Her Cowboy Soldier by Cindi Myers Read Free Book Online Page A

students didn’t like her, it didn’t matter in the long run.
    She thought of Josh and his “in your face” hook, daring people to take him as he was or not at all. She understood that kind of bravado.
    “Anything else exciting happen at the school board meeting, or do I need to wait and read about it in the paper?” Bobbie asked.
    She wasn’t sure if her grandmother had decided there was nothing else to say on the matter of Amy staying or leaving, or if she was saving her arguments for another time. Either way, Amy was grateful for the change of subject. “A woman named Erica Bridegate was there. She introduced herself as Love Soldier.”
    “Hippie-looking chick—tall, with dark hair?”
    “Yes. Do you know her?”
    “She buys produce from me and asks smart questions about how to grow things. Kelli and Devon Bridegate’s girl. One of those who marches to her own drummer, but nothing wrong with that. What was she up to?”
    “She wants to turn the vacant lot next to the elementary school into a garden for the kids. They’d grow vegetables and eat them in the school cafeteria.”
    “And the school board thought she was crazy.”
    “Not really. She’d done her homework and recruited volunteers and even got folks to agree to donate a lot of the material she’d need for the project. But she asked the school to pay the water bill and that worried the board, because no one knew how much that bill might be.”
    “Makes sense. What happened?”
    “Josh said he knew about rainwater irrigation systems and offered to help her set up a system to collect rain from the school roof and store it in a cistern to use to water the garden. He said he worked with a couple of systems like that in college.”
    “I’d forgotten he went to University of Northern Colorado and got a degree in agricultural science. I think the plan was for him to come home and help his daddy run the Bar S.”
    “And then he was hurt in Iraq.” She felt a pang as she said the words. So much loss and pain from that war.
    “That was later. First he came home and he and his dad butted heads over the right way to do things. Mitch Scofield can be pretty stubborn, and I imagine Josh takes after his old man. Then Josh shocked everyone when he enlisted. I think one reason he did it was to make Mitch mad, but you never saw two people prouder of their boy than Josh’s mom and dad. It tore them to pieces when he was hurt.”
    “Josh lives with them on the ranch?”
    “He has a cabin they fixed up for him, so he’s close but not in their back pocket.”
    “Am I in your back pocket?” Bobbie had lived alone in the big farmhouse for almost five years before Amy and Chloe moved in.
    “That’s different.” Bobbie waved her hand in dismissal. “You and I get along. Josh and his dad still don’t always see eye to eye. It would be like you living with your mother.”
    “Mom and I get along.”
    “And you get on each other’s nerves, too. Katherine can be plenty bossy, I know.”
    Amy bit her lip to keep from pointing out that Bobbie herself liked to do her share of ordering people around. But Bobbie’s bossiness didn’t bother Amy, not the way her mother’s managing ways did. Maybe it was that generational thing again.
    “Hello. Anybody home?” Both women turned to see Charla in the door of the greenhouse.
    “Hello, Charla. What brings you out our way?” Bobbie asked.
    “I was heading back from picking up supplies in Junction and thought I’d swing by and say hello.” She greeted each woman with a hug.
    “Supplies weren’t the only thing you bought in Junction,” Amy said. “You had your hair done.”
    Charla smoothed a hand over her gleaming blond locks. “I may have indulged in a little freshening up.”
    “That ought to impress a certain single banker.” Bobbie winked at Amy, who did her best to stifle a laugh.
    “If you’re referring to Clay Westerburg, I already struck out with him.” Charla sighed and leaned back against one