Her Homecoming Cowboy (11 page)

The crowd around them went wild as they watched the five seconds it took for the rider to be thrown to the ground. The bull fighters raced out and distracted the hulking bull as the unhurt cowboy jogged to the fence.

“There are some things no one can fix.” He hesitated and then, looking into the compassion of her eyes, he continued. “A family gone can’t be brought back. The hole their absence makes in the lives of their loved ones and friends can’t be fixed.”

Around them the stands erupted as Roy Don announced the next bull by name and the cowboy riding him, too. Colt didn’t even look—he was too busy looking at Annie’s sad expression.

“You’re right about that. My house mother at the last foster home I was in always said that God had a plan. No matter if we could see it or not, He had a plan. I tell myself that all the time. I think it’s something you really need to grasp. We may never know why this tragedy happened. But no matter how much you wished it was you who died instead of the Eversons, it won’t change the fact. You need to come to terms with that. You don’t have to like it...but you have to accept it.”

“Colt!” Leo called as he wove his way through the people sitting on the stadium bench. Colt hadn’t realized Leo was coming up the steps, he’d been too focused on his conversation with Annie. Annie looked just as startled as he was.

“What is it?” he asked, reaching out to steady his son as he scrunched past the last set of knees.

Breathless with excitement, Leo grinned at Colt and Annie. “There’s gonna be a rodeo just for little kids like me! Can you
believe
it? A six-year-old like
me.
”

“Whoa, slow down and breathe,” Colt said, grinning.

“Excuse me. Coming through,” Norma Sue said, squeezing her way toward them. A bit larger than Leo, she had men standing up and trying to scoot steel benches out of the way with their legs in order to give her the room she needed to get through the crowd. Her elbow hit a cowboy in the head who was sitting one row forward. His Stetson went flying and landed on the lady two rows farther forward. All this during what was supposed to be the ride of the night, by a bull rider who was trying to take Colt down a notch in the national standings!

“Hey,” the cowboy boomed, glaring at Norma Sue. Obviously not from around these parts, the poor fellow had
no
idea what he was biting off by glaring at Norma Sue like that.

The robust rancher woman halted in her maneuvers and swirled around to face the unhappy cowboy. Unfortunately for the hospitable fellow who’d stood up to let her through, he was knocked back by her hips as she swung around to face the rude sodbuster. “I didn’t mean to knock your hat off, son,” she apologized as folks turned to see what was happening.

“You need to watch yourself,” the poor, misguided soul began, then halted when Norma Sue stuffed her fist onto her hips and leaned toward him, her expression easily telegraphing her displeasure at his rudeness.

“Did I tell you I was sorry, young man?” she huffed. When he didn’t say anything, she hiked a brow and tipped her chin. “Well, did I or didn’t I? What, now that you’ve got an old woman all riled up, you’re gonna pipe down?”

“Well, I, I...” He swallowed hard and glanced from side to side, spotting the expressions of irritation and outright humor at his situation.

“That’s right.
Now
you’re thinking about finding your manners. ’Cause I know your momma probably taught you better. If she didn’t, then honey, you’ve come callin’ on the right little gal to set you straight.”

Colt almost choked on his own laughter and Annie’s shoulders were shaking. Leo looked at Norma Sue with openmouthed amazement.

“That bad man shoulda kept his mouth shut,” Leo whispered behind his cupped hand into Colt’s ear.

“I reckon that woulda been the best thing to do.” Colt chuckled.

“So what do you want to say to me now?” Norma Sue asked, totally fixated on the wish-he-could-crawl-under-a-rock cowboy.

“I’m sorry, ma’am. Didn’t mean to get so upset when you—” He looked down at his boots. “When you were just trying to get past.”

Norma Sue relaxed, grinned and reached out and chucked the fellow on the shoulder good-naturedly. “Now, there ya go. Don’t you feel better now?” He was shaking in his boots and she was grinning from ear to ear, totally oblivious that she’d just taken an eight-second bull ride to a different level.

“Y’all get on back to your bull-ride watching. The show’s over.” She scooted the last foot to where they were sitting and squeezed in beside Annie. “Rude folks. Somebody’s gotta teach’um some manners.”

“Shor do,” Leo said, his little face scrunching up with his indignation at the situation. “You did good, Miss Norma Sue.”

She smiled. “Thanks, cutie pie. You just remember when you grow up to be a gentleman—that’s the real cowboy way. And the Godly way.”

“Yes, ma’am. I promise.”

“Good, now that that’s settled, I was coming to explain about the kiddy rodeo. Annie, I hope you’ll consider letting Leo compete.”

“Well, I guess that would be fine. He looks like he really wants to. But he doesn’t know how to do anything.”

“That’s nothing,” Norma Sue hooted, looking at Colt. “He’s got Colt living across the barbed wire from him. Colt can fix him up with anything he wants to do. Can’t you, Colt?”

“Yeah, can’t you Colt?” Leo added, his entire body wiggling with the prospect of what was to come.

Colt laughed, not about to go against anything Norma Sue said at this moment. “You and me, kiddo. We’ll have you rodeo ready in no time.”

“Yup,” Norma Sue agreed. “Now, that’s what I’m talking about.”

“What kind of events will there be?”

“They’re gonna have mutton bustin’!”

Colt enjoyed Annie’s baffled expression as she turned questioning eyes to him.

“That’s kids trying to ride large sheep. Since they’re too young to ride steers.”

“It’s the cutest thing you ever saw,” Norma Sue added. “Leo would enjoy it.”

The crowd was going wild around them. Everyone stopped talking as their attention turned to the great eight-second ride going on out in the arena. The bull rider was riding the twisting bull and giving it his all. Colt’s hand on his good arm fisted into a ball and he recorded in his mind everything that was right about the ride and everything he would have done differently. All in all, the rider did a great job and deserved all the attention his ride had garnered. Though he had been preoccupied with Annie and Leo, Colt figured this was the winning ride of the night.

Leo pumped his little fist in the air. “That was awesome!”

Annie swallowed hard. “Norma Sue, I’ll need to think about this mutton bustin’. What else will be at the rodeo?”

“But Annie Aunt!” Leo exclaimed.

“Leo, I said I need to think about this.”

“I think it sounds like a fun thing for him to do,” Colt said, not getting the big deal. It was mutton bustin’—what was the big deal?

The instant Annie’s eyebrow shot up and those big eyes of hers narrowed as they locked on to him said it all. He’d just made a mistake.

And by the look of things, he wasn’t going to fare much better than the poor whupped-down cowpoke who’d dared to cross Norma Sue a few minutes earlier.

Chapter Eleven

“W
e’ll discuss this later, Leo,” Annie said as she sent Leo to brush his teeth before going to bed. At his protest she shook her head. “Young man, if you want the answer to be no about this rodeo, then keep fussing. I’ve told you I need more information, and until I get it I’m not going to say yes to mutton bustin’.”

He sighed an overly exaggerated sigh. “Yes, ma’am.” Trudging down the hall he disappeared into the bathroom.

Annie sighed to herself, her heart heavy with the idea of disappointing Leo. She was here to protect him though, and she planned on researching the events before she let Leo do anything that could jeopardize him. And how dare Colt!

Turning back to the kitchen she went to the sink to wash the dishes that were waiting on her. Time had run out on getting the dinner plates washed when she’d foolishly spent far too long in front of her closet contemplating what outfit to wear to the rodeo. Lost in thought, she ran the hot water into the sink, testing it to get the temperature right as the suds began to grow.

What did Colt expect? That he was going to keep his identity hidden and yet override her decision making? And what had she been thinking—the man was his daddy after all. Pulling him into this did give him rights. However, it didn’t seem fair for those rights to include upstaging her decisions.

Annie grabbed a plate, and though all it had held was a turkey sandwich—Leo’s favorite—she scrubbed it as if it had dried three-day-old eggs clinging to it. Colt had better be glad he’d taken his cue and gone home the minute he’d dropped them off. She scrubbed harder. He’d better also be glad that she’d held her dissatisfaction to herself, for the most part.

“What was he thinking?” she grumbled as she snapped the water back on and rinsed the sparkling dish beneath the clear warm water.

And here she’d believed they’d made a connection for a minute there—not that she had been sure at all what she was doing, but something had passed between them. Her hands stilled in the dishwater. Colt had a family he could talk to. Unlike her, he had someone to gain insight from in difficult situations. He wasn’t like her, relying on herself or nearly complete strangers for advice. Hanging her head, she paused washing the plate. Fighting the mixture of anger and confusion, she gripped the sink and went to the one she did have to talk to...she went to God.

Dear Lord, please help me to know what I’m supposed to do. Please lead me to not make rash decisions. Please calm my spirit and allow me to hear your direction. Your calling.

Finishing the dishes, a sense of calm came over her, just as she’d prayed for. Annie determined that she would trust God to help her make the right choices for Leo. And for herself, she didn’t need to think about anything that had to do with her. She needed to concentrate on Leo and let her own needs remain in the background.

As for Colt, God was going to have to give her some direction on how to deal with the man who obviously didn’t want to drive the vehicle but was certainly showing signs of being a backseat driver. And if there was one thing Annie didn’t like, it was a backseat driver. Either you had your hands on the wheel, ready to take responsibility for the loaded car, or you were just a passenger.

Colt Holden was going to have to figure out whether he wanted up in the front seat if he planned on telling her how to raise her nephew. Until that time, she’d decide things such as whether or not Leo got strapped to the back of a big, fat, fuzzy sheep. Which did seem pretty harmless, but was it mutton bustin’ today and bull riding tomorrow?

All roads led to somewhere and she just wasn’t sure that was a road she was ready to head down.

Goodness, what in the world had Jennifer been thinking when she’d decided to be infatuated by men who thought nothing about risking their lives on the back of a mean hunk of bull?

Jennifer hadn’t been thinking. Nope, and just like everyone else in Annie’s life, she’d cut out of the picture early and left all the thinking and the worrying up to Annie. Frustration washed over her like the hot water she had her hands in. Annie’s nerves and her patience were worn thin, and her ability to think in a rational, clear manner was disappearing faster than a fresh-baked cherry pie in a roomful of hungry cowboys.

Please, God, please, give me strength....
She bowed her head again, right there at the sink and let the plea of a prayer ring out silently through her soul.
Give me strength and wisdom
. God promised in the Bible that if you asked for wisdom He would give it to you. Look what He’d done for King Solomon. When he’d prayed for wisdom, God had made him the wisest man there ever was.

Of course, with all that wisdom, Solomon had
still
messed up.

Just please give me a little touch of wisdom to help me know how to do what is right for Leo.... And while You’re at it, please let me not fall for Colt Holden. Please let me keep my heart intact.

* * *

“What do you think?” Gabi asked, aglow in the excitement of showing Annie and Susan her wedding dress. Covered in a clear plastic bag, it hung from the top of the door. White with small ruffles that cascaded down from the knee to the floor, it was sleeveless and the bodice had a wide scoop neck adorned with tiny pearls from shoulder to shoulder.

“It’s beautiful,” Susan said, awe in her voice as she studied the dress. “And it’s going to look even more beautiful on you.”

Annie ran her fingers down the plastic, as if she were touching the dress. “Gabi, it’s perfect. I love it.” Annie loved looking at wedding dresses. As a little girl she’d lain in bed at night in one foster home after another and dreamed that one day she’d marry. Or in those days, infatuated with Cinderella, she dreamed of finding her prince. That he would come and sweep her off her feet and they would be married—she in the perfect dress and he in his perfect tuxedo—and they would live happily ever after in their perfect castle. That had been when she was barely older than Leo. By the time she was fourteen, she and Jennifer had been sent to the girls’ ranch, where they finished out their days until the system booted them out into the world on their own. Annie had stopped dreaming of love. She’d closed off her heart and thrown away the key. She’d realized that opening her heart made her vulnerable to pain. Too many people had thought she was not worthy of love. And she certainly wasn’t going to find one more person to fall for who could then toss her heart back to her on a platter.

Nope. Annie had gotten over dreaming of her prince and true love...but she couldn’t hide her love of wedding dresses. She had a weakness for them.

“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...