Cowboy's Kiss Read Free

at all, Ally added silently.
    More than the money Doug Brooks had withheld from Meggie—the money that had earned him a place on Colorado’s list of child-support evaders—what Ally could have strangled him for were the love, affection, attention and interest he had also deprived his daughter of. Instead, his efforts all seemed to go into skipping from state to state, not even practicing medicine after all those years of school and training, to avoid being made to meet any responsibilities whatsoever.
    It was awful enough to have made a rotten choice in a husband for herself, but it was absolute agony to watch her child suffer for that same rotten choice in a father. Luckily, the inheritance from Shag freed her from the financial disaster divorce and no child support had wreaked, and left her able to concentrate on making it up to Meggie. And hopefully finding a way to help her daughter forget about Doug the way he’d clearly forgotten about her.
    It was Ally’s turn to change the subject. “Hey, do you believe this place? It’s even bigger than Shag let on.”
    â€œIf Daddy moved back to Denver, could we, too? So I could see him?” Meggie asked as if Ally hadn’t said a word.
    â€œThat’s one of those things we’d talk about if it ever happened.”
    â€œThat means you don’t think it will.”
    â€œI don’t think you ought to think about it. I think you ought to be thinking about this terrific house and the big-screen television downstairs and having horses and all the fun we’ll have making our new beginning.”
    â€œThat man with the mustache didn’t like us,” Meggie informed flatly, as if it might have escaped her mother’s notice.
    â€œJackson—that’s Shag’s oldest son. And he’ll get used to us.” I hope.
    â€œHe looked mean.”
    â€œNooo, not mean. He’s probably just a little gruff, like Shag was. It’ll be fine.”
    â€œShag said we should move up here, that it’d be good for me. Is that why he leaved you part of his will?”
    â€œ Left. And he didn’t leave me part of his will, he left me part of everything he owned—the will was just the paper that said it. And yes, he did it because it was good for us both.”
    â€œSo it’s okay that we’re here? Even though that mustache man might not want us in his house?”
    â€œYes, it’s okay that we’re here, because this isn’t only his house, it also belongs to us now. But if we don’t like living with the mustache man, we’ll build our own house.”
    â€œBut not where Daddy can’t find us.”
    â€œNo, not where your daddy can’t find you,” Ally assured, sighing to herself and wondering if anything would ever get Meggie’s mind off her absent father.
    She stood and smoothed away her daughter’s burnished curls to kiss her forehead. “It’s late. You need to go to sleep. You know where my room is, right?”
    â€œAcross the hall.”
    â€œIf you need anything, just holler or come in there.” Ally tapped the tip of her daughter’s small, turned-up nose. “I love you. Sleep tight.”
    â€œMom?” Meggie stopped her from leaving. “What are you gonna do here?”
    Ally smiled. “I’m not sure. Maybe I’ll open a restaurant or a catering business. Or maybe I’ll just be a mom—Shag left us enough money to live even if I don’t work.”
    â€œI’d like you to just be a mom,” Meggie said.
    â€œWell, we’ll see. But for right now, let’s concentrate on getting settled in.”
    Meggie wiggled to a comfortable spot amongst her bumper pad of dolls and stuffed animals, and finally closed her eyes. “See you in the morning.”
    â€œSee you in the morning.”
    Ally slipped out the door, closing it behind her. But she didn’t go straight across the hall to the room