Page 108 of The Cowgirl's Secret Love
Alan grinned as he reached into his pocket. “Good thing I came prepared.”
He held another white envelope toward Karen
She eyed it as if it were a snake. “Do I even want to know? Dead or not, this mentor of yours seems to enjoy meddling in people’s lives.”
“It’ll be okay. Take the envelope.” The reassurance came from Zach. All trace of his grin was gone, just a big-brotherly concern and comfort offered as he tilted his head toward the letter. “If it’s something terrible, Finn’s got your back. Which means I’ve got your back as well. Just like you had ours.”
He really was the best friend a man could have.
Finn waited in silence as Karen turned her gaze on him. Her mouth quirked. “Never a dull moment, buttercup.”
Her smile lasted until she unfolded the message and a slim slip of paper floated toward the floor. She caught it in midair and glanced at the face.
She froze, shock painting her features.
She blinked.
A second later she grabbed for the letter and lifted it, reading rapidly.
The three men sat in silence. Finn wasn’t sure if this would be the start of something wonderful or if she would grab her shotgun and use it on Alan.
Karen shook her head. “This doesn’t happen to people.”
“I assure you, Ms. Coleman, it’s real,” Alan said. “Do you have any questions?”
“Give me a minute.” She poked the letter at Finn. “What the hell?”
Bruce’s familiar script covered the page, the sight hitting Finn hard.
The message hit harder.
Sadly, I’m unable to greet you in person. I know you’re an amazing woman, though, because Finn would never get involved with anyone who wasn’t as smart, talented, and driven as himself.
Which isn’t always a good thing. That driven part. It means priorities sometimes get blurred. A good partner in a man’s life encourages him to take time to appreciate what’s important.
That doesn’t mean you get to ignoreyourdreams while convincing the stubborn ass to smell the roses. So this is yours. No guidelines, no expectations. If you leave tomorrow, this is still yours. Ironclad and irrevocable—Alan will make sure of that.
But I hope that you’ll stay, not only for Finn’s sake but your own. He’s a good man. I want the best for him, and since he picked you as a partner, that’s all the recommendation I need.
Welcome to the family,
Bruce
Finn barely finished reading when she laid the cheque across the letter.
He counted zeroes to make sure he wasn’t mistaken. That was a hell of a big number.
Karen’s breathing was slightly out of kilter. “What’s going on?”
It was impossible to sit two feet away from her when all he wanted was her in his arms. Finn gave in to temptation and scooped her back onto his lap, ignoring Zach’s chuckle and Alan’s outright laugh.
The fact she didn’t fight him said more about how unsettled she was than anything.
Finn stroked a hand up her back, petting and soothing even as happiness warmed inside him. His mentor’s blessing was a powerful thing, even postscript as it was.
He hurried to answer her question. “What’s going on is that it appears you have joined the ranks of Bruce’s select protégés. That comes with financial blessings. Congrats.”
She lifted a shaky finger to point at the cheque Zach was now examining. “That’s for a million dollars, Finn. I can’t take that. That’s…impossible.”
