Reunited With The Cowboy

“That’s the one!” Grandma fanned her hand in front of her face. “Oh my, it was spicy!”

“Absolutely.” Monique put her palms to her cheeks. “That Christian Grey fellow—I wouldn’t mind an older version of him showing up in my shop.”

“Okay.” Maya was pretty sure her face was beet red. Thankfully she was almost out the living room door. “I’m going to leave you ladies to it. I’ve got some field notes to catch up on after my shower.”

Maya went to her grandmother and kissed her on the cheek. She waved at the rest of The Biddies. “Have a good time,” she told them and made her way upstairs. She could hear them talking and laughing, even from her room. And for the first time since she’d come home, she felt a little stronger. A little more like the person she normally was.

Maya Burton is home, and The Biddies have her back. She smiled, imagining pulling up to Caleb’s ranch tomorrow with a car full of Book Biddies. He’d at least have to be polite.

Somehow she had to find a way to work with him. But how could she work with him when he had such a good reason to hate her? He’d made it so clear, years ago, that he wanted nothing to do with her. He’d made that clear again when she saw him on the trail the other night.

She wasn’t great at working with people in the best of circumstances, which was why she spent most of her time doing research alone, in the wilderness. How was she supposed to work with Caleb?

Maya turned the shower on and peeled off her filthy clothes. The steaming water felt delicious as it washed away the layers of dust. If only it could wash away the worry too.