The Texas Rancher's New Family

A Match Made in Texas

Tess Buckton returns to the Blue Thorn Ranch from Australia, badly needing Texas comfort. But the Outback follows her home when celebrity Aussie horse trainer Cooper Pine rents the ranch next door. The other Buckton siblings are worried Cooper’s high profile will upset the idyllic Martins Gap community—but Tess isn’t so sure. Cooper is surprisingly down-to-earth and a doting father to his special-needs daughter. But getting close enough to learn his secrets could mean exposing hers, and Tess isn’t ready for that—even if Cooper and his matchmaking daughter are just what her heart is yearning for.

“You said it was somebody’s birthday. So I brought over some Buckton brownies.”

Cooper looked genuinely surprised. From behind him came the smiling face of a young girl. Then came an odd clicking sound as crutches came into view, flanking the ruffles of a frilly party dress. Tess told herself not to stare as the ruffled skirt ended in only one white cowboy boot.

“Sophie, this is the lady who told me about Lolly’s blondies,” Cooper said.

Sophie’s eyes grew wide. “They were super yummy!”

Tess felt herself smile. “Another of my favorites is my grandmother’s brownies, and she insisted I bring some over to the birthday girl.”

“I’m six now,” pronounced Sophie. She shifted to show off her solitary boot. “Do you like ’em? They’re my birthday present.”

There was something brave and bittersweet in how the child referred to her single boot as a pair. “Mighty nice,” Tess said. “White boots are extra special—you must be extra special yourself.”

She’d called a little boy in Adelaide “extra special”—a little boy she’d never get to buy birthday presents for now—and the words sat bittersweet on her tongue.

ALLIE PLEITER, an award-winning author and RITA® Award finalist, writes both fiction and nonfiction. Her passion for knitting shows up in many of her books and all over her life. Entirely too fond of French macarons and lemon meringue pie, Allie spends her days writing books and avoiding housework. Allie grew up in Connecticut, holds a BS in speech from Northwestern University and lives near Chicago, Illinois.

The Texas Rancher’s New Family

Allie Pleiter

www.millsandboon.co.uk

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for

you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

—2 Corinthians 12:9

To Linda

Because she’s stronger than she knows

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

About the Author

Title Page

Bible Verse

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Epilogue

Dear Reader

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

“Just one—no, two.” Tess Buckton ogled the covered dish of Lolly’s Diner’s decadent blondies, fighting the urge to buy all of them. After flying halfway around the world in the last thirty hours, she could easily eat the whole plate without stopping. Not that she would, but she could. “Okay, three. But no more.”

“They that good?”

Tess’s jet-lagged brain struggled to distinguish the Texas surroundings she stood in now from the Australian settings she’d left behind. It took a few seconds to recognize that the Aussie accent she’d grown so used to hearing didn’t belong in her hometown of Martins Gap, Texas. She turned to see a tall, tanned cowboy, one eyebrow raised in question as a smirk turned up one corner of his mouth.

“Yeah,” she said, “they are. I just got back into town and I’ve been dreaming of these since I got on the plane thirty hours ago. I’ve been in Adelaide, actually.”

His eyes widened at the mention of the Australian city. “From near Alice Springs, up in Northern Territory, myself. Not that you could tell from the accent, I’m sure.” His smirk spread into a full-blown and rather disarming smile.

Her brother Luke had mentioned this guy in an email. There had been talk of the well-known Australian horse trainer looking at the property abutting her family’s ranch. According to Luke, some said he was renting it for the season, others speculated he was planning to buy the land at the end of the summer. “I’m guessing your last name is Pine,” she offered.

The man put one hand on his chest. “Guilty as charged.”

One of the famous Pine brothers. Only, which one? She looked at him, trying to draw the face of either of the TV celebrity siblings up from her sleep-deprived memory. It wasn’t like she’d ever really followed the show, but it was famous enough that ads for it were pretty much impossible to avoid.

“I’m the other one,” he said, tipping up his hat.

She laughed as she accepted the bag of three blondies from Lolly and immediately reached into the bag for one.

“That would make me Cooper,” he explained. She nodded as she bit into the confection, glad not to have to admit she could only remember Hunter Pine’s name in her present state. He cocked his head toward the other four blondies still remaining on the covered plate. “There’s a little lady at my house with a birthday tomorrow. Should I buy the rest?”