Page 41 of Her Bachelor Cowboy Billionaire

“I’m going with you.” Jubal looked at the cowboy. “Did you see anything else besides the fence down?”

“Yeah, there’s four-wheeler tracks all over the place, and I didn’t make them. I was on horseback.”

“Okay, go on and finish with your horse.” Jubal jutted his chin toward the bay that was standing by a stall, with the saddle half off. “Then cleanup for supper.”

“Yes, sir.” The cowboy walked away.

Roark stepped forward. “Let’s go now before we lose the daylight.” He clapped Mannie on the back. “You ready to fly?”

He grinned. “Sure thing, boss.”

“We’ll find the rustlers, Roark. And we’ll shut them down.” Mannie punched his right fist into his left palm.

“We will. But not today. This is just for recognizance.”

“Gotcha,” said Mannie.

“Okay, let’s go see if we can find those rustlers. The sheriff will be glad for the information.” Roark took off toward the helicopter’s hangar.

* * *

Jessica walkedwith her crutches into the kitchen. She found Athena snapping green beans.

Athena looked up and her eyes narrowed. “You shouldn’t be up. You need to keep that leg up.”

Jessica waved off her concern. “I’m fine, but I am going crazy. My book isn’t going the way I want it to. I need a break from it. Why don’t you let me help you with the beans? I can prop my leg on a chair. With all the cowboys eating here, you’ll need lots of them.” She made her way to the sink and washed her hands.

“That’s true, and it will give us a chance to get to know each other. We haven’t had any time alone together. I understand you’re a writer. What do you write?”

“I write historical and contemporary western romance novels.”

Athena’s eyes lit up. “You do? I love to read western romance. Usually historical, but I’m open to contemporary, too.”

“Good, because I write both, plus I’ve written some scifi romance, but I don’t do that anymore. I’m just getting into contemporary. In some ways, it’s easier because I don’t have to do as much research, but surprisingly, I still have to do some. I have to research the area where I’m setting the novel. For instance, I’ve never been to Montana before, but now I know what it looks like other than just in pictures. It’s much more fun to visit and know the country in person.”

“I imagine it would be. I’d love to go visit other countries and then write about them.” Athena sighed and took a deep breath.

“Why don’t you? You and Jubal must get vacation time. Go see somewhere you’ve always wanted to see.” She put the paper towel she dried her hands with in the trash under the sink and then walked to the table and sat.

“That’s easier said than done.”

“Why? I’m sure Roark would send you wherever you want to go on his plane. I get the feeling you and Jubal are very important to him and for more reasons than you are top-notch employees.”

Athena blushed but smiled. “He’s important to us, too, and he knows that. It’s not the money. Jubal doesn’t like to travel. He’s perfectly happy just going fishing. Let me get a chair, so you can keep your leg up.” Athena grabbed a chair and arranged it for Jessica.

Jessica put her leg up on the chair. She had to admit her ankle felt better up. When it was down, she felt the blood pounding through it. “Well, go fishing someplace else. Go to Alaska and do salmon fishing or deep sea fishing off California or Mexico or Florida or in Hawaii. I caught a sailfish once while off the big island of Hawaii. It was so much fun. It was just like on those fishing shows where it jumps out of the water and dances.” She bent her arm at the elbow and moved it in a wavy motion up and down.

Athena thought for a minute. “Hmm. I might convince him to do that.”

Jessica grinned. “Don’t know until you try. How long have you two been married?”

“Nearly thirty years.” Athena got her a bowl for the snapped beans.

“And in all that time, you’ve never gone anywhere you want to?”

“It’s not as simple as that.”

“But it is.” Jessica took a bunch of beans and started snapping them into the bowl. “My dad was the adventurous one in the family. Like Jubal, he loved to hunt and fish, but he also wanted to see the world. Mom was perfectly happy staying at home, and so neither of them did the traveling he wanted to. Now, she wishes she had that time to live over. She’d go with him anywhere he wanted, just to be with him. You should do things before it’s too late.”