4Ever N MyHeart

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER NINE

A wicked smile curled Kyle’s lips when he saw that Lorena’s truck was gone from the yard. He tapped on the back door. When no one responded he entered through the mudroom and made his way to the kitchen. The coffee in the pot was still warm. Pouring himself a mug, he stepped onto the front porch and fired up a cigarette. He hated that Lori wouldn't allow him to smoke in the house.

He stared across the yard with a smirk. Major changes were going to go down after he wooed her into marriage and getting rid of Becka was first and foremost. The woman was too smart. If he wasn’t careful she would be onto his game with a blink of an eye.

The snow crunched under his feet as he ground the cigarette butt beneath his boots and strolled to the barn. He’d sell the God-damned horses, too. He hated shoveling horse shit! He only did it to win Lori's approval.

Picking his way from stall to stall, he envisioned how he could convert the building into a sizeable duplex that would draw a suitable income–one that did not require work.

He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and called out, “Lori, you up there?” When there was no reply, he shouted again.

The boards creaked as he climbed the steps to her office. The computer was on. Goldfish swam across the screen of the monitor. He clicked the mouse and searched through the folders, stopping when he reached the one that was titled Blue Sky Ranch. He scrolled down the list and read aloud.

“Assets, Boarders, Clients, Credit Cards, Electric, Employees, Feed, Fencing, Ferrier, Foaling Reports, Feed, Hay, Income, Medications, Miscellaneous Supplies… Damn, she sure is organized, I'll give her that.

“Monthly Expenses, Mowing, Pasture Maintenance, Payroll, Pedigrees, Property Taxes, Repairs, Shavings, Straw, Teasing Schedule, Telephone, Transportation Expenses, Yearly Income Taxes, Veterinary…”

He clicked on the payroll file. “Well, I'll be damned!”

Tires skidded to a stop in the driveway. “Shit!” Kyle closed the program and reached the bottom of the stairs just as Ryan was entering the barn. Firing the kid was another undertaking that he’d relish when the Blue Sky Ranch was his.

*  *  *  *  *

Sky steered into the gas station, shivering as he topped off the tank. The temperature was dropping–too cold to sleep in his truck another night. With a little luck, he could be in Bozeman in a couple of hours. From there, it would be no more than a ninety minute drive to West Yellowstone. Weather permitting he could reach the cabin before nightfall. He glanced across the highway to the neon sign flashing in the diner window.  Coffee and a sandwich would hold him until he reached West Yellowstone.

He took a seat at the counter. A saucy waitress winked and crossed the floor, her blond lashes fluttering against her blue eyes, her braless nipples straining against her low-cut sweater, her hand sliding from her bare throat to the milky flesh of her cleavage.

“What can I get for you, sugar?”

Sky glanced down at the menu and considered his budget. “A cup of coffee and a grilled cheese on rye.”

“You bet,” she smiled. She wet her tongue, rolled it a full circle around her lips, and waited, expectantly. “Anything else, sweetheart?”

“Extra cream.”

The blond curled her lips into a pout when Sky’s eyes shifted to the window. Pulling a cup from the shelf, she filled it three quarters full with steaming coffee, topped it off with cream and slid it across the counter.