Texas Hope: Sweetgrass Springs Stories (Texas Heroes Book 16) Read Free

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    Now there was an actual bed and breakfast being operated by Nita Benefield and her husband Raymond—though if you asked Ruby, Nita would do a better business keeping that old curmudgeon under wraps.
    “So you aim to replace my cafe as the jungle drums of the town?”
    Harley snorted. “That ain’t never gonna happen. But folks need a place to list what they got to sell or want to buy and such. These young folks got things so busy, a fellow don’t have time to come sit and learn everything they need to know. Radio trading posts used to exist in every small town that had a station.”
    “What happens the other twenty-three and a half hours out of the day?” Ruby grinned as Henry snickered. “Do you expect me to believe you and that husband of mine are gonna abandon your coffee group? You all sit here half the morning.”
    Harley scratched his chin. “These young folks talk about multi-tasking. We were thinking we could do both.”
    Ruby narrowed her eyes. “Sit here all morning drinking coffee and…?”
    “Run our trading post program. Broadcast live. One of Jackson’s staff, that Big D fella, says that now that Jackson built a cell tower, we could do some sort of internet radio thing, and all we’d need is a computer and microphones.”
    She jammed her fists on her hips. “Lord love a duck.” She huffed out a breath and closed her eyes. “You aim to turn my cafe into a radio station broadcast all over that world wide web?”
    “It’d be good for business,” Harley interjected. “You know it would.”
    “I know no such thing, and the first second Scarlett arrives, I am going after that man who spent eighteen years trying to get me to marry him, though at this moment I cannot begin to think why I said yes.”
    “You didn’t say yes,” Harley reminded her. “You had to be tricked to the altar, if you’ll recall.”
    “Don’t press your luck, Harley Sykes,” she said darkly. “You might just find yourself out on the street and banned from my biscuits for life.”
    “Oh, now, Ruby, you wouldn’t—”
    “Excuse me?” A stranger had entered and was glancing around. Tall and broad-shouldered, he scanned the room as if looking for someone.
    “Can I help you? Sit wherever you like. You caught us in one of our few quiet moments before the supper rush. You hungry?” She turned and pointed a finger. “Harley, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll stop thinking about this radio notion. Nothing good happens when you start thinking.”
    “Aw, now, Ruby, you don’t mean that.”
    The visitor’s head swiveled to see who she was talking to.
    “Anyway, I can’t go home,” Harley grumbled. “House is too blasted full of women.”
    “That’s right. Thursday afternoon is quilting.”
    “A bunch of damned hens gabbing and squawking, is more like it.”
    “I don’t think you want me discussing you with Melba right now. She know the mischief you’re up to?”
    “Now there’s no call to get mean, Ruby.”
    The stranger grinned and a dimple popped into his left cheek. He had tousled brown hair with a hint of bronze in it.
    Ruby cocked her head. The only person she’d ever seen with only one dimple was Ian, but Ian didn’t have any siblings. She shook her head and addressed her guest. “Welcome to Sweetgrass. I’m Ruby.”
    “This is your place?” he asked.
    “It is. Though my granddaughter works with me now.” She never got tired of saying that. Scarlett’s arrival just over a year ago had changed everything, not only for Ruby but for Sweetgrass.
    And for Ian.
    “Michael,” he said, extending a hand. “Michael Cavanaugh.”
    “Pleased to meet you. Just traveling through?”
    “Is this place actually on the way to anywhere?” he asked with a grin.
    That dimple again.
    “Well…not to some folks. But to those of us around here, when you get to Sweetgrass, you don’t need to go anywhere else, anyway. It’s a good, solid place but nothing fancy.”
    “A lot different from