dani, very aware, was not pleased, especially when she spotted the nosy cowboy seated on a stool at the counter. He was watching her with an amused tilt to his lips. Lifting her chin, she stalked between the tables and slid into the only seat left in the family booth.
Everyone smiled, and Toni said, “How’s old Sundance?”
“Old Sundance is fine.” Dani picked up the mug of coffee they’d ordered for her. “Have you called the lawyer?”
Her sisters shifted a bit guiltily and Toni said, “We were just about to get around to that.”
“Okay. Have you got directions to the ranch?”
“Well…” Toni and Niki looked at each other, and Toni said, “Not exactly. The waitress is new around here and doesn’t know, but I’m sure one of these nice cowboys can help us out.”
Which was just what Dani didn’t want to hear. Why did some women check their good sense at the door when men came on the scene?
“I CAN’T BELIEVE IT,” Dylan Sawyer declared. “The Keene brothers turn out to be the Keene sisters! Does that take the cake or what?”
“It damn sure does,” Jack agreed, watching the prickly woman he’d encountered outside march up to the booth in front of the window and sit down. “Dani, Niki and Toni—with an i. Got any idea which one is which?”
“Well…” Dylan licked his chops. “The pretty one—”
“Hell, they’re all pretty.” And they were, Jack realized, although none more so than the woman who’d been walking the horse. There was more to her than good looks, too. Intelligence just glowed from those dark eyes. Grandpa would call her smart as a whip.
“No, I mean the real pretty one, the one with that long black hair. She’s Niki.”
Jack looked at Niki more carefully, and somewhat belatedly realized what a knockout she was. Funny how he hadn’t noticed anything special about her at first glance. “And the others?”
“The one in the red jacket is Toni, so the one who just came in must be Dani—process of elimination,” Dylan concluded with a guffaw. “They called the old lady who looks like Mrs. Santa Claus ‘Grandma.”’
“Did you get identification on the horse?”
Dylan blinked. “What horse?”
“Let it go.” A formal introduction, Jack was thinking. That’s what he needed, seeing as Dani had seemed so leery of him. Hell, he was going to be neighbors with her—with all of them, he hastened to add. Might as well be friendly.
Joe Bob slid onto the stool on the other side of Jack’s. “Man, did you get a load of that?” He jerked his head toward the women.
Dylan nodded, but then his look of eager anticipation faded. “They’re still Keenes and that means they’re off-limits,” he said in a warning tone. “Damn shame, since they’re so blasted cute.”
“Yeah, a shame,” Joe Bob agreed. “But lookin’ won’t hurt us any.” And he banged Jack on the shoulder with a friendly fist, nearly knocking him off the stool.
A COWBOY WITH HANDS so big they dwarfed the coffeepot offered refills and bashful smiles all around.
Dani cocked her head and watched him slosh coffee over the rim of her chipped mug. “Don’t quit your day job,” she advised.
“Huh?” He seemed to be having trouble pulling his gaze away from Niki.
“Do you work here?”
“Naw.” He chortled at the very thought. “I just wanted to get a closer look at y’all.” Still laughing, he backed away.
“Wait a minute.”
“Ma’am?”
Dani wanted to groan. She knew she must sound like a drill sergeant, but he didn’t have to “ma’am” her. “Do you know where the office of an attorney named John Salazar is?”
“Yes, ma’am, I do.”
“Well, would you mind telling me where it is?” she asked, exasperated.
“Oh. Sure.” He pointed toward the front door. “Out there, turn right one block and left one block. It’s in the Snake-oil Building—sorry, I mean the Snaesull Building, but we all call it the Snake-oil Building.”
“Oh, lord.” She rolled her eyes, then added a belated, “Thank you very much.” To her family she said, “I’m going to walk on over so I can get the keys. Wait here and let the locals look you over. In fact, you probably should go ahead and eat.”
Toni frowned. “Don’t you want one of us to go with you?”
Dani shook her head. “If I need you, I’ll come get you.” She slid out of the booth. “I won’t be long.” She didn’t wait for their response, knowing they’d acquiesce. She was, after all, the oldest of the triplets; she’d been born seven minutes ahead of Toni, who was born thirteen minutes before Niki, the baby of the family. Besides, business was Dani’s forte, as being nice was Toni’s and being beautiful was Niki’s.
Dani just wished she was as good at her thing as they were at theirs.
DANI WALKED OUT the front door and Jack hopped off that stool and was after her like a shot. Wherever she was going, he’d just tag along in case she needed…anything, anything at all.
All in the interest of repaying a debt, of course. Nothing more.
By the time he got out the front door, she was standing at the curb, looking around with great interest. He trotted up to her with a smile.
“Looking for something?” he asked in his most winsome tone.
“Is that just another good guess?”
“Yep. Maybe I can help you.”
“I don’t need any help, thank you.” She made a sharp right turn and walked quickly away from him.
He took that “thank you” as a good sign and followed. In a few long strides, he was beside her. She gave him an annoyed glance.
“Are you following me?” she demanded.
“No, ma’am, I’m being hospitable is all.”
“Ohh!” She clenched slender hands into tight fists. “If one more person calls me ma’am—!”
“It’s not your age,” he explained. “It’s your attitude. You are a tiny bit…intimidating.”
She didn’t miss a step. After about half a block, she said, “You don’t know me well enough to make that judgment. In fact, you don’t even know my—”
“Dani Keene,” he interrupted.
Then she did miss a step. “How did you know that?”
“Everybody does. We’ve been waitin’ for the Keene brothers of Montana to roll into town and here you are. I’m Jack—”
“I don’t care who you are.” She crossed the street and he kept pace. “I don’t take up with strangers on the street. If this is the way Texas men treat women—”
“Now hold it right there! Texas men don’t take a back seat to any