to Sammy Jo and back again.
“I’ll have the T-bone and the lady wants a salad,” Cooper said.
“Ranch dressing,” Sammy Jo told the woman before she could rush away. The place wasn’t known for its congenial staff.
“Back to the Triple R,” Cooper said, settling deeper into his chair. He still wore his cowboy hat and it rested low over his eyes, making him seem half-asleep though Sammy Jo was certain he was as awake and alert as an eagle.
“You already know that I’m having some financial trouble. My father died a while back and well, you heard Matt Durning…I only have a few months left before the bank takes over.”
She felt like an idiot. Her heart was pounding so loudly she could scarcely hear herself, and what she did hear worried her. Was that really her voice, so breathy and filled with desperation?
“Three months,” Cooper said.
“Yeah, and thanks for that. Matt was getting sticky till you stepped in.”
“My pleasure.”
That nearly stopped her, but she managed, “So, I was thinking…”
“Go on,” he said when her voice faded out.
“I was thinking…” Sammy Jo didn’t know if she could go through with this. It was ridiculous to believe he would help her. Insane.
A vision of Uncle Peter’s gloating face crossed her mind. She could practically see him shaking hands with Matt Durning as they finalized a deal over the Triple R. As soon as the bank took over, she had no doubt Uncle Peter would be at Valley Federal’s front door, scooping up her ranch and enjoying the last laugh against her father.
“I was thinking maybe you could help me,” she blurted out.
Cooper Ryan’s blue eyes bored into hers. “How so?”
“You seemed—sympathetic— at the bank, and I just thought…maybe…you’d be interested in helping me out.”
“You want to sell?”
“Good God, no!” Sammy Jo gasped. “The ranch is mine. I just thought I could talk you into investing.”
“Two hundred thousand dollars?”
She shrugged unhappily. He’d heard every word in Matt’s office. “They’ve called my loan.”
“Not interested.”
His cold answer took her breath away. Sammy just stared into his dark blue eyes, totally annihilated. She’d pegged him wrong. An aborted spurt of laughter sounded behind her. She turned slightly and looked up. Ginny and Josh had made their way over from the High Noon, and were standing by their table. Ginny was laughing.
Sammy Jo’s cheeks flamed. She’d made a fool out of herself in the worst way.
“Sammy Jo, honey, not all guys are as gullible as Brent,” Ginny stated smugly.
“Mind your own business,” Sammy Jo seethed.
“You can’t always get your way just because you think the world owes it to you.”
“Did Mr. Ryan give you his advice, Sammy Jo?” Josh asked. He wasn’t laughing like Ginny, but he wasn’t helping the situation, either.
“Advice?” Sammy Jo stared bleakly at Cooper.
Cooper hesitated, shooting Josh a look so dark Sammy Jo wondered what was really going on. “I suggested you sell the place,” Cooper told her, but his gaze was sharp on Josh.
“Over my dead body.”
“I’m serious, Sammy Jo,” Cooper responded, his gaze softening.
The way he said her name made her stomach twist and her throat tighten. She didn’t like the feeling. And she didn’t like what he was saying.
But he kept on saying it, anyway. “You’ve got a big place to run there. It’s hard enough for a whole crew of ranch hands, but for one woman it’s impossible.”
All she heard was woman . Woman, as in weak, incompetent, unworthy and prone to hysteria. Oh, she’d heard it all from her father a hundred times. A thousand times.
Ginny’s smile was so big Sammy Jo could practically feel the waves of amusement emanating from it. “Do you mind?” Sammy Jo demanded of Ginny and Josh. Ginny looked as if she were planted for the next millennium, but Josh hustled her to a table out of earshot.
“I’m not selling, Mr. Ryan,” Sammy
“I’ll have the T-bone and the lady wants a salad,” Cooper said.
“Ranch dressing,” Sammy Jo told the woman before she could rush away. The place wasn’t known for its congenial staff.
“Back to the Triple R,” Cooper said, settling deeper into his chair. He still wore his cowboy hat and it rested low over his eyes, making him seem half-asleep though Sammy Jo was certain he was as awake and alert as an eagle.
“You already know that I’m having some financial trouble. My father died a while back and well, you heard Matt Durning…I only have a few months left before the bank takes over.”
She felt like an idiot. Her heart was pounding so loudly she could scarcely hear herself, and what she did hear worried her. Was that really her voice, so breathy and filled with desperation?
“Three months,” Cooper said.
“Yeah, and thanks for that. Matt was getting sticky till you stepped in.”
“My pleasure.”
That nearly stopped her, but she managed, “So, I was thinking…”
“Go on,” he said when her voice faded out.
“I was thinking…” Sammy Jo didn’t know if she could go through with this. It was ridiculous to believe he would help her. Insane.
A vision of Uncle Peter’s gloating face crossed her mind. She could practically see him shaking hands with Matt Durning as they finalized a deal over the Triple R. As soon as the bank took over, she had no doubt Uncle Peter would be at Valley Federal’s front door, scooping up her ranch and enjoying the last laugh against her father.
“I was thinking maybe you could help me,” she blurted out.
Cooper Ryan’s blue eyes bored into hers. “How so?”
“You seemed—sympathetic— at the bank, and I just thought…maybe…you’d be interested in helping me out.”
“You want to sell?”
“Good God, no!” Sammy Jo gasped. “The ranch is mine. I just thought I could talk you into investing.”
“Two hundred thousand dollars?”
She shrugged unhappily. He’d heard every word in Matt’s office. “They’ve called my loan.”
“Not interested.”
His cold answer took her breath away. Sammy just stared into his dark blue eyes, totally annihilated. She’d pegged him wrong. An aborted spurt of laughter sounded behind her. She turned slightly and looked up. Ginny and Josh had made their way over from the High Noon, and were standing by their table. Ginny was laughing.
Sammy Jo’s cheeks flamed. She’d made a fool out of herself in the worst way.
“Sammy Jo, honey, not all guys are as gullible as Brent,” Ginny stated smugly.
“Mind your own business,” Sammy Jo seethed.
“You can’t always get your way just because you think the world owes it to you.”
“Did Mr. Ryan give you his advice, Sammy Jo?” Josh asked. He wasn’t laughing like Ginny, but he wasn’t helping the situation, either.
“Advice?” Sammy Jo stared bleakly at Cooper.
Cooper hesitated, shooting Josh a look so dark Sammy Jo wondered what was really going on. “I suggested you sell the place,” Cooper told her, but his gaze was sharp on Josh.
“Over my dead body.”
“I’m serious, Sammy Jo,” Cooper responded, his gaze softening.
The way he said her name made her stomach twist and her throat tighten. She didn’t like the feeling. And she didn’t like what he was saying.
But he kept on saying it, anyway. “You’ve got a big place to run there. It’s hard enough for a whole crew of ranch hands, but for one woman it’s impossible.”
All she heard was woman . Woman, as in weak, incompetent, unworthy and prone to hysteria. Oh, she’d heard it all from her father a hundred times. A thousand times.
Ginny’s smile was so big Sammy Jo could practically feel the waves of amusement emanating from it. “Do you mind?” Sammy Jo demanded of Ginny and Josh. Ginny looked as if she were planted for the next millennium, but Josh hustled her to a table out of earshot.
“I’m not selling, Mr. Ryan,” Sammy
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