Jacob blew out a long breath and wiped the sweat from his brow with his shirt sleeve. Texas was too darned hot. He'd been here for two months and he still couldn't seem to get used to the heat. He checked his watch and saw that it was nearly seven in the evening. Maybe Susie and Sally would have supper ready by now.

He gathered up the hammer and nails he'd been using to repair the fences and stuck them in his saddlebags. He whistled and Kent looked up from down the row of fencing.

"I'm heading in." Jacob called and Kent nodded.

"Alrighty boss."

"I am no ones boss." Jacob argued as he swung himself up into the saddle.

"Your last name is Atkinson ain't it? This here is Atkinson Spread so that makes you one of the bosses."

"Don't let Liz hear you say that." Jacob said with a fond smile as he thought about his sister-in-law who had caused such a change in his rootless younger brother. Kent laughed.

"Mrs. Atkinson knows that she's the boss of the bosses." he replied and Jacob nodded. He wasn't about to argue with that fact. Because it was a fact, plain and simple. He started for home and thought about how much his life had changed in the last few months.

Stress seemed to have melted away and he felt years younger now, than he had back in Virginia. He no longer had to worry about whether or not the girls would have shoes to wear come wintertime or whether or not they'd have food to put in their bellies the next day.

Now they had more clothes than ten people could wear (though Sally's were all pants, shirts and split riding skirts because she insisted she had to be just like Liz) and they never had to worry about where their next meal was coming from.

Jacob was still getting used to the fact that he was a rich man. At first he had rebelled against the idea of using the money because he hadn't felt he'd earned it, but Brody had been quick to set him straight. Brody had said that Jacob had earned it because he had busted his back to make sure the girls were taken care of all those years. Jacob had reminded Brody that if it hadn't been for Brody's money there would have been many times he and the girls would have went cold and hungry but Brody had just shrugged.

Jacob thought about the ranch and how Brody had tried to sign the deed over to only Liz. He had said that the ranch was truly hers and he wanted her to have it all to herself. She had been madder than a wet hen when he'd said that and instead of allowing him to take his name off, she had kept it there and added Jacob's as well. She'd also said that as soon as the girls got old enough, if they wanted her to, she would add them to the deed.

That Liz was something else and his brother was darn lucky. Jacob was becoming darn lonely. Without all the stress and worry to keep his mind occupied he was realizing that he had never once in his life been in love. He'd die if his very experienced, reformed whore hopper of a younger brother ever found out, but Jacob had only ever been with one girl and that had only been one time and it had been ten years ago. Twenty-seven was too old for any man to be so inexperienced.

He didn't want whores though. He never had. He wanted a woman who would steal his whole heart and give him hers. No woman had been willing to settle on a poor, struggling farmer with two girls to raise, and eligible bachelorettes were hard to come by out here in Texas where there was more cattle than there were people.

Jacob rubbed his face to clear his thoughts. He'd always been the hopeless romantic of the two brothers. Brody had grown up believing that women were only good for sex and only meeting Liz had taught him differently. Jacob on the other hand had always craved having a woman all his own. A partner, a best friend, someone he could take care of. But he was beginning to believe that was never going to happen for Mr. Jacob Atkinson. Nothing good ever happened for him.

All his self pity was quickly forgotten when he rode toward the corral and saw Liz on top of a bucking mare. Her hat was lying in the dust and her blond hair had come loose from her braid and was dancing around her face. Her green eyes were shining as she laughed happily.

Susie looked a little nervous and Sally was clapping and jumping with excitement as Brody stood leaned against the barn with this arms and legs crossed and watched her with amusement. Jacob jumped from his horse, handing the reins to a hand LeRoy had hired while they'd been in Virginia named Greg, and walked over to where Brody was standing.

"Aren't you afraid she's gonna get hurt?" Jacob demanded of his calm brother.

"You can't tell that woman nothing. She's gonna do whatever it is she wants to do no matter what I say, so I've learned to just let her go." Before Jacob could say anything else, Elizabeth let out a scream as the horse threw her and she landed roughly on her backside in the dirt.

"You better move it, cowgirl, she don't look very happy!" Brody called with a laugh as Elizabeth jumped to her feet and ran as fast as she could for the fence line, grabbing her hat just before she jumped over with the angry mare stomping and snorting behind her.

"That was great! I want to do that!" Sally said as she walked toward the fence.

"No." Jacob said sternly. Sally made a face and then turned and stomped for the house. Jacob let out a tired sigh. Ever since the girls had turned thirteen a month ago, Sally seemed to think she was grown and therefore should be allowed to do whatever she wanted.

Brody walked over to Elizabeth and put his arm around her shoulders.

"Looks like you're losing your touch." he said matter of factly. Elizabeth squared her shoulders and glared up at him.

"I haven't lost anything." she replied. "I'm just a little out of practice." Brody smiled and pulled her into his arms. She sighed with contentment as her body molded against his and Jacob felt a stab of jealousy at what his brother had found. He quickly pushed it away and felt guilty for being jealous. Brody had lived a hard life and deserved his wife and all the happiness that she had given him.

"Aren't you supposed to wear your badge all the time?" Jacob asked, pointing at Brody's star free vest. Brody shrugged.

"I figure since I'm the only law for miles and miles, I'm allowed to make my own rules." Jacob nodded, that sounded logical to him and exactly like something Brody would say.

"Fair enough." he said.

"The jailhouse is empty right now anyway, except for one poor sap. He robbed the general store and got busted. I guarantee he won't be robbing again, least not in my town.. Poor mans had LeRoy preaching in his ear for two days straight." Brody said with a chuckle. Jacob smiled. LeRoy was a good, God fearing man and he wasn't ashamed to let everyone see the errors of their ways and try to teach them right. Brody had deputized him after he'd been elected sheriff and LeRoy lived in the jailhouse so that Brody would have more free time to be with his family.

"I'm starving Susie." Jacob said, turning to his sister as she picked at the paisley designs on her blue dress.

"Supper's ready." she said in her quiet voice. "Beef stew with carrots, onions and celery, fresh warm cornbread and then there's some peach cobbler and fresh cream for desert." Brody and Jacob both felt their mouths begin to water.

"Susie, you are the best damn cook I've ever seen." Brody said matter-of-factly. Susie blushed and gave a little shrug.

"Liz made the peach cobbler." she admitted. Brody and Jacob shared a look of horror.

"You let Elizabeth in the kitchen?" Brody asked. "Why in the hell would you do something like that?" Elizabeth put her hands on her hips and glared at him and then she saw the glint of amusement in his eyes and realized he was once again just trying to push her buttons. She smiled.

"I'm sure Cookie will have plenty of food for the hands if you'd rather eat outside." she said. Brody shook his head.

"Bring on the cobbler.... I was in the war, I can eat anything."

"I've gotten better at cooking!" Elizabeth exclaimed in her defense. Brody nodded and started back toward the house with Elizabeth at his side, as they continued their banter back and forth. Jacob watched Susie following after them and he stood there alone.

"You coming?" Elizabeth asked as she looked over her shoulder. Jacob nodded and started toward the house as he began to wallow once again in self-pity.

888

"Brody, I'm worried about Jacob." Elizabeth said that night as they lay in their bed and listened to their sleeping baby's light breathing.

"Why?" Brody asked sleepily.

"He's sad."

"He's always been moody and dramatic. That's Jacob."

"He's lonely."

"He's always looked like some kind of ugly hound dog with droopy eyes and a frown. I told you before that I have a brother that complains enough for ten people." Brody said as he pulled her closer. "I'm tired, can we go to sleep and quit worrying about Jacob?"

"I want to find him a woman." Elizabeth said and Brody sighed.

"I guess that means I'm not sleeping yet." he said with a groan.

"Don't you want your brother to be happy? Don't you want him to find what you've found?"

"A pain in the ass little woman who keeps him up all night talking about stuff that is none of her business to be worrying about?" Elizabeth slapped his stomach and he fought back a laugh.

"I'm serious Brody." she said as she glared up at him.

"I'm serious too. Leave Jacob alone. He'll be okay."

"Maybe I could hire a nice young woman to come in here and help out. Jacob seems like the type of man who would like a softer lady he could take care of." Brody sighed with defeat and relaxed against the bed, determined to drown her out and go to sleep. "You know, I could use someone to come in and help with the babies so that I can get to working more around the ranch. And the girls need a more proper lady influence to teach them how to behave.. Especially Sally. And the woman might as well be pretty and unmarried."

"Yep, might as well." Brody agreed half-heartedly as he closed his eyes.

"I'll go to town tomorrow and put out an ad for help. I'll send it up to San Antonio.. There's bound to be lots of pretty, unmarried, young ladies down there." she said with excitement.

"Bound to be." Brody mumbled. Elizabeth looked up at him and smiled. She kissed his stubble covered cheek and snuggled closer to him. Elizabeth had never been a schemer or a meddler but she wanted Jacob to be as happy as she was now that she had Brody. She wanted the entire world to be as happy as she was. Surely it wouldn't hurt anything to bring in a woman for Jacob.... It might just work out perfectly.