Second Chance Ranch: a Hope Springs novel (Entangled Bliss) by Cindi Madsen Read Free Book Online Page B

hadn’t even talked about what had happened with her contract falling through, or how after that, she’d choked and screwed up her only other steady gig.
    She gathered the pictures from the floor and hovered them over the trash can but couldn’t drop them in for reasons she didn’t care to think about right now. So she stuck the stack on the back of the dresser, out of sight. Unfortunately, that made her face her reflection. She hadn’t bothered with makeup or even changing out of her pajamas yet.
    Yikes! Not going to the ranch looking like this.
    At least this time, she’d get to prepare herself before seeing Royce. She shimmied into her tightest jeans—one of the Miss Me pairs with the rhinestones on the pockets that she was obsessed with—threw on a white tank top and a filmy purple blouse, and pulled on the way-too-expensive boots she’d gotten when she thought she’d landed a record deal. The boots were all looks, no function, but a little dust wouldn’t hurt them.
    After curling her hair in uniform waves, she switched over the laundry. Then she grabbed the pie, check, and truck keys and drove the familiar road to Second Chance Ranch.
    This year was a bit dry, the grass browner than usual, which both Royce and Grandpa had no doubt worried about. With each mile closer she got to the ranch, her heart beat a little faster, and her grip on the steering wheel tightened that much more. The wooden sign over the entrance was new, done in the same print as the sign on the door of Royce’s truck. The quilting stands in the back bumped together as she took the turn.
    Sadie caught movement behind the cabins where the teens stayed, so she pulled up next to the nearest one, took a deep breath, and got out of the truck.
    She was sidetracked when she saw a familiar figure filling the water trough. Since going to say hi to Cory would be much easier than seeing Royce, she chose to start with him. She walked over and tapped his shoulder, grinning when he did a double take.
    He scooped her into a hug. “Hey! I heard you were in town.”
    “You heard right,” she said, squeezing him back. Then she stepped away and looked him over. Same deep dimples set in tan skin, piercing blue eyes, and jet-black hair peeking out from under a beat-up cowboy hat. The thick, dark scruff was new, though, and like Royce, he’d filled out quite a bit since high school.
    The hug had knocked his hat crooked, and he readjusted it with one hand on top, wiggling it back into place. “So, how’ve you been, big shot? I guess I better get an autograph before I lose my chance.”
    “Oh, you’re definitely not at risk of that. As you might’ve noticed, I’m not exactly a big shot yet. And even if I were, you know I’d always have time for you.” She flashed him a smile, glad that despite all the time away, things were still easy between them. “It’s been an interesting few years, though. Ups and downs and everything in between, but I’ve managed to hold my own. How about you? How’s life?”
    “Good, good. Playing cowboy. Same old.”
    Not exactly playing from the looks of things. She bet he was still a total heartbreaker, too—he had Native American somewhere in his bloodline, and between his coloring, those blue eyes, and the natural good ol’ boy charm, the girls went crazy for him.
    The water spilled over the side of the trough, and Cory moved to shut it off. “Hey, I gotta go hop on a tractor before it gets too dark, but let’s catch up later, okay?”
    “Sure,” she said, though she doubted there’d be a later. It’d be too weird to meet up without Royce, and she couldn’t picture them all sitting around like old times. “Is Royce or Caroline around?”
    “They’re both behind the cabins with the kids.”
    She nodded, delaying the inevitable for a moment, but when Cory took off, she forced her feet into motion. As she made her way to the shared backyard of the camp cabins, she spotted a bunch of teens holding ropes. Royce