The Cattleman's Special Delivery by Barbara Hannay Read Free Book Online

hers to miss. He was an out-of-town cattleman passing through, but now that he was gone she couldn’t hold off facing her problems. She had absolutely no money to spare. As it was, sharing her dinner with Reece meant that she’d be eating baked beans on toast by the end of the week. But how on earth could she manage without a fridge and a washing machine?
    She’d been trying so hard to keep her head above water, but now she felt overwhelmed by debt and black despair. She was drowning.
    It had been so hard to hide her desolation from Reece, but she’d been determined. She couldn’t fall apart in front of him. Not again.
    On the upside, they’d shared a very pleasant evening. Sitting across the dinner table from him, she’d found herself mesmerised by his dark brown eyes and the clean lines of his cheekbones. But, of course, she had to stop any hint of dreamy thoughts.
    To begin with, Reece hadn’t shown the slightest hint that he was in any way romantically interested in her, and even if he had she couldn’t allow herself to become involved with another man. Not for ages, quite possibly not ever.
    Not with these debts hanging over her head. She could never go into another relationship so encumbered. Her goal now was a stable, happy life for Rosie, and it was up to her to provide it. It was going to take years to get her finances back on track, and till then she couldn’t allow herself to be distracted by another guy, no matter how kind, or heroic, or attractive.
    Anyway, besides her debt worries, falling for Alan had taught her many lessons—enough to make her doubt men and to doubt her own judgement when it came to making romantic choices.
    She’d been totally taken in by Alan’s good looks and charming manner, and, after they’d married, he’d talked her into setting up her dream restaurant. He’d had it all planned. He would help to finance the venture. Jess would be head chef and he would be manager and together they’d attract fame and fortune.
    In reality, Jess had worked her butt off in the kitchen, while Alan swanned about in the dining room, greeting their customers like bosom buddies, regaling them with stories they didn’t want to hear and drinking their wine. As a business manager, he’d been utterly hopeless. After six months, Jess had been so worried, she’d sat up one night until dawn trying to make sense of their finances.
    What she’d found had appalled her. Alan had never invested his own money, and now they weren’t keeping up with repayments on the loan, and other bills had also gone unpaid. Their business had gone under three months later.
    It was the beginning of a disastrous pattern. Looking back, it was hard to believe that Alan had twice managed to convince her that they’d get it right the next time.
    Remembering it all now, Jess felt such a mix of sorrow and regret, and anger, but a good swag of the anger was directed at herself. She’d been too easily sucked in by Alan’s charm and his hollow promises.
    She’d spent three years trying to believe in him.
    In the future, she had to be wiser, and her safest bet was to rely on no one. Go it alone. She’d watched her mother limp from one disastrous relationship to another, and she’d vowed she’d never follow her example.
    Now, she tiptoed into the bedroom she shared with Rosie. The old second-hand cot didn’t look as scratched and ugly in the soft pink glow of the rabbit-shaped night lamp. She could see Rosie lying on her side, her hair, lighter now, and soft as a cloud, her little hands loose and relaxed, a bubble of milk on her lower lip. As always, Jess felt her heart swell with love. Love sweet and painful and more powerful than anything she’d imagined.
    We’ll be OK, she silently promised her daughter. I can do this. I’m a hard worker and in time, I’ll clear these debts and I’ll make a wonderful life for us.
    Without a man.

CHAPTER FOUR
    A FTER the doctorleft, Michael and Reece Weston eyed each other