Free No Direction Home (Sweet Home Colorado) by Jude Willhoff Page A

about you? Is there a new man in your life?”
    A secretive smile softened Cindy’s lips . “I’m over the jerk I married, if that's what you mean. You always said he was a lost cause. Once again, you were right.”  She sipped her wine teasingly, drawing out the suspense. “Far as a new man, I've dated a few. I’m on the lookout for that special someone, but so far he hasn't galloped up on the white horse. I have a guy in mind, but he doesn’t know it yet,” she grinned.
    “Who is it? ”  Grace stirred uneasily in the booth, thinking she knew who the man was. As her mind raced, she was only half listening.
    “Nope, can’t tell anyone, but when I’m more clear on what my plans are , you’ll be the first to know.”  She grinned at her friend. "Right now he's playing hard to get, but when the time comes he won't know what hit him."
    Grace’s heart plummeted . Cindy always went for the bad boys. Who had charm, looks and the bad boy image? A wave of apprehension washed over her. She felt disturbing quakes in her serenity. The man had to be Seth.
     

 
    Chapter Six
     
     
     
     
    A couple of hours later, Cindy was dancing with a cowboy wh ile Jenna joined Grace in the bar. A candle glowed in the center of the small round table where they sat.
    “Charlie should be here any minute . He called from Denver to check on us and said he was on his way.”  Jenna patiently stared toward the front door.
    Grace noted the tone of excitement in Jenna’s voice when she mentioned Charlie. I'll be. So that's the way it is. She's interested in Charlie. She smiled. “I’m glad you could join us. Dinner was great.”  Grace watched Cindy laughing with a handsome cowboy on the dance floor, wondering what it would be like to be so carefree. Lee had told her she’d always been too serious...maybe he was right.  
    “Charlie has some new ideas for the business and they seem to be working . He wants the Starlight Inn to be the place where the locals come to wine and dine their sweethearts. He’s doing great with the meals and having a live band on weekends helps bring in the crowds.”   
    Happy for Charlie's successful business, Grace glanced around the room, watching the couples dancing to the slow music . She missed having a relationship, someone to snuggle with and call her own. Damn. She had to stop thinking this way. The past was dead and gone. Now it was just her, alone, and that was okay. Instead, she should pay attention to Jenna...not the couples on the dance floor. “Cindy said you owned your own business. What kind of business is it?”
    Jenna leaned her elbow against the table. “I have a book store out at the new strip mall. I only fill in for Charlie when he gets in a bind.”  She glanced at Grace. “My mom started it and passed away a few years ago. Loving books, I ended up running it.” 
    “I’m so sorry about your mom . That’s got to be hard.”
    “Yeah, it is, but being in the bookstore always makes me feel close to her. ”  She hesitated. “Dad made some real estate investments in Denver and he’s moved over there to manage them.”  She laughed. “I chose to stay here so I kind of inherited the bookstore. I love being my own boss.”
    “Great . There’s nothing quite like being self-employed.”  Grace yearned for the old days when she scheduled her work days as a make-up artist. “You always know where you’re at and the lengths you need to go to make it work.”  Grace wondered what she would do next. In her mind, she kept leaning toward helping others in some way. She just didn't know how.
    “You do understand. ”  Jenna glanced around the room, apparently looking for Charlie. “My mom will never understand that what you put into a business, you get back. She liked the idea of owning a business, taking long lunch hours and free books, but didn't like the nine to five hours and paying the bills so she let me buy her out.” 
    Cindy strolled back to the table fanning