“That bad, huh?” I asked with a laugh.
“It’s my dad’s fault. He always tells her she has the voice of an angel. Whenever the microphone comes out, me and Colt usually have to split. I drew this one when we were sitting at the counter, watching the fireworks on the big TV.”
“It looks just like him.” I brushed my fingers gently over the sketch before handing the book back to her. “You should hold on to this. So you’ve always got the memory.”
“Mom always says that. She’s kept all of them, even the crappy ones. There’s this painting I did in the backyard when I was five. It’s a total mess, but Spencer accidentally stepped on it with his muddy football boot. She ended up framing it and put it up in the hallway so that no one ever forgets that day. Although, to be honest, I don’t remember that day at all,” she giggled.
“Who’s Spencer?”
“My other brother. He died a long time ago.”
My heart stung for her. I knew loss all too well. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay. I don’t remember him much. I was only little when it happened.”
“Then I guess it’s lucky you have that messy, boot-trodden painting to remember him by.”
Her eyebrows flicked up. “Yeah, I guess that’s true.”
A car honked outside the door, stealing our attention.
“That’ll be Mom. I should go, Miss Lopez. Thanks for today.”
“Yeah, see you later, Shay.” I smiled and waved her out through the door, into the bright afternoon.
She really was a lucky girl. The art world could be rough, and having a family to support you through it was an incredible gift. It was the main reason why I took the gallery job after college instead of trying to make a living from my own work alone. I said the same thing to Lily when she teased me about being a coward and wasting my talent. I was no coward. I was smart, and I didn’t have the same privileges as her. I knew my place in the world and made sure not to rock the boat too much.
I packed up the rest of the equipment and grabbed my bag off the window ledge. My phone had been silent all day, and my stomach knotted up at the idea that I had freaked Colton out a little too much last night.
When I left for work, Patsy told me he was still out on the call. He was busy, and I understood he wanted to honor my space, but I had expected a call by now at least. He’d been incredibly sweet last night, and understanding. But maybe with a little distance, he had realized I was too much for a fun temporary fling. I couldn’t blame him. After my freak out over the door, who wouldn’t run a mile and warn the locals of the crazy lady in the cabin.
The drive back to the Rabbit Hut got easier by the day. The weather was warm and the trail much dryer. My little rental car cruised past the river as smooth as it would drive along the highway.
I spotted an elk drinking on the other side, and a falcon floating above in the bright, blue sky. The more I stayed in Bluerock, the more I appreciated my surroundings. This place was gorgeous, and I knew that with enough time it would be good for me. I needed to heal, and where better than a place like this.
My heart sank as I turned up to the station lot. Colton space was still empty.
I parked up and climbed out. Although Colton’s truck was gone, the rest of the parking lot was full. I could see a group of backpackers heading down the trails and a family snapping photos of the breathtaking views. The good weather had obviously brought the tourists back to town.
Patsy came out of the station with a couple of hikers and pointed towards the direction I’d just come from. “It’s about three miles down that way. Look out for the yellow signs and stick to the trail. Enjoy your hike, guys.”
The couple headed off in the direction she had instructed. I wandered over, slipping my hands into my jacket pockets. “Busy day, huh?”
She smiled at me and squinted up at the sky. “It always is up here when the sun comes out.” She looked back down at me, crossing her arms. “He came back.”
“Huh?”
“Ranger Haxley. He came back just after you left this morning. He caught up on some sleep and headed back out a little while ago.”
“Oh.” I couldn’t hide the disappointment in my voice.
“He had to go back to the farm and help repair the fence. We don’t want horses running wild again.”
“Yeah, I understand. It’s okay. Maybe I’ll catch him later.” I pulled my phone out from my pocket. There was still nothing. Not even a lousy text.
“He left something at the Rabbit Hut for you.” She wiggled her eyebrows and waddled back inside the station before I could even ask what it was.
I jogged around to the back of the building and looked up at the small cabin under the canopy of trees. There in the middle of the old shack was a brand new, hand carved, wooden door.
I ran up the steps and rubbed my hand over the wood, inhaling that rich, oaky scent. A huge grin crept up on my face. I must have looked even more crazy now, but I didn’t care. Colton had given me my security back. It was something so silly, and yet he’d gone out of his way to hold up on his promise, no questions asked.
My foot crunched on something. I stepped back to see a small bunch of flowers wrapped up in twine, propped against the door frame. Reaching down for them, I let out a dumb giggle. No one had ever given me flowers before. And these weren’t just flowers. They were wildflowers. Cut by hand and tied together with care. I plucked out the note from between the stems and unfolded it.
Beautiful Tia,
I’ll pick you up at eight.
Short and sweet, and perfectly Colton.
It was safe to say this guy had made this beautiful sunny day even brighter.
Colton
“I’m sorry about last night, boss,” Carl said, handing me another screw.
I fired up the drill and took another from his hand. “Don’t be. It’s the job.”
“I meant the whole walking in on you. I didn’t mean to ruin your date.”
“It was just an accident. Don’t sweat it.” I drilled in the final screw and stood back up, brushing the dirt from my knees.
“So, I didn’t ruin your chances with Miss Lopez?
I chuckled and slapped him on the back. “I’m not sure. I’ll let you know if she grants me a second date or not.”
“You gonna make me pay if she doesn’t?”
“No. But expect to be put on tour guide duty for the rest of the year if she doesn’t.”
I expected a grunt from him, but instead he just laughed and shook his head. “You must really like her. I’ve never seen you date the same girl twice.”
I shrugged and walked with him down the length of the fence. “You know how it is with our job. Long hours, and not to mention the fact that I live in the middle of the woods. It’s not exactly easy to keep up with the whole dating thing.”
“But now you’ve got a hot, little Latina living next door to you, you’re going all in?”
“Yeah.” I laughed. “Wouldn’t you?”
“With Miss Lopez? Hell, yeah! She’s gorgeous.” He wrinkled his nose up. “A little strange though. Did she ever tell you why she needed all those locks on her door?”
The question had been going round my head all night. I would never force it out of Tia, but I couldn’t help my curiosity rifling through all the possibilities. “No, she didn’t.”
“Maybe it’s a city-living kind of thing. I wouldn’t leave my door unlocked if I lived in New York either. Or maybe it’s OCD. My dad has that. He can’t get out of bed until he sings the national anthem three times. It’s probably why my mom sleeps on the couch most nights.”
I couldn’t help laughing at his random ramblings. “You need to get your own place. How old are you now?”
“Twenty-one.”
“Yep. That’s the perfect age for a bachelor pad.” I loaded up the tools into the back of my truck and walked around to the drivers side. “And I’m not gonna push her on it. The lock thing, I mean. It’s not my place to ask.”<
br />
He rounded his own truck and climbed in. “Fair enough. I’ll catch you later, boss. Good luck with Miss lopez.”
Carl’s truck sped off across the field. He’d been good enough to grant me another night off tonight. With any luck this one wouldn’t get interrupted. We had a couple of volunteers in town who could step in incase something minor happened. And so, I pinned all my hopes on winning Tia over tonight without flash floods or runaway horses.
It had taken all I had to not check up on her today. Patsy had told me she left for work looking happy enough, but I wasn’t sure if that was sincere or just a front. The way she had reacted last night was painful to see.
Tia was full of sass and determination. She didn’t try to act cute or sweet. She laughed and teased, and I fucking loved it. But I knew that deep down she was fragile, broken in places I couldn’t yet see. And when glimmers of pain or fear seeped out of her, all I wanted to do was make it all better again. But she wouldn’t let me. She pushed me away and locked up the door. And that’s why I didn’t check up on her. I respected her enough to know that’s not what she needed. Tia needed space, so that’s what I gave her.
But tonight I had to try again. Any man in my position would, and there was no way I was letting this girl slip away behind the locks.
I was fastening my seatbelt when the car radio crackled to life.
“Ranger Haxley?” Patsy’s voice cut threw.
I picked up the receiver and looked out onto the wide field in front. “Yeah, what is it, Pats?”
“The check from the Rayfairs bounced and they won’t answer my calls. I think it was a phoney donation. Just wanted to let you know before you do anymore work on the flood damages. Do you want me to call Mayor Anderson and see if she can push the budget a little further?”
“The check bounced?” I spat the question out far too fierce for my sensitive radio. “My thirty thousand dollar check? What the fuck, Patsy?”
“Don’t shoot the messenger, boy!”
“It can’t bounce. I worked hard for that money. They fucking promised they’d pay me it.”
The line went quiet for a moment before Patsy’s scolding voice crackled back through. “Worked hard? Colton, you told me that money was a donation. You never said you worked for it. What work did you do for them exactly?”
“Their dog,” I growled back, knowing I couldn’t keep up the cover anymore. “I found their damn dog. I went out into the storm and rescued it, and they gave me the check as reward money.”
“Urgh, Colton,” she groaned, her voice full of maternal disappointment. “Always with the damn heroics. Well the assholes are now ghosting me, and I have damage expenses that need paying out by the end of the month.”
“I’ll call them. Leave it with me.”
“Fine.” She hung up the radio, well and truly pissed at me.
As angry as she was at me, it was nothing to how fucking furious I was at the Rayfairs. Luckily, the bastards didn’t know my cell number, and I could only pray they would pick up the call.
I selected their number on my contacts list and held the phone to my ear. After just one ring, someone spoke. “Barry Rayfair.”
“Mr Rayfrair, this is Chief Ranger Haxley from Bluerock.”
He took a deep breath. “Oh, Ranger. Yes, I suspected you might call me at some point.”
“Your check bounced. Are you gonna tell me why that happened?”
“It didn’t bounce. I voided the transfer. After we returned to California, we had a change of heart.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? We had a deal!”
“Yes, I know we did,” he responded, calmly. Clearly years with his wife had mellowed his temper when being yelled at. “But when we checked Kiki into the doggy clinic, we realised how much treatment she would need to get her back to show standards. It’s not cheap, Ranger, and we honestly felt robbed by you.”
“What? How the hell did I rob you?”
“Our vacation was no short of a nightmare. Kiki will never fully recover from her trauma and neither will my wife.”
“Your wife ? Are you serious right now? What does your wife have to be traumatized about?”
“Her vacation was ruined, and she lost her beloved dog.”
“But I got the dog back. How is that me robbing you?”
“You took advantage of her grief.”
I was getting nowhere. The longer the conversation went on, the more ridiculous it got. “I need that money, Mr Rayfair. You told me if I got the dog back then you would give me the money. I held up my part of the bargain. Do the right thing here and honor your word.”
“I can’t, Ranger.”
“It doesn’t have to be thirty thousand dollars. Just a small donation to help us pay for the storm damages. You’re a wealthy man, Mr Rayfair. You give out donations all the time. For once just give one to Bluerock. We need it.”
“I’m sorry, Ranger. I can’t.”
“Please.” I cringed at the sound of desperation in my voice. I wasn’t a proud man but even I had standards. It didn’t matter though. There was too much riding on this. “I’m begging you, Mr Rayfair. If you were standing in front of me, right now, I’d be on my knees. Please. I got people who need paying. People that need to put food on their table. I know you love this park. Please, sir.”
“Goodbye, Ranger Haxley.” And just like that the line went dead.
My hands slammed down on the steering wheel again and again until my palms stung. “Mother fucker!”
I shouldn’t have expected any less. People like the Rayfairs pulled donations all the time. They would usually do it for show and publicity, but when the day came to actually pay up, there was always some excuse. Rich people liked to donate to things that only mattered to them, and although Mr Rayfair loved this part of the country, his wife was never too keen. I guess she made the rules in that household.
But I always assumed he would pay up. This wasn’t a donation after all. This was reward money for a lost dog. Money I’d been spending like wildfire since the storm. Money that I would never actually receive now.
It was my own fault. I should have known they’d screw me over. Rich city pricks held no love for the simple life folk.
I ran my hands through my hair in an attempt to calm down. I needed to think of a way to get that money before the end of the month. The Mayor could only afford so much, and even though tourists were coming back in, it would only just cover Patsy and Carl’s paycheck at a stretch.
I couldn’t think about it now. I had a date planned with Tia. If she let me of course. And I had no desire to lose out on that too.
Chapter Fourteen
Colton
I climbed the steps to the Rabbit Hut and knocked on the new door. I held my breath that Tia would answer it. I’d been doubting it all day after what happened last night and could only hope she’d give me another chance.
I let out a sigh of relief when I heard the clunk of the bolts shift from behind the wood. Tia opened up, looking as sexy as ever. Her dark hair hung loose, over one shoulder. She was wearing black jeans and a floaty, green tank top. I glanced down at her feet and recognized the heels she’d had on last night.
“Do I look okay?” she asked, brushing her hands down her thighs.
“You’re not very good at saying hello , are you?”
She tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear. “Sorry. I just wasn’t sure how to dress. Your note was a little thin on the details.”
“You look beautiful, as always.”
She blushed slightly and reached behind the door for her jacket. “So, I’m dressed appropriately? Where are you taking me anyways? Should I change my shoes?”
I reached out for her face and kissed her instantly. She sank into my touch like it was the most natural thing in the world. As I pulled away, I couldn’t help but smile at the drunk look in her eyes. “Relax, Tia. This is supposed to be fun. No to-do lists in sight.”
She giggled and reached out for my lips, wip
ing her thumb over them. “Maybe I’ll take the lipstick off though. If you plan on any more kisses, you’re gonna come home covered in dark red splodges.”
“Don’t you dare. You like to make your territory, right?”
She blushed again and closed the door with a hard tug. “Thank you for this by the way. And the flowers. They’re beautiful.”
“My pleasure.” I took her hand once she’d locked up and helped her into the truck.
Once we were on the main road, I relaxed back in my seat and rested my arm on the open window. Tia shuffled towards me. “So, where are we going? This isn’t the road to town.”
“It’s a surprise.”
“I don’t like surprises.” I didn’t need to look at her to see her eyes narrow.
“You’ll like this one. I promise.”
She nibbled on her lip and looked out of the windshield. “So, did you find all your horses, Ranger?”
“Of course. I’m a professional.”
“Did you get a huge reward for this one too, or is he paying you in pony rides?”
I groaned a little at the reminder of my recent predicament.
“What is it?” Tia asked, noticing my darkened mood.
I glanced over. She was gazing up at me, all doe-eyed, waiting for me to answer.
“Well, it’s kind of a funny story. The Rayfairs decided not to pay me for finding their dog.”
“What?” She sat forward, full of the same fury I’d had this afternoon. “Seriously? What a fucking joke! You risk your life to find that dog. They can’t just change their mind.”
“Actually they can.” I shook my head trying to stop the anger from rushing back in.
“You needed that money.”
I sighed, clutching the steering wheel tighter. “Yeah, I did. But I’m not gonna get it from them. I’ll just have to figure something out.”
“You need a donation, right? Can’t you hold a fundraiser to help pay for the storm damages?”
“That’s what I usually do, yeah. But I need the money by the end of the month. Organizing a fundraiser takes time, especially when bigger donations are needed. With all the work at the park and in town, I just don’t have the time to arrange anything.”
Lost at Heart: A Steamy Small Town Romance (Bluerock Series Book 2) Page 11
