Page 6 of Headstrong Cowboy
Sunny looked over her shoulder at the house and then at the workshop.“Let’s take a walk.”
If it got her sister to talk, then she would follow Sunny all the way to Marietta.Chrissy pocketed her phone and stood.Together, they made their way behind the buildings and down the rows of rose bushes.There were still some blooms on them, but for the next few months, while these were pruned back and went dormant for the winter, the ones in the greenhouses would be used to supply the places they sold their flowers to.
Perhaps that was another area they could look at to increase profits—expand their distribution network.Of course, they needed the stock to do that, which would require developing their facilities.Which would require money.
Money.
Everything always went back to money.
Sunny stopped at one of the large trees on the property.A tree the Bloom sisters had gathered under on many a summer day after they’d done their chores.A tree that had initials carved into it by people they didn’t know, but who must have come to the tree in the past.
“It’s really bad, Chrissy.I don’t know how much longer we can hang on.I overhead Mom talking to someone, saying she was thinking of selling the farm, as the memories of Dad were everywhere, and it was hard for her to be around them.I don’t want her to do that at all, but I think that’s the only way we can go.At least, if we sell, the proceeds will give Mom a nice little nest egg to live off for the rest of her life.”
Sunny’s expression was stoic, her words concise and to the point, but Chrissy knew that inside, her sister was dying a slow death.If Sunny couldn’t sink her hands into soil or nurture plants, she would be a shell of the person she was.No way could Sunny do anything other than working with plants.
“What about you?What are you going to do?”Chrissy asked.
Sunny shrugged and turned her gaze away from Chrissy, but not fast enough for her to miss seeing the sheen of tears in her eyes.“I’ll find something.It’s never too late to start a new career.A new adventure.”
Her voice broke, and Chrissy put her arm around her sister.Her sweet sister, who was more comfortable around plants than she was around people.Her sister, who, from the moment she’d been able to walk, had toddled after her father and had fallen in love with the plants as much as their father.Her sister, who was prepared to give up her dreams for the sake of the family.
Not on my watch.
“I’m not going to let that happen.I’m going to find a way to fix this mess up.”
“How?I know you’re good with numbers, but even you’re not going to be able to change how they look.”
There was nothing that Sunny was saying that Chrissy hadn’t thought a lot about over the past few days, but it also fired her determination to make it work.“I’ve got a plan.”
“It better be a good one.”
“It’s not going to solve everything, but what it is going to do is give us an injection of cash to work through this tough time.”Chrissy crossed her fingers behind her back.Nothing was guaranteed.Half of the money she was hoping to be able to use wasn’t guaranteed.In fact, as much as she didn’t want to admit it, her chances of winning the barrel racing contest at the rodeo were slim.
But one thing Chrysanthemum Bloom wasn’t was a quitter.
*
Chrissy pulled toa stop out in front of Riley Telford’s family ranch.She’d phoned a half hour ago and asked if Riley had a horse she could use for the rodeo.Riley had been more than happy to help her out and had the perfect one for Chrissy.
All it had taken was another couple of calls and Chrissy was able to enter the barrel racing event at the Copper Mountain rodeo.The committee had been more than happy to have one of their homegrown talents compete in the event.Now she just had to prove that she wasn’t going to make a complete fool of herself.
A rush of excitement flowed through her as she got out of her car and the sound of a horse neighing drew her attention.She turned to her right and watched as a large bay horse ambled up to the fence.
Chrissy wandered over, her hand itching to feel the softness of the horse’s mane.When she reached the barrier, she waited for a moment, allowing the horse to get used to her presence.The horse leaned its head over the wooden railing and snorted.Chrissy laughed.“You want some attention, don’t you?Aren’t you a handsome fella?”she crooned as she held her hand out and the horse nudged it gently.Laughing, she stroked his nose, the horse nickering softly.
“He likes you.”
So lost in communing with the horse, something she hadn’t done for years, she hadn’t realized how much she missed being able to communicate so silently and naturally with a horse.The horses she’d ridden when she’d been in Buffalo had already been saddled and, after a few minutes of getting acquainted, she’d climbed up on them and did her thing.
This interaction was different because the horse in front of her hadn’t been expecting her to ride him.He’d been munching on the grass and had approached her.
“He’s a beautiful boy and he knows it.”Chrissy laughed again when he nudged her shoulder.“Is he the one you had in mind for me to use?”she asked as she turned toward Riley.
“Actually, no.I planned for you to ride Stella, but I think Ranger here might like to you to give him a try.He’s got good speed and, while he hasn’t done a lot with any particular barrel racer, he’s got good instincts.You want to give him a go?”
Chrissy stood back and studied the horse.He was tall and majestic.It was always difficult to tell how a horse would perform until she actually got them in the ring.Some horses who looked like they would be perfect for barrel racing sometimes were the horses that didn’t perform at all.“Yeah, I do.And I’ll also ride Stella as well, if that’s okay?”
As if Ranger could tell what Chrissy was saying, he tossed his head and snorted loudly in protest.“Guess he doesn’t want you to ride Stella,” Riley commented, chuckling.
