The Texas Rancher's Family

This Land Is Not For Sale!

The Triple Canyon Ranch isn’t just land to single mom Erin Monroe. It’s a place her family has called home for generations, a place to raise her kids, a place where she’s known love and loss. She’s not about to hand it over to outsider Mac Wheeler, no matter how good the city slicker looks in those custom boots she made for him. He can find some other place for his wind farm!

Years ago, tragedy made Erin close off a part of her heart for good. Mac, with his smooth talk and smoother kisses, can’t possibly be the one to heal that hurt. But as Erin learns more about Mac’s past, she realizes there’s more to him than meets the eye. Which makes holding on to the ranch more important than ever....

“Those are our only options?”

She scoffed. “Unless you can think of something else to do.”

Actually, Mac could. Not, he reminded himself sternly, that making an ill-conceived pass at her was one of the options….

This was a business situation. Or at least it had been, until they had started sharing personal stories and whiling away the time together.

Then it had become something else. Something a lot more treacherous…and interesting.

Erin groaned and let out a nervous laugh. “Forget I said that.”

The gentlemanly side of Mac knew he should. Only trouble was, he wasn’t feeling particularly chivalrous right now. He was feeling…turned on. And she was, too, otherwise her mind wouldn’t have gone in the exact same direction his had.

The direction that would land them in each other’s arms.

At least for a kiss.

“Actually,” Mac said casually, turning toward her, and taking her slender body into his arms. Going on instinct, he slowly lowered his head. “I don’t think I will.”

Dear Reader,

We all have plans for our lives, formed as we grow up. I thought I was going to live in a house with a white picket fence. (Didn’t happen, although I do have a fence, and I do have a house.) I thought I’d marry a great guy (did happen), a brilliant absent-minded professor type (he is that) who also could make me laugh like no one else. (Gotta admit, he can be hilarious.) I also figured I’d be a mom and have a career, and that all took place, too.

But what ensues, I wondered, when the plans you’ve made take detours that aren’t the kind that are easily recovered from?

Mac Wheeler grew up wanting a high-powered career and a wife and family, and he had all that—until the day an unexpected tragedy occurred, and he found himself a single dad with a traveling lifestyle that was not right for his only child.

Erin Monroe loved her life, but suddenly found herself the family matriarch at age 23, raising her brothers and sisters, and eventually her own brood. Then life sent her into another tailspin—one that left her functioning, but emotionally numb, just going through the motions of life.

The day Erin and Mac come face-to-face, neither believe they will ever love again. But as they say, life has a way of happening when you are busy making other plans….

I hope you enjoy this final book of the Legends of Laramie County miniseries. Please visit my website at www.cathygillenthacker.com, and my Facebook and Twitter pages.

Cheers,

Cathy Gillen Thacker

The Texas Rancher’s Family

Cathy Gillen Thacker

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cathy Gillen Thacker is married and a mother of three. She and her husband spent eighteen years in Texas and now reside in North Carolina. Her mysteries, romantic comedies and heartwarming family stories have made numerous appearances on bestseller lists, but her best reward, she says, is knowing one of her books made someone’s day a little brighter. A popular Harlequin Books author for many years, she loves telling passionate stories with happy endings, and thinks nothing beats a good romance and a hot cup of tea! You can visit Cathy’s website at www.cathygillenthacker.com for more information on her upcoming and previously published books, recipes and a list of her favorite things.

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Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Epilogue

Preview

Chapter One

Erin Monroe sized up her big, strapping customer with a frustrated sigh. What was it about the Philadelphia-based Mac Wheeler that had all the women in Laramie County tripping over themselves to get a moment of his time? Was it his ruggedly handsome face? Dark hair? Breathtakingly sexy blue eyes? The fact the thirtysomething executive exuded confidence and determination? Or the easy masculine grace with which he carried himself?

All she knew for certain was that every time he came to Laramie County to try and drum up support for his solution to the county’s electrical energy shortage, he created quite a stir.

And now he had his sights on her. Or on what she could do for him.

Fortunately for both of them, she wasn’t about to sell the ambitious exec anything he didn’t need and would probably never use.

With as much kindness as she could muster, Erin informed him, “Contrary to what my competitors would likely tell you, Mr. Wheeler, boots do not make the man. Even here in ranch country.”

Mac Wheeler lounged against the checkout counter and drawled, “Now, that’s an odd thing to say, given the fact you’re one of the premier custom boot makers in Texas.”

“But in your case it’s true.” Determined to be honest with him, Erin continued, “New footwear, custom or otherwise, is not going to help you close the deal on the proposed wind farm.” There was too much opposition to it. Plus he had nowhere to situate the three hundred forty-two ridiculously huge and intrusive wind turbines he was proposing.

So there was no reason for him to be spending several thousand dollars on a pair of boots. Even if the sophisticated business clothing he wore now indicated he could well afford it.

Mac lifted a brow in surprise. Thus far, people had been politely listening to his suggestions. Even as they privately pooh-poohed his venture.

“This is oil and gas country,” Erin explained. “Ranchers don’t want miles of power-generating windmills scaring their cattle and horses, and cluttering up the landscape.”

Mac straightened to his full height, thoroughly dwarfing her own five-foot-six-inch frame. “They’ll change their minds once I have a chance to present my proposal to the Laramie County commissioners later this month.” His voice dropped a persuasive notch. “And when I do that, I’ll need to fit in.”

Erin picked up a stack of new shirts and carried them over to the shelves in the center of the hundred-year-old clothing store, Monroe’s Western Wear. Her skin tingled as he fell into step behind her. She wished Mac didn’t smell so invigoratingly good, so woodsy and male.

“I understand wanting to connect with the people here, Mr. Wheeler.” It was only natural. No one wanted to feel like an outsider. She turned to look him in the eye, and felt another disturbing jolt of awareness. “But dressing as what would likely be perceived as a ‘drugstore cowboy’ is not going to accomplish that for you.”

If anything, it would make his discomfort with the locals worse.

Mac’s brows knitted together in consternation. “I thought Monroe’s sold only authentic Western wear.”

“That’s true.” Their business sold everything a roper, wrangler or rider needed.

His curious glance took in the floor-to-ceiling shelves of denim that lined the entire back wall. “Then how could I wear anything you sell and not look like a genuine Texan?”

Aware that several ladies shopping nearby were listening intently, Erin propped her hands on her hips and looked him up and down. “You really want me to answer that?”

Sheer male confidence radiated from him as he stepped closer. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t,” he retorted in the same low, droll tone.

Erin ignored the heat emanating from his tall, muscular frame. “Look—” she stepped back, until her spine came in contact with the nearby shelving “—I could put you in a pair of Wrangler jeans—”

Mac’s confused frown deepened. “Don’t you mean Levi’s?”

What a gringo! Erin shook her head at his ignorance, explaining, “Wranglers have the heavier rolled seam on the outside of the legs. Levi’s puts it on the inside. If you’re a real cowboy and you’re sitting in the saddle, you want the heavier seam where it’s not likely to rub.”

He seemed momentarily taken aback, apparently realizing that on his own he was likely to end up outfitted like a dude from the city instead of the real thing. “Oh.”

Erin lifted a staying hand. “Not that I expect you to be in the saddle anytime soon,” she quipped.

Amusement glimmered in his eyes. “You don’t think I can ride?”

Could he? Erin tilted her head. He was fit and athletic. Broad-shouldered and powerful-looking, with big, capable hands. In fact, now that she thought about it, if he lost the ultra-sophisticated wool suit, starched shirt and tie, and traded in the wing tips for boots, he would look like he belonged out on the range, instead of behind a desk.

But he wasn’t wearing jeans now.

And he hadn’t been—from all reports—on his first two trips to town, either.

Whether he knew it or not, that sort of sealed his fate.

The local constituency had decided who—and what—he was. And that meant they wouldn’t trust him to solve their highly problematic shortage of electricity.

“No,” Erin said finally, aware that he was still waiting for her response. “Although you’re a heck of a determined businessperson, I don’t think you can ride a horse.”

A slow smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “You might be wrong about that,” he taunted softly.

Aware that she hadn’t been so captivated by a man in ages, Erin widened her eyes. “Am I, now?” she goaded right back.

His grin widened. “You’d have to agree to make me a pair of custom boots to find out.”

“As I told you on the phone earlier, you’re going to need to make an appointment for that.”

He nodded, repeating dutifully, “And the first appointment is in six months.”

“Correct. But if you like,” Erin conceded, “my brother, Nicholas, could sell you off-the-rack whatever you think you need, including a pair of ready-made boots.”

Nicholas waved from behind the counter. Mac acknowledged the sixteen-year-old with a genial nod, then turned back to her. “But you don’t recommend I start dressing like a West Texan, do you?”

She wouldn’t lie. “If there’s one thing the residents of Laramie County want,” she advised kindly, “it’s a person to be genuine. They won’t see anything honorable in pretending to be something you’re not.”

Mac rubbed his closely shaved jaw and peered at her. “So you really think I’d be better off talking to people as a misplaced Yankee in a suit?”

Erin stood her ground. “Don’t you?”

A contemplative silence fell between them.

“As I’m sure you’ve heard, that hasn’t been working so far,” Mac said ruefully.

People had been polite, Erin knew, but not at all on board with what he was trying to sell.

She squinted. “So your plan is...”

He shrugged. “To do what I always do and try and ‘speak the language’ of whatever region I find myself in. And right now, experience tells me I won’t ever be successful around here unless I can ‘speak Texan.’”

One of the eavesdropping customers hurried on over. “Then you’ll be needing one of these.” She placed a Texas dictionary in his hand. The semihumorous tome was filled with Lone Star State vernacular.

“Thanks.” Mac smiled.

“Maybe a hat,” another woman said eagerly, joining the conversation.

Her shopping buddy agreed. “Something dressy that would go with a suit.”

Erin tried to picture Mac in a Stetson or Resistol, and realized he would be sexy as all get-out in either.

“You can wear boots with a suit, too,” another shopper pointed out.

Mac turned back to Erin. Smiled. Suddenly, at least a few of the locals were on his side. Of course, Erin noted a little irritably, they were all female. And single, at that.

“Or you could pay triple, and get an appointment for custom boots right away, like that country-and-western star who came in last month,” Nicholas interjected as he stepped out from behind the counter.

At that, it was all Erin could do not to groan.

Her brother extended his hand to Mac and they shook. “By the way, I’m head of the environmental club at Laramie High School. We’ve all heard about what you’re doing here...and it sure would be great if we could get you to come and speak about wind farms.”

“I’ll check my calendar and see what I can do,” Mac promised.

A chime sounded as the front door opened, and Erin’s two sons walked in from school.

As usual, eight-year-old Sammy’s clothes were smudged with dirt. A fifth grader, ten-year-old Stevie was much more together.

“Hey, Mom!” they said in unison, stopping to give her a hug before circling around her to drop their backpacks on the shelf behind the sales counter.

Mac smiled at her boys with surprising warmth.

Surprised, because she hadn’t figured the sexy bachelor would want much to do with kids, Erin made introductions. The boys shook hands obediently, then took off to get a snack from the fridge in the break room.

Mac turned back to Erin, his expression resolute. “About that appointment... How about five tomorrow evening?”

“It’ll take at least two hours,” Erin hedged, “and the store closes at six.”

“So we’ll make it four o’clock,” Nicholas interjected practically.

Erin’s jaw dropped. Since when did her brother schedule things for her?

He shrugged at her look.

The tall interloper beamed. “I’d sure appreciate that.”

Erin gave up arguing about it. “It is going to cost you triple for a rush job,” she warned. “Which means the price would likely be closer to twelve thousand dollars for a pair of boots, if you want them by June first.”

So if that seemed utterly ridiculous to him...

To her frustration, it didn’t.

“No problem,” Mac said as he plucked his phone out of his suit jacket, checking the screen. “Sorry. I have to take this,” he murmured, then stepped outside into the May sunshine.

* * *

“A LITTLE HARD ON HIM, weren’t you, sis?” Nicholas asked, the moment Mac Wheeler was out of earshot.

Erin knew she hadn’t been as warm and welcoming as she normally would have been to a customer. Maybe because she was way too attracted to the sexy businessman. And these days, with all she had on her shoulders, lust was the last thing she needed to feel. “It annoys me when people insist on jumping line. I think they should wait their turn like everyone else, no matter how much of a hurry they’re in.” She slipped behind the counter, where another box of merchandise waited to be opened.

“That’s not the way the world works,” Nicholas countered as he moved to help her unpack it. “Besides, it’s not like we don’t need the money. With the electricity rates and the property taxes on the ranch both going sky-high, Bess and Bridget still in college, and me about to go next...”

Their budget was stretched to the limit, despite the store’s continued success.

The door opened. Mac Wheeler strode back in, sunglasses on. The set of his mouth was as tense as his shoulders. “I’m going to have to head East.”

Erin nodded, not the least bit surprised to see him running off again. Wasn’t that the pattern of all the men she was attracted to? Here one moment, gone the next?

He consulted the calendar on his phone. “I’ll be back the day after tomorrow. So if we could move the appointment to Wednesday afternoon at four?”

He’d been a customer less than ten minutes and was already demanding more special treatment, Erin noted irritably.

Her little brother regarded Mac with hero worship. “No problem. We’re here whenever you need us.”

“I appreciate that.” Mac touched an index finger to his forehead in a salute. “Nicholas, Ms. Monroe, I’ll see you then.”

* * *

MAC GOT IN LATE and promptly took care of the personal situation that had summoned him home. Midmorning the following day, he stopped by corporate headquarters in downtown Philadelphia, to give his boss an update.

Louise Steyn motioned him into her office and shut the door behind them. Elegant as always in a tailored designer suit, she slipped behind her desk. “When do you think you’ll have this deal wrapped up?”

Mac settled in a chair opposite her. “Another month, maybe two.”

“What’s the holdup?” she asked.

How could he explain that even their company’s name—North Wind Energy—was offensive to the prickly Texans? “It’s complicated.”

“Laramie County should be jumping at the chance to lower their electric rates.”

Maybe they would be if it had been a community comprised mostly of suburban homes, and the size of their electric bills was the only quandary, Mac reasoned. “There are a lot of ranches. The residents are very attached to the land, and how each property looks.”

Louise shrugged. “They’ll like clean, plentiful, renewable energy even more.”

“I’m on it,” he promised. All he needed was a decent forum to make his pitch, and a place to situate the wind farm. He had the first and was close to getting the other.

Louise paused to look him in the eye. “Everything okay at home? I heard there was some kind of crisis that brought you back to Philly last night.”

Mac thought about the tears—from both females—that had greeted his arrival. “I’m handling it.”

Louise gave him the same look she’d given him two and a half years before. “If there’s anything you need in that respect...” she volunteered.

He ignored the tinge of pity in her manner. Life went on. The difficulty he was navigating was only temporary. “Thanks,” he said quietly, rising from his chair. “I’ll keep that in mind.” The meeting over, he turned and headed out.

Selling a project he could handle. Dealing with the domestic drama on the home front? He could manage that, too, with a few temporary adjustments. It was the pretty owner of Monroe’s Western Wear who was a thorn in his side.

Mac knew she was one of the most respected businesspeople in town. Heck, if you considered the reputation of the boots Erin Monroe made, in the entire state. People listened to her. And not just because she was smart and savvy, warm and hospitable. Or had an enticing figure, honey-blond curls and big green eyes.

They paid attention to her because she was a natural leader. The kind of person who could make something take place. Or not.

If she was as against the wind farm as she had appeared in their brief conversation, he was going to have a tough time bringing North Wind Energy’s biggest project yet to fruition.

But that had to happen—and fast—because making it a reality was the only way he was going to be able to get his home life under control, once and for all.

Chapter Two

Erin was in her second-floor studio, putting the finishing touches on a pair of custom boots to be picked up later that afternoon, when Darcy Purcell, her best friend, part-time employee—and next customer—stuck her head in. “He’s back. And he’s not alone.”

Erin didn’t even need to ask who “he” was. Mac Wheeler had been the source of endless speculation in the two days he had been gone. Partly because he had left town so suddenly that he’d had to cancel half a dozen appointments with landowners. The rest, because he had managed to talk her into allowing him to skip the line and get fitted for a pair of custom boots at triple the asking price. That action alone had cemented his reputation with the locals as a foolhardy Yankee.

After all, no one in Laramie wasted money, if they could help it.

Erin wrapped the boots in tissue paper and put them in a box emblazoned with the customer’s name. “I could care less,” she said, pushing aside the memory of the attractive interloper.

Darcy followed Erin downstairs to the cash register. “Don’t you want to know what I heard?”

“No.” Erin set the boots beneath the counter, then frowned as a sleek black limo with tinted windows pulled up at the curb. The rear door on the driver’s side opened and Mac emerged. His strides long and lazy, he circled around the back of the vehicle, then walked into the rustic interior of her family’s store.

If anything, with his dark hair rumpled and his blue eyes intent, he was more devastatingly handsome than ever. Wearing khaki slacks, a button-up shirt and loafers, he still looked preppy, but a lot more casual and approachable than he had in a suit.

Erin found herself wishing he was still ridiculously overdressed...so she wouldn’t be noticing the big man’s perfectly toned shoulders and chest.

“Your appointment isn’t for another two hours,” she said.

“I know.” He flashed an apologetic grin that did funny things to her insides. “I’ve had some...complications. I was hoping we could get the measuring done a little earlier.”

“I’m sorry.” Erin indicated her happily married friend, glad to have an excuse to wait until her brother was on the premises, and could not only play chaperone, but distract them with his myriad questions and comments. “I have an appointment with Darcy next.”

As determined as ever to get Erin back in the dating game, Darcy promptly volunteered, “I’ll trade with you.”

Mac grinned. “Oh...thanks! I really appreciate that.”

“No problem.” She beamed, sashaying toward the door. “See you both later.”

After Darcy left, he turned back to Erin and pinned her with his gaze. Another shimmer of awareness sifted through her.

Erin thought about the property taxes coming due on the ranch and tried to focus on business. “Have you ever had custom footwear made before?” she asked, gesturing toward the stairs.

He fell into step behind her. “No.”

Trying not to think of his eyes on her behind—how did she know what he was looking at as they climbed the stairs?—she took in an enervating breath and did her best to treat him like any other customer.

She turned at the top of the stairway and smiled. “The first thing is the measuring. If you’ll have a seat—” she led him over to a straight-back chair “—and take off your shoes...”

Mac settled his large frame with grace while Erin pulled up a stool. Heart pounding, she attached a piece of paper to a clipboard and set it on the floor in front of him, then asked him to stand once again.

When he was on his feet, she slipped a hand around his ankle and guided his right foot onto the center of the paper. His socks were as fine a fabric as the rest of his clothes.