Her Homecoming Cowboy (14 page)

Chapter Fifteen

“W
hat do y’all think?” Norma Sue asked as she displayed the centerpieces for the tables. They’d taken cans and wrapped them in pieces of feed sack, then tied colorful ribbons around them. It sounded not so cute, but the effect was charming and country. Especially when balanced with the Western-themed lace and rope that ran down the length of the white tablecloths.

“It’s adorable,” Gabi assured Norma Sue and the other ladies waiting for her approval, when Annie, Montana and Gabi walked into Norma Sue’s barn.

Annie had been too upset to say much when she made it back to the house to pick up Leo. All it had taken was one look at her face for Montana and Gabi to know things had not gone well. They’d insisted that she go with them to help decorate for the wedding reception. Leo was busy, out in the barn with Luke, bottle-feeding calves—not that he was doing much more than watching with his arm in a cast. But he was having a blast and had informed her that when they got through feeding the calves, he was going to get to muck out some stalls.

“Oh, you are, are you?” she’d said, her heart just bursting from the joy on his face and the fact that unbeknownst to him he was spending time with his uncle.

“Oh yeah, and it’s gonna be fun,” he’d said, shaking his head and looking at her with big eyes, as if he knew a secret she didn’t know.

Needing the time to chill, Annie had gladly let him stay. She’d needed the time to vent, too. Montana and Gabi were in disbelief, as she was.

“He doesn’t think he’s worthy,” Gabi had assured them. “I’m telling y’all, the cowboy is punishing himself for the deaths of the Eversons, God rest their souls. I don’t think anything is going to prove to him any differently.”

“Time,” Montana said, looking confident as she’d driven them toward town. “Time will heal all wounds...if cared for. We just need to make sure his wound continues to get the balm of love and care applied to it so his heart doesn’t scale over with scar tissue.”

Annie thought hard about that. Still was, as she looked around the barn at the pretty decorations. This made her heart lighten with joy for Gabi.

“Oh, this is going to be so beautiful.” She hugged Gabi. Both she and Montana had taken her in, and in her heart of hearts she thanked God for bringing her here to the family she’d always longed for. She might not be their real relation, but in her heart she could dream. They felt like family, and for Leo they always would be, even if his father never chose to give him his name.

“I love the grapevine and lace,” Gabi said, fingering some that lay on the table and being assembled by several smiling ladies, some of whom Annie had met at church. The excitement was rampant in the room and, despite her low mood, she could not help but feel better.

“I’m in awe.” Montana laughed, looking around with big eyes. “You ladies amaze me. After all the weddings this town has thrown, it’s still like a party up in here!”

Annie laughed with everyone else. Country music was blaring on the radio, and several ladies were boot scootin’ across the room in time to the music as they carried various decorations to their destinations. Refreshments were set out on a table and it was literally a free-for-all on helping out.

Looking around at the wedding preparations, Annie’s heart swelled up with longing like the many helium balloons Esther Mae was busy filling at a nearby table.

“You need one of these,” Esther Mae popped off, smiling as if she’d just read Annie’s mind. And she had!

“Come here and help me,” the redhead continued, waving her over. Montana and Gabi both got called to duty helping Norma Sue unravel grapevine. So Annie headed to the balloons. Esther Mae handed her one. “Tie these for me while I blow them up. My fingers are cramping, and we need to talk, too.”

“That’s not the only thing cramping about you,” Norma Sue teased. “Her brain’s been cramping, too.”

“My brain is
not
cramping,” Esther Mae huffed.

“Oh, so if that’s not the problem, then what is?” Norma Sue hooted.

“The woman should have been a comedian. Just because I was trying to air these up for the longest time with the gas turned off.”

“It wouldn’t have been so bad except she kept thinking it was bad balloons.” Norma Sue winked at Annie and Esther Mae blushed.

“It’s true. But hey, if I can’t laugh at myself, then what am I going to do?”

“Wonder what everyone else is laughing at.” Norma Sue chuckled.

“I know where you live, Norma Sue, and don’t you forget it.”

“So, we heard you were coming to the wedding with Colt.” Esther Mae batted her green eyes at Annie. They were deep in the middle of some mischief making.

“Well, it had been talked about. But I’m not sure.”

“Yes, she is,” Gabi said, her stubborn chin set as she hiked a brow in challenge. “I’m making sure of it, so you gals don’t have to start figuring out a way to make it happen. Colt has his instructions straight from the bride’s mouth. And he doesn’t want to upset his almost new sis-in-law.”

That got some hoots and some claps from everyone. Annie had to chuckle despite the fact that she wasn’t too keen on being escorted to the church by Colt. She would do it for Leo. The memory of the kiss heated her cheeks. Everyone instantly thought it was their teasing. They had no idea.

“Well, Gabi if you do all the fix’n up, then what are we all supposed to do? Kinda takes the fun out of it,” Norma Sue said.

“Ahem,” Annie cleared her throat. “I’m standing right here and no one asked me anything about being fixed up. I’m going to the wedding with Colt because Leo wants to go with Colt.”

Norma Sue and Esther Mae looked shamelessly at each other and smiled.

Adela, who was sitting at the end of the table sewing lace to the edge of feed sacks, smiled kindly at her. “Colt and Leo do get along so wonderfully. What a blessing to both of them.”

Annie got the weirdest feeling that they knew. “Yes, ma’am, it has been a blessing.”

“I personally think Colt needs a good kiss to brighten his days. Annie, what do you think about that?” Esther Mae held out a balloon to her. Instead of the huge smile Annie would have expected, she was very serious. Too serious.

Annie laughed, she was so surprised by her bluntness. “I think if you want to give him a kiss, Esther Mae, he would really appreciate it. More power to you.”

That got a hoot from Norma Sue. “Hold on there, let me call him up and warn him.”

“Funny, you two. My Hank gets all my kisses, thank you very much. And you know good and well I’m teasing you, Annie, but I know you’ve thought about it.”

“How do you know—” Annie blurted out before she caught herself. They were just probing. They really didn’t have any idea that she’d kissed Colt or that she thought about it. How could they? Teasing. That was all they were doing. She was just so stinkin’ self-conscious that she’d very nearly given away her secret. And that just would not do. Not at all.

But mad at the man or not, just the thought of that kiss and the way it had shaken her world made her head fuzzy and her pulse start skipping beats as if it were sending out an SOS.

“Know what?” Esther Mae asked, grinning. “Are you saying you
do
want to kiss Colt? Or that maybe you already have. Y’all sure have been spending a lot of time out there at his cabin teaching Leo how to rope and ride.”

Annie’s mouth fell open. “I thought y’all were sneaky about trying to fix folks up.”

“Sneaky.” Norma Sue chortled. “When we see a gal and a cowboy we think will match up like the two pieces of a heart locket, we don’t have a reason to be sneaky. We give fair warning most times.”

“
Most
times,” Gabi said. “But I’m sure there are several in this room who got blindsided by the posse and were well on their way to being hitched before they knew what hit them.”

From around the room hoots of laughter and agreement erupted along with several folks agreeing they’d been in that position. Annie’s stomach hurt.

She was in trouble and she knew it.

She’d fallen in love with the father of her nephew. And if he didn’t want Leo, he certainly wouldn’t want her.

The matchmaking posse of Mule Hollow had no idea what they were undertaking in this little matchup. But Annie did and she knew it was a long shot. Especially since she knew Colt was ready to run in the opposite way.

The scariest, trickiest part was there sat little Leo smack in the middle of this train wreck.

Trouble? Oh yeah, she was in trouble, no doubt about it. And here she was—the one who didn’t like bull riding. She felt as though she’d just hopped in the chute onto the back of the wiliest bull around, the gate was opening and her hand was stuck in the bull rope even before the ride began!

* * *

Colt needed to talk to someone, and who better to talk to than his big brother? Pulling into the ranch’s drive, he cut the engine and was walking toward the house when he heard a squeal of laughter coming from the barn. Leo.

He hadn’t expected that. And he wasn’t prepared to see his son right now. Not after what Annie had told him.

“Colt!” Leo came running out of the barn with two milk bottles clutched in his arms.

“Hey, it’s easy to see what you’ve been doing.” Colt grinned down at his son, the need to hug him close stronger. It was as if the day before, when he’d gotten to hug Leo and comfort him when he’d been hurt, made him want to feel his child in his arms even more. Six years of hugs he’d missed. It weighed heavily on him as he stooped down. Leo grinned at him and poked a bottle toward him.

“You want some?” He made a face. “It’s gross.”

“How do you know? I bet the calves aren’t grumbling.”

“They sure aren’t—they loved it! Luke said he thinks God got them mixed up and put little pigs inside them cow hides.”

“I sure do,” Luke said, coming out of the barn. “You saw it, Leo. You know what I’m talkin’ about.”

Leo made a disgusted face that would have made anyone laugh. “I never saw so much slobber in all my life.”

“They didn’t try to kiss you, did they?”

“Try to kiss me? They ’bout licked me to death.”

“You do look kind of damp.” Colt tugged at Leo’s half-tucked-in shirt, which was damp. “What happened here?”

“That little piglet-calf tried to eat my shirt!”

“I see you lived. And so did your cast.”

“It sure did. Look, Luke signed it, too.”

Luke was watching him with thought-filled eyes. Colt wondered what his brother was thinking. Luke wanted more than anything for him and Jess to be happy and settled. Colt figured Luke was thinking he was messing up.

“Y’all had an exciting evening yesterday.”

“Just a little. Leo slipped off the barrel at just the right angle. He didn’t hit abnormally hard or anything.”

“It was just one of those things,” Leo offered, grinning between them.

Colt gave him a hug. “Yes, it was, but I sure wish it hadn’t happened to you, little buckaroo.”

“It’s okay, Colt. I’ll have a whole year to work on my skills now.”

His positive attitude was inspiring. “Yes, you will.”

“You’re gonna still work with me, aren’t you, Colt?”

“Sure I am.”

“All right!” He started off toward the house. “I gotta take these to the kitchen for Montana when she gets home.”

In silence they watched him make his way toward the house. As soon as there was a good distance between them and he wouldn’t hear anything, Luke looped his thumbs in his pockets and studied Colt. “That kid is great.”

Colt’s heart clenched tight. “Yeah, he is.”

“What’s going on, Colt? I got here and Annie was about as white as a sheet. Montana and Gabi talked her into going to decorate with them hoping to help her feel better.”

Colt felt as if he’d been bucked off and slammed into the packed dirt. He didn’t like knowing that Annie was still shook up by the time she’d reached the ranch house. But then again, that kiss had shaken him up, too. When she’d taken his face into her hands so unexpectedly, right in the heat of their argument, the tenderness of it had yanked something hard inside him. He’d been wound so tight that her actions, the mere contact of her touch, had buckled him. He’d wrapped his arms around her with a reflex he had no control over, and the touch of her lips to his had reached deep into his soul. The thought of it shook him even now.

He looked down, afraid Luke would see his feelings in his eyes. He wasn’t ready to deal with what he felt for Annie at the moment. He had to deal with his emotions about Leo. If he didn’t eventually come around to Annie’s way of thinking, then the kiss they’d shared didn’t matter. The gulf that spanned between them would simply grow too wide to cross.

“Colt,” Luke prodded when he didn’t answer.

“She told me that Leo told her he wished I was his daddy.”

“You
are
his daddy.”

“She’s furious because I won’t tell him. She tried to talk to me about the wreck.”

“I can’t begin to understand what’s happening in your head where the wreck is concerned. The emotions I’m sure are tough in this situation, but Colt, I’m telling you it’s time to move forward. If you can’t, maybe you need to go see that doctor.”

“I don’t need the doctor.”

Leo came walking from the house with his arms full. On closer inspection, they realized he had three glasses of milk clutched close to him, between his cast and his body. He was grinning.

“I brought us some snacks.” Milk sloshed from the glass onto his shirt and his cast. Both Colt and Luke dashed the few feet between them and helped relieve him of his burdens.

“Well, thank you,” Luke said, holding his half-full glass up in a salute.

Colt did the same. “I needed this.”

“Oh, I got more.” Leo reached down into his abnormally shaped shirt that was tucked tightly into his jeans. He tugged and pulled out a plastic bag of cookies. “See.” He beamed. “We’re gonna make it.”

“You know, kid,” Luke said, shooting Colt a you-need-to-fix-this look, “you’re one smart cookie.”

Leo set his glass on the ground, careful not to spill any more than he’d already spilled. He dug into the bag and pulled out a crumbling cookie. “I am. My momma used to tell me all the time it’s ’cause I got my daddy’s jeans. I don’t know what that means, ’cause I’m wearing my own jeans.”