by Seton, Cora
“I could use a minute alone with Heather,” Colt said to the group when the conversation died down again. Heather swallowed as everyone nodded and drifted away. Austin put an arm around Richard and led him toward the kitchen.
“Colt, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Richard,” she said as soon as they were alone. “I wanted to, but—”
“What’s done is done. It’s in the past. It’s time for us to build our future.”
As Heather stared up at him, Colt wondered if there was any way to repair the damage they’d done to each other. One thing was clear. They both needed time to process what had just happened. If they tried to push forward now, they were likely to make things worse. And then there was Richard. Colt thought about the anxious way his son had watched him.
“I’m going to ask you to do something you’re not going to like,” he said.
“What?”
“Leave—for now.”
“O-okay.” A tear streaked down her cheek. Colt reached out and wiped it away.
“Just for a few days.”
“I understand. I’ll go get Richard.”
“I’d like Richard to stay if that’s all right with you.”
Heather stilled. “Without me?”
Colt nodded. “I’d like a chance to get to know him.”
“Of course.” But her eyes were filled with pain.
“I’m not trying to take him away,” Colt assured her. “I want to answer his questions. I want him to know I… care.”
“I never meant to hurt you. You must know that. I—”
“Heather, I never got to see him as a baby, or teach him to walk, or buy him his first bike. I missed… everything.” The catch in his voice surprised him as much as it did her.
Her eyes filled. “I’m sorry.”
“Then give me a chance with him.”
She nodded slowly. “Okay. Just promise me…” She broke off. “Richard’s ready to love you. Let him.”
Before he could answer, Richard came up the hall. “Mom? What’s going on?”
She took a deep breath. “You’re going to stay here with your Dad so the two of you can get to know each other.”
“What about you?”
“I need to work. It’ll just be the guys for a couple of days.”
Richard hesitated. “Cool,” he said finally.
Heather shut her eyes as if he’d stabbed her in the heart.
Colt hurried to intervene. “Go tell your Aunt Regan you’ll be staying here. I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Okay.” Richard turned to go.
“I love you,” Heather called after him.
“I know.”
When he was gone, Heather said, “I’ll bring by some clothes for him later.” Her voice was husky with unshed tears.
“Okay.” Colt eased her toward the door. If she stayed much longer, he’d lose his resolve. Her pain was palpable and he understood it all too well, but he needed time to get his thoughts together.
“He goes to sleep at nine-thirty usually, but I let him stay up late on vacation. School starts up on a few days—”
“Heather.” Colt waited until she stopped talking. He opened the front door. She walked through it and stood on the porch, her eyes shining with tears. “I got this.”
She nodded. “I know.”
Heather had no idea how she ended up at her mother’s house. She needed to get to the store, needed to focus on her business, but she couldn’t face any of that. When Audrey opened the door, took one look at her and pulled her inside, she was grateful for her familiar embrace. She sobbed as she recounted Colt’s return.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do. Colt hates me, and he’s taken Richard away. What if Richard starts hating me too?”
“Take a deep breath, sweetheart,” her mother said, leading her into the living room and sitting her down on the green plush couch. “First of all, Richard won’t hate you. You’re the one who raised him from birth and he knows how much you adore him. Colt won’t be able to poison him against you in a couple of days.”
“Colt is so hurt. So angry.” Heather scrubbed her arm across her face, trying to dry her tears on her sleeve.
“Of course he is. You must have anticipated that.”
“I did, but that doesn’t make it any easier.”
“Did he say anything about custody? Is he going to take you to court?”
“Not exactly.” Heather wasn’t sure how to tell her mother what had happened so she blurted it out. “He’s going to marry me.”
Audrey stared at her. “He’s… what?”
“Going to marry me. At least, he was before he saw Richard.”
“I don’t understand.” Audrey reached for a box of tissues on the end table and handed it to Heather. Heather plucked one out gratefully and dabbed at her face.
“I stayed with him last night and he proposed this morning. I thought he loved me and I said yes, but when we got to the Hall and he saw Richard he turned white as a ghost. The way he looked at me—it was like I’d stabbed him in the heart. And now he has Richard. What if he won’t give him back?”
“He can’t keep him and you both know it. He doesn’t have custody. It sounds like he just needs time to calm down.” Audrey patted her hand. “Mason’s there, right? And so is Regan and the rest of them. Nothing’s going to happen to Richard. It might be a good opportunity for them to get to know each other without your interference.”
“My interference?” Heather’s voice rose. “I’m his mother!”
“And Colt’s his father. As soon as he simmers down a little and gets used to the idea everything will be fine. In no time he’ll send for you, too.”
“No. Not now. If he decides to still marry me, it’ll only be to get the ranch. I told you about Heloise and her requirements.”
Her mother eyed her shrewdly. “Colt Hall never did anything he didn’t want to. If he marries you it’ll be because he wants to.”
“He wants to get back at me, you mean.”
“There are plenty of easier ways to get back at you without involving God and the state of Montana,” Audrey countered.
“Mom—”
“Don’t Mom me. I know what I’m talking about.” Audrey smiled suddenly. “Well, all’s well that ends well.”
“All’s well that ends well? Are you crazy?” Heather stood up and paced around the room. “How can you even say that? Don’t you see what’s going on?”
“You’re going to marry the man who fathered your child. A man who owns a quarter share of a ranch that should do exceedingly well for itself for years to come. A man who calls Chance Creek home just like I do, which means I can keep seeing my grandson on a regular basis. What’s the problem?”
“He hates me for what I’ve done to him!”
Audrey patted the couch beside her. “Like I said before, Colt doesn’t do anything he doesn’t want to do. If he’s marrying you, it’s because he loves you. Soon you’ll be one big happy family.”
Heather sighed at her mother’s naïveté and plopped back down on the sofa. They’d be a family, but she didn’t think happy would have anything to do with it.
Chapter Ten
‡
Colt glanced back over his shoulder at Richard. The boy was riding Sable, the black gelding he’d said was his favorite, with an ease that told Colt he wasn’t new to the activity.
Colt had chosen a gray stallion called Star for the white patch on its forehead, and was leading the way. With Heather gone, he’d thought he’d have the chance to be alone with his son, but he’d forgotten that Crescent Hall was filled with his brothers and their wives, so he’d suggested the ride. The sun was out, sparkling on the icy crust of the hard-packed snow, and the fresh air was cleaning the cobwebs out of his brain. Out here under a wide Montana sky, anything seemed possible. Maybe he could salvage the mess he’d made, after all.
“No need to lag behind me—there’s plenty of room for us to ride side by side,” he said.
Richard was slow to catch up to him, and Colt knew he had to repair some of the damage between them—fast.
“You know it’s not my fault I wasn’t around all these years, right? I would have been here if I’d known about you.”
Richard didn’t answer, but his expression became downright mutinous.
Colt scowled. That wasn’t what he expected. “I’m not lying,” he said. “Your mother didn’t tell me.”
“Maybe because she didn’t like you.”
The bald statement hit him like a slap and Colt reared back in surprise. “She liked me well enough,” he said. “I think you’re evidence of that.”
Without another word Richard wheeled his horse around and urged it into a gallop. Colt swore, sawed at the reins of his own horse, and tried to follow him. What a stupid thing to say. He was blowing it with Richard before he even got started.
He managed to turn the gray around and went after Richard. “Hold up, now. Come on—let’s give each other a chance before we start scrapping.” He kept pace with his son, resisting the urge to lean over and grab Sable’s reins. “I just want you to understand I didn’t turn my back on you intentionally.”
“You turned your back on my mom, though, didn’t you?” Richard shot back over his shoulder, not slowing down. “You walked out of here without looking back.”
“I can’t have this conversation while we’re riding; I can barely hear you. Slow down or forget it.”
Richard reined Sable in, making soothing sounds to his horse when Sable danced to a halt. “Mom said you never once wrote or called. So you obviously weren’t in love with her.”
“Yes, I was.” It surprised Colt how much conviction rang in his words. It was true—he had loved Heather desperately back then. He loved her desperately now. It stung to know Richard blamed him for what he’d done.
“Then why didn’t you call?” Richard sounded like the teenager he was—uncertain, plaintive.
“Did your mom tell you what happened?” Despite what he’d said, he was glad they were on horseback. It was much easier to have this difficult conversation man to man over their horses’ twitching ears than it would have been in any other arrangement.
“A little.”
“I was sixteen. Just three years older than you are now.” He let that sink in. “Your mom was dating your Uncle Austin and, man, that riled me up. She never seemed to notice me, no matter how well I rode my horse or ran the obstacle course or drove my dad’s car. She was Austin’s girl through and through—until one day she wasn’t. She and Austin broke up and it turned out she had been falling out of love with him for a while. Still, we knew it wasn’t exactly right for us to be together.”
“Because you shouldn’t date your brother’s girlfriend?”
Colt grinned at Richard. “Not if you’re following the rules.”
“But you didn’t follow the rules.”
“Nope. Not that time. I couldn’t get her out of my mind. She was all I thought about night and day. I finally asked her out and she said yes. We went out a few times—sneaking around behind everyone’s backs. I didn’t like how that felt, but at the same time it made it more exciting too.” He shook his head over the memory. “I was stoked about dating her. I couldn’t believe it.”
“So what happened?”
Colt looked at Richard, who hunched over Sable’s neck and listened to every word intently.
“The last time I went to see your mother, my dad caught me sneaking out and he knew what I was up to. He told me I needed to stop—that it was wrong and it would cause trouble. I went and saw your mother anyway. You were conceived that day. When I got home…” He broke off. Could he really tell this to Richard? What would Heather want him to do? He didn’t know, but he figured Richard deserved the explanation. “… my dad was dead.”
Richard pulled back. “Grandpa died the day I was…”
“The day you were conceived. That’s right. Uncle Zeke—my dad’s brother—kicked the rest of us out of the Hall two weeks later. My mom couldn’t stand to stay here once she lost her husband and her home. That’s why we went to Florida.”
“But why didn’t Mom call you?”
“Did you ever ask her that?”
Richard nodded.
“What did she say?” Colt was curious about the answer.
“She said she didn’t want you and Uncle Austin to fight.”
“That’s what she told me, too.” He couldn’t keep some of the bitterness out of his voice, though. He’d lost thirteen years of time with Richard and he’d never get that back.
When he looked up, Richard’s gaze had narrowed. “You don’t believe her.”
“I don’t know what to believe.” Colt worked to control Star when the horse side-stepped anxiously. “I just found out I have a thirteen-year-old son… who wouldn’t be confused?”
“If you’re so confused, why are you marrying her?”
Smart kid, Colt thought, surprised at the question. “Because…” What was he supposed to say? Because last night he hadn’t been able to get enough of her? Because even now he couldn’t bear to be apart from her?
He took in Richard’s watchful expression. “Because families are meant to be together. Now come on—let’s get back inside out of the cold.”
“The way to Colt’s heart is through his—”
“Camila!” Heather glared at her friend across the cozy booth they shared at Fila’s two days later. It was the middle of a weekday afternoon, a slow time at the restaurant, and Camila had taken a break to help Heather brainstorm her next move. A large plate of nachos draped with cheese and butter chicken sauce sat between them. Heather held a chip in her hand but had yet to bite into it.
“I’m serious! Give him a wedding night he’ll never forget and everything will be fine.”
“I doubt it. I don’t even know if we’re going to have a wedding now.” She was calmer now. She’d brought a suitcase full of clothing to the Hall for Richard the first night he’d stayed there, but Regan had been the only one home: Colt had taken Richard ice skating. She’d texted Richard and he’d answered hours later, his short notes making it all too clear he was having fun hanging out with his dad. That was exactly what she had wanted to happen, but she couldn’t help feel left out.
“Heather—”
“I mean it. You should have seen him, Camila. People keep telling me it will all be okay, but he was so hurt and angry at me. I’m not sure he can forgive me for what I did.”
“And now he’s got Richard to himself for a few days.”
Heather shrugged. “Or maybe more. Maybe Colt won’t give him back, or maybe Richard won’t want to come home after he spends time with his dad.”
“Okay, first of all? Breathe,” Camila said. “Let’s look at this logically. The worst is already over. Colt came home. He proposed. And now he knows the truth about Richard. One night with you was enough to convince him to marry you, right? A few more romps in the hay and the two of you will be good as gold.”
“I wish someone would take this seriously.”
“I am taking it seriously, and I think the next step is for you to spend more time with him. Time in close quarters.”
Heather sighed. “Close quarters, huh? How do I do that?”
“You could ask Mason or Regan if you could move into the Hall.”
Heather thought about it. “That’s not a bad idea. Do you think they’d let me? Ella might not like it. She’s friendly, but she always keeps her distance, you know?”
“I think that’s mostly in your head. She’s busy, that’s all. She’s trying to start a business, too, you know.”
Heather nodded. “Equine therapy. Regan told me about it.”
“She wants to work with children, but without a degree she can only teach them to ride horses, she can’t qualify as a therapist herself—she’d have to go back to school for too many years. I heard she’s been trying to find someone who would sign on to work with her, but the therapist she had l
ined up backed out at the last minute. That has to be frustrating.”
“I guess I heard that too.” She hadn’t taken that into consideration. Maybe Ella was simply too stressed out to be friendly. Heather knew how that felt.
“Anyway, I heard she’s found someone new now, so give her another chance.” Camila shrugged. “Might be better to know what you’re up against now rather than later, too.”
“You’re right.” Heather pulled out her phone. “I’ll call Regan and ask her what she thinks.”
“Good-night,” Colt said when Richard leaned into his bedroom to say he was heading to bed. They’d established a basic routine over the last couple of days and Richard had relaxed around him somewhat. It helped he already knew Mason, Austin and Zane so well, although sometimes Colt resented that they’d gotten to spend so much more time with his son than he had.
Each morning he woke Richard up when it was time for chores. He’d expected his son to grumble about that but Richard was used to it from previous visits to the ranch, and he seemed to enjoy being treated like one of the men. He wolfed down as much breakfast as Colt did when they returned to the house and spent the rest of the time following Colt like a shadow. At first it had unnerved Colt the way his son watched his every move. He’d wondered if Richard was looking for things to criticize, but then he’d realized that wasn’t it at all. Heather might not think him fit to be a father, but Richard couldn’t get enough of him. In just a few days his son had started to walk like him, talk like him and even dress like him as much as he could. The boy had obviously longed for a father. How could Heather have kept them apart?
In quiet moments he was forced to consider his own part in the matter. He tried to put himself in Heather’s shoes as she waited for word as his family had packed to leave. In this small town, she would have heard about the rift between Zeke and his mother. Had she kept close to the phone, wondering why he didn’t call? And what had it felt like when she’d heard he was gone and knew he’d never come back?
He couldn’t imagine how it had been to be seventeen and read the positive pregnancy test several weeks later. Audrey must have been furious. Some of her friends would have stuck by Heather, but others would have ditched her. There’d have been gossip and cruel remarks. If she’d felt like he’d abandoned her because he didn’t care, she must have felt truly alone.