The Texan by Bobbi Smith Read Free Book Online Page B

and unpack. Emmie went on into the sitting room to speak with the lawyer privately.
    Les looked up from where he was sitting on the sofa when she came into the room. “Well, we’re here,” he said.
    “Thank you for everything,” she said earnestly, taking a seat across from him. “I really appreciate how you handled all this.”
    He was sympathetic as he looked at her. “I’m just sorry you’re returning home under such sad conditions, but I know your being here meant a lot to your father.”
    “It means everything to me. The Rocking R…it’s my life now.” Her voice was hoarse with emotion.
    “You are truly your father’s daughter,” Les toldher with a gentle, encouraging smile. “He always said the same thing about the ranch. You know, he was very proud of you, Emmie.”
    “I hope I can make him even prouder of me now.” The tears she’d been fighting overwhelmed her, and she gave in to her grief.
    Les had just gotten up to hand her his handkerchief when Josh appeared in the doorway.
    “Sorry I took so long. I…” Josh began, but he went silent at the sight of her crying.
    “Please join us, Josh,” the lawyer said. When Emmie regained control, he returned to sit on the sofa. “This is a hard time.”
    “I understand,” Josh said, coming into the room.
    Emmie managed to look up at the man her father had taken on as a partner.
    “You and I need to talk,” she managed.
    “I agree.” Josh sat down on the sofa with the lawyer, facing her.
    “I know my father thought highly of you. He wrote to me and told me you were the new foreman. However, I didn’t find out until today that you actually became my father’s partner.”
    “Les explained to me that your father wanted to tell you about our partnership when he introduced us, and I’m sorry it didn’t happen that way.”
    “So am I,” she agreed sadly. “I just find it hard to believe that he took on a partner.”
    “Your father and I had known each other for a time, and he had offered me a job a while back. I wasn’t much interested in ranch work then, but Ichanged my mind this last year and decided to see if his offer was still good.”
    Wondering about his life as a gunman, Emmie watched him carefully as she asked, “What kind of work did you do before?”
    Josh had known that his past would come up at some time, so he decided to tell her straight out and get it over with. “I was a bounty hunter.”
    “The gossip in town said you were a gunman,” she challenged.
    He managed a tight smile as he answered. “There were days when it was hard to tell the difference, and that’s why ranching started to look good to me.”
    “So you’re through with all that now?”
    “That’s right. When I came to see your father, we made the agreement that I could buy into the ranch thirty percent and stay here and work it with him.”
    “It was all handled legally. I took care of the paperwork,” Les assured her. “Your father made a good choice in Josh. Then, when the old foreman quit, Josh took on the job.”
    Realizing there was no way out of the partnership, Emmie looked up at Josh and met his dark-eyed gaze straight-on. “It looks like we’re going to be working together from now on, Mr. Grady.”
    “Since we are going to be working together, I’d appreciate it if you’d start calling me Josh,” he told her.
    “All right, Josh, and you can call me Emmie.”
    “We can meet later, if you’d like, and go over the books.”
    “That’ll be fine.” Now that the introductions were over with, she wanted some time alone.
    “And if you need me for anything else, just send word into town,” Les told them both.
    Josh stood up to go, as did the lawyer. Emmie thanked the attorney again for all his help as she saw the two men from the house.
    When she came back inside and closed the door behind her, she stood quietly in the front hall, just remembering all the laughter and love that had filled the house when her father had been alive. This