The Cowboy's Spring Romance

by Shanna Hatfield

  Much more capable in the kitchen than Trent, Travis volunteered to be in charge of cooking.

  Leaving meals frozen in the freezer, labeled and dated, all the guys really had to do was pull out that day’s entrée, heat it up, and add some bread and vegetables or make a salad to complete the meal.

  As soon as Travis rang the metal triangle hanging outside the back door, all five of their hands would hurry in for dinner. They were on their own for the other two meals a day until Cady and Trey returned.

  While Travis put together a green salad, Trent tamped down his impatience and sat with Cass as she struggled to make it to the end of the page of her homework assignment. Cass, who was still learning her ABC’s a few months ago, was making remarkable progress.

  “The f-a-t c-a-t,” she said, sounding out each word. Turning to Trent, she beamed a smile and repeated what she read. “The fat cat. We gots fat cats, don’t we Uncle Trent?”

  “We sure do, goofball, but you stay away from the barn cats. They might scratch you.”

  “I know. Daddy tolded me to leave them alone,” Cass said, sounding like she didn’t like the direction from Trent any more than she did from her father.

  “Well, you listen to what your dad says, and your uncles, too,” Trent reminded her, tweaking her nose.

  Cass giggled and returned to her reading. “What’s this word, Uncle Trent?” she asked, pointing with her tiny finger to a word.

  “Let’s spell it out,” he said, pointing to each letter.

  “L-o-v-e,” Cass said and repeated it. She still couldn’t put it together.

  “That’s a hard word, isn’t it?” Trent said, thinking that statement was true in many ways that had nothing to do with Cass’ reading assignment. Cass nodded her head. “That word is love.”

  “Oh,” Cass said, inserting it into the last sentence she was reading. “It says ‘I love Mommy.’”

  “That’s right,” Trent said, giving her a hug. “Good job, Cass, you read that whole page.”

  “Thanks,” Cass said, then crooked her head and looked thoughtful for a moment. Trent braced himself for whatever question was going to pop out of her mouth. Maybe he’d excuse himself and let Travis deal with it.

  “Uncle Trent?”

  “Hmm?” Too late to escape now.

  “Do you love my mom?” Cass asked.

  “Sure I do,” Trent answered. “She’s the sister we always wanted and never had.”

  “And you love my dad, right?”

  “Yep.”

  “And you love Uncle Travis?”

  Trent glanced at his brother where he stood by the stove batting his eyelashes at him and making funny faces. “Uh, huh,” he finally answered.

  “And you love Grammy and Nana and Aunt Viv and Uncle Joe?”

  “Yep.”

  “Do you love me?” Cass asked, her big blue eyes looking at his expectantly.

  Trent picked her up and kissed her cheek before setting her on his lap. “More than you can imagine.” He wouldn’t suffer through endless questions that made his neck muscles cramp, spend hours overseeing the creation of fairies online, or be tormented with daily Lindsay encounters for just anyone.

  “I’m glad. I love you, too,” Cass said, throwing her little arms around his neck and squeezing tight. If the kid ever developed some muscle, he was in big trouble. Sinking back down to his lap, she jiggled her foot. “You know who else I love?”

  “Who?” Trent asked, hoping he wouldn’t regret the question.

  “Miss Lindsay. She is nice and pretty and smells almost as good as Mama.”

  “Hmm,” Trent said. Why did Cass have to bring up her teacher? He was having a hard enough time keeping his thoughts from straying to Lindsay without help from his niece.

  “Do you love her, too?”

  Travis, who had taken a big gulp of soda, spewed it across the counter and began coughing. Glad for an excuse not to answer, Trent went over and pounded his brother on the back, perhaps with more force than was called for.

  “You don’t need to dislodge any vertebrae,” Travis choked out, stepping away from Trent. “Remind me not to ask for you if I’m ever in need of emergency medical care.”

  “I’m just trying to help,” Trent said with a grin, wiping up the pop from the counter. He felt Cass grab him around the leg and stand on his foot.

  “Uncle Trent, you didn’t answer my question,” Cass said, looking up at him imploringly.

  Why couldn’t the child leave well enough alone?

  “Well, Cass, I…” Trent scrambled to come up with a suitable response. Apparently, he was taking too long to find it because Cass’ bottom lip went into a pout and tears filled her eyes.

  “Don’t you like my teacher? Mama and Daddy like her. Why don’t you like her?” Cass asked then turned to Travis. “Do you like her, Uncle Travis?”

  “Of course I do,” Travis said, picking up Cass and patting her back, giving Trent a nudge with his elbow.

  “Why doesn’t Uncle Trent like…”

  The ringing of the phone saved Trent from having to say anything. Picking it up he soon wished he let Travis answer it.

  “Trent Aden Thompson! Why did you let our girl go to school dressed like the opening act of a two-bit circus? Couldn’t you find a top-hat to go with the outfit?” Cady asked, her displeasure coming in loud and clear across the phone line even though she was on her honeymoon in Mexico.

  “Well, hello to you, too,” Trent said, trying to keep the smile out of his voice. The only time his sister-in-law used their full names was when she was good and mad. “Just how do you know what Cass wore to school today?”

  “Lindsay sent me a photo, of course,” Cady said, wondering what exactly was going on at home.

  “Wasn’t that helpful of her,” Trent said, beginning to get annoyed. Did all women conspire together or just the ones with whom he was familiar?

  “What happened to the outfits that are hanging in her closet all labeled by the day?”

  “We had an unfortunate juice accident followed by many tears this morning,” Trent said quietly, trying to keep Cass from hearing. Travis was doing a good job of keeping her distracted by having her set the table.

  “Oh. Well, then…”

  “I don’t suppose your spy mentioned that little detail, did she? And I already promised she wouldn’t be late again,” Trent said.

  “Late? Lindsay didn’t say anything about late? Even with a spill, you should have had plenty of time to get her to school.”

  Trent was fairly certain Cady could have excelled as an attorney with her unflagging ability to grill her suspects until they confessed. It was no wonder she enjoyed a successful career working for one of Seattle’s top lawyers as a personal assistant right up until she moved to Grass Valley.

  “We may have overslept this morning,” Trent ground out.

  “Overslept? You’ve never overslept since I’ve known you,” Cady said. “How did that happen?”

  “I’m not exactly sure, but you can bank on it not happening again.”

  “Trent, are you sure you two can handle Cass? If not, we can cut the trip short and be on the next plane…”

  Cady voice faded and Trent suddenly found himself talking to Trey.

  “Hey bro, how’s it going?” Trey asked. Trent could hear Cady spluttering in the background.

  “Fine,” Trent said, regaining his humor. There was no way his brother would cut the trip short. Extend it maybe. Cut it short? Not happening.

  “Is anyone bleeding, maimed or in mortal danger?”

  “Nope.”

  “Nothing has caught fire, the house hasn’t collapsed, and no natural disasters have rolled through?”

  “Nope.”

  “Great, then carry on and we’ll see you when we get back at the end of next week.”

  Trent smiled. “Sure thing. Do you want to talk to Cass?”

  “Absolutely,” Trey said.

  Trent handed the phone to the little girl, who wa
s dancing off one foot to the other, even though she didn’t know who was on the line. When Trent said, “It’s your daddy,” she took the phone and launched into a round of chatter that Trent could only half understand since she was talking so fast.

  When she stopped for air, he heard her wind up and start over with, “Hi Mama!”

  Cady let her chatter for a moment before instructing Cass to hand the phone to Uncle Trent.

  “Mama wants to talk to you,” Cass said, handing him the phone again.

  “Thank you for taking care of Cass. She says you are doing a great job and she’s having lots of fun, so thank you. We both appreciate it.”

  “You’re welcome, Cady. And don’t worry, Travis and I can handle things until you get home.”

  “I know you will and I’m sorry for being hard on you earlier. I was just a little surprised when I got the photo of her outfit.”

  Trent chuckled. “I’m sure you were. We will be back on track tomorrow.”

  “Thanks, again, Trent, and don’t forget tomorrow is Cass’ turn to take in treats. There’s a container in the freezer that’s labeled, just take it out tonight so the cookies are thawed before morning.”

  “Will do,” Trent said. “And Cady?”

  “Yes?”

  “Enjoy your time with Trey. You both deserve to relax and not worry about what is going on here. We’ve got it all under control.”

  “I know, Trent. Thanks for making it possible so we could be gone.”

  “You’re welcome. Now hang up the phone and go back to doing whatever you were doing that I don’t really want to know about.”

  “Fine,” Cady said with a laugh. “Give Cass a hug for me and tell Travis I said thanks.”

  “Consider it done. Bye.”

  Trent disconnected then picked up Cass, swung her around and gave her a hug.

  As she giggled, he set her down on a barstool at the counter. “That was from your mom and dad.”

  “Mama misses me,” Cass said in a matter-of-fact manner. “Daddy does, too. How many more sleeps until they come home?”

  “Nine more,” Trent said, looking at Travis for some help.

  “Hey, kiddo, just think of all the fun we can have in nine days. Gosh, you’ve got lots to do at school and if the weather is nice, I bet we could go riding one day and don’t forget that you get to spend all weekend with Grammy,” Travis said, mustering enthusiasm on Cass’ behalf. He was quite excited at the prospect of his mom babysitting all weekend so he and Trent could have some peace and quiet for a day or two.

  “That’s right,” Trent said. “What are you and Grammy going to do this weekend?”

  “I don’t know, but I always have fun at Grammy’s.” Cass said. Grammy, also known as Denni, was mother to the three Thompson boys. It didn’t take her long to decide Cass was the granddaughter she always wanted and none of her boys had supplied up until the moment Trey and Cady were awarded custody. Denni lived in The Dalles, just an hour from the Triple T Ranch where she had raised her boys and loved their father with an unwavering devotion right up until the day he died. Unable to face the memories of her life with Drew Thompson that filled the old ranch house, Denni moved to The Dalles and started a new life.

  “Grammy is a lot of fun, isn’t she?” Travis said. Being the youngest of the Thompson boys, he was especially close to his mom.

  “Yep,” Cass said, waiting for Travis and Trent to finish dishing up dinner so they could eat.

  “Who else is fun?” Travis asked, knowing he could bait Cass into making Trent squirm.

  “Mama and Daddy and Aunt Viv and you and Uncle Trent,” Cass said, stopping in her list to think. “My friend Ashley and Uncle Joe and the lady at the grocery store, oh, and Miss Lindsay. She’s extra fun.”

  “She is?” Travis said, bringing the last bowl of food to the table. “What makes her extra fun?”

  Cass shrugged, more interested in getting to eat dinner.

  “What do you think, Trent? What would make Miss Lindsay extra fun?”

  Trent didn’t answer, just shot Travis a glare that said he would be quiet or later pay the consequences. Travis took the hint and went out to ring the dinner bell.

  ><><

  The next morning went surprisingly smooth. Trent was fully dressed as well as Travis when Cass came out of her room, hungry for breakfast. Feeding her toast and eggs, they managed not to spill anything on her and had her ready with plenty of time to spare.

  Trent asked Rex, their hired hand who cut all their hair, to come in and see what he could do with Cass’ tangled curls.

  “Don’t you have any detangler?” Rex asked as he gingerly tried to comb the springy red curls.

  “Mama leaved it in my bathroom,” Cass said.

  Trent looked at her. “She did? Why didn’t you mention that yesterday?”

  “I forgotted,” Cass said, throwing out a pout for good measure.

  Rex went in the bathroom and came out with a spray bottle of detangler. After a few quick pumps, it was easy to get the comb through her hair. Rex even managed to find a barrette and pull Cass’ hair back on one side.

  She looked very presentable, Trent decided, as he thanked Rex and helped her put on her coat.

  The box of cookies was already in the pickup when Travis went out to start it so it would be warm for Cass.

  Trent was feeling optimistic about the day ahead except Travis didn’t come back in to get Cass. Rolling his eyes, Trent put on his coat and Stetson, grabbed Cass’ backpack and herded her out to the pickup. Travis was nowhere in sight.

  “Let’s go, goofball,” Trent said, helping her in and buckling her up.

  Arriving at the school on time, Trent had to carry the treats to the classroom. Finding it empty, he was both relieved and disappointed. Setting the cookies on Lindsay’s desk, he helped Cass take off her coat and trappings, admired the art project she was working on and turned to leave. Lindsay stood in the door watching him.

  “Morning, Miss Pierce,” he said, tipping his hat to her. “Cady said today is Cass’ turn for treats. They’re on your desk.”

  “Oh, thanks,” Lindsay said, glancing at the box on her desk.

  “You’re welcome. I guess I owe you a big thanks, too,” Trent said.

  “For what?” Lindsay couldn’t think of a thing she’d done to earn the tall cowboy’s thanks.

  “For getting me in trouble with Cady for one thing,” he said, lifting an eyebrow her direction.

  “Sorry,” Lindsay said, a warm sparkle lighting her eyes. “But you have to admit that outfit yesterday was beyond description.”

  “Maybe,” Trent said with a crooked grin. “I guess I should thank you for something else, too.”

  “What’s that?”

  “For not stripping me naked in front of the whole school. I appreciate you stopping at just the coat,” Trent teased, then tipped his hat and walked out the door, leaving Lindsay with flaming cheeks.

  Watching Trent saunter out the door, his long legs encased in snug Wranglers, Lindsay didn’t know whether to laugh, scream or cry. When Cass tugged on her hand, she refrained from all three and smiled down at the little girl.

  “Miss Lindsay, I read all my words and I talked to Mama and …” Lindsay’s thoughts wandered to the cowboy who made her blush like a schoolgirl instead of keeping focused on the chatter of Cass right up until she said, “and Uncle Trent loves you.”

  “What did you say, Cass?” Lindsay asked.

  “Uncle Trent loves you. He loves my mama and my daddy and Uncle Travis and my grammy and me. He said so. Do you love him too?”

  Lindsay nearly choked. Cass obviously misconstrued what Trent meant. But it gave her some ammunition to fire back at Trent the next time she saw him. How dare he tease her like that and then walk off, casual as you please.

  She certainly hoped he knew she didn’t make it a habit of baring the chests of the men who brought students to her classroom. She was just trying to be helpful and get his coat snapped properly
. Why couldn’t he drop Cass off outside like most parents did and be on his merry way?

  Lindsay was saved from answering Cass’ question when the morning bell rang and happy little faces began filling her room.

  Distracted all morning, the more Lindsay thought about Trent’s parting comment, the more her anger boiled. By the time the bell rang at noon, she was ready to do battle. Asking Cass to let her walk her out, they waited until the rest of the students left the room. Once it was empty, Lindsay helped the little girl on with her coat, handed Cass her backpack and took her hand, walking her outside.

  After spending all morning coming up with the perfect words to put one smug Trent Thompson in his place, she was thoroughly disappointed to see Travis waiting for Cass.

  “Hi, Uncle Travis,” Cass yelled, waving her hand wildly at her uncle.

  “Hey, kiddo, let’s go. I’m supposed to feed you lunch then get you back home,” Travis said, watching Lindsay approach. When she stopped next to the pickup door, Travis wondered what was going on. Trent returned sullen and short-tempered this morning from dropping off Cass. He insisted Travis go pick up Cass at noon and rode off on his horse, Lass, making sure Travis knew he wouldn’t be back in time to pick her up.

  “Hello, Travis,” Lindsay said, trying not to let her anger spill over onto an innocent bystander. “Where’s Trent. I thought he was on chauffer duty today?”

  “I’m not sure what he’s got going on, but he asked me to pick up Cass,” Travis said studying the pretty teacher who stood on eye level with him. Many men didn’t even do that. She was lean and fit with long blond hair, engaging blue eyes, and a healthy outdoorsy glow. Travis could see why she had Trent twisted into knots.

  “Is there something I can do for you? Cass isn’t in trouble is she?”

  “Oh, no, she’s a wonderful student,” Lindsay said in a reassuring tone. “I can’t believe how fast she is catching up. It won’t be long until she’s at the top of her class.”

  “Good,” Travis said, cocking one hip and leaning against the pickup. “Trent and I are trying to keep up her lessons until her folks get back. I know she can be a bit of a handful, so I’m glad to hear she isn’t in trouble.”