Cowboy Come Home Read Online Free PDF

was a novelty for her. But she was even more eager today because she wanted to be far away from the cold man across the room.
     
    As THEY GATHERED around the table when the last of the guests had gone, Griff saw that Camille wasn’t there. He kept waiting for someone else to notice, but with all the noise of the family, no one did.
    Finally, he leaned over to Jake. “Isn’t Camille going to eat?”
    Jake then noticed the empty chair beside Griffin. He looked to his right at B.J. “Where is Camille?”
    B.J. also seemed surprised. “I don’t know. She put Caroline down for her nap.” She leaned forward. “Anyone seen Camille?”
    “I’ll go check on her,” Megan offered. Before she left the room, she stared at her husband. “You keep an eye on Elizabeth.”
    “Always, sweetheart,” he agreed with a big grin.
    Griff turned away, unwilling to admire the love that flowed between the couples in the room. He had no intention of being persuaded to believe in happily-ever-after.
    Megan entered the room with Camille right behind her. Griff turned his stare to his plate. It was the only safe spot in the room.
    Camille came to an abrupt halt at the other end of the table. “Um, do you think you could all shift down one seat? I have something I need to discuss with Mildred.”
    Griff whipped his head up and stared at the young woman. Her normal seat was beside him. Did she have to make her antagonism so blatant? It irritated him that she was announcing her displeasure so openly.
    None of the Randalls questioned her, however, good-naturedly shifting down the table. Which put Brett next to Griffin.
    “Stepped in it, did you?”
    Griff glared at the young man beside him. “Not at all. You heard her. She wants to talk to Mildred.”
    Brett laughed. “Sure.”
    Griff returned his attention to his plate.
    As a contented silence fell over the group, Jake put down his fork. “So, Griff, we’ve been talking.”
    Griff frowned. Jake’s words seemed to have some significance. He waited, his attention on the man beside him.
    “You don’t legally have any claim to our ranch.”
    Griffin straightened in his chair and opened his mouth, but Jake held up a hand, stopping him.
    “Let me finish,” Jake asked. When Griffin subsided, he said, “We think you should share in the Randall legacy, however. Dad would’ve wanted that.”
    “Jake, you don’t owe me anything,” Griff hurriedly said. In fact, he didn’t want their offer, whatever it might be. He didn’t want to owe anyone. Ever.
    “We’re not offering to carve up the land for you,” Jake assured him with a grin. “But we do have something in mind.”
    “Jake, really—”
    “We want to buy the ranch next to ours. You could still live here with us. We’ll show you how to do everything, share our ranch hands with you. With your skills with the horses, you could—”
    “Jake, I can’t accept.” Griffin tried to keep a smile on his face, but he felt it disappearing.
    Jake wouldn’t stop. “You don’t understand, Griff. We may not have Persian rugs and priceless art, but we have oil wells. We have more money than we need. We were thinking about buying old man Haney’s place anyway, but we’d have to hire more men. It’s a perfect solution.”
    Griffin closed his eyes, unable to look at the happy expectation in Jake’s eyes, even in his brothers’. He’d never met such selfless, good men. “No!”
    Chad finally broke the silence that followed Griffin’s response. “The land’s not good enough for you?”
    Griffin drew a deep breath, but he kept his gaze fixed on his plate. He couldn’t face these people.
    “I have to return to Chicago.”
    Brett spoke up. “You have a woman waiting for you?”
    Someone down the table gasped. Griffin was tempted to lean forward, to see if it was Camille who reacted so noisily. But he didn’t dare.
    “No.”
    “Then what’s in Chicago?” Chad demanded.
    “My life!” Griffin retorted.
    When silence again greeted