brides for brothers 03 - cowboy groom Read online

  Table of Contents

  Cover Page

  Dear Reader

  Title Page

  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

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Epilogue

  Copyright

  Table of Contents

  Cover Page

  Dear Reader

  Title Page

  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

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Epilogue

  Copyright

  Dear Reader,

  Jake Randall has stopped at nothing to get brothers Chad and Pete married off—but that’s nothing compared to the mess that brother Brett gets himself into in Cowboy Groom!

  The Randalls are about to walk down the aisle and populate their Wyoming ranch with herds of little ones. You’ll read all about this family in 4 BRIDES FOR 4 BROTHERS!

  I love big families who care about each other, and I love cowboys. Out there on their ranch, the Randall brothers fill both bills. Their stories will make you laugh out loud and make you want to join them in their pursuit of love.

  I hope you’ll join me and the Randall brothers for all four books in the 4 BRIDES FOR 4 BROTHERS series.

  Happy reading!

  Cowboy Groom

  Judy Christenberry

  Chapter One

  It felt good to be home. After several weeks in Casper, Cheyenne and Washington, D.C., Brett Randall was happy to be back on the Wyoming ranch he shared with his three brothers.

  All the glittering lights and famous people he’d seen couldn’t top the feeling of coming home.

  And the anticipation of sharing his news.

  Brett stood alone in the dark of the kitchen. His family hadn’t expected him to return for a couple more days, but he couldn’t wait to tell them before they read about it in the newspaper.

  Just as he started toward the stairway, he heard a car coming up the driveway. Who would arrive at two in the morning? Except himself, of course.

  He made it to the window in time to see a small economy car approach. Before its headlights could reach the house, the driver shut them off. The new arrival obviously didn’t want to be seen. Which meant he probably wasn’t up to any good.

  Crime was unusual out on the ranches of Wyoming—other than a cowboy drinking too much and getting rambunctious—but it wasn’t unheard-of. Brett, however, had no intention of letting anyone rip off his family if he could prevent it. He eased over to the back door, thinking he’d slip outside and follow the thief to whichever barn he intended to enter.

  When he heard the intruder step on the back porch, anger filled him. This guy was brazen enough to break in to the house?

  Brett stood behind the door, ready to leap on him as soon as he entered. Slowly the door opened, and Brett felt his adrenaline surge. Even as he leapt, he realized the guy was either small or hunched over. No matter. He shouldn’t have tried to invade Randall territory.

  With a cry of triumph, Brett landed on the thief.

  And then landed on his back.

  Shock left him unmoving briefly. Then, as he struggled to his feet, he found himself rolled over on his stomach, his right hand twisted behind his back.

  And the intruder sitting atop him.

  In spite of his embarrassing position, he noticed something strange about this intruder. Perfume. And slender thighs gripped his hips with a sensuous feel that had nothing to do with a man.

  What the hell was going on?

  LIGHT FLOODED the kitchen as the Randall brothers poured into it.

  Anna O’Brien, holding the thief captive, was grateful for the reinforcements. She’d discovered he was a big man and knew she wouldn’t be able to hold him for long.

  “Anna, are you all right?” Jake demanded. The oldest Randall brother, he’d been the first through the door.

  “Someone broke in?” Megan asked as she clutched the arm of her husband, Chad.

  Pete stepped forward. “Here. I’ll help—Brett!”

  All the hubbub subsided, and everyone stared at the figure on the floor. With a sinking feeling, Anna also looked at the irate face of the man on whom she was sitting. She’d heard about the fourth brother, Brett, but she’d never met him. “Brett? This is Brett? I thought he was a thief.”

  “Me?” he roared. “You’re the thief!. Who are you?”

  He bucked beneath her, signifying his desire to be released, and Anna relaxed her hold on his arm so they could both stand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know who—You came at me so suddenly, I—”

  “Wait a minute,” Chad, the youngest Randall brother, interrupted. “He jumped you? Then how did you end up on top?”

  Anna wished the kitchen were still dark. She knew Brett Randall wasn’t going to easily forget the humiliation she could see on his face. “I’ve taken several self-defense classes,” she hurriedly explained, hoping to minimize his embarrassment.

  His brothers, however, weren’t about to ignore an opportunity to tease him.

  “Anna? Little Anna took you down?” Jake roared, grinning at Brett. “Man, city life must’ve made you soft.”

  “It’s about time he got home,” Pete Randall agreed, his grin just as big.

  “What’s happening?” came a female voice from behind them.

  “Janie? I told you to stay in bed,” Pete protested. “You’re not supposed to use the stairs, is she, Anna?”

  Anna smiled for the first time since she’d arrived. Pete’s overprotectiveness was the reason she was here in the first place. “Not often, Pete, but I’m sure one trip down them won’t hurt. Are you feeling okay, Janie?”

  “Wait a minute. Why are they asking you?” her captive demanded. “I know we have a female vet, but did we get a female to replace Doc Jacoby?”

  Anna truly looked at Brett for the first time, noting his resemblance to his brothers. He was a little shorter than the other three, but still over six feet. And just as handsome.

  “I’m not a doctor. I’m the midwife.”

  He seemed startled by her words, reminding her again how long it often took to be accepted. Her size, just topping five foot five, wouldn’t be so bad except that she didn’t carry much weight, and her hair was red with the complementary freckles scattered across her nose. Most people thought she was too young to take care of expectant mothers.

  Jake filled the silence. “We told you Anna was living here until Janie has the twins, didn’t we?”

  “Yeah, but I pictured…someone different,” Brett finished lamely.

  Anna raised her chin. “I assure you I’m perfectly competent.”

  At her words, the Randall clan spoke en masse, their reassuring words embarrassing her. She’d only been there a little over a week, and already she knew she would miss them when she left.

  In the midst of their protestations, she noticed B
rett said nothing. He simply stared at her while he listened to his family.

  “Why was she sneaking in?” he asked abruptly when the rest of them fell silent.

  “What do you mean?” Jake asked.

  “She turned off her lights before she reached the house. And she tried to be real quiet.”

  Anna started to answer, but Pete beat her to it. “Janie doesn’t sleep well right now. The least little noise distracts her, so Anna tries not to awaken her.”

  “Maybe she should come home at a reasonable time, instead of staying out so late.” Brett glared at Anna.

  “I wish I had, but Mrs. Stokes’s baby wasn’t in any hurry,” she replied. “The poor woman was in labor for fifteen hours.”

  Both the pregnant women in the room—Janie, huge with twins, and Megan, only a little over four months along—rubbed their stomachs in a reflex action.

  “Don’t worry,” Anna hurriedly added. “She made it just fine. And the baby, too. An adorable little girl.”

  “Glad to hear it,” Jake said, “but I suggest we all get to bed. The ladies need their beauty rest, and we have a full day in the saddle as soon as the sun comes up.”

  “Uh, Jake,” Brett said, interrupting the general movement to the door, “don’t you want to hear why I came home early? Isn’t anybody interested in my news?”

  “Anything wrong?” Jake asked, concern in his eyes.

  “No. No, it’s good news.” A smile broke across his face. “I’m saving you the trouble of matchmaking for me, brother. I’m engaged!”

  “Engaged?” Jake repeated, his voice disbelieving. “What are you talking about? Who are you engaged to?”

  “Yeah! I thought you weren’t ready for marriage.” Chad slapped his brother on the shoulder. The others crowded around him, offering warm words.

  Anna stood back and watched his family congratulate Brett Randall. She wasn’t surprised some lucky female had grabbed him. He was handsome as sin, he and his family had one of the largest ranches in Wyoming and she expected he was as nice as his brothers.

  She’d been hesitant to move to the Randall ranch, even though her stay should be less than a month. Having been raised on the “wrong side of the tracks,” Anna had always felt uneasy around the wealthy. Living in their midst would be even worse, she’d felt sure.

  To the contrary, she found life with the Randalls a delight. Their life-style didn’t shout wealth, they all worked hard, and then shared their lives with her as if she’d been born there.

  The pang of regret she felt for hearing Brett had been taken was ridiculous, of course. She would never have had a chance at one of the Randalls. Now she felt like one of Cinderella’s ugly stepsisters at the ball.

  “I was beginning to think your catching my bouquet wasn’t working,” Janie said to Brett with a tired chuckle as she leaned against her husband, Pete.

  “Well, aren’t you going to tell us who she is?” Chad asked. “This isn’t some whirlwind romance with a stranger, is it?”

  “Like you’d known Megan for a lifetime before you married her,” Brett chided.

  Anna had heard the story of Chad and Megan’s romance, learning they’d married after only two weeks.

  “Well, who is she?” Jake insisted, ignoring his brothers’ argument.

  “Sylvia Sanders.”

  The name had no significance for Anna, but it apparently did for the rest of the people in the kitchen.

  “Senator Sanders’s daughter?” There was astonishment in Jake’s voice.

  “Yeah. What’s the matter?” Brett asked, edginess tinting his question.

  “Nothing,” Megan assured him. “She’s a beautiful young woman. Congratulations, Brett.” She kissed his cheek, then stepped back beside her husband and elbowed him.

  “Uh, yeah, congratulations, brother,” Chad said. “She’s a real looker.”

  Everyone else crowded around Brett to offer their praises for his choice and to wish him well. Anna wondered if she was imagining their reluctance.

  “Thanks. It got leaked to the papers, and I wanted to tell you before you read it like everyone else.”

  “So, when’s the wedding?” Pete asked.

  “Hey, don’t rush me! I’m not diving into marriage like you two did,” Brett assured Pete and Chad.

  Somehow Anna got the impression Brett wasn’t as sold on the idea of marriage to Sylvia as he wanted his family to believe.

  Or maybe it was just wishful thinking.

  “I CAN’T BELIEVE he—Oh! Good morning, Anna.” Janie’s expression turned guilty as Anna opened the kitchen door later that morning.

  “Do I need to make myself scarce? I can catch breakfast in town if—”

  “No, of course not,” Janie said, waving her in. “Red left you a plate on the back of the stove.”

  “I could take it back to my room to eat,” Anna suggested, still feeling as if she were intruding.

  “Don’t be silly, Anna.” Megan shot her a smile. “Janie just feels guilty because you caught her gossiping. And if she doesn’t finish what she started, I’m going to wring her neck.”

  After dramatically looking over each shoulder, Janie leaned closer to Megan and Anna as she sat down. “I was saying that I can’t believe Brett is going to marry Sylvia Sanders. She is such a snob!”

  “You know her?” Anna asked. The closest she’d ever come to seeing any of Wyoming’s politicians or their families was on television.

  “Sure. Last year Daddy insisted we go to a dinner at the governor’s mansion. But she attended Kansas University the same time I did. We weren’t friends, of course. She was too important.”

  “Maybe she was shy,” Anna suggested.

  Megan chuckled. “You have such a good heart, Anna. But in this case, you’re wrong. I met her once. She virtually ignored me until someone mentioned that my mother’s fifth husband has a title. As if that mattered.”

  “Fifth?” Anna asked, distracted by that detail. “Your mother’s been married five times?”

  Megan rolled her eyes. “Yeah. And if this marriage ends soon, as I think it will, I’m sure I’ll get daddy number six. Lucky me.”

  “And Miss Sanders was impressed that your stepfather has a title?”

  “Boy, was she. The only thing that impresses Sylvia more than a title is money. And Brett has money.”

  Anna blinked several times. “You don’t think she’s marrying Brett because he’s rich, do you?” Anna wasn’t so naive as to not believe a woman would marry for money. But there was so much more to Brett Randall—as far as she could tell.

  She didn’t really know him, but based on what she’d seen—felt—this morning, he was a great physical specimen. And if he was anything like his brothers, then he was a prize package.

  “Money and power. The Randall men have a lot of influence in this state,” Janie said proudly.

  “Maybe, but those are added benefits to having fallen in love with him,” Anna offered. For some ridiculous reason, it hurt to think of Brett’s fiancée not appreciating him.

  Janie shook her head glumly. “I don’t think Sylvia is capable of falling in love.”

  “For Brett’s sake, I hope you’re wrong,” Megan said. “But I tend to agree with you.”

  Anna ate her scrambled eggs and watched the other women as their expressions grew even more gloomy.

  “Will they live here with everyone?” Anna had found the family togetherness charming, unheard-of in nineties America.

  Janie gasped. “Good Lord, I hadn’t thought of that!”

  “We’ll be miserable,” Megan moaned.

  “Why?”

  “Because Miss High and Mighty will expect to be waited on hand and foot. She’d never lift a hand to help someone else. And we’ll all feel bad for Brett. He’s such a good guy.” Janie drummed her fingers on the table, frowning.

  “Yeah, he doesn’t deserve Sylvia. She’ll ruin his sense of humor.” Megan turned to Anna. “Brett can always make us laugh when things get tough.”<
br />
  “And he’s always on our side of any argument. He tells our husbands they’re crazy to argue with us,” Janie added with a chuckle.

  “You wouldn’t expect a bachelor to be so sympathetic with pregnancy, either. But he and Jake are both terrific about that.”

  “So, girls, what are we going to do?” Janie continued.

  “About what?” Anna asked.

  “To break them up, of course!”

  BRETT HAD A BIG GRIN on his face in spite of the sweat beading on his forehead. July in Wyoming wasn’t always comfortable, but he loved it.

  “Feeling a little rusty?” Jake asked as he stepped up on the porch beside his brother.

  “Nah. Nothing to it. Feels good to be back.”

  “Yeah. But we needed you to plead our case on that land-use bill. Think you made any headway?”

  “Maybe. Since the senior senator is going to be my father-in-law, I think I might be able to persuade him.”

  Jake pulled him to a halt before he could open the back door. “Wait a minute. You didn’t ask Sylvia to marry you to persuade her father, did you?”

  Brett stared at his brother before laughing. “Do I look stupid? Of course not. Sylvia is beautiful, elegant, a lot of fun.” He blew out a long breath before revealing a secret to Jake. “You know, we were all against marriage after your divorce from Chloe, but watching Pete and Chad with their wives, I—I was beginning to feel lonesome.”

  Jake put his arm around Brett. “Okay, little brother, as long as Sylvia makes you happy, I’m happy. I’ve been telling you you should get married like the others.”

  “Yeah. You’ve been telling me nonstop. Ever since Pete’s marriage.”

  “Well, you did catch the bridal bouquet,” Jake teased.

  “That was a mistake. Janie was half-asleep. She didn’t even look where she threw it.”

  “Looks like it worked anyway. One more marriage, and we’ll have everyone taken care of.” Jake grinned at his brother as he opened the door and gestured for Brett to precede him.

  The rest of the family was already gathered around the table. The rest of the family and the little midwife, Brett noted sourly. Just what he needed, a reminder of his humiliation last night.