The Trouble With Cowboys Read Online Free PDF Page B

this dozens of times. You have Tommy to worry about, so you can’t drop everything at a moment’s notice and race to Albuquerque every time Mom has a health scare. But Amy can, because she has a flexible schedule. And it makes sense for me to take over Mom’s estate.”
    “How does that make sense?” Jenna asked. “I’m better at finances than you and you hate desk work.”
    Rachel wrung her hands on the steering wheel. “True, but I already run the farm.”
    “And I’ve been handling the ledgers since Dad died. Let me tell you, they’re a disaster. Maybe if someone had taken over the business side of the farm sooner, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”
    “You better watch what you’re implying, Jen. Dad wouldn’t let me near the ledgers and you know it. He went nuts when I asked to see them.”
    “What about the Amarex letter we received that threatened a lawsuit?” Jenna asked. “We need to hire an oil rights lawyer and weigh our options before they railroad us straight into bankruptcy. Since you want to run the estate, I’m assuming you’ve already looked into hiring an oil attorney?”
    “Not yet, but—”
    Jenna tsk ed. “Figures.”
    “Are you volunteering to take care of that?” Rachel’s tone was thick with condescension.
    “Yes, I am,” Jenna said. “You think you’re the only one qualified to make decisions around here?”
    Amy put her arms up in a gesture of surrender. “All right, all right, we need to take a few deep breaths and stop snapping at each other. Today’s meeting is going to be hard enough without us mad at each other. If we’re going to make this new business work, the three of us need to support each other.”
    “I’m all for that if Rachel is,” Jenna said.
    Rachel cracked her knuckles and shook out her hands. “Yeah, you’re right.”
    After a few moments of tense silence, Jenna shot Amy a sly grin. “Does that mean we can talk about Kellan Reed some more?”
    “Nice try.”
    “He’s known around these parts for supplying that sort of service, you know.”
    “Are you talking about his cattle?” Rachel asked. “Because Slipping Rock Ranch puts out some of the highest quality beef in the state.”
    Jenna poked her tongue against the inside of her cheek, as though to keep from laughing. “Hear that, Amy? Best piece of meat in New Mexico.”
    Amy had a scathing retort on the tip of her tongue, then cringed as a disgusting possibility occurred to her. “Have you”—she glanced at Rachel, who drove on, oblivious—“have you sampled the product?”
    Jenna chuckled. “Don’t worry, sis. Not my type.”
    Rachel pulled a face in surprise. “What are you talking about? You love beef. We ate steaks for dinner last night.”
    Amy blinked at Rachel and considered slapping the side of her head to see if it was as dense as it seemed.
    “Oh, yeah. What was I thinking?” Jenna said, tussling Rachel’s hair.
    Rachel snorted. “Sometimes, I have no idea.”
    The black road disappeared behind them and the minutes dragged into hours. Amy’s words to Rachel echoed in her mind and pressed heavily on her heart. There’s no turning back. She’d given up her career, sold her condo, and handed her life savings over to Rachel and Jenna as start-up money. Tough choices, sure, but not the root of her anxiety.
    This new business was Amy’s brainchild, and the consequences if she failed would be devastating. She had a sick mother, two sisters, and a four-year-old nephew counting on her. She had a farm on the line that had been in the family for fifty years. The pressure was enormous, more than enough to make her fold under its weight. Exactly like she had on Ultimate Chef Showdown. Exactly like her mother had after their father died.
    That was the problem with a precedent. Despite all her years of stress management and self-imposed rules, Amy could see the writing on the wall from miles away. Only difference about this time was that, if she sailed off the deep end, it