Kate certainly hadn’t seen that coming, but she couldn’t have been happier to see the daughter she’d never known so happy. She and Maddie had some things to work out still, but they had time, Kate told herself.

Jud was the youngest, but only by a few minutes of his fraternal twin, Dalton. Jud had been working as a stuntman in Hollywood but had fallen in love with Faith Bailey while shooting a film in Montana. The two had started a stunt-riding school on her family ranch not far from Trails West Ranch.

Dalton had fallen for the owner of the local knit shop, Georgia Michaels. That one Kate had seen coming and she and Grayson couldn’t be more pleased.

Even though the three sons had married, they and their wives were living on the ranch until their houses could be completed. It was wonderful having such a full table and Juanita, the cook Grayson had talked into making the move to Montana, loved it. She’d outdone herself each meal, wanting to make the new brides feel at home here.

Marriage, surprisingly, was what had brought Grayson’s sons to Montana. For years after his wife, Rebecca, had died, leaving him with five young sons to raise, Grayson hadn’t been able to go through Rebecca’s things. Nor did anyone expect him to remarry.

Kate and Rebecca had been best friends, growing up together on the Trails West Ranch in Montana until Kate’s father grew ill and died, the ranch lost.

Kate also lost track of her friend who’d married Grayson Corbett and moved to Texas. It wasn’t until Kate found some old photographs of Rebecca that she decided to pay Grayson a visit.

There had been a spark between them from the moment they’d met. In a whirlwind romance, they’d married and Grayson had surprised her by buying Trails West Ranch for her and moving lock, stock and barrel to Montana as a wedding present.

That was when Grayson finally went through Rebecca’s things and found some old letters she had written before she died.

In a letter to Grayson, Rebecca had explained that she’d written five letters, one for each son, to be read on his wedding day. Her dying wish was that her sons would marry before thirty-five—and that the bride be a Montana cowgirl.

While Kate had heard that the brothers drew straws to see who would fulfill their mother’s wishes first, she’d known the brothers well enough to know they would try to get out of the pact. But amazingly, she’d seen Rebecca’s wishes coming true with all but two of her sons.

Although Lantry had no intention of ever marrying, he hadn’t left the ranch. What had made them stay, Kate felt, was family.

As for Russell, well, she believed he’d never met a woman who interested him enough to pursue her.