Colorado Cabin in the Pines (Peakview series Book 3)

by Jill Haymaker

  “She’s my friend, too. Do you think we could be friends?”

  She looked at him, her eyes filled with the suspicion of a small lost puppy. “Maybe.”

  “Don’t you want to try barrel racing?”

  The little girl shrugged and looked down at her pony, petting his neck. “Little Joe is not very fast. I want to go fast like Penny did.”

  Luke’s heart clenched for this tiny girl with huge, sad, brown eyes. “Well, you’re in luck because Geronimo here is very fast, and I bet if you got up in the saddle in front of me and held on real tight, we could do it together.”

  Marissa’s eyes got even bigger. “Really?

  “Of course. Cowboys don’t lie.” He climbed down and walked around Little Joe. “Ready?” Marissa nodded, and he effortlessly scooped her out of her saddle and hoisted onto his large one. She couldn’t weigh more than a sack of grain. “Now hold on tight to the saddle horn.” He swung up behind her and guided the horse into the line of waiting children.

  Penny lost track of Luke’s whereabouts as she stood at the front of the seeming endless line of campers waiting to learn the art of barrel racing. What fun it was to share something she loved so much with these young people. Someday she wanted to do this with her own kids. Kids she always imagined she’d have with Luke. Although she didn’t see him, she felt his presence like a warm breeze against her heart. After cheering Tommy across the finish line, she turned to see who was next in line. Much to her surprise, there was Marissa, not on her small pony but beaming down from the saddle of Geronimo, over 16 hands high in the air. She’d never seen the child look so excited.

  “Luke and I are going to race together,” she exclaimed.

  Penny glanced up into Luke’s blue eyes. He looked almost as excited as Marissa. If it wasn’t already hard enough to not fall back in love with him this summer, this could be the straw that broke the camel’s back. She fought unsuccessfully to stuff the feeling of love away. She raised her eyebrows at him.

  “Marissa was worried that Little Joe might be too old to race the barrels, so she agreed to help me with Geronimo.”

  “Be careful.” Luke was somewhat of a daredevil on the back of a horse having learned to ride almost before he could walk.

  “We will,” the two said in unison.

  Before she could decide whether or not this was a good idea, Luke spurred the horse forward into a trot and holding on to the reins with one hand and the child with the other, he made his way around the three barrels with the child giggling in delight. When he passed the last barrel, he clucked to Geronimo who shifted into an easy lope for the straight run home. Penny left one of the other workers in charge and ran over to where the duo stopped. Marissa giggled even louder now.

  “Penny, did you see how fast I went?”

  “I sure did. You were a star.” She reached up and grabbed the child down from Luke’s arms. “What do you say to Luke for taking you on that ride?”

  Marissa still grinning, looked up at the cowboy. “Thanks, Luke.”

  “My pleasure ma’am. He tipped the brim of his hat as he started to turn away.

  “And Luke, I decided you can be my friend.”

  Luke smiled back at the child.

  “Luke, you can be my friend, too.” Penny said in a voice that sounded strangely hoarse to her ears. Oh boy, she was in real trouble here.

  Once all the children had competed in the events, they dismounted and climbed up on the rails of the corral fence to watch Luke work magic with his lariat. Penny joined in their cheers as he flew the giant loop through the air and lassoed a calf that Ryan had let into the arena. He swung the rope round and round his body and even let a couple of the older campers come down and stand in middle of the rope with him. After much begging he even lassoed a few of the campers, being careful to throw the rope gently and not hurt anyone.

  “Rope Miss Penny,” a few campers yelled.

  Good naturedly, she jump into the arena and ran slowly in front of him to let him capture her. Little did they know that he also captured her heart.

  ***

  After the rodeo and an outdoor barbeque complete with a watermelon seed spitting contest—a hit with campers and male counselors alike, Ryan pulled the two large tractor-powered hay wagons up to the hill where they would load the campers for the trek into town for the fireworks display. They’d take a trail along the river so it would be safe for everyone sitting on bales of hay and not belted in. Still, Ryan went through a long list of safety precautions including no standing or moving around while the wagons were in motion and no sitting too close to the edges. There would be several counselors on each wagon to hopefully keep all of the children under control. Penny walked up to the kitchen and brought the snacks for the ride.

  Heading toward the wagon, she heard Marissa’s small voice. “Come sit by us, Penny. I saved a seat for you.”

  She jumped on the end and saw the child sharing a bale of hay with Luke. Great. So much for trying to keep some distance between them. She wove her way through the campers, careful not to step on any fingers or toes. Marissa popped up making room for her. She sat down, and the warmth of Luke’s arm next to hers send tingles all the way up to her heart. Marissa, usually shy around any male, plopped herself down in Luke’s lap.

  Penny looked over at him. “You don’t have to come with us, you know.”

  “What and miss the fireworks with my favorite campers?” He winked at Marissa and she burst into giggles. “I promised this one that we’d find the very best seat for the show, and I intend to keep that promise. You may want to stick with us.”

  “Cowboys don’t lie,” Marissa said looking up at him with adoration in her young eyes.

  Oh boy, hers wasn’t the only heart that was in danger of Luke’s charm. The wagon lurched forward, and Luke put his arm behind her back steadying her. She didn’t mind being this close to him—she didn’t mind at all. For tonight, she decided to relax and enjoy the ride.

  Everyone in Peakview County had turned out for the big show. Spreading several blankets on the grass for the campers, Penny told them to stay close. Local kids ran up and down the hill, lit up with glow sticks around their necks and arms. Luke and Ryan purchased one for each camper, and soon they glowed in neon colors.

  Spotting her parents seated nearby with the Walkers and Peytons, Penny excused herself to say hello. Luke followed behind her, his hand touching the small of her back. She couldn’t help noticing the interested glances of their friends and neighbors and sped up her steps to get out of his reach. She didn’t relish being the subject of local gossip tomorrow.

  “Penny, glad you made it.” Her mom stood up and gave her a hug. “And Luke, it’s good to see you, too.” Ann looked back and forth between the two of them.

  “Luke was nice enough to stay and help us get the campers here in one piece,” Penny said desperately trying to downplay the fact that they were together. Cutting the conversation short, Penny headed back to blankets filled with campers. Luke stayed right on her heels. Of course, Marissa had saved a seat on each side of her for the two of them. The last rays of sunlight disappeared behind the mountians. Howard Crandall stood up amid the cheers of the crowd to announce that the show would begin shortly.

  Luke looked over at Marissa. “Now the only way to properly watch fireworks is to lay flat on your back so that you can see the whole sky above you.” He removed his hat and set it beside him and laid back, his hands locked behind his head. “Then as each one shoots into the air, you yell ‘ooh and aah’ really loud. Here use my chest as a pillow.”

  Marissa lay back against him and stared into the sky. The first explosion went off. “Ooh, aah!”

  Ooh, aah, is right. Explosions were going off in her brain, but it wasn’t from the fireworks. She gazed down at the two people lying beside her. She noticed the crease in Luke’s hair where his cowboy hat had sat for the day and the muscles in his arms stretched behind his head. But most of all she noticed the small child resting on h
is chest, yelling in unison with him with each new explosion.

  This is what she had dreamed about for all those high school years. Her and Luke—with children, enjoying holidays together. It might be just a fantasy, but it felt right. On impulse she moved over next to the child and laid her head on Luke’s lap, too. Although, the night air had turned chilly, warmth radiated off of him, and her body melted. Could he feel it too? A perfect moment. One that she wouldn’t soon forget, when she returned to Chicago.

  Luke sucked his breath in deeply as her head settled in his lap, fighting the reaction of his lower body parts to that simple motion. He was treading on unsteady water here and was about to sink. In a few weeks she’d walk out of his life again. He didn’t want to be left broken-hearted, but it might be too late. Might have been the moment he saw her ride up to his cabin last month. His heart belonged to her—always had. For now, he’d just enjoy their time. He’d be sad later.

  The ride back to the camp was much more subdued than the ride to the show. Most of the kids, worn out from the long day, fought to keep their eyes open. Marissa settled in Penny’s lap, and Luke could tell by the way she held on tight to the child that she was thinking about having to say goodbye in a few short minutes. He left them alone and joined with a few of the counselors singing camp songs until they pulled up in front of the bunkhouses.

  “It was nice meeting you Marissa. Be a good little cowgirl, and maybe we’ll see you back here next summer.” He gave the child a hug and walked over to help Ryan unload the wagon. He would wait to make sure Penny got home safely. He knew she needed some time to say goodbye to Marissa and the other campers.

  “You want me to drive you and Penny home? You can come back and get your horses tomorrow,” Ryan offered as they finished putting things away.

  “Thanks, but the ride home will be good. Penny needs some time to process saying goodbye to her first set of campers. Besides it’s a beautiful night, and the dogs could use the exercise after being closed up in the lodge while we were at the fireworks. The full moon will light our way.” Luke looked at the moon and stars, loving the beauty of the mountains away from city lights.

  He glanced over. Penny and Marissa held on to one another, tears streaming down both of their faces. Penny wiped hers away as the child clung to her legs, plastering a weak smile on her face. He heard her say, “It’s okay. We’ll always be friends, I promise. We’ll write each other letters, and I’m going to stop down and see you in Denver before I head back to Chicago.” She gently eased out the child’s grip and encouraged her to head to the bunkhouse. “I won’t forget you.”

  “I won’t forget you either,” the child squeaked as she let go and joined the others. “You’ll always be my best friend.”

  Penny turned to him, tears welling up in her eyes once more. “Let’s go.” She called Bandit and climbed on Ginger and followed him out of the gate, not looking back. Luke wanted to console her—try and make things better, but he sensed that she needed some space, so he led the way down the narrow path by the river, shining his flashlight ahead to light their way in silence. A full moon had risen, and the tree tops glistened in the pale light. He remained quiet until they cleared the trees at the edge of the Anderson land, where he pulled back on Geronimo to let her ride up alongside him.

  “You okay?” he reached out and entwined her fingers with his.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. That was a hard one. I guess I’ll need to get used to goodbyes once I start teaching. It would be easier if I knew she was going back to a loving place, but…”

  He squeezed her fingers and held on until they stopped in front of her barn. Dismounting, she unsaddled Ginger and let her loose in the corral. “Thanks for riding home with me.” She turned and faced where he stood trying unsuccessfully to calm down his puppy. “You better get Brutus home, before he takes off by himself.”

  He wanted to kiss her pain away—hold her and never let go. Instead he brushed a light kiss across her forehead and headed Geronimo down the lane.

  ***

  Penny walked across the lawn to the house, letting tears flow freely down her face. She’d held her emotions inside for too long today. She sighed in relief to see that all the lights were out inside the residence. No doubt her parents had already retired from a long day. She wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone right now. She made her way up the back staircase with Bandit at her heels. The tears continued to flow as she undressed and slipped on the oversized T-shirt that served as her pajamas. It was one of Luke’s old shirts that she had snagged in high school, she liked falling asleep surrounded by his scent. Even though it had been washed at least a hundred times since then, she still swore it smelled like him. Bandit jumped up on the bed beside her and whined attempting to lick away her person’s tears.

  “I’m okay.” Penny said softly trying to reassure her companion. She pulled the dog into a tight embrace. What were her tears all about? It had been sad to say goodbye to Marissa, but it was more than that. Luke Walker. What was she going to do about Luke? He acted so sweet all day long, not only to her but to Marissa as well. What did he think was happening between them? Did he want her to give up her career to move home to the Walker Ranch? For that matter, what did she want? She was so confused. Maybe it was a mistake to come back here.

  She loved Luke. There she’d said it. She did love him, but she needed more. She’d never be happy just being a rancher’s wife. She needed to make a difference in the world, help others, have her own career. How could she do that in Peakview County? She had no answers—only questions.

  CHAPTER NINE

  The next weeks passed. A new group of campers came and went, as adorable as the first group, but none that she got as attached to as Marissa. Maybe she was learning to be compassionate, yet separate her job from her personal feelings. A skill she’d no doubt need as a school teacher. She hadn’t heard from Marissa since the child left camp. As more and more days went by, her worry over her small friend threatened to get the best of her. At her request, Willow contacted the child’s social worker and got permission to give Penny the telephone number of the child’s foster mother.

  Following a restless weekend, she made the call on Monday morning. “Mrs. Grant? My name is Penny Anderson. I was one of Marissa’s camp counselors at Peak Adventure Camp. I’m going to be in Denver later this week and was wondering if I could stop by and take Marissa to lunch?”

  “Her caseworker told me you might be calling. I suppose it would be okay, as long as you clear it with me ahead of time. I can’t plan my schedule around you. It is always good to get one of them out of my hair for a while. Summers are brutal with eight kids in the house.”

  Get her out of her hair? Penny felt her temperature rising to a boiling point. She let out a deep breath and counted to five before answering. It wouldn’t help Marissa if she lost her temper with this woman. Then she might never get to see the child. She pulled out her sweetest voice. “How about this Wednesday? I could be there about 11:00 and can keep her all afternoon if you like.

  “I guess that would work.”

  “Do you think I could talk to her for a minute, let her know I’m coming?”

  “She’s outside somewhere. I’ll let her know. Goodbye.”

  Penny leaned back in her chair. Eight kids? Was Marissa getting any love in this home? She wiped away the stray tear that trickled down her cheek. She needed to show the child that she was important, special, even if only for one afternoon.

  The morning was filled with the chaos of a whole new group of youngsters. She admired Willow and Ryan more and more each day. How did they do this? And live there, too? At least she got away to the peace and quiet of her parents’ home every evening.

  She hadn’t seen Luke since the Fourth. It was probably best to keep her distance until she left Colorado. She didn’t need to start depending on him again—it would just make it that much harder to say goodbye. Still, she missed his warm blue eyes and irresistible smile. And the way he had been with Marissa
…he would make an excellent father someday.

  ***

  Luke rode down to the main house with Brutus bounding ahead. The puppy had already learned that Grandma was an easy target for lots of dog treats. It had been a long, dusty day of working with cantankerous horses. July was the hottest month in Peakview County. The brilliant sun shining down through the crystal blue sky could zap all of your energy by the end of the day. Even the horses seemed to feel it. Usually, he just crashed at his cabin, content with the company of Brutus, who seemed to gain a couple of pounds each day. If this kept up, he’d be as big as one of their foals soon. But tonight, he needed some human company. He hadn’t seen Penny in a couple of weeks, and missed her laugh in spite of himself.

  As he walked up the wide porch step, June called out to him from the old wooden swing. “Hey Luke. Good to see you. Sit down and I’ll grab you some iced tea.”

  “You don’t need to get up, I can get my own,” he replied.

  His stepmom was already on her feet. “No, you relax. You’ve had a long day. I’ll be right back.”

  “Where’s the old man?”

  “In the den working on the books. I’d recommend steering clear. You know how much he likes the numbers part of the business.”

  “Good advice.” Luke plopped down on one of the padded lawn chairs and watched in amusement as Brutus unsuccessfully tried to get one of his parents’ dogs, Shep or Laddie, to chase him. The older dogs seemed content to lie in the yard and soak in the last rays of sunshine for the day. When June reemerged, however, Brutus gave up and sat politely at her feet salivating at the thought of what she surely must have in her pocket.

  Luke laughed. “You’re spoiling my dog, already.”

  “That’s what puppies are for. Right Brutus?” June produced a bone from her pocket and leaned down to receive a slobbery kiss before turning over the treat. “How’s everything going? Is Penny still around? You two looked like you were having a good time together on the Fourth.”