A Cowboy of Convenience by Stacy Henrie

Author:Stacy Henrie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2018-03-09T16:15:02+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Humming to herself, Vienna plucked up another weed and tossed it onto her nearby pile. She loved the feel of the sunshine on her back, her hands covered with the rich scent of earth. Dozens of shoots and stalks had already made their way up through the dirt, and she had clusters of flowers to grace the kitchen table.

She could hardly believe it was already August. The man from the bank had declared the HC Bar in topnotch shape, so she and West had returned to Sheridan to sign the bank papers, making their loan official. With the money, they’d purchased a milk cow, a small herd of beef cattle and the materials to build a guesthouse.

In the far corner of the garden, Hattie was spooning dirt and bits of weeds into a cracked bowl Vienna had given her to play with. Her daughter’s doll and toy pony dutifully waited close by for their “supper.”

“That’s all of the weeding for today,” Vienna announced. She stood and wiped her hands on her apron, her gaze moving past the barn to the nearly completed guesthouse. “Should we see if Mr.—” she amended her words before Hattie could protest “—I mean, Daddy West needs a drink of water?”

Her daughter hopped up, her make-believe meal forgotten in the excitement about seeing West. Not that Vienna could blame her. She, too, enjoyed any opportunity to see and speak with him. But most especially, she loved their time in the parlor each evening, after Hattie had gone to bed. Then they would talk about the day and exchange stories they hadn’t yet shared with each other. There was always much laughter, thoughtful conversation and a collective sense of contentment during those nightly talks that Vienna hadn’t experienced since her parents had been alive.

After filling a bucket at the pump, she carried the water and a ladle toward the guesthouse, Hattie skipping along beside her. Vienna could see that West was working on the roof today. They’d agreed to hire a man from town to assist in building the four-bedroom structure, but West had done a good portion of the work himself.

“West?” she called up to him when they reached the ladder propped up against the house.

A moment later his head appeared above the roofline.

“Daddy West, are you thirsty?” Hattie asked.

He grinned. “I was just thinking how nice a cool drink of water would taste right about now.”

Climbing over the edge of the roof, he scaled down the ladder. Vienna scooped up some water with the wooden ladle and passed it to him. West drank it all, then handed it back.

“Do you want some more?” She could see the perspiration that had dampened his shirt and turned his dark hair even curlier than normal beneath his hat.

“Yes, thank you.”

He drank a second ladleful and then another before taking off his hat and dumping a fourth over his head. Hattie snickered behind her hand.

“Oh, you think that’s funny, do you?” West shook his wet hair, spraying the little girl with droplets of water.

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