by Kim Redford
“And what is that?” She sniffed back her tears as she gave him a tentative smile.
“Whatever is needed.” He returned her smile, feeling so much lust and love rolled into one big ball of hope that he thought he’d fair burst with it. He’d promised himself that he’d protect his heart, but he was going to have one hell of a time keeping that promise. He could see now that Lauren was everything he’d ever wanted in a woman. But she’d been hurt, just like him, and she’d need to be eased back into country life so she could believe in family and friends and community again.
“Mommy! Cowboy Daddy!” Hannah called as she stepped away from the tree and planted her hands on her hips, looking all sassy.
“Come on.” Kent placed a gentle kiss on Lauren’s forehead. “I bet the barn looks about like it did the last time you saw it.”
“Just so you know, I’m not making any promises, but I can use help. Hedy and Hannah come first. I’m willing to do whatever needs to be done for them.”
“It seems to me as if you’ve been putting yourself last for too long. That works for a while, but after a time it backs up on you.” He smiled to ease the sting of his words and encourage her. “As long as I’m around, nobody’s putting you last. You deserve better, and you’re going to get it.”
She appeared a little surprised by his words, but nodded anyway. “I’ve given that same advice to my patients on occasion. You’re right. It’s the strong ones that need to hear it before they collapse from good intentions.”
“I’m here to catch you if you fall, but you’re not going to need it. You just need a little help carrying the load. And that’s what friends are for.” He held out his hand. “Let’s shake on it.”
“Still, Hannah and Hedy—”
“Trust me.”
When Lauren put her small, soft hand into his big, rough one, he felt as if they were committing to much more than getting her hippotherapy center off the ground. He looked into her chocolate-brown eyes and felt himself melt like a candy bar on a hot summer day.
“Now?” Hannah ran up to the porch and whirled in a circle.
Lauren smiled a rueful twist of her lips. “And that’s being a parent.”
“All I can do today is show you both where horses can live, so don’t get your hopes too high.” Kent chuckled in a raspy tone. “At least, Hannah knows what’s important in life.”
Lauren joined his laughter. “Horses!”
As they all tromped around the side of the house toward the barn, Kent felt a deep sense of satisfaction. He hadn’t known being part of a family like this would be so much fun. And then a cold dose of reality hit him. Lauren and Hannah weren’t his family, even if he was starting to think of them that way. He’d better get his head screwed on straight or wrap barbwire around his heart if he was going to stay out of trouble. Fact of the matter, he was simply helping out friends, nothing more and nothing less.
That point set in his mind, he lead the gals through a gate in a fence that was constructed of white-painted pipe that wouldn’t hurt horses. The original wooden barn had collapsed long ago. It’d been replaced in the seventies with a simple structure built of concrete blocks that had a peaked tin roof for ventilation and a gated entry on each end of the structure.
Hannah ran ahead of them, reached the barn, and patted the cement blocks lovingly as she looked through the metal bars of the gate.
Kent opened the gate and she ran ahead of them into the cool, shadowy interior that had a packed dirt floor so as to ease the strain on horses. On one side were several metal gates made of vertical bars that opened into horse stalls with empty water troughs. Each stall had another gate in back that led into an enclosed arena for exercise and training. On the other side of the wide center aisle were a couple of large horse stalls and a big tack and feed storage room. He liked this basic, efficient horse stable even though it couldn’t compare in design, size, or function to the new one his parents had built.
He smelled the lingering scent of hay, oats, and horse as he watched Hannah run down the center aisle and peek into one horse stall after another. Finally, she stopped, put her hands on her hips, and looked back.
“I know.” Kent threw wide his hands. “No horses.”
Hannah vigorously nodded in agreement.
“First thing,” Kent said, “I need to know if you and Lauren think this place will do to start.”
“Oh, Kent, it’s wonderful.” Lauren wandered down the center aisle. “I remember when we used to saddle horses here and ride out over the ranch.”
“Good days.” He watched her repeat Hannah’s movements as she walked from stall to stall and looked inside each as if reliving memories.
“It’s a pity this place isn’t in use.” Lauren glanced back at him.
“Yep. But it was best to consolidate business at the new headquarters.”
“I’m very lucky. This is absolutely as perfect as I remember.”
“Glad you think so. It’ll easily handle six horses, but we can start with two.”
Lauren nodded in agreement. “One for Hedy and—”
“One for me!” Hannah danced up to them and clapped her hands.
“Besides horses,” Lauren continued, “I’ll need equipment, tack, feed, and who knows what all.”
“We’re not starting from scratch. We can borrow stuff from Mom and Dad.”
“I hate to impose. I’ve got some savings.”
“No need to go there yet. Let’s start simple with two horses and see how it progresses from there.” He gestured around the barn. “You’ve got a place here if you want it.”
“Oh, I do! Thank you.”
“Maybe later you’ll want to get your own headquarters. But right now, isn’t this all about Hedy and Hannah?”
“Absolutely. I’m grateful to borrow at first. Later, we’ll see.” She looked toward Hannah. “What do you say about your own pony?”
“I need pink cowgirl boots.” Hannah ran over, grabbed Kent’s hand, and swung back and forth. “Right?”
“Sure do.” He couldn’t resist picking Hannah up, swinging her high, and setting her on his shoulder. “How does the world look now?” He was surprised at his own actions, but he was enjoying his gals too much to resist.
Hannah shrieked in delight and patted the top of his head. “Go, horsey, go!”
“Now you’ve done it.” Lauren laughed as she watched them. “Once she likes something, there’s never an end to it.”
“Come on.” He set a rocking-horse gait as he headed for the exit. “Let’s go get the real deal in Sure-Shot.”
He set a ground-eating pace back to his pickup with Lauren by his side. Hannah remained perched on his shoulders, giggling and patting the top of his head. He’d never dreamed he could become so fond of a child so fast, but Hannah was stealing his heart. She was making him feel younger and happier like the days he’d thought long gone.
Soon he stopped by his pickup and eased Hannah to the ground. “Why don’t I drive us over to Sure-Shot? We could pick up lunch at the Bluebonnet Café.”
“I only now realized that I haven’t discussed any of this with Hedy,” Lauren said. “We’ve just decided what’s best for her without including her in the discussion.”
“You’re right.” He felt uneasiness sweep over him. “And we know better than to do something like that, particularly with an independent lady like Hedy.”
“I feel kind of bad about it now. I haven’t even been to see her today, and that’s why I came back to Wildcat Bluff.”
“We can put our trip to Sure-Shot on hold till you talk to her about your idea. I’m sure she’ll love it.”
“What about my pony?” Hannah clasped Kent’s hand and tugged on him.
He looked down at her and saw tears glistening in her eyes. He felt like the lowest form of snake. They’d gotten a little girl’s hope
s up only to dash them. He glanced back at Lauren. “What does Mommy say in situations like this?”
“I’m going to get my pony!” Hannah dropped his hand and ran around the house toward the road.
“We can’t let her out near traffic.” Kent took off after Hannah, who was running as fast as her short legs could take her.
“I don’t know what got into her,” Lauren called right behind him.
When he reached Hannah, he hurried in front of her, knelt down, and held out his arms. “I’ll make sure you get your pony.”
Hannah threw herself into his arms, clasped him around his neck, and sobbed against his shoulder.
He glanced up at Lauren in confusion. He had no idea how to handle the situation, but he patted Hannah on the back before he gave her a gentle hug until her tears slowly gave way to hiccups.
“Hannah, come here,” Lauren said gently as she knelt beside the two of them. “We need to talk.”
“Thanks, Cowboy Daddy.” Hannah patted his shoulder and then slowly walked over to her mother with her head down.
“Is that any way to act?” Lauren asked as she clasped Hannah’s small hands.
“No, Mommy. But I’m afraid I’ll never get my pony.”
“I understand, but you scared us by running off like that. Now what do you say?”
Hannah raised her head and looked from Lauren to Kent. “I’m sorry I worried you.”
“That’s okay.” Kent hated to see Hannah unhappy as much as he’d feared her running into the road. “We just want you to be safe.”
“I know.” She hung her head again. “Does this mean I don’t get my pony?”
“Nope.” Kent chuckled as he reached out and tickled Hannah under her chin. “This means we better go get your pony before he gets away.”
“Really?” Hannah looked up at him with eyes gone wide. “Truly?”
“Kent, I need to talk with Hedy first,” Lauren said.
“How about I take Hannah with me to Sure-Shot while you get Hedy and meet us there?”
“Are you sure?”
“If you’ll trust me with her, I’ll do my utmost.”
“She can be a handful.”
“If I can go with Cowboy Daddy in his big blue truck, I’ll be a good girl.” Hannah leaped up and down, spun around, and then quickly grew still and solemn. “I won’t run or make noise or anything.”
Kent didn’t know what had made him volunteer to take care of a four-year-old girl for a few hours. He didn’t know the first thing about it, but he couldn’t stand to see her disappointment. Anyway, could it be much harder than managing a frisky colt? Maybe he could put her on a lead so he wouldn’t worry about her running away again. No, that probably wouldn’t do.
“Okay, I guess,” Lauren said as she looked uneasily at him. “I’m not used to letting her out of my sight, but we’re in Wildcat Bluff now. And she’ll be with you.”
“Yay!” Hannah spun around several times, then abruptly stopped and stood still. “I’m good.”
Kent chuckled, shaking his head. “She’ll be safe. I’ll call Billye Jo. She’ll know if there’s a pony right for Hannah in Sure-Shot. And if I run into trouble on the parenting front, she’ll know what to do.”
Lauren nodded. “Yeah. You know horse people. They raise their kids like they raise their horses. And they get all the respect.”
“Sure do.”
When he felt a small hand clasp his own, he glanced down at Hannah’s upturned face.
“Can, I mean, may we go now, Cowboy Daddy?”
He felt his heart melt a little more at the look into her big, brown eyes. He hated to think about the hearts she was going to break when she turned sweet sixteen, just like her mother had done with all the local cowboys.
“Go ahead,” Lauren agreed, pulling her cell phone out of her front pocket. “But be careful and stay in touch.”
Hannah wheeled around and raced over to Kent’s truck where she hugged the front bumper.
Kent put a hand on Lauren’s shoulder. “You okay with this? If not, we can wait.”
“It’s okay. I need to talk with Hedy alone. Maybe by the time we get to Sure-Shot, you’ll have found the perfect pony.”
“I hope it’s that easy.”
“Cowboy Daddy, let’s go!”
“How quickly they grow up.” Lauren shook her head as she smiled at him. “Let’s move her booster seat from my SUV to your truck so she’ll be safe.”
“Good idea.” He quickly removed the booster seat, installed it in the passenger seat of his pickup, and check to make sure it was secure.
“That looks good,” Lauren said. “Hannah is tall for her age, so this size seat suits her fine.”
“Let’s go, Cowboy Daddy!”
“Now, you be a good girl.” Lauren lifted Hannah into the booster seat, strapped her into place, and shut the door. She turned to Kent with a smile.
He pressed a kiss to her soft lips. “Promise we’ll have time for each other later?”
She nodded with eyes as dark as melted chocolate. “Didn’t you promise me a tour of your home?”
He grinned, feeling heat spiral outward at the idea of being alone with her again. “I think you’ll like the changes, such as my king-size bed.”
“If you’re in it, I’m sure I’ll like it.”
“I can definitely be there.” He felt hotter at her suggestion, so he gave her another quick kiss before he walked over to her SUV and opened the door. “You best get in here and get gone before that house tour starts here and now.”
She chuckled as she gave him a sensual pout before she walked over and put a hand on his chest. “Hang on to that idea, cowboy.” And then she disappeared inside her vehicle.
He reluctantly shut the door and turned his mind to the safer subject of ponies.
Chapter 23
As Lauren drove down Wildcat Road, she felt as if a part of her had gone with Kent and Hannah. She wanted to be with them, finding a pony, grabbing a burger, and exploring Sure-Shot’s equine-centered shops. Yet she felt guilty for wanting to have fun when Hedy needed her.
She kept making assumptions about her aunt. She knew better than to create plans for other people without consulting them. She didn’t normally do it. Maybe being back in Wildcat Bluff and worried about Hedy was causing her to act too quickly. In any case, she needed to talk with her aunt before she made any more plans that involved her.
With that thought in mind, Lauren pulled off to the side of the road, picked up her phone from the center console, and hit speed dial for her aunt.
“Morning, Lauren,” Hedy said in a warm voice. “How’d you sleep last night in Wildcat Bluff?”
“Good. It’s great to be back.”
“Not any better than having you back.”
“Thanks.” Lauren cleared her throat. “If you don’t mind, I thought I’d stop by your house and chat a bit.”
“That’d be wonderful, except I’m not at home.”
“Maybe later?”
“I’m at the store. Why don’t you come over here? We can enjoy a cup of tea together like the old days.”
“Perfect.”
“You’ll bring Hannah, won’t you?”
Lauren thought fast, wondering how to explain that her daughter was with Kent. She supposed there was no help for it except the unvarnished truth. “She couldn’t wait to get a pony. Kent’s taken her to Sure-Shot.”
“Kent? Pony? Sure-Shot?” Hedy chuckled, a deep, rumbling sound of pleasure. “That cowboy sure works fast, doesn’t he?”
Lauren smiled, remembering once more how supportive Hedy had always been of them. “Hannah’s taken a real shine to him. I’m going to meet them later, but I wanted to spend time with you first.”
“Thanks. But don’t you think a pony for Hannah comes before me?”
“I’ll be here.”
“See you soon.” Lauren clicked off, set down her phone, and got back onto the road.
As she drove toward Wildcat Bluff, she felt nostalgic. She’d helped Hedy in Adelia’s Delights many an afternoon after school while Kent worked down the street in his family’s Chuckwagon Café. They’d been part of close-knit family and community. Now she hoped she could build that type of life for Hannah.
She arrived in Old Town and parked on Main Street just down from the Wildcat Bluff Hotel. Next door to the hotel she heard the sound of boot-scooting country music floating through old batwing-style wooden doors coming from the Lone Star Saloon. She felt a little burst of excitement. Now she was old enough to go inside the Lone Star and enjoy dancing to live bands on weekends. Maybe she could wrangle Kent into taking her there like she’d wanted him to in high school. That’d be fun later.
Next door to the Lone Star was Gene’s Boot Hospital with the big, neon boot in the front window. Gene’s dated back to the days when Texas cowboys drove their cattle herds north to Kansas. They’d needed tough boots, so Gene had hand-made them to order and repaired them as well. She could hardly wait to take Hannah in there to buy her fancy new cowgirl boots. Pink, of course.
Finally, she turned her gaze on Adelia’s Delights and felt warm memories bubble up. She’d spent many happy hours helping her aunt run her store. Once more, Rosie made a pretty picture of a contented cat in the Bluebird of Happiness display.
She watched a few people walk up and down the wooden boardwalk as they entered and exited businesses. Several vehicles were parked in front, but the area was fairly quiet since it was a weekday. She knew she was stalling since she wasn’t sure how her aunt would respond to her suggestion. But surely Hedy would be thrilled at the idea of getting back on a horse again.
Now or never. Lauren slipped her phone into her handbag, stepped out of her SUV, and locked the door behind her. She caught the scent of lavender piped out of Morning’s Glory, the store next to Adelia’s. Lauren smiled as she thought of the business owner, a flower child firmly stuck in the sixties and proud of it. As far as Lauren could tell, Morning Glory had hardly aged a day, so maybe there was something to be said for indulging in her handmade soaps, creams, lotions, incense, and positive affirmation cards decorated with watercolors and calligraphy.
