To Love and to Cherish by Leigh Greenwood Read Free Book Online

finding it difficult to concentrate. Being so close he could reach out and touch her was driving him nuts. It had been years since he’d been with a desirable woman, but no woman he’d ever been with or seen could compare to Laurie Spencer. Arizona weather was much harder on women than Texas, yet her cheeks were soft and pink, her skin as creamy and rich as a magnolia blossom. The skin around her eyes might reveal hardship and unhappiness, but the eyes themselves were large orbs of pure white and the most vivid blue he’d ever seen. She faced him with a wide-open gaze that invited confidence yet demanded distance.
    He forced his thoughts back to her question. “No, I don’t have all the money I need. I had hoped your brother-in-law would give me a loan for the rest, but he won’t.”
    â€œI would prefer that you not refer to Norman Spencer as my brother-in-law. That connection ended with my husband’s death.”
    â€œAnything you wish.” He imagined Norman Spencer could be a difficult person to have in the family. “Why have you come to see me? Why are you asking these questions? We can’t possibly have any business to conduct.”
    She paused and lowered her gaze to her lap before raising it again. “I would like to invest in your ranch. I’ve asked these questions because I need to know whether my money would be invested wisely.”
    â€œWhy haven’t you asked your brother-in…Norman Spencer to advise you? He would know a lot more about potential investments than I do.”
    â€œNorman doesn’t know I’m here, and he knows nothing of what I intend to do. If he did, he’d do everything in his power to stop me. Part of our agreement, if we are able to reach one, will be that you can never tell anyone the details of our arrangement.”
    That made Jared uneasy. “You’re going to have to explain that. What you’ve told me makes me reluctant to enter into any arrangement with you.”
    Laurie twisted her hands in her lap and looked resigned. “I was hoping you wouldn’t require an explanation, but it’s only fair that you receive one. I have some money of my own. Norman doesn’t know about it, and you’re not to tell him where you got it. Except for my house, my husband left his entire estate in his brother’s control to manage for my benefit. He will use that to force me to do what he wishes. I refuse to be under Norman’s thumb. If I don’t invest my money with you, I’ll look elsewhere.”
    Jared had never seen a woman look more determined. If Laurie hadn’t been so controlled, he wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d shouted the words at him. “Any business deal between us would be private. No one would have a right to know the details.”
    She relaxed visibly and took another drink of water. “How much money do you need? I’m not a rich woman.”
    â€œYou’ve already done the calculations. I will probably need eight thousand. I have five.”
    When she smiled, he knew that she had at least three thousand.
    â€œI can provide the difference and a little more. When will you need it?”
    After her businesslike approach, he hadn’t expected her to jump to the end so quickly. “Don’t you want to talk about a contract, know what you can expect in return?”
    â€œCertainly I will require a contract. I shall go over it most thoroughly. I merely asked because I wanted to know when you expect the herd to arrive.”
    â€œIt’s still in New Mexico. I won’t need the money until it reaches Arizona. Will it be in gold or bills?”
    â€œIt’ll be in bills.” Her laugh was unexpected. “You couldn’t hide that much gold from Norman. He could smell it.” She sobered quickly. “Norman has been exceedingly generous in providing loans to everyone in our town, but my husband was quite different with me.