Read The Cowboys Heart 1 for Free Online Page B

so it was nice to be able to do that
again. As soon as the bus pulled away, I began to prepare breakfast.
    “Morning, Miss Heather.” Richard entered and tipped his head
in greeting.
    “Hi, Richard.” I tossed a smile at him over my shoulder and
turned back to the frying bacon. “Breakfast is almost ready. Have a seat.”
    “Smells delicious,” Hudson said, stepping out from behind
Richard.
    I momentarily froze, the sound of his voice paralyzing me,
warming me from the inside out. “Hello,” I said, my voice giving out slightly.
“Uh, I’m almost finished with breakfast. So, have a seat.” It was hard to
concentrate on not burning the eggs when I knew Hudson was watching me. His
gaze was like a warm, loving caress on my back.
    “Oh,” I said suddenly, turning to face them. “I’m sorry.
Richard, this is Hudson Lyle. Hudson, this is my new ranch supervisor,
Richard.”
    The two men exchanged handshakes and pleasantries as I put
the finishing touches on breakfast. I brought each of them a plate, and made
myself a smaller one. “There’s some orange juice in the fridge, or I have
freshly brewed coffee.”
    “Coffee,” they both said simultaneously. I laughed and
poured three mugs of coffee. Then I sat and dug into my food.
    “So, did you two ever meet before?” I asked looking back and
forth between them. Hudson gave me an odd look, so I added, “I mean, with
Richard having worked on the ranch for so long and with Hudson having done
business with my grandmother before…”
    “No, I didn’t really come over here all that much,” Hudson
said, chewing on a piece of bacon. “Most of my interactions with Noreen were in
town when we’d meet in passing.”
    “Oh. Well, Richard… Hudson here as graciously offered to
help me learn the ropes a little better and get the ranch back in a smooth
working order. I figured the three of us could work together this morning on
all the lists and duties.”
    “Whatever you like, Miss Heather.”
    I sighed. Richard was an older gentleman, nice, but the
constant “Miss Heather” was getting on my nerves. I knew it was a sign of
respect, but it drove me nuts. “Okay then.” I gathered up the dirty dishes and
placed them in the sink then returned to the table with a notebook and a pen.
    “The best place to start is probably with a list of repairs
that need to be made,” Hudson said. “During my ride over here yesterday, I noticed
a few things. That whole in the fence for starters.” He winked at me, and I
quickly looked away, afraid Richard would see how smitten I was with Hudson.
Not that I had anything to be embarrassed about, but I didn’t need my ranch
hands thinking I was a sap or something. “That barn door.”
    Richard nodded in agreement. “The horse stable needs a new
roof. It’s holding up for now, but the first bad storm we get and it’ll be torn
off like a wet Band-Aid.”
    I sighed and wrote the items on the pad of paper. “Any idea
who can fix these issues and how much it will cost?” There wasn’t much money
left in the ranch’s maintenance account, and I’d spent all of my personal
savings on travel expenses for the funeral and then the move here.
    “I can fix them,” Hudson said, tapping his fingers on the
table.
    I stared at him. “You can?”
    He nodded. “Yes. I’ll start with the fence so you don’t lose
anymore animals.” He chuckled, giving me a playful smile. “I believe I’ve got
some spare fencing back at my place I don’t need. And the barn door just needs
some new hinges. The stable roof will need a bit more, but I think between my
guys and your ranch hands, we should be able to get it done this weekend.”
Hudson looked to Richard, who was smiling and nodding.
    “Wow. Thanks.” I was a bit overwhelmed by the amount of help
and generosity Hudson was giving me. I was a stranger to him, yet he was going
out of his way to help me, help keep this ranch functional. “Okay, so, let me
know what you’ll need for the