Page 10 of Headstrong Cowboy
The sun waspeeking through the clouds as Chrissy made her way down to the farm’s workshop/office.There was a mountain of paperwork to complete to apply for a business loan and to redeem the money she had invested.
So far, her mom hadn’t said anything more about selling, but Chrissy knew it was still on her mind.She and Sunny had talked a little about it, but with winter coming, Sunny was busy with getting the beds of roses ready for the coming dormant season, along with all the other work that came with producing flowers.
She made a mental note to make more of an effort to help Sunny with the day-to-day running of the farm, even though most of her time was taken up with sorting through the mess Dad had made of the accounts.She also made another one to bring Tilly up to speed.It wasn’t fair to keep her in the dark.
Would it be easier to sell the farm?
Probably.
It would definitely get rid of the all the financial issues they were facing.
Selling, though, wouldn’t allow Sunny to continue to do what she loved.No longer having the farm meant her sister wouldn’t be able to work on developing new flower varieties, something she loved to do.Chrissy wasn’t prepared to let that happen.Sunny should be able to follow her dreams.
What about your dreams?
Chrissy ignored the voice in her head.Her dreams were long gone now.As much as she loved hearing Riley say that the times she’d put in with Ranger were enough to win competitions, her days of being a rodeo star were over.Besides, now that she was older, the wanderlust of going on the circuit wasn’t as vibrant within her as it had been when she’d been younger.
A smile stretched her lips as she thought about Ranger.He was a beautiful horse and if she had the money, and Riley was willing to sell, she would’ve bought him.Her times on Stella had been good, but not as good as what she’d achieved on Ranger.In the end, both she and Riley had agreed that Ranger was the horse for her to use.What she’d achieved on the back of the horse gave her the confidence that she had a good chance of winning the barrel racing event at the Copper Mountain Rodeo.Of course it was no guarantee, but she had to believe that she stood as good a chance as the next competitor.She would be heading back to Riley’s ranch later in the afternoon to get some more practice in.One good session didn’t make a champion.
A hint of nervous excitement flitted to life in her belly at the thought of going back out to the ranch.
Would Ryder be there?
Chrissy sat at her desk and instead of looking at the papers in front of her, she swiveled her chair and stared out the window at the trees blowing softly in the breeze.
She hadn’t believed it when she’d looked up and found the man from the chocolate shop standing next to a gorgeous black stallion.He looked every inch the quintessential cowboy.Mysterious and delicious all at the same time.His voice was low and gruff, and when they’d shaken hands, her whole body lit up, just like it had when he’d grabbed her in the chocolate shop when he’d knocked into her.
She’d brushed off Riley’s questions after Ryder walked away, but she’d wanted to follow him and talk to him for a bit longer.
A year after marrying Beau, Chrissy realized she’d made a mistake.She loved Beau, but not in the forever type of way.But she’d been determined to make it work.Once committed, the Bloom family didn’t give up quickly.Fortunately, Beau had come to the same realization and, for a few years, they’d been more roommates than husband and wife.In the end, they’d decided the best thing would be to divorce.Chrissy never expected him to die suddenly after it was all finalized.She’d expected that they would continue to be friends until they were both gray and wrinkled.
Her phone buzzed, pulling her away from the past and back to the present.She glanced at the screen, frowning when she didn’t recognize the number.“Hello?”she said tentatively, then hated herself for her timidness.Chrissy Bloom was not timid.
“Am I speaking to Chrysanthemum Bloom?”A deep male voice echoed in her ear.A voice she didn’t recognize.
“Yes.Who am I speaking to?”Her voice sounded much stronger than it had when she’d answered the call.
“My name is Bryant Castle.I’m with First National Investments.I’m ringing to discuss your request to redeem your investment early.”
Chrissy clenched the phone a little tighter, fearing that what he was about to say wasn’t going to be good.No, she wouldn’t borrow trouble until she had to, which, hopefully, wouldn’t be today.“I’m working on the paperwork.I should be ready to email it to you later today.”
“That’s why I’m calling you.Upon looking further into the terms of your investment, the penalties for early withdrawal are more than you were initially quoted.The person you spoke to thought you had a different investment product, where the costs for withdrawing before the time period ended were less severe.”
This can’t be happening.
“How much are we talking?I’m assuming it would be most of the increase in value that I’ve received over the last year.”As much as that extra money would be handy, the base amount she’d received from Beau’s life insurance policy was still a reasonable amount.
“I wish it was only the interest, but with other penalty fees you’ll incur, you’d be looking at a loss of around ten thousand off the principal amount.”
“Ten thousand!That’s ridiculous.”
“I’m sorry.I’m not sure why you were put into this product.It’s not one I would recommend to customers, as I know things in life change and sometimes you need access to the money urgently.”
Could she take that hit?
She’d been counting on that money.At least that was guaranteed, unlike her winning the rodeo.Pressure built into a steady thump at the base of her skull.If she didn’t win any money at the rodeo, the loss of the ten thousand would hit even harder.It seemed that it didn’t matter what she did, the chances of her saving the farm were getting slimmer and slimmer.
“Are you still there?”Bryant asked.
