LITMIR.BIZ

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had happened with Cecilia and Taylor’s father. “Like that’s going to happen,” Taylor murmured, hoping her mother missed the irony in her tone.

      “Good-looking only goes so far when you are tiptoeing around cow poop. I loved your father, but…” Cecilia made a shuddering noise.

      Since her grandfather never had cows, that was an exaggeration, but Taylor understood what she was getting at. And she also understood that she was different from her mom. She’d hated living in the bunkhouse, but she missed the farm.

      Or did she just miss Cole?

      Her heart still hurt when she thought about him, but she told herself it had been only a week. Then two weeks. Then three.

      She threw herself into her work, had Carolyn and her guy over for budget dinners instead of going out every week. She was socking away all the money she possibly could. It was sobering to realize that she could have saved more being a loan officer and renting an apartment in the Eagle Valley than she could subletting and working for a decent salary here.

      “You’re a city girl,” Carolyn told her when she explained that to her friend. “You pay more, but you get more. Can you walk down to the ocean or take a ferry or club hop in Montana? I don’t think so. And your dating life had to be limited.”

      “It only takes one,” Taylor said, just as Carolyn’s wineglass touched her lips.

      “You’ve never said anything like that before.” She abruptly set down her glass. “You met someone.”

      “I did.”

      Carolyn gave her a frowning once-over. “You’re still thinking about him.”

      “Yeah.”

      “Well, damn, girl. It’s about time.”

      Taylor shook her head. “Our lifestyles and occupations are not compatible.”

      Carolyn took a healthy drink of wine, wiping her lips with the back of her fingers. “So you work something out.”

      “And one of us becomes resentful, and the beautiful thing becomes a source of bitterness.”

      Now Carolyn was staring at her as if she’d just met her. “Yeah. You’re right. That will totally happen if one of you gives up something that they don’t want to give up. But there is that thing called compromise.”

      Taylor pushed her hair back with both hands as her temples began to throb. That word again.

      “Are you glad to be back in the city?”

      “Totally.” It was the life she knew and loved. The place she’d been raised. It was comfortable and safe and predictable, if one didn’t count the possibility of layoffs. Plus the food was great.

      “Were there good parts about Montana? I mean other than the guy who’s driving you nuts.”

      Taylor sipped her wine thoughtfully, basically trying to lie to herself so that she could say no as if she meant it. “I enjoyed working outside. A whole lot more than I thought I would.”

      “Huh.”

      “I hated it at first,” she said as if that was a viable defense.

      “But not anymore?”

      Taylor frowned. She hadn’t expected this conversation to be all about her, but now that Carolyn was primed, there would be no stopping her. “I wouldn’t work outside for a living.”

      “What could you do there inside for a living?”

      As if she hadn’t asked herself that at least once a day lately—in a hypothetical sense, of course.

      “Well,” Taylor said ironically, “I think the fact that I looked for work there for over two months and couldn’t land a job kind of answers that question.”

      “Consult. Do books. Get your CPA license.” Carolyn placed her palm flat on the leather sofa with a soft smack. “Teach school.”

      Taylor made a face at her. “Are you trying to get rid of me?”

      Carolyn leaned back against the sofa, stretching her arm out along the back. “I am not. But your job is temporary and you need a backup plan.”

      “Before I end up on the farm again?” The scary thing was that she couldn’t go back to the farm. Not after the way she’d left. Her stomach started tightening into a sick knot.

      “Taylor?” She glanced up at her friend. “You’ve changed.”

      “I was gone for two and a half months.”

      “Doesn’t matter. I’m not saying it was the guy. Maybe it was living out of the city. Maybe it was Montana.”

      Taylor leaned her head back to study the ceiling.

      No. It was mostly the guy.

      Although Montana had played a part…and in a way, she missed living there. Missed her life on the farm.

      Her mother would have a cow if she knew.

      * * *

      COLE PUT UP his meadow hay four weeks after Taylor left, and he couldn’t help but reflect that he’d have enjoyed it more if she’d been there to swath. Part of him wanted to contact her and ask how she was doing in her new job—like friends would do. More than once he’d picked up the phone, only to set it back down again. It was crazy to reopen a semihealed wound.

      They weren’t friends. Not yet. Not when he still felt so raw about her departure.

      Karl had called a couple of times, almost as if he was checking on Cole, which led Cole to suspect that his relationship with Taylor hadn’t stayed a secret. Karl wasn’t returning from Dillon anytime soon, but Elise had started dating and Cole had a feeling that Karl would be back within the year. He’d have to move out of the house, find a place to live. He could live in the bunkhouse, but he didn’t particularly want to kick around in the place where he and Taylor had shared so much.

      He’d prefer to live on his ranch.

      Instead, he’d moved his horses to Karl’s place, allowing Miranda another victory. It was killing him.

      He hated the feeling of inertia that permeated his life. He was doing well on the farm, but he missed Taylor, and the situation with his ranch was beyond his control. For the moment. He would come up with something.

      He’d just washed off the field dust when his cell phone rang. Jancey. She was coming home from college on the weekends and filling in at the feed store. Unbeknownst to Miranda, she’d done Jancey a huge favor by sabotaging the job with Magnus Distribution. His sister loved the feed store. “Just wanted you to know I’m heading out. I should be there in an hour.”

      “Thanks, kid. See you then.”

      He hung up and headed for the shower. Instead of lounging around in his sweats, crunching numbers and trying to figure out how to get his ranch away from Miranda, he’d grill a steak for his sister and maybe whip some instant mashed potatoes. He was spending too much time plotting against the bitch. It really was starting to wear.

      Taylor had told him to sell the ranch.

      The thought killed him.

      But trying to figure out a way to hold on to it and regain control was almost as brutal. He’d crossed Miranda, and she was going to make him pay. And pay. Any thoughts of a peaceful settlement had gone out the window when she’d tried to buy Jancey’s part of the property without discussing the matter with him. She’d actually tried to pit sister against brother, which was sick, especially when they were the only members left of their immediate family.

      But if he sold, after he got over the anguish of having let Miranda win once and for all…of having lost the family ranch to the woman who’d tried to ruin both him and Jancey…he could start fresh.

      A fresh start sounded good. Really good.

      Could

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