Jenny by Bobbi Smith Page B

resentment he'd been feeling. Sadness filled him. It would have been easy to
stand by and let the Lazy S go under. Then he could
have bought it up cheap, and Jenny would leave. But Cole took the job Paul had entrusted to him seriously.
His friend had known the ranch was in trouble and
needed his help. That was why Paul had chosen him,
and Cole would do his best, no matter how difficult
it was to be near Jenny.

    Cole worked on the roof at a tireless pace. He focused on the job before him, trying to ignore the fact
that Jenny was always near-the curve of her hip
always visible from the corner of his eye. Ignoring
her was proving to be next to impossible-especially
after what had transpired earlier but Cole had always prided himself on being a man of iron will and
self-control. As physically attractive as he might find
Jenny to be, she meant nothing to him. The woman
he had thought he loved years ago, never really existed. He was there helping out because it was what
Paul would have wanted him to do.
    When the final repair had been made, Cole stood
up, more than ready to call it a day.
    "Do you need any help getting down?" he asked
Jenny, holding out his hand to her as she carefully
made her way toward the ladder carrying her tools.
    "No, I'll be fine."
    He found himself frowning when she dodged his
outstretched hand. Cole couldn't decide whether he
was glad she hadn't wanted his help or irritated because she'd so obviously avoided his touch.
    After Jenny had descended the ladder, Cole let
Tom go down ahead of him. When at last Cole
climbed down, Jenny had already started off to the main house; that was fine with him. He stopped at
the water pump to clean up before following her inside.

    "Come on in, Cole. We'll be ready to eat as soon
as I get these last few dishes on the table," Evelyn
called to him from the dining room as he came in the
front door.
    The aroma from Frances's home cooking was
mouthwatering. For all his misgivings about staying
for dinner, Cole would never regret taking the opportunity to eat one of her meals. She was one of the
best cooks around. He entered the dining room to find
the two older women bustling around the table.
    "Jenny went upstairs to freshen up. She'll be down
in a few minutes. Sit down and relax. You've been
working hard," Evelyn invited as she sat down at the
table.
    "Thanks." He took the seat across from her, with
Frances on his left.
    "Did you finish the roof?" Evelyn asked.
    "It's all done. Of course, Jenny won't know for
sure how good a job we did until the next rain," he
said with a grin.
    "I'm sure it'll be fine," Frances joined in. "It's going to be interesting to see how the interior turns out."
    "It's a wonderful idea," Evelyn said, and then
looked at Cole. "Did she tell you what she intends to
do inside?"
    "She only mentioned that she was turning it into a
guest house of some sort," Cole answered.

    "She's going to partition the house one side will
be for men and one for women. Each side will have
its own private entrance. That will guarantee the
guests' complete privacy."
    "So Jenny's really serious about doing this?" he
asked thoughtfully.
    "Very," Evelyn confirmed. "And she's right about
the very real interest people back East have in the
Western way of life. The idea of a guest ranch is
clever and different. If she lets the right people know
what we have to offer here in the way of accommodations and good food and hospitality, I honestly
think she can make some decent money at it."
    Cole heard the enthusiasm in her voice. "I hope
you're right. She's investing a lot of money in fixing
up the place."
    "If hard work is any sign of ultimate success, then
I think we're going to be rich," Jenny said with a
laugh as she came into the room to join them.
    Cole glanced her way and was surprised by the
sense of disappointment that filled him at the sight of
her sedate day gown. He'd been expecting her to return still clad in her work