Page 45 of Pretend To Be My Cowboy
“That’s amazing.” Emma laughed. “I play the guitar. Although, I’m only good enough to strum a few chords so my students can sing along to their favorite nursery rhymes and kiddy tunes.”
Daisy laughed. “I bet you’d be great if you practiced. Maybe I can give you lessons sometime.”
Emma was all out beaming, sitting on the edge of her seat. “I’d love that.”
And she meant it. Up until this very moment she hadn’t realized how much she’d wanted...well, to be wanted. These new sisters might be strangers, but they were family. And that meant more to Emma than she’d let herself admit.
“Rose is a pretty mean singer, too,” Daisy said. “If you can get the girl out of her own way long enough to belt out a tune.”
“Really?” Emma curled one leg under her, her gaze catching on the sight of Nash and one of the other cowboys riding in the distance. Her grin grew wider. “What about Dahlia?”
Daisy let out a derisive grunt, but then lowered her voice. “Don’t tell a soul, but my twin sister can play a mean fiddle.” She started laughing. “Oh man, she would kill me for telling you that.”
Emma gasped. “No way.”
“It’s true. Our grandmother insisted all of us take lessons when we were young. Said we were naturals, not that she would ever admit our father’s part in that. It can’t have been my mom, though. She couldn’t hold a tune if you paid her to.” Daisy’s melodic laughter rose like a song.
Emma stilled. She hadn’t thought about what they all might have inherited from their father. “So you think we all got an ear for music from Frank?”
“I’d say so,” Daisy said. She sounded so cool about it. So calm. Like the mention of Frank didn’t put her on edge the way it did with all her other sisters. Even Lizzy seemed happier not being a part of the conversation when it came to their biological father, his death, or this property.
There was a lull in the conversation and Emma rushed to fill it. “Well, Lizzy has a really great voice. If we all get together sometime, we’ll have to form a band.”
Daisy’s enthusiastic gasp filled Emma with joy. “Like the Von Trapp family singers. Only way more dysfunctional.”
Emma laughed. “I lovedTheSound of Musicwhen I was a kid.”
“Me too!” Daisy said.
They chatted a little while longer about movies and music and their careers, until the sight of Nash heading back toward the stables made Emma aware of how much time had passed.
Her first riding lesson would be starting very soon. A thrill whistled through her, killing the mild sting of what it was costing her to take them.
Fake-dating. Was she completely insane?
“You know what I mean?” Daisy asked.
Emma’s eyes bulged. She had no idea. She shouldn’t have let her mind wander. She currently had no idea what Daisy was referring to, but she nodded and said, “Uh-huh.” Trying to hide her lame response, she cleared her throat and got down to business. “Daisy, I hate to cut this short, but I’ve got to run in a bit, and before I do, we should really talk about your thoughts on selling the property.”
“Oh yes, of course,” Daisy said. “I heard that Frank left us some land. Rose says you need a yes or no on the whole selling it thing.”
Emma let out a sigh of relief. At least she didn’t have to recount the entire will all over again.
“So, you’re on board with selling then?” Emma asked.
“Maybe.” Daisy’s tone was light but distracted.
Emma heard her murmuring something to someone in the background. Her voice sounded muffled, like she had a hand over the receiver.
“Um, maybe?” Emma repeated.
“Yes. Maybe.”
Emma could practically hear Daisy’s smile. “You, uh...you do realize that the decision needs to be unanimous. We’d all need to sign.”
“Of yeah, sure, sure,” Daisy said. “That probably won’t be an issue.”
Emma bit her lip. She wasn’t liking all of these ‘maybes’ and now a ‘probably’?
