Her Colorado Cowboy

by Mindy Obenhaus

  The sound of power tools filled the space as he strode toward the far end of the building, ready for something to finally go his way.

  “What’s up, bro?” Andrew lowered his hammer.

  “There were some chutes that were supposed to be delivered last week, but I can’t seem to find any paperwork on them. Have you seen them?”

  “Chutes aren’t coming until next week.”

  “What do you mean? I scheduled them for last week so I’d have time to inspect them before they were installed.”

  “Sorry ’bout that.” He swiped a sleeve across his brow. “I changed it to next week for fear they’d be in the way.”

  Noah’s blood pressure ratcheted. “Who are you to go changing my deliveries?”

  “I’m the one who has to find a place to store these things so they’re not in our way.” He motioned a hand across the space. “We’re still building here, you know.”

  “Yes, I know. You’re building for me.”

  Andrew sighed. “Look, I’m sorry I didn’t check with you before I changed the delivery date. Next time I’ll be sure to do that.”

  “Next time?” His voice echoed again. “There’d better not be a next time, brother.”

  Andrew pulled back. “What’s got you so stressed out?”

  “I can’t imag—”

  “Noah?”

  Andrew nodded, indicating he should turn around.

  When he did, he saw Lily standing a few feet away. Dressed in jeans, a gray Ouray T-shirt and rubber boots, she appeared timid. And though it killed him to admit it, his insides tangled at the sight of her.

  “Is everything all right in here?”

  Noah and Andrew exchanged a look before Noah said, “Yeah. Everything’s fine.”

  She clasped her hands in front of her. “Well, they didn’t sound fine.” She glanced left then right before taking a step closer. “I could hear you next door.”

  Sure, he was mad, but had he really been that loud?

  “Noah, I need your help with something. Honey’s having a problem.”

  He cut his brother a parting glance.

  Noah and Lily had entered the stable a few moments later when she said, “I finally heard back from the magazines I told you about regarding the interviews.”

  He’d all but forgotten about that. “And?” Following Lily around the corner, he caught a whiff of her lilac perfume.

  “Rodeo Magazine will be here next Thursday, and the other will be the following Monday.”

  He fought to gather his thoughts. “That should give me time to regroup between interviews.” He paused outside Honey’s stall. “So what’s the problem?”

  “Um...” She poked her head inside the stall. “Honey’s out of food.”

  He simply stared. “Did you really need me for that?”

  “No, it was just an excuse to get you away from Andrew.”

  Suddenly realizing how irrationally he’d been behaving, he chuckled. He’d been taking his frustrations out on his brother, much like when they were younger. “I guess I was acting rather juvenile.”

  “Um, yeah. So what’s the real problem?”

  “Real problem?”

  “Yes. Something’s obviously bothering you. Because the man I saw in there was not the Noah I know.”

  He crossed his arms over his chest. “Then maybe you don’t really know me.”

  Shifting, she said, “Maybe. But I don’t think that’s the case.”

  A silent moment ticked by, the two of them in an apparent battle of wills.

  Looking away, he leaned against the opposite stall. “You must have been busy this week. Haven’t seen you around here much.”

  Now she refused to make eye contact. “I guess I was hiding.” She opened the stall door.

  “Hiding?”

  She looked at him then. “I walked away from you last week without any kind of explanation. Leaving you with the impression that I don’t trust you.”

  Did that mean— Straightening, he moved closer, eager to know. “Do you? Trust me, that is?”

  “I do.”

  The tension in his shoulders eased.

  “It was the horse I didn’t trust.” She continued, “But at the time I was too afraid to tell you.”

  “I don’t get it. If you trust me, why were you afraid?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know.” Her gaze lowered momentarily then bounced back to his. “No, that’s not true. I do know.”

  He waited for her to continue.

  She squared her shoulders. “All my life people have discounted my feelings. ‘Lily, don’t be silly. Lily, you’re overreacting.’ I got good at keeping things to myself.”

  Relief and sadness mingled as he reached for her hand. “Lily, I don’t ever want you to be anything but real with me.”

  Her nod was quick. Too quick. She turned away and tried to break free, as though she didn’t believe him.

  But he refused to let go. He wanted her to understand that he wasn’t like those other people.

  Still holding her hand, he waited for her to look at him.

  When she finally did, he smiled and said, “Just Lily is my friend, and I like her just the way she is.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Sitting at the desk in Noah’s office late Wednesday morning, Lily stared at the Ouray visitor’s guide, longing to see more of the San Juan Mountains. Since the first time her friend Kayla had mentioned that Ouray was the jeeping capital of the world, she’d been intrigued. The thought of traveling old mine roads built almost a century and a half ago and seeing a landscape that had been virtually untouched by man had sparked her desire to spend the entire summer here. And yet there was still so much she hadn’t seen.

  Then again, when she planned this trip, horseback riding had never entered her mind, let alone roping lessons, riding lessons, promoting a rodeo school and caring for a neglected horse. Not that she was complaining. Because even though her plans might have changed, there was plenty of good coming from those changes.

  Still, if she could find the time...

  “Mommy, look.” Her daughter gestured to the stack of clipboards now complete with consent forms.

  “Thank you, Piper.” She closed the booklet and set it aside. “You did a very good job.” Lily had been trying to help out in the office more.

  “What’s going on?” Noah strode into the office just then, with Colton not far behind.

  “Just taking care of some paperwork for you.” She pushed away from the desk and stood. “How was the trail ride?” The rain had stopped Monday afternoon, leaving plenty of sunshine and pleasant temperatures in its wake.

  “Good. Soggy in a few low spots, but we were able to make it onto the mountain.”

  “Yeah and we saw some bear tracks.” Colton’s green eyes were wide. Since there were only three people in the group, Noah had invited him to go along.

  “But no bears,” Noah was quick to add before addressing her again. “What have you two been up to?”

  “Not much.” She picked up a piece of paper from the desk. “Travis Vasquez’s mother called to say he won’t be able to make his lesson today or anytime in the near future.” She held out the paper, meeting Noah’s gaze. “Apparently he has mononucleosis.”

  “Mono? The kissing disease?”

  “Eww.” Piper’s face contorted as she petted Patches the cat.

  Lily chuckled. “I...think I’ve heard it called that.”

  “You mean you can get a disease from kissing?” Colton looked from her to Noah and back, and she wasn’t sure if she should be alarmed by his interest or not.

  “That’s right, Colton.” Noah sent her a stealthy wink. “So you’d better watch out.” Grinning, he continued, “Looks like I’ll be able to work with both of you kids this afternoon then.”

>   Lily bit her lip, her gaze drifting to the sunlight pouring through the window. “How’s the weather looking? Any clouds?”

  “Nah, they’re saying it’s supposed to be another nice afternoon.”

  “Hmm...” She eyed the visitor’s guide, wondering if all the tours for this afternoon were already full. If not, maybe they could get in. Otherwise, she could drive down to—

  “Did you ever take the kids to Ironton?”

  She looked up, realizing that he’d caught her daydreaming. “No, I haven’t found the time. However, if you wouldn’t mind—” she mustered her best smile “—I was thinking I might see if we could get on a Jeep tour for this afternoon.”

  “A Jeep tour?” Colton whined. “What about my lesson?”

  Noah grinned. “I’ve got a better idea.”

  Seemed no matter what she suggested, he always had a better idea. And while he had yet to let her down—

  “What if I took you all to a place that’s off the beaten path?”

  Curiosity lifted her brow. “What do you call off the beaten path?”

  “Someplace the tours don’t go.”

  She liked the sound of that. “Go on.”

  “You like wildflowers?”

  “I love wildflowers.”

  “I imagine with all this sun—” he motioned toward the window “—they’re quite brilliant.”

  “Flowers?” Her son appeared more than a little chagrined.

  Noah glanced his way. “Did I mention a couple of really cool glacial lakes, too?”

  “Ooh, can we go swimming?” Piper beamed.

  “Okay, so how do we get to this place?” Lily crossed her arms over her chest. “Rent a Jeep? Unless your truck can make it?”

  “Truck’s too wide. And our chances of finding an available rental Jeep are slim to none with this weather.” He wasn’t building a very good case.

  “So what are we supposed to do?”

  “Not to worry.” He pulled his phone from his shirt pocket. “I’ll simply call Matt to see if he’ll swap vehicles with me for the afternoon.”

  Lily was afraid to get her hopes up. Yet a little over an hour later, they had grabbed a round of hamburgers at Granny’s Kitchen and picked up the Jeep and were on a dirt road weaving their way into the mountains.

  Since they’d removed the vehicle’s top, the sun shone down on them, warming Lily’s skin as well as her heart. This was even better than she’d imagined, and she could hardly wait to see where Noah was taking them.

  Through sunglasses, she eyed the cowboy-turned-tour-guide in the driver’s seat. With his Broncos ball cap, aviator sunglasses and stubble lining his jaw, he looked even more rugged than usual. Throw in the muscles straining the sleeves of his T-shirt, and any woman would swoon.

  However, she’d seen the kind, wounded heart that beat inside Noah. The one that longed to help hurting people as well as hurting horses. The one that still grieved the loss of his wife. And that made it more and more difficult for her to resist him.

  But resist she must. For her children, if not herself. Because August 15 would be here before they knew it, and then it would be back to life as usual, which sounded rather unappealing at the moment.

  The engine groaned as the road grew steeper, and Noah came to a stop.

  “Is there a problem?” Because this narrow road would be a really bad place to break down.

  He adjusted the manual gearshift. “No, just switching over to four-wheel drive.”

  She let go a sigh. “That’s good.”

  “Don’t worry, Lily.” His smile was reassuring. “You won’t be disappointed.”

  They continued on, winding around a wall of dark gray rock that stretched toward the blue sky, while on the opposite side, a knee-shaking drop-off led to a valley blanketed with white-barked aspens and deep green conifers.

  Colton poked his head between the two front seats. “Did they really used to bring mules down this road?”

  “They sure did.” Noah eyed the boy in his rearview mirror, both hands firmly on the steering wheel. “Back then it was the only way to get supplies to the mines and to bring the ore down, so they had to build these roads.”

  “They built them?” Colton peered down at the road. “How?”

  “Dynamite.”

  “Whoa...”

  Did Noah know how to capture the boy’s interest or what?

  “Yep, they dynamited out large chunks of the mountainsides all over this area, allowing them to create these roads we still travel today.”

  “Now that’s cool.” The kid leaned back in his seat, smiling.

  “If you get an opportunity,” Noah hollered over the engine, “you all should stop by the museum in town sometime. They’ve got a mine display in the basement where you can see and learn all sorts of stuff.”

  They moved on up the road, waving to other vehicles as they passed. Something that was very precarious in a few of the narrower sections and made Lily more than grateful that it wasn’t her doing the driving.

  When they finally turned off the main road, the first thing she saw was a relatively wide stream in their path. Fortunately, there was also a bridge.

  Noah revved the engine, eyeing the stream. “Think we can make it, gang?”

  “Yay!” cheered the kids.

  Lily jerked her head toward him. “You’re not seriously considering going through that, are you?”

  “It’s part of the experience.”

  “But what if we get caught in the current?”

  “You’re right. I’d better get a running start.” With that, he put the vehicle into Reverse then, before she knew what was happening, they were moving headlong into the water.

  She shrieked when the cold water splashed against her skin and couldn’t help laughing at the sight of her children doing the same.

  “That was cold,” giggled Piper when they came to a stop on the other side.

  “Yeah, but it was fun,” said Colton.

  “Things are going to get a little bumpier now.” Noah eased on the gas. “So you might want to hold on.”

  He wasn’t kidding, either. Moving into the woods, it felt as though they were bumping from one boulder to the next, making it impossible for her to take any pictures of the wildflowers lining the trail.

  The air smelled of fragrant firs and earth as they picked their way up another rocky rise, then crept back down, only to repeat it one more time. Mud went flying and the back end of the Jeep came down hard, jolting them to an abrupt stop.

  Everyone went silent. The only sound was that of the engine and some birds chattering nearby.

  Noah adjust the gearshift. Eased off the clutch. Yet they didn’t move.

  He tried again, but to no avail. The tires continued to spin.

  Hopping out, he rounded the vehicle, his brows drawn together.

  Not a good sign.

  Finally, he stood in front of them, hands perched on his denim-clad hips. “Sorry, guys, but it looks like we’re stuck.”

  “Stuck?” Surely he was kidding.

  “Stuck,” he confirmed.

  Her shoulders sagged. Now what were they supposed to do? It wasn’t like roadside assistance could make it up here to help.

  Disappointment wove its way through her. What about their destination? The wildflowers, glacial lakes and her off the beaten path?

  Instead, they were stuck.

  * * *

  There was no way Noah was going to let Lily down. He’d promised to take her someplace special, and that’s exactly what he intended to do. After all, this wasn’t his first trip into the mountains.

  Eyeing his passengers, he said, “Don’t worry. We’ll be on the road in no time.”

  “How?” Lily unhooked her seat belt and stood on her seat, batting a tree limb out of the way. “Are y
ou going to push us out?”

  Smiling, he took in the space around them, the position of the wheels. “While I appreciate your faith in me, that would not be a viable option. Fortunately, we have a winch.” He moved toward the vehicle.

  Lily was beside him in no time. “At the risk of sounding like a city girl, what’s a winch?”

  “That thing right there.” He pointed to the spool attached to the front of his brother’s vehicle, with a cable coiled around it.

  She looked at it then back at him. “What does it do?”

  “Gets us out of the mud.” Reaching toward the contraption, he released the clutch. “Colton, would you grab that yellow strap from the back of the Jeep and bring it to me, please?”

  “Yes, sir.” The kid hopped out of the vehicle.

  “Piper, would you mind keeping your mama company over there for me?” He pointed to a nearby rise.

  “Okay.” She unhooked her seat belt and jumped down.

  “Good girl.”

  “Is this the one?” Colton came toward him, holding up the strap.

  “That’s it.”

  In no time, he and Colton had a length of cable pulled out and hooked to the strap Noah had looped around a tree several feet away.

  “All right, gang. Looks like we’re ready to roll.”

  With Lily and the kids standing a safe distance away, Noah attached the controller and turned the power on.

  “Would you look at that,” he heard Lily say. “That thing is pulling the Jeep right out.”

  “Cool,” said Colton.

  “Yay for Noah.” Piper jumped up and down as the vehicle came to rest on solid ground.

  He couldn’t help chuckling. Having them around did wonders for his ego.

  He turned off the power and faced his audience. “Anyone ready to see some lakes?”

  They hurried back and piled into the vehicle while he disconnected everything.

  When he returned to the driver’s seat, he looked at Lily. “The journey is always better when there’s a little adventure involved.”

  “Well, it was definitely a learning experience.” She hooked her seat belt. “And I’m sorry I doubted you. But now I’m ready to see some wildflowers.”

  “All right then.” He shifted into gear, making a mental note to approach this section with a little more caution on their way out.