West

Hadley

I didn’t think I’d make it to my best friend’s wedding in Texas. But how can I pass up the chance when she tells me her groom has three brothers who are just as hot, handsome, and rugged as the cowboy she’s managed to snag? So I pack my bags and decide to press my luck on finding the love of my life in the Lone Star State.

West

When a chance encounter with a gorgeous stranger leaves me so tongue-tied I can’t even remember my own name, I borrow my more outgoing brother’s. Channeling his cocky attitude gives me the confidence to conquer my fear of the one night stand. But when the woman of my dreams shows up at a family wedding the next day, how can I explain I’m not the man she thinks I am without losing her for good?

Meet the Calhoun quadruplets… four rugged Texas cowboys who love hard and aren’t afraid to claim the women who are meant to be theirs. The Claimed by a Cowboy series can be read as standalones. Each book features a happily-ever-after with no cheating and no cliffhangers.

I snatched my baseball cap from my head and ran a towel over my forehead to wipe away the sweat. My stomach growled. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had anything to eat, and if I didn’t shower soon, I probably wouldn’t even be allowed in the house. But that’s how it went during calving season.

“Just call Doc Best,” my brother Zane urged. “We’ve been working on her for too long already. You wait any longer and we’re going to lose the heifer and the calf.”

Dammit, Zane was right. There were two things I hated more than anything—being wrong and having someone else tell me so before I could admit it myself.

“Fine.” I sat back on my heels and studied the heifer in front of me. Poor cow had been showing signs of distress for a couple of hours before we realized the calf was breech. Usually we could handle a breech birth on our own, but every once in a while we needed to call in the vet.

“You got this?” Zane got to his feet and staggered to the edge of the pen.

“Yeah. Why don’t you go catch some sleep and I’ll wait for the doc.” I pulled my gloves from my hands, and nodded toward my brother. “Somebody’s got to have enough energy to make the rounds tomorrow.”

Zane closed the gate behind him. “Call if you need me?”

“Will do.” I patted the heifer as I pulled up the vet’s number on speed dial. Hopefully Doc Best was home. During calving season he was on call twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. But there was no telling if another neighbor might have the same kind of luck as we were at the Calhoun Ranch. So far we hadn’t needed any outside help. Between me, my brothers, and the hired hands, we’d been able to manage the cattle on our own.

“Hello?” The vet answered, exhaustion evident in just that one word.

“Hey, it’s Colt. I’ve got a heifer here with the nastiest breech I’ve ever seen. Any chance you can help me out?”

Doc Best cleared his throat. “Wish I could, son, but I’m over at the Evan’s place. How long’s she been in labor?”

My stomach clenched. The Evan’s place was at least an hour away. “Almost two hours already. Zane and I tried everything we could.”

“Sit tight for a few and I’ll see if I can get ahold of Oakley.”

“Oh, I don’t want to—”

“To what?” Doc Best lowered his voice. “Now I know there’s no love lost between you and my daughter, but right now she’s the best, if only, chance you’ve got of saving that heifer.”

I ground my teeth together. The doc was right. No matter what kind of history I shared with Oakley, I’d have to put that aside. Even a half-assed vet was better than none. The calf was probably already dead. If I didn’t do something soon, I was liable to lose the mama as well.

“Thanks, Doc. Tell her I’m in the small barn, please.”

“Will do.” The doc hung up, leaving me alone in the relative quiet of the heated stall.

Oakley Best. A vision of the curvy, blue-eyed, smart-mouthed woman I’d managed to avoid for the past few years invaded my mind. The last time I’d had to rely on her help, she’d rendered my prize breeding bull totally ineffective.

I considered calling Zane back and asking him to deal with the obnoxious vet. But my brother had put in more than his fair share of work over the past month. We all had. That’s what it meant to be part of the family business. With any luck, Oakley would be in and out before I had to make nice, and hopefully she wouldn’t screw up.

So I sucked it up while I attempted to clean up in the barn’s utility sink. Then I sat down to wait for the one woman I hoped I’d never have to set eyes on ever again.