The Cowboy's Spring Romance

by Shanna Hatfield

“She’s very mannerly and minds well, which is more than I can say for a lot of the kids,” Lindsay said with a smile.

  “Was there something else?” Travis asked, wanting to speed along the conversation. He could hear Cass chattering through the closed pickup door and Lindsay looked like she was about to freeze without a coat on. He’d have to tell Trent how pretty she looked with her cheeks rosy from the cold and her hair blown by the chilly wind.

  “Yes,” Lindsay said, indignation rising as she thought, again, of his comment. “Would you please tell your brother that if he was the only male of the human species left on the planet I would rather see our race die out entirely than get close enough to, as he put it, strip him naked. Thank you, and good day, Mr. Thompson.”

  Lindsay lifted her chin and marched back inside the building. She made it all the way to her classroom before she collapsed on her chair, put her head on her desk and groaned. She couldn’t believe the message she just asked Travis to deliver to Trent. What was wrong with her? That awful, conceited man was completely ruining her perfectly ordered existence.

  How would she ever face Travis again? Why was she letting Trent get to her? How did he have the power to both irritate and excite her to such extremes? She was a former star athlete. She knew how to take control of her thoughts and her actions.

  Sitting up in her chair and straightening her spine, Lindsay decided she was through letting Trent Thompson mess with her head.

  Chapter Four

  Romance is mush, stifling those who strive.

  Billy Strayhorn

  “That can’t be what she said,” Trent stared at his brother like he was speaking in foreign tongues.

  “I’m just repeating the message, word for word, that Lindsay asked me to deliver. I really would like to hear your response, or maybe what inspired the comment in the first place,” Travis said, as he and Trent sat in the great room drinking mugs of hot chocolate while Cass took a nap.

  When Lindsay asked Travis to relay the message and went back in the school, he was sure someone passing by could have scooped his jaw off the pavement with a shovel. By the time he picked up lunch from Viv and helped Cass into the house, he couldn’t wait to see the look on Trent’s face when he shared the information.

  It nearly did him in to wait until Cass fell asleep and he and Trent had a few minutes of peace and quiet.

  Travis sat back, watching the vein in Trent’s neck throb as he grew more agitated.

  “Last male on the planet, my sweet patootie,” Trent muttered under his breath. He didn’t know what it was, but being around Lindsay made him say things he would never think to say under normal circumstances. Something about her made his brain malfunction. He tried to act casual when he made the statement to her about not stripping him down in front of the school, but inwardly he wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. He didn’t intend to make a flip comment like that, and yet it just flew right out of his mouth.

  Obviously, it didn’t go unnoticed.

  “So what was that whole strip-you-down comment in reference to?” Travis pressed, enjoying Trent’s suffering more than he probably should. If only Trey was home, they could really have some fun.

  “Never mind,” Trent said, staring out the big patio doors at their backyard.

  “Sorry, I’m unwillingly involved so now I must know all the details,” Travis said. “I have ways of making you talk, so you might as well just fess up.”

  Heaving a sigh, Trent offered his brother a dark look. “You know yesterday when things got a little crazy getting Cass to school on time?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I snapped my coat in a hurry on the way out the door and apparently didn’t get the snaps lined up. Lindsay asked to speak with me outside the classroom after I dropped off Cass to make sure I understand tardiness is not acceptable. For whatever reason, she felt compelled to unsnap my coat and close it properly. The problem was that I forgot to snap up my shirt in all the chaos and she got a glimpse of more than she bargained for.”

  Travis grinned, picturing the look on Lindsay’s face when she got an eyeful of Trent’s chest. That would certainly throw her off balance. “And?”

  “This morning I thanked her for not stripping me naked in front of the whole school. I guess my comment may have bothered her a little.”

  “Seriously, bro?” Travis laughed. “No wonder she looked mad enough to take on a small army and win. Why would you say something like that to her?”

  “I don’t know,” Trent said, running his hand through his hair, causing the waves to stand up on end. “I seem to lose control of my tongue when I’m around her.”

  Travis was laughing so hard, he could barely stay upright.

  Trent glowered at him. “It’s not that funny, so just shut up.”

  “Oh, but it is funny. Really, funny,” Travis said between chuckles. “You don’t get it, do you?”

  “Get what?” Trent asked, staring at his brother. Travis was one more belly laugh away from being punched in the gut. He might not be as solid as his younger brother, but he could still take him down.

  “You’ve got it bad for Miss Lindsay. I’m no expert on romance, but I’d say she is as equally dense about her feelings for you based on her reaction to your comments. For two smart people, you both are acting pretty dumb.”

  “You think so?” Trent asked, wondering if Lindsay really could be interested in him. If she was even remotely as tormented as he was by just being in the same room together, he might have some chance of getting her to go out on a date with him. He wouldn’t allow himself to think beyond that.

  “What, that you’re both acting dumb? Absolutely,” Travis joked. The blank look settling on Trent’s face caused him to give his brother a playful slug. “She likes you, man. I’m pretty sure of it.”

  “How do I make this better?” Trent asked. He was usually the one doling out dating advice. After all, he had a record of dating just about any eligible female in a thirty-mile radius who was between the ages of twenty and thirty-five. Even if he rarely took any of them on a second date, he knew all about first dates and making a good impression. Except when it came to Lindsay. He didn’t know how it happened, but he apparently had done something to get on her bad side.

  “Well, I’d say before you can advance in this war, you’re going to have to put together a strategy to win over the enemy.”

  “I get that,” Trent said, losing his patience. “What am I going to do, exactly?”

  “Calm down, number one,” Travis said, pulling a notepad and pen from the end table drawer. “Come up with a plan, number two. Implement plan, number three. Win girl, number four. After that, I’m leaving the details up to you.”

  Trent grinned and nodded his head. “What have you got in mind?”

  ><><

  Lindsay was still so worked up about Trent, by the time school let out for the day she was a nervous bundle of energy. Although she ran her full route of eight miles that morning, she felt the need to do something physical.

  Driving home, she replayed both the conversation with Trent and the one with Travis over and over in her head until she felt like her thoughts were swimming in a sea of turmoil.

  Running up her porch steps, she went to her room and changed into a pair of yoga pants and a T-shirt. Lacing up her sneakers, she pulled her hair back into a ponytail and grabbed a bottle of water and her cell phone.

  Going outside and around the house to a storage shed, she flicked on the light and turned on some fast-paced music. The shed was empty except for her gym equipment including a punching bag, a barbell set and a weight machine. Three times a week, Lindsay liked to use the weights to keep herself in top shape.

  Tonight, however, she felt like a kickboxing session with the punching bag. Pulling on a pair of gloves and tightening them, she soon took out her aggression on the bag, working up a sweat in the chilly room. By the time she was exhausted, she was feeling a little better about her day. Taking off the gloves, she was just getting r
eady to go back to the house when her phone rang.

  “Hey,” she answered, trying to add a cheery tone to her voice when she saw who was calling.

  “How’s my favorite sister?” her brother asked, using his standard line.

  “Fine,” Lindsay said. “And you always say that because I’m your only sister.”

  “True, but I still think you’d be my favorite, no matter what.”

  “What’s up, Lonnie?” Lindsay asked, shutting the shed door and running back to the house.

  “Not much. I just thought I’d check up on you. We haven’t talked for a while. What are you doing this evening?”

  “I just had a killer session with my punching bag. I’m pretty sure I showed it a thing or two,” Lindsay said, wiping her forehead on a towel and sitting down in a comfortable armchair. “Thanks again for helping me get all the equipment in there the last time you came to visit. I really appreciate it.”

  “No problem. We can’t have you pummeling the male population up there in the sticks when you don’t have access to your weight equipment. I know you like to beat out your frustrations, so it’s better to have you take it out on a bag hanging from the ceiling than some poor unsuspecting guy’s head.”

  “Lonnie, you know for a fact I’ve never beaten up anyone,” Lindsay said with a hint of indignation.

  “Right, sis. Come on, let’s tell the truth.”

  “Bobby Crenshaw deserved it, you know he did. Besides, that was the fifth grade. I’ve managed to carry myself with ladylike deportment since.”

  Lonnie snorted in the phone and coughed.

  “Are you okay,” Lindsay asked around a giggle.

  “I just snorted Sprite out my nose, but thanks for asking,” Lonnie said. “You and ladylike deportment aren’t two things I’d automatically put together.”

  “You wound me, brother dear,” Lindsay said, only partially teasing. She got tired of the stigma that came with being tall and athletic. Sometimes she just wanted to feel pretty and feminine. Why did that have to seem so impossible? If she were a foot shorter, no one would think a thing about it.

  “I’m sorry. You know you’re a beautiful, intelligent woman and some completely undeserving jerk will one day sweep you off your feet and that will be the end of the line for us.”

  A vision of Trent flashed through Lindsay’s head, but she quickly chased it away. “I don’t think you need to worry about that for a long, long time. What about you? I thought you were madly in love with what’s-her-name?”

  “Dara,” Lonnie said on a sigh. “Unfortunately she wasn’t as madly in love with me as she was with what she thought my position in the company might someday provide for her. She’s history.”

  “Sorry,” Lindsay said, with sincerity. Lonnie was working his way up in a brokerage firm in Portland and doing quite well for himself. A year older than Lindsay, she enjoyed seeing his hard work turn into success for him. “We can be blissfully miserable in our loneliness together. How would that be?”

  “Horrid. I’m not even sure what you said, but it sounds horrid,” Lonnie chuckled. “I’m not exactly alone.”

  “Oh? Do tell.”

  “I met a girl a few weeks ago, Maren. I think you’ll really like her. She’s smart, funny, unassuming and sweet.”

  “That definitely isn’t your typical opinion of your female friends. Isn’t there usually hot or a total babe somewhere in the description?” Lindsay teased.

  “I know, but Maren’s different.”

  “How different?” Lindsay asked, hearing the change in Lonnie’s voice.

  “She’s not the kind of girl you look at expecting to take out on a date or two, have a great time and then never see again. She’s the kind of girl you look at and think you wouldn’t mind waking up with that face on the pillow next to yours every day for the rest of your life. You know, the kind that makes you wonder if she’ll only be more lovely thirty years from now with wrinkles and gray hair.”

  “Wow, Lonnie, that sounds intense, wonderful and completely unlike you at all,” Lindsay said, suddenly jealous of the relationship her brother seemed to have found. “Are you going to send me a picture of this marvelous girl?”

  “Maybe, but only if you promise to send me a picture of whatever guy has got you out beating your weight equipment into submission.”

  “How do you know it…” Lindsay started to ask then stopped herself.

  “Ha! Got you! I knew it. There is a guy,” Lonnie said. “Spill, sister of mine.”

  “It isn’t what you think. He’s an infuriating, obnoxious, conceited, arrogant…”

  “So you really like him,” Lonnie teased. “What’s his name and where did you meet him?”

  “I’m not kidding Lonnie. I have no romantic interest in a man like Trent. He’s completely reprehensible, incorrigible, like a juvenile delinquent in a grown man’s body and he…”

  “Has gotten under your skin and in your head. So this Trent, does he have a last name?”

  “Thompson,” Lindsay said, shifting her irritation from Trent to her brother for his probing.

  “And what does Trent Thompson do?”

  “Ranch,” Lindsay said. “He and his two brothers own and run the Triple T Ranch. Lots of wheat, hay, and cattle.”

  “Thompson? Isn’t that the name of your friend that got married during the holidays?”

  “Cady? Yeah, she’s married to the oldest brother. Trent is the middle child and Travis is the baby. Trey and Cady’s adopted daughter Cass is in my class.”

  “I see,” Lonnie said. “You sent me photos of Cady’s wedding. Trent wouldn’t be the tall cowboy you got paired up with, would he?”

  “Yes,” Lindsay said on a sigh.

  “Okay.” Lonnie sounded like he was taking notes for a business proposal. “And you have a problem with successful, tall men who are good looking because…”

  “Look, Lonnie, I appreciate your concern and care, but just leave this alone. Trent isn’t for me. He makes me so mad I could… well, I could just…”

  “Kiss him senseless?”

  “No, you dork! I was thinking more along the lines of breaking his nose, although it would be a shame to damage one so nearly perfect. See what you’ve done! You’ve got me all tangled up, nearly as bad as he does,” Lindsay said, completely exasperated. She was ready to be through talking to, thinking about, and dealing with men for the day.

  Lonnie laughed. “I’ll let you off the hook for now, Linnie, but don’t think this is the end of this conversation. Love you.”

  “Love you, too. Thanks for checking up on me.”

  “Anytime. Bye.”

  Lindsay sank back into the chair and let her thoughts tumble. Was Lonnie right? Should she give Trent a chance?

  Chapter Five

  Some say that the age of chivalry is past,

  that the spirit of romance is dead.

  The age of chivalry is never past,

  so long as there is a wrong

  left unredressed on earth.

  Charles Kingsley

  Lindsay was prepared to call a truce with Trent the next morning when he brought Cass to school. The problem was that Trent didn’t come to her classroom. Cass arrived along with the other kids, chatting non-stop with her little friend Ashley, just as the bell rang.

  Disappointed, Lindsay started her day wondering when she would next see Trent. After a good night’s sleep, she regretted letting her temper and her mouth get away from her the previous day. Maybe she would need to make an effort at apologizing, as much as she hated to do it.

  While the children were quietly working on assignments, Lindsay checked her work email and noticed several new messages arrived that morning from parents. She quickly answered their questions, reviewed a message from the principal and cleaned out the spam mail folder. A new message arrived in her inbox and she was surprised to see it was from Trent.

  Opening it, she couldn’t help but smile.

  Dear Miss Pierce,

 
I do believe we’ve gotten off to a bad start and I will take one hundred percent of the blame for this tragedy.

  My behavior has been that of a less than gentlemanly manner and I must beg your forgiveness.

  Would you please allow me to begin your acquaintance anew? I think this time we could get off on the right foot instead of me tripping along with one wedged in my mouth.

  If you are willing to give me a second chance, please ask Cass to give you the red envelope in her backpack before she leaves today.

  With most sincere apologies,

  Trent Thompson

  Lindsay could hardly wait for the noon bell to ring so she could ask Cass for the envelope. Even if she had still been blistering mad at Trent, which she wasn’t, his apology seemed sincere and she was more than a little curious as to what he had sent along with Cass.

  Although the rest of the morning seemed to drag on, the bell finally rang and the students began hurrying to either leave or go to lunch. Lindsay called Cass up to her desk before she ran out the door.

  “Miss Lindsay? Am I in trouble?” Cass asked, her lip starting to pucker into a pout.

  “No, sweetie-pie,” Lindsay said, using Cady’s pet name for the little girl. “Your Uncle Trent said he sent me a note and it’s in your backpack in a red envelope. Can you find it for me?”

  “Sure,” Cass said, dropping her backpack on the floor and pilfering through it until she found a red envelope. Handing it to Lindsay, she stood waiting.

  “Thank you,” Lindsay said, opening the envelope. Since Cass could barely read, she supposed it was permissible to let her stand there. Lindsay pulled out a piece of fine stationery and was surprised to see it looked like a formal invitation, complete with a swirling font and embellishments.

  Miss Pierce,

  You are warmly invited to a day of outdoor pleasures with a ski trip to Mount Bachelor, dinner at the resort, and other surprises this Saturday.

  If you would like to attend, please give your response to the Redheaded Courier.