Page 3 of Claimed by the Cowboy (Havenstone: Mail Order Brides #3)
Kitty
Tom parks near the front porch. In her usual independent fashion, Delaney is out of the truck before he can circle the hood to the passenger side. He offers his hand to help me down, and the gesture feels natural and instinctive, like he’s been helping me from trucks his whole life.
I take his hand without hesitation, and when I step down, my boot catches on the running board. I stumble forward, and suddenly, I’m pressed against his chest, his arms coming around me to steady me.
His heart pounds against my cheek, strong and sure. He smells like hay and leather and something woodsy that makes me want to bury my face in his neck. His arms tighten around me, and for a moment, I feel safer than I have in years.
“Eashy there,” he murmurs, his voice rough. “Got you.”
I should step back, apologize, and laugh it off.
Instead, I tip my head back to look at him, and the heat in his blue eyes steals what’s left of my breath.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
His gaze drops to my mouth, and for one wild moment, I think he might kiss me right here in front of God and everyone.
“Kitty?” Delaney’s voice cuts through the moment like a bucket of cold water. “Everything okay?”
I spring back from Tom's embrace, my face burning. “Fine! Just being my usual clumsy self.”
But Tom’s hands linger at my waist for a heartbeat longer than necessary, his thumbs brushing along my ribs in a caress that makes me shiver.
The front door opens with a bang, and an older man steps onto the porch.
He must be Tom’s father—same tall frame and strong jaw, though his dark hair is silver at the temples.
Behind him, two younger men emerge. I immediately see the family resemblance, although one has a scar running along his cheek, and the other has gray eyes rather than the blue eyes of his father and brothers.
“Ladies, this ish my dad, Ben, and my brothers, Henry and Angus,”Tom introduces.
Ben steps forward with a smile that transforms his weathered face. “Welcome to Havenridge. Hope the trip wasn’t too rough.”
Before I can answer, a sharp bark breaks the quiet, and a black-and-white blur skitters down the porch steps.
“Jingle, no!” a woman’s voice calls.
The border collie pup slides across the gravel, tail wagging, and collides with my boots. I crouch instinctively, rubbing Jingle’s ears as her tongue darts out to lick my cheek.
“That’s Jingle,” says the pregnant woman stepping off the porch, one hand on her rounded belly. She’s beautiful, her auburn hair pulled into a loose braid, her skin glowing. “She's six months old and has more energy than sense. I’m Shay, Henry’s wife.”
“She’s adorable,” I say as Jingle rolls to show me her belly and lets out a happy yip.
“She is,” comes a softer voice from the porch steps.
The second woman hangs back like she might bolt—honey-blonde with gentle curves and brown eyes that won't quite meet mine. Everything about her whispers careful.
“I’m Luna.” Her voice barely carries over the breeze, but when she smiles, it's genuine and hard-won. “I’m Angus’s wife.”
She tucks her hair behind one ear and offers me a shy smile that feels hard-won and genuine. Long sleeves cover most of her skin, but I catch a glimpse of pale scars tracing her collarbone where her shirt gapes slightly. I frown, wondering what caused them.
Henry steps forward—broad and steady, with dark hair and serious gray eyes. He nods politely at Delaney and me, then wraps an arm around Shay’s waist with familiar ease. “Welcome to the circus.”
“Not a circus.” Shay smirks, leaning into him with a sigh. “It’s abarnyardwith benefits.”
A scream pierces the air.
Not human.
Not canine.
Goat.
“MaaaaAAHHHHH!”
An orange blur rockets from behind the house, hooves thundering across the porch.
“Cheese Puff!” all four Sutton men yell.
She's massive—twice as wide as any goat has a right to be, mustard-colored and clearly living up to her name.
She headbutts a planter off the porch, barrels toward me, then launches herself onto Tom's truck tailgate like she's been practicing .
“Not again,” Tom groans. “I just washed that.”
“She missed you,” Shay deadpans.
“She missed destruction, ” Angus says, stepping instinctively closer to Luna like the goat might come for her next and he’s ready to throw down with livestock. His shoulder brushes hers, and she leans in as though pulled to him like a magnet.
Ben sighs, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “We’re really selling the ranch experience today, boys.”
I can't help it—laughter bubbles up, unstoppable. For the first time in forever, the knot in my chest loosens.
“I like it,” I say honestly, still crouched beside Jingle. “All of it. It’s chaos, but the good kind.”
Ben glances between Delaney and me, and I see the subtle flick of his brow. “You said Marlie was sending one woman,” he says to Tom. “Unless I missed something.”
Tom shifts his weight, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, about that…”
“It was my choice,” Delaney cuts in, firm but not defensive. “I wasn’t going to leave my sister behind.”
Ben nods slowly. “Wouldn’t expect you to. We value family around here.” A beat of silence as everyone absorbs this. “Two it is. You're both welcome.”
But I catch the looks—Angus giving Tom a we’ll talk later glance , and Henry’s assessing gaze flicking between Delaney and me.
They all feel it. Something’s already shifted.
Angus arches a dark eyebrow. “So, are you gonna introduce these ladies properly, Tom?”
Tom straightens, tension radiating from his powerful frame. “Right. Formal introductionsh.” His jaw works like he’s testing the numbness. “Everyone, thish ish Delaney Phillipsh, my”—his tongue catches on the words, slurring worse than before—“intended bride.”
He pauses, his blue eyes finding mine. Something soft flickers across his face, and I feel the inexplicable draw toward this man I barely know.
“And thish ish her shishter...” He turns fully toward me, that crooked, swollen smile so welcoming, clearly wanting to make me feel included.
“Klitty.”
Dead silence.
Everyone freezes.
Tom’s expression shifts from tender to horrified as he realizes his dental numbness turned my name into something mortifying.
Delaney’s face flames scarlet.
I want to crawl under a rock and disappear forever.
Then Luna snorts.
The sound breaks the dam, and suddenly, everyone’s laughing—not at me, but at poor Tom, who looks like he wants to die on the spot.
“Oh, my God, I almost peed,” Shay gasps between giggles.
“Kitty,” Tom tries again, over-enunciating. “Her name ish Kitty .”
“We got it the first time,” Angus says, grinning wickedly. “But your version has a certain… ring to it.”
“Angush!” Tom's voice cracks with mortification.
“I’m never living this down, am I?” I say, surprising myself by laughing instead of dying of embarrassment.
“Not a chance in hell,” Henry confirms cheerfully. “Welcome to the family, Klitty.”
The way he says it—with genuine warmth and mischief instead of cruelty—makes something tight in my chest loosen. I’ve spent my whole life blending into the woodwork. But memorable for all the wrong reasons? That’s oddly liberating.
“Could be worse,” I say, grinning at Tom's mortified expression. “At least it wasn’t during a wedding ceremony.”
Tom's blue eyes lock on mine. “Wedding’sh not for a few weeksh yet.”
He’s talking about marrying Delaney, but his gaze is fixed on me.
Dangerous. So dangerous.
Luna meets my eyes briefly, her smile soft and genuine. For a heartbeat, I feel something I haven’t in years—welcome. Like maybe there’s room for me here.
Then I glance at my sister. She stands perfectly composed, polite smile in place, but I know her tells—the tension in her jaw, the way she shifts like she’s ready to bolt.
No one’s ignoring her, not exactly—but she’s not the one being smiled at, spoken to. Seen.
The thought doesn’t comfort me. It makes my stomach twist. Because I shouldn’t be the one feeling like I belong here.
Not when she’ll be wearing Tom’s ring.
Sharing his bed. Having his babies.
That reality makes me grit my teeth.
I catalog every detail of this place that already feels more like home than anywhere I've lived. The golden light through the windows. The peaceful lowing of cattle.
But mostly, I’m aware of Tom beside me, his presence like a warm flame I want to move closer to.
I’ve spent twenty-one years being invisible, being the burden, the one who doesn't get chosen. I’m good at staying in the shadows. Safe there.Yet this place makes me want to step out of the shadows.And this man makes me want to step into the light.
The ranch I can handle. My health I can manage. The real danger is how my heart races every time Tom Sutton looks at me like I matter. How his accidental touches make me crave things I’ve never dared want. How this place whispers home when I should be grateful for any shelter.
And that’s dangerous for everyone involved.
Because this is the first time I’ve wanted something that belongs to someone else.
And he’s looking at me like I might be exactly what he’s been searching for.