Free Jenny by Bobbi Smith Page B

over. It was in poor condition. It was
very obvious no one had lived in it for quite a while.
    "Why are you wasting your time and money fixing
this place up? You don't need it for anything."
    "Oh, yes, I do," she told him. Then she looked at
her helper. "Tom, why don't you go get us another
bucket of nails? I left them just inside the barn door."
    "Yes, ma'am." The youth climbed down from the
roof and hurried off, leaving her alone with Cole.
    Cole decided to take a look at the work they'd been
doing. He climbed the ladder to survey their handiwork.
    Jenny wasn't sure why he was coming up to the
roof, and she took an uneasy step backward to keep
the distance between them.
    "Does our work meet with your approval?" she
asked when she noticed that he seemed to be inspecting what they'd done.
    "Not too bad a job," was all he said, though he was
impressed that she knew how to repair a roof. "If
you're not hiring any new hands and don't need an
extra bunkhouse, what are you planning to use this
for?"

    Jenny had been waiting for just that question. "It's
going to be my guest house," she announced with
pride. "I've decided to turn the Lazy S into a paying
guest ranch."
    "A what?"
    "A guest ranch," she repeated with dignity. "There
are any number of people back East who would willingly pay a lot of money to stay here for a few days."
    "Are you crazy? This is a working cattle ranch."
    `Exactly, and that's what people want to see. They
read about ranches all the time, but few ever get to
really experience what it's like in the `Wild West.'
They want to understand how a ranch really works. I
can give them a taste of that right here on the Lazy
S, and I can make money doing it."
    "It won't work," he said disparagingly.
    "Oh, yes, it will! You'll see. Besides"-she sobered and looked him straight in the eye-"what have
I got to lose by trying? I had to come up with a new
idea. After what the banker said about how low the
cash reserve was, I had to think of a quick way to
make some real money."
    "Which brings me to the reason why I'm here today," he interrupted her. "The bill I got---"
    "Was for the materials I need to transform this
bunkhouse into more accommodating quarters for my
paying guests," she said finishing his sentence for
him. "I know it's a lot of money, but think of it as
an investment. I've always heard that when you're in
business, you have to spend money to make money."

    Cole was staring at Jenny thoughtfully, seeing a
side of her he'd never seen before. He'd always
known she was an intelligent woman, but he'd never
known that she had any business sense.
    "And just what makes you think this wild idea of
yours is going to make any money?"
    "All the talk I heard while I was back in school! If
it was any indication of the way people really feel
about coming out West, once I start renting the
rooms, we're going be full of travelers all year
round."
    "You really believe there are people who would
pay money to stay here?"
    "Oh, yes. In fact, I've already written to my friend
Rose and invited her to come and visit for a week or
so. She's quite the social butterfly in Philadelphia, and
once she goes back home and starts to talk about her
trip, she'll get the word out nicely for us. Then, once
the guests start arriving, the sky's the limit to what
we can do at the Lazy S Guest Ranch."
    "You really believe that?"
    "Yes." She met his gaze straight on. She refused to
let him know how afraid she was that he would block
her efforts. She knew Cole could stop her if he chose
to, and knowing how he really felt about her, she was
afraid he would try to ensure her failure. "This is my
home, Cole. I can't lose it. I won't lose it. I'm going
to do everything in my power to keep it going and
to make it a success."
    Cole fell silent for a moment, considering the con straints of her financial situation. The bill for supplies
was a big one, but her sentiments were so real and so
heartfelt that