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Chapter 84: Therapy Session
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2022-10-20 14:18:05Related chapters
Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 85: Dear Cole
Chapter 85: Dear ColeSmiling, Dr. Hobbs laced her fingers together and leaned back in her chair. "Okay, then. Cole, Jenny has some things she'd like you to know about her time here at Mountain Haven. Jenny?"Heart pounding, Jenny exhaled heavily and reached into her pocket, extracting a rumpled sheet of notebook paper. Carefully she unfolded it, aware of Cole's keen eyes watching her carefully. She glanced down at the paper and softly cleared her throat."Dear Cole," she began."We thought it would be good for her to write her thoughts as a letter to you. That way she could remember everything she wanted to say," the therapist explained.Jenny nodded shakily. "Yeah, I wrote a letter." Avoiding Cole's eyes, she started over. "Dear Cole, I want to tell you about my time here at Mountain Haven. These six weeks have been hard and emotional and scary and fun and lonely and happy and sad." She glanced up quickly. "I know that's not a proper sentence, but I just wrote what I was
Last Updated : 2022-10-20Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 86: As Long As I Have Your Attention
Chapter 86: As Long As I Have Your Attention"Okay, folks, I'm just going to slip on out of here for a few minutes," Dr. Hobbs laughed lightly, closing the door gently behind her.Eyes closed, Jenny felt Cole's heart beating against her cheek. She inhaled his familiar masculine scent, reveling in the comfort she felt in his strong embrace."I love you, Jenny," he said again.She looked up to find him smiling down at her. Sniffing loudly and swiping at the tears on her cheeks, she took a step back. Her green eyes sparkled as she smiled back at him. "I love you, too. I just wasn't sure you could ever feel the same way, especially knowing all the bad things.""I'd have to be a fool not to love you." He quirked a mischievous eyebrow. "And my mama didn't raise any dummies." He smiled ruefully."Matter of fact, I was sort of hoping this day would go a little differently." He stepped back and gazed down at her. "But as long as I have your attention for a minute, I have a question."
Last Updated : 2022-10-20Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 87: Epilogue
Chapter 87: EpilogueA handful of dry brown leaves scuttled across the nearly empty parking lot as Cole pulled his silver pickup into a space in the small shopping plaza. Tulare County didn't really have fall like places back east did, but the gentle October breeze still picked up a few loose leaves when it could.He shifted the truck into park and buzzed down the windows before shutting off the engine. He knew he was early, but he'd waited at home for as long as he could. A dozen pink roses rested on the passenger seat. Jenny preferred wildflowers, generally speaking, but this was a special occasion.Gazing at the building across the lot, he watched the purple and white polka-dotted canvas awning ruffle with the breeze. Jenny's Cakes was emblazoned across the fabric in the white script logo she'd designed herself. Through the front glass, he briefly glimpsed her red head as she popped up from behind the huge display case. No doubt she was making sure everything was clean before
Last Updated : 2022-10-20Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 88: Hunter McFall
Chapter 88: Hunter McFallVOLUME 2: HUNTER'S PRIDE Hunter McFall squinted his hazel eyes at the dust trail on the horizon and shook his head in annoyance. He didn't have time for this. He had 1,500 head of cattle that needed moving to new pasture. Not that it made this day different from any other day. Cattle need to be rotated to fresh grazing land on a regular basis. The herd had spent the last week down on the flood plain beside the bend of Deer Creek. Today he wanted them moved into the foothills.But he had Rolly Stevens to head up moving the beeves. Rolly had been with the McFalls since before Hunter ever sat on a horse. And the younger hands listened to the old man, respected him. And if Hunter was honest with himself, he didn't mind a day off the trail too badly. Except he wasn't looking forward to this appointment. The dust trail was closer now. Hunter sighed deeply and nudged the bay beneath him, gently shifting his weight to the right. "Let's go, Cheyenne," he
Last Updated : 2022-10-20Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 89: An Intriguing Distraction From the Ordinary
Chapter 89: An Intriguing Distraction From the OrdinaryAt the door, the lawyer stopped, allowing him to open it and usher her inside. Just inside the door, he paused to hang his black felt hat on a rack beside the door. His mother had always been firm: "No hats in the house." He supposed that extended to the office as well.Hunter imagined he could see the large room from his guest's point of view as he inhaled the familiar scent of leather and wood. Behind the huge reclaimed wood desk, antique branding irons hung in a row from an old board suspended on the wall above a barn wood credenza. Opposite the desk were a pair of red leather wingback chairs. The chairs matched twin oxblood leather chesterfield couches that flanked an antique trunk-turned-coffee table in the center of the office.On the opposite end of the room from his desk sat a long wood conference table surrounded by club chairs upholstered in the same leather as the couches. Western art from his grandfather's colle
Last Updated : 2022-10-20Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 90: It's a Cattle Ranch
Chapter 90: It's a Cattle RanchWith her satchel repacked, Ms. Chastain headed toward the door. Again, Hunter followed along, enjoying the view.Outside, the lawyer glanced around, taking in the wide-open pastures and the deep-green-forested mountains beyond. "This really is a beautiful place. I can see why Slade & Howell chose it for their next resort."Hunter shrugged lightly. "I suppose. But to me, it's just home. And I'd like to keep it that way. An access road across my property is going in the wrong direction."Hands in the pockets of his Wranglers, he ambled in the direction of the barn. Ms. Chastain followed."But Mr. McFall, you have sixty thousand acres." At his surprised look, she forged ahead. "It's public record. Anyway, would 2,000 acres make such a huge difference in the grand scheme of things?"She walked past him and turned around. "Think of what you could do with the money." She took a step toward him, then looked down, her face twisting into a scowl. "O
Last Updated : 2022-10-20Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 91: Ambition
Chapter 91: AmbitionGlancing in the rearview mirror, Poppy could see the rancher still standing where she'd left him. She tightened her grip on the steering wheel and willed her pulse to slow down. Overall, she felt that her presentation had gone well. She'd remembered the talking points she'd rehearsed all the way from New York. And her technology had performed glitch-free, thank the heavens. In her black and white pencil skirt and blouse ensemble, she'd felt confident and professional.Stepping in cow shit, though. Poppy rolled her eyes. Fuck! If she could just take back that moment…He hadn't seemed too perturbed by it, or by her potty mouth, either, although she couldn't shake the notion he found her amusing. Turning out onto the highway in the direction of the town of McFall, she pondered her first impression of Hunter McFall. For some reason, she'd expected him to be older. But he hadn't been, had he? He was what, maybe early thirties, tops. And tall and fit, with b
Last Updated : 2022-10-20Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 92: The North Star
Chapter 92: The North StarJust outside the North Star Bar & Grill, Poppy hefted the strap of her leather bag higher on her shoulder and pulled the door open. Stepping inside, she scanned the room, which was about half-full on a Monday night. Customer seating was arranged in a handful of tables and booths close to the front door, and at the dark wood bar that dominated the space. Beyond the bar were a pair of pool tables, currently in use by a quartet of men who seemed to take their games seriously.A couple of tables were available, but she made her way to the far end of the bar, where no one else was seated. I just want a quick bite, she thought, then I want to sleep for a week.A female bartender with dirty-blonde hair pulled into a ponytail approached. As the woman got closer, it was clear that she was younger than she appeared."Hi, what can I get you?""Do you have a Marlborough Sauvignon blanc?"The woman blinked. "A what?""From New Zealand?" She smiled at the woman help
Last Updated : 2022-10-20
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