Gift of Fortune by Ilsa Mayr Read Free Book Online Page A

that she was trying to keep her expression
disinterested and indifferent, but he thought he detected
hurt lurking in the blue depths of her eyes. He had some
fence-mending to do, and it wasn't just the fences out on
the range.
    "Being organized is good," he said, "provided you leave
a little room for spontaneous action."
    "Such as?"
    Quint shrugged. "Watching a sunset. Listening to the
song of a bird. Smelling the new grass on a spring morning.
Taking in a movie on the spur of the moment. Going dancing. Stuff like that."
    "Or stuff like going off for the weekend without telling
anyone where you could be reached?"

    "Ah. So that's what's bothering you," Quint said. "I
thought it might be." Involuntarily, he rubbed his aching
shoulder.
    "What's the matter? You got hurt? Or is it a hangover?"
    "I got thrown."
    Thrown on his rump over a woman, Aileen suspected.
Out loud she asked, "In a barroom brawl?"
    Anger flared in him, but he beat it down. "Why is it
women always assume the worst about me?"
    "Do they? I'm sure you'd know the reason for that better
than I."
    Quint set his cup down forcefully. Had it been fragile
porcelain, it might have cracked. He took her arm and
forced Aileen to face him.
    "Look at me, and let's get this out in the open."
    "You don't owe me an explanation," she claimed
quickly, trying to sound convincing.
    "The heck I don't."
    "No, really-"
    "Aileen, be truthful. Don't pretend indifference. You
know as well as I do that if I don't explain, the atmosphere
in this house will be cold enough to hang a side of beef."
    Aileen opened her mouth and snapped it shut. Somewhat
shamefaced she said, "I'm just used to everyone on this
ranch telling if they're going to leave, where they're going,
and when they'll be back. Last year this saved the lives of
a couple of men during a snowstorm. Of course, if you had
a hot date for the weekend-"
    "My date was with a cantankerous bull that didn't want
to be ridden and some ornery calves that didn't like being
roped."
    Aileen blinked, sorting through this information. "You
went to a rodeo? I mean, you took part in it?"

    "You sound as shocked as if I'd told you I robbed the
bank in town."
    "Why wouldn't I be shocked? What if you'd broken your
arm, or your leg, or-"
    "I didn't. And this was my last rodeo appearance. I only
went because I'd already paid the entry fee. No sense in
forfeiting it. And it was a way to earn some quick cash."
    Aileen stared at him. Though Quint was good at reading
women, he wasn't quite sure how to interpret her expression. She was different. Educated. Classy. Not the sort of
woman who hung around rodeos or frequented honky-tonk
bars. Not the sort of woman he usually met. Her steady
blue-eyed stare unnerved him a little. "What?" he finally
demanded.
    "Quick, easy cash? Is that what you're after?" she asked.
"Is that what you want from life?"
    The unspoken criticism in her words sliced into his pride.
Wounded, he said, "First of all, there's nothing easy about
earning money rodeoing. And second, by quick I meant
extra. Additional. If you don't already know it, what ranch
hands earn doesn't rank on top of the pay scale."
    Aileen blushed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply that
rodeoing is easy. I know a number of men who've been
hurt, including Jennifer's dad. He's been a semi-invalid
since a bull gored him. It made life for the family very
hard. I know rodeo work is dangerous. I think it's
quite...." She broke off, unwilling to finish the sentence.
    "It's what?" Quint asked, his voice challenging.
    "You really want to know?"
    "Spit it out."
    "I think it's stupid. Why ride an animal that was never
meant to be ridden? Why risk being crippled or killed? This
makes no sense to me." She paused to study his face. Defensively she added, "You wanted to know what I thought."

    "I did. I suppose most women feel the same way. Except
the groupies. They-" Quint swallowed the rest of what
he'd almost blurted out,