KIDNAPPED COWBOY by Lindsey Brookes

in the middle of this situation, Dalton had no idea, but he was in it.  Dead center.  He turned to Caitlin.  “Wait here.”
    Grabbing up his shirt, he followed his brother outside.  “What in the hell’s the matter with you?”
    Brandon stopped and turned.  “Nothing’s wrong with me.  Other than being pissed off because I had to go out in the middle of a snowstorm to get my truck that you left in town two nights ago.  And now I’m gonna have to give some sorta explanation to my associates in regards to that cozy little scene we walked in on.”
    “You don’t owe them any damn explanation.  My private life isn’t any of their business.”
    “Maybe not, but you made it their business by not taking it somewhere more private.”
    “More private than a cabin in the middle of nowhere?”  Not that it had been his idea to come there in the first place, but that was beside the point.
    “You could have been stranded here for God knows how long after that storm the other night.”  His brother glanced toward Caitlin’s car and shook his head.  “Especially in something like that.  You know damn well a hotel would have been a wiser choice.” 
    As if he’d had any choice in the matter.  Dalton fought his growing irritation.  One wrong word could ruin any chance Caitlin had of getting his brother to change his mind about tearing down the retreat.  And why did he care?  Maybe because he’d felt a connection to her.  And not just physically.  They shared a camaraderie when it came to battling Brandon, even if their reasons for doing so were different.
    “I’m not getting into this with you,” Dalton said with a sigh.
    “Good,” his brother replied.  “Because I have work to do today.  Not everyone can spend their life playing.”
    His hands curled at his side, but Dalton held his temper in check.  “Yeah, well, maybe if you spent a little more time enjoying life people around here wouldn’t refer to you as the town ‘ogre’.”
    His brother genuinely appeared surprised by the comment.  “What?”
    “You didn’t know?”
    “No.”
    He was in too deep to back out now.  Dalton shrugged.  “Seems you’re not gonna be given Lonetree’s ‘Citizen of the Year’ award anytime soon.”
    “And that’s supposed to break my heart?” his brother muttered with a scowl.
    That was his brother’s whole problem.  Somewhere along the line he’d stopped caring about the things that were really important in life.  “You know, Brandon, life isn’t all about money.”
    His brother’s already taut brow edged up higher, the way it did whenever he was pissed off and trying to remain in control of the situation.  Dalton had seen that look plenty of times in the past.
    “Maybe not,” he replied, his voice tight.  “But the ranch and our family’s business won’t run themselves.  One of us has to be responsible.”
    “Responsible – your version?”
    “What the hell are you talking about?”
    “I’m talking about your acting ‘responsibly’ when it suits your purpose.”  Dalton glanced back over his shoulder and then added, “That includes not returning people’s phone calls except for when it suits your wallet.”
    His brother’s already angry expression darkened.  “Are you referring to your bed partner in there?”  He thumbed in the direction of the cabin.
    “You know damn well I am.”  There was no point at that moment in trying to convince Brandon that he and Caitlin hadn’t slept together. 
    “Maybe you should stick to what you’re good at, like taking women to bed, and leave the business decisions to me.”
    Dalton’s jaw clenched.  He was itching like hell to show his brother what else he was good at, like laying him out on the cold, snow-covered ground.  But he’d left that kind of behavior behind when he retired from the circuit.  Besides, coming to blows with his brother wasn’t going to solve anything, no matter how tempted he was to lay into