My True Cowboy Read Free Page B

home. The two disagreed on just about everything, but couldn’t seem to help egging each other on.
    Susan had a feeling there was more to their relationship than simple dislike. After all, never were the disagreements about anything too meaningful. Yesterday an argument had erupted about the original seven Crayola colors. Last week it was the order of the first twenty presidents of the United States. That one had gotten so noisy Susan had been called in to mediate…and then had gotten a pounding from both of them when she admitted she’d never memorized all the presidents’ names.
    Most staff members were afraid of both Stan and Rosa. Susan agreed each was intimidating in his or her own way. But, well, she’d been through harder things, so she took their behavior in stride.
    Susan shook her head as she entered the large community room of the Electra Lodge. She really would have thought at this point in their lives the two of them would have learned that there were far more important things to worry about.
    She sure did. Every fifteen minutes, she’d been checking to see if the lab at the hospital had called and left a message. The wait for Hank’s latest test results seemed to be taking forever. His insulin levels were high, so she was going to need to readjust his diet and medication once again.
    At home, she was trying to put a positive spin on things. However, the reality was that she was still feeling guilty for Hank even having diabetes in the first place. No matter how many doctors or nurses said it had nothing to do with his lifestyle or diet, Susan was sure her crazy work schedule and single parenting was at fault.
    After claiming the back game table, Susan pulled outthe deck of cards and set her jar down. She’d just filled two coffee cups when Kay Lawson, her boss, stepped in.
    â€œHow are things going today, Susan?”
    â€œJust fine. Mrs. Ventura and I are about to play cards.”
    â€œUh-oh. I have a feeling you’re about to get soundly beaten. Again. Didn’t I see the two of you playing cards yesterday?”
    â€œYes. We are having ourselves a rematch.”
    Kay grinned as she looked at her notebook. “Already I can’t imagine what we would do without you here. You’ve sure livened things up.”
    â€œI try.” Not wanting her boss to think she hadn’t been doing her real job, too, she said, “I put a report on your desk about the new hires for the dining room.”
    â€œI saw it. Thank you.”
    â€œAnd I think the nurses on the second floor have figured out their schedules now.”
    Kay patted Susan’s shoulder. “I didn’t stop by to check on you. Just to say hello.”
    Susan bit her lip. Once again, she was letting her experience with the administrator in Ohio cloud her relationship with Kay.
    When her old boss had hired her, she had seemed to have no problem with Susan. However, soon afterward, Susan felt as though she’d somehow landed on the director’s bad side.
    She’d begun to get reprimanded for not putting in enough hours, though she already worked more than the forty hours in her contract. Then other minor offenses had been written down.
    Finally, Susan had known it was time to move on. She’d been very thankful when the employment recruiter had told her about Kay Lawson and the Electra Lodge. Againsther family’s wishes and Hank’s complaints, they’d moved away from the big city and to the small Texas town.
    And she’d been right. Things here really were better, work wise. Kay was a dream to work for, polite and dedicated, and appreciative of Susan’s efforts.
    It was just that everything else in Electra wasn’t so hot. Hank wasn’t making a lot of friends at school, and was already complaining about after-school day care.
    And then there was the hospital. Everything just seemed to move at a slower pace. She was constantly waiting for test results or