“Sheer determination, I guess.”
“Because you thought you owed me an apology?”
“Yes, but now that I know you can take it...”
While he chuckled, she felt rather embarrassed.
“I need to go check on Colton and Piper.” Turning, she again hobbled up the aisle, praying Noah would come to the decision that was right for him. That he would pursue God’s will, whatever that may be.
Approaching the practice ring, she heard Noah call her name. She turned to see him jogging up behind her, smiling.
“Hey, would you mind letting that reporter know that Tuesday would be fine for an interview?”
Her grin was instantaneous. “Of course. But what about the coaching we discussed?”
“We’ve got two days. I’m ready and willing whenever you’re able.”
* * *
“Cody Chandler was killed over the weekend after being thrown from a bull.” Duff Hinson, a sports reporter from the Denver Post, watched him intently, recording device in hand. “You mentored Cody. Is there anything you wish you would have told him? Anything that could have prevented this tragedy?”
Noah sucked in a breath, grateful to Lily for reminding him why he’d wanted the rodeo school in the first place. Not to mention the coaching she’d given him for this interview, preparing him for such a question.
“Cody’s death is a tragedy, and my prayers go out to his wife, Cheryl, and their little girl. But rodeo is a sport that, just like any other sport, has its risks. Every cowboy knows that coming out of the chute. Yet, despite all of our training, life still happens. That’s when we have to step back and remember Who’s in control.”
Duff lowered the recorder and smiled. “That should do it then.” He tucked the device into his pocket. “Thank you, Noah.” He shook his hand. “We’ll just get a few photos and be out of your way.”
The photographer took one of him with Duke in the arena.
“Can we get one of you instructing a student?” Duff eyed the staff that had gathered, but Noah had a better idea.
“Colton?” The boy had been sitting beside Lily, watching intently the entire time. “Is Sonic still saddled?”
The kid leaped to his feet. “Yes, sir.”
“Why don’t you grab him so we can give these fellas a demo?”
Colton was off like a flash.
He eyed one of his employees. “Jackie? Would you mind putting a calf in the pen?”
“You got it, boss.”
Once everyone was in place, he walked through his plan with Colton. “I know you haven’t practiced roping with a real calf yet, but for the sake of their pictures—” he nodded in the direction of the newspaper guys “—I’m going to let you give it try, okay?”
The boy looked skeptical. “I don’t think I can do it.”
“That’s all right, I’m not expecting you to. They just want some pictures.”
The kid’s smile reappeared as determination squared his shoulders. “I’ll do my best.”
“That’s all any of us can do,” said Noah.
He watched as Colton walked toward the pen. Then cringed when he tripped and fell face-first into the dirt. “You okay?”
The boy hurried to his feet, face red, but still laughing. “Yeah.”
Inside the pen, he climbed atop his horse. And though this was only for show, Noah couldn’t help noticing how seriously Colton approached the challenge. He had his rope coiled perfectly. He eyed the calf in the next pen, then the arena.
Noah was rooting for the kid. There was a first time for everything, after all.
Finally, both pens opened, and Colton was off. He swung his rope. Sent it airborne.
Cheers erupted from onlookers, with Lily’s being the loudest. He’d done it. Colton had roped his first calf.
Pride swelled in Noah’s chest as he hurried toward the photographer. “I hope you got that.”
“I did,” the man said.
“Good, because I want a copy.”
Colton practically flew from his horse. “Did you see that?” He rushed toward Noah, giving him a massive hug.
Leaning into the boy, he said, “You did great. I’m proud of you.”
And when Colton stepped back, the look he gave Noah was unlike anything he’d seen before. A look that filled him with emotions he’d never known.
Lily rushed in to congratulate her son. “You did it!”
“Can I call Dad?” The boy watched her, expectant.
“Sure.” She handed him her phone and waited as he dialed.
Finally, “Dad, guess what?” His smile faltered. “But it’s important.” A moment later he beamed. “I roped my first calf.”
Lily’s nervous gaze darted from Colton to Noah.
“That’s it. Isn’t that cool? I did it all by my—” His exuberance evaporated. “Well...yeah. I wanted—” A moment later Colton ended the call, thrust the phone toward his mother and sprinted across the arena.
Concern filled Lily’s eyes. “I need to go after him.” She pushed past Noah.
“You’re not going alone.” He was right behind her. “Dad,” he hollered, “keep an eye on Piper.”
With his father’s thumbs-up behind him, he bypassed a hobbling Lily in the aisle and waited for her at the front door. “Any guesses what happened back there?”
She pushed up the sleeves of her lightweight sweater. “Yes. His father dismissed him once again.”
Anger fueled Noah as he stepped into the bright sun. “You start here and work your way up to the house. I’ll check the barn and the rest of the immediate area.” Yet, when they met at the house a short time later, neither had seen hide nor hair of Colton.
Lily was beside herself. Her brow puckered with worry while a tear spilled onto her cheek. “Where could he have gone?”
He scanned the area around them. “I don’t know.” He met her gaze then. “However, I do know every square inch of this ranch.” He gripped her shoulders. “We’re going to find him.”
She nodded quickly.
“You wait here or at the barn. I’m going to take the UTV and search the pastures. I’ll call you just as soon as I know something.”
“Okay.” More nodding. “And I’ll let you know if he shows up here.”
He hurried to the utility vehicle they used to get around the ranch and fired up the engine. With one last glance toward Lily, he was off.
Where could Colton have gotten to so fast?
His grip tightened around the steering wheel. God, please lead me.
Moving through the pasture behind the house, he noticed a thin strip of recently flattened grass. He followed it into the woods, his gut tightening as he realized where it led. That’s when he spotted Colton, sitting on the porch of the cabin Noah had shared with Jaycee.
He swallowed hard. In the past twelve years, he’d done little more than drive past the building. Even then, he didn’t dare look.
Then he recalled Lily finding him in the stable the other day. Working her way past all those horses to get to him.
If she could face her fear, he could, too.
He killed the engine and sent Lily a text that said, Found him, before continuing up to the cabin.
He sat down beside Colton on the top porch step. “How did you manage to get out here so fast?”
The kid shrugged, refusing to look at him.
“Mind telling me why you ran off?”
Colton hung his head. “I wasn’t mad at you guys. It was my dad.”
“What about your dad?”
“He was too busy to listen to me.”
A breeze rustled the leaves overhead.
“But I heard you tell him you roped your first calf.”
The kid looked up at Noah then, his eyes swimming with tears. “He said, ‘You calle
d me for that?’” He lowered his voice to mimic his father. “And that he didn’t have time for my nonsense.” The tears fell then.
Noah’s blood boiled. How could any parent treat a child that way? He understood busy, but surely the guy could have spared a minute or two for his son, especially when it was obvious how excited Colton was about his achievement.
“Perhaps you caught your father at a bad time.” Was he really defending the guy?
“There’s never a good time with him.”
Noah wasn’t sure he’d ever been this angry. No kid should feel this way, no matter how large your bank account. “You know, I’ve been thinking. How would you like to ride alongside me in the Fourth of July parade?”
Colton’s head popped up. He sniffed and wiped at his face. “You mean, like, on my own horse?”
He nodded. “We’d need to check with your mama first, but you and Sonic have been getting on pretty good. You’re becoming quite the horseman.”
“I am?”
While Noah wasn’t stretching any truths, he was amazed at what that little bit of encouragement did for the boy. Now he was beginning to understand why Colton had been so difficult when they’d first met.
“You sure are. All that practicing you’ve been doing has paid off. I’m proud of you.” He didn’t think the kid’s grin could get any bigger, but it did. “However—” he stood “—your mother was quite worried about you, so we’d best get on back.”
“Yeah. She worries a lot.”
“That’s because she loves you.”
Another grin told him that Colton knew he was speaking the truth.
Turning to leave, Noah gave the log cabin a final once-over, noting how much it had deteriorated and feeling somewhat sad. A different kind of sad, like the place had been forgotten. Probably because he’d wanted to forget. After Jaycee’s death, he came back here once, grabbed everything that didn’t remind him of her and never darkened its door again.
He looked down at Colton. “How did you find this place?”
“I saw it on one of our rides. What is it, anyway?”
“It used to be someone’s home.”
The kid looked up at him. “Whose?”
“Mine.”
“Why don’t you live here now?”
How could he even begin to explain something he couldn’t quite understand himself?
He placed an arm around the boy’s shoulders. “That’s a story for another day. Come on, your mother is waiting.”
Chapter Nine
Colton was safe, and the Fourth of July had finally arrived.
Excitement bubbled inside Lily. Between the photos they’d seen and everything people had told them, she’d been anticipating this day for weeks. And her kids? The way they’d been counting down, one would think it was Christmas.
Today they’d get to experience Ouray at its best. From the parade to the fire-hose fights to the fireworks and everything in between.
Standing on the front porch of Carly and Andrew’s historic bed-and-breakfast Saturday morning, Lily was grateful that, for this one day, she wouldn’t have to worry about going to the ranch. Not that she didn’t like the ranch. On the contrary, she found it quite beautiful. Especially that spot near the river where Noah had taken them for their picnic that day. That was, before she went and ruined everything by twisting her ankle.
Now that her foot had healed, though, she knew it was only a matter of time before Noah would decide to execute his plan to help her overcome her fear. And she didn’t want the possibility of having to ride a horse hanging over her head and ruining her good time today.
“You have a beautiful home, Carly.” While Piper hurried down the porch steps, Lily gave the gracious Victorian a final once-over before starting down the front walk.
“Thank you.” Noah’s sister-in-law absently laid a hand atop her growing baby bump. “As I like to say, Granger House Inn isn’t just our home, she’s a member of the family.”
Lily pressed a hand to her chest as she met the woman’s gray-blue gaze. “Oh, I love that.” She again surveyed the sea-foam-green house with its large porch and intricate millwork. “I hope you use that line in your promotional material.”
Carly smiled as they continued into the yard. “Ever since the fire I have.” During their tour, she’d told Lily about the fire that had ravaged a portion of the home early last year. Something that had ultimately brought her and Andrew together.
The nicker of a horse drew Lily’s attention to the next drive, where Colton and Megan sat atop their respective steeds. Noah had decked the kids out with boots, chaps and Stetsons, making them look as though they’d come straight from the rodeo. Perfect advertising.
Noting the grin on Colton’s face, Lily thought back to Tuesday evening when Noah returned with him after he’d bolted from the stable. While she’d been scared to death, her son was beside himself with excitement, begging her to let him ride with Noah in the parade. As if she could have said no. Not when she was so happy to see him. However, learning of how his father had treated him had her wanting to wring Wade Davis’s neck.
Her gaze drifted to Noah, who was sitting tall in his saddle. They’d only known him a couple of weeks, yet he’d taken the time to listen to Colton. And then, later, let her know in no uncertain terms that he was not happy with her ex.
Those are his children, he’d said. They deserve to be cherished, not brushed aside like pesky flies.
His actions and his words had endeared her to him. And that scared her. Especially since she found herself spending more and more time with him.
“Sorry I’m late.” Hillary hurried up the walk wearing a pair of denim capris and a sleeveless white button-down shirt.
Clint went to meet her. “Thought maybe you’d chickened out.”
The blonde’s dark eyes narrowed. “Clint Stephens, since when have you ever known me to be a chicken?”
Lily leaned toward Carly. “They’re more than just friends, aren’t they?”
“Definitely. I’m just waiting for Clint to figure it out.”
Lily couldn’t help laughing. “Well, if there’s one thing I’ve learned this week, it’s that Hillary is quite a dynamo. Thanks to her, the rodeo school now has a top-notch website.” She gestured to the vinyl banner on the side of the wagon.
“Hey, that looks great.”
“We ordered it online, using the website header Hillary designed. And thanks to overnight shipping—”
“All right, gang.” Clint waved everybody in. “Time for us to get in line.”
“What about Lacie and Kenzie?” Carly glanced up and down the gravel street as a sheriff’s vehicle pulled up. Lacie climbed out and made her way toward them while Matt released Kenzie from the back seat.
“Sorry about that.” Dressed in navy shorts and a flowing red ruffled tank, Lacie eyed the little girl. “Someone had a hard time deciding what to wear this morning.”
Carly smiled at the dark-haired girl in Matt’s arms. “Sometimes those things just can’t be rushed.”
Noting the cuter-than-cute stars-and-stripes short ensemble, Lily added, “I think your outfit is perfect, Kenzie.”
Matt set her to the ground. “You have fun, and I’ll see you later today.”
“Okay, Daddy.” The five-year-old hugged him before turning her attention to Piper. “Want to sit by me on Grandpa’s trailer?”
“Sure.”
The two took off for the trailer, where Andrew and Daniel lifted them into the bed.
“Guess we’d better load up, too,” said Carly.
“I’ll be right there.” Lily crossed the drive to where Colton waited, careful to keep a safe distance between herself and the horses. “Are you ready?”
“I’m more than ready.” He nudged his cowboy hat back, the way Noah often did. “This is gonna be so cool.”
>
After a year of nothing but negative attitude, she appreciated seeing her son so happy and eager to participate in something. “You do what Noah tells you to do out there, all right?”
“I will.”
“He’ll do fine,” said Noah.
“Of course he will. He has a good teacher.” Shielding her eyes from the midmorning sun, she looked up at Noah, her heart doing a weird flippy thing that had her quickly shifting her attention to Megan. “You look great, sweetie. Have fun out there.”
Hurrying to join the others in the wagon, she felt heat creep into her cheeks. Unfortunately, it had nothing to do with the sun and everything to do with one ruggedly handsome cowboy.
By the time the parade began, though, Lily wasn’t sure she’d ever felt more energized. Sitting in the back of the hay bale–lined farm wagon with Piper, Kenzie, Lacie, Daniel, Carly and Andrew, she peered out over Ouray and all the visitors and townsfolk that lined Main Street for the annual Fourth of July parade.
At the front of the wagon, Clint was all smiles, sitting atop the bench seat, reins in hand, steering them along the parade route. Hillary sat beside him, waving and tossing candy to the spectators. A true family affair.
As an only child, these were the kind of moments Lily used to dream of. And while she and her kids weren’t part of the Stephens family, Clint and his sons had not only invited them in, they’d made them feel welcome. And she found herself wishing it didn’t have to end.
Looking left and right, Lily tried to take it all in. The festive decorations, the aroma of smoking meat wafting from the Elks Lodge up the street and the sound of an airplane engine as a biplane zipped across the crystal clear sky, leaving a curlicue contrail and cheers in its wake.
This was going to be the best Fourth of July ever.
Later, after games at the park and lunch at Andrew and Carly’s, they all returned to Main Street for the fire-hose water fights.
“Mom.” Colton’s green eyes were alight with something between joy and mischief. “Megan says we’ll get really wet if we watch from the street.” He pointed to the north and south end of the intersection where a barricade had been set up to block vehicles. “Can I?”
Her Colorado Cowboy Page 9