Page 18 of Bear's Heart

“So, at the same time you’re looking for a spot for your business, you’re also looking for a new home?”she asked.

“I know.It’s a lot.I’m hoping to find a place I can rent soon and then I’ll work on leasing my ranch.”

“I’m glad you’re not going to sell it.”

“I don’t think I could, not right now.I have a lot of great memories of visiting my grandparents there, and spending summers helping my granddad out.He’s the one that got me interested in riding and roping.”

“And bull riding?”

Bear grimaced.“No, he wasn’t a fan of bull riding.He thought it was for showoffs.”

She smiled.“Is it?”

“Yes.”

Josie laughed.

His smile faded.“I wish I hadn’t torn down my grandparents’ house.I wish I’d left it standing and built the new house somewhere else.There is plenty of land.It would have been a far better use of my money—and it could have been a good home for me now.”

“But you didn’t because of the view,” she guessed.

He nodded.

“Down the road, should you want to return to your ranch, I’m sure you could find another spot with the view that will also give you privacy from your neighbors.”

“I don’t have any close neighbors.”

“But you would, if you sold your big house.”She hesitated.“The other thing you might consider is leasing the house for now, and then one day—again, down the road—using the house as part of a family compound.You’d have a new, different house that met your needs, and that big log cabin could become the gathering spot for your kids and their families.”

“I can’t have kids.”

She shrugged.“What about your sister?Does she have kids?”

“A whole pack of them.”

“So, there you go.When your sister visits, she and her pack can stay in the big house, and you’ll have your house, and everyone will create new memories and traditions.”

He studied her a moment, a hint of humor in his silver-gray eyes.“It’s an interesting idea.”

“I’m full of ideas,” she agreed.“Hopefully now and then, I have a good one.”

“I do think you’re on to something, though.Perhaps I could lease the house out for a couple of years and once my business is a go, I can decide what’s right for me.Right now, I just want something that’s smaller.I’m lost in the big house.”

“And possibly more comfortable?”She flashed, unable to hide her smile.

“That would be nice.It’d be great not to fall out of my wheelchair quite so often.”

Her eyes widened.“Does that happen often?”

“Only in the bathroom, but that’s about to change.”

“Good.”She was about to add something when the waitress who’d been hovering in the background for the past ten minutes finally asserted herself and appeared at their table.

“Are you ready to order?”she asked, notepad and pen in hand.

Bear had glanced over the menu before Josie arrived and ordered a bison burger with a green salad.Josie ordered the big summer salad with grilled chicken.

When the waitress left, Josie returned to the subject they were discussing before the interruption.“You didn’t ask for my opinion, but I’m going to give it anyway.I think you want to live near where you’ll be working.You should cut that commute down.I can’t imagine doing a lot of driving every day would be all that good for you.”

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