LITMIR.BIZ

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don’t think he took it over, just stepped in to run things when his father got sick.”

      Taryn had been too wrapped up in herself back then to remember what happened. “Sick how?”

      “Cancer.”

      She dared to meet her mother’s gaze. “Is he okay?”

      “Oh, yes.” Her mom set Scout to the floor. “But it was touch and go for a while. They make livestock trailers, you know. Cattle, horses....” She wadded up the empty grocery bags and tucked them in the pantry. “From what I hear, the company has really grown with Cash at the helm. There aren’t many young men who would give up their own dreams to step in and help their father like that.”

      Once again, Taryn’s gaze trailed to the house next door. Perhaps. But she knew all too well that a guy could live up to his family’s expectations and still be a heel. Her heart had the scars to prove it.

      Turning, she concentrated on the rest of the groceries. Yep, the best thing she could do was steer clear of Cash Coble. Because no matter how enticing it might be to revisit childhood dreams, Cash was a heartbreak waiting to happen. And she had no intention of going through that ever again.

      “I can hardly wait to see him,” her mother gushed. “Which is why I went ahead and invited them for dinner.”

      Taryn halted, terror clipping through her veins. “Dinner? Tonight?”

      “Why, yes. We agreed to move our family dinner to tonight since you’ll be at Blakely’s wedding rehearsal tomorrow.”

      “I know that, but Cash isn’t family.”

      “He’s just like family. And he’s only in town for a few days. Besides—” Her mother grabbed a package of toilet paper. Matchmaking mirth glinted in her gray-blue eyes as she started out of the room. “I hear he’s still single.”

      Taryn cringed. “Mom, please don’t go there.” The last thing Taryn needed was a man. What she did need, however, was a life. Some semblance of a future. Twenty-seven years old and she still lived with her parents. How was that for pathetic?

      Sure, she loved climbing and teaching people to overcome their fears, but she couldn’t live at home forever. She needed something to call her own. And since this morning’s chat with Mr. Ramsey at All Geared Up, Ouray’s one-stop shop for outdoor enthusiasts, she just might have a plan.

      But first she had to make it through dinner.

       Chapter Two

      Cash let the cream-colored sheer curtain fall back into place and turned away from the window that overlooked the yard between Gramps’s house and the Purcells’. He still couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d said or done something to offend Taryn. But, for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out what.

      She’d seemed so friendly initially. Then, suddenly, it was as if he’d slapped her. The hurt in those incredible blue eyes right before she charged out of the house had bothered him ever since.

      “How about some pie?” Gramps called from the kitchen.

      Cash shook his head, willing the crazy thoughts out of his mind. “Sure.” He bypassed the antique drop-leaf table that had been tucked against the dining room wall and joined his grandfather.

      Taking a seat in one of the four green vinyl chairs, he pulled out his phone. “You have internet, Gramps?”

      “Inter-what?”

      “Internet. You know, the World Wide Web, computers...”

      “No, sir.” Standing at the narrow strip of faux butcher-block counter between the refrigerator and the sink, the old man deposited a heaping mound of pie onto a plate. “Don’t intend to, either.”

      Seriously? How could anyone live without the internet? Then again, this was Gramps.

      Cash mentally kicked himself for not buying one of those mobile hot-spot devices that allowed him to connect to the internet anywhere. For now, he’d have to rely on his smart phone for email. But first thing tomorrow, he and his laptop would be tracking down the nearest Wi-Fi connection so he could get some work done.

      He tapped the mail icon and waited for the page to load. Since he’d turned off the volume, it vibrated in his hand, indicating he had mail.

      He scrolled to the top of the page. A distributor wanted a quote.

      “Here you go.” Gramps set a loaded plate in front of him, along with a fork.

      “Thanks.” Maybe Cash could calculate the quote later this evening and email it via his phone. That way, the customer would have it by morning.

      The next message was from his sister.

      Subject: Have a good time.

       Enjoy your time in Ouray, big brother. You have no idea how jealous I am, but the doctor refuses to let me travel. Just as well. I feel like a beached whale. I still can’t believe I’m having twins.

       Hug Gramps for me and give him my love.

      Cash smiled. Prepregnancy, his little sister didn’t weigh a hundred pounds soaking wet. Now, based on the pictures his mother had shown him, she looked as if she’d swallowed a blimp.

      Gramps took a seat across from him.

      “Megan sends her love.”

      The old man looked confused. “When did you talk to your sister?”

      “Just now.” He turned the screen so his grandfather could see. “She sent me an email.”

      “You gonna stare at that contraption the whole time you’re here?” Gramps pointed with his fork. “Folks seem practically glued to those things these days.”

      “They do make staying in touch a lot easier. Email, text messaging—”

      “What about a good old-fashioned phone call?”

      Cash cleared his throat, fearful the comment had been directed at him. “They can do that, too. Hey, maybe we can FaceTime with Megan while I’m here. You’d be able to see her while you’re talking to her.”

      The old man’s bushy white brows shot up. “Is that a fact?”

      “Yes, sir.” Cash tucked his phone away, eyeing the fruit-filled pastry on his plate. “So, I take it Taryn does a lot of baking for you.”

      Gramps swallowed his first bite. “She bakes for everybody. Says it’s therapeutic.”

      “In that case—” Cash lifted his loaded fork “—I’m all for therapy.” The sweet, tart flavors burst onto his tongue. “Mmm... This is good.” He stabbed another bite. “Forgive me for saying this, but didn’t she used to be kind of a brat?”

      His grandfather chuckled. “Taryn was a little too big for her britches, all right.”

      “I recall her brothers complaining that she always got her way.”

      “Well, she is the only girl.” Gramps rested his fork on his plate. “And a pretty one, at that. In case you hadn’t noticed.”

      “Oh, I noticed.” A guy would have to be dead not to. “Didn’t I hear something about her leaving Ouray for a while?”

      Nodding, Gramps cut another bite of pie with his fork. “Took off for college while the ink was still drying on her high school diploma.”

      Cash grabbed a napkin from the owl-shaped holder on the table. Wiped his mouth. “Where’d she go?”

      “Texas.”

      “No kidding.”

      “Finished her first semester, then told her folks she was taking some time off to

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