The Rancher Takes a Bride by Brenda Minton

passing scenery. “I didn’t say anything.”
    â€œYou laughed.”
    â€œI chuckled. There’s a difference. And I wasn’t laughing at you. Maybe at your ego, but not at you.”
    â€œThanks. That’s great for my self-esteem.”
    â€œYou don’t have a self-esteem issue.”
    He slowed down to pull into the Circle M drive. “No, I don’t. But I guess I do have some issues.”
    That was all he said. She waited, but he didn’t say more. As they got closer to Jake and Breezy’s, she asked, “And they are?”
    â€œOh, you want to
know
my issues?”
    â€œYes, I do.”
    He reached over to turn down the radio. “I’m not very trusting. I haven’t ever had a long-term relationship. I always told myself I got that from Sylvia Martin, aka Mom. I never thought I’d have kids because I didn’t want to ever let a kid down. Now I think I’d like a few because if they’re all like Lilly, that would be pretty amazing.”
    She didn’t know what to say. “She is amazing. But you know, all kids are different. And you would need to get married to have more kids.”
    â€œRight, of course. I’ve been thinking about that.”
    No, not the marriage discussion. Not now. “I didn’t realize it until now, but I’m starving.”
    â€œChange the subject much?”
    Duke stopped the truck, and she jumped out. Before she could head for the house, he caught up with her. There was a look in his eyes that said she’d better beware. This was probably how David felt when he confronted Goliath. No, David had been confident. He’d known from the beginning that he could conquer his fears and the giant.
    But the giant Oregon needed to conquer wasn’t the man standing in front of her. She had other giants she needed to reserve her faith for. This man was just a distraction. A tall, devastatingly handsome distraction.
    â€œI’m too big to brush under a rug, Oregon.” He grinned. “I can’t be ignored. I can’t be outrun.”
    â€œOf course you can’t.”
    He placed a sweetly chaste kiss on her lips and then backed away, just inches. “See, that wasn’t so bad.”
    â€œEwww, gross.”
    He laughed, and Oregon spun around to face her daughter. Before she could explain, Lilly waved her off.
    â€œBreezy said to tell you two that lunch is ready, and the twins are hungry. And hungry twins are not a good thing.”
    â€œNo, they’re not.” Duke hugged Lilly. “Let’s see if we can help.”
    Lilly looked from Oregon to Duke. She looked up at the man who was her dad, acceptance written on her face. Oregon’s heart eased because the look spoke of forgiveness, of getting past the anger.
    Oregon followed the two of them up the front walk, her heart slowly returning to normal. She’d always known it wouldn’t be easy to come here, to allow Duke in her daughter’s life. But now she saw how wrong she’d been. She didn’t have to fear him in her daughter’s life. She had to fear him in
her
life.
    She found Breezy in the kitchen. The twins were sitting in matching high chairs. The toddlers were almost identical, with dark hair and blue eyes. Rosie had always been the more vocal of the two. These days Violet seemed to be trying to catch up. When Oregon kissed Rosie on the cheek, Violet said, “Aunt Oregon.”
    â€œOh, no.” Oregon glanced at Breezy to see if she was guilty.
    â€œDon’t look at me. That’s Brody’s doing,” Breezy said. “He’s been printing wedding invitations. Something to the effect of ‘Lilly Martin would like to invite you to the wedding of her parents’.”
    â€œI’ll have to hurt him,” Oregon muttered as she kissed the twins, then rounded the counter to where Breezy was cutting up some herbs. “Anything I can do?”
    â€œThere isn’t