A Cowboy's Heart Read Online Free PDF Page A

many years ago. In the beginning it had been so mild, no one noticed, not really. Sometimes kids don’t listen, that’s how they had interpreted her behavior.
    Progressive, but for years the change had been gradual, nearly unnoticeable. Now the changes to her hearing were very noticeable.
    Why now?
    She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, he was watching. Willow managed a smile and nodded in the direction of the house.
    â€œWe’ll go in and have a cup of tea with Janie. Maybe the rain will stop.”
    â€œSounds good.” He pulled the truck to a stop in front of the long, log-sided ranch house.
    Rain poured down, drenching them as they hurried up the steps to the covered front porch. Janie opened the door, handing them each a towel.
    â€œDry your hair.”
    Willow took off her hat and wiped her face and then ran the towel through her hair. “We were on our way to fix Clint’s roof.”
    Thunder crashed and the rain shifted, blowing onto the porch. Janie opened the door and motioned them inside. With the rain hitting the metal roof of the porch, it was impossible to hear.
    Inside the rain was muffled, and ceiling fans brushed cooler air through the room. Willow shivered again.
    â€œClint will have to stay in the foreman’s house.” Janie pointed for them to wipe their feet on the rug. “When it stops raining, Willow can take you over to get your stuff.”
    â€œI have a house, Janie.”
    â€œYou can’t live in that place. The roof leaks, the porch is falling in and it’ll be weeks before the power company gets out to run new lines.” Janie shot Willow a look, one that made her wish she could glance away and not hear what her aunt was about to say. “Tell him to stay, Willow. You need the help, and he can’t live in that house.”
    Willow sat down on the old church pew Janie had bought from an antique store. She kicked off her boots and slid them under the seat. Standing across from her, Clint held on to the door frame and pulled off his boots.
    â€œThe foreman’s house is in good shape. Janie even keeps it clean. The furniture isn’t the best…”
    â€œI’m not worried about the furniture.”
    Janie smiled. “There, it’s all settled.”
    â€œRight.” Willow smiled, hoping that was a good enough answer. But it changed everything. It put Clint Cameron firmly in her life.
    She followed her aunt into the kitchen, lured by the smell of coffee and something baking in the oven. Clint followed.
    Janie continued to talk as she washed a few dishes. Willow poured herself a cup of coffee and listened, but she knew she was missing pieces of the conversation. The plan included Clint at the ranch in the foreman’s house, and Willow letting him help with the bulls, and with the driving when they went out of town.
    Clint, his stance casual as he leaned against the kitchen counter, shot Willow an apologetic smile. When Janie turned away for a brief moment, he signed that he was sorry. And she didn’t know what to do with that gesture, that moment.
    It wasn’t easy, to smile, to let it go. After all of this time, building a new life, his presence made her feel vulnerable, weak.
    Weak in a way that settled in her knees and made her want to tell him secrets on a summer night. She sighed and walked out of the room, away from gray eyes that distracted and away from the memories of long-forgotten dreams.
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    Clint set his tea glass on the table. He didn’t want to follow Willow Michaels out the door, but he couldn’t let her walk away. This was the pattern of his life. There had been the cheerleader in high school who had been hiding abuse with a smile, and he’d found her crying. The girl down the road who had been planning to run away from home when she found out she was pregnant.
    He followed Willow to the hall where she was putting her boots back on. She looked up, mascara smeared from the