Free When All My Dreams Come True by Janelle Mowery Page A

money.”
    “Without question.” He applied his signature to the paperworkand slid the sheet toward her. While she signed, he pulled out a new bankbook and stamped it before handing it to her to keep for her records. “Just bring this with you every time you need to make a transaction. But I guess you probably already know that.”
    She nodded. “Thank you.”
    “I’m glad to be able to help you, Bobbie.”
    Pete motioned for one of the tellers to take care of the money before stepping around the counter. He followed them to the door and bid them farewell.
    Outside, Annie stopped Ben from heading to the mercantile with a touch to his shoulder. She switched Sara to her other hip.
    “Goodness, Bobbie.” Annie grabbed hold of Bobbie’s elbow. “You said you and your dad had been saving, but I had no idea. I can’t believe you’ve been running all over the territory with that kind of money.”
    Coop exited the bank, interrupting her response.
    “I didn’t know ranch hands could make such a wad of cash. Could be I need to think on moving north.” He spit a stream of brown juice into the street before tipping his hat. “Good day, ladies.”
    She exchanged an amused smile with Annie. Coop’s crude behavior no longer took her aback, but it surprised her to see him act that way in front of Jace’s sister. Across the street, a lady Bobbie recognized from church beckoned and then hurried toward them. She offered a flustered greeting before asking to speak with Annie.
    “I’ll meet you in the store,” Bobbie said.
    She followed Coop’s footsteps down the boardwalk with mild fascination. He grabbed the reins of his horse and led it between two buildings—in the opposite direction of the ranch. Unsure what prompted her curiosity, she trailed Coop to that same alley. She peeked around the corner of the building. Seeing nothing, she stepped off the boardwalk and headed for the back.
    When she reached the opening, she caught sight of Coop again. Two men she didn’t recognize accompanied him. At least one wasa man. The other rider was hidden by bushes with only the horse’s head showing. She moved into the shadow of the structure, never taking her eyes off them. The one man had his back to her, his long, light-brown hair blowing in the breeze. The hidden rider appeared to do most of the talking, though she heard no word of the exchange. Coop handed over a piece of paper, turned his horse, and headed in the direction of the ranch while the other two turned up the hill behind the bushes away from town.
    She leaned against the building and replayed the strange scene in her mind. When she first saw Coop at the bank, she assumed he was there to do some business for Jace. But why would he send two ranch hands? And Coop’s furtive actions weren’t those of someone conducting honest business.
    “Why you back here, Bobbie?”
    Her heart leapt to her throat. She swallowed hard when she saw Coop staring down at her from atop his horse.
    She forced a weak chuckle that sounded tremulous even to her own ears. “Coop, you scared me.”
    The man didn’t say a word as his eyes narrowed.
    She slowly stood up straight as she scrambled for an explanation. “Wha—ah.” Her mouth went dry. She licked her parched lips. “I was just doing a little exploring of the town. Other than going to church, it’s my first trip here since Jace hired me.”
    “Strange way to explore. Most women stick near the boardwalk and peer in the windows. But you ain’t like most women, are ya, Bobbie?”
    Anger replaced her fear. “No, I ain’t. But I do have feelings, Coop.”
    Coop’s shoulders drooped. “Right. Sorry, Bobbie. That weren’t how I meant it.”
    She gave a quick nod and tugged the brim of her hat down lower over her eyes. “Apology accepted. I need to get going now. Annie’s expecting me at the mercantile. See you back at the ranch, Coop.”
    She felt his eyes boring into her back as she headed for the boardwalk. Not until she