Page 7 of Wrangling a Wild Texan

As she popped open the can, Sunny couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed. She had spent years dreaming about what the sisters did in their secret meetings. Her wild imagination had conjured up blood rituals, male voodoo doll stabbings, andlots of shared naughty secrets. But so far, besides skinny-dipping at Cooper Springs, the meetings had been pretty tame. Which explained why Sunny hadn’t shared any of her wild exploits or best-kept secrets. She worried the sisters would toss her out of the club if they found out all the mischief she’d gotten into over the years and all the lies she’d told her brothers—and them.

And as tame as the meetings were, Sunny loved being part of the Sisterhood and a group of women who loved and supported each other. Hopefully, in time, Sunny would get the courage to share more truths.

“I think Reid is really trying to be a good guardian to Sophie,” Hallie continued. “He’s been asking me a lot of questions about teenage girls. Poor guy. It can’t be easy to deal with a grieving teenager while you’re doing your own grieving.” Tears entered her eyes, which was completely unusual for tough Hallie. “I don’t know what I’d do if I lost a sister.”

Sunny stared at her. “Sophie’s mama died?” She had thought her mama just hadn’t wanted to raise her. She knew all about parents not wanting to raise their own kids.

Hallie nodded. “I don’t know all the details. Reid isn’t exactly the sharing type.”

“Poor Sophie.” Noelle entered the conversation. She was the youngest Holiday sister and the sister Sunny was the closest to. Probably because she was a bit of a fibber like Sunny. Noelle had fake dated Casey Remington, all to appease her thousands of social media followers. Sunny was only lying to her brothers . . . and the Secret Sisterhood . . . and the townsfolk. She cringed as Noelle continued. “I just feel for that sweet thing. Sophie looks so unhappy every time I see her. Now I get it. She’s grieving her mama. Not to mention that she had to move to a new town and a new school. High school can be so brutal.”

Hallie rolled her eyes. “Please don’t get into the entire thing about Casey bullying you, Elle. Especially when you ended upmarrying your bully and are living happily ever after on a ranch bigger than this one.” Noelle had recently married Casey, who owned the Remington Ranch with his father, Sam, and brother, Rome—Cloe’s husband. Now she and Casey were expecting their first child. It really was a happily ever after. Sunny couldn’t help feeling a little jealous.

Noelle always seemed to get everything a girl could want.

All the Holiday sisters did.

Which explained why Sunny had been infatuated with them ever since she and Corbin had arrived in Wilder to live with their uncle. Or more like been forced on their uncle like unwanted baggage. Sophie wasn’t unwanted baggage. Her mama had no choice in leaving her. But Reid had had a choice. He could have refused to take his niece and left her to foster care. Instead, he had accepted the responsibility and seemed to care enough to ask Hallie for advice. Sunny’s uncle hadn’t given a crap about her and Corbin. The only reason he’d taken them in was because of the money her daddy sent him monthly. Money he had spent on booze and lottery tickets.

Reid might be grumpy, but at least he was trying. Still, Noelle’s comments about high school had Sunny worried. High schoolhadbeen brutal—at least for her. While she hadn’t been bullied, she had been ostracized as the weird new girl who carried her sketchpad wherever she went. She couldn’t stand the thought of the same thing happening to Sophie.

“Does Sophie have any friends?” she asked.

Liberty scratched her growing belly and shook her head. “Not that I have seen, but I don’t hang around with teenagers much.” She glanced at Noelle. “What about you, Elle? Don’t all the kids come in for muffins after school?”

“Yes, but not Sophie. She only comes in with Reid and she never looks happy about it.”

“She might just be a moody loner like Hallie was,” Sweetie said.

“I was not a moody loner!” Hallie snapped. “I just wasn’t trying to win Miss Popularity like you and Lib.” Her brows knitted. “But maybe Sunny is struggling to make friends at school. I’ll talk to Jace and have him keep an eye out.” Hallie’s husband was the football coach at the high school. If anyone could spy on Sophie at school, it would be Jace.

“Good idea, Hal,” Sweetie said. “Once you find out, text us on the sister loop.”

“And what then?” Sunny asked. “If she doesn’t have any friends, how can we help her? It’s not like we can fix her situation at school.”

Cloe nodded. “That’s true. But maybe we can give her support outside of school.”

“Great idea, Cloe,” Belle said. “We could be like her big sisters.”

“I hate to rain on your big sister parade, Belly,” Liberty said. “But just when are we going to find the time to do that? We have obstetrician appointments and all our events here and in Austin and Houston. Not to mention, I have to help Jesse get the bed-and-breakfast ready for its grand opening. And don’t you and Corbin still have to finish decorating your new house? I just can’t see us having any spare time.”

Belle sighed. “You’re right. Corbin has already asked me to cut back.”

“And you should,” Cloe said. “You, Libby, and Noelle will need every ounce of spare energy for when your babies get here. Autumn Grace is over four months old and I still don’t have time to shave my legs.”

“I think I got to shave one armpit . . . a week ago,” Sweetie said. “Thank God Decker is as tired as I am and doesn’t notice.”

Hallie scrunched her face in disgust. “All it takes is one sisterhood meeting to scare me away from having kids.”

Sweetie laughed. “Kids are the best, Hal. They just don’t leave much time for anything else.”

“So I guess it’s up to me and Sunny to be Sophie’s big sisters?” Hallie heaved a sigh. “Fine. Maybe I’ll see if she wants to help out on the ranch after school. That might improve her and Reid’s relationship as well. And maybe you could teach her how to paint, Sun.”

Sunny got the same anxious feeling she always got when anyone brought up her painting. Luckily, she had an excuse for why she couldn’t teach Sophie to paint. “I wish I could, but I’m only staying a few days.”

The sisters all exchanged looks before Hallie spoke. “That’s right. I forgot. I guess that leaves me being the sole big sister. Now if that’s all we need to talk about, I vote we adjourn the meeting. I have a cute coach waiting for me.”

“I second that,” Cloe said.

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