Read Online Once in a Blue Moon by Diane Darcy - Free Book Online Page A

a train if
you need to get somewhere.”
    “ Will you just shut up!”
    The old man crossed his
arms and murmured about bossy, pig-headed, nekkid women.
    Pushing a fist to her
mouth, she turned, walked a few feet away and took a deep breath.
She needed to look at this logically. At least she wasn’t stuck
here permanently. She’d liken the experience to her apprenticeship
with Xavier. That had been horrible and she’d gotten through it.
Heck, she’d survived and come out on top. If she could do that, she
could do anything, including living in this backward hole.
Everything would be just fine.
    She choked on her
tears.
    So if that were true,
why did she have the sinking feeling that her apprenticeship was
going to look like a walk in the park compared to this?

Chapter
Five
     
    Richard rose and walked
toward Melissa. She obviously needed comfort. Even as he thought
it, he felt a stab of guilt as he admitted to himself he was glad
to have the opportunity to console her. Melissa was always in
control, and seeing her so uncertain actually made him feel useful.
He was good at fixing things, right? He placed gentle hands on her
shoulders. “Melissa?”
    She jerked away.
    Hurt bit into him and
he let his hands drop to his sides. “Do you want to talk about
it?”
    “No.” She walked
off.
    He nodded and clenched
his teeth hard. So much for being good at fixing things.
    “Dad?” Jessica tugged
on his sleeve. “We’re going to be all right, aren’t we?”
    He gazed into his
daughter’s big blue eyes. Sometimes she seemed so grown up, and at
other times, like now, he still saw so much of the child in her. He
reached out and touched her blonde hair. “Yes, Pumpkin. We’ll be
fine.”
    “Okay.” She smiled and
ran off with Jeremy.
    He’d told her the
truth. They would be fine. He’d make sure of it. He glanced back at
Melissa, wondering how to help her, and wishing that comforting her
was as simple. Money would be her number one concern, and the least
he could do was alleviate that worry.
    Richard turned and saw
Sully, still sitting on the log, and realized the blue moon
conversation must have seemed very strange to him. “We must seem,
um, different to you.”
    Sully eyed him. “That’s
to be expected, you being city folk and all.”
    Richard rubbed his
neck. “Do I need to explain anything?”
    “Don’t want no details.
Folks’s business is their own.”
    At his innocent tone,
Richard suppressed a smile. If Sully truly believed that, he
wouldn’t be sitting where he was at that precise moment. But
Richard was glad he had no explaining to do and decided to change
the subject.
    Richard glanced at the
cabin again. “So, you built this all on your own?”
    “Pretty much. I used to
live in town. I still have a house there, but Louisa died and my
son took off, so...” Sully shrugged. “I like it out here. Now all I
gots to do is finish up a few things.”
    Richard could see pride
in his gaze. Richard would love nothing more than to stay here for
the next three months, help Sully with the finish work on his cabin
and talk to him about his life. But he knew that wasn’t feasible.
“I don’t suppose you know of anyone hiring? I need a job.”
    Sully nodded and looked
relieved. No doubt he wasn’t excited about the way they’d descended
on him and was hoping they’d leave soon. “I had you figured for the
type of man who pulls his own load. The MacPhersons might be
hiring.”
    “Doing what?”
    “Ranch work. It’s a
cattle ranch. The property starts about three miles from here. “You
got experience?”
    Richard didn’t. He
didn’t know anything about cattle, but somehow doubted there was
much demand for a restoration expert in the area.
    Sudden excitement built in his chest as the lyrics to the
Toby Keith song, ‘ Should’ve Been A
Cowboy ,’ started to run through his head.
His grin widened. “I can learn fast.”
    “Hmm.” Sully looked
doubtful. “Tell you what. You and yours can sleep at my