“You don’t have anything to worry about. I wagered a sizable fortune while I was at the Glamour. And lost quite a bit. All in all you should get a generous paycheck.”
“Oh, good!” Color immediately rushed to her cheeks and she glanced away. “Sorry. I didn’t mean I was excited about your loss...just that I’d have some money to send home to Kurt. He sounded defeated on the phone.”
“I understand.” Jax wanted to ease the worry on her face, but he still wasn’t sure how to go about it without overstepping. “I’d like to help.”
“You would?”
“Yes. I’ve been doing some thinking about this even before I heard that the Bar S was in trouble.”
“We could definitely use the help.” She looked up at him with a hopeful gleam. “What did you have in mind?”
He wasn’t so sure how Cleo would feel about his idea. In fact, he was hesitant to bring it up. Maybe he should just go directly to Kurt with it. But then again if he couldn’t get it past Cleo, he’d never get her brother to agree.
“I want to buy your grandfather’s ranch.”
Cleo sat back. Her eyes opened wide. “But why?”
“I’m tired of New York. I accomplished what I went there to do.”
“Make yourself into a business success?”
He nodded. “Now I want to try something different.”
“But I would have thought you’d be settled in New York. Won’t you miss it?”
He shrugged. “Some. Certainly the coffee shop down the street from my apartment building. They have the best bagels. But I need something more.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“I thought of returning to Hope Springs. I miss the wide-open space.”
“You mean to move there permanently?”
“It’s one possibility. I was planning to explore the idea when the strange phone calls started. I didn’t want to travel to Hope Springs and have trouble follow me there. That would just reinforce some folks’ opinions that I’m still bad news.”
“No one would say that.”
He eyed her, knowing she was lying just to make him feel better. “Your mother might disagree.”
She reached out and squeezed his arm, sending a sensation zinging through his veins and settling in his chest. He stared deep into her eyes, wanting to pull her into his arms. Since he’d talked to the doctor, he felt as though he had a new lease on life.
But before he
could move, Cleo’s smile morphed into a frown.
“What is it?” He’d fix it if he could. Right about now, he’d do anything for her.
“I’m just worried about my job at the casino. I can’t lose it.”
At least he could reassure her. “You don’t have to worry. Your job will be there waiting for you as soon as you’re ready.”
“I don’t know. I didn’t complete the one task Mr. Burns gave me.”
“What was that?”
“Keeping you happy.”
“Oh, trust me. You’ve made me very happy.”