5
"So, you left town after high school?"
Cord swallowed a groan. Apparently, Molly couldn't handle silence, because they'd barely made it out of the driveway before she asked the question.
She was still wrapped in that stupid jean jacket, but at least she'd pulled a toboggan hat down over her ears. Her feet were extended all the way under the dash, soaking up what the heater was blowing out.
He grunted.
He didn't owe her anything, not even an answer. He was still reeling after taking a call from the bank manager in town, who'd informed him that Mackie had been almost six months delinquent on the ranch's mortgage.
He felt so stupid. He'd spent three days cataloging everything that needed to be fixed on the ranch. He hadn't even looked at the pile of junk mail that had taken up the kitchen table.
What other unpleasant surprises was he going to find when he started going through the mail?
He'd thought spending a couple of weeks doing repairs on the ranch was going to reward him with a profit, one he could sink into his business.
He knew West had a nice nest egg in his bank account. He was stationed overseas and didn't have an apartment stateside. Whereas Cord had scrounged for years to start his own business.
He could ask his brother for a loan.
Except for the pride burning bright and hot in his chest. No way. He wasn’t calling West. He would take care of the No Name himself.
If he wasn't able to make a profit on Mackie's place, was he wasting his time?
He didn't know, and right now, he needed to get rid of his unexpected houseguest.
Who was staring out the window pensively. "All I wanted was to go away to college, but now I can't remember why. Look at how pretty it is, everything covered in ice."
Since he was rolling to a stop at an empty intersection, he let his gaze wander out her window to the ice-covered vista. The barbed-wire fence was forming little icicles. Scrub oaks in the distance were rattling icy branches, and a green cedar's branches were drooping from the weight.
It would've been beautiful if they weren't out in it.
He went back to her last statement. He'd pegged her at eighteen. "How old are you, anyway?"
A pause. "Twenty-one."
Not as young as he'd thought. He still had seven years on her, but the difference wasn't insurmountable.
And those kind of thoughts weren't helpful.
"Where'd you grow up?" he asked.
The pause this time was even longer. "On a ranch like the No Name. Bigger."
"Nearby?"
She only shook her head, now with pinched lips. She kept her face averted, looking out the passenger window. And then, as if she'd steeled herself, she turned to him. "What'd you do after high school? College? Let me guess, you were a football player? We're in Texas, after all."
The hit was sharp and deep. It made his voice sharp when he answered. "I didn't go to college."
He'd lost his scholarship because of the accident. When Mackie had insisted he get out of her house, he'd had no money for an apartment, much less tuition.
"I started working construction for a company that did home renos. I have my own company now."
Saying the words filled him with a pride that never got old. He'd made something of himself even after Mackie had doubted him. After the mess he'd made of his life.
"Are you going to keep doing that?"
