On Opposite Sides
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Cat Schield
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One
Chelsea Grandin was proud of the fact that she could outrope, outride and outlast half the men on her family’s ranch. Unfortunately, none of her abilities had ever impressed any of the male members of her family. Eldest of her siblings, she had all the first-child traits. An ambitious, responsible know-it-all, she was always the first one out the door in the morning and the last one in the door at night.
Take today, for instance. She’d left the house at 4:00 a.m. so she could get all her work done in order to take off the afternoon for Royal’s Fourth of July celebration. With the sun at its zenith, she’d already put in a full day with no sign of her brother, Vic.
“Oh, to be the only boy and presumptive heir,” she muttered, wincing as she lost control of her seething resentment. No matter how hard she worked, her father made it clear he intended to turn control of the ranch over to his son. And because of this, Vic behaved like it was his due. “Entitled jerk.”
The siblings had different management styles. Chelsea loved working side by side with the ranch hands, believing if she contributed significantly to the daily activity, she was more in tune with the pulse of the ranch. Plus, she took satisfaction in all the physical activity. Vic, in contrast, preferred to delegate. While she wasn’t deluded into thinking she was the only person who knew what was going on, Chelsea was convinced she was far more informed than her brother. Not that this had ever given her a leg up when it came to impressing her father or her late grandfather.
Grief gave her heart an agonizing wrench. They’d buried Victor John Grandin Sr. two short months earlier, but Chelsea continued to miss the family’s strong patriarch. He’d been such an enormous presence in her life, inspiring her to work ever harder to prove herself, even though the patriarchy was alive and well on the Grandin ranch.
Chelsea slipped out of her truck and approached the front porch, where her sibling sat with his feet up on the railing.
“So I guess you’re taking today off,” she said, slogging up the steps to the porch, feeling her early morning catching up to her.
“It’s the Fourth of July,” Vic said, arching one eyebrow at her.
“Your point?” Chelsea hated being constantly irritated with her brother.
Daily she grappled with the certainty that their father would bypass her and hand the reins to Vic. It was just so unfair that being born a girl meant she had no shot at being in charge of the ranch, no matter her qualifications or dedication.
Equally frustrating was the lack of recognition she craved. If she’d been born into another family, she’d be basking in her parents’ approval. Instead, both her father and mother saw her contributions as something to keep her occupied until she got married and moved out. They didn’t recognize how tied she was to the land her family had owned for generations.
“The point is,” Vic began in the unruffled tone that always set her teeth on edge, “today’s a holiday, and I’m not working.”
As if that explained it all. And maybe it did. With her working so hard, did he really have to?
“No,” Chelsea grumbled, “it’s not like you’re working.”
Entering the massive house she shared with her entire family, Chelsea contemplated the moment when Vic took over. How she could possibly stay, knowing that every time they butted heads he would win? Yet the ranch was her everything. What would she do instead?
As Chelsea crossed the spacious living room, her gaze fell on a recent family portrait taken at Layla’s engagement party. Her sister Layla was buying her own spread with her fiancé, Joshua Banks. Like them, Chelsea could strike out on her own.
Or she could start a business like her youngest sister. Morgan owned a successful fashion boutique in town called the Rancher’s Daughter. Chelsea suspected that her sister had realized early on that with three older siblings managing the ranch, there wouldn’t be room for her. The feisty redhead seemed perfectly happy doing her own thing. Could Chelsea find joy being anywhere but here?
She angled toward her bedroom, hoping a shower would clear her head and revive her flagging energy. She had a full day of celebrations ahead of her. The whole family was attending the town’s annual Fourth of July parade and picnic. Later, they would head to the Texas Cattleman’s Club. Every year the club hosted a barbecue and fireworks to celebrate the holiday.
As she reached the hallway that led to her bedroom, she spied her mother coming down the hall toward her.
“I was just looking for you.” Bethany Grandin made no attempt to hide her disappointment as she surveyed her daughter’s disheveled appearance. “Oh, you’re not ready to go.”
“I just got back from...” She trailed off, seeing her mother wasn’t really listening. Bethany shared her husband’s resistance to their daughters working the ranch. Chelsea had long ago learned to just do things and stop explaining herself.
Bethany glanced at the gold watch on her wrist. Diamonds sparkled on the twenty-fifth wedding anniversary present from her husband. “The parade starts in an hour.”
“I know. It won’t take me long to shower and change.” Chelsea eased past her mother. A garment bag lay on her bed. “What’s that?”
“Just a little something from your sister’s boutique that I thought would work for today.” Bethany adored shopping and often bought things for her children to wear.
Clearly her mother believed that Chelsea was neglecting her appearance. And maybe Bethany was right. As much as Chelsea enjoyed dressing up, lately, when left to her own devices, she wore jeans, boots and whatever shirt came to hand.
“That’s really nice of you.”
Bethany seemed to relax at her daughter’s response. No doubt she’d been expecting a battle. Chelsea sighed. Was she really that prickly and difficult to deal with? She didn’t want to be. She just wanted to be appreciated for who she was, not ignored or changed into somebody else’s vision of her.
“I saw it at Morgan’s boutique, and I immediately thought of you.” Her mother unzipped the garment bag and pulled out a red halter dress with a full skirt.
“Wow.” The obligatory smile she’d pasted onto her lips turned into an oh of appreciation as Chelsea pictured how great the bold color would look against her dark hair and brown eyes.
“And there’s lipstick to match.” Bethany scooped up a gold tube from Chelsea’s nightstand. “I looked all over until I found the perfect shade to go with the dress.”
Chelsea took the lipstick and opened it. The bright red color triggered her anxiety. She was not the family beauty. Layla and Morgan were the ones who’d inherited their mother’s delicate features and fair coloring, while Chelsea and Vic favored their father, with dark brown hair and eyes. But where Victor John’s strong bone structure and eyebrows made her brother handsome, their boldness left Chelsea feeling far from dainty and feminine.
“I know it’s not something you would’ve chosen,” her mother said, fondling the soft material. “But you have the perfect figure for this dress, and I thought you might like it.”
Translation: it would be nice if you went back to dressing like a girl again. Chelsea knew her mother was right. She just hated falling short when compared to her beautiful, stylish sisters.
“It’s very nice.” And she would definitely get noticed wearing the dress. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the type of recognition she craved. Chelsea briefly wallowed in regret. She wanted to stand out for her achievements, not her appearance. “But is it a bit too much for a parade and TCC barbecue?”
“Too much?” Bethany’s face fell, and Chelsea silently cursed.
“You have such wonderful taste.” Seeing her mother was only partially mollified by the compliment, Chelsea cast about for a way to distract her further. “In fact, I was thinking that maybe you could help me with something else.”
“Of course I’ll help. What did you have in mind?”
Spying the outdated Paris-themed wallpaper and matching decor in her room, Chelsea latched on to an idea. Little had changed since she’d gone off to college seventeen years earlier. At the time she’d been obsessed with Paris and even considered spending a year studying overseas, but in the end, she’d decided to be more practical and selected an agriculture major that made sense for a future rancher.
Now the room was a vivid reminder of paths not taken. Perhaps it was time to erase this reminder of the possibilities she’d once embraced. Time to forget that her dreams had involved something besides running Grandin Ranch. She just needed to redouble her focus and convince her father to listen to all her ideas to improve the ranch.
If he heard her out, he’d see the value in instituting new pasture rotation techniques to maximize the quality of the grass their herd fed on and agree to incorporate new bloodlines to strengthen the quality of their stock. Already she’d implemented a number of technology-based applications that allowed her to monitor the health of the cattle.
“I was just thinking that maybe I should do something with my room. It could use a makeover.” Seeing her mother’s eyes begin to glow with excitement, Chelsea impulsively rushed on. “I honestly don’t know what I would do in here. And you are so good at decorating.”
“Oh, that’s a wonderful idea. I’ve been dying to renovate this room for a while now.” Bethany didn’t add that Chelsea’s room was the last one in the ranch house lacking her mother’s creative flair. In fact, many rooms had been through two or even three renovations.
Chelsea winced at her mother’s obvious enthusiasm. “I guess it’s a little bit like a time capsule in here.”
“A bit.” Her mother gave a relieved laugh before enfolding her daughter in a spirited hug. “I’ll leave you to get ready. Do you want us to wait for you?”
“I’ll drive myself.” If she took her time making herself presentable, Chelsea didn’t want to hold any of them up.
Bethany looked worried. “You are planning to come?”
“Yes, I promise I’ll be there.” She pumped extra cheer into her tone to be convincing. “Wearing that.” She indicated the dress and then held up the lipstick. “And this.”
“You’re going to look fantastic.”
Her mother’s prophecy turned out to be closer to fact than Chelsea expected, which was confirmed by her best friend as the two women rendezvoused on Main Street to watch the parade.
“Girl, you look amazing.” This was quite a compliment coming from Natalie Hastings, who had a stylish wardrobe that would be the envy of the pickiest fashionistas. “Where has this Chelsea been hiding these last two years?”
Tall and curvy with long, dark hair and flawless tawny-brown skin, Natalie shared Chelsea’s ambition when it came to her career, but she hadn’t abandoned her personal life entirely. It was just that the younger woman had an unrequited crush on the elusive Jonathan Lattimore, Chelsea’s neighbor. But if Natalie lacked confidence when it came to love, she was always on the prowl for her friend.
“Hey.”
The parade had been underway for half an hour, and Chelsea had let her thoughts drift back to the ranch and what it would take to convince her father that she—and not Vic—should take over running things when he retired.
“Ouch.” Chelsea hadn’t responded to her best friend fast enough and received an elbow nudged into her ribs. Scowling, she shot Natalie a frown and found her friend’s attention wasn’t on the parade. “What?”
“Don’t look now, but Nolan Thurston has been staring at you for the last ten minutes.”
“Nolan Thurston?” Icy dismay raised goose bumps on her arm. “Are you sure?” Chelsea was glad her gaze was hidden behind designer sunglasses as she scanned the crowd across the street. “I don’t see him.”
“He’s standing in front of Royal Gents.”
A float interrupted her view, and Chelsea shook her head. “I’m sure it’s nothing. Or maybe it’s because of what’s going on between our families.”
Nolan had returned to Royal right around the time Chelsea’s grandfather had died and had joined his brother, Heath, in making the Grandin family’s lives hell. Nolan and Heath had produced documents claiming their mother, Cynthia Thurston, owned the oil rights beneath the ranches belonging to the Grandin family and their neighbors the Lattimores.
“I don’t know. It was more like a sexy stare.” Natalie’s lips pursed. “Like he saw something he liked and wants to get it naked.”
Natalie’s assessment was a bottle rocket zipping straight at Chelsea’s head. Adrenaline shot through her, prompting a shocked laugh.
“That’s nuts.”
Although she’d seen Nolan around town and at the Texas Cattleman’s Club, they’d never once spoken. She’d gone out of her way to avoid both the Thurston brothers, not wanting to vent her wrath at whatever they were up to and get into a public argument.
“Is it?” Natalie sounded wistful.
“Layla is more his type.” Once again Chelsea was searching through a gap in the parade for Nolan. “He hit on her when he first came to town.”
“Because he wanted information about your family. Not because he was interested in her.”
The mysterious granting of the oil rights by Chelsea’s grandfather had shaken all parties. At first the Grandin family had suspected the whole thing had been a huge scam perpetrated by the Thurston twins, but soon it became apparent that Chelsea’s uncle David had actually had an affair with Cynthia around the time she’d gotten pregnant with her daughter, Ashley. Mysteriously, the document hadn’t come to light until after mother and daughter had died in an accident. Now Heath Thurston, in concert with his twin, was determined to grow their wealth at the expense of the Grandin and Lattimore ranches.
“Maybe since he struck out with Layla, he’s coming for me next?” Chelsea proposed.
“You know, there’s another possibility...”
“Such as?”
As she asked the question, her gaze found the dark-haired twins standing on the opposite side of the parade route. Even with the width of the downtown Royal street between them, she could tell that Nolan was indeed staring at her. Something dangerous and exciting lit up her nerve endings. Strangely short of breath, Chelsea barely registered Natalie’s answer.
“It’s possible he didn’t recognize you all gussied up like this. We’ve been best friends forever, and I almost walked past you earlier.”
Chelsea didn’t think she’d deliberately downplayed her femininity because of her father’s unfair prejudice against her gender, but for the last few years, she’d ignored her closet full of dresses in favor of strutting around town in jeans and cowboy boots. It was foolish to think by dressing like a guy that her father would see her as a capable rancher first and his eldest daughter second.
“Maybe he’s just a gorgeous guy interested in a sexy gal.” Natalie’s gaze bounced from Nolan Thurston to Chelsea. “With his yummy dark eyes and those bold eyebrows, combined with your fantastic bone structure, you two would make beautiful babies.”
Chelsea was a second too slow to stop the bark of shocked laughter that burst from her. “Oh, jeez.” She rolled her eyes dismissively while her stomach did a disconcerting somersault. “Whatever. I don’t have time for anything having to do with Nolan Thurston and his luscious bedroom eyes.”
“Not even if it meant getting a leg up on your brother?”
“I’m listening.” Chelsea brought her full attention to bear on her best friend.
“What’s the biggest crisis on the ranch right now?”
“The oil rights claim.”
Natalie nodded sagely. “So Nolan offered to take Layla to lunch to ‘talk things out.’ But obviously Layla knew he just wanted to get information. What if you turn the tables on him and do the same thing to him? If you save the ranch by stopping the oil rights claim, your dad would have no choice but to put you in charge.”
Most of the time she used straightforward tactics to try to beat out her brother for control of the ranch. She wanted to win through hard work and good judgment. But sexism cloaked in tradition was alive and well in her family. And thinking about it now, Chelsea reckoned if she didn’t give it everything she had, maybe she didn’t deserve to be in charge.
Resolve blazed inside Chelsea. “I like the way you think.”
Whatever it took to beat Vic. That was what she’d promised herself.
Her gaze flicked toward the Thurston twins and skimmed over Nolan. A little weakness invaded her knees as she thought about what dating him might entail. One thing was for certain—spending time with such a handsome man would be equal parts pleasure and satisfaction.
And in the end, she’d save her ranch.
Maybe it was about time that being female became an asset.
Chelsea linked arms with her friend. “How do I go about casually bumping into Nolan Thurston?”
The heat that consumed Nolan Thurston had nothing to do with the ninety-four-degree temperature radiating from the pavement or the confining press of the parade crowd around him. No, the cause of the inferno was that the sizzling brunette in the sexy red dress had finally noticed him. Damn, the woman was striking. He liked his women tall, lithe, but with curves in all the right places, and she looked to be the perfect blend of all that. Her dark brown hair fell in sexy waves over her delicate shoulders, and he imagined himself twining the silky locks around his wrists as he pulled her in for a hot, deep kiss.
When was the last time he’d gazed at a woman and felt something hit him like a brick wall? A long, long time. A float interrupted his view of the woman who’d sparked his interest, and it was as if a cloud had passed in front of the sun. Suddenly Nolan was desperate—he had to get across the street before she vanished. He simply had to get up close and personal to see if she was as bewitching in person.
As Nolan began to edge his way forward, a hand caught his arm. “Hey! Where are you going?”
Nolan glanced over his shoulder at his brother. Being apart from Heath for fifteen years had made him forget what it was like to look at his twin and feel that crazy disorientation of seeing himself reflected in another’s features. It was a little like looking in the mirror but not recognizing yourself.
Heath had always been the more serious and responsible brother. These days the somber stranger with the weight of the world on his shoulders bore no resemblance to the mischievous twin of old. The brothers might share the same features, but they each wore the years differently.
“There’s a woman I’m dying to get to know.” Nolan indicated the opposite side of the street, where the lady in red stood.
A grin transformed Heath’s features, making him much more approachable. “Who?”
“That’s what I’d like to find out.”
Between the two of them, Nolan was the flirt, the one women flocked to because of his easy charm and daring ways. Heath’s more serious demeanor didn’t scare away the ladies—his handsome features and rugged physique always attracted attention—but he wasn’t usually focused on romance.
“Which one is she?” Heath eyed the crowd opposite them as if he might be able to guess his brother’s taste in women.
“The one in the red dress across the way.” Even as he spoke, the trailing edge of the float moved by and revealed her once more. A bottled-up sigh slipped free. Absolutely stunning.
“Let’s see. A red dress, you say... Whoa!” Heath gave his head a vigorous shake. “You definitely cannot go there.”
“Why?” Nolan felt his insides clench at his brother’s emphatic declaration. “Did you date her?”
“Did I date...?” Heath gaped at him. “Don’t you know who that is?”
Nolan was utterly confused. “Should I?”
“That’s Chelsea Grandin.”
Hearing the emphasis his brother put on the last name, Nolan narrowed his eyes and inspected her once more. “Are you sure? That looks nothing like Chelsea.” Where was the no-nonsense rancher’s daughter in sensible denim and boots? This vision in red had wayward, touchable hair, big brown eyes and glorious, full red lips. “She’s a knockout.”
“I’m sure.” Heath’s statement sounded like the fall of a judge’s gavel. The decision was final. Nolan could have nothing to do with anyone in the Grandin family.
Two months ago, he’d been stunned when Heath explained about the document he’d found among their mother’s things granting her rights to the oil beneath the Grandin and Lattimore ranches. And when Heath had asked him to come to Royal, Texas, to help him make the claim, of course he’d said yes. The brothers had not been on the best terms even before Nolan left town at eighteen. Nolan was hoping to repair that.
While Heath had always felt connected to their family’s ranch and worked hard not just to keep it going, but to make it thrive, Nolan had a completely different passion. Unconcerned by money or the need to hold tight to things, he’d packed up his limited possessions, slung a backpack over his shoulder and headed west. A few weeks later, he’d landed in Los Angeles.
For many young hopefuls, Tinseltown was the end of the journey, but for Nolan, it was only the beginning. Within a week, he’d connected with a guy looking for crew to help him deliver a yacht to Singapore. With the experience he gained during that voyage, Nolan then spent the next three years working a series of private yachts doing charters. It was during one of these voyages in the Mediterranean that he’d met wealthy studio executive Skip McGrath and embarked on a career in reality TV production. Scouting filming locations gave him the opportunity to work in any number of exotic areas. Seeing the world had been his dream since he was a kid, and making a living while doing so was absolutely perfect.
The only dark spot in an otherwise idyllic life was his estrangement with his twin. The only time in fifteen years that Nolan had returned to Royal was to attend the double funeral of his mother and sister two years earlier. He’d been worried how Heath would react to seeing him again, but grief had provided a bridge for the brothers to reconcile. Since then, their relationship had improved somewhat. The shocking loss had sparked their communication, and they’d spoken more often, but they had a long way to go. Which was part of what had spurred Nolan to return to Royal. He hoped that a shared goal would reignite the close bond they’d enjoyed as kids, but Heath’s obsession with getting the full value of what was theirs left him prickly, and Nolan couldn’t seem to gain his brother’s trust.
That his mission was going to stir up the town and compel their friends and neighbors to pick sides didn’t seem to worry Heath at all. Small-town living wasn’t for everyone, and all the reasons Nolan had put Royal behind him came rushing back. Even though Royal was an affluent town with sprawling ranches, high-end shopping and luxury hotels, Nolan had felt confined by the community. Maybe it was how everyone knew what was going on with their neighbors, or the way his family was tied to the land they owned.
Nolan had been obsessed with getting beyond the city limits and seeing what the world had to offer. He’d been lucky that a series of opportunities had landed him in Skip’s orbit and led to Nolan traveling to some amazing parts of the world—as well as some seriously sketchy locales and rough terrain. He’d loved every dangerous, uncomfortable, eye-opening moment of his years spent adventuring. But the cost of living his dream was losing the brother he loved.
“You really think she’s attractive?” Heath’s thoughtful murmur caught Nolan off guard.
“Yeah. Of course.” He glanced toward the attractive brunette only to realize that she’d disappeared. His mood dipped. “Don’t you?”
Heath shrugged. “I’ve never really thought about it.”
“If I recall, you were always more attracted to blondes.” Nolan thought about his own failed attempt to cozy up to Layla Grandin in an effort to gain some insight into why their mother, Cynthia, had had a document granting her rights to the oil beneath the Grandin ranch. “Maybe you’re the one who should’ve taken a crack at Layla. She’s pretty enough, but my heart wasn’t really in it. I think that’s why I asked Layla to bring Chelsea along, but I had no idea Chelsea could look like that.”
As sexy as he found beautiful, confident women, when he’d seen Chelsea around town, she’d hidden her expression beneath the brim of a Stetson, and he realized that he’d seen more of her backside heading in the opposite direction.
Confronted by this new insight, Nolan frowned. Could she have been avoiding him? Given the conflict between their families, it would make sense that she might not wish to have anything to do with him. His senses tingled in anticipation of a chase.
“What if I get to know Chelsea a bit?” Nolan proposed, glancing toward his twin. “I might have better luck connecting with her than I did with her sister.”
“This isn’t a good idea.” But Heath wasn’t as emphatic as he’d been earlier.
“Look, I can do this. Half my job is negotiating.”
“Just remember, don’t give up more information than you get.”
Since he had very little knowledge about his brother’s strategy or motivation, that wasn’t going to be a problem. And maybe if he found out something that would help their cause, Heath would start treating him like his twin again instead of keeping Nolan at arm’s length.
“I’ve had dinner with billionaires in Istanbul, spent weeks living in the jungle while hunting for the perfect location in Indonesia and been confronted by crocodiles in Australia. I’m lucky, resourceful and persistent.”
“Chelsea is smart and will see you coming from a mile away.”
Nolan shrugged. Why waste time touting his skills when he could let his success speak for itself? “No harm in taking a swing.”
“You’ll strike out.”
“It’s a chance worth taking. And you never know—” Nolan shot his brother a cocky grin. “She might have a taste for adventure.”
Heath snorted. “I doubt that.”
“Challenge accepted,” Nolan crowed, mentally rubbing his hands together.
