Under the Midnight Stars (9 page)

“Yeah, that damn Billy Collins had to go and get himself into a fight last night and broke his nose. He’ll never learn.”

“I hope he does learn, for his sake,” Colt replied with hidden cynicism. He stood. “I guess I’ll let you get back to it. I’ll bring your tractor back as soon as I’m finished hacking down the jungle surrounding the house.”

“No problem, buddy.” Zeke stood and slapped him on the back, following him out front to the parking lot. “You can borrow it for as long as you need it. Say, what are you planning as far as work goes?”

“Hadn’t really thought about it yet. My main goal was to get the farm back.” He didn’t bother telling Zeke that he had originally planned on opening his own shop right after he’d gotten the farm shipshape. “Maybe after I get the farm up and running I could help you out if things get too out of hand for you.”

“Welp—” Zeke scratched his head. “—I was thinking more along the lines of selling the place. It’s time. I just don’t wanna disappoint all the loyal customers I’ve had over the decades. And I don’t wanna just sell it to anyone. Has to be someone I know’ll do a good job. And someone respectable. Someone like you.”

“I appreciate the offer, Zeke. Give me some time to get the house fixed up and I’ll give it some good hard thought in the meantime.”

“All right, no rush. Let me know if you need help on the house.”

“Looks like you got your hands full, but thanks for the offer.” Colt climbed into his truck, gave a quick wave, and drove to the diner for breakfast. When he arrived, he walked in and sat in his usual stool at the end of the counter.

“Good morning.” Amy placed a menu in front of him. “Back again so soon?”

Colt smiled. “Yeah. A man’s gotta eat.” He spotted a platter of doughnuts. “Say, do you happen to know what Brielle’s favorite type of doughnut is?”

“Who?” Amy asked.

“Oh, I mean Gabrielle.”

“Her favorites are the maple bars, but sometimes she’s in the mood for chocolate. Are you seeing her today?” Amy sounded concerned.

“I am,” Colt replied matter-of-factly.

“Is she okay?”

He grew worried. “What do you mean?”

“She took the rest of the week off on personal leave. I just saw her last night with Billy. She looked fine to me. It’s not like her to just take days off like that unless something’s wrong.”

Colt didn’t like the sound of that. He had to see Brielle. She seemed to be feeling better when he’d dropped her off last night, but now she couldn’t fool him. He wondered if she was still going to come by the farm today.

“Actually, I’m not sure, Amy. But I’ll take the chocolate and the maple bars — four of each. And two coffees with extra cream and sugar. All to go, please.”

Amy gathered the order and set the bag of doughnuts and two large coffees in a cardboard cup holder in front of Colt. She turned to the customer who had just sat down at the counter a few stools down. “I’ll be right with you, Roger.”

She smiled and turned back to Colt. “That’ll be five dollars even.”

“Thanks, Amy.” Colt handed her a ten. He grabbed the coffee and doughnuts and headed for the farm.

Brielle eagerly ran down the stairs when she heard Colt walk in. He was standing in the doorway, wearing the usual boots and jeans topped with a gray T-shirt.

“Good morning.” She beamed, restraining the urge to throw her arms around his neck.

Colt grinned. “Good morning. Looks like you’ve been busy.”

“Yeah, well,” she shrugged, “it’s not gonna clean itself.”

“I brought breakfast.” He held up the coffee and bag of doughnuts.

“Really? What’d you bring?” She took the bag from him and opened it. “You didn’t!”

Eagerly, she snatched up a maple bar and sank her teeth into its creamy sweetness, satisfied by the rich flavor.

“Mmmm.” She smiled sheepishly for making a pig of herself. “Sorry, I’m just really hungry. And these are my favorite.”

“I know they’re your favorite, and don’t be sorry.”

“How’d you know that?” She took another bite.

“A little bird told me,” he replied smugly. “So are you gonna share?”

She giggled and handed him the bag. “Thank you for breakfast.”

“Come on.” He motioned with his head to the front door. “Let’s go sit on the steps and drink some coffee together while I watch you eat all the doughnuts. I thought I got enough for the both of us,” he grumbled playfully.

“You’re not funny, Colt.” She giggled again and gently pushed his shoulder.

They went out onto the front porch and sat next to each other on the top step.

Colt scanned her cheek.“Looks like the makeup worked.”

“Yeah.”

“You okay? Amy said you took personal leave.”

“I’m okay. I guess I just need a few more days to pull myself together before I chance running into
him
again. And to give my face some time to heal.”

Colt nodded. “I understand.”

She looked him in the eyes and gave him a reassuring smile, mostly for his sake. “So did you sleep here last night?”

“Of course. It
is
my home. Plus I couldn’t take that musty motel room one more night.” He took a bite out of a chocolate doughnut.

“Where’d you sleep? In the middle of all the trash?” She giggled softly.

He chuckled slightly. “No, silly. I slept in the back of my truck.”

“Under the midnight stars?” Her smile faded.

It was something she and her mother had often enjoyed together — lying on the extra-wide hammock in the backyard, watching for shooting stars. As soon as they’d see one they’d each make a wish. Brielle had always wished for her knight in shining armor to come and rescue her from this dreary town. But she never knew what her mother had wished for. She regretted not asking.

“That’s right,” Colt replied. “I used to do that quite a lot before I moved to the city. Sneak out at night with my sleeping bag and head on out to the creek. Then I’d lie there and look up at the stars, making a wish every time I saw one fall.”

A sudden ache filled her heart. She smiled with awe. She would never have guessed in a million years that she and this handsome hero had lain under the same blanket of stars, not more than a mile apart, praying that all they had wished for would come true. Tears filled her eyes. She looked away to hide them.

“Are you all right?” Colt asked softly. With a gentle finger to her chin, he turned her gaze toward his.

“It’s nothing. It’s just that my mom and I used to do the same thing. We would lie under the stars and make wishes together. And now it seems you and I did the same thing too … without even knowing it.”

“I’m sorry you can’t share that with her anymore, Brielle…” His voice turned husky. “But maybe you and I can share it together now…”

She gazed deeply into his eyes, seeing the same look of longing as the day before. “Are you gonna kiss me now?” she asked nervously, hopefully, though she didn’t know what had possessed her to ask such a bold question.

One corner of his mouth curled slightly upward. “If that’s all right with you?”

Holding her breath, she nodded slightly.

Colt’s half-smile faded as he leaned forward and kissed her tenderly.

Brielle welcomed his kiss. His soft lips. His chocolate-flavored tongue. And when he circled his arms around her waist and pulled her close to his body, a sensual ache awakened deep within. Yearning for more, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself closer to him.

The faint sound of an engine and the crackling of tires over gravel interrupted their intimate moment. They both jolted away from one another as if they’d just been caught doing something they weren’t supposed to.

Through deep breaths, Brielle managed to clear the euphoria and focus in on the red sports car. “It’s Jack.”

Jack got out of his car and made his way toward them.

“What are you doing here, Jack?” Brielle asked as he approached.

Colt nodded nonchalantly. “Good morning, Jack.”

Jack gave a quick nod to Colt. “Morning.” Then he looked at his sister. “Dad told me to come over and help get the place running.” Turning back to Colt, he pointed with his thumb over his shoulder. “I can run the tractor and get these weeds cleared if you want.”

“Only if you’re sure it’s not a problem,” Colt said.

Jack tipped his hat back and raised his eyebrows. “Trust me — I’d rather be
here
helping on my days off than back at the ranch.”

Colt grinned. “I really need the help. Thanks. Now I can get started on the remodeling.”

Brielle was glad that her brother wanted to help, but disappointed that she and Colt would no longer be alone. She grabbed another doughnut, this time chocolate, in an attempt to extinguish her unsatisfied desires. Taking a huge bite, she stared out over the fields, watching as the dandelions danced gently in the breeze.

“Quit daydreaming and hand me that bag of doughnuts.” Jack nudged her shoe with his boot.

“Don’t kick me!” She glared at him and swiped at his leg with her shoe, but he quickly jumped back.

Colt smirked and handed the bag to Jack. “Help yourself.”

“Thanks.” Jack grinned. He reached in and grabbed a maple bar.

“Before you hop on that tractor, would you mind helping me unload the supplies in the back of my truck?” Colt stood and headed for his truck parked halfway down the drive.

“Sure.” Jack tossed the bag to his sister and began to devour the maple bar as he followed Colt.

Brielle caught the bag and watched them walk away, admiring the way Colt’s jeans hugged his rear end. A sudden desire awakened again. Sighing heavily, she took another bite of her chocolate doughnut and reluctantly went back into the house to scrub the entire upstairs.

Colt tossed the last of the kitchen cupboards into the pile accumulating next to the barn. He grinned at the progress Jack was making. It wasn’t even noon yet and he’d already mowed the front yard and half of the back. Though there were slight rolling hills to contend with on the back half, a clear-cut path to the creek would be visible before sundown. He was sure of it.

“Looks great!” Brielle approached from behind and stood next to him.

“It does,” Colt agreed. “It’s just like I remember it.”

He envisioned how his mother would let him run through the sprinkler in his underwear during the stifling heat of the summer. When he’d had enough, she would carry the picnic lunch of peanut butter and honey sandwiches to a grassy spot under the shade of a tree, then spread out a quilt where they would eat and relax and catch grasshoppers to use as bait for fishing. When his father had come home, they would all make the trek to the creek to fish.

His cell phone rang. He pulled it from his shirt pocket and checked the number. It was Steve, his former co-worker — the one who’d taken over renting his old house while he was in jail. He pressed ignore and shoved it back into his pocket. He wanted to talk to Steve, but now wasn’t the time. He needed privacy while he sorted out his life.

Brielle was silent as she eyed Colt’s cell phone peeking out of his shirt pocket. She quickly turned her attention back to Colt. “Well, the floors are all clean. And the upstairs bathroom is disinfected. And thank you for cleaning the toilet before I got here.” She smiled knowingly. “Are you gonna paint before you move all your stuff in?”

“Yeah, it’d be easier that way. I guess I’ll go shopping for furniture and such. You could go with me and help if you want.”

“Of course I’ll go with you. And I’ll help you move your old stuff too. I know I’m a woman, but I’m stronger than you think.” She proudly made a muscle.

He looked at her flexed bicep. “Impressive. But I don’t have any old stuff. I left it all back in Dallas.”

“All of it?” she asked incredulously, lowering her arm to place her hand on her hip.

“All of it,” Colt replied matter-of-factly.

“Even old pictures and keepsakes?”

He nodded, wishing he hadn’t been led down this road of discussion.

“But why?”

He hated to keep things from her, but he wasn’t ready to divulge every squalid detail of his past. It brought about too much pain. For now, it was easier to forget.

He decided to appease her with a brief explanation. “I was away when my mom died. But when I returned, I couldn’t go back home.” His voice deepened. “It was just too painful and too soon to go back. So I came here to build a new life. The one I should’ve had all this time … The one
she
should’ve had.” He cleared his throat.

“I’m so sorry, Colt. I understand why you couldn’t go back home…” Her voice was gentle. “But you have to go back and get your keepsakes.
Her
keepsakes.”

Colt swallowed hard to suppress his tears. He decided to turn the focus on something else. “I know. I’ll get them back. But for now … I’ll settle for some lunch. How about you?”

After a few seconds her concerned expression finally softened. “All right. I’m hungry too.” She patted her stomach. “Do you wanna try Joe’s Barbeque? They serve the best steak and ribs around.”

“Sounds good.” Colt’s stomach grumbled at the thought.

They both watched as Jack hopped off the tractor and headed across the cropped grass toward them. “Sorry, I got a call. I have to go. But if I’m done early enough I’ll come back and finish up.” He took a red rag out of the back pocket of his jeans and wiped the sweat from his brow.