A Cowboy of Her Own. Marin Thomas

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СКАЧАТЬ She wanted to be his top priority.

      Porter’s image flashed before her eyes. He knew how to have fun. She’d be lying if she didn’t admit she was looking forward to traveling with him. But she wasn’t so naive as to believe anything could come of a week on the road with the cowboy.

      “Make your father happy,” her mother said. “Go to dinner with him.”

      Fine. “When do I need to be ready?”

      “Seven-thirty. And wear that aqua dress you bought last spring. That looks nice on you.”

      “Can you handle the rest of the arrangements if I grab a quick shower?”

      “Go ahead. I’ve already done half of them myself.”

      Feeling a tad guilty for leaving her mom with a table full of empty vases—but not too guilty since she’d been coerced into accepting a blind date—Wendy kissed her mother’s cheek and left the shop. As she drove across town, she lectured herself. As much as she anticipated the upcoming trip with Porter, she needed to keep her priorities straight and focus on finding information that would help locate Buddy’s missing bulls.

      Time would tell if she uncovered any evidence that pointed to Porter. For Dixie’s sake—and maybe a little bit for her sake, too—she hoped her friend’s brother was on the up and up.

       Chapter Two

      “Porter!”

      “In here!” Porter stuffed the last pair of briefs into the duffel bag resting on the bed in the bunkhouse. The door opened and in walked Johnny. “It’s Sunday night. Why aren’t you home watching TV with Shannon and Addy?”

      “Mack said you were heading out on a weeklong run tomorrow, and we haven’t had a chance to talk in a while.”

      “Checking up on me?” Because of their age difference, the eldest Cash sibling was more of a father than a brother to Porter.

      Johnny tossed his cowboy hat on the table and gestured to the rodeo posters on the wall. “We had some good parties in here, didn’t we?”

      “Yeah, we did. Then you and everyone else got hitched and left me all by my lonesome.”

      “I doubt you feel lonely when you don’t have to wait in line for a shower and you can watch whatever television program you want.” Johnny picked up the remote and pointed it at the flat screen. The Nickelodeon channel came on. “You’re hanging out with the twins too much.”

      “Mig and Javi are the only ones who visit me.” Conway and Isi were busy taking care of their new twin daughters and the boys had turned to Porter for attention.

      Johnny ran his hand over the back of the sofa, and dog hair stuck to his fingers. “I guess Bandit’s been a regular visitor in here.”

      “He only comes inside when it storms.”

      “It hasn’t rained in over thirty days,” Johnny said.

      “What do you care if I let the dog sleep in here? It’s not like you have to clean the place anymore.”

      “You’re right. Better the dog in the bunkhouse than a bunch of buckle bunnies.”

      “Hey, no matter what Conway says, I haven’t let a girl stay overnight in the bunkhouse since Isi and the twins moved to the farm. I know better.”

      “We shouldn’t have let our Wednesday night poker game fall by the wayside.”

      Porter emptied his sock drawer into the duffel. “If you guys would stop procreating, you might have a free day to play cards.”

      “The love bug will bite you one of these days,” Johnny said. “You wait and see.”

      “I’ve got more important things to do than worry about finding the right woman to settle down with.” Besides, how was he supposed to meet the perfect lady when he drove a stock trailer all day?

      Johnny stared him square in the eye. “You think you’ll keep this job long-term?” He was really asking if Porter would grow bored of transporting bulls and quit as he’d done with previous jobs.

      “You want an honest answer or you want me to make something up?”

      “Honest.”

      Porter sat on the bed and expelled a heavy breath. “I think so.”

      “You think so?”

      “Sometimes I wish I’d given college a try.” He’d never talked to his brothers about the restless feeling he’d battled daily since graduating from high school.

      “Why didn’t you?” Johnny asked. “You made decent grades and with our family’s situation you’d have qualified for financial aid to help pay the tuition.”

      “I didn’t know what I wanted to study. But I’ve been thinking—”

      “That’s dangerous.”

      “Ha-ha. Buck’s dream of owning a car-repair business came true, so why can’t I make my dream come true?”

      “What’s your dream?”

      “I’ve always wanted a piece of land to call my own.”

      “You mean like a ranch?”

      Porter nodded. “We grew up on the pecan farm, but it’s really Conway’s now. One day you and Shannon are going to run the Triple D. And I bet it’s not long before Mack buys in to a partnership at the Black Jack Mountain Dude Ranch.”

      “If you had your own ranch, what would you raise?”

      “Bucking stock.” Porter recalled the strength and talent of Starry Night at yesterday’s rodeo. “Broncs.”

      “You have a lot of competition in the area,” Johnny said.

      “The rodeo circuit keeps expanding. There’s room for more good horses.”

      “Have you thought about where you’d buy this ranch?”

      “There’s a property for sale in the Fortuna Foothills.” The land was east of Yuma but still considered part of the metropolitan area. He wouldn’t be far from his siblings if he moved out there.

      “How many acres?”

      “Twenty-five. Enough for a handful of horses.”

      “If you want it bad, let’s find a way to make it happen.”

      It was just like Johnny to step in and take charge. Porter appreciated the support, but he intended to figure out the future on his own. He knew for sure that he didn’t want to haul rodeo bulls the rest of his life, but he needed to prove to himself that he could stick with the job or investing in a business would be a waste of his money and effort.

      “Thanks for СКАЧАТЬ