Cameron's Quest Read Free

he could’ve tried to find me earlier.”
    “Maybe he couldn’t. Did you ask him?”
    “No, not exactly.”
    “Why not?”
    Lacey toyed with the hem of her uniform skirt,
avoiding her daughter’s avid gaze.
    “Mama?”
    Lynne was the persistent one of the three,
always having to know the where and why of things. Once an idea or question
popped into her head, she persevered until she had an answer. Lacey sighed a
long, drawn-out sigh. “If you must know, I was too busy trying to convince him
that I didn’t care where he’d been.”
    “But you do care. All these years, you never
stopped hoping. Did you?”
    “No, Lynne, and I never ceased hurting either.
That’s why his showing up here came as such a shock. I thought he’d forgotten
all about me.”
    “Well, obviously he didn’t. He’s trying to make
amends, Mama. Can’t we meet him halfway?”
    “Put like that, it would be churlish of me to
refuse. For now, let’s get back to work. The dinner rush will be starting soon,
and we want to be ready. We’ll talk to Rena and Abby after closing tonight.
Okay?”
    “The restaurant is always ready for our customers, but all right, if that’s what you
want to do.”
    “I just need to think on it a little longer, get
used to the idea, before being bombarded with questions.”
    “Sure, Mama. I understand. See you in the
kitchen,” Lynne said on her way out the door.
    Lacey reread the email, then read it again,
finding no hint of the macho cowboy she’d come to know when he was there for a
visit.
    Lacey,
I would like you and the girls to come see the ranch. It is part of their
heritage, a different way of life, for sure, but one I hope they will embrace.
I’ve wired four tickets to the
Dublin
airport. You can leave whenever it’s convenient. I know you have the bistro to
consider. I’ve also set it up so you can return to
Ireland
whenever you wish. No
pressure, but I hope you’ll decide to come.
Cam
    Her heart pounded in her chest and heat pooled
between her legs. She hadn’t dared give in to her feelings while he was in
Ireland
,
certain that he’d leave and she’d suffer more heartbreak. Now this. A long
distance relationship didn’t have a hope in hell of succeeding, so what was the
point?
    Damn! She couldn’t quell the tide of
anticipation rising inside her.
Canada
—
Cam
’s home, his native land. She’d love to go there. He
had spoken so lovingly of Thunder Creek and its inhabitants, she felt as if she
knew them already. Imagine thousands of acres of land to explore. Would he
teach her and the girls how to ride?
    Reluctantly, she shut down the computer without
answering his message. As much as traveling to
North
America
appealed to her, she’d give it more thought. She already
knew Lynne, her firstborn, was enamored of the idea, but what about Abby and
Rena? Abby was a homebody, never venturing outside her comfort zone. Rena, her
baby, having been born last, was just the opposite. Lacey often referred to her
as a social butterfly, always wanting to spread her wings. Yes, she could
envision Rena’s excitement, but her middle child, not so much. Lacey pushed to
her feet and, with one last, longing glance at the now blank monitor, left to
begin dinner preparations.
     
     

Chapter Two
     
    His stomach grumbled in protest as
Cam
rolled over, trying to get comfortable enough for a
few more winks. Then he remembered contacting Lacey and shot out of bed,
running in sock feet to his office.
    The screen saver greeted him, signaling that he’d
forgotten to shut down the computer, but he hadn’t really forgotten. After
sending off that email to Lacey, the computer seemed like a lifeline of sorts, a
link to her and his girls that he hadn’t wanted to sever.
    With trembling hand, he moved the mouse and the
screen opened up. Yes, he had mail! He sank into his chair and pulled up the
program.
    Damn. Only business replies to his earlier
inquiries. Why hadn’t she answered? Even if the bistro was super