“Thank y’all. I’m about as excited as a woman can get. I mean, really, I had no idea when I came here that I was going to meet Jess. And here I am.”
“Is it going to be a big wedding?” Annie couldn’t help asking. She was happy for Gabi and Jess.
Susan and Gabi looked at each other and chuckled. “Who knows? There could be a hundred people there or three hundred. Jess has been inviting everyone. You and Leo are coming, I hope.... Maybe Colt can escort you.”
Annie went on alert. “I don’t think so. Besides, isn’t Colt in the wedding? He’ll be too busy, I’m sure.”
A truck drove up outside. “Lunch break is over.” Susan grinned. “You’d better put that somewhere safe, Gabi, or Max the destroyer might decide to eat it for a snack.”
Gabi pretended fear as she snatched her dress and headed in the opposite direction of the truck and its zealous, large dog, which Annie could see jumping and barking in the bed. He was huge.
“Looks like we have a live one,” she said, glad to have something to distract her from the talk of weddings and Colt. She’d had him on her mind constantly. She ushered in the rambunctious giant of a dog and his petite owner, Ginger. Honestly, Annie couldn’t figure out why a woman would want a dog that big. Max came bounding into the clinic, towing Ginger as if she was a low-flying kite. He padded with purpose and intent straight behind the counter, placed one big paw on either side of her chair and immediately tried to lick Annie to death.
It took Annie, Gabi, Susan and Ginger to get the affectionate mutt into the exam room. Annie was breathing hard as everyone got into the room and she closed them inside. “Whew, what a job,” she muttered, heading to her desk. She’d just sat down when Colt drove into the parking lot. Her stomach flopped over like Max wanting a belly rub. She reminded herself that she was mad at him, and that she was praying for wisdom where he was concerned. Belly flopping was not part of the plan. But watching the handsome bull rider walk through the doors as if he were on a mission and that mission was her...well, it did things to a girl. Even one bent on keeping her distance.
* * *
“Okay, look.” Colt stopped just on the other side of her desk. “I know you were mad at me last night. And I know you had a right to be, since I went and stepped on your toes about the mutton bustin’. But...” He glanced around as if realizing for the first time that they might not be alone. “Well, you know, since—can we go outside?” he asked.
Annie was already on her way. She flounced past him on her own mission to get him out of the office and on his way as quickly as possible.
Once she broke into the heated day, she spun around. They’d not spoken much on the way home from the rodeo. They hadn’t needed to speak, because Leo had rattled on and on excitedly about the mutton bustin’ he was going to do. Thanks to Colt opening his mouth and stepping in on her territory.
“You set me up as the bad guy last night,” she snapped, suddenly realizing another piece of the puzzle. “You knew all night that riding bulls makes me nervous. You knew that and yet you jumped in there before I could say no, and you okayed mutton bustin’.”
“It’s just a kid riding a sheep, Annie.”
“A sheep today, a bull tomorrow. Don’t look at me like that. Isn’t that how you got interested?”
He clammed up on that one.
“Well, isn’t it?”
“Well, yeah, it was fun when I got the chance to do it. Although I didn’t actually get to do it on the up-and-up. I had to sneak into the neighbor’s corral and ride when no one was watching.”
Annie crossed her arms and glared at him. He stepped close, his eyes searching hers, and her pulse quickened. She fought to keep her defenses sharp and up. Hard to do when Colt’s warm molasses eyes made her heart feel like melting butter. He sighed, dropped his head and stared at his boots. He was so close she could feel the drum of his heart on the breath between them. What, oh what, was going on?
Colt lifted his gaze, the torture resting in them tearing at Annie’s heart just as he stepped in close, wrapped his good arm around her and pulled her to him.
Annie was too shocked to move.
Their faces nose to nose, their lips so close she could feel his tremble, their hearts pounded together and Annie feared that if he let her go her knees would buckle and she’d just sink into a puddle at his feet. To stop that from happening, she grasped his good shoulder and held on.
Though letting go of her was not his plan. Oh no, not a word was spoken as his arm tightened around her and his lips captured hers, stealing her breath and curling her toes, her hair and her heart.
Annie’s fingers tightened. She couldn’t think. She really couldn’t think about anything except how wonderful his kiss was, how utterly... No!
Annie forced herself to push out of his arms. He blinked, as if he was just as stunned by what had happened as she was.
He swallowed. She gulped. They stared at each other, both blinking as silence stretched between them.
He rubbed his temple. “Look, Annie, I’m sorry. That shouldn’t have happened. I came here to tell you I was sorry. If you don’t want Leo to ride, I’ll tell him, make some kind of excuse, since it was me who got him all hopped up about it.”
Annie pressed her hand to her stomach and willed herself to speak. She could. She remembered when she was able to form coherent words. “Tha—that won’t be necessary.”
He looked as amazed by her words as she was.
“It won’t be necessary?” His brows practically intertwined above his confused eyes.
Annie tried to make herself get over the kiss. It had been a big fat mistake. Sure, there was attraction between them, but with this triangle of a relationship that they now had with each other and Leo, there was no way they could ever complicate it with anything romantic. “You are his daddy and you do have a right to voice your opinion. I would appreciate discussing things before overruling me in the future. However, I do also need to begin to let go. I can’t coddle Leo forever. I wanted him to have a male influence in his life, and this is a guy thing.”
“Little girls love it, too.”
“I should have known. Look, I’d better get back inside. When would be a good time for me to have Leo at your house, or wherever it is that you two will train for this event?”
“I’ll have a riding dummy rigged up this afternoon. Come anytime after you get home from work.” Colt smiled, turned and sauntered to his truck, whistling. Colt was a whistler...who’d have ever thunk it?
She spun to make her escape back into the clinic. “Annie,” he called, halting her steps.
“Yes.”
“About that kiss.”
Her heart fluttered. “Yes,” she said, fighting back the memory of his lips on hers.
“You don’t have to worry. It won’t be happening again. I promise.”
* * *
“I promise.” Colt muttered the words a few hours later as he rigged a small barrel between two trees. Ropes suspended the barrel a few inches from the ground, just high enough for Leo’s feet not to drag. Tugging the rope tight, he yanked the knot taut. As taut as his frustrations.
They would be here any moment and he was all fumble fingers. He’d tied these knots three times before getting them tight enough. He’d been that way since he’d made a fool of himself by kissing Annie in front of the vet clinic. He’d done it before he could get ahold of his senses. She’d been standing there raking him over the coals, and then he’d kissed her. She was beautiful and...
And he’d been a mess from that moment on.
The memory of the touch of her lips sent an electric thunderstorm moving through him. Stepping back from the barrel, he grabbed the lead rope that would enable him to control the barrel while Leo tried to ride it. Wrapping the hand of his arm with the broken collarbone, he tugged on the rope
. The movement sent a small amount of pain through his shoulder, but not much. It wouldn’t be long before his arm would be working again. Unlike his brain.
“What were you thinking, Holden?” he muttered again, just as he heard chatter coming through the woods. Leo had arrived. Colt’s heart expanded at the sight of his son. Love like he’d never felt threatened to take him to his knees.
Dear God, let me be good enough for this task. The prayer filled him, even though he knew he’d never measure up. Not alone. But with God’s help, he’d have to muddle through.
When Annie stepped into view, her silken golden hair glistening, his stomach tightened, his heart suddenly plunged to his boots and his hands dampened. He knew without calling the doctor that he had a major ailment.
Oh yeah, he was sick all right. Sick in the head. What had he been thinking? That she was beautiful, full of fire and coals, and spunk.
“Hey, Colt, I been waitin’ all day to see you.” Leo raced from the woods and threw his arms around Colt’s legs. Colt’s heart exploded with love, and it was all he could do not to bend down and hug Leo tight.
But he didn’t. A dark emotion hunkered at the back of his joy, the voice telling him he wasn’t worthy to take the gift offered to him. Helping Leo, feeling that small thrill of joy at just seeing his smile, felt like much more than he deserved...but he couldn’t help himself. And Annie... Colt looked up from his child wrapped around his leg and met her wary gaze.
“Hey,” he managed, though his mouth was dry and the words sounded rough. He cleared his throat—and tried to clear his head. This was about Leo. “I’ve got it all set up.”
“What is it?” Leo asked as Annie ran her fingers over the barrel and Leo pushed it.
“You’ll sit on there and hold on, while I pull this rope and make it rock. You’ll have to hold on and learn to use your legs to help you keep your seat on it.”
“Like a sheep,” Annie said.
“I get it!” Leo exclaimed and batted saucer-sized eyes at them. “Can I get on now, can I?”
Colt laughed, scooped him up, putting his hands under Leo’s arms, and deposited him on top of the barrel. His shoulder protested a little, but not much. “Hold on to that rope I’ve attached to the barrel.”
Leo chattered up a storm as Colt got him situated. Annie stood quietly, her arms crossed, watching from a few feet back. He wondered what she was thinking. Probably that she’d like to wring his neck...or worse.
Theirs was a complicated situation. No denying it.
“Okay, are you hanging on? Got your grip on the rope? That’s right, just like that. We’re going to have to pick you up a pair of small gloves at Pete’s Feed store, but lookin’ good right now.”
Leo was concentrating too hard to do anything but nod. It was easy to tell the little fella had been watching bull riding and knew the stance coming out of the chute. He had his hand palm up between the barrel and the rope. He had his eyes fixed forward and down, chin dipped, and as Colt stepped back Leo lifted his left arm up over his head. It hit Colt then just how much he did look like a small version of himself. Colt had seen plenty of pictures of himself in that moment and watched hours of film studying his technique to know that Leo wasn’t copying just any bull rider. He was copying Colt. Jennifer was responsible for that.
In her own weird way she’d given them a connection, though she’d never revealed the truth to him. For that, at least, he could thank her.
It was a connection Annie wasn’t sure about, and wasn’t in agreement about. But she was putting her own feelings aside to allow this for him. For that he appreciated her.
“Here we go. Now, practice gripping the barrel with your thighs. That’s this part.” He placed his hand on Leo’s thigh. “You’ve got muscles there that you will depend on.”
Leo looked up and nodded impatiently. Colt chuckled. “Okay, buddy, get ready to ride.” With that he pulled gently on the rope, making the barrel move slightly, just enough to warn Leo how it felt. And then he pulled a little harder.
Leo hooted and yanked his arm and stayed on for a few seconds, and then he slid off into the dirt, which Colt had turned up with a shovel to make soft for just such a situation. Leo laughed, rolled out of the way of the barrel and hopped to his feet.
“That was awesome—let’s do it again!”
“Hop on,” Colt said, not able to wipe the grin stuck to his face. This was his kid, all right. His son.
“Great ride, Leo.” Despite her trepidation, Annie was all smiles.
“I know I did,” Leo hollered, busting with admiration and pride. Totally full of himself. Colt thought that was hilarious and would have to give him a little rougher ride so the little fella wouldn’t start letting a big ego ruin his determination.
Obviously on the same wavelength, Leo walked over to him all business. “Colt, don’t ya know you gotta move this barrel faster if you want me to win. How am I supposed to learn if I don’t fall off a few times?”
Colt grimaced and met Annie’s watchful stare. “He’s got a point. You ready for this?”
Annie bit the inside of her lip and contemplated his words. He figured she was ready to throttle him for the whole situation—kiss included—but she sucked in an extremely deep breath. “I trust you. Do what you think is safe.”
Colt couldn’t help the smile that lifted one corner of his mouth and traveled across his face in a warm path of admiration. This woman had heart. Colt and Leo weren’t the only two in the group with their share of determination.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence. Hop on and hang on, son, because—” His words jerked to a halt. Annie’s eyes grew the size of his truck tires. Leo blinked at them.
“I’m hanging on, Colt,” he said, unaware of what Colt had said.
Colt calmed his nerves. People used the term son all the time. Leo had no clue that for the first time in his life he’d actually heard his daddy call him son.
That struck Colt as the saddest thing. A kid deserved to hear his daddy call him son. A daddy deserved to hear his son call him Dad.
It took every ounce of determination Colt possessed to remind himself that there were some who didn’t deserve anything...and he was one of them.
Chapter Twelve
Annie stood on the plank sidewalk of Mule Hollow and stared down the town’s Main Street. She loved this town—it was amazing how quickly the place had grown on her. And how could it not with its crazy colors? Why, just seeing the colorful buildings perked up her spirits. And she could sure use some perking up. She felt like a guitar string pulled so tight it quivered with the temptation to snap at any minute. She pushed that out of her mind and focused on the town. There was Heavenly Inspirations Hair Salon, owned by Montana’s cousin Lacy Brown Matlock. The two-story building was as pink as a sassy flamingo! Out front was Lacy’s 1958 pink convertible Caddy with tail fins and all. Annie had a flash of Elvis hopping from that caddy and looking around the wacky little town and wondering what rabbit hole he’d fallen into.
Pete’s Feed and Seed was bright yellow with vibrant green trim. Every building had its own wild combination of colors as if they’d chosen the colors wearing blindfolds.
A smile hovered on Annie’s lips as she walked into the feed store. Joy—that was the color of this town. With its overflowing flower boxes, which were being maintained through the drought by consistent care and watering from some of the residents. Annie knew everyone was praying for rain, but so far the dry, cracked earth had no reason to hope it was getting a drink anytime soon. Miss Adela had said that the Lord had a reason for withholding the rain, and it would come in God’s time.
As Annie was standing there, a truck turned onto Main and pulled into the parking space in front of her. It was Colt, of all people.
“And we meet again,” he drawled, rubbing his clean-shaven jaw as he got out
of his truck.
She couldn’t seem to do anything without running into Colt. “Imagine seeing you here,” she said. Irritation pricked at the attraction that instantly made itself known to her.
“Fancy finding you here,” he said, tugging the brim of his hat lower over his eyes as he studied her. “I figured you’d be working.”
“I had to pick up some supplies that Pete ordered for the clinic,” she explained. “And I was going to pick up Leo a pair of gloves.”
Colt smiled a lazy smile that tickled her insteps.
“I came to pick him out a pair myself.”
“Oh,” she mumbled. “Well, okay. I’ll just pick up the supplies. I wouldn’t know what he needed anyway.”
He nodded toward the store. “Want to pick them out together?”
“I guess.” Not really.
His eyes crinkled. “I know you’re having a hard time with this, but thanks. He’s enjoying it. And it’s good for him. A kid like him craves the challenge.” Colt’s gaze skimmed down her jeans-clad body, then stopped momentarily on her lips.
She forced a smile and tried not to think about what lingered between them. She’d had enough on her mind without thinking about the kiss. But despite everything, it hovered on the edge of every thought she had, waiting to set butterflies loose inside her.
“It’s all he talks about,” she managed as Colt’s gaze met hers.
They headed inside the dusty store. Annie figured nothing had changed inside since the day Pete had opened the place.
“Well, hey there,” Pete greeted them from behind the counter. Annie had been in once before to pick up some supplies and had met the jovial man already. He was tall and balding, with an easygoing way about him as he tugged a pencil from behind an ear. “Y’all need some help?”
It struck Annie that the feed store owner thought they were together. He’d just assumed it when they’d walked in together.
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