Missy's Moment (The West Series Book 4) Read Free

brother.” She nodded towards the large dog that hobbled across the yard to greet them.
    The dog’s thick dark fur hid the scars that everyone knew were there. Most of his left hind leg was so badly damaged, he spent most of his time lying down. Alex and Grant doted on the dog more than any other animal on their small farm.
    “For that, we all owe him everything.” Melissa knelt and rubbed the dog’s thick fur as his tail thumped in the dirt. She got teary every time she thought about the scare they’d had after Mrs. Nolan had shot her brother point-blank. She’d spent almost a month at her parents’ place until her brother had gotten back on his feet. The little dog had gotten the worst of it, though. And Mrs. Nolan was rotting away at some state-run loony bin in Rusk, Texas.
    When she looked up, she saw her brother standing on the porch holding little Laura, as she liked to call her. They had named their daughter after Alex’s mother, who had died in a tornado that hit Fairplay when the girls were very young.
    She watched as Alex walked up and hugged and kissed her family. Something inside Melissa shifted and for the first time in her adult life, she wished for a moment just like that.

     
    Lauren had given Reece the largest ranch house on the property. It had been sitting empty since they’d put in a few trailers closer to the barns. They had over a dozen men working for them now and, by the looks of it, they needed another dozen.
    He’d spent the first day there helping with the cattle and had noticed a beautiful palomino running wild in one of the corrals. When he’d approached it, the beast’s ears had perked up. Chase told him that the horse was still untrained and in dire need of breaking.
    Chase hadn’t had enough time to start working on the horse, and Reece had quickly requested the job.
    “You can start on him first thing in the morning,” Chase said, patting his back. “Just don’t come running to me when the beast kills you. He’s an ornery son of a gun.”
    He’d spent the rest of the day helping the hands brand the cattle and getting the little ones up to date on shots. It had been a sweaty job, but he’d loved every minute.
    When he got back to his place, he realized that the kitchen cupboards were completely empty, and he grabbed his truck keys to head down to the grocery store.
    As he drove through the small town, he realized how much he felt at home here. They had visited often when they were kids. Up until their early teens, they had spent a few weeks here every summer to help out. He and his brother had made their best childhood memories here.
    Pulling in front of the Grocery Stop, the only grocery store in town, he wondered how long he would stick around. He walked through the aisles, tossing items into his cart and thinking about breaking horses for a living. He’d always dreamed of being able to do that.
    Maybe Fairplay was the place to do it. Why not? He knew a lot of people in town and, more important, they knew him. That was key for running a business like this. If they trusted him to do the job, he’d get more work. And there was bound to be a lot of work in these parts. They were less than an hour from Tyler, and there were plenty of smaller towns around that he could drum up business in.
    “Well, well,” he heard someone purr from behind him. “If it isn’t one of the West boys.”
    He turned to see a busty blonde swaying down the aisle towards him. The tight shorts she wore barely covered her curves, and she was almost busting out of the shirt buttons. It took a few moments for his eyes to wander higher to see the well-groomed face that matched the perfect body.
    He’d known Savannah Douglas most of her life. She’d been one of Lauren’s best friends when they were younger, but after middle school, he’d seen less and less of her around the farm. She’d grown up in the lap of luxury ever since her folks had hit it big with oil money.
    Now she wore the best