Colleen drew a deep breath and realized that over the past few days, she had actually gotten used to the idea of having three million dollars. Okay, it was still a little weird to know that she wasn’t going to have to worry about paying her cable bill—or anything else. But she’d finally come to grips with the idea that J.D. had meant for her to have this. That he’d wanted to help her reach her dreams, and she only wished that she could look him in the eye and say thank you.
Now, seeing her mother’s reaction to her news made Colleen excited all over again. She was so glad she’d waited a few days to tell her mom. Colleen had wanted to get everything in order, have her plan set in stone so her mom couldn’t argue with her over any of it. It hadn’t been easy to wait. The past three days had been a whirlwind of activity. She’d hardly had a chance to really sit down and appreciate just how much her life had changed.
And thanks to J.D.’s generosity, her mother’s life was about to change, too.
Looking around the apartment she and her mom had shared when they first moved to Cheyenne, Colleen smiled. There were good memories here, but soon her mother would be making new memories. Enjoying the dreams she’d always tucked aside. And that pleased her, even though she knew she would miss her mom being so close by.
“I’m completely serious,” Colleen replied, sitting in the chair opposite her mother. She reached out and took her mom’s hands in hers. “It’s all true. I’m going to get my nurse practitioner’s license and buy myself a cabin in the mountains as soon as possible.”
“Honey, that’s wonderful.” Laura pulled her hands free of her daughter’s grasp, then cupped Colleen’s face between her palms. “It’s been your dream for so long, having a rural practice.” Leaning back in her chair, she smiled even more broadly. “I’m delighted for you. Of course I was so sad to hear that Mr. Lassiter had died, but it was so good of him to remember you.”
“It really was.” She could see that now and accept J.D.’s bequest for the gift it was. She didn’t care anymore if people talked. As Sage had pointed out, either way, she couldn’t stop them, so why shouldn’t she be grateful to J.D. and enjoy what he’d tried to give her?
Sage.
Just the thought of his name sent ripples of anticipation racing through her. It had been three days since their dinner together, and the one-time-only night to talk about J.D. had turned into something more. Sage had taken her to a movie two nights ago, and last night to a country-western club for dancing. She still didn’t understand why he wanted to spend so much time with her, but she was enjoying herself more than she would have thought possible.
Dragging herself away from thoughts of Sage, Colleen focused on what she’d come to tell her mother. “There’s more, Mom.”
“More?” Laura just blinked at her. “You have financial security. You’re about to make your dream job a reality. What’s left?”
“Your dreams.”
“What?” Her mother had the wary look in her eyes that she used to get when Colleen was a child and up to something.
“You know how you’re always talking about moving to Florida to live with Aunt Donna?”
The two sisters were both widows now, and they’d discussed for years how much fun it would be if they could live together. But neither of them had been able to afford the move, so it just hadn’t been possible. Until now.
“Yessss...”
“Well, you’re going to.”
“I’m—” Her mother’s mouth snapped shut. “Don’t be silly.”
“It’s not silly.” Colleen had it all worked out in her mind. In fact, since the reading of the will three days before, she’d spent a lot of time on the phone, talking to lawyers, bankers, real estate agents and travel agencies. She had wanted every detail clear in her mind before broaching the subject to her mother. It had all been worth it, too, because as she started laying out her plans, Laura was dumbstruck.
“I’ve found a perfect house for you and Aunt Donna. It’s gorgeous and it’s in this lovely retirement community outside Orlando.”
“You can’t do that, you don’t have the money yet and—”
Colleen cut her off quickly. “It’s amazing how willing banks are to give you a line of credit based on a lawyer’s sworn affidavit that a will’s bequest is coming.”
“You didn’t.”