Falling For A Cowboy by Anne Carrole Read Free Book Online Page A

book learning. He wasn ’ t a philosophical man . But he had a good heart and he knew horses . He said more than once that he couldn ’ t leave you much but he wanted to leave you with something from him. Something you ’ d carry with you. His knowledge about b arrel racing and cutting horses was it. Afterward, I just assumed you didn ’ t pursue it because it brought back painful memories . Memories of him. ”
    Tears burned at the back of her eyes as the image of her father rose in her mind , t hin and weak in those last weeks . She remembered the lessons and spending time together after years of being apart . Lessons about reining the horse, changing lead s , getting close without clipping a barrel , and judging a horse ’ s willingness to win.
    “ That was the reason , Mama . ” Her throat felt like it was closing up. “ But instead of being grateful for the time, I guess I ’ ve been angry that he ’ d wanted me to pursue the one thing that had taken him away from me. ”
    She patted Dusty ’ s hand . “ Oh , honey . You have to forgive him that . You were the dearest thing in his life . He did all of that rodeoing for you, not for himself . He was desperate to give you what the Parker girls had and the Murphys and all the other good people of Langley . But with just a high school education and no t enough drill work, he went to something he could do and do well . And something he loved. I never thought that was terrible . ”
    Had she been the cause of his traveling? T ears trickle d down Dusty ’ s face.
    Her mother rub bed Dusty ’ s back the way she ’ d done countless times before to make things better. “ You ’ ve got to forgive him, Dusty . He was a good man . He did the best he knew how . And he loved you so much. ”
    Dusty swiped at a tear with the back of her hand . “ And I loved him . I think maybe if he hadn ’ t been such a good father when he was around , I wouldn ’ t have missed him so much . Wouldn ’ t have resented his going. ”
    Deidre ’ s hand traveled up and down Dusty ’ s arm , providing a trail of reassurance . “ I never thought you had taken his being away so hard, honey . He loved you so much. He worried at the end that you ’ d forget him. ”
    Dusty buried her head in her mother ’ s chest as the tears came . She didn ’ t hold them back like she ’ d struggled to so many times before . She let them flow, hoping they ’ d t ake away the bitterness. Maybe it was time to a ccord her father what he deserved , the only things she wanted to feel for him . L ove and admiration.
     
    * * *
     
    The knock startled her . Whitey jumped off her lap and raced toward the door , yipping at the top of his little lungs . It w as Friday night and she ’ d had a long week . Besides the work at the Hanover ’ s Sweet Water ranch , she ’ d had her interview yesterday . It had gone reasonably well , but she was still recovering from it and the drive . With her mom gone on a long holiday with another schoolteacher to the Grand Canyon, she was looking forward to some welcome solitude. She just wanted to curl up with the new western romance she ’ d bought and forget about the rest of the world. Forget about two rodeo cowboys and read about the gunslingers of the Old West .
    She looked down at her sweats and fingered her messy hair. If Tara Lynn was here to take her to the B eehive , she ’ d be disappointed . Dusty padded to the front door in bare feet . Whitey was in full voice, jumping up and down to beat the band.
    “ Quiet, ” she said not forcefully enough to deter the dog from what he clearly felt was his duty . She scooped him up and he kept barking. Though Whitey was mainly a companion dog, she was grateful for his protective nature when she was alone in the house . She peered out the side window . H er heart took an extra beat , sending a wave of heat careening through her belly.
    Standing there , with a grin the size of a Pecos canyon , stood Clay . Whitey barked