Chapter 1

* * *

CHRISTINA

"How are your classes going?"

Christina looked up to see her cousin's smiling face and burgeoning belly where her toddler was hanging off her side precariously. The woman set the boy down, straightened up, winced, and then sat down beside her on the couch. Yeah, they were cousins, but it had been a while since she'd seen the family up close.

This was her mother's idea, to get the whole family together now that things were starting to settle down slightly for everyone. Her cousin by marriage, Jessica, had was living in Houston. Christina was looking at the last few years of college looming on the horizon. It was like everyone that had been spread so far apart was now getting back on their feet, coming together, and Juliet's baby shower was all the excuse the Bradley family needed.

"Oh, they are fine," Christina began idly and then sighed as her cousin gave her a piercing look and pursed her lips. "Fine. They are not ‘fine' in the slightest. They're frustrating, and I must have been a cow in a previous life to want to hang around the fat, smelly, stupid mammals all the time."

"You know my husband would make some smart comment about that."

"And you'd get this vapid look of ‘wuv' on your face, preen, and then tell me to get over it."

"Oh my gosh," Juliet laughed openly, staring at her in shock. "I do not ‘preen' nor do I get a ‘vapid' look on my face."

"Puh-lease, woman. You love Dasher more than anyone else in this world – except little Griffin. That child can do no wrong and currently is sticking his finger in a cupcake."

"Cupcakes are meant to be eaten," Juliet shrugged, uncaring.

"What have you done with my straightlaced relative who freaks out if her seams aren't pressed properly?"

"That woman has grown up a lot and had to relax quite a bit."

"It suits you – and I'm slightly jealous," Christina admitted quietly. "Heads-up, Dasher is on the way… does he still get grumbly if I start singing ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'?"

"Would you if someone made fun of your name – which is completely out of your control, by the way…"

"I suppose I'd be a little pissy."

"Then Dash gets a little ‘pissy' too when people mock his name – which is why all his friends still call him ‘Logan' to his face."

"Only you… right?"

"Only me… " Juliet smiled as her adoring husband stopped beside her, kneeling. Their sweet toddler made their way toward them, grubby hand extended with bright silvery eyes that missed nothing. The neon rainbow flowers on the cupcakes were sure to stain, but neither seemed to care as Griffin toddled over and held out his ‘offering' to his daddy.

Dasher leaned down and let the boy put his fingers in his mouth, pretending to gobble him up, making the boy giggle in the most precious manner and seemingly not caring about the frosting on his mouth or chin. Nope. This man adored his family.

Christina wondered if Juliet had any idea how lucky she was.

Most guys Christina went out with complained all the time about how she was boring, focused on her studies, and not interested in what they wanted to discuss. It would be nice, though, to meet someone who had no set opinions, didn't feel threatened by someone wanting to better themselves, or didn't believe in a woman belonging in the kitchen. She recently faced the latter, leaving him at the table coldly when he started berating her for not using her education to provide better meals for herself to make her body ready to bear children.

Her ovaries shriveled at that inane comment.

"Everything okay?" Dasher asked openly, glancing at Juliet quickly before looking back at her. "Christina, you made a face, and you know what happens if anyone sees you doing that…"

"Yup – an attack of the Bradley Matchmakers. ‘Poor Christina needs a man' or ‘Poor Christina should be having babies'… or worse yet, ‘Poor Christina, I have a cousin that has three teeth, four divorces, and lives in a trailer – and he would love you to pieces'" she mocked, making a face as Juliet burst out laughing, sharing a pointed look with her husband.

"Why are you looking at me, dearest?" Dasher said innocently. "I'm not a Bradley."

"No, you aren"t."

"You aren't a matchmaker either," Christina volunteered. "You are probably the only safe one to hang around with at this baby shower. First of all, you are happily married and a daddy. Secondly, you aren't trying to fix me up with someone. Third and finally, you don't have any brothers, which leads me back to number two."

"I'm safe, huh?" Dasher grinned wolfishly, patting his wife on the knee. "You hear that? Safe."

"She said ‘safe,'" Juliet smirked as they shared a look. "Completely and utterly safe from the Bradleys."

"Safe as could be…"

"Y'all are weird," Christina muttered, leaning forward to wipe Griffin's hands with a baby wipe as he toddled over to her. She picked up the little boy, kissed his cheek, and crossed her eyes while sticking out her tongue to make him laugh. Sure enough, Griffin chortled happily and clapped his hands.

"So, since we're safe… you need anything before this party starts to dissolve into a bunch of games, opening presents, and listening to ‘Oh Christina should have a baby' or ‘Christina, you should meet my nephew with a shack in the backwoods of the Appalachians'?" Dasher asked, smirking as Juliet swatted him on the shoulder.

"Don't you dare…"

"Me? I'm innocent, I tell you…"

"Dasherrrr…"

"Unless you can come up with a farm that will let me live there, rent-free for several months so I can test some for my thesis on my doctorate… then nope. There's nothing you can do."

Dasher looked at her evenly, causing a chill to run down her spine.

"What if I could?" he said simply.

"Could…" she drawled and hesitated. "Wait. You can get me access to live on a farm somewhere for free for a few months? Seriously? You know someone?"

"Let me make a few phone calls."

"Oh my gosh, Dasher – you aren't kidding? That would be amazing! You would save me so much time and work. I don't mind helping out in the slightest, either. I could work on the farm to earn my keep or stay in the loft, so long as it's not winter, and I won't be a pest. I mean, I don't need a lot of space, just a chance to work on some theories and write my thesis, and that would shave so much time off getting my degree. You would be a lifesaver."

"Let's go with ‘life-changer'…"

And Juliet cleared her throat, looking at him warily.

"You know this farmer? Oh my gosh, Jules, why didn't you say anything?"

"Look, the ‘farmer' is a little grumpy at times but very good-hearted. I think something is in the works, and he's planning on helping others, so I'm sure he won't mind taking on one more person. Besides, Jill, his wife, would love the company, and it's supposed to be a really nice location."

"You haven't been to this farm? Where is it?"

"The doctor recommended I don't travel with my blood pressure borderline during the pregnancy."

"And I get up there to see Houghton all the time. We're good buddies, and I'm sure it will be just fine," Dasher grinned. "Oh yes. In fact, I'll step out and call him now."

"You don't mind? Really? I mean, this semester ends in two months, but I would be free then. I just won't schedule anything next semester, and I promise to work my rear-end off helping out."

"That might not be necessary, but you might have to share a cabin. He's got a few of them on the property that…"

"Dasher, can I speak with you?" Juliet said firmly, looking at him. "Now?"

"Jules, it will be just fine."

"She's my cousin..."

"I'll reiterate that to Houghton. I swear it."

"I will maim that man in his sleep if he screws this up," Juliet growled angrily, staring down her husband… and for the first time ever, Dasher paled and nodded. What was going on between the two of them that they weren't saying?

"Houghton is married, right?" Christina said warily, watching the silent interaction.

"He's been happily married to Jill for twenty years," Dasher uttered, not looking away from his wife. "You'll be fine. I promise. This will be the chance of a lifetime, and everything is coming together unexpectedly well, considering the conversation I just had with Harley at Flyboys when I went to visit Griffin. Jules, just think, honey…"

"Dasher…"

"Juliet, I would never put her or anyone else in danger – and you know that."

"No, you just conveniently arrange…"

"Arrange for new opportunities, chances, and friends. It's what people do with that that is completely out of my control. This is a chance for your cousin to get her thesis done, get some hands-on experience with farm life, and meet new people. She will be fine, I promise."

"Will you check on her occasionally?"

"In Wyoming? Of course – and Houghton might say ‘no,' or the cabins might be full."

Juliet seemed to deflate at that and nodded.

"I could stay with someone if he doesn't have room," Christina volunteered quickly, not wanting to let this chance pass her by. She would rather go work or stay with someone that a family member knew than try to peddle herself off to strangers in the hopes of finding accommodations that would give her enough freedom to do what she needed to.

Yeah, she was already getting sick of the rejection letters. She received her third one yesterday claiming that they were not interested in someone ‘affecting the climate or delicate constitutions of the herd'.

‘Climate'?

‘Delicate constitutions'?

They were cows! She wanted to play music to the cows and charter the production of milk. How was that going to tamper with bovines that literally pooped as they walked, swatted flies off their rumps with their tails, and chewed their cud? Mooooood music, anyone?

"Do I make the call to Houghton or not?"

The question was posed to Christina, yet Dasher was still looking at Juliet – waiting. Why didn't her cousin want her to go out there? What was she protecting her from? Everything sounded so good, so perfect, but there was something holding Juliet back.

"What's wrong?"

"What if you went out there and met someone?" Juliet said bluntly, not holding back as she tore her gaze from Dasher and stared at Christina. "What if you actually met someone during this whole thing? What would you say or do? I do not want this to end up blowing up in my face. You are family."

"You mean… like, ‘meet' meet someone?" Christina hesitated and saw that neither Dasher nor Juliet had moved. "I guess I would consider myself fully warned, but the odds of that happening are slim to none. I plan on spending time with the cows, and once someone gets a load of my boring world, that's usually enough to drive them off. Besides, I'm pretty difficult to please."

"What do you mean?" Dasher said quietly, listening.

"Look, I've dated a few guys, and so far, I've been keenly disappointed. I don't want someone I have to be less of a person around. Finding someone comfortable in who they are as a man, seems to be a challenge in my haystack. I'm still looking for my needle, and I'm assuming, at this point, someone else found it. I'm nearly thirty, I'm sure not na?ve, and getting a doctorate in animal husbandry. I know about the birds and the bees, so I'm not going to swoon or make a scene if someone tries something."

Dasher was smirking, and Juliet looked worried at her words.

"I want someone who doesn't want to hold me back, someone who respects me, and someone who isn't afraid to get dirty, be around cows, or do something out of the ordinary. If I said to some gorgeous guy, ‘Hey, let me go shove my elbows up a cow's hoo-ha because the calf is turned the wrong way,' – I need a man, not some pansy who is going to back away looking for smelling salts," Christina said bluntly not mincing words as she looked at them both. "That type of guy just isn't out there – or he's just as lost as I am. So yeah, if I can knock out my thesis and that puts crosshairs on my back for Mr. Wonderful - I think I'll live."

"Make the call," Juliet said quietly, reaching over to squeeze her hand.

"I'll be back in ten minutes," Dasher grinned, winking at Christina before stepping out.

* * *

Two minutes later, Dasher gave her a thumbs-up.

She was going to Wyoming!