Cowboys are Forever by Hope Whitley Read Free Book Online Page B

two hands.
    He also knew that many of those folks couldn’t make it. In some cases, they probably started out with romanticized notions of rural life, and simply weren’t happy with the way it really was. Many he’d heard of had failed and were forced back to cities because they couldn’t make a living out in the middle of nowhere. The cold, hard truth was that no matter where or how a person lived, it took a certain amount of cold, hard cash.
    He wondered what Marielle planned on using for income. Dan’s attorney, as the executor of the estate, had confided to Trey that the old man had barely enough life insurance to cover his modest funeral. He couldn’t possibly have left her anything except that run-down ranch, which was small by any standards. He hoped she wasn’t naïve enough to think that she could make much money from it.
    True, Dan had eked out a meager existence. But he hadn’t had to hire help, something Marielle would be forced to do. No matter how willing she might be to tackle any project, the fact remained that she didn’t possess the physical strength needed for a lot of chores that had to be done on the ranch. He supposed that he should sit down with her and point that out. He winced. Trying to tell Marielle all the reasons why it would be difficult or even impossible for her to stay up here wasn’t something he looked forward to. So far, every time he’d brought the subject up, she’d gone ballistic and refused to listen. But for her sake, he needed to try and make her understand.
    Trey massaged his jaw thoughtfully, mulling over the problem of how to go about advising her—tactfully—of the problems she faced.
    “Hey, boss.” Trey looked up as Bandy joined him on the wide, shady porch and sat down in an adjoining chair.
    “Hey, Bandy. Want a soda?” Trey asked.
    “No, not right now. Thanks, anyway.” His foreman replied. Bandy regarded Trey with a mischievous grin. “So, what’s the story with Miss Mari?” he asked teasingly. “You can tell your ol’ pal Bandy.”
    “Story? You know the story as well as I do, Bandy.” Trey said. “She’s inherited Dan’s place. The twist is that while we all assumed she’d sell out—she says she won’t.” Trey took a swig of cola and wiped his mouth before continuing. “She wants to live up here … .or thinks she does anyway. Personally, I think she’ll change her mind. This is no place for a woman on her own. Especially a city woman like Marielle Stevens.”
    “It would be rough, that’s for sure,” Bandy agreed. “But her grandmother was one hell of a woman, remember. I reckon there wasn’t nothing Ellie Stevens couldn’t turn her hand to do. Worked like a man, she did.” He laughed. “Matter of fact, she was a sight better worker than a lot of men. Raised that boy by herself after her man died, you know. Ran that ranch with just old Dan to help her. If Miss Mari’s inherited some of her grandma’s gumption, I wouldn’t be surprised to see her make a go of it.”
    Trey considered the other man’s words. “Maybe so.” He nodded. “We’ll see. In the meantime, we need to give her a hand and help her out some. She seems eager to get that ranch up and running, but she’s clueless about how to go about it.”
    Bandy snickered. Trey regarded him curiously. “What’s so funny?” he asked, seeing the twinkle in Bandy’s eyes.
    “Well, boss, I was just thinking that from what I saw over there the other morning, you’ve already given Miss Mari more than a hand.” He chuckled as Trey looked at him uncomprehendingly.
    “Bandy, what in the hell are you talking about?” he demanded indignantly.
    “When I came up on the two of you in the barn that morning, you was giving her a lot more than a hand. You was giving her both your arms and your lips, too.” The older man threw his head back and laughed uproariously. “I wouldn’t think you’d be wanting her to pull up and leave these parts. Can’t say as I blame you.