with flaming red hair. “You two ought to get along like pigs in a blanket. His wife used to own a saloon.”
“Best singer and dancer you ever saw,” Sean said, as Ellen’s hand disappeared into his massive paw. “And the most beautiful. I still don’t know why she married me.”
“Neither does anybody else,” said Buck. “The worst part is, she keeps having sons who look just like him.”
“Don’t discourage the newest member of the family,” Sean said. “She’s still got to swallow Will. Will,” he called, in a voice that matched his body, “come meet your new sister-in-law.”
Ellen could never see Will without catching her breath. He was absolutely gorgeous.
“Will got the looks and Matt got the brains,” Sean said.
“He’s good-natured for all that,” Isabelle said. “It’s impossible to be gloomy for long with Will around.”
“You’ll just want to strangle him in five minutes,” Buck said. “I think Isabelle’s ulterior motive in having him help Matt is to get rid of him for a few days.”
“I love him just as much as the rest of you,” Isabelle insisted.
“I know,” Buck said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “We love you for it. We just don’t understand it.”
Noah burst into the group. “Ellen, you’ve got to come watch Matt. Jake says he’s going to ride the meanest horses first.”
Ellen grabbed Noah before he could run back to the corral fence. “I want you to meet your uncles.”
“I’ve already met them,” Noah said. “Come on.” He pulled at Ellen’s hand.
“Why don’t you take your sister to watch?” Isabelle suggested.
Tess tried to hide in Ellen’s skirts.
Buck knelt down. “You want to come with me? I’ll make sure those horses don’t come anywhere near you.”
“It’s okay,” Ellen said when Tess hung back. “Noah will stay with you. I’ll be over in a minute.”
“Ellen!” Noah complained.
“You stay with Tess until I come. Otherwise you have to go back to the house.”
Buck eyed Ellen. “You sound remarkably like Isabelle when she tricked Jake into marrying her and adopting all of us.”
“I sure do pity Matt,” Sean said, grinning, “and him thinking you so meek and biddable.”
“He didn’t think any such thing.” Will had reached the group in time to hear Sean’s last remark. “He probably wanted a workhorse to take care of all the wayward boys he plans to take in. Hi, I’m Will Haskins, Matt’s brother. They’ll tell you I’m an idiot, but they’re just jealous because I’m prettier than they are. And I’m not so big I’d give a decent woman a fright,” he said to Sean.
Ellen didn’t know what to think when Will threw a punch at Sean, and Sean immediately caught him in a bear hug.
“Ignore them,” Isabelle said. “Sean has to be a sober, married man most of the time. When he gets away from Pearl, he acts like the boy I foisted off on Jake.”
Sean had Will down on the ground.
“Don’t listen to a word she says,” Will said as he struggled against the powerful muscles of his huge brother. “She’s crazy about us.”
“You wondering what kind of bizarre family you’ve wandered into?”
Ellen turned to find Jake watching the tangle of men on the ground.
“They’ll get it out of their systems in a minute,” he said.
“No they won’t,” Isabelle said, “because their father’s just as bad.”
“I’m not down there with them.”
“But you’d like to be.”
“Come watch your husband before she gives you a bad impression of me,” Jake said to Ellen. Sean and Will stopped wrestling as quickly as they’d begun.
“I’m stronger than you are,” Sean said.
“And I’m prettier,” Will shot back as he dusted himself off.
The two men laughed and headed toward the corral. Ellen decided all Matt’s family was crazy.
“Cole said Matt’s getting ready to ride the meanest horse in the whole bunch,” Noah announced when Ellen reached the corral. “He said he’s got to
“Best singer and dancer you ever saw,” Sean said, as Ellen’s hand disappeared into his massive paw. “And the most beautiful. I still don’t know why she married me.”
“Neither does anybody else,” said Buck. “The worst part is, she keeps having sons who look just like him.”
“Don’t discourage the newest member of the family,” Sean said. “She’s still got to swallow Will. Will,” he called, in a voice that matched his body, “come meet your new sister-in-law.”
Ellen could never see Will without catching her breath. He was absolutely gorgeous.
“Will got the looks and Matt got the brains,” Sean said.
“He’s good-natured for all that,” Isabelle said. “It’s impossible to be gloomy for long with Will around.”
“You’ll just want to strangle him in five minutes,” Buck said. “I think Isabelle’s ulterior motive in having him help Matt is to get rid of him for a few days.”
“I love him just as much as the rest of you,” Isabelle insisted.
“I know,” Buck said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “We love you for it. We just don’t understand it.”
Noah burst into the group. “Ellen, you’ve got to come watch Matt. Jake says he’s going to ride the meanest horses first.”
Ellen grabbed Noah before he could run back to the corral fence. “I want you to meet your uncles.”
“I’ve already met them,” Noah said. “Come on.” He pulled at Ellen’s hand.
“Why don’t you take your sister to watch?” Isabelle suggested.
Tess tried to hide in Ellen’s skirts.
Buck knelt down. “You want to come with me? I’ll make sure those horses don’t come anywhere near you.”
“It’s okay,” Ellen said when Tess hung back. “Noah will stay with you. I’ll be over in a minute.”
“Ellen!” Noah complained.
“You stay with Tess until I come. Otherwise you have to go back to the house.”
Buck eyed Ellen. “You sound remarkably like Isabelle when she tricked Jake into marrying her and adopting all of us.”
“I sure do pity Matt,” Sean said, grinning, “and him thinking you so meek and biddable.”
“He didn’t think any such thing.” Will had reached the group in time to hear Sean’s last remark. “He probably wanted a workhorse to take care of all the wayward boys he plans to take in. Hi, I’m Will Haskins, Matt’s brother. They’ll tell you I’m an idiot, but they’re just jealous because I’m prettier than they are. And I’m not so big I’d give a decent woman a fright,” he said to Sean.
Ellen didn’t know what to think when Will threw a punch at Sean, and Sean immediately caught him in a bear hug.
“Ignore them,” Isabelle said. “Sean has to be a sober, married man most of the time. When he gets away from Pearl, he acts like the boy I foisted off on Jake.”
Sean had Will down on the ground.
“Don’t listen to a word she says,” Will said as he struggled against the powerful muscles of his huge brother. “She’s crazy about us.”
“You wondering what kind of bizarre family you’ve wandered into?”
Ellen turned to find Jake watching the tangle of men on the ground.
“They’ll get it out of their systems in a minute,” he said.
“No they won’t,” Isabelle said, “because their father’s just as bad.”
“I’m not down there with them.”
“But you’d like to be.”
“Come watch your husband before she gives you a bad impression of me,” Jake said to Ellen. Sean and Will stopped wrestling as quickly as they’d begun.
“I’m stronger than you are,” Sean said.
“And I’m prettier,” Will shot back as he dusted himself off.
The two men laughed and headed toward the corral. Ellen decided all Matt’s family was crazy.
“Cole said Matt’s getting ready to ride the meanest horse in the whole bunch,” Noah announced when Ellen reached the corral. “He said he’s got to
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