Her Second Forever

by Joanna Sims

  Before Colt sat back down, he bent over, scooped up Chester who was on the floor pawing at the side of her desk and deposited him gently next to the file.

  “Hi, my handsome boy.” Lee couldn’t resist her chubby feline. She rubbed his head. After a moment, Chester sat down contentedly, arms under his body so he looked like an oversized bread box, closing his eyes with a happy sigh.

  Colt took his seat again. “He needs a ramp.”

  “I know,” Lee agreed. “I’ve looked online for steps that are tall enough, but I need to have something custom-made for him. It’s on the list.”

  Colt nodded, his hands resting on his knees, looking too large for her flea market armchair. “I know I’ve heard about this place before—maybe from my brother or even Callie’s mom, Kate. Now that I think about it, you must know Kate...?”

  Lee nodded, her hands folded on top of his file. “She’s donated some of her time to train my therapy horses. And I know your brother Liam too. He takes care of all of the horses’ annual physicals and only charges me for the shots, so he’s been a big asset to us ever since we opened ten years ago.”

  “It seems like you and I have been living our lives with just one degree of separation. It’s kind of surprising that the two of us haven’t run into each other before.”

  Lee didn’t respond, smoothing her hands over the file. It didn’t surprise her in the least that they hadn’t crossed paths. In her experience, young cowboys like Colt weren’t focused on serving others. They were focused on serving themselves and their whims—bouncing from rodeos to line dancing at the bars to hunting and fishing and then back again. It wasn’t necessarily a harsh judgment against him—it was just the observable truth of the stark differences in their lives. She didn’t spend her time at rodeos or line dancing in the downtown Bozeman bars. She wanted her life to have more purpose that just drifting from one amusement to the next.

  “Now I wish I had paid this place a little more attention.” Colt’s eyes pinpointed on her face in a way that made her self-conscious enough to reach for her locket with a free hand.

  “Well—” she tucked her hair behind her ear “—you’re here now.”

  Colt nodded and his eyes seemed so intent on her face. It was impossible for Lee to ignore the natural, completely unexpected chemistry between them. He was attracted to her—she could feel it as much as see it. But what was alarming to Lee was the undeniable response she was having to this man. His attraction was not one-sided. Against the will of her own mind, her body was responding to the masculine resonance of his voice, the woody scent of his skin and the firmness of his lips. She was physically attracted to this man, bottom line. She would, of course, ignore that attraction. It was simply shocking that she had found herself attracted to any man—something that hadn’t happened in a decade—much less a cowboy who was at her facility to serve out his community service.

  Lee opened his file and scanned the contents briefly.

  “Is that file about me?” he asked.

  She looked up with a nod, forcing herself to focus on the facts and not how blue his eyes were. “You were arrested on Highway 84 near Four Corner for driving under the influence—” she paused for a split second before she added “—while riding a horse.”

  Colt grinned at her a bit sheepishly. “Mack. Great horse. Won him with a pair of twos, which is a pretty difficult thing to accomplish.”

  “I don’t know if that rises to the level of an accomplishment,” she interjected.

  “My friend is an amateur poker player,” he countered. “So it’s not easy to get one over on him. And Mack is a really good horse. My friend still hasn’t quit complaining about losing him.”

  When she didn’t play along with him, Colt’s grin faltered as he continued, “I admit it’s a bit unusual to get arrested on horseback...”

  “So unusual it made the six o’clock news.”

  “It was a slow news night, I think. And I only got arrested because I had been pulled over on my tractor a couple of times.”

  Lee closed the file, rested her arms on the desk in front of her, her mouth unsmiling. The topic of conversation had, thankfully, thrown a big bucket of cold water on her attraction to Colt. “I take drunk driving very seriously, Mr. Brand.”

  Colt’s grin dropped entirely and he shifted a bit in his chair. “As do I.”

  “No,” she returned, “you don’t. Your record proves that you don’t I’m afraid.”

  “I suppose what’s in that file isn’t altogether flattering.”

  “No. It’s not,” she agreed. “You could have injured or killed yourself, the horse and innocent people driving on that road if you had steered Mack into traffic.”

  “You’re right,” he acknowledged somberly. With both of his large hands, Colt pushed his unruly black hair off his handsome face. For the first time since they had entered her office, Lee believed that she was seeing a more sober, serious side of the man.

  “We are both a profitable business with horse boarding and a nonprofit business with the Strides of Strength equine-assisted therapy program. This place is my life. It means the world to me. And this is the first time since opening that I have allowed anyone to fulfill their community service at my facility.”

  “Why now? Why me?” Colt asked, his hands threaded together and resting in front of his body.

  “Judge Ackredge is a close friend of mine. He called in a favor.” Lee was blunt. “I understand he has some connection to your family, as well.”

  “Judge Ackredge handled Callie’s adoption.”

  “I see.” Now the picture was coming more sharply into focus. Callie was the connective tissue holding together their vastly different lives. Colt’s brother, Liam, had adopted his wife Kate’s daughter Callie even though she was already an adult. It had been an unusual but touching moment for everyone who knew Callie, including her. Lee sat back in her chair and studied Colt. “Am I wrong to assume that this wouldn’t have been your first choice of placement for your community service?”

  “No,” he said with a ring of honesty in his voice. “This wouldn’t have been first, second or last choice, for that matter. But I’ve been known to be wrong about a thing or two.”

  There was a moment of silence between them while they studied each other.

  “I need to be straight with you,” Lee finally stated, breaking the silence. “I’m still on the fence about you being here this summer.”

  His shoulders stiffened at her words and he seemed to brace himself for something negative to follow. “I think you should give me a fair shot. You don’t seem like the type to be pessimistic.”

  “But,” she continued her thought, “I’ve seen you with the horses and the staff...how you are with Callie...” Her voice trailed off a bit. She cleared her throat and continued, “I do think this arrangement is worth giving a try, particularly with all you bring to the table as a handyman.”

  He nodded, his shoulders relaxing.

  “I don’t intend to have you working directly with our riders,” she added.

  “Now that’s a relief!” Colt said with a big smile. “I was worried. I don’t think that’s for me.”

  “Are you uncomfortable around people with disabilities?” she asked more sharply than she had intended.

  “I don’t know much about it one way or the other. Callie’s my only experience.”

  “Then you’re in for a treat this summer.” Lee slipped his file back into the drawer and locked it. “You’re going to meet some of the most amazing kids in the world. Truly inspiring kids. But I do want something to be really clear between us, Mr. Brand.” She used his surname deliberately. “I expect you to be here on time and ready to work, Monday through Friday, until your hours are fulfilled. And if you step out of line, even a centimeter out of line, I have Judge Ackredge on speed dial.”

  “I don’t plan on sc
rewing this gig up, Lee. But if I do, you’d be well within your rights to call the judge.”

  Lee stood up and Colt followed her lead.

  “But I bet,” he added with that charming smile of his that made her heart pick up the pace, “that you’ll be able to burn that honey-do list by midsummer.”

  “Well—” she willed her heart to stop thumping so hard in her chest just because he had smiled at her like she was the only woman in the world “—we’ll see. That would certainly be nice.”

  She came out from behind the desk, which had previously put a nice, safe distance between them. As she approached, that heady scent of leather-and-saddle soap hit her senses. When she had been discussing his past transgressions, it had been easy to suppress the odd mixture of emotions Colt’s presence had been stirring in her body. But now that they were standing side by side again, it was impossible for her to ignore her own attraction to this man. It was simply undeniable. Colt was tall and handsome and kind to her most beloved cat. And whenever she got within a few feet of him, her body chemistry went haywire until it felt like it was about to short circuit.

  “It was a pleasure to meet you.” She held out her hand and soon her fingers were engulfed in his warm firm grasp.

  “I thank you for your time.” He held on to her hand a little longer than necessary. “It’s going to work out between us just fine.”

  “One more thing I should have mentioned earlier, Colt.”

  He paused, waiting.

  “It wouldn’t be wise for you to mix business with pleasure while you’re here.” Lee felt as if she were giving this warning to herself, as well. She didn’t need to mix her business with this man either. “My volunteers are vital to the summer program and I don’t want any broken hearts or romantic intrigue undermining their work.”

  An odd twinkle entered Colt’s cobalt blue eyes and he leaned his head slightly in her direction. “Lee—” he said her name in a way that sounded more intimate than before “—you don’t have to worry about that. I believe my heart is already set on somebody.”

  * * *

  Colt parked his ruby-red Ford dual-wheel truck on the narrow street and walked up the driveway to Clip Art Salon. The Clip Art Salon was owned by his older half brother Shane’s wife, Rebecca, and was located in a converted garage behind their historic Victorian house in downtown Bozeman. His mind had been whirling since he left his meeting with Lee. Never in his life had he been so impacted by a woman and he knew, instinctively, that this moment in his life was different. Of course, he had been infatuated with multiple woman in his past but he had never thought there’s my wife before. And it was freaking him out. He wasn’t even thirty yet. How could he be thinking of marrying a woman he’d just met today?

  On his way up the steep curved driveway, Colt noticed that Shane’s fire-engine red antique truck wasn’t parked behind the house, but he didn’t need his brother to visit one of his favorite sisters-in-law. All four of his older half brothers were married men and Colt had a solid relationship with all of their wives. But there was something special about his connection with Rebecca—she was down-to-earth and pragmatic and she always spoke to him in unvarnished truths. Colt took a moment to lean down and pet his brother’s black-and-white-spotted cat, Top, who was lounging in a sunny spot in the courtyard separating the main house from the converted garage.

  “Hey there, Rebecca.” Colt opened the door to the little salon.

  Rebecca’s face lit up when she saw him. She put down her dust rag and opened her arms wide to greet him. “Colt! Come here and give me a hug right now!”

  Rebecca was five months pregnant with her third child and it was the first time her belly had really gotten in the way during a hug.

  “How are you feeling?” Colt glanced down at her baby bump.

  “Would you believe it?” His sister-in-law smiled, her hand on her stomach. “Wonderful. I haven’t had one single day of morning sickness. This has been the easiest pregnancy of the three.” She tapped her fist on her head. “Knock on wood. Let’s hope it stays this way. Sit down. Sit down. Keep me company. My next client won’t be here for another hour.”

  Colt sat down in the chair at the second station and stretched out his legs. “What’s Shane up to today?”

  “He took the boys fishing. They leave in a couple of days to go spend the summer with their father.” Rebecca frowned slightly. “I dread it. I really do. I just have to pray that they will be back before I give birth and leave it in God’s hands.”

  Rebecca had inherited the Victorian house from her great-aunt and had moved her two boys, Caleb and Carson, from New Hampshire to Montana in hopes of resetting her life after a divorce. What she found was true love with retired Army Sergeant Shane Brand.

  “Do we know if it’s a boy or a girl?” Colt asked.

  “Savannah convinced me to have a gender reveal party,” Rebecca said of their sister-in-law. Savannah was married to his oldest brother, Bruce, and she liked to find any reason to have a party at Sugar Creek Ranch.

  “Shane is rooting for a girl.” Rebecca smoothed her hands over her stomach. “The boys want another brother.”

  A wistful expression passed over Rebecca’s face. “I’m just praying for healthy.”

  “You’ll get healthy,” Colt quickly reassured her.

  Rebecca favored him with a smile, showing off her two front teeth that overlapped slightly. “You’re a sweet guy, Colt. Do you know that?”

  He returned her smile. Rebecca had a way of making him feel better about himself even when he had screwed up royally. She never let him off the hook, but she always made him feel worthy of being loved.

  “Where are you coming from?” she asked him.

  “Strides of Strength.”

  Rebecca’s brown eyebrows raised on her fair-skinned, plump face. “Community service.”

  “Yep.”

  “Don’t take this lightly, Colt.”

  “I won’t.”

  “I’m serious. You’ve always gotten away with things because of the Brand name and everyone just shrugs and says that’s just Colt being Colt, but you’re getting too old to be pulling high school pranks.”

  Colt caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. His five o’clock shadow looked like it was going on ten o’clock and his hair looked wild and unkempt.

  “You’re right,” he agreed simply.

  Rebecca sat forward a bit. “I’m right? You’re not even going to argue your point?”

  “Nope.” He ran his hand over his face. “I think I could do with a shave.”

  “You absolutely need a shave. And a haircut.”

  He used his boot to push the chair around so he was fully facing the mirror. Lee Macbeth was a class act, perfectly put together. What must she have thought about his disheveled appearance?

  “You feel up to a quick overhaul?”

  “Do I feel up to it? Please. Why do you and Shane always insist on letting things get out of hand? That man of mine looked like Grizzly Adams when I first met him. Here.” Rebecca handed him a plastic gown to slip over his shirt. “Put this on and come over to the sink and get your hair washed first.”

  Colt followed her directions and sat down in the chair in front of the sink.

  “So, how did it go this morning?” she asked while she massaged the warm soapy water through his hair.

  “There’s a lot for me to do out there.”

  “Like what?”

  “Painting, installing automatic watering systems and fans. Stuff like that.”

  “You are the most handy of the Brand brothers.” She began to rinse the shampoo from his hair. “Did you have a chance to meet the owner?”

  “Yes. I met her today. Lee.” The way he said her name did not escape Rebecca’s notice. His sister-in-law was silent while she wrapped his face with a warm towel to loosen the stubble on his face so
she could give him a close shave, but she had given him a sharp look when he said Lee’s name.

  After he was seated in Rebecca’s chair and she was gently combing the knots out of his shoulder-length hair, his sister-in-law caught his eye in the mirror.

  “I’ve seen pictures of Lee before. She’s a very pretty woman.”

  Colt could already sense where Rebecca was heading in that kind and gentle manner of hers. Lee was older, accomplished, educated and serious. He, on the other hand, had always been the adorable bird dog who wouldn’t hunt—cute but basically useless.

  “I’ve never met anyone like her before,” Colt said honestly. He could trust Rebecca with his newfound feelings. She wouldn’t judge him too harshly.

  Rebecca finished her chore, put her comb down and put both of her hands on his shoulders. “Colt, you know how much I love you and I believe you have so much untapped potential. But—”

  “She’s out of my league?”

  “No,” Rebecca quickly responded. “Absolutely not. But all I’m saying is that if this interest of yours in her is sincere, then you are going to have to stop paddling around in the kiddie pool and learn how to swim with the Olympians.”

  Chapter Three

  Colt arrived at Strides of Strength early Monday morning. He had foregone a poker game the night before with his buddies just so he would be fresh for his first day. That morning, he’d taken a shower and put on a cotton button-down shirt, tucked in. He had used his electric razor to shave the stubble off his face and checked his appearance in the mirror, something he never bothered to do, twice before walking out the door. But all of this effort he had put into making a great first second impression on Lee had been a waste of time.

  “Good morning.” Gilda waved her hand with a quick smile. She had been consulting with a small group of stable hands in front of the massive covered riding arena. A woman in an English riding habit was riding a muscular bay gelding in the arena while the early morning sun bathed the mountain peaks in the distance with a brilliant gold-and-orange glow.