Cady squealed and ran around the counter, throwing her arms around Trey and kissing him profusely.
“That would be awesome. I think we can do one better, though,” Trent said, making plans. He was really going to have to talk fast and work hard to pull it together, but he had two days to put his quickly forming plans into action.
“You guys are the best,” Cady said, giving Travis and Trent each a hug. “I was going to take Cass and go surprise her, but this will be fantastic.”
Trent decided to let Lindsay go on being mad at him. He called her before he went to bed and apologized for forgetting about the race. He told her he regretted being so bogged down with farm work and assured her he would be thinking good thoughts for her to place Saturday morning. He asked her to be sure to call him Friday night when she arrived at Lonnie’s place.
His phone call only made her more upset. If Trent really cared about her, he would set aside one morning to spend at something that was so vitally important to her. Obviously, she had misread his feelings for her.
Friday afternoon, Lindsay packed up her car with all her running gear and drove to Lonnie’s apartment. He took her out to eat at a new trendy restaurant, but she was in too black of a mood to notice the fun atmosphere or even taste the delicious food.
“Have you talked to dad lately, Linnie?” Lonnie asked as they lingered over sorbets.
“No. Mom slams the phone in my ear when I call the house and you know how hard it is to catch dad on his cell phone. I didn’t want to leave a message and get him in trouble in case Mother was monitoring it as well.”
“I’m sorry, sis,” Lonnie said. He had never understood why his mother was so hard on Lindsay. While he breezed through his childhood, doing nearly anything, Lindsay was supposed to meet unrealistic expectations and perform on command. Their dad tried numerous times to make things easier for Lindsay, but their mother thwarted him at nearly every turn. Because she hated outdoors and sports, it was the one thing the three of them could do together without Christine’s interference.
Lonnie called both their mother and dad, trying to talk them into coming to support Lindsay tomorrow. While his dad wanted to, Lonnie knew he wouldn’t unless Christine agreed to come. From the way their last conversation went, she wasn’t budging.
“It’s okay, Lonnie,” Lindsay said, looking so sad Lonnie would have done anything to cheer her up. “I guess it’s time I grew up and quit dreaming dreams that won’t ever come true.”
“No, Linnie, don’t say that. Don’t give up on dreaming those dreams. Believe the impossible and you’ll be surprised at what might happen.”
“I don’t think I have it in me to try one more time,” Lindsay said, knowing she needed to get past this overwhelming disappointment if she was going to perform well in the race tomorrow.
They left the restaurant and walked, admiring the beautiful flowers in manicured planters along the way. Arriving back at the apartment, Lonnie left Lindsay on his tiny patio, looking out at the city while he called Maren to confirm what time they were meeting in the morning.
When her phone buzzed, Lindsay was hesitant to answer it, but finally gave in to her need to hear Trent’s voice.
“Hello,” she said, unable to muster any enthusiasm.
“Hey, Princess!” Trent said brightly. “Are you ready to win that race tomorrow? You are going to leave them all behind in your sparkly dust.”
“I don’t know. I’ll do my best, but it might not be good enough. My goal is to place in the top ten but I’m not so sure that will happen,” Lindsay said, knowing physically she could make it, but mentally she was quickly losing her momentum.
“Well, don’t you sound all positive and game-on? What happened to my strong, take-no-prisoners runner? Did you lose her somewhere on the way to Portland?”
“No,” Lindsay said, trying to fight the smile Trent was about to draw out.
“What’s wrong, Lindsay?” Trent asked, his voice dropping. She could almost smell his unique outdoorsy scent and feel the warmth of his hands rubbing comfortingly on her back. “You sound so sad. Tell me what’s wrong?”
“I just hoped … I really wanted you…” Lindsay couldn’t finish as tears clogged her throat.
“You hoped what? That I’d be there for you tomorrow? That I’d watch you run? Is that the problem?”
“Yes,” Lindsay whispered through her tears.
“What makes you think I won’t be?” Trent asked. He had to give away a little of his surprise to keep her from being so maudlin. She couldn’t run and win in her current frame of mind.
“But you’re busy haying and you didn’t say… Will you really be here?” Lindsay asked, afraid to hope.
“You bet I’ll be there. When you run across that finish line, I’ll be waiting right there to give you a congratulatory kiss. Maybe even two or three.”
“Honest, Trent? You aren’t teasing me?”
“I’m not teasing, Princess,” Trent said, imagining the look on Lindsay’s face when she saw who all was there tomorrow. “I’ll be there. I promise.”
“I love you,” Lindsay said, suddenly feeling much lighter in mind and spirit.
“Why didn’t you just say something earlier this week?” Trent asked, wondering why women expected men to be mind readers. He couldn’t think of a single guy he knew who was even remotely proficient at it.
“I didn’t want to have to remind you,” Lindsay said, realizing that from now on, if she wanted something from Trent, she’d tell him up front. “I just thought after all these months of my training, if you really cared, you would have remembered without me prompting you.”
“I’m sorry, Lindsay. Sorry you’ve been thinking I don’t care as much as I do, but I will make it up to you tomorrow.”
“I’m holding you to that,” Lindsay said with the hint of a smile in her voice. “I think you should take me out to eat somewhere fabulous and then maybe even shopping.”
Trent groaned.
“We might be able to skip the shopping, but I’m holding you to a lunch I’ll never forget.”
“You can count on it, Princess. Now go to sleep and dream about winning that race and me being there to greet you. I love you.”
“Love you, too, cowboy. Goodnight.”
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Lindsay was up at an hour Lonnie was convinced no human should have his or her eyes open. He grudgingly got out of bed, pulled on jeans and a sweatshirt with a ball cap and drove her to where the race would begin. Checking in at the registration table he waited with her until the race began.
Hoping to see Trent, but knowing she likely wouldn’t before the race began, she kept thinking about looking for his face in the sea of people at the finish line.
Mentally preparing herself for the race ahead, Lindsay shifted her focus to the marathon, to her body, to envisioning the course and the finish line.
By the time the race began, she was ready and anxious to begin.
Running smoothly, Lindsay kept to the front of the runners and paced herself to finish strong. After an hour passed, she was running with a group that pulled slightly ahead of the pack. As they neared the finish line, Lindsay forced herself not to look for Trent or Lonnie and Maren. Instead, she stayed in tune to the runners around her, to the finish line just ahead.
Pouring on a final burst of speed, she finished fourth in the race, first of the women competitors, with a time of one hour, seventeen minutes and twelve seconds.
Before she quite knew what was happening, Trent swooped her into his strong arms. All around her were faces she knew. Trey, Cady, Cass, and Travis along with Viv and Denni were all there as well as many of her students and their parents. Several of the Triple T hands and friends from the community smiled and clapped at her victory. At the back of the group, her mom and dad stood looking both proud and contrite.
Lindsay was laughing and crying, filled with a joy she didn’t know was possible as she looked among all the wonderful people who came to support her.
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“Trent! What did you do?” she asked, wrapping her arms around his neck again.
“We wanted you to know how much we all support you and love you,” he said against her ear. “Congratulations, Princess. You made them all eat your royal dust!”
“I love you!” she said, kissing him full on the mouth and not caring who was watching. Finally, her parents made their way forward and her dad pulled her into a bear hug.
“Great job, sweetie. I knew you’d run the socks off the bunch of them,” her dad said, kissing her cheek.
“Thanks, Daddy. I’m so glad you came.”
“Me, too. Your mother was quite adamant we be here.”
Lindsay cocked an eyebrow at him, wondering if he thought she’d gone daft during the run.
“Lindsay, dear, I’m terribly sorry,” her mother said, giving her a hug, mindless of messing her perfect outfit by getting too close to Lindsay’s sweat-soaked clothes. “Someone who is quite convincing, and clearly in love with you, managed to get it through my thick skull that I need to be a part of your life on your terms, not my own. I do love you, sweetie.”
“I love you, too, Mom,” Lindsay said, giving her mother another hug. They both brushed at tears through their smiles.
Turning back to Trent, Lindsay hugged him again. “How can I ever thank you for this? Trent, you have no idea how much this means to me.”
“I’ve got an idea,” he said, kissing her again and swinging her around. “Maybe I need to upgrade your name to Queen since you won the women’s race.”
“Does the title come with a crown?”
Trent laughed. “I’m sure it can be arranged.”
Chapter Twenty-One
A true man does not need to romance
a different girl every night,
a true man romances the same girl
for the rest of her life.
Ana Alas
On a warm Saturday evening in mid-May, Lindsay joined the Thompson crew for a big barbecue to celebrate successfully surviving the first cutting of hay. Cady spent a good part of the day making fall-off-the-bones barbecued ribs, along with pulled pork and slabs of tender brisket.
The smell of roasting meat hung invitingly in the air, making stomachs growl as they went about the afternoon work.
When the bell rang for dinner, Lindsay laughed to see the hands rushing to the backyard where the food was set out on the big picnic table. Trey asked the blessing and the lively conversation kept everyone laughing throughout the delicious meal.
Once dinner was finished and the dishes done, the men lingered longer than usual on the comfy seats around the back patio. No one seemed to be in a big hurry to rush out to do the evening chores. A few of the hands disappeared and Trent looked at Tommy with a raised eyebrow before he rushed off around the corner of the house.
Lindsay decided she would ask Trent what it was all about later. For now, she was enjoying the warm evening, the great company and the peaceful surroundings.
Since the day of the marathon, Lindsay and her mother made great strides in their relationship. According to what her mother said, Trent called the night before the race and told Christine exactly what he thought of the way she treated her daughter and suggested she learn to be supportive of all the great things Lindsay accomplished instead of always being so critical. Having someone who was a near-stranger point out her shortcomings had rankled her greatly, but she did take the advice to heart.
Things in her life were so good. Right at that moment, she couldn’t imagine how they could be better. Sitting here, surrounded by wonderful people who loved each other, loved her, she felt content and so full of life. Leaning back in her seat, she squeezed Trent’s hand and released a happy sigh.
Trent watched Lindsay and the joy that seemed to radiate from her. Since the day of the race, she had been so different, so much happier and settled in her life. He supposed part of it was the new relationship she was building with her mother. Part of it could have been the outpouring of support from friends and the community. He hoped part of it was from him. Trent was fairly certain Lindsay knew that he would follow her to the ends of the earth if that were where she wanted to go.
Antsy as he waited for the sun to start its descent, Trent had a hard time not fidgeting in his seat. He had a little romancing in mind for the evening and was anxious to get started.
Sitting there, listening to the light-hearted conversation float around them, Trent thought back over the last several months of getting to know Lindsay, to know her heart.
Athletic and strong, people often looked at that exterior and made assumptions about what made her tick, what she liked, what spurred her passion. She was an odd mix of straightforward and simple with a dash of girlie sparkle thrown in. Even though she was ruthless about reading every detail in the Sunday sports section, she was just as likely to be curled up somewhere with a romance novel, silently hoping the boy really would get the girl.
Lost in his own thoughts, he held back a groan when Cass catapulted onto his lap.
“Hi, Uncle Trent! Did you see Buddy chase me? Did you watch me run around the tree? Did you see how fast I ran?” Cass asked in her typical boisterous fashion.
“I did, goofball,” Trent said, tweaking her nose as he settled her against his chest. He could use a little distraction from Lindsay. Her scent, floating on the air around him, was about to drive him daft. He watched her lick her lips and wanted more than anything to kiss her until every thought but his love for her was driven from his head.
“Are you going to come to the school picnic, Uncle Trent? I get to run in a race, don’t I Miss Lindsay?” Cass asked, turning her attention to her teacher.
“You sure do, sweetie-pie. I bet you’ll run right up at the front.”
“I’m going to practice so I can grow up and run fast like you,” Cass said jumping off Trent’s lap and running wildly around the yard with Buddy barking at her heels.
“Those two are an unlikely pair, aren’t they?” Lindsay said, smiling at the antics of both child and dog.
“That they are, but they seem to be good for each other,” Trent said, watching the little girl laugh and run. She looked so carefree and happy no one would guess six months ago she was a neglected orphan in need of a loving home.
Then again, six months ago, Trey and Cady were just admitting they were in love and Lindsay was openly hostile toward him.
“Say, how come you used to dislike me so much?” Trent asked, rubbing his thumb in circles around the palm of her hand. The sensation made it hard for her to think, let alone speak.
“Because when I moved here I heard all about the local Don Juan, some heart-throb named Trent who flirted with any single woman, dated her once or twice then moved on. Your reputation was legendary. When I finally met you, I could certainly see what all the fuss was about. Knowing you’d ask me for a date, because everyone said you asked all single females in a thirty-mile radius, I was ready to show you not every woman would succumb to your considerable charms.”
“Heart-throb?” Trent asked with a crooked grin that made his eyes crinkle in the corners in the way that Lindsay loved. Glancing at his watch, Trent pulled her to her feet and, hands entwined, walked her around the house on the path toward the pond.
“Um, hmm,” Lindsay said, her arm brushing against his as they walked. “Only you never asked me out. I saw you go out with girls who were tall, short and everything in between. Skinny, plump, pretty and plain, I watched you date them all, yet never once did you ask me. I felt snubbed. Obviously, I wasn’t good enough for Trent Thompson. So that’s when I decided I didn’t like you at all.”
“Oh,” Trent said, thinking back on the three years he’d known Lindsay. She made him uncomfortable, made him feel things he wasn’t sure how to deal with, so instead of pursuing a relationship, he’d taken a wide berth around her. “You scared me.”
“Scared you? How?” she asked, stopping to look at him. She couldn’t picture Trent scared of anything.
“You were so beautiful and perfect, and you made me feel, Lindsay, in here,” he said, placing her hand over his heart. “I wasn’t expecting that at all. I wasn’t ready to deal with it. Watching Trey fall in love with Cady, I realized that maybe what was holding me back was my fear of actually finding a girl I could love. I think somewhere, deep inside my heart, I knew all along that girl was you.”
Lindsay studied him, saw the love in her heart reflected in his eyes. She kissed his cheek, feeling like her heart was melting around her feet.
“You mean you loved me all this time?” she asked quietly, squeezing his hand as they continued their walk. Surprisingly, Cass and the dogs were absent. Usually they had either a five-year-old or four-legged chaperones along with them.
“So what made you decide to like me?” Trent asked as they neared the pond. He guided Lindsay over to the bench beneath a big willow tree and they sat down side by side, his arm around her shoulders.
“I was fighting a losing battle before you and Travis babysat Cass, but seeing you at school every day finished me off. The day I accidentally unsnapped your coat was the final nail in my coffin.”
Trent laughed and brushed his hand gently along her arm.
“Then why that comment about me being the last male on earth? That really hurt my feelings, Princess” Trent slapped a hand to his chest and feigned a wounded expression.
“I’m sorry,” Lindsay said, leaning against him and rubbing her hand on his thigh. Every place her fingers touched his leg, even through his jeans, felt like hot coals searing through his leg. “I feel completely different about that now.”
“You do?” Trent asked, reaching down beside him, but keeping his hand hidden.
“Yes, I do.”
“I’m glad. Because I’d really like to be your knight in shining armor, Princess,” Trent said, placing a sparkling tiara on her head. Lindsay laughed and reached up to feel the fake-jewel encrusted crown.
“Every princess needs her knight,” Lindsay said, barely aware of the sun dipping behind the western mountains, setting the sky aflame with streaks of golden and crimson light. Her attention was focused on Trent and the hot light glowing in his eyes.
The Cowboy's Spring Romance Page 25