The Cowboy's Girl Next Door: A BWWM Cowboy Romance Read Online Free Page A

pretty big change, I’d say.” She reached into the weather-beaten leather bag she toted and pulled out a folder. “Let’s have a talk about this offer, and then I’ll take you on the tour.”
     
    Claire grinned and pulled out her own notes and a calculator. It was definitely time to get to business.
     

Chapter Three
     
    Supper at Bar None was a quiet affair that evening, as it was most nights. Jess grilled steaks, Lacey made a potato salad, Cella put the finishing touches on a small layer cake, and Jasper did the only household tasks Lacey trusted  him with – setting  the table and opening a bottle of wine.
     
    “Guess what I heard today?” Lacey asked as she dished out the salad. Jess shrugged; he wasn’t very interested in gossip, but Lacey had to have her Moment, so he usually just let her roll with it. “Someone has made an offer on Heart’s Home!”
     
    “I met her!” Cella exclaimed, and then grew a bit quiet when all eyes at the table turned to her. “Well, at least, I think I met her,” she stammered. “When I was out with Cupcake, I met a woman, I think her name was Claire, and she was at our gate looking at the ranch. She said she’d been at Heart’s Home.” Claire paused and grinned. “Guess we’re getting a new neighbor!”
     
    Lacey’s ears perked up as Cella told her story. “A woman? What was she like? Was she alone?”
     
    “She was alone. She was nice. Drives a black car.”
     
    “And?” Lacey’s tone stretched out the word and hung it over the table.
     
    “And that’s it. She seemed OK. Oh, and she’s black.”
     
    There was a brief and slightly awkward silence at the table as each of them considered Cella’s words. Jess picked up his wineglass and proposed a toast. “To our potential new neighbor.”
     
    Smiles and the clinking of glassware followed, and the conversation resumed as Lacey shared what she’d learned about the new neighbor: that she was from Atlanta, owned a couple of thoroughbred mares, around which she was hoping to build her business, and that she’d had some high powered financial career that she was leaving. She paused in her narrative, looking directly at Jess until she was sure she had his full attention. “I also hear that she’s single.”
     
    Jess rolled his eyes at this obvious hint from his sister. “Let’s give her a little while to get settled before you try to marry her off to one of the locals, huh? Poor woman. She has no idea what she’s getting herself into.”
     
    The rest of the meal passed in speculation about the new neighbor and what changes she might make to Heart’s Home. Jasper wondered about where she’d find a stable manager, if she didn’t have one already, and he mentioned a few of the workers on Bar None who might be good for that job, if she didn’t. Cella wanted to know more about life in a big city. Lacey hoped she’d be able to learn a few things about investing. Jess was largely silent.
     
    “C’mon big brother,” Lacey prodded. “Surely you’ve got something to say about this mysterious new neighbor.”
     
    He finished the last piece of steak on his plate, washed it down with the last of his wine, and rose to bring his dishes to the kitchen. Everyone watched as he rinsed the plate and glass before placing them into the dishwasher. They continued watching as he walked over to the door to the porch and took the keys to his truck from the row of pegs near the door.
     
    “Going to check on the orchard,” he said. “Hope she likes a mixed berry pie.” With that, he left them, Lacey, slack jawed and Cella and Jasper snickering as they finished their supper.
     
    The night was warm with a slight breeze, so Jess drove to the orchards on the far end of the property with the windows rolled down, radio playing blues standards softly in the background. “A new neighbor,” he thought. “A woman is coming to Heart’s Home.” He repeated the thought in his head over and over again, until it