The Cowbear's Curvy Valentine (Curvy Bear Ranch 5) by Liv Brywood

he challenged.
    “Why are you being so adamant?” she asked.
    “Honestly? Because you weren’t meant to be a lawyer. You were meant to be an artist.”
    “Are you saying I wasn’t good enough to win that case?” she asked as her hackles rose.
    “Not at all,” he said. “I hardly know you, but from what I do know, you don’t seem to like your job.”
    “They fired me.”
    “Because you lost the case?”
    “Yep,” she said.
    “Did you lose a lot of cases?” he asked.
    “This was the first one.”
    “Then it seems discriminatory that they fired you because of one case.”
    “Probably, but I don’t want to think about any of that right now.” A dull throb began in the back of her head. It sent vise-like tendrils of pain around her neck. Dammit, not another tension headache. “I think I need to stay out of the sun for a bit. I’ll have to finish the painting later.”
    “Okay, but when you’re done, I want it. I really do think you’re gifted and that your work should be on display,” he said.
    “When I’m done with it, I’ll make sure that you get it.” She forced an indulgent smile. It was enough to put a satisfied grin on his face.
    Artist? Pfft . She wasn’t an artist. More like a dabbler who’d only dabbled on two paintings in her life. She couldn’t figure out what Cody saw that she wasn’t seeing. But she had a feeling that he’d never leave her alone until he got his way. It didn’t matter to her. Even if the gallery owner did agree to display it, it wouldn’t change anything. At the end of the week, she’d still have to return to her life in Texas and find a way to piece it back together.
     

 
    Chapter 5
     
    The next day, Abby stood on the back porch with a steaming mug of coffee. She’d been more than willing to brave the early morning chill in order to watch the sunrise. Even though an hour had passed since the sun had crested the mountains, she hadn’t felt the urge to go back inside.
    The sliding door squeaked as it opened. An older woman with closely cropped gray hair strolled onto the porch.
    “Mind if I join you?” she asked as she closed the door.
    “Not at all. I’m Abby.”
    “Vicki. My daughter is Carol.”
    “Married to… um… was it Hank?” Abby asked.
    “You got it.”
    “There are so many brothers. I don’t know how you keep them all straight.”
    “If they were twins, I’d be in trouble, but they’re different enough that I can tell them apart,” Vicki said. “What are you doing out here? It’s ten degrees.”
    “I like the fresh air. We have so much smog in Dallas that it irritates my lungs in the summer,” Abby said.
    “I went to New York once,” Vicki said. “The place was as close to hell on earth as I’ll ever get. I’m happy living up here amongst the trees where the air is as clean as a mountain spring.”
    “What are you doing up so early?” Abby asked.
    “Penance.”
    “For what?”
    “I’ve made some big mistakes in my life. I’m trying to make things right now, but it’s hard,” Vicki said. “I used to be a drug addict. I’m clean now, but not a day goes by that I don’t struggle with it.”
    Stunned, Abby wasn’t sure what to say.
    “Don’t feel like you have to fill up the air with platitudes,” Vicki said with a half-smile. “I’m done with liars. I only want the honest-to-God truth in my life now. These days, I tell everyone exactly what I think. No point in holding it in. All that does is make a mess of things.”
    “I know what you mean. I wish I could be more truthful with other people.” Abby wasn’t sure why she was confessing something so personal to a complete stranger. But Vicki sounded like she’d suffered through some terrible things in her life. Abby respected her ability to speak her mind.
    “Who do you want to be more truthful with?” Vicki asked.
    “My parents.”
    “Parents don’t always know what’s right for us. My daddy used to beat me. He taught me that women were put on this