for greenbroke quarterhorses,” she observed.
“I’ve got the mares, too.”
“You don’t want to give the mares away. They’re your way out of financial duress. Once they foal, you’ll be able to train the young horses and sell them for a handsome price, especially with their impressive bloodline. The foals will be worth a lot more if we train them first.”
“But I need money now. The only other choice is to sell Peg.”
“No! You can’t do that, Dad.” The words burst from Lily’s mouth like an explosion. The thought of selling Peg upset every sensible thought in her head. That stallion could make Emerald Ranch profitable again.
“It takes capital and man power to keep a place afloat. And I’m tapped out. I…I can’t work much anymore.” He gave a sad smile. “I’m getting old, darlin’.”
As she gazed into his hazel eyes, her heart melted. He’d asked for her help. How could she refuse him? “Don’t worry about it right now, Daddy. We’ve got a little more time to work things out. First, let’s have our dinner. Tomorrow I’m gonna need to borrow the truck. I’ve got to drive into town for my doctor’s appointment and to pick up a few groceries.”
“Fine. We have enough money for food. You get whatever you need for the baby, too.”
“Not until I’ve decided to keep her.”
“You don’t think we can love her enough?”
“That’s not it at all, Dad. I just don’t want to ruin her life because I selfishly decided to keep her.”
“I don’t know how to not get excited for my first grandchild. I haven’t had much to be happy about in years. I’ve always looked forward to having grandbabies, and now you’re telling me I can’t love this little one. It doesn’t work that way for me, darlin’.”
“I’m sorry things haven’t worked out the way either of us planned, Dad.”
“Yeah, me, too. You get the groceries we need. I pay my account at Manson’s Grocery Store in advance, so you just have them deduct the bill from that.”
A leaden weight filled the empty place where Lily’s heart sat inside her chest. Paying your account in advance meant he’d had financial trouble in the past and could no longer get credit at the grocery store. His voice sounded light enough, but she detected no earnestness in his tone. No sincerity. No joy.
Just resignation.
Well, that was going to change. Lily was determined not to let her father down. Not ever again.
She was going to do something to keep Emerald Ranch afloat. No matter what, she was not about to watch her father lose his ranch.
Chapter Nine
L ily awakened with a jerk. A pounding filled her ears as she opened her eyes and stared into the dark of her bedroom. Moonlight gleamed through her open window. Lying on her back, she pressed a hand to her stomach, feeling the perfect outline of a miniature foot with her fingertips. The foot moved, thumping against her ribs. Lily gasped in surprise.
Beans barked and voices sounded outside the house. Someone was here, hammering on the front door.
“Bill, what on earth is going on?”
Lily heard her father’s gruff voice coming from the living room followed by a woman’s muffled crying.
Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Lily stood and reached for her fluffy bathrobe. Pulling it on, she tied it securely over her tummy before tucking her feet into her slippers and padding down the dark hallway.
The overhead light glimmered from the kitchen. Myra Stokely sat shivering on the edge of the couch, the hem of her pink nightgown damp, her straight, short hair sticking up in places. Sobs trembled over her body and fear radiated from her gray eyes. Bill and his son, Rob, stood beside her wearing an odd assortment of blue jeans, boots and undershirts. It looked like they’d all gotten dressed pretty fast.
“And it took us completely off guard.” Bill’s booming voice vibrated with distress. “We heard a loud noise and when I got out of bed to check it out, I found myself
“I’ve got the mares, too.”
“You don’t want to give the mares away. They’re your way out of financial duress. Once they foal, you’ll be able to train the young horses and sell them for a handsome price, especially with their impressive bloodline. The foals will be worth a lot more if we train them first.”
“But I need money now. The only other choice is to sell Peg.”
“No! You can’t do that, Dad.” The words burst from Lily’s mouth like an explosion. The thought of selling Peg upset every sensible thought in her head. That stallion could make Emerald Ranch profitable again.
“It takes capital and man power to keep a place afloat. And I’m tapped out. I…I can’t work much anymore.” He gave a sad smile. “I’m getting old, darlin’.”
As she gazed into his hazel eyes, her heart melted. He’d asked for her help. How could she refuse him? “Don’t worry about it right now, Daddy. We’ve got a little more time to work things out. First, let’s have our dinner. Tomorrow I’m gonna need to borrow the truck. I’ve got to drive into town for my doctor’s appointment and to pick up a few groceries.”
“Fine. We have enough money for food. You get whatever you need for the baby, too.”
“Not until I’ve decided to keep her.”
“You don’t think we can love her enough?”
“That’s not it at all, Dad. I just don’t want to ruin her life because I selfishly decided to keep her.”
“I don’t know how to not get excited for my first grandchild. I haven’t had much to be happy about in years. I’ve always looked forward to having grandbabies, and now you’re telling me I can’t love this little one. It doesn’t work that way for me, darlin’.”
“I’m sorry things haven’t worked out the way either of us planned, Dad.”
“Yeah, me, too. You get the groceries we need. I pay my account at Manson’s Grocery Store in advance, so you just have them deduct the bill from that.”
A leaden weight filled the empty place where Lily’s heart sat inside her chest. Paying your account in advance meant he’d had financial trouble in the past and could no longer get credit at the grocery store. His voice sounded light enough, but she detected no earnestness in his tone. No sincerity. No joy.
Just resignation.
Well, that was going to change. Lily was determined not to let her father down. Not ever again.
She was going to do something to keep Emerald Ranch afloat. No matter what, she was not about to watch her father lose his ranch.
Chapter Nine
L ily awakened with a jerk. A pounding filled her ears as she opened her eyes and stared into the dark of her bedroom. Moonlight gleamed through her open window. Lying on her back, she pressed a hand to her stomach, feeling the perfect outline of a miniature foot with her fingertips. The foot moved, thumping against her ribs. Lily gasped in surprise.
Beans barked and voices sounded outside the house. Someone was here, hammering on the front door.
“Bill, what on earth is going on?”
Lily heard her father’s gruff voice coming from the living room followed by a woman’s muffled crying.
Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Lily stood and reached for her fluffy bathrobe. Pulling it on, she tied it securely over her tummy before tucking her feet into her slippers and padding down the dark hallway.
The overhead light glimmered from the kitchen. Myra Stokely sat shivering on the edge of the couch, the hem of her pink nightgown damp, her straight, short hair sticking up in places. Sobs trembled over her body and fear radiated from her gray eyes. Bill and his son, Rob, stood beside her wearing an odd assortment of blue jeans, boots and undershirts. It looked like they’d all gotten dressed pretty fast.
“And it took us completely off guard.” Bill’s booming voice vibrated with distress. “We heard a loud noise and when I got out of bed to check it out, I found myself
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