LITMIR.BIZ

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Rayburn pulled in her parking space in front of Ostler Certified Accounting Firm in Whitebark, Wyoming. She was running late to get back to the ranch. Dean would be picking her up for dinner and she needed to hurry.

      With her light chestnut hair swishing against her shoulders, she got out of the car and rushed through the reception area to her office. Her boss would be pleased to know she’d finished auditing the books for Beckstrand Drilling earlier than planned and could start on the Whitebark Hospital audit.

      In her haste, she almost ran into Heather Jennings, a coworker who’d become a close friend over the last two years. It looked like everyone else had gone home. Smiling at her she said, “I’ve never needed a weekend more. How about you?”

      Heather studied her for a moment with an anxious expression. “You don’t know, do you?”

      She was being very mysterious. “Know what?”

      “I’ve been hoping you would walk in here before I left. Now I’m almost afraid to tell you.”

      “Heather—what’s wrong?”

      Her friend drew in a deep breath. “There’s only one way to say this. Today I had lunch with Amy Paskett.” Amy was a girl Tamsin had known from high school who worked at Paskett’s feed store. “It turns out her father waited on Cole Hawkins this morning. Apparently he’s back in Whitebark for good.”

      Tamsin grabbed the edge of her desk while her world whirled for a moment. “Wh-what did you say?” she stammered.

      “I knew this would be hard for you to hear.”

      Cole was home for good? The cowboy who’d left the state nine years ago, riding off with her heart?

      The last time she’d seen him was at a distance when he’d come home for his father’s funeral six months ago. He’d been driving down the street in a friend’s truck, but he hadn’t seen her. Once the funeral was over, he’d left again.

      Shock didn’t begin to describe what she was feeling. “How long has he been here?”

      “I don’t know. That was all Amy said in passing. I’ve been waiting to tell you in case you hadn’t heard. If you hadn’t come, I would have phoned you.”

      Tamsin looked at Heather, still reeling from the incredible news. “Thank you for being such a good friend.” Heather knew some of her past history with Cole, but not all.

      “I’m not sure thanks is the right word.”

      “Yes, it is.” She gave her a hug. “I’m grateful to have heard it from you first. Now at least I’m prepared should someone else tell me.”

      “Look—I’ve got to go, but call me this weekend and we’ll talk.”

      She nodded. “I’ll walk out with you.”

      Tamsin waited while Heather locked up, then she hurried to her car. She was so shaken by what her friend had told her, she trembled all the way to her family’s ranch located two miles south of town.

      There’d been an article in the Sublette Gazette four months ago about the rodeo legend Cole Hawkins being involved with a country singer from Colorado. It didn’t surprise Tamsin since he was a talented musician and songwriter himself. Maybe he’d married the woman and had brought her home to settle down.

      If he were recently married, how would Tamsin be able to handle it, knowing she’d be seeing them coming and going?

      After he’d left Wyoming, she’d worked through her sorrow day and night for several years to earn enough money to put herself through college. Once she’d finished her schooling, she’d spent the last four years throwing herself into her career as a CPA.

      At twenty-seven she had dreams of opening up her own agency one day, and she’d been dating Dean Witcom, an amazing man. Their relationship had grown serious. Lately she was excited about where it was headed. He’d be a wonderful, devoted husband just like his brother Lyle who adored her sister.

      Yet the mere mention of Cole—let alone that he was home to stay—sent stabbing pain through her as if it were only yesterday he’d said goodbye to her. She couldn’t bear it, not when she’d fought with everything in her power to put his memory behind her. If her sister Sally knew about Cole, she’d kept quiet about it.

      Once Tamsin reached the ranch house, she felt a guilty pang when she saw that Dean’s truck with the Witcom-Dennison Oil Association logo was parked out in front. How could she be thinking about Cole when Dean was here waiting for her? What was wrong with her?

      She drove around the back and rushed inside to find her sister. Sally and her husband, Lyle, who also worked at WDOA, were living temporarily at the ranch. They were probably in the living room talking to Dean while he passed the time until Tamsin got home. No one else was in the house. Their parents were on a vacation in Afton to visit extended family.

      Dean had told her to get dressed up. Tamsin had the suspicion he’d planned something special. She’d been looking forward to it and had bought a new dress, but there was no way she could enjoy an evening with him tonight and pretend nothing was wrong.

      “Sally?” She knocked on their bedroom door in case she was in there. The family’s golden retriever came running up to lick her. “Hey, Duke. Is Sally in there?” She rubbed the dog’s head.

      Her pregnant younger sister opened the door, finishing pulling a loose-fitting top over her maternity jeans. “Tamsin—” She looked surprised to see her.

      “I’m so glad you were in here.” Sally was the one person who knew everything about her heartbreak over Cole and had consoled her through the worst of those early days when she’d thought her life had ended.

      “What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

      “Not a ghost.” She hugged her arms to her waist. “Cole’s back.”

      Her sister’s eyes—sky blue like Tamsin’s—narrowed in disbelief. “Come on in.”

      Tamsin stepped past her. Duke rushed in before Sally shut the door behind her. “You actually saw him?” The question revealed that her sister hadn’t known anything, either.

      “I just came from work. Heather told me he’d been seen at Paskett’s feed store this morning. Do you think Lyle knows?”

      “No. Otherwise he would have told me and I would have phoned you.” She put a hand on Tamsin’s arm. “Did you know Dean is here? Lyle’s out in the front room with him.”

      Tamsin nodded. “I saw his truck, but I need time to recover from the shock. Ever since I started seeing your brother-in-law four months ago, I assured him there’d been no other man in my life for a long time. At this point I’m totally involved with him, but Dean’s not going to trust me if he finds out the real reason why I’m so upset tonight. I can’t believe how this news has affected me.”

      “I can. Let’s face it. You never got over him.”

      “Yes, I did!” she defended.

      “Then why has this news caused you to lose all the color in your face?”

      She lowered her head. “You’re exaggerating.”

      “Look in the mirror.”

      “I’m going to be fine.”

      “I hope that’s true. As far as I’m concerned, Cole Hawkins made the biggest mistake of his life by walking away from you. He was a fool and never deserved you. What astounds me is that he still has the power to do this to you after being gone for so long. Don’t let him do this to you.” Her voice shook.

      “You think I want to feel like this? Oh, Sally. What am I going to do? I guess this day had to come and I’ve made too much over it because—because I always wondered what it would be like to see him again. I just need tonight to put everything into perspective. Can you understand?”

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