Cameron's Quest Read Free Page A

busy, she
would’ve taken a break by now. Did this mean she was cutting all ties? That
they weren’t coming?
    It could be that she was considering it and
waiting until after closing to approach the girls. He smiled to himself,
relaxing back in his seat. A relieved breath stirred the air around him. That
had to be it. He’d give her a little more time to answer, even though he
desperately wanted to send another email or call and have an answer now. No way
did he want to pressure them into coming, but he hoped they would.
    Cam
stood and looked out the window. From here, he
could see acres of pastureland and hayfield, all of it Manning land. He might
have inherited his share of the ranch, but he’d worked hard to make it the
prosperous holding it had become. A momentary pang of anxiety settled in his
chest. He loved it here, but what if they didn’t? Could he give it all up to
move to
Ireland
to be near them? He averted his gaze and moved away from the window hoping it
wouldn’t come to that.
    With one last, longing glance at the silent
computer, he headed downstairs to appease his still-grumbling stomach. He
filled the kettle and turned it on for tea, then made himself a sandwich with
last night’s leftover ham, adding a big dollop of mustard for good measure.
Settled at the table, he ate and decided to head over to Luke’s place. It was
past time he checked to see what kind of shape the ranch accounts were in. Time to get back in the saddle, old boy.
    His nephew was good with the books, but the boy
hated paperwork and was a born procrastinator. He’d rather be out riding,
repairing fences, or mucking out stalls than stuck in an office all day.
Chances were the work was piling up on him by now, especially with all the
trouble they’d had on the ranch while
Cam
was
away. Stalkers, kidnapping, murders…the thought of anything like that happening
on his home turf was scary, to say the least. Still, there had been so much
snow this year, Luke couldn’t go far, especially with those boys of his in tow.
So maybe the accounts weren’t in too bad a shape.
    Cam
chuckled and rose from the table. Just wait
until he shared his news. Luke
thought his five-year-old twins were a surprise. What would they think when he
announced himself a daddy to twenty-three-year-old triplets? He rinsed out his
mug, grabbed his digital camera, and headed out. His family might be thousands
of miles away, but he had pictures. He’d have to run into town for some photo
paper and frames. He’d print off a few of his favorites to hang on the walls,
and maybe, once he could see their smiling faces, his house wouldn’t feel so
empty.
    ****
    The bistro was closed and every surface cleaned
and polished, ready for morning. Lacey slipped into her office and printed the
email from
Cam
, reading it over once again
before leaving by the back door. She turned to see her daughters, all so
lovely, waiting by the car.
    Lacey unlocked the doors. “Okay, ladies, pile
in. We have to make a quick stop at the bank to deposit today’s earnings then
we’ll head home. I have something important to share with you.”
    Rena spoke up. “What, Mama? Can’t you tell us
now?”
    Lacey quickly glanced in the rearview mirror to
smile at her daughter. “Nope. You’ll find out when we get home, but I have a
feeling you’ll be excited with what I have to share with you.” She braked to a
stop in front of the bank.
    Lynne grabbed the satchel containing the
deposit. “Come on, Abby. It’s our turn.”
    Lacey always insisted they went by twos to the
bank’s night deposit, even though it was only a few steps from the car to the
building. She didn’t want anything happening to her girls, and there was safety
in numbers. She watched as they dropped the satchel into the night deposit
hatch and returned to the car. Then she drove home.
    As they filed through the door, they tossed
their purses onto the kitchen counter and shrugged out of their jackets before
taking a seat at