The Cowboy's Second Chance by Jean Oram

Author:Jean Oram [Oram, Jean]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781989359259
Publisher: Oram Productions

7

The week after Thanksgiving, Carly sat near the back of the bus heading for the high school football quarterfinals. As predicted by most of Sweetheart Creek, the Torpedoes had won last week’s Black Friday regionals game by a landslide. Carly sat across the aisle from Ryan and three rows behind. From her vantage point, he looked exhausted.

He’d been spending hours each morning before school helping with her farm plan. Then after school working on the family ranch, with his horses or with his team prepping for their next game. Despite her gratitude for his willingness to bounce ideas and brainstorm ways to bring her dreams to fruition faster, Carly had told him her farm could wait. He’d refused to listen, determined to help. But he’d been burning the candle at both ends, not even getting a good night’s rest, since he’d spent the first few nights after Thanksgiving in the stable at her ranch, worried about Blackberry. Finally convinced the horse was well, he was sleeping at home again, and Carly missed how she’d find Ryan wrapped in a straw-covered saddle blanket in the stable each morning. He’d be nestled between a hay bale and his dog, his hat pulled low, after spending the night on watch like a worried father.

She’d made a habit of coming out in the morning with a cup of coffee before inviting him in for bacon and eggs to warm up, a routine she adored.

The red roan Brant had declared not built for rodeo star status had gone to one of the special needs kids enrolled in the Sweet Meadows Ranch riding program, for less than a song. For a man eager to make money, Ryan had likely taken a large loss with that horse, and his cheerful acceptance of the situation endeared him to Carly even further. In every way Ryan proved he was different from Peter, revealing his scars and caring for others in a way her husband never had.

In the bus, Ryan looked up from the stack of homework papers he’d been marking, and stretched his neck, tipping his head from side to side. It seemed as if nearly everyone on the bus had checked in with him during the almost-two-hour ride, seeking advice, and interrupting his work.

Carly got up and moved down the narrow aisle toward the empty seat across from him. The man had to be under tremendous pressure from the community, the school, parents, players, and most of all himself, when it came to each game. She figured if nothing else, she could let him know she was here for him to lean on. But before she reached him, quarterback Blake Hernandez shot into the vacant seat. Carly ended up dropping into Blake’s seat, just behind Ryan.

“Trust your gut,” he was saying to the athlete when she leaned forward, accidentally eavesdropping.

“If it’s telling you something different from what I’m saying, trust it. Experts, family, coaches, parents—we all believe we know best. But listen to your gut and it’ll get you to the place you’re meant to be.

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