Free Once and Always (Women of Character) by Grace Brannigan

.
would they share a kiss of comfort, one meant to soothe away the hurt or one
for old time's sake? Even as the crazy notion formed, a slight frown pulled at
his dark brows and he pulled back. The spell. . . the moment was broken and she
watched numbly as he pushed his dark glasses further up on his nose and started
the car.
    As they left the parking lot, Anna gripped the door handle
so she didn't touch her face. She knew why he'd pulled back and there was no
sense in crying over something that could never be fixed. They could never get
involved again. They had both moved beyond that innocent, trusting time and
place they were in six years ago. She just wished it didn't hurt so much.

Chapter Four
    The next morning Anna fumbled for the telephone as it rang, startling her from a sound sleep. She
looked for her clock on the bedside table, but it wasn't there. Trying to shake
the sleep from her mind, she remembered she was in the small bedroom in the
guesthouse, and the clock was now on a shelf across the room because she hadn't
finished unpacking. The bright red numbers showed it to be six-thirty in the
morning.
    Groggily, Anna brought the
receiver to her ear. "Hello."
    "Anna, it's Sara. Oops, you
sound like you just woke up. I'm sorry."
    Anna pushed herself up against the
oak headboard, her brain slowly connecting the name with the voice. "Sara,
I'm so glad to hear from you." She smiled. "And yes, you did wake me
up, but I had to get up anyway." She wiped the sleep from her eyes.
"What's going on?"
    "I'm going to burst if I
don't tell someone. I got that promotion."
    Anna sat up straighter.
"Sara, you deserve it for all your hard work at the shelter."
    "Well, I am excited and I
couldn't wait to tell you. I still can't believe I won out over the other
candidates."
    "You made it happen,"
Anna reminded her gently. "You're one determined lady."
    "I was wondering if you're
going to be around? I'd really like to stop and see you. It's been a while
since we touched base."
    "I'll be around all
morning."
    "I don't have to be in to
work until later. We could grab a bite and catch up. In fact, I'll bring bagels
and cream cheese. Hey, before I hang up, any luck with the ad for the
ranch?"
    "It's all set up. Tyler
Stanton has signed a lease for a year. He trains cutting horses. I can still do
my thing and he'll bring in his own business."
    "His name is Tyler? That
sounds like a name from a commercial or a soap opera. Is he like one of those
cowboys you see in magazines, tall, dark and mysterious looking?"
    Anna laughed. "Sara, you're
such a romantic."
    "One of us has to be,"
Sara said dryly. "So I would venture a guess he's sixty plus and married
with grandkids?"
    Anna twined the telephone cord
around her fingers, picturing Tyler in her mind's eye. There was nothing
grandfatherly about him, but Sara hadn't been around six years ago, so she
wouldn't know that. "Well, actually, he's more like the cowboys you see at
the rodeo."
    "Maybe you two will hit it
off and he'll sweep you off your feet," Sara said, her voice excited.
    Anna bit her lip and stifled a
moan. Tyler had swept her off her feet once, but it hadn't lasted. She gripped
the phone receiver. "I'll see you later."
    She replaced the receiver and
stared out the window at the early morning horizon, streaks of orange
feathering the sky. She wondered if it would be easier if she was more like
Sara, eternally romantic and optimistic. Maybe if she'd had the courage to jump
back on her feet after the fire she wouldn't feel like her life had stalled.
She'd let her fear and insecurity stifle her, limiting her life. Now she had to
free herself from those mistakes.
    Annie swung her feet over the side
of the bed, quickly shoving boxes aside so she had a clear path to the kitchen
and her small bathroom.
    Tyler had mentioned last night he
had horses arriving today. As Anna dressed, she felt a tingle of excitement
mixed with a measure of trepidation. She'd been a top rider at one time, but
she'd