M att spent most of the next day thinking about what Rowland Bowles had offered him and his brothers to use their ranch. It was a substantial cash offer. Not needed, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt. His share would be enough to buy out his brothers on the third ranch they’d purchased, under Levi’s direction. Matt was using it to run his horse operation. Once he got things up and running…He’d even be able to operate a satellite vet office out there, and board patients if he needed .

It meant dealing with Bowles, though .

“Well, I think Bowles is an idiot,” Matt heard his housekeeper say hotly as the door opened late the next afternoon. No surprise, his housekeeper had a bit of a temper at times. Like her older sister Perci--and like his sister-in-law Phoebe. The only Tyler sister that didn’t seem quick to anger was Pip. “It’s obvious that it wasn’t Perci out there that night. I mean, they’re identical. Not like most people can tell them apart. Ninety percent of our own family can’t tell them apart .”

Matt’s attention sharpened and he leaned back in his desk chair--closer to the open door. Sometimes having a home office right next to the front door had real advantages .

He’d known who they were speaking of the moment they’d mentioned identical. And Bowles .

Matt agreed with Pan’s assessment. The guy was an idiot if he couldn’t see that it had been Pip out there that night. Everyone seemed to realize that except for Bowles .

“How much of it is him seeing what he expects to see—and how much is it Pip keeping him from seeing her? We both know she hides from men, especially big men like Bowles,” Phoebe said, her tones those of a woman who’d been deaf for years. Matt settled back in his office chair as he listened to the sounds of women in his house. It wasn’t something he was used to, that was for sure .

It had been him and his three brothers in this place since Matt was not any older than his twenty-two-year-old housekeeper. His mother had a place three miles from town that she used on her rare returns to Masterson County. She hadn’t stayed in town much after his father’s death and Nate taking over the hospital admin for her shortly after .

She said Masterson hurt too much without their father .

Women like Phoebe and her youngest sister Pan were completely foreign to this ranch. Matt liked that that was changing .

He was starting to get used to having Pan around. She was very good at her job—running their house, while her sister was back at the Tyler Ranch each day. It was hard not to think of her as a baby sister and not as an employee—like she insisted .

Pan, like all the rest of those Tyler redheads, brought out protective urges in a man. Matt wouldn’t deny it .

It was the mention of that damned director, Bowles, that truly caught his attention, though. Joel and Nate had shoved the moron on to Matt, damn them. And Matt knew the director was enjoying getting right under Matt’s skin. It was almost like the guy was getting a kick out of pushing his buttons whenever he could .

“Pan? Everything ok?” He’d seen her talking to Rowland Bowles when the man had stopped by to pester Levi into letting him use the spread for some scenes that morning before Matt had taken off to the northern corner of the county to tend to a herd of sick cattle .

Pan and Phoebe looked at him out of identical blue eyes, and sweet faces. They were beautiful young women, that was for sure. As were the twins. When the four of them were standing next to each other, a man had trouble breathing. It just was. And had been from the moment he’d first saw the Tyler sisters .

At least it was for Matt. And Joel. And Levi. And he suspected , Nate .

If Nate would ever just admit it .

They’d lived less than ten miles past his place for their entire lives and he’d never known they’d existed. Until the day he’d answered Pip’s advertisement for some AQH cutting horses, on Levi’s behalf .

Pip .

Matt felt a smile curve his lips when he remembered how the sun had shown through her hair, how she had turned to look at him as she climbed off the big gelding that was almost the exact shade of mahogany as her hair. She’d asked which one of them was Matt. She had walked right up to him. Looked right at him like she knew . He’d been damned glad to be Matt that day .

He’d been captivated by her ever since. Her sisters were beautiful, but Pip was more than that. And he knew why he felt that way. Why he had practically from the beginning .

“Bowles showed up again at the ranch. He wants Perci in his movie and he’s determined. He’s convinced it was her he saw. And says she’s perfect for some mythical lost fairy character he has. Which is ridiculous.” Pan said, hotly .

“I know. It was Pip he saw. I saw her ride that night, too. And she did look like a fairy or a pixie.” A thought occurred to him. “He’s not harassing them, is he? I can talk to him .”

“Thanks, Matt. But we Tylers can handle an idiot like Rowland Bowles,” Pan said. “He’ll get the message eventually, and just go away. Perci’s giving him the runaround as much as possible, too. I think she’s enjoying it. It’s up to Pip if we ever tell him the truth. And she hasn’t decided yet. We talked to Dad about the film crew. He wants to think about it for a while .”

“Just let me know if Bowles gets to be too annoying. Apparently the town has assigned Bowles to the Mastersons for the time being and my brothers gave him to me. We’re supposed to make him feel welcome, or something .”

And if Bowles caused Pip one moment of anxiety or upset or embarrassment, Matt would take care of it. He’d warned the man to stay away from the Tylers .

Apparently, Bowles had trouble listening .