[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Maggie s straw cowboy hat sitting on top. Nana, look who stopped by for a visit.
Yes, I see. Hello, Kyle. The older woman wrinkled her nose in Kyle s direction. My, you re looking more like
your daddy every day. I d add God, rest his soul, but as you know, there s been some debate as to which way
your pappy headed after he passed on.
Kyle s mouth thinned. Hello, Ms. Travers. I see your tongue s as sharp as ever.
Nana B. turned her back on Kyle and nudged the basket in Maggie s direction. You forget something?
Obviously. Maggie grabbed her hat and stilled at the sight of the cell phone lying underneath. She never left
the house without either one. Until this morning. She caught the mischievous twinkle in her grandmother s eye
and slapped her hat on her head. Don t say a word.
The crunch of tires against gravel filled the air. Maggie watched a metallic-red, four-door pickup with a matching
trailer pull into the drive. She could make out Will Harding, the mayor of Destiny, in the passenger seat.
Honey, I forgot to tell you the mayor called when you were in the shower, Nana B. said. He said he d be out
this morning instead of Tuesday.
Great. Black Jack had arrived. And none too happy about it by the banging on the sides of the trailer.
What s Harding doing here? Kyle said. Sounds like a pretty unhappy animal. You aren t trying your silly hocus-
pocus stuff, are you?
Kyle s question reminded Maggie he was still there. Locking away her panic at the cancellation of her meeting
with the bank manager, she focused on the horse. Right now, her entire future lay inside the trailer.
That s none of your concern, she said, silently rearranging her to-do list. She d have to ask Nana B. to pick up
Anna.
Dammit, she wasn t ready for this. Despite Landon taking care of the corral, she d hoped for a day or two to
mentally prepare for the volatile horse. But at least the first installment of her fee would be in her bank account
this morning. It wasn t enough to pay off the loan, but once word got out about her success with the horse, she
was sure more offers would come.
I ll go over and say my hellos while you finish here, Nana B. said. Good thing Landon got busy this morning
and fixed the corral, isn t it?
You actually hired that cowboy? Are you crazy? Kyle demanded after Nana B. left. You know I fired him last
night.
Maggie noticed the trailer stop shaking when the truck halted. A good sign? Or was Black Jack resting before
round two?
She refocused on Kyle. I was there, remember? And who I hire is none of your business.
Well, I do have half interest in this land
Wrong. If I don t make the last payment on my loan, the bank gets half interest. But that s not going to happen.
This ranch is going to be one hundred percent mine. I want it all.
You re getting it all, thanks to that cowboy. Cartwright sure is making himself at home. Hell, I tried for months
and never got invited back here.
No, he hadn t. In the midst of the pain and disillusionment of her divorce, Maggie never had the desire to be
intimate with Kyle. Thanks to Alan s extramarital activities the last few years, she d had no desire to be
physically close to any man.
Unlike last night when a total stranger had kissed her a kiss she d started to participate in before he d pulled
away. And thanks to a not-so-subtle nudge from his horse, it looked as if Landon had intended on a repeat
performance.
Did that mean he remembered what happened last night?
Maggie yanked the brim of her hat low over her eyes. I think it s time you left.
You sure do rile easily. Kyle trailed the back of his hand down her bare arm. Maybe I was too quick to accept
Alan s word you were an ice queen. Makes me wonder what it d be like to see you fired up
She shook off his touch, disgust filling her. Goodbye, Kyle.
I ll see you again& soon.
Maggie propped her hands on her hips and waited until he climbed into his glossy, oversized pickup. Pulling in a
deep breath, she looked up at the bright-blue sky, and blew it out. Straightening, she adjusted her hat then
froze. Landon had stepped from the barn, and was staring at her. He turned and headed for her visitors.
What the hell was he doing?
She started toward him as he shook hands with the mayor. Quickening her pace, Maggie forced a confident grin
and said a quick prayer. She hoped that s all she would need. The last thing she wanted was Kyle s disparaging
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]