by Barbara Gee
“I’ll do that.”
Brit stood too. “I’m gonna go grab a coffee. Be right back.”
Then there were two. Vince knew this was Callie’s last day at the center for a while, at least that’s what Brittany had said out on the range that morning, and if he didn’t figure out a way to see her again now, it could mean a lot of wasted time waiting for her to show up here again.
He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table.
“I’d like to see your ranch, Callie,” he stated boldly, feeling the now familiar zing when those incredible eyes rose to meet his.
CHAPTER 5
Why oh why did the man have to be so indescribably attractive? Callie had been trying her best to avoid looking at directly at him, because doing so made her stomach do funny, teenager-like things, fluttery things. Surely it was just because he was the Vince Abbot, the hockey player she watched avidly two to three times a week during the season. It was only natural the shock of seeing him in person was throwing her for a major loop—right? She just had to get used to it.
She set her fork down and cleared her throat. Since it was just the two of them at the moment, and he’d spoken directly to her, she couldn’t keep staring at her plate. Steeling herself for the jolt, she raised her eyes to his.
Holy cow. The jolt hit hard, but she did her best to hide it.
She took a careful sip of coffee. “Our ranch might be a little disappointing now that you’ve seen the Full Heart,” she told him. “We’re a much smaller scale.”
“Show me,” he said simply, his gaze unwavering.
Callie swallowed hard. “Why?”
His lips curved up. “Because I want to see you again. I want to see where you live.”
“Why?” she asked again, even though it made her sound like a three-year-old. He was looking at her like he meant it, but she couldn’t for the life of her figure out why. Especially when Brit had made it more than clear she was into him.
“Because you intrigue me. Not many people do.”
His voice was low and his words caused the heat to rise in her cheeks again. “Sorry, but I don’t buy that,” she said quietly. “I’m sure you meet people more interesting than me on a daily basis.” She shook her head when he opened his mouth to respond. “I’m not saying that so you’ll give me a line assuring me otherwise. I’m saying it because I know it’s the truth.”
“Oh yeah?” He watched her, his expression thoughtful. “And how would you know?”
She raised one shoulder in a shrug. “Easy. You’re a celebrity, at least in the big hockey cities. You mingle with the who’s-who in the sports and entertainment worlds. I’m just a cowgirl from Barlow, North Dakota.”
His blue eyes looked darker in here than they had out in the sunlight, and his smile made them crinkle just a bit at the corners. “Well, Miss Cowgirl from Barlow, would it burst your bubble to learn that most of the who’s-who are the opposite of interesting?”
She raised her brows. Was he telling her the truth, or saying what he thought she wanted to hear? “You don’t look too bored in the pictures I’ve seen.” She softened her words with the hint of a smile, because she was only trying to make a point, not judge.
He grimaced. “I play it up for the cameras, but if you think about it, you’ll realize you haven’t seen any of those pictures in quite a while.”
Callie felt her smile turn a little sheepish. “To be honest, I’ve only seen a couple, and that was only because my girlfriends were Googling all the players once during a game we were watching together.”
His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “You don’t Google us yourself? I thought you were a hockey fan.”
“Oh, I’m a big fan,” she assured him. “I even talked Grandpa into a big-screen TV so we could see the games better. I just don’t pay attention to the players’ personal lives. At least, not when I can help it.”
“Ah, then you’re my kind of fan,” he said, looking impressed. “You’re in it for the love of the game.”
He glanced to the side and saw Brittany coming their way. Turning back, his gaze became suddenly intense. “We’re about to be interrupted, and this conversation isn’t finished. I want to see you again, Callie.”
She looked down and dropped her hands to her lap, twisting them together nervously. “I’ll be volunteering here again in a couple of weeks. Molly just asked me this morning.”
“Before then.”
She swallowed hard, unable to believe what she was hearing. It would have been a dream come true—if she’d ever dared to dream about having a professional hockey player show interest in her! But it was also a pipe dream, and she didn’t have time for those. Not with the way things were with her grandpa.
“I think you’d be better off seeing Brit again,” she said truthfully, knowing the other girl’s care-free, bubbly personality would be much more in line with what Vince Abbot would expect. Plus, Brit had already made it clear to Callie that she was interested, while Callie hadn’t confessed her own strong reaction. That omission had kind of given the green light to her friend, right?
He ignored her advice about Brit. “Give me your number,” he said urgently, their time almost up.
“I don’t have any paper.”
“I’ll remember it.”
She didn’t have time to think about the pros and cons. All she knew for sure was if she didn’t give him her number, it really could be weeks before she saw him again. Pipe dream or not, that seemed too long.
So she gave it to him.
“Thank you,” he said quietly just as Brittany resumed her seat.
Callie busied herself with cutting a bite of her roll. Whether he really would remember the number, or use it, remained to be seen.
***
When Callie got home, she was delighted to see Jeremiah waiting at the kitchen door, his eyes brighter than they’d been in weeks. He informed her he’d had a good morning, and wanted her to drive him out to the barn so he could check on Quinn and the horses.
Callie was thrilled to do it. It had been over a week since he’d felt good enough to spend time with his horses, and she knew he’d missed them.
The Double Nickel was known for breeding top quarter horses. Jeremiah’s father had started the program, and had built up a decent reputation. Then Jeremiah had used his own passion for both breeding and training to take it to the next level. At his peak, Jeremiah had owned four stallions and eighteen broodmares, and sold up to a dozen horses a year. He’d sold some as foals, and kept others long enough to train them himself. A cutting horse trained by Jeremiah Green brought top dollar, and was a nice financial supplement to their cattle business.
Of course, he’d had to cut back the number of horses as he’d aged, and now that he was sick, they were down to one stallion and eight mares in the breeding program. Quinn Kerrigan, a neighbor, was coming every day to look after them now. Quinn had been mentored in all things horse by Jeremiah for the last five summers. The now twenty-one year old loved the work and had expressed an interest in keeping the program going and maybe building it back up, but he had another year of college to go, and a lot could happen in that amount of time.
Thankfully, the cattle and crop operations were enough to keep the ranch going, and Callie knew that’s what they had to concentrate on for the time being.
Their two full-time hired hands, Sam and Lance, functioned as co-foremen. They were cousins, worked well together, and had both been at the Double Nickel for eleven years. They had the cattle and crop thing well under control, and since Jeremiah had always been much more involved with the horses, his health setback hadn’t affected that part of the business as much as it might have.
Naturally, Callie had spent the bulk of her time with the horses, too, and now she was trying hard to learn exactly what Sam and Lance did, and how, without them feeling threatened. She had no intention of replacing them, or even reducing any of their responsibilities, she just wanted an overall knowledge of the operation. Because if s
he was going to manage the ranch when Jeremiah was gone, and if she was the one paying the bills, she wanted to know the business side of it, not just how to move cattle from one pasture to another.
When Jeremiah had been feeling better, Callie had started spending every morning with the two men. It had been a little awkward at first. It was painfully obvious she had a lot to learn, plus Sam and Lance had known her since she was thirteen. Picturing her as their boss wasn’t an easy transition.
She’d persevered though. She’d been at the barn, ready and waiting, every morning when they showed up for work. It had taken a while, but eventually the men had realized that her many questions were indicative of an honest desire to understand the ins and outs of the business, and not an attempt to second guess what they were doing. Once they understood her motives better, they’d opened up and even seemed to enjoy having her tag along.
She hadn’t been out there with them in the last few weeks though, due to Jeremiah’s ups and downs. She hoped she wouldn’t have to start all over with the men when she finally got back to a more active role.
Callie shook off that worry as she helped Jeremiah into the Gator. As she walked around to the driver’s seat, she couldn’t help but remember how Vince Abbot had looked as he’d unfolded his long, powerful body from the seat of a similar vehicle that morning.
That thought of course triggered more along the same lines, and she wondered for at least the twentieth time whether he would actually call her. Then she chastised herself yet again for wasting time thinking about it. It would be far better to forget about the man’s presence in Barlow, and save herself the angst of daydreaming about something that wasn’t going to happen.
As she and Jeremiah walked slowly through the barn, toward the riding ring in the center, she remembered Brit asking about coming over that evening.
She broached the subject carefully. “Hey, Grandpa, Brittany suggested she and the girls bring over pizza this evening. I didn’t want to say yes without checking with you, but if you feel up for an invasion, I promise we’ll keep the noise to a minimum.”
Jeremiah chuckled. “Keeping those girls quiet would be a first. I don’t think even you would be equal to the task.”
Callie smiled, knowing that even though he’d complained often about their noisiness over the years, he was very fond of her three friends. “They’d make an effort for you. Maybe not for anyone else, but they would for you.”
“Nah, I wouldn’t want them to. I know I always gave y’all a hard time, but it made me happy to hear you four laughing up a storm. They’re good friends. Lifelong friends. Something we all need.”
“You’re right about that,” Callie agreed. Although she didn’t get to see the girls as often as she once had, there would always be strong bonds there.
“I think I’d like to see ’em. Tell ’em to come on over, but I’ll probably head to bed long before they’re ready to leave.”
“They’ll understand. Hopefully you’ll have another good night, like last night. You slept five hours straight, then dozed off again for a couple hours after your cup of tea.”
“I feel better for it, too.” He paused. “I hate to take more pills, but maybe I should ask Doc Halliday for something to help me sleep like that every night.”
Callie had suggested that very thing multiple times, but she didn’t bring that up. She was just glad he was willing to consider it now.
She replied matter-of-factly. “Sleep works wonders, that’s for sure.”
He nodded. “I’ll ask him about it when he comes out tomorrow.” Jeremiah walked slowly to the fence encircling the ring, smiling as he watched Quinn work out his most prized colt, Apollo.
The beautiful red roan was one Jeremiah had planned to train himself, but that was before the recurrence of his cancer. That dream was gone now, and the horse should have been sold months ago. But because Jeremiah was so fond of him, Callie and Quinn had decided to keep Apollo around. Finding a buyer could wait until after Jeremiah was gone.
“Look at that beauty,” Jeremiah breathed as he watched the colt practically floating around the ring. “Incredible power and grace, don’t you think? I’d love to train him. He’d bring a pretty penny if we could prove him in a few competitions.”
“He’s gorgeous,” Callie confirmed, waving at Quinn.
The young man put the horse through a few more drills, then walked him over to where they stood at the fence.
“What d’ya think, Jeremiah?”
“I guess you haven’t ruined him quite yet,” the older man said, which was as much of a compliment as Quinn was going to get. Jeremiah reached out and stroked the horse’s nose, chuckling when the animal tossed his head and then stretched his neck over the fence, nuzzling his pockets for a treat.
“He’s a dream to ride, and so smart,” Quinn said. “Want to take a turn on him, Callie?”
“Don’t mind if I do,” she said readily, knowing it would make her grandpa happy to see her ride. She climbed the fence and swung easily into the saddle of the big horse, putting him through his paces as the two men watched.
Quinn was doing a good job with Apollo’s training, and she told him as much when she joined them again, dismounting and handing the reins back to the young man.
“He’s improved so much since I rode him a few weeks ago. You’re right about him being smart, but a lot of it has to do with your hard work. I’m impressed, Quinn.” She gave Apollo a pat and handed his reins back to the young man. “How’s the bay filly doing? Eating any better?”
“She’s coming around. Doc Everly still doesn’t know for sure what the problem was, but it seems to have worked itself out. She’s put back on most of the weight she lost.”
Jeremiah started rattling off questions, and Callie walked a few steps away to text Brit and tell her to bring the pizza and let Rose and Kim know the plans.
She let Jeremiah talk with Quinn until she saw him starting to tire, then she helped him back outside and into the Gator. In spite of being tired, she could tell the visit to the barn had done him good. For the time being, he was content, and Callie’s heart felt lighter because of it. Obviously one good day didn’t change the fact that their time together was limited, but she was still grateful for the bit of normalcy.
A few hours later, Callie was sitting at the kitchen table with her laptop in front of her, entering bills, deposits and checks for the year to date. Jeremiah had always done all the bookkeeping manually, then taken a box of files to his accountant every quarter for the preparation of financial statements. Callie wanted to give up the manual processes and use the software the accountant had recommended instead.
She’d decided to go back and enter the first five months of the year into the program as well, in order to have the complete fiscal year all in one place. In addition to making things easier when tax time came, entering the back months was helping her become more familiar with the financial transactions of the ranch, and also the software itself.
As she slowly made her way through the checkbooks and invoice files, she began to see what a big help the software was going to be. So many reports were available with just a few clicks—information it would take her forever to compile with just a pencil and a calculator. It was going to be great to be able to see where the ranch was at profit-wise on a month to month basis, instead of waiting for quarterly reports.
She’d just finished the last bill for January when her phone chimed. She pushed her computer away and rubbed her eyes, then flipped the phone over so she could see the screen. Her heart rate immediately sped up when she saw she had a text from an unknown number.
Unknown: Told you I’d remember your number.
Callie stared at the short message, her heart pounding and her mind whirling. Vince Abbot had already sent her a text!
She held the phone carefully in her palm, almost like she was afraid of it. How should she respond? Or should she respond at all? What good could possibly come of starting something with him—if that�
�s what he was hoping for—only to have him leave to go back to his regular and far more exciting life as soon as hockey season started?
And what would she tell Brit?
After a few minutes of thinking about it, Callie decided to resist the temptation to engage. Much as she would love to venture a little way into the unknown with Vince, it was a bad idea. She reluctantly tapped out the text that would end the conversation before it started.
Callie: Who is this?
She hit the send button before she could reconsider. Discouraging him was for the best.
Vince: You know who it is, Callie.
She closed her eyes briefly. His use of her name made it personal. Made her wish things were different. If she had a little less common sense, and was a lot more impulsive, she’d be up for seeing where this might lead. But she couldn’t.
Callie: You must have the wrong number. Sorry.
She hoped he’d get the message and that would be the end of it. A man like Vince wasn’t used to getting the brush off, and she doubted his pride would allow him to push things any further.
Almost two minutes passed with no response, and she tried to tell herself she was glad. She laid the phone down and stood up, then jumped when the chime came again, grabbing at the phone and almost dropping it in her eagerness to read the text.
Vince: Nice try, but it’s not gonna work. I still want to see you again.
Seriously? Why her? She wavered for a moment, then determinedly put her phone face-down on the table again. If she refused to text him back, the problem would solve itself. She wouldn’t be seeing him for at least two weeks, which was when Bob was planning to be gone again and Molly would need her for another few shifts. By then, Vince would’ve had plenty of time to find someone more willing to be his summer diversion. Namely, Brit.