Page 7 of Wrangled Love

When I was a teenager, my mom skipped town and never returned. However, before she left, she found the time to visit the local law office and sign away her parental rights, paving the wayfor the Halsteads to adopt me. It didn’t take long for me to start calling Julie “Mama Julie” and Samuel “Pops.” It felt right since they had been more parental figures to me than my own mother ever was.

Heath rubs the back of his neck, avoiding my gaze. “Do you remember Jensen Harding?”

I nod. We grew up in the same trailer park, and I used to see him at the Halsteads all the time—he was always with Heath, and Julie watched me after school most days. We had an eight-year age gap, so I was only ten when they graduated from high school, and Jensen left town. He hasn’t been back since.

“Do you still keep in touch with him?” I ask.

“Yeah. He runs a tech company in New York,” Heath replies.

I set the takeout on the side table next to the swing, and turn back to Heath. “That’s quite a change from Bluebell, Montana.”

“No kidding. It’s not going to be easy for him to adjust when he gets here,” he mutters.

My eyes widen in surprise. “Jensen’s moving back?”

“Yeah. For the summer. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” Heath drags a hand through his hair. “He recently found out he has a five-year-old son.”

“Seriously? What’s the little guy’s name?”

“Caleb. Still wrapping my head around the fact that he has a kid.”

“I can imagine! Do you know why they’re coming to Bluebell?”

It’s been fourteen years since Jensen’s set foot in town, and I can’t help but wonder why he’d come back now.

“Caleb’s mom recently passed, and he hasn’t spoken since,” Heath says solemnly. “He’s been staying in Jensen’s penthouse but hasn’t uttered a word. Ma’s convinced the ranch might be a better environment for him while he adjusts to his new life. She thinks the summer camp hosted by the elementary school willhelp him get some social interaction with other kids and ease him back into a routine.”

I’m sure Jensen’s decision to come was influenced by the fact that Mama Julie is now the school principal, which means she’ll be around to look out for Caleb. Kids can be cruel toward those who are different and don’t communicate like they do.

“I agree. It sounds like the best possible thing for Caleb, but I don’t understand what that has to do with me?”

Heath clears his throat. “They need a place to stay. All the guest cabins are booked through the summer, and Jensen and Caleb won’t have any privacy if they stay at the main ranch house.”

Heath and our brother Walker live there with our parents. They each have their own wing, which gives them their own space, but there isn’t another area available that would offer Jensen and Caleb the same.

Mama Julie and Pops offered to add another wing for me, but I always declined. I don’t want to burden them since they’ve already done so much, and taking more doesn’t sit right with me. That’s part of why I jumped at the opportunity to manage the cabins. It gives me a way to contribute around the ranch and show my appreciation to the family who’s given me everything.

“I can’t cancel any of the reservations. People booked two years in advance, and I wouldn’t feel right doing that to them…” It occurs to me that’s not what Heath is suggesting. “Please don’t tell me you’re proposing Jensen and Caleb stay here.” I groan.

Heath shrugs. “Why not? You’ve got the room. Plus, you’re the only one, besides Ma, who might be able to help Caleb come out of his shell.”

I shoot him a glare, annoyed that he’s right. After everything I went through as a kid, I’ve made it my goal to be there for other children dealing with their own trauma. Someday, I want to open a nonprofit where kids can heal, surrounded by fresh air, open fields, and animals that love without judgment.

“The cottage is a work in progress,” I remind Heath.

“Please, Briar. I wouldn’t ask if this weren’t important,” he pleads.

I bite the inside of my cheek, frustrated by how easily he’s backed me into a corner. I’ve spent most of my adult life living alone and prefer it that way. After high school, I convinced the Halsteads to let me move into the cottage on the far side of the ranch. It’s a fixer-upper, but I’m slowly bringing it back to life while juggling the cabin rentals, repairs, and my volunteer work. Once fully renovated, it’ll be converted into another rental, since the current ones have a long waiting list.

“You waited until the last possible second to ask me, huh?”

I admit, it was clever. Heath knew that after hearing Caleb’s story, it would be impossible for me to turn him and Jensen away.

“Let’s not dwell on the timing,” he says with a sheepish smile. “What do you say? Can they stay?”

My big, tough-as-nails brother silently pleads with his eyes, causing the last of my resolve to crumble. He’s always been there for me, so how could I say no? Even if it means opening my home to Jensen, who I haven’t seen in over a decade.

“Fine,” I sigh. “They can stay here, but the next time the septic tank gets clogged, you’re fixing it.” I dread that chore, so I’m cashing in on this favor while I can.

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