You are changing, she realized, a smile forming on her lips.
Her phone pinged with a text. It was from Holt, and the way her heart leaped made her doubly sure she was changing, that she was letting him in. If just a smidge.
Robby woke up asking if it was all a dream, that he would get to be in the Mother-Son Fun Run with you. I assured him it was real. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
He’d added the emoji of a smiley face wearing a cowboy hat.
Amanda brought her hand to her heart, so touched she almost cried.
She was in deep trouble.
* * *
Holt had checked Brody Colter’s schedule for the morning. The cowboy was on herding duty till eleven, then would be meeting the shipment of feed at eleven thirty. Holt planned to catch him right after the truck left. The two could stack the heavy bags—and talk.
Right on time, Holt saw the young hand loping his way to the barn, a metal water bottle in his hand. Neal Dalton had commented on Brody’s good posture when he’d signed off on hiring him; his dad took that as a sign of something good. Holt watched the tall, lanky blonde swish his mop of bangs out of the way, then take a long drink and stuff the bottle in his backpack and grab a cereal bar, which he’d finished by the time the truck pulled in. Holt nodded at Brody and helped unload the truck, which seemed to surprise the cowboy. The Dalton guys didn’t usually do the gruntiest of grunt labor.
“Brody, I’m gonna just come out with this,” Holt said, grabbing a huge feed sack from the stack.
The guy whirled to him, alarm on his face. “I do something wrong?”
“I had a visit last night from Edward Thompson.”
Brody’s face fell and he let out a breath.
“He wants me to convince you to break up with his daughter for her own good,” Holt said. “If not, he won’t make his usual big donation to the ranchers’ association and he’ll blame Dalton’s Grange for that.”
Brody lifted his chin, squinting under the brim of his cowboy hat. “I’m not breaking up with Piper. She’s stood up to her father ever since he found out about us. She was strong enough to do that, there’s no way I’ll let her down by walking away.”
Good for you, kid, Holt thought. “You’d lose your job over Piper?” He headed into the barn and laid the bag of feed on the big pallet.
“You’d fire me?” Brody shot back, following him with another bag of feed.
The kid had conviction and Holt liked him. He also had a feeling Brody knew Holt wouldn’t fire him. Dalton’s Grange had a good reputation in town, despite the family only being in Bronco a year. The Daltons were known for being honest, even if some of the snobbier types in Bronco Heights referred to them as “new money.” Holt had never understood why that was an insult; it meant someone came from nothing and made something of themselves. Granted, Neal Dalton had done that at the casino, but he was putting his blood, sweat and tears, and everything he was, into the ranch. Holt had learned long ago that it was what you did with your opportunities that counted.
Holt had thrown an opportunity named Amanda right out the window, hadn’t he? He hadn’t seen the situation with the same eyes he did now. If he had, he might have viewed his relationship with Amanda as a partnership, been honest with her, gotten her take on things. Instead, he’d basically lied about who he was and then made decisions for them. At least he could say he was young then. Now, he wouldn’t squander an opportunity he knew was a good thing.
“Touché, Brody,” he said as they headed back to the stack outside. “And no, I won’t fire you. I don’t like threats or ultimatums. You work for Dalton’s Grange and that makes us Team Brody. We’ve got your back.”
The cowboy’s face broke into relief. “Really?”
Holt hefted another bag. “Yeah, really. Sounds like you really care about this young woman.”
Brody nodded and grabbed a bag, balancing it over his shoulder. “I love her more than anything. She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Piper makes me want to be better in every aspect of my life, you know?”
He did know. That was how he’d felt about Amanda ten years ago.
Brody was quiet for a minute as they finished getting the bags of feed into the barn.
“But her father thinks I’m a loser from the wrong side of the tracks,” Brody continued, taking off his hat and using a bandanna from his pocket to wipe his forehead. “And I know that for a fact because I overheard him say so after I dropped her off at home one night. He kept asking Piper what she could possibly see in a ranch hand who smelled like cattle and was going nowhere in life.”
Holt shook his head. “He’s got you figured out at eighteen? Please.”
Brody brightened some, clearly appreciating that Holt was on his side.
“A long time ago I once dated a girl from another world,” Holt said. “I never felt like I had anything to offer her and that was wrong. I broke up with her because I thought she deserved better. I had no faith in myself at all. I’m glad you do, Brody.”
“I don’t know where it comes from. My mom died two years ago, and the day before my eighteenth birthday almost a year ago now, my father told me he was taking off with his girlfriend in her RV and they had no idea where they’d end up. It’s why I live in that tiny one-room hovel above Wild Wesley’s. I work there part-time, sweeping and mopping and loading the dishwashers.”
So he didn’t hang out in dive bars, like Edward Thompson had said. He worked there when he already had a full-time job on the ranch.
“That fight you got in—the one I bailed you out of jail for,” Holt said. “You got caught in the middle of something?”
“I was bussing a table and some jerk said something really sexist to a waitress, so I told him that he was rude and he slugged me but missed, but then came after me. He was so drunk he kept missing, but I hit him once to get him off me and he called the cops.”
Holt doubted Thompson would care about the details. “If you need more hours, Brody, I can take care of that. You can stay an extra hour every day or work a few on the weekends—whatever you want.”
“Really?” Brody asked, brightening again. “That’d be great. It would probably help with Piper’s dad if I didn’t work there anymore. She told him I had two jobs because I’m hardworking and want to build a nest egg to buy my own small ranch, and I heard him laugh and say a guy like me will never get past minimum wage and we were both kidding ourselves.”
Edward Thompson was a real jerk.
Holt shook his head. “I have no doubt you’ll achieve your dreams, Brody. That’s what goals and hard work are about.”
“Hope so,” Brody said.
“Thompson said Piper’s been saying she might not go to college after all. That seems to be what has him all riled up.”
Brody looked off at the mountains for a second, then turned back to Holt. “She’s afraid the distance will come between us, but I keep telling her we’re too solid for anything to get in our way. I think she should go to college and that I should join the army—like my dad and uncle did after high school. My goal has always been to have my own ranch one day, but I like the idea of serving my country too. Piper can go to school for four years like she planned and I’ll serve. Then we’ll get married and start our lives together.”
That also sounded solid to Holt. But Brody was biting his lip and looking away.
“Except?” Holt prompted.
“Except Piper doesn’t want me going away for four years. She suggested I follow her to college and get a live-in job on a ranch nearby, but there aren’t many ranches out there. She thinks we should buy a piece of land and start our own small homestead with like ten head of cattle and some sheep and chickens. She wants to make her own cheese and yogurt.”
Holt smiled. “And what do you think of that idea?”
“I think it sounds like a fairy tale. Piper’s t
he best, but she grew up in a fancy house in Bronco Heights and hasn’t had to make milk or cheese to sell in order to have money for the power bill or groceries.” His shoulders sagged. “Before I started working at the bar, I didn’t have much left after paying my bills and ate those foam cups of noodle soup for a few days. Piper doesn’t know what that’s like and I don’t want her to.”
Holt nodded. “I think your idea of Piper going to school and you into the service is a great one, Brody. That’ll let you both grow up some. You can remain committed as a couple. That’s up to you two.”
“That’s what I think too. I just have to make her see it’s the best plan for both of us. She seems to think I’m trying to end things. I just want her to have everything. And throwing away college and pissing off her dad isn’t having everything.”
“You’re smart and focused, Brody. And it’s admirable that you want her to stay on good terms with her dad. You two just need to get on the same page about where to go from here.”
“What if we can’t agree?”
Holt thought about that for a second. “Well, you know one thing for sure—you want to be together. Just keep that as the baseline. Whatever you do, make sure all roads lead to that.”
“Mr. Thompson wants me out of Piper’s life altogether. I hate coming between her and her father.”
Holt really felt for Brody. He was in a tough situation and basically alone.
“Brody, help me for a sec,” another ranch hand called.
“Coming,” Brody said to him.
“Sorry to get mixed up in your business,” Holt said. “Just know if you need to talk to someone, I’m here for you. And I mean it about the extra hours.”
Brody smiled. “Thanks,” he said, and walked toward the other cowboy, shoulders down, pressed by a weight that shouldn’t be there.
Holt knew Edward Thompson was going to try to get his way here, and that things were going to get ugly. For who, exactly, in the end, Holt wasn’t sure.
What was certain was that Brody was going to put Piper first. Holt had always thought that was what he was doing when he left Amanda a decade ago, but now he realized the opposite was true.
He hadn’t been one-tenth the man Brody was now. Holt hadn’t been putting Amanda first at all; he’d been afraid she’d discover who he really was out of that magical camp setting and everything would come falling down on his head. He’d believed who he really was wouldn’t measure up and so he’d walked away. To save himself—not her.
He understood that now. And these few past days he thought he just needed to prove to Amanda that he’d changed. But had he changed?
The past ten years he hadn’t been successful at anything. Yeah, he had a kid he loved. But Holt was a father who’d been told his son wasn’t welcome back at camp because of his behavior. And Holt was a son who’d never figured out how to have a relationship with his father—and that relationship was now at an all-time low. And workwise? Here he was, working for someone else. His family, though, and he did like that more than he’d ever realized. Still, he’d never started his own ranch, which had once been his dream. He hadn’t made anything of himself in all these years. Not at home or at work or in love.
He was trying for a second chance with Amanda? Damn, maybe he should back the hell off. In fact, he’d do just that.
This time around he was going to put Amanda Jenkins first.
Chapter Eleven
The Mother-Son Fun Run started at eight o’clock and was located in a park close to Amanda’s apartment building, so she let Holt know she’d meet him and Robby there. She could barely wait. She hadn’t seen either Dalton yesterday. She’d planned on going over to tutor Robby as usual but Holt had canceled, saying “something came up.” Amanda had always thought that was code for “making something up to get out of plans.” If Holt had said Robby had a dentist appointment or he had a buddy coming over or a terribly tummy ache, she would have believed it.
Something came up. Humph. Something was up was more like it. But why would he want to stop her from coming over? She spent her time with Robby—not Holt. Maybe he’d explain this morning.
When she arrived at the park, the sight of all those mothers and boys in their matching race T-shirts almost took her breath. If Amanda was lucky, one day, she’d have two boys and two girls. But right now, she got to stand in as mom, and the idea gave her a little jolt of joy.
“Amanda!”
She turned to find Robby racing full speed ahead toward her. He slowed down a bit, thank heavens, before wrapping his arms around her. “Morning, partner!” she said, giving him a hug back.
He beamed up at her.
Holt was making his way over, weaving through the crowds, his expression neutral. What was going on with him?
“I’m so excited!” Robby said, taking her attention, for which she was glad. She’d spent way too many hard nights analyzing Holt Dalton, and she had to put a stop to it.
“Me too!” she said, giving Robby a high five. They’d both already picked up their registration packets from the town hall the other day and had their race shirts and bib numbers pinned on. The last three numbers were the same to show they were a pair.
As Holt joined them, Amanda could see he was definitely subdued. Maybe he’d had a run-in with his dad yesterday and that was why he’d canceled. Or a tough afternoon with Robby? Single parenting couldn’t be easy; Amanda had no experience in that, but she wasn’t kidding herself that it would be good times 24/7. In any case, she should stop speculating. Ten years ago, when he’d left her and hadn’t looked back, she’d had no choice but to wonder about what had been going on in his head. Now, he was right here. All she had to do was ask if she wanted honesty about why he’d canceled. And why he seemed so...distant now. Subtle, but she could see it in his face and feel it in the air around them.
“That’s the start line,” Robby said, pointing at the huge banner across the grass. “And on the way back it becomes the finish line.”
Amanda eyed the mile-long loop and hoped she didn’t conk out halfway. She wasn’t a runner and didn’t belong to a gym. Her exercise came from walking around town—which, come to think of it, probably didn’t count as exercise. Hey, at least it was something physical.
As Robby was talking about their matching T-shirts and race bibs, a boy standing nearby turned and stared at him. He looked to be around Robby’s age.
“Why are you here, Robby?” the boy asked, freckles dotting his cheeks.
“Same as you, Ethan!” Robby said, pointing to his blue sneakers. “I’m running.”
Ethan tilted his head. “Yeah, but you don’t have a mom. How can you run in the mother-son race if you don’t have a mom?”
Amanda’s stomach flip-flopped. Kids came out with whatever was on their minds. She glanced at Holt, who stood ramrod straight, his gaze on his son, whose expression had gone from happy and excited to sad and defeated.
“I have a mom,” Robby said, frowning.
“No,” Ethan insisted.
“Yes. She just lives far away.”
The boy scrunched up his face. “That’s weird.”
“You’re weird!” Robby said, and went to push the boy, but Holt clearly knew his son and scooped him up and away before he could.
“What is going on here?” asked a woman who looked a lot like Ethan.
“Robby said I was weird,” the boy said, and stuck out his tongue.
“Mrs. Anderson said kids should mind their own business!” Robby shouted, tears in his eyes.
“Mrs. Anderson isn’t our teacher anymore,” Ethan said, his mother pulling him away.
Amanda shook her head. “Why don’t we wait on the other side of the lineup?”
“Good idea,” Holt said, and they moved a few feet away. Holt looked angry, Robby was about to cry, and Amanda’s heart was breaking for the little guy.
&
nbsp; “Is Ethan right?” Robby asked his father, tears falling down his face. “I can’t run the race cuz I don’t really have a mom?”
“Hey,” Holt said, kneeling in front of him. “You saw the race rules—‘mom’ means anyone who feels like a mom. Someone special in your life who’s kind and helps. Do you know someone like that?”
“Amanda’s like that,” Robby said, swiping under his eyes with his forearm.
Holt gently pushed Robby’s bangs out of his eyes. “Right. So there’s no problem with you running the race.”
“There kind of is, Daddy,” Robby said. The tears fell harder and Amanda bit her lip. “Why doesn’t my mom want to live where I live?”
Holt glanced at Amanda, and she could plainly see the pain in his eyes. He looked at his son and put his hands on Robby’s little shoulders. “I wish I understood that myself, Robby. Because you’re the best kid in the world.”
That seemed to make Robby feel better. “But I always get in trouble. Is that why my mom doesn’t come to see me?”
Oh Robby, Amanda thought.
“Robby Dalton, I promise you that you’re a great kid, the very best I know. The reasons your mom lives far away don’t have anything to do with you. That is the truest thing I know.”
Amanda stared at Holt in wonder. She was so moved by his honesty and how he didn’t try to change the subject. He was answering his son’s questions the best way he knew how—questions that didn’t have answers.
Robby was staring at the ground.
“I agree with your dad, Robby. You’re a great kid.”
Robby glanced up at Amanda and a smile broke out on his face.
“The race is gonna start soon,” Holt said. “But if you don’t feel like participating, that’s okay.”
“Do you still want to run with me, Amanda?” Robby asked.
She reached out her hand and he put his little one in hers. “You bet I do. I can’t wait. This will be my very first race. Let’s get to the start line!”
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