When Dreams Collide Read Online Free PDF Page B

I’d like to start the paperwork to see if I qualify for a mortgage, just in case.”
    “Sure I can take an application and go from there. You mentioned an inheritance check?”
    “Dad died a few years ago, and Ma passed recently. The lawyers informed me that I’d be receiving a substantial inheritance, in cash. I haven’t a clue what ‘a substantial inheritance’ translates into moneywise, but I’m hoping for another hundred thousand, maybe two.”
    “My sympathies to you. Losing your mother would be difficult, even for a grown son.”
    “Thank you,” he whispered, not meeting her eyes.
    “So you expect a hundred thousand dollars,” she said, all business again.
    “Well, I don’t rightly know what to expect.” Dusty shrugged his shoulders, wiped his hands on his jeans. “I’m just waiting until I see the money in my hand.” He crossed his legs and grasped one of his well-used cowboy boots with his hand. Right now, those boots were the only comfortable thing in his world. “As I was her only child, she left me everything. I’m going to open an account at your branch and have all my money moved into it.  I’ll advise the lawyers of the account number in case they suggest depositing the money directly into my bank account. The attorney will be releasing the funds soon, but he’s already given me a hand-written note from Ma. She knew she didn’t have much time. The last sentence in that note read, Follow your dreams and make your mark on the world, son .”
    Dusty leaned back in his chair, took a moment to wrangle his emotions back under control. “Anyway, my inheritance should arrive any day now, and I’ve liquidated my invested lottery win. I turned thirty-eight this year, and it is damn time I follow Ma’s advice and pursue my dream. I’ve got to admit, I’ve always been jealous of Jeremy and his bucking horse operation. I cannot ride herd over those smelly Branigan cattle one more year, or I’ll eat my saddle.”
    “Cattle aren’t so bad, are they?” Susan frowned. “Lots of cattle ranches in the country.”
    Dusty scoffed. “You probably think you milk a cow by pumping its tail up and down.”
    “Of course, and everybody knows chocolate milk comes from the brown cows and white milk from the white cows, right?” She laughed, shook her head, and then met his eyes. “Okay, with cattle prices the way they are, you’re probably wise. No cattle, just horses. You should have sufficient down payment to buy you a nice ranch with the balance mortgaged. If you can qualify. So, other than arranging the mortgage, is there anything else I can do to help?”
    “Actually, there is. You know the Helena area. I require a reputable and knowledgeable realtor to lead me to the ideal property.” Dusty scratched his head. “And then I need to find contractors and trades people for renovations, suppliers for feed and equipment, potential employees...”
    Susan laughed. “Okay, one step at a time. Have you prepared a business plan?”
    “Actually, I’m collaborating on one with a buddy I met online. He was a director of a multi-million dollar corporation. Recently retired, underfoot all day driving his wife nuts. She volunteers with a local horse rescue outfit, and she insisted he help me for free just to keep him out of her hair. I intend to offer my facility as a temporary shelter for her rescue horses if other facilities are maxed out for space.”
    “The contacts people make on the internet these days boggles the mind.” Susan shook her head. “I admit I thought you were just a good-looking ranch foreman, probably with no particular ambition. But I’m convinced you know what you want, you know what’s required, and you’re willing to work hard to make it happen. So, let’s start the paperwork to qualify you for a mortgage.”
    “Holy, hot, damn! Can you recommend an honest realtor? Someone who can locate the ideal property with a house, a couple of barns and corrals? Of course, I can build