Megan's Hero (The Callahans of Texas Book #3): A Novel by Sharon Gillenwater

searching.” Will stretched his legs out in front of him. “Should we look for a computer too?”
    “No, I finally sold it two months ago to help pay the rent. It was a great laptop, but old enough that I didn’t get a whole lot for it. Still, it kept me in the apartment for another month.”
    “In Austin?” When she raised an eyebrow, he shrugged one shoulder. “You gave the clerk an Austin post office box for your address, so I’m assuming you lived there.”
    “I did.”
    When she didn’t volunteer any more info, Will asked gently, “Have I gone to meddlin’?”
    She hesitated, looked away, and shook her head. “Not really. You deserve to know something about the person you’ve so generously helped. I’ve lived in Austin since I was sixteen. For the past four years, I worked in a real estate office. First as an assistant, then as an agent. I was doing okay before I got pregnant. I hadn’t sold anything in three months, but that’s not all that unusual. Sometimes you’ll have several months with sales, then a lull.
    “I had four listings, so I was spending money on advertising as well as the normal monthly expenses, including desk space, with nothing coming in. I’d started dipping into my savings last fall, even before I got pregnant and couldn’t work.” She smoothed the edge of the sheet over the top of the blanket.
    “After I got so sick, I had to turn my listings over to another agent, which cut down on the money going out. None of them sold, so I didn’t get any referral payments either. The listings expired, and the owners didn’t renew for various reasons. Two months ago, the office sold to another company that had its own group of agents. By the time I felt well enough to go back to work, there was no place to go.”
    “Couldn’t you move to another office?”
    “Yes, technically. I don’t have to renew my license until October. But I didn’t have the money to cover the expenses. Even without listings, you have to pay for a cell phone, internet at home, multiple listing services, and general office supplies. There is also the desk cost, your share of what it takes to run the company. Most places take a portion from each sale, but some require the money each month whether or not you have any sales. All my clients have moved to other agents, so I’d be starting pretty much at square one.
    “So now I’m looking for something that requires some computer skills—or a waitress position. Those are the two things I’m qualified to do.”
    “Waiting tables would be too hard on you.” He meant it in a concerned way, but somehow it sounded dismissive. She glanced at him sharply. “Sorry. I wasn’t being critical. It just seems like carrying heavy food trays and being on your feet all day would be tough. Where were you headed?”
    Again, she paused before meeting his gaze. “Originally I was thinking Lubbock, then decided Abilene might be better. If I don’t find any work there, I’ll go on to Dallas or Fort Worth.”
    “My mom is in Abilene for the day, but she wants you to stay at the ranch for a while.”
    “That’s very kind of her, but I don’t want to impose.”
    A nice polite phrase if he’d ever heard one. Where was she going to go? Did she plan to hitchhike and see where she wound up? He could tell her where she’d wind up—in trouble.
    Gently, brother. Remembering Chance’s admonition, Will drew in a deep, steadying breath. Stubborn woman. Did he have to be the bad guy and remind her that she couldn’t camp in her van anymore?
    “Do you have someplace else to go?” He was proud that he’d kept his tone casual.
    “Not really. Is there a homeless shelter in Callahan Crossing?”
    “No. We had one set up at the church for a while last year after the fire, but it’s been closed for a long time.” Not that he’d let her stay there even if it was open. That gave him pause. Why was he being so possessive of this woman? “My mom likes to have guests at the