Holly's Reluctant Cowboy by Barbara McMahon

Author:Barbara McMahon
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: inspirational romance, western romance, sweet romance, cowboy romance, small town romance, clean and wholesome romance
Publisher: Barbara McMahon

Chapter Ten

Cody nodded. “Okay, let’s do it.”

“Do you want to come inside? I have to warn you it’s hot as can be inside.”

“I reckon we can sit out.”

“There’s a swing and some chairs on the front porch. I used to swing there a lot when I was a kid,” she said, stepping off the back stoop and walking around the side of the house.

Cody matched her steps. When they reached the porch he sat on one of the chairs. She chose the swing.

“So, what made you decide to go for my offer?” he asked.

“Didn’t you talk to your grandfather?”

“He said at dinner you wanted to see me. Why?”

“I thought he might have told you. I had a long discussion with the doctor today. My dad’s never going to be back the way he was. The doctor wasn’t sure if he’d ever walk without a walker. Wasn’t sure he’d be able to talk properly and sure didn’t think he’d have the stamina to run a ranch.”

He watched her closely, seeing tears form again. He hoped she wouldn’t cry. It made him feel so inept when women cried.

She took a deep breath.

“I want him to live here until he dies. He could live another forty or fifty years, and I want him to be in the home he loves.”

“Sure.”

“So that would be a stipulation.”

Cody nodded. He expect some negotiations. He’d thought about it for several days now. He wasn’t entirely sure of his own motives for wanting this. To help out Frank, of course. And Holly. To have something of his own away from his family was part of it.

“And I’d want to be here, too, helping,” she said.

He cocked his head slightly. “Help how?”

“However I can. I’m my dad’s sole heir. I’m assuming he’d leave me the ranch. I need to know how to run it.”

“I can run it.”

“Partners, remember? I want to learn.”

“It can be really hard work.”

“I know. And from some of the things you’ve said, this place needs a lot of it. I want to be part of bringing it back to being a successful working ranch.”

“I figured you’d take off for California.”

“Not going to happen.”

He wasn’t totally sure about that.

Either way, it wouldn’t matter. He’d have a stake in another ranch beside the Rocking F. It was a start.

“Okay, let’s talk terms.”

They discussed the terms of the partnership. Cody was surprised when Holly suggested they consult her father’s attorney to lay out everything in partnership papers. He’d thought he’d have to be the one to suggest that.

“How much are you planning to invest?” she asked.

“We’ll get the place appraised and I’ll put up enough to cover fifty percent.”

“Forty-nine percent,” she countered. “I want my dad to have the majority.”

He shook his head. “Fifty-fifty. Until Frank is up and around again, I’m in charge. You don’t know enough to run it and I don’t want to have to argue with you over any decision I make.”

She thought a moment. “What about if in a year my dad wants to buy one percent, giving him fifty-one percent, you go for that.

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