How a Cowboy Stole Her Heart Read Online Free PDF Page B

thinking, just say it, Clay.”
    He didn’t look at her, just sat straight in the saddle and stared ahead. How could he explain what he was feeling in the wake of her words? He was a neighbor.Their families were friends. It didn’t seem right that his heart should clench so painfully when she said things like “Life’s short.”
    â€œDoes that mean you’re worried about…” He felt like an utter coward not saying the word. Damn it, he was getting too invested already. He should have stayed home this morning. Out of her business. He certainly had enough of his own to keep him occupied. “Reoccurrence?”
    She said the word so plainly it jarred him and he nodded, the brim of his black hat bobbing up and down, his lips set in a grim line.
    â€œI’d be a liar if I said it doesn’t cross my mind. But it is not how I choose to live—waiting. Maybe that’s why this is so important to me. Life is happening now, and I don’t want to miss it.”
    It had been difficult hearing the news the first time, but even worse now, having eyes wide-open to the possibility that she might go through this again and maybe she wouldn’t win the second time around. He’d watched his father battle lung cancer, watched him in daily pain until the end, and he was pretty sure he couldn’t go through something like that again with someone he cared about.
    Then he thought about his mother, and how she’d walked out on both of them, leaving Aunt Stacy to pick up the slack. Mom had been afraid, too, but she’d run away rather than staying and fighting. For weeks, a young and trusting Clay had been certain that if he wished hard enough, believed long enough, it would all be okay. His mother would come home and his dad would be well again.
    When Meg had broken the news of her illness he’d automatically been thrown back to that horrible time. It had brought back so many feelings he’d tried to forget.He had accused her of running rather than realizing the truth—that she was trying to protect those she loved.
    But he didn’t need protecting, and there was no them . There was just a family friend looking at him right now, asking for advice, giving him a level of respect he wasn’t sure he deserved.
    â€œClay, you and Stacy kept the Gregory place going all these years. You played hard but you worked hard, too, and you’re the best rancher I know. You have always been brutally honest with me.”
    He felt his cheeks heat. He didn’t miss the “brutally” part and he knew he’d been too hard on her at times.
    â€œYou’re the one person I can trust to give me an honest opinion. So what do you think? Can I pull it off?” She looked at him hopefully.
    Clay shrugged, not wanting to burst her bubble but needing to impress upon her the challenges she’d face. “The work? You could handle that in your sleep,” he said confidently. “I have no doubts about that. But there’s more to it. Who will your clients be? Will there be enough to make the business self-sustaining? How will you pay for the expansion?” He paused before he dropped what he knew would feel like an anvil on Megan’s hopes. “What happens if you get sick again? Who’ll run it? Keep it paying for itself?”
    He saw her swallow and she turned her head away. “I am crazy then.”
    â€œNot crazy.” He reached over and grabbed her arm through her heavy coat. “I didn’t say it was a bad idea, or impossible. There’s a lot of sense in it. It’s just not an easy idea and there are things to think about before you move ahead.”
    Meg’s shoulders slumped as she turned her horse toward home. He was an idiot. He should have at leastexpressed some excitement or said something positive before raining on her parade. “At least you listened,” she said darkly as they trudged along. “Mom and Dad