Page 70 of Lost and Found Cowboy
Chevy and Leni had arrived home midmorning and couldn’t believe everything that had gone on while they were away. Chevy swore he was never leaving Colorado again, and Leni and Lorna disappeared into Ford’s bedroom for a few hours, the two sisters needing time together to talk through all that had happened.
Judy Fitzgerald stopped by after lunch and had asked to speak to them, and Mack took Lorna’s hand as the three of them stepped out onto the porch.
Lorna could barely meet the other woman’s eyes. “I’m so ashamed of the way Lyle treated you, Judy. And that you saw him treating me that way.”
“You have nothing to be ashamed of,” Judy told her. “And don’t you dare apologize for that ass-wipe. I’ve known men like him before, and I knew something wasn’t right the minute you walked into my office.”
“So, did you come out here to tell us that the paperwork went through?” Lorna asked. “Does the shop belong to Lyle now?”
Judy huffed and shook her head. “No, I came to give you this.” She handed Lorna the paperwork that she and Lyle had signed. “If either of you would have looked closer at the document, you would have seen that although this form does say ‘transfer of ownership’ on it, it’s used to transfer ownership of assets from a deceased person to their heirs. It was the only one I could think of that looked similar to the real business one and had a place to fill in an address. I thought that would make it seem more legit. But Lyle actually signed his name on the line for the deceased.”
Lorna gaped at her. “Are you serious?”
“Yes, I am. And even if Ihadused the right form, it would absolutely have had to have been signed in front of a notary. And I don’t care what Lyle says, it’s against the law for a notary to stamp their seal if they didn’t actually witness and record the signatures.”
“I knew that wasn’t how it was done.”
“So, what does this mean?” Mack asked. “Did you still request the deed to be sent up here from Denver?”
“Oh no. I made all that up, too. The deed for the building is in a file in my office. I just knew something Lyle was pulling something shady, and I was trying to buy you some extra time.”
Lorna threw her arms around the woman. “Thank you so much.”
Judy hugged her back. “Don’t you worry. The building is still in your name, the coffee shop is still your business, and as far as the clerk and recorder’s office is concerned, this whole thing was just one big clerical error that is now corrected and will soon be forgotten.”
Mack gave her a hug too. “You are one crafty clerk.”
Judy shrugged. “I know.” She squeezed Lorna’s hand. “You take care of yourself. You’ve got a good man now. Don’t let the fear of the past stand in the way of your present happiness.”
Lorna nodded. “Thank you.”
Judy waved as she headed back to her car. “See you next week, Mack, for Dylan’s next horseback riding lessons.”
“You bet,” Mack called back. “As many as he wants.”
Lorna slumped against him as Judy drove away. “I can’t believe it. When I saw her at the door, I was sure she was here to tell me my business was gone.”
“She’s one clever lady,” Mack told her. “She gave me some pretty good advice the other day, too. She said if you find your person, the one who makes you happy, and who you can’t imagine living your life without, they’re worth doing the work to have a relationship with.”
“Yeah, so that’s kind of what I wanted to talk to you about today,” Lorna said, taking a seat on the porch steps and patting the spot beside her.
His heart filled with dread as he sat down next to her.
He’d been here before.
This was the part where she’d say he wasn’t worth it, that she and the kids didn’t want him in their lives anymore.
Lorna turned her body toward his. “I wanted to tell you that I’m not interested in pretending to be a couple anymore.”
He knew it.
“Okay, I understand,” he said with a resigned sigh. “But before you go, I just want you to know that even though we were faking the whole couple thing, the feelings were all real to me.”
“You don’t understand—,” she tried to say, but he cut her off.
“Please, let me get this out, then you can go, and I’ll never say another word about it. But I have to tell you that I am in love with you, Lorna Gibbs. And I’m in love with Max and Izzy, and even that scruffy dog, too. I know we haven’t been together for very long, but I fell for you the first day we met. I thought you were so great those first few months we were hanging out together. And when we were apart, I thought about youevery day. Since I’ve been back, and we’ve been spending time together, I’ve fallen even harder. I understand this is a lot for you, and that you told me you just wanted to be friends, and I didn’t honor that. But I swear, I’ll try to abide by it now, because I can’t imagine not having you and the kids in my life. Even if it’s just as friends.”
“You didn’t let me finish. And you’re the one who doesn’t understand. I’m trying to tell you that I don’t want to be a pretend couple anymore…because I want us to be the real thing.”
