Free The Cowboy Takes a Bride by Lori Wilde Page A

cowboy through and through, so he didn’t have an official will. The man didn’t even keep a bank account. Talk about living off the grid. That was your dad. Anyway, he just wrote down his wishes on a piece of paper and brought them to me.”
    “When did he do this?” Joe asked.
    “Right after you two swapped Miracle for the land. He wanted to make sure that if anything happened to him, Mariah would be taken care of. Other than planning for futurities, I think it was the most planning Dutch ever did.”
    Joe bowed his head. “Dutch was a true cowboy.”
    Emotion tugged at Mariah’s chest but she couldn’t really name it. Sadness, sure. Loss, yes. But there was another layer there she hadn’t quite felt before. Her father had prepared a place for her. She had been on his mind. He did regret some of the choices he made in life.
    “Would you like for me to read it to you?” Art offered.
    Mariah nodded, knowing that if she were to read the letter, the tears she’d been holding back would start to fall, and the last thing she wanted was to break down in front of strangers. Destiny had taught her well. You couldn’t let people see how you were feeling. You couldn’t expose your tender underbelly if you didn’t want to get attacked. Of course, she’d never expected her boss to turn out to be her primary attacker. “I’d appreciate that.”
    “ ‘Dear Art . . .’ ” Bunting began, then paused to editorialize. “I told you it was an informal letter.” He cleared his throat again, adjusted his reading glasses, and continued to read. “ ‘In case something happens to me, I want to make sure my girl, Mariah, is taken care of. I couldn’t take care of her in life. I didn’t have it in me to be a good daddy. Horses are in my blood and I’m ashamed to say they took over. I left her and her mama high and dry ’cause I knew they’d be better off without me. But Mariah is the best thing I’ve ever done, not that I can claim any credit for raising her. I’m leaving her everything I own—the chunk of land that Joe Daniels traded me for Some Kind of Miracle. Stuffy, the first trophy I ever won, and my Dodge Ram dually. I’m sorry the house is a shack. I should fix it up and hopefully I will before I kick the bucket. If I don’t then it won’t be much good to her the shape it’s in.’ ”
    Art paused again, glanced at her to see how she was taking it. Mariah gave him a slight smile, nodded, encouraging him to continue. It was finally sinking in. Her father was dead. She’d never see him again. Never have a chance to reconcile. Unfair. The world was unfair. But she really had no one to blame but herself. She could have reached out to him, let go of her hurt feelings and resentment. But she hadn’t and now it was too late.
    “ ‘She’ll probably sell the land,’ ” Art read. “ ‘I wouldn’t blame her. She’s grown up in the city, but part of me can’t help hopin’ she’ll find her way back home to her roots. Her mama’s feet are rooted as deep in Texas soil as mine are, even though Cassie would deny it. But that’s neither here nor there, just explaining a bit. If Mariah does decide to sell the land, I hope she’ll sell it back to Joe. If she doesn’t . . . well, I have a dream. It’s probably a stupid dream, but I can’t get it out of my mind, so here goes. I pray she’ll come back to Texas and that she and Joe will hook up to build an equine center for kids who ain’t got much. I want to make cutting available to kids from all walks of life, not just for those who got a few coins to rub together. Joe and I have talked about such a project and more than likely we’ll get around to it, but just in case something happens and we don’t, I sure hope Mariah or Joe will make my dreams come true. Anyway, that’s what I want, but I understand if Mariah can’t give me that. Thanks, Art, for being a good friend and not acting too much like a damn lawyer.’ ”
    Art stopped reading, put