Page 20 of Cameron

“Tell me why the ranch is in so much financial trouble,” he said, knowing that it would shock her but needing to hear her side of the story.

Her brows lifted from her brown eyes and she gazed at him above her coffee cup.

For several moments, she was silent and he feared she was not going to say anything, but finally she sighed and glanced at him.

“Everything started going bad right before my father died,” she said with a frown on her face as she stared into the flames through the glass doors of the stove.

CHAPTER 8

Edward had acted so irresponsibly leaving one of their guests out in the pasture alone with a storm brewing. And when she had been unable to locate Cameron, she’d been terrified.

Her brother was a total screw-up.

No one went off and left a rider unfamiliar with the territory alone during a storm. Especially a Burnett. A handsome Burnett.

Thank goodness she’d remembered where the cabin was that they used in the summer when the calves were being born.

“Edward has always been in some kind of trouble. He and Daddy fought all the time about his lack of responsibility regarding the ranch, and yet my parents left him the Mistletoe Ranch in their will. Daddy always said, ‘You’ll marry and move away.’ But I don’t think so. If anything, I might have to take Mother and move the two of us somewhere and get a job, but right now, I’m just trying to keep everything together.”

The thought of that made her chest ache. She loved this land and the ranch, and it should be handed down to her children or even Edward’s kids. Not be handed off to strangers.

“Since your father died, has Edward taken good care of the property?”

With a sigh, she glanced out the window at the snow that made it impossible to see anything. He was a guest. Why was she being honest with him?

“No, things have gotten worse,” she said. “Right before the employee Christmas party, the food truck stopped delivering. We were ninety days behind. How can I host the biggest event for our struggling wedding business if we can’t feed our guests.”

She sighed as she remembered Emily coming to her and saying Edward had not only fired her helper, but they were no longer receiving any shipments of food.

“That’s a problem,” Cameron said and he reached out and took her hand in his.

Warmth filled her. She had not been able to confide in anyone about the precarious shape their business was in, not even her mother. No one knew and she was afraid to look at the books, though Casey kept asking her to meet with her.

But with the wedding party here, she wanted to put it all off until after this event. Then she would face everything that was going on, including how lame her brother was. If she had to, she would take drastic measures and somehow keep Edward from being the manager any longer. If he couldn’t take care of their family property, then she would.

Sometimes she just wanted to stop and think about herself – her desires and not the demands of their new business and her family. When would it ever be her turn?

“Yes, Casey and I are still working to get that resolved. We may not have food for the wedding dinner. If this ceremony isn’t perfect, I fear we’ll never be able to dig ourselves out of the hole we’re in, and I have no clue how we got here. Daddy wasn’t one to let us know if things were financially bad, and Edward, he isn’t telling us what is wrong either. How can I fix it if I don’t know the issues?

“I’ve got to meet with Casey and learn the truth. Monday morning right after the wedding on Saturday, we’ve scheduled a meeting. I’m going to do everything in my power to save our ranch and to make this wedding business a success. I’ve got to. I have no choice.”

His thumb rubbed the back of her hand and she glanced into his dark sapphire eyes and wanted to get lost in his gaze.

Standing, he came around and pulled her to her feet and into his arms tightly against his chest. His warmth filled her and brought tears to her eyes.

“You are under a lot of stress and I thought you should have a hug,” he said, his voice deep and low close to her ear.

A tear trickled down her cheek. No one understood the pressure she felt, and yet this man did. This man was the one who was thinking of her. Not her brother and she didn’t want to worry her mother.

His big strong arms around her had her gazing into his eyes.

Unable to resist, she watched as his mouth descended toward her and she wanted his kiss. She’d dreamed of those lips and they did not disappoint.

His firm mouth covered hers and she melted even further into him as she wrapped her arms around his neck and he pulled her closer.

This was what she’d wanted since the first time she’d met him. While his kiss started out tender, it quickly became more demanding and she surrendered to the feelings he evoked in her.

They could have died so easily today out in the blizzard, but instead, they were here in this cold cabin, alone and she’d poured her heart out to him. And he’d responded by giving her comfort.

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