Her Lifeline: (A Romantic Suspense) Read Free

heard from you. As you know, I need payment for the loan I gave you. Interest on the amount is growing and if I don’t hear from you, I will be forced to take further action in acquiring payment from you. You know exactly that I mean by acquiring payment, and if you do not respond soon, I will have to take action on things we discussed in our arrangement. This does not necessarily mean monetary payment. It could mean other things that I will have to go elaborate on later if it gets to that point. I really hope it doesn’t.
    Don’t make me regret doing business with you, and I won’t make you regret not paying me back.
     
    Amelia stared down at the note as if it was written in a different language. There was no return address or name, not even a phone number. Her father must know exactly who this was and it felt as if someone had just stabbed her in the chest. How could he go get a loan without talking to her first? How much was it for? Panic set in and she tried to fight it off. Thankfully, Noah had gone out back to the barn. Now was the perfect time to confront him.
    Her pace quickened down the driveway and she took the stairs up the porch two at a time, slamming the letter down on the table beside him.
    “How was Austin, Amelia?”
    “Can you tell me what this is about?” She pointed down at the letter and flicked the TV off, trying to read his body language as his eyes scanned the note.
    His face went white and it took him a few minutes to say anything. “I didn’t want to tell you, Amelia. With the way you stress over finances, I didn’t want to add anything to your plate.”
    “Who is it? It sounds like they mean business. And a hand written note? They had to have come by the house to put it in the mailbox.”
    “It’s a guy in the city. Another rancher referred him to me.”
    Amelia snatched the note away and read it again as if the words had changed since the last time. “How serious is this, dad?”
    He raked his hand through his hair, hesitating. “Serious enough that we better give him something soon.”
    It wasn’t the answer Amelia was hoping for. She was furious and wanted to lash out at her dad, but the words wouldn’t come. All she could do was stare at him, her anger coursing through her but her mind was unable to connect everything together. What in the hell were they going to do?
    “I’m so sorry, Amelia. I thought we could turn things around with that money.”
    “Unless you suddenly become able bodied or your son comes home from living big city life, we’re gonna be stuck in the same boat we’ve been in for the past year. I’m trying my best, but it’s obviously not good enough for what this damn ranch demands. I guess we better just accept the inevitable and sell out. I can’t do this much longer.”
    Turning on her heel, she went up the stairs and slammed the door to her room, finally breaking down. Tears flowed down her face and she curled up into the fetal position, allowing it all to come out. The thought of selling the ranch killed her. She couldn’t do it. She wouldn’t do it. She had to think of something else. They needed a man around here to pick up the slack from where her husband had left off when he abandoned them. But how?
    Moving to the bed, she picked up the newspaper off of the nightstand and skimmed through it. Same old bad news about bad economy and budget cuts. The back page was the classifieds and the Help Wanted section caught her eye. Hired help was her last resort. She couldn’t afford to pay someone competitive wages, but she could at least provide room and board, which was something that many people didn’t have at the moment.
    It was worth a shot. What did they have to lose?
     

Chapter Two
     
    “A help wanted ad? Amelia, have you lost your mind?” Her father tried following her through the living room and into the kitchen. For a man with a cane, he could move fast and was only a few steps behind her. “You realize that we have no money to pay