Read Online Forever Cowboy (Montana Brides Book 5) by Leeanna Morgan - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Leeanna Morgan
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might never see him again.
“So why did your mom spend more time with him after they were divorced?”
“You don’t want to know.”
“Try me.”
Emily didn’t dare turn her head to glare at Alex. She needed to concentrate on driving otherwise she’d plough into the back of the truck in front of her. She let the silence inside the cab settle around them like a heavy blanket, hoping it might smother the questions she could feel buzzing inside his brain.
Alex stretched his leg out. This was not how she’d imagined spending her Saturday afternoon. By now she usually had her sketch pad in front of her with a big mug of hot chocolate beside her pencils. Saturday afternoon was all about creating ideas for more designs, catching up on the latest trends hitting the catwalks, and if she was lucky, going for a run with Tess.
“My question isn’t going away.”
“Neither is this traffic,” Emily muttered. She took a risk and glanced at Alex. He stared straight back. “Okay, I’ll tell you. But it’s not exactly riveting news. Dad was convicted of fraud a couple of years after his marriage broke up. Mom felt some kind of loyalty toward him and used to visit him in prison.”
Alex stopped rubbing his thigh. “Is that why you won’t let anyone help you buy the library building?”
Emily thought about her answer. “Some of it. I don’t ever want to owe people more money than I can pay back.”
“You know that your business won’t grow unless you invest money into it?”
That’s all Emily had thought about over the last six months. “I know I’m designing clothes that people want. My online sales are ahead of where I thought they’d be and I’ve managed to keep my expenses low by working from home.”
“That’s not going to give you the exposure you need to be more successful. Unless customers search online for you, they won’t know you exist.”
“Which is why I want to open a boutique,” Emily added. “Except I can’t afford any of the buildings I like and the ones I can afford aren’t right.”
“The buildings are only expensive if you do it on your own. How do you think I managed to buy my first investment property?”
“I didn’t know you had any until a few weeks ago.”
Alex shifted in his seat. “I don’t like talking about what I own.”
“Why not?” Alex sat still for so long that Emily didn’t think he was going to answer.
“When I started earning big prize money there were a lot of folks hanging around. Pretending to be more than they were. By the time I met you I realized my mistake. So I didn’t tell you what I earned and what I had. It kept things simple.”
Emily thought about the six months she’d dated Alex. It had gone so fast. She’d juggled her assignments at college with weekend rodeos and travel between arenas. There wasn’t a lot of time left to imagine what he owned. Not that it would have mattered anyway.
“I’m going to be honest with you…” Alex cleared his throat.
Emily had a feeling that his idea of honesty would come with something she hadn’t been expecting.
“You need Sam and I. There’s no way a bank will lend you money unless you take the help we’re offering.”
“I don’t like asking for help.” Emily’s voice was so quiet that she didn’t think he’d heard her.
“You don’t have to ask. All you have to say is yes.”
She’d said yes to her father four years earlier and regretted it. The money he’d given her was supposed to help her start her own business. The only thing it did was put him in prison for a second time. “What if it doesn’t work out? What if it’s all a mistake and the building’s worse than we think it is? What if no one wants to buy my clothes?”
“There are a lot of what ifs in there. What if it does work out? What if everyone hears about your boutique and comes from all over the place to buy your clothes?”
“Then it would have been a good business decision. It’s just…”
“So why did your mom spend more time with him after they were divorced?”
“You don’t want to know.”
“Try me.”
Emily didn’t dare turn her head to glare at Alex. She needed to concentrate on driving otherwise she’d plough into the back of the truck in front of her. She let the silence inside the cab settle around them like a heavy blanket, hoping it might smother the questions she could feel buzzing inside his brain.
Alex stretched his leg out. This was not how she’d imagined spending her Saturday afternoon. By now she usually had her sketch pad in front of her with a big mug of hot chocolate beside her pencils. Saturday afternoon was all about creating ideas for more designs, catching up on the latest trends hitting the catwalks, and if she was lucky, going for a run with Tess.
“My question isn’t going away.”
“Neither is this traffic,” Emily muttered. She took a risk and glanced at Alex. He stared straight back. “Okay, I’ll tell you. But it’s not exactly riveting news. Dad was convicted of fraud a couple of years after his marriage broke up. Mom felt some kind of loyalty toward him and used to visit him in prison.”
Alex stopped rubbing his thigh. “Is that why you won’t let anyone help you buy the library building?”
Emily thought about her answer. “Some of it. I don’t ever want to owe people more money than I can pay back.”
“You know that your business won’t grow unless you invest money into it?”
That’s all Emily had thought about over the last six months. “I know I’m designing clothes that people want. My online sales are ahead of where I thought they’d be and I’ve managed to keep my expenses low by working from home.”
“That’s not going to give you the exposure you need to be more successful. Unless customers search online for you, they won’t know you exist.”
“Which is why I want to open a boutique,” Emily added. “Except I can’t afford any of the buildings I like and the ones I can afford aren’t right.”
“The buildings are only expensive if you do it on your own. How do you think I managed to buy my first investment property?”
“I didn’t know you had any until a few weeks ago.”
Alex shifted in his seat. “I don’t like talking about what I own.”
“Why not?” Alex sat still for so long that Emily didn’t think he was going to answer.
“When I started earning big prize money there were a lot of folks hanging around. Pretending to be more than they were. By the time I met you I realized my mistake. So I didn’t tell you what I earned and what I had. It kept things simple.”
Emily thought about the six months she’d dated Alex. It had gone so fast. She’d juggled her assignments at college with weekend rodeos and travel between arenas. There wasn’t a lot of time left to imagine what he owned. Not that it would have mattered anyway.
“I’m going to be honest with you…” Alex cleared his throat.
Emily had a feeling that his idea of honesty would come with something she hadn’t been expecting.
“You need Sam and I. There’s no way a bank will lend you money unless you take the help we’re offering.”
“I don’t like asking for help.” Emily’s voice was so quiet that she didn’t think he’d heard her.
“You don’t have to ask. All you have to say is yes.”
She’d said yes to her father four years earlier and regretted it. The money he’d given her was supposed to help her start her own business. The only thing it did was put him in prison for a second time. “What if it doesn’t work out? What if it’s all a mistake and the building’s worse than we think it is? What if no one wants to buy my clothes?”
“There are a lot of what ifs in there. What if it does work out? What if everyone hears about your boutique and comes from all over the place to buy your clothes?”
“Then it would have been a good business decision. It’s just…”