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Vin had been their first foster child, and he’d been with them the

longest out of anyone. He couldn’t even remember his biological

mother or a time when he hadn’t lived at Crawley Creek. At the

tender age of three, he’d been dumped off on the state because the

woman who’d given him life didn’t want him. Her rejection burned

in his gut every day—a wound he was sure would never heal—even

though he only knew it in a figurative way.

By the time they’d changed back into their own clothes, Lacy

had made her arrangements with the shop attendant, and she was

handing over a card for payment. Drannon shook his head when she

asked if he wanted to see the receipt, and in that moment, Vin knew

for sure he’d be wearing that lilac ensemble to the wedding.

Resigned to the humiliation for one day, he said his goodbyes

and got the hell out of Dodge as fast as he could. There was more

wedding shopping planned for the day, but he was by no means

interested in joining in. He had work to do back at the ranch. In fact,

he had more work than time these days, but at least he was working

with his hands, and doing what he enjoyed. Not many people could

say that.

10

July 27 – Wedding Countdown T-minus 12 days

“I’m glad she’s at least able to come for my wedding,” Drannon

told their youngest foster brother, Hawke, as they sat down to

breakfast Monday morning. “She hasn’t been back for years.”

“Not true. She was here for Abe’s funeral,” Romeo said, filling

his girlfriend, Franki’s plate before he heaped food onto his own.

“And before that, she was here for Sera’s.”

“Doesn’t count. She met us at the cemetery and didn’t come

back to the ranch afterward,” Drannon said, sipping his coffee as he

pondered the situation.

Vin kept his trap shut. He knew why Lauren Kensington had

avoided Crawley Creek, but he sure as hell couldn’t explain it to his

brothers. His stomach twisted with guilt. He’d been the one to send

her away, but it was for her own good, damn it. Surely she knew that

by now?

“I wanted to remind you guys that the psychologist is arriving

today. Marilyn set up the Huck Finn cabin for her to use. She won’t

actually have her first patient until after the wedding, but her

apartment lease was ending, and she needed time to settle in,” Lacy

said, changing the subject away from Lauren.

“What’s this girl’s name again?” Romeo asked.

“Dr. Jeannette Hall. She’s from Philadelphia, and I don’t think

she’s ever been around livestock, so I’m guessing this is going to be a

tough transition for her. Be nice.” Lacy gave Hawke a glare.

“Hey, I’m always nice to the ladies!” Hawke protested, patting

his chest as though he was wounded before wiggling his eyebrows.

“Very nice, if they want me to be.”

Lori King

Groans filled the air, and Vin rolled his eyes at his younger

brother’s antics. It used to be Romeo who was the playboy of the

group, but ever since he backed over Franki’s bike in the parking lot

at Mick’s Watering Hole, he’d been smitten. He seemed to be okay

with the loss of his manwhore status, and honestly, Vin was just glad

to see the kid sobered up. He’d helped drag Romeo’s drunk ass in the

house in the middle of the night way too many times.

Francesca “Franki” Scott fit his younger brother like a glove.

Despite the fact that she’d just recently lost her sister to a violent sex

trafficking ring, Franki was working hard to move past her grief and

build a new life at Crawley Creek. Vin had mad respect for the girl.

He couldn’t imagine what it would be like to lose a sibling, much less

lose one in such a tragic way.

Turning to Franki, he asked, “Where’s Destiny this morning?”

The pretty brunette paled a little, and her eyes grew sad. Roman

reacted almost instantly to his girlfriend’s distress, reaching out and

lacing his fingers with hers as she answered, “She’s not feeling well

again.”

“That girl needs help.” Roman shook his head, his expression

grim. “The more she heals physically, the weaker she seems

emotionally. I don’t think she’s been out of the cabin in the last three

days.”

“Did anyone call Mark? Maybe he needs to prescribe her some

medication?” Drannon asked.

“He knows already,” Franki assured him. “Bran has been by

every day to check on her, but she’s been turning him away. She told

him he didn’t need to drive all the way out here unless he had a lead

on that guy, Knox.”

Vin cursed under his breath. “They may never have a lead on

him.”

Nodding despondently, Franki’s eyes glistened with unshed

tears. “I know, but I can’t bring myself to break her like that. She’s

so fragile.”

“Well, if there’s one thing I know, it’s that Brandon Bowers

won’t give up without following every possibility no matter how far-

12

Claiming His Cowgirl

fetched. If there’s a way to crack that trafficking ring and mete out

justice for your sister and Destiny, he’ll find it,” Vin declared, patting

Franki’s opposite hand affectionately. She gave him a half-hearted

smile of thanks, and he swallowed the lump of emotion in his throat.

Years ago, he’d lost someone important to him, and the impact

left a scar a mile wide on his heart. He wasn’t sure he’d ever find

solace from the nightmares that plagued him. Visions of sand, sweat,

blood, and screams. Hell on Earth had never been a more relevant

phrase than when his subconscious plunged back into that horrific

period in his life.

“Hey Vin, can you check the oil in the 4-runner?” Drannon was

speaking, drawing him out of his terrible memories and back into the

conversation around him.

He nodded in agreement. “Sure, but it will be later today or

tomorrow morning before I can get to it. I’ve got that tractor all taken

apart right now. Ricky ran over a tree stump and tore the blade up.”

Drannon rolled his eyes. “That boy has cost us some serious

money lately.”

“Yeah, but I don’t have it in my heart to send him packing. Luke

says he needs to learn some responsibility. That’s why he asked me

to put him to work,” Vin said, snagging another piece of sausage

from the platter. Marilyn grinned at him, and he winked back. Link

sausage was his favorite breakfast food, and she generally made extra

because he loved it so much. It was just one of the many ways she

took care of him every day. Lovingly called Mama Bear behind her

back, Marilyn had helped raise them all as the full-time cook and

housekeeper at Crawley Creek. There was no one else in the room

whose opinion held more clout.

“We’ll keep him off lawn mowing duty until he knows what the

hell he’s doing. Shit, by fourteen, we were running big equipment. I

don’t understand what’s wrong with kids these days.” Drannon

sounded so much like their foster father, Abe, that Vin nearly

laughed.

Ricky was a good kid, and his father, Luke, was Abe and Sera

Crawley’s godson. He was as close to a cousin as the Crawley Creek

13

Lori King

boys got, and there was nothing Vin wouldn’t do to help his family

out. Including giving his cousin’s pain-in-the-ass fourteen-year-old

kid work for the summer.

“The wedding is only twelve days away, but there’s so much to

do still. I haven’t figured out the cake, or the music, but Pastor David

did say he would officiate,” Lacy lamented to Franki and Marilyn.

After a moment of thought, Marilyn’s face lit up. “You could ask

Connie Laslo, who her daughter Violet had make her cake. She just

got married in March, and they had a really large cake.”

“Was is good?” Drannon asked with a frown.

Marilyn laughed. “Nope, but it was a cake. You can’t be picky in

a town the size of Montford.”

“Maybe we should just skip cake…” Drannon suggested, giving

Lacy a pained look when she shook her head, rejecting the idea.

“How are you going to decorate the yard?” Franki asked. Vin

instantly dropped his eyes to his plate hoping that, if he avoided eye

contact, he wouldn’t be asked to help with this particular wedding

task.

“Actually, I was hoping Hawke would build an arch that we

could wrap with sunflowers. They should be blooming by then, and

we’ll just set out hay bales for the guests to sit on. I think simple is

the way to go.”

“You call that simple?” Roman asked with a snort. “You haven’t

carted hay bales around recently have ya?”

“An arch?” Hawke asked, frowning in disgust. “Like an arbor?

How is that a wedding decoration?”

“It’s not exactly, but it would look beautiful for pictures, and

then we can use it in the garden Marilyn and I are planning on putting

in next summer. We’ll create the perfect spot for photographs so that

other couples might seek out Crawley Creek as a place to have their

wedding images shot,” Lacy said. Vin snickered, and shook his head,

drawing her attention. “What?”

“I’m just amazed at how your brain works. You’re always

thinking of ways to build the ranch and bring in new business,” he

explained.

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Claiming His Cowgirl

She smiled back at him proudly. “Damn right I am. This is my

home and family, too. I want people to think of Crawley Creek with

pride and respect.”

Vin glanced over at Drannon who was grinning at his woman

like a lovesick puppy. “She’s so much like Sera was. You done good,

man.”

Drannon didn’t respond verbally, but he did reach out and steal a

kiss from the blushing bride, making her giggle. All around him, his

family chattered about daily ranch business, wedding plans, and the

future. It made Vin so happy his heart actually ached. Just a few

years ago, he thought he’d lost his future completely. Now, he had so

much to look forward to. It wouldn’t be long before Drannon and

Lacy were adding little ones to the family, and he couldn’t wait to

hear them call him Uncle Vin.

“By the way,” he said, waiting for everyone to turn his way

before he continued. “I’ve decided I want to relocate to one of the

cabins instead of staying in the main house.”

Everyone went silent, and Drannon gave him a concerned look.

“Okay, why?”

Vin shrugged. “I just figure it won’t be long before you guys all

start filling up the house with babies and bottles, and I don’t want to

be up all hours of the night.”

Franki snorted. “Don’t expect me to pop any critters out any

time soon.”

“You don’t have to move out, Vin, we could put up some

soundproofing if you’re worried...” Drannon offered.

Vin cut him off with a wave and a shake of his head. “Nope,

soundproofing is expensive and a hassle. I’ve been thinking about it

for a while now. I want my own space, and this is a good time to

make the move. Now that Romeo and Franki are taking over the

Mockingbird cabin, it will leave Hawke in one of the downstairs

rooms. If we move him upstairs, you’ll have that whole wing to use

for guests so that you can keep the family noise from bothering

them.”

15

Lori King

“You know, that actually makes a lot of sense,” Marilyn said

softly. “Drannon and Lacy have the master, and eventually, we will

turn one of the rooms upstairs into a nursery. Hawke could move into

the Captain’s room since it’s all the way at the other end of the hall,

or”—she looked pointedly at Hawke—“he could pick a cabin of his

own.”

“Hell, yeah, I want a cabin!” Hawke hollered. “No way do I

wanna be trapped upstairs with the littles.”

“So you want to move out, too?” Drannon said, looking sad.

“It’s not moving out. It’s just relocating for a bit of privacy.” Vin

winked at Marilyn. “Don’t worry, I’ll still come to eat here.”

“Never doubted it,” Marilyn said with a laugh. “If there’s one

thing I can count on from you boys it’s your appetites.”

Vin gave her a cheeky grin as he reached for another piece of

sausage. “Your good cooking is the reason we bought this place!”

Marilyn’s cheeks flushed pink as everyone agreed with his

compliment. In reality, Abe deeded the ranch to them before he died,

but they’d had to sink their savings into it in order to make necessary

upgrades and bring their cattle ranching into the twenty-first century.

While Abe had always managed to get the job done, he’d certainly

not had the funds to grow the ranch further. With four of them

investing now, the sky was the limit.