Author/Uploaded by Lois Breedlove
Table of Contents The Banker The Banker Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chap...
Table of Contents The Banker The Banker Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Postscript Further Reading: The Show Goes On Also By Lois Breedlove About the Author The Banker By Lois Breedlove Sign up for Love Notes, a newsletter specifically for the romances written under the Lois Breedlove name. Get announcements of new books and stay abreast of what is happening among the four friends who believe in a second chance at love, and that anything is possible if you’ve got women friends who have your back. Published by L.J. Breedlove –––––––– License Notes This story is for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this story with another person, please send them to my website for their own copy. Thank you for respecting the work of this author. Disclaimer This is a work of fiction. While place descriptions and news events may coincide with the real world, all characters and the plot are fictional. Contact Information For more information about this author, please visit http://www.ljbreedlove.com/. Email address is [email protected]. The Banker Second Chance Romances This is book 3 in the series, the follow-up book to Rancher Woman in Marilee’s trilogy. Marilee Dupont is a professor of agriculture and owner of one of the largest family ranches in the region. For a brief time, she thought she’d met a man she could love. But, he wasn’t willing to stay, and she couldn’t leave.And then things got difficult. Prologue Mid-August Marilee Dupont was coming out of the barn when she saw Bethany Williams’ Subaru come down the drive. She paused in the doorway and took a deep breath. After last night’s dinner where she’d broken off her engagement to her father, Trent Williams? She hadn’t been sure she would ever see either of them again. Bethany got out of the Subaru and saw her. She was wearing work clothes — a long-sleeved shirt, blue jeans and boots. At 16, she was 5-foot-9 and had the female version of her father’s face. She would be beautiful when she grew into those features, although she didn’t believe that now. Marilee just watched her walk toward her. Bethany was more than employee. For a brief while, Marilee hoped she would be a daughter. Well, that plan had flown. “Wasn’t sure you’d be back out,” she said. Bethany looked tense. “I want to continue working for you,” she said steadily. “I told Dad that what was between you two wasn’t my business and shouldn’t impact my employment out here. I used the example if I were working in town for a café and the bank had issues with the owner, he wouldn’t expect me to quit.” “Well he probably would,” Marilee said with a half-laugh. Bethany grinned. “That’s what he said, too,” she admitted. “I’d love to have you continue,” Marilee said. “But I don’t want to come between you and your father.” “It won’t,” Bethany assured her. “But I would like to renegotiate my schedule. Can I work two days, staying out the night between, then go back to town, then back out for two nights, then being home for the weekend?” Marilee tried to visualize that. “I think so. Let’s go look at a calendar,” she said. “Angie’s here, by the way. She’s probably got breakfast ready, if you’re hungry.” She reverted back to scheduling. “So you’d be out here Monday and Thursday nights?” Bethany nodded and they started toward the house. “Breakfast would be good,” she admitted. “I was all butterflies about coming out here and couldn’t eat.” Marilee stopped at the back door and looked at the teenager. “Bethany, you need to know you will always be welcome here. Always. OK?” Bethany nodded. She swallowed hard, and then stuck to the subject of scheduling. “Probably reduces my hours some too,” she said. “Back to an hourly rate instead of a weekly?” “We can work that out,” Marilee agreed. She smiled. “Glad you’re coming back.” Bethany smiled. “I am, too.” Later that afternoon, Marilee and her best friend, Angie Gregory, drove into Moscow to met up with women friends, a group locals referred to as Marilee’s Squad, for happy hour drinks at Pete’s. Well, they were right, she’d always had a group of women friends dating back to the year in high school her volleyball team went to state. The group changed as time went on — that was 17 years ago, half a lifetime — right there were four of them, and they all were professors at the university. She was in agriculture. Gail Tremont in theater, Rebecca Jones in political science, and Angie Gregory in English. And Friday night was girls’ night out. It was almost sacred, even when one of them was in a relationship. Because you needed your girlfriends to survive a relationship. Like she needed them now. They had dropped everything last night to drive to the ranch — an hour each way — simply because she needed them. And they’d held her while she cried. Angie had stayed the night. She was a sturdy anchor for Marilee, and Marilee would always be grateful. They staked out a booth in the back of the bar — a honky-tonk dive with pool tables and a small dance floor where local bands played country western music. It was named Pete’s for the original owner, but it was Hank Owens who owned and ran it now. The one concession Hank had made was in the beers he served. There was probably a half-dozen