The pink in her cheeks heightened as she tugged on the hem of her fitted gray button-down. “I am. Thank you again.”
“Good.” Suddenly uneasy, he glanced down the corridor. “If you’ll excuse me, I have something I need to tend to.”
“Of course.”
With the voices of Lily and Piper echoing in his ears, he rounded the corner and headed down the corridor. Passing the alcove where the soda and snack machines were, he saw no sign of Colton.
Weird. Had Noah been so lost in thought that he’d passed him without even realizing?
Continuing on to the tack room, he spotted the boy. And his heart sank.
There, beside the bridle rack, Colton was stooped over a bucket of horseshoes. Horseshoes meant to be given to kids as souvenirs. Instead, Colton grabbed two, stuffing one into each of the pockets of his Nike hoodie.
He was stealing.
“Colton.” Noah kept his voice firm, all the while keeping it void of any accusation.
The boy jerked his head up. “I...couldn’t find the soda machine.”
“And the horseshoes?”
Colton looked everywhere but at Noah. “I was just looking at them.”
“If you want one, all you have to do is ask.”
The kid’s green eyes narrowed. “They’re just stupid old horseshoes. Who’d want one of those?”
Noah shook his head. He’d hoped the kid would at least acknowledge his curiosity. Instead, he’d lied. And there was no way Noah could tolerate that.
He took hold of Colton’s arm. “Let’s go see your mother.”
“Why?” The boy’s voice held a note of terror as he jerked free and started down the hallway.
“I think you know why.” Noah could understand the kid’s attitude, but lying was a different ball game altogether.
Rounding into the lobby with Colton in tow, he saw the bewildered look in Lily’s eyes as she rose from the old pew.
Grateful no one else was present, he said, “I caught this young man stealing.”
“I didn’t steal anything!”
Noah glared down at the boy. “Care to show me what’s in your pockets?”
Colton promptly turned his pants pockets inside out to show them empty. “He’s lying, Mom. I didn’t take anything. See?”
A confused Lily looked from her son to Noah.
Undeterred, Noah said, “And your jacket pockets?”
The boy hesitated then. “This is stupid, Mom. I didn’t take anything. You believe me, don’t you?”
His mother’s confused and seemingly pained gaze moved between Colton and Noah. Once. Twice.
Finally, “If there’s nothing there, then you should have no problem showing us, Colton.”
After a few moments, the boy pulled out the horseshoes and thrust them at Noah, the clanking of metal echoing through the small space. “They’re just stupid horseshoes. You have a ton of them.”
The look on Lily’s face flitted between horror, disappointment and panic in a matter of seconds.
What saddened Noah the most was that he would have given the kid the horseshoes if he’d asked. But Colton hadn’t asked. He’d simply taken something that didn’t belong to him. Then compounded matters by lying.
Noah knew what he would do if this were his son. Question was, what would his city-slicker mother do? Offer to pay for it? Call it a misunderstanding?
That was the problem with today’s world. Too many parents eager to bail their kids out instead of letting them face the consequences for their actions.
“Colton...take your sister to the car and wait for me there, please.” With her arms crossed, Lily’s eyes never left Noah’s.
Yep, she was going to pay for her son’s transgressions.
“But, Mom—”
“Now, Colton.” She watched as the two moved slowly out the wooden door, then faced Noah. “Any chance we could work something out?”
All that was missing now was the checkbook. “Depends what you mean by ‘work something out.’”
She hesitated. “I don’t want my son to grow up thinking that money is the answer. He made a bad choice. He needs to learn that there are consequences for bad choices.”
Her words had Noah taking a step back. He cleared his throat. “Yes, of course.”
“Some parents are all too happy to pay for their kids’ mistakes, but I’m not one of those people. I want Colton—and Piper—to know that every choice has a consequence. And I want them to learn now, while they’re young.”
Hmm... He couldn’t have said it better himself. “That’s commendable.”
She glared at him. “I’m not looking for any commendations, Mr. Stephens. I simply want my children to grow up to be good people.”
Okay, so he’d definitely underestimated her. “All right then. What if we had him work it off?”
The light in her green eyes shifted. “I like that.” She hesitated then. “Depending on what you have in mind.”
Ah, now he got it. Pay the consequences without really paying the consequences. “I was thinking he could come by tomorrow morning and muck out the horse stalls.”
Lily choked back a laugh. Something he found rather cute. “That’s perfect.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Of course, it’ll be ‘stupid.’” She made air quotes with her long fingers.
“Of course.”
Her expression softened. “But I think it’ll drive home the message.”
“That stealing is wrong.”
“Among other things, yes.”
The heel of his boot scraped across the concrete floor. “Okay, so what time can I expect him?”
“The earlier the better. How about seven?”
“In the morning?” Humph. He would have taken her for a not-before-ten kind of girl.
“You don’t think I’m going to let him sleep in, do you?”
“I...obviously wasn’t thinking. My apologies.”
She studied him, a smile playing on her lips. “I believe in teaching my children values. So I will see you in the morning.” With that, she turned and marched out the door, passing his father as she went.
Moving beside Noah, Clint Stephens watched after her. “She’s pretty.”
Noah made a quick left into the office. “Is she?” He grabbed the day’s consent forms. “I hadn’t noticed.”
His father followed him. “Since when have you been blind?”
Noah chose to ignore the remark. He wasn’t blind at all. But his heart belonged to his late wife, Jaycee. Now and always.
Dad paused beside the desk. “Newspaper called. Wanted to know about the ads for the rodeo school.”
Noah scrubbed a hand across his face. While the new building should be completed in time for Ridgway’s annual rodeo on Labor Day weekend, now that summer was here, he’d barely had any time to think about the grand opening that was supposed to coincide with the Ridgway event.
“Oh, and that Realtor called again.” Dad watched him. “Have you given any more thought to renting out the cabin? Might bring you some extra income.”
Noah tossed the forms into the file cabinet and threw the drawer closed with more force than he’d intended. He didn’t need the extra income. He’d earned plenty during his rodeo days, made wise investments and lived modestly. Dad knew that.
And you’ve put all your savings into the rodeo school. Even so, how the old man could think that he would allow strangers into the home he and his wife had once shared boggled his mind.
“Son, you know I’ve never been one to tell you and your brothers how to live your lives, but Jaycee’s been gone twelve years now. Don’t you think it’s time you started living again?”
“Living?” He gestured to the stacks of papers and plans for the rodeo school. “What do you call this?”
“Oh, you’re going through the motions, all right. It’s just...”
“Just what?” Hands on his hips, he tried to get a handle on his annoyance.
The man looked everywhere but at Noah, then let go a sigh. “It’s been a long time since you’ve been happy.” He didn’t miss the sorrow in his father’s tone.
“Dad, I love this place, you know that. And the horses... I can’t wait to get the rodeo school up and running.”
His father held up his hands. “No need to get defensive. I believe everything you’ve said. I’d just hate for you to be so stuck in the past you close yourself off to the future God has in store for you.”
Noah chuckled, wondering what had gotten into his father. After all, he was a widower, too. Perhaps spending so much time with his old classmate Hillary Ward-Thompson was finally getting to him. But Noah wasn’t about to head down that road again. He’d loved and he’d lost. And he never wanted to feel that kind of pain ever again.
Chapter Two
Clouds dotted the sky as Lily passed under the arched metal sign that read Abundant Blessings Ranch late the next morning. She could hardly wait to hear about Colton’s experience. Lord willing, three hours of mucking out stalls would teach him a lesson.
A shudder ran through her as she approached the stable, though this time it had nothing to do with equines. Hands tightening around the leather-wrapped steering wheel, she stared straight ahead. Colton was becoming so much like his father it was scary. The lies, the bullying, now stealing...
God, please help me to train my son up in the way he should go.
Something that wasn’t always easy for a single parent. Especially when the other parent didn’t share your faith. Not that Wade ever spent any time with his kids. Even during their visitation, they were often left in someone else’s care. Because Wade didn’t care about anything but himself and having a good time.
Unfortunately, it was Colton who suffered the most. Like most young boys, he wanted his father’s approval. And, apparently, he thought that behaving like him was a means of getting it.
Only one of many reasons she’d wanted to get the kids away from the city. And while they usually took an extended summer trip, this year she hadn’t wanted to go somewhere exotic or to some exclusive resort. That was Wade’s style, not hers. She wanted something simpler. Something meaningful.
Okay, so it hadn’t even been a week since they arrived in Ouray. Still, she’d never expected things could actually get worse.
By the time she and Piper stepped out of their SUV, Lily had determined that there would be no TV, handheld devices or computers of any kind for Colton for at least a week. And if he pulled another stunt, or she caught him lying, his sentence would be even longer.
That should provide the perfect opportunity for plenty more Jeep rides and family hikes. Maybe the kids would enjoy exploring some of the old mining towns that dotted the area. Anything that didn’t involve horses was fine by her.
Inside the stable, she spotted her son midway down the wide corridor, standing on the bottom rung of the pipe fencing that surrounded the practice arena in the center of the building. His arms were draped over the top of the fence as he watched something or someone inside the arena. Whatever it was had certainly captured his interest, because not only had he not noticed her or his sister, he was completely engrossed. Something Lily had rarely witnessed outside of his video games.
Evidently noticing her brother, Piper let go of Lily’s hand and ran ahead of her, sending dust flying from her sneakers. “Colton!”
He looked their way and, to Lily’s surprise, actually smiled. He hopped down off the fence. “Mom, you wouldn’t believe all the horses Noah has.”
Funny, if Piper had made that same remark he would have belittled her the way he had yesterday when she pointed out the horseshoe.
“Wanna see them?”
That would be the last thing she wanted to do on such a beautiful day. Or any other day, for that matter. Still, she was happy to see him so animated.
“He’s even got one that can do tricks.”
“Oh.” Piper’s eyes widened. “I wanna see the horse that does tricks.”
“And look at that, Mom.” Colton pointed into the arena, where Noah was standing beside a young man on horseback.
“What are they doing?”
Her son’s gaze never left the horse. “Noah’s teaching him how to rope.”
“What does that mean?” Piper poked her head between the rungs for a better view.
“Just watch,” said Colton.
Noah stepped away from the boy then. “Go!”
Suddenly, on the other side of the dirt-covered ring, an all-terrain vehicle sprang to life, driven by another cowboy, pulling something that looked like a small cow with horns, except with a wheel at the front. As it moved around the ring, the hind legs bobbed as though it were running.
Behind that, the horse and rider took off, the rider swinging a rope in one hand. As they approached the makeshift cow, the rider sent the rope flying.
“He did it!” Colton thrust a fist into the air as the rope fell around the horns. He looked at Lily, his smile wide. “That guy’s been practicing all morning. He finally got it.”
She loved teachable moments like this. “Like they say, practice makes perfect. If you want something, you have to be willing to work for it.”
He looked toward the rider, who was getting ready to go again. “He’s sure been working, all right.”
“And all that hard work paid off.” She draped an arm around her son’s shoulder. “How did things go today?”
“Good.”
That was vague.
Just then, she saw Noah coming across the arena, looking all cowboy and sending a wave of unease rippling through her. She hoped Colton had done the work he was assigned. But what if he hadn’t or if he had been a problem?
“Hello again,” Noah said.
“Hello.” Lily watched as he deftly climbed the fence, swinging one long leg over, then the other, as though he’d done it a million times before. Next thing she knew, he was beside them.
“You’ll be happy to know that Colton did a real good job. Did everything I asked him to, didn’t argue much.”
Her son’s head shot up. “I didn’t argue. Did I?”
The man grinned. “No, you didn’t. I just wanted to see if you were paying attention.”
Colton relaxed then. “Good. ’Cause I can’t wait to come back.”
Lily’s smile faded, her stomach muscles tightening. “Come back? You mean you want to go riding again?”
“Yeah, kinda. But what I really want is to learn to rope. With Noah.”
“Oh.” Uncertain how she felt about that, Lily’s gaze drifted to the cowboy.
His dark eyes held an air of guilt. Had he been planting ideas in her son’s head? “In addition to trail rides, we also offer riding and rodeo lessons.”
She felt her own eyes widen. “Rodeo?” The last thing she wanted was to see her son bucked off some unruly bull or equine the way she had been all those years ago.
“Well, that’s kind of an overarching term. Roping is only one part of rodeo. One that starts with learning how to use the rope correctly. It takes patience and discipline, but if he’s persistent...”
“I’m sure I can learn.”
Had she ever seen her son this enthusiastic about anything? Especially something that involved work? While she didn’t relish the idea of spending so much time with a bunch of horses, patience and discipline were things Colton desperately needed to learn. Perhaps this sort of training—any training—could be good for him. Give him something to focus on besides himself.
Tucking her fear aside, Lily addressed Noah. “How much do the lessons cost?”
He tipped his cowboy hat back with a smile. “They won’t cost you a thing
.”
She bristled. “Nothing is ever free, Mr. Stephens.” In her experience, people always expected something.
“I said it wouldn’t cost you anything.”
She eyed him curiously, waiting for him to explain.
“Colton tells me you’re in Ouray for the summer.”
“That’s correct.”
“Well, he’s the one who wants lessons.” He turned his attention to her son. “And we could use another hand around here. What if we worked out a trade? You muck out the stalls three days a week in exchange for three days of lessons.”
The elation on her son’s face only added to her dilemma. “Can I, Mom? Please?”
She studied the rafters overhead, uncertain how to respond. If she said no, she’d be the bad guy. But while she liked the idea of Colton working and appreciated his excitement, she was still skeptical. And not only about the horses.
Her gaze shifted to Noah. Why was this long, tall cowboy being so nice after Colton stole from him? Was he simply trying to get some free labor or did he genuinely want to help her son?
No matter which way she looked at it, she couldn’t help wondering what this arrangement might cost her in the long run.
* * *
“That’s good, Colton, but you need to twist your wrist like this.” Standing alongside the boy in the arena the next morning, Noah demonstrated. “Which also turns the rope so it will lie properly as you’re coiling it.”
“Like this?” The boy ran a gloved hand down the length he held, then twisted his wrist outward the way Noah had.
“Now you’re getting it.” Noah’s gaze inadvertently veered toward the aluminum bleachers outside the arena where Lily and Piper had been throughout Colton’s lesson. Why had Lily been so cynical when he offered to teach Colton in exchange for some work? As if he was trying to take advantage of them. Wasn’t his word good enough?
The kid looked up at him. “It feels kinda weird.”
He again gave the boy his full attention. Or at least tried to. He sure hoped Colton’s mother wasn’t planning to be there for all of his lessons. Given her fear of horses, though, Noah had a feeling she’d be front and center for each and every one.
Her Colorado Cowboy Page 2