Twins For The Texas Rancher

Logan looked her way, his gaze slipping to her bosom before returning to her face. “What?”

“Stop smiling.”

He pressed his lips together and narrowed his eyes. “Better?”

“Much.”

“Tomorrow you should let the kids check out the playground behind the motel.”

“That’s a good idea.” Sadie nudged Tyler toward the bathroom. “Your turn.” He obeyed, like he always did, closing the door behind him.

“Is there anything else I can get you? More towels? An extra blanket?” Logan asked.

“I think we’ll be fine for one night.” She expected him to leave—actually, she was surprised he hadn’t bolted for the door as soon as Tommy dived onto the bed. Instead he appeared reluctant to go.

Tommy did a backflip and Logan clapped. “You’d make a good circus clown.” He waited until Tyler finished washing his hands, then said, “And you’d be a good circus manager.”

Tommy rolled off the bed. “What’s a circus manager?”

“Enough questions for one day, kiddo,” Sadie said. “Get your pj’s on and crawl under the covers.” For once, Tommy listened to her and followed Tyler’s lead, digging his clothes out of his backpack.

“It’s pretty safe around here, but make sure you use the bolt and bar latch before you turn out the lights.”

“I’ll do that right now.” Sadie smiled. “It was nice seeing you, again.”

“Hey, Uncle Logan.” Tommy ran across the room, his pajama bottoms on backward. He pointed at Logan’s boots. “Are you a real cowboy?”

“I am.”

“Do you got a horse?”

“I do.”

“Does he got a name?”

“Her name is Sweet Pea.”

“You got a girl horse?”

“Yep.”

“That sucks.”

“We talked about using that word, young man.” Tommy had learned it from one of the kids at school.

“I wanna boy horse.” He looked at Sadie. “I want to see Sweet Pea.”

Logan answered before Sadie had a chance to. “You and Tyler are welcome to visit her at the ranch.”

“Stop pestering Uncle Logan. It’s way past bedtime.”

Logan opened the door, then glanced around Sadie. “Hey, Tyler, have you ever been in a hayloft?”

Tyler shook his head, clutching the Frog and Toad book against his chest.

“If you come out to the ranch, bring your books because it’s a cool place to read.”

Sadie appreciated how Logan made a point to speak to Tyler. More often than not, Tommy stole the show and his brother was forgotten.

“I’m sure we’ll be making a trip to the ranch to see the horses and the hayloft,” Sadie said.

Logan shut the door and then Sadie secured the extra locks. “Time to play the quiet game and see who falls asleep first. The winner gets an extra doughnut for breakfast tomorrow.” She didn’t like using bribes, but it beat yelling all the time. The boys snuggled beneath the blankets and closed their eyes, pretending to sleep.

She kissed their foreheads. “I love you, guys.”

Me, toos echoed in her ear.

Sadie carried her nightshirt and a clean pair of panties into the bathroom and took a shower. Afterward, she adjusted the air conditioner so the room wouldn’t grow too cold during the night. She left the bathroom door halfway open and kept the light on in case the boys got up in the middle of the night to use the toilet.

“Mom?” Tommy whispered.

“You’re supposed to be sleeping.”

“Can we go see Uncle Logan’s girl horse tomorrow?”

“I don’t know, honey.”

“Mom?”

“What?” A full minute passed and only the quiet hum of the air conditioner filled the room. “Tommy?” she whispered. No answer.

Her little Energizer Bunny had finally drifted off to sleep.

Now if only she could get some rest. But when Sadie closed her eyes, she saw Logan’s face. In her meager dating experience, single handsome men weren’t jumping at the chance to interact with a challenging child as rambunctious as Tommy.

Don’t forget Tyler.

Sadie was amazed that Logan had picked up on Tyler’s love of reading after just meeting him. As she drifted off to sleep, she couldn’t help thinking how great it would be to find a man who wanted to be a father to her boys and would treat them better than the one they already had.

Chapter Two (#u74c6be80-5549-5778-b58f-374a66fb529c)

Logan glanced at the clock on the wall and rubbed his eyes. Five a.m. He pushed himself out of the rocking chair and stretched until the twinges and aches disappeared. He was only thirty-two and suspected he’d be in worse shape if he’d continued rodeoing all these years. At least the aches and pains would have been worth it. After his father had been struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver while changing a flat tire on the side of the road and his grandfather fell off the wagon, Logan had stashed away his rodeo gear and returned home to ride fence and feed cattle.

If Gunner didn’t waltz into the office by six, he’d lock the doors and take off. His brother had been keeping honeymoon hours since he and Lydia returned from Vegas. Married. Logan shook his head in disbelief that his baby brother—the family goof-off, the guy who’d boasted he’d never let a woman catch him—hadn’t only gotten married, but he was going to be a father.

Speaking of kids... Logan’s thoughts switched to the Stagecoach room and Sadie. The top of the blue-eyed blonde’s head barely reached his shoulder, but one glance at her curvy hips and full bosom and there was no mistaking she was a full-grown woman.

And a mother of twins.