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“So what cabins do you guys want to claim?” Drannon asked, as

Lacy got up and began collecting empty dishes. Vin rose to help her,

but he slowed his steps to hear his younger brother’s answer.

“I don’t know; I guess the Rhett. I like the kitchen in that one,”

Hawke finally said.

“If you’re coming here for meals you don’t really need a

kitchen,” Marilyn protested. “Why not take the Red Fern since it’s

closer to the house?”

The conversation continued as Hawke weighed the pros and cons

of each guest cabin. There were a total of thirteen; each had been

named after one of Seraphina Crawley’s favorite books or literary

characters, and each was different. Vin knew exactly which one he

wanted.

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Claiming His Cowgirl

“I plan on taking the Narnia,” he piped up when he re-entered

the dining room.

No one seemed surprised. It was, after all, the cabin closest to

the garage, so it made the most sense for him to be in it. And he

loved that it was the only two-story cabin. The main floor was one

large room except for a small bathroom at the back, and the bedroom

was above in a loft. He liked the open feeling it had.

“I’m sticking with the Rhett,” Hawke said firmly. “With us

moving out, this will free up that whole downstairs wing for guests or

for the foster kids.”

“I hope we get through the court system soon. Once they get us

documented as a group home they’ll start placing children,” Lacy

said excitedly. It had always been Vin’s hope that Crawley Creek

would continue to be a haven for children in need, and he was elated

that Lacy was on board with the plan. She seemed more excited than

any of them about it.

“Do we really want them downstairs? There’s still six empty

rooms upstairs,” Lacy commented, frowning. “Marilyn, what do you

think? You have the most experience with kids, and you’d be the

only one with a room still downstairs. Would the noise keep you

up?”

“I don’t hear anything in my apartment,” Marilyn said, shaking

her head, “Abe made sure to soundproof it well when he added that

wing.”

Lacy spoke up, “After we get through the wedding we’ll need to

look for some gently used nursery supplies just in case we get a baby

placed with us. I like the idea of the little ones being upstairs close.

We can turn Lauren’s room into the nursery—”

Vin heard himself speaking before he thought through his words.

“Lauren’s room stays.”

Lacy stared at him curiously for a moment and then slowly

nodded. “Okay, we’ll use the Crispin room across the hall.”

Drannon nodded his agreement. “Guests downstairs, and

veterans in the cabins. This way if they have nightmares dealing with

17

Lori King

their PTSD therapy they won’t wake up the whole house. Sounds like

a good plan to me.”

Everyone filtered out of the dining room, heading off to begin

their day.

18

Later that afternoon…

Jeanette Hall was scared out of her mind. Turning down the long

gravel driveway leading up to Crawley Creek Ranch her adrenaline

was high, and she was second guessing everything about her move.

Her first job after completing her PhD in psychology, and she

decided to move darn near halfway across the country for it. Not to

mention she was out of her element in the backcountry of North

Dakota rather than big city Philadelphia. Everything about her

current surroundings seemed completely foreign to her from the

moment she stepped off the plane at the airport, like she’d been

transported to another dimension. The whole world moved at a

different pace. These people smiled more, and they even spoke

slower. It was enough to put her nerves on high alert as she climbed

from the car, and straightened her blouse.

Most likely her designer pantsuit was wrinkled from head to toe

after a couple hours on a plane followed by a couple hours in a car,

but she hoped she still made a decent impression on her new

employers. She’d only met Drannon Russo and Lacy Denvers over

Skype so far, but she’d had several phone conversations with them.

They seemed like a lovely couple devoted to their cause, and she

loved their enthusiasm.

All the years of schooling were coming to fruition with this job.

She’d always known she wanted to work with veterans who suffered

from PTSD, but the idea of actually working for one of the hospitals

run by the government made her sick. She’d seen the sad state of

affairs that veterans faced, and she wanted to do more to help them.

Luckily, she’d set up Google alerts for several different word

Lori King

combinations including job listings with the phrase PTSD in them.

The ad had populated her inbox several days in a row before she

clicked on it and read the details.

It was almost too good to be true. A cattle ranch in the middle of

North Dakota where veterans could go to recover and seek

therapeutic treatment for their post-traumatic stress disorder. They

wanted to hire on a psychologist to aid in the treatment plans. She

would be working closely with the local doctor, Mark Gillian, to

create a system to help the men and women coming to the ranch rest

and recover from their illnesses. She’d jumped on it and, thankfully,

been hired. Now she just had to implement all of the education she

owed to SallieMae.

She hadn’t even made it to the porch before she was greeted by a

muscular cowboy carrying a saddle over his shoulder. He was

heading across the grassy front yard when he spotted her.

“Hi there,” he called. “Based on the fancy suit, I’m guessing you

must be the doc they hired on.”

“Yes, I am. Jeanette Hall.” She reached out to shake his hand,

only to cringe at the grime covering his palm. He gave her a wink

and waved her off.

“No worries, I’m on my way to the north pasture, or I’d take you

in and give you a tour. I’m Roman Freemont. You’re welcome to call

me Roman, or Romeo like everyone else does.” His smile was

friendly, but not flirty, and she reminded herself that sexy cowboys

were not her reason for being in North Dakota. But there was

something dangerously sexy about the man; she could see why he’d

have that particular nickname.

“Thank you. If you could just direct me on where to put my

luggage? I’m supposed to meet Lacy Denvers at noon, but the drive

didn’t take as long as I thought it would.” She adjusted her
Dooney &

Bourke
bag over her shoulder.

“Lacy should be in the house. Door’s unlocked, so go on in.

Give a holler to let them know you’re there.” Romeo hefted the

saddle higher on his shoulder before he marched off toward the barn,

leaving her behind.

20

Claiming His Cowgirl

She couldn’t imagine telling someone to just let themselves into

her home, but she followed his instructions and went inside the

massive house. It was grand on the outside. Like something from a

bygone era, but inside, it was pleasantly modern and fresh. Flowers

filled vases here and there. A grand piano gleamed next to the stairs;

her fingers itched to test the ivory keys, but she forced back the urge.

It was clear the house was lovingly cared for. She called out a hello.

Her voice echoed back to her, and a moment later, she heard

someone call back, “Coming!”

An older woman with platinum blonde hair and friendly blue

eyes appeared, wiping her hands on her apron. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t

expecting you just yet. Dr. Hall, I presume?”

“Jeanette, please. My flight was on time, and the drive didn’t

take as long as I anticipated. I’m sorry if my early arrival is an

imposition.”

“Oh, not at all. As long as you can forgive my messy apron, that

is. I’m Marilyn, the housekeeper for Crawley Creek.” Marilyn shook

her hand and gave her a thorough looking over. “My, my, you’re a

pretty one, but darling, you’re way too thin. No worries, after a few

weeks here, you’ll fill out.”

Jeanette flushed, and shook her head. “Thank you...I think.” She

was used to people commenting on her slender build, but she’d never

had anyone offer to fatten her up. “I’m supposed to be meeting Lacy

Denvers?”

“Of course. She’s in the study. Let me show you.” Leading the

way, Marilyn pointed out where things were in the main house and

explained that Jeanette would have her own guest house to herself.

“That will be wonderful. Will there be space in the main house

for me to set up an office? Somewhere that I can see the patients

privately?”

“You’ll have to square that away with Lacy and Hawke. They’re

the brains behind our operation.”

“I don’t believe I’ve heard the name Hawke before.” Jeannette

said warily.

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Lori King

“Hawke is the youngest of the four Crawley Creek boys.

Drannon is the oldest—you met him over the computer. He and Lacy

are getting married soon.”

“They did mention there was a wedding coming up—”

“Boy is it ever. Turning into a much bigger affair than they’d

planned, but it will be beautiful, no doubt. Anyway, Vincent—Vin—

is the next in line, followed by Romeo.”

“Yes, I met Romeo in the yard. He was the one who directed me

to just let myself in the house.”

Marilyn snickered as she pushed open a door. “Why am I not

surprised? No manners that boy, no matter what I try to teach him.

Lacy, Dr. Hall...er...I mean, Jeanette is here a bit early.”

Lacy was seated at a large wooden desk with an open laptop in

front of her, but she jumped to her feet as they entered. “Oh good!

I’m sorry I wasn’t out there to greet you.”

“Don’t apologize. Your...um...future brother-in-law, Romeo,

welcomed me,” Jeanette said, accepting the other woman’s

handshake with a grin.

“Good lord. I can only imagine what your first impression of

Crawley Creek is then,” Lacy said, shaking her head with a laugh.

“I must say, the trip was worth it for the view alone,” she joked,

elated to feel at ease with the other two women. “Marilyn was just

giving me the rundown on the other men I’ll be meeting. She said

there are four of them total. Do they all look like Romeo?”

Laughing, Lacy shook her head and gestured her to a seat on the

chaise lounge in front of a stone fireplace. “No, but I have to admit

the Crawley Creek boys are all gorgeous in their own way. You’ve

already met Drannon, and now Romeo; his girlfriend, Franki, went

into town to get groceries, but she’ll be back shortly. Vin is probably

in the garage, and who knows where Hawke is? You’ll meet them all

at dinner tonight.”

“Are those the only people who live here permanently?” she

asked.

Again Lacy shook her head, “No we have a handful of ranch

hands who live in the bunkhouse, along with the ranch foreman,

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Claiming His Cowgirl

Daniel Kroft; he grew up on the ranch with the guys. His father was

the foreman before him. Marilyn also lives here in the main house,

and at the moment we also have a woman named Destiny Warren

staying with us in one of the guest cabins. I’m not sure if that will be

permanent, but we’re not hurrying her out. She just went through

something very tragic, and she’s doing her recovery here.”

Jeanette’s ears perked up, and she cocked her head. “Is she going

to be my first patient?”

“I’m honestly not sure.” Lacy glanced at Marilyn who shrugged.

“She’s not a veteran, but she’s certainly suffering from PTSD. It’s a

long story, and I’d rather not share it for her. I’m sure you’ll have

plenty of time to talk to her, too.”

Nodding, Jeanette made a mental note to search out this woman

and see if she could be of some help in some way. If she could help

someone—anyone—it would make all of the years of work and

sacrifice for her education worth it.

“Did you want me to show Jeanette to her cabin?” Marilyn

asked.

“No, I can do it, but first, I’ll text the boys and see who’s

available to help bring her luggage over.” Lacy pulled her phone

from her jeans pocket.

“I can get it—” Jeanette protested.

“Why? When we have all these cowboys around? Sit back and

enjoy the view!” Lacy suggested playfully. “Hawke or Ricky will

meet us at the cabin with your stuff. Is your car locked?”