A Place Of Our Own (Contemporary Cowboy Romance) (Texas Heat series: Book 3, Jim and Maddies story) Read Online Free
inside and saw him at a table in the corner, taking delivery of the coffees he’d ordered, noting that he’d already ordered for her as well. She gave him a wave and headed over to the table.
“Hi, Red, you got here fast. It’s great to see you. And look, you remembered how I like my coffee.”
Red stood up as she greeted him.
“Course I remember, how could I forget? Now, sit yourself down and talk to me about what’s on your mind, girl, and I sure as hell hope it’s what I’m thinking it is.”
“Well, that depends on what you’re thinking, doesn’t it?” Maddie looked him squarely in the eye and then continued with what she had to say.
“The thing is, Red, I’ve made a terrible mistake about Jim. If I live to be a hundred, I’ll still love him.”
Red smiled at her. “That’s music to an old man’s ears, Maddie, and just so you know, Jim is as miserable as a hog taking a bath. You’re his girl, Maddie, and always will be. You two belong together.”
“But what can we do about it, Red? Nothing’s changed in the last two years except Jim and I being miserable. Oh, and the fact that my grandfather is digging himself deeper into an already bottomless hole by insisting on running cattle on a small holding. He can’t see how the industry has changed and can’t move with the times.”
“Well, I can see how that is a problem, but I can also understand where he’s coming from. Our families have always run cattle but the business side of things has changed, that’s for sure. That’s why I’m glad to have Andrew managing the Circle O these days. He understands the business ways of modern cattle ranching.”
“Which is why, if you don’t mind me saying, I’m expecting to hear from him real soon with a lousy offer to buy out Grandad. It’s no secret Andrew wants to absorb our place into the Circle O. Surely you know that, Red.”
“Well, I know he’s mentioned it a few times but as far as I know, there’s nothing concrete happening about it.”
“He’s just waiting until foreclosure is imminent, which will be before the end of the summer.”
“So it’s that bad, eh?” said Red quietly.
“It's worse,” answered Maddie. “With the ranch run down like it is, a low offer won’t cover all the mortgages on it and leave anything left over for Gran and Grandad to buy a place in town. They don’t want to move into town anyway. My salary from school is enough to raise a loan for a small house in town but not enough for a house for them as well.”
“So why are you telling me all this? Do you need me to loan you some money to hold the bank off for a while until you can sort it out?”
“That’s kind of you to offer, Red, but no. I’ve done some thinking this morning and I have two problems I need to come at from a different angle. I want Jim back and I want the Dupont Ranch to stay as the Dupont Ranch, not part of the Circle O. That’s what I want, Red, and I need your help to figure out how to do it.”
Red looked at Maddie and couldn’t help but admire the determination of the girl. It was clear she didn’t want a handout, but rather, a solution to a broader problem. He signaled to the waitress, who came over and he ordered more coffee and some pie to go with it.
“Maddie, the first part of what you want is easy. You go home, saddle up your horse, and ride on over to the northwest corner of the Circle O. Jim’s staying in the boundary hut there. I don’t think he’ll take too much convincing to hook up with you again. If you are both sure about your future together, I think we can come up with something to solve the other problem.”
The coffee arrived and Red was thoughtful for a few minutes, wondering how to broach the subject of the Dupont Ranch, but Maddie beat him to it.
“You know, Red, I’m not sure you fully understand how determined Andrew is to buy my grandfather’s holding. I mean
“Hi, Red, you got here fast. It’s great to see you. And look, you remembered how I like my coffee.”
Red stood up as she greeted him.
“Course I remember, how could I forget? Now, sit yourself down and talk to me about what’s on your mind, girl, and I sure as hell hope it’s what I’m thinking it is.”
“Well, that depends on what you’re thinking, doesn’t it?” Maddie looked him squarely in the eye and then continued with what she had to say.
“The thing is, Red, I’ve made a terrible mistake about Jim. If I live to be a hundred, I’ll still love him.”
Red smiled at her. “That’s music to an old man’s ears, Maddie, and just so you know, Jim is as miserable as a hog taking a bath. You’re his girl, Maddie, and always will be. You two belong together.”
“But what can we do about it, Red? Nothing’s changed in the last two years except Jim and I being miserable. Oh, and the fact that my grandfather is digging himself deeper into an already bottomless hole by insisting on running cattle on a small holding. He can’t see how the industry has changed and can’t move with the times.”
“Well, I can see how that is a problem, but I can also understand where he’s coming from. Our families have always run cattle but the business side of things has changed, that’s for sure. That’s why I’m glad to have Andrew managing the Circle O these days. He understands the business ways of modern cattle ranching.”
“Which is why, if you don’t mind me saying, I’m expecting to hear from him real soon with a lousy offer to buy out Grandad. It’s no secret Andrew wants to absorb our place into the Circle O. Surely you know that, Red.”
“Well, I know he’s mentioned it a few times but as far as I know, there’s nothing concrete happening about it.”
“He’s just waiting until foreclosure is imminent, which will be before the end of the summer.”
“So it’s that bad, eh?” said Red quietly.
“It's worse,” answered Maddie. “With the ranch run down like it is, a low offer won’t cover all the mortgages on it and leave anything left over for Gran and Grandad to buy a place in town. They don’t want to move into town anyway. My salary from school is enough to raise a loan for a small house in town but not enough for a house for them as well.”
“So why are you telling me all this? Do you need me to loan you some money to hold the bank off for a while until you can sort it out?”
“That’s kind of you to offer, Red, but no. I’ve done some thinking this morning and I have two problems I need to come at from a different angle. I want Jim back and I want the Dupont Ranch to stay as the Dupont Ranch, not part of the Circle O. That’s what I want, Red, and I need your help to figure out how to do it.”
Red looked at Maddie and couldn’t help but admire the determination of the girl. It was clear she didn’t want a handout, but rather, a solution to a broader problem. He signaled to the waitress, who came over and he ordered more coffee and some pie to go with it.
“Maddie, the first part of what you want is easy. You go home, saddle up your horse, and ride on over to the northwest corner of the Circle O. Jim’s staying in the boundary hut there. I don’t think he’ll take too much convincing to hook up with you again. If you are both sure about your future together, I think we can come up with something to solve the other problem.”
The coffee arrived and Red was thoughtful for a few minutes, wondering how to broach the subject of the Dupont Ranch, but Maddie beat him to it.
“You know, Red, I’m not sure you fully understand how determined Andrew is to buy my grandfather’s holding. I mean
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