“It’s about last night.”Emmy Lou cradled her mug of coffee.“But not what you think.We’re not kids, and we won’t ask for your permission.If our behavior isn’t to your liking, then we’ll hire on somewhere else, right, Fred?”
Fred stared at her.“You’d leave this place on account of me?”
“Amazing, isn’t it?”Emmy Lou grinned.“Don’t let it go to your head.”
“I just never thought...”He shook his head, a smile lifting the corners of his gray mustache.
“We were going to broach another subject, weren’t we, Fred?’Emmy Lou prompted.
“Yeah.”Fred hunkered over his coffee.“Yeah, we were.Jo, you know we didn’t think much of Dick.”
Emmy Lou cleared her throat.“Except to imagine him swinging by his?—”
“Em” Fred sent her a look of warning.
“I’ll bet Jo’s thought of that, too,” Emmy Lou said a touch defensively.
“I have.”
“Anyway,” Fred continued, “we think you should hang on to this one.”
“This one?”
“The greenhorn,” Fred said.“He has heart, Jo.More’n Dick ever dreamed of.I know he can’t ride a lick or rope worth a damn, but he’s got guts, and that’s what counts.We could teach him — at least, I think we could.He’s not real talented, but he’s determined.And I have to say I was impressed because he had sense enough to… uh, use protection last night.”Fred gulped his coffee and choked.
Emmy Lou pounded on Fred’s back while Jo sat there getting very red and wondering how Fred could possibly know such an intimate thing.Surely Quinn hadn’t left evidence lying around.
Once Fred calmed down, Emmy Lou glanced at Jo.“Quinn borrowed from Fred’s supply,” she said gently.“Fred noticed because he was down to four, and two were missing.”
“Oh, my God.”Jo buried her face in her hands.“I can’t believe I’m having this discussion with you two.”
Fred still sounded a little wheezy, but he seemed to want to get his message across.“It ain’t always easy to talk about.But Emmy Lou and me saw you make one mistake by takin’ up with Dick, and we don’t want to see you make another one by lettin’ the greenhorn go.”
Tears pushed at the back of Jo’s eyes.“That’s the sweetest, most considerate and wonderfully protective attitude, and I thank you both.But there’s a tiny problem.Quinn doesn’t want to live here and be a cowboy.”
Fred looked astonished.“Why not?”
“Because he’s a New York investment banker.He chose that, the same way you chose to work on ranches.He wouldn’t mind coming to see me once in a while, but he’s not interested in moving to the Bar None.”
“He said that?”Fred scratched his head, still not comprehending.
“Not in those words, but it’s very obvious.I think it’s a bit too primitive for him.”
“What’s primitive?”Quinn asked from the doorway.
Jo glanced up and couldn’t seem to remember what she’d been saying.He looked tired, but still gorgeous.Despite everything she’d told herself, she wanted to walk straight into his arms.
Fred stood.“I got business at the barn.Sherry’ll be here soon.”
“And I have to check on something in my garden,” Emmy Lou said, leaving the table on Fred’s heels.“There’s coffee and toast and a few hash browns left.I’m sure Jo could scramble you some eggs.”She hurried out of the room.
Quinn glanced after them as the front door closed.“I sure know how to clear a room.”
“I need to get going, too.”She pushed back her chair.
“Before you do, I have something to talk to you about.”
“What?”Her heart began to pound.Maybe he wanted to make some sacrifices so they could be together.She couldn’t imagine how it would work, but then she didn’t know exactly what investment bankers did.Maybe he could investment bank in Bozeman.
