Christmas Cowboy

by Claire Adams

  Tiffany looked up at me imploringly. “Listen to what Colt is saying. You aren’t going to help your case if you are running around accusing Bill of the fire. It’s just going to make him more furious.”

  Even though I didn’t want to admit it, they both had a good point. I had done enough to get underneath the man’s skin, and if he was capable of setting a barn on fire, then he was capable of other things. I could see the concern in Colt’s eyes as he looked down at me.

  “I’ll be fine,” I said. “You’re right. I need to back off.”

  “Just for now,” Colt said, sighing. “I’m in your corner, Cheyenne. I hate the man, but I know that his own head is starting to wage wars on him. He’s been showing up to the Iron Stallion every single night drunk.”

  “Saying what?” I asked.

  Colt made it a point to avoid my question by searching his pocket for his truck keys. “Just his usual bullshit. I have to get going to the restaurant. The two of you take it easy. Especially you, Tif.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Tiffany said. She waved a hand airily. “It’s not like I can really move around here, Colt. Stop fretting over me.”

  “And you try to relax a bit,” Colt said, fixing me with a long look. “Try not to let your head get all riled up while I’m gone. I don’t know if I can run after you into another fire.”

  I sat down on the couch next to Tiffany. Neither one of us said a word until we heard Colt’s truck drive down the road before Tiffany turned to look at me with a frown.

  “Is there something going on between the two of you that I need to know about?”

  “No,” I said, avoiding her gaze by adjusting the blanket about her legs. “Nothing is going on between us. Why do you ask?”

  “Because Colt is looking at you in a weird way.”

  “He is not. That’s how he looks at me all the time.”

  “Nope.” Tiffany shook her head. “He doesn’t look at anyone the way he looks at you. That makes me believe that neither one of you are being honest with me or with yourselves.”

  “Don’t push it, Tif. I can break bones easily.”

  “Fine. I won’t push it.” Tiffany gave me a long and hard glance. “Do you understand what Colt and I are trying to say to you about the fire? There’s no doubt in our heads that he had something to do with it, but running around the way you have been is going to put you right back in his line of revenge. We won’t be able to protect you when you go back to your own ranch.”

  “I know. I understand what you’re saying.” I wrapped my arms around Tiffany’s strong shoulders. “Thank you for being such a good friend. The both of you. I really appreciate it.”

  “Of course. You’re a good person, Cheyenne. We really like having you around. I think Colt likes it more than me, though.”

  I rolled my eyes at the sly comment. Rising from the couch, I double checked that Tiffany had everything she needed before venturing outside to get the horses fresh water and some oats. Two weeks was how long it’d take to get the barn rebuilt and painted from what the insurance adjuster told me. They had a construction crew they called upon in cases like barn fires.

  And while I felt happy about going back to my own personal space, I felt a tinge of fear building in me. I didn’t know who to trust besides for a handful of people. After Tiffany and Colt’s valid points, I knew that I needed to keep an eye peeled over my shoulder at all times once I stepped off the Smith property. They provided shelter and protection. Even the horses loved it here, but I had accepted the insurance check to rebuild the barn. I had no other choice besides going back to my place.

  It’d be a good thing too, Cheyenne, to get away from Colt.

  Everyone was picking up something between us. My own family was. Tiffany sensed it too. I imagined the rest of Green Point had the same assumptions too. Distance. That was what I needed.

  I finished the rest of my morning chores before hanging up a few brushes in the barn in the tack room. After checking that there was plenty of hay and water in the stalls, I started in the direction of the barn door when something brushed against my shoulder. I brushed off the pieces of wood from my shoulder with a frown.

  “What in the—”

  A loud crash filled the barn. The air was ripped out of my lungs when a pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around me followed by a heavy weight throwing me to the ground. Stunned by the sudden weight, I felt a pair of hands run down the back of my head to check for any bumps.

  “You okay, Cheyenne?” Rick asked worriedly.

  He helped me sit up from his crouched position next to me. I numbly took in the large wooden beam on the ground where I had been standing. Blood pounding in my temples, I looked back over at Rick as he gazed the wooden beam with a frown.

  “I’m fine,” I said, voice distant with shock. “What happened?”

  “The beam is rotted out,” Rick explained as he got to his feet. He kicked a dark and wet part of the beam. “I meant to have that replaced after the last rainstorm. Colt asked me to do it, and I completely forgot until now.”

  “Thank goodness you were here,” I breathed out and got to my feet as well. “I would’ve been smashed beneath of it.”

  “Don’t tell Colt,” Rick said, and his face contorted into a grimace. “If he knew that it almost killed you, I would either lose my job here, or I’d never hear the end of it.”

  I ran a hand through my hair to control my frazzled nerves. “Don’t worry. Accidents happen, so I won’t tell him.”

  Rick nodded before I turned to exit the barn, heart pounding the entire time. Accidents happened all the time. I knew that just as well as anyone else did, but this didn’t feel like an accident either. Nothing felt like a genuine accident anymore.

  Chapter 14

  Colt

  “Do all the wooden beams need to be replaced?”

  I pinched the bridge of my nose to fight off the headache that wanted to turn into a migraine. The beam had been pushed off behind they hay bales, and from what I gathered, Rick had tried to hide it because he knew that I would be furious. I had asked him months ago to replace the beams when I noticed the wood rotting out.

  “All of them,” Rick said, tucking his leather gloves into the back pocket of his jeans. “I climbed up there. A hole in the roof is letting all the rainwater come in. We better replace the roof too before the winter months.”

  “That’s fine. Just have someone out here to take a look at it.” I glanced at my phone with a sigh, not really in the mood to head out to the Iron Stallion tonight. “Make sure to get the estimate over to Tiffany so she can do the books.”

  Rick nodded. “Yes, boss. I will do that.”

  “I have to get to the Iron Stallion,” I said. “Keep an eye out on Cheyenne for me too.”

  “How much longer do you think she’ll be staying here?”

  “Maybe a few more weeks at the most. They are going to rebuild soon according to the insurance company.” I patted him on the shoulder. “Get the beams replaced, Rick. I don’t want to repeat myself a third time.”

  “No need to repeat,” Rick said. “I’ll make sure to get this done in the next two days.”

  I walked out of the barn with my blood boiling. There were times that I wondered if with all the work around the ranch that Rick couldn’t handle it any longer. It was a lot even for me to keep up with. Without Tiffany balancing the books and her lists, things would be falling apart everywhere.

  Tiffany was sitting near the living room window when I came in through the front door, pulling my hat off in the process. She looked up from the iPad she was reading on.

  “Where you off to?” she asked.

  “The restaurant,” I said and glanced in the kitchen for any sight of Cheyenne. “Where’s Cheyenne at?”

  “I believe she went into town to grab a few personal things. That’s what she told me on her way out twenty minutes ago.”

  “Right.” I kept the disappointment off my face as I grabbed my wallet and car keys from the
coffee table. “Behave yourself. I have to go in to make sure everything is running smoothly at the Iron Stallion.”

  Tiffany scowled at her leg that was propped up. “Yeah, I’ll get into a lot of trouble with my bone completely broken. At least there is a pin in there now.”

  “You know what I mean,” I said, chuckling. “Keep an eye on Cheyenne for me. I told Rick to keep his eyes peeled out for any funny things.”

  “Do you think that Cheyenne is in trouble?” Tiffany asked, a concerned frown tugging at her lips. “Because things seem to be happening all the time right around her. Like accidents.”

  “Accidents?” I repeated, concern shooting through me now too. “What sort of accidents are you talking about?”

  “Just weird things, you know? The barn catching on fire. The wooden beam a few days ago—”

  “The wooden beams? What happened with her and the wooden beams? I asked Rick to replace all of them when I found the rotted beam alongside the hay bales this morning.”

  “That’s because it nearly fell on Cheyenne,” Tiffany said. “Rick was upset because he forgot, and he didn’t want to tell you because he was afraid that you’d get pissed off. Like you are right now.”

  A red haze fell over me. What the hell was wrong with Rick? If that beam would have fallen on Cheyenne… I shoved that unpleasant thought away. I needed to have a long and serious talk with Rick over him remembering what needed to be done around the barn before someone got killed or seriously injured. Or a new ranch-hand was needed.

  “I don’t understand what is happening,” I said, running a hand through my hair in aggravation. “Nothing seems to be going right anymore. That beam could’ve killed Cheyenne if it fell on her.”

  “It didn’t though,” Tiffany pointed out, giving me a look. “Don’t go crazy like you always do. Accidents happen. You and I both know from years of working on the ranch.”

  “I know, but nothing like that. We keep this ranch in tip-top shape. We have to in order to meet the federal requirements.”

  “Maybe it’s just getting out from underneath of us. That happens sometimes too. The ranch is older than us.”

  “Maybe,” I said slowly. I couldn’t shake off that bad feeling though. Something wasn’t right, and I couldn’t put my finger on it. I glanced at the clock above the fireplace before rising to my feet. “I’ll be back later. Just be prepared to have Rick come in here with an estimate for the roof.”

  The drive to the Iron Stallion was long and quiet when I turned the radio off to think. I didn’t know what to think about the situation with Cheyenne or the accidents that seemed to happen around her. Accidents never happened at the ranch either, but they were popping up suddenly.

  None of it made sense.

  And neither did any of my feelings for Cheyenne.

  I wiped at the sweat that gathered along my forehead where my hat rested. It was cold enough to want to wear a long-sleeve shirt, but still warm enough to make you sweat. Or was that a reaction I had more for Cheyenne?

  My mood temporarily lifted when I spotted Cheyenne’s truck parked outside of the Iron Stallion. She hopped out of the driver’s seat when I pulled up next to her. A smile spread across my face at the sight of her long locks of hair fluttering in the cold breeze behind her. She was wearing a simple pair of leggings tucked in boots along with a simple gray sweater, but she never looked more beautiful in my opinion.

  “I didn’t think you were coming in tonight,” Cheyenne said. “Your employees weren’t sure if you were going to go come in.”

  I locked my truck up with a click of a button. “I wasn’t sure myself. I had some things to take care of at the ranch that weren’t be taken care of.”

  Cheyenne’s eyebrows furrowed into a concerned frown. “Anything with my horses or—”

  “It was about the wooden beams,” I said and watched the color in her face drain. “I found one of the beams out behind the hay bale. Tiffany told me that it nearly fell on you after I told my ranch hand to replace them when they were damaged in the storm.”

  “Don’t be upset with Rick. I agreed to keep it quiet. It was an accident.”

  That red haze filled my line of sight again. I couldn’t look past it no matter how hard I tried to.

  “You shouldn’t have agreed to that. You could’ve been killed, Cheyenne!”

  Cheyenne reared back in surprise. The anger in my voice surprised me too. Rubbing at the back of my neck, I sucked in a deep breath to calm the storm rising inside of me.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to get like that. I’m just a bit concerned is all that something is going on.”

  “With me?”

  “Yes, with you. The wooden beam. The fire. Damn, Cheyenne.” I shook my head at her. “You have the worst luck. I don’t think I have ever met someone who has the type of luck that you have.”

  Cheyenne chewed on her bottom lip as she ran a hand through the dark strands of her hair nervously. “Things just keep happening is all. I’ll be fine, though. You won’t have to worry about me in a few weeks.”

  “That’s the thing though,” I said, taking a step towards her. “I will worry about you when you leave. That’s not going to change. I do care about you.”

  “I care about you too,” she replied cautiously. “We agreed to let things remain friendly between us, Colt. You don’t have to worry about me. You need to keep an eye on Tiffany.”

  “I am keeping an eye on her. I’d like to keep an eye on you too.”

  “That isn’t necessary, Colt. I can take care of myself.”

  A determined glint filled her eyes. I clenched my teeth to control the urge to kiss her senseless until the both of us gave in without a fight. Before I could say anything else, a voice slurred out, “Can’t say that I’m surprised by this sight.”

  Bill Coates stumbled from the front entrance of the Iron Stallion. His hair was greasy and matted like before, while his eyes were bloodshot and puffy. I took in the dark circles surrounding Bill’s eyes with disgust.

  “What are you doing in my business?” I demanded.

  Cheyenne tensed up next to me as she moved towards the passenger side of her truck. She didn’t spare Bill Coates a glance while she opened the door to hop in.

  “Oh, don’t run away from your sweetheart, honey,” Bill called out as the door slammed shut.

  The truck engine fired up a second later before Cheyenne backed out of her parking spot to drive away. I listened to the truck tires as they spun on the gravel before turning to address Bill. The older man swayed unsteadily on his feet and used the light pole to keep himself steady.

  “It’s funny how she can’t handle confrontations with me anymore,” Bill said. “She wasn’t afraid of me the days up to the fire.”

  “That’s because we all know you did it,” I snapped, brushing by Bill to head to front doors of the Iron Stallion. “You’re wrong, by the way. The insurance check has doesn’t cover all the damage to the fire. Your theory is wrong.”

  “Maybe it’s divine retribution for a thief. That’s what she is—a damned thief!”

  I stopped short of opening the door to look over at Bill while he struggled to stay upright with the light pole. “How is she a thief?” I asked in disbelief. “You abused your stallion, Bill. You abandoned the horse at Jacob’s because you didn’t want to pay the bill. You lost your horse by all definitions.”

  “Eh.” Bill shrugged his shoulders at that. “There are worse than things that God can do to a man than kill his horse. There are worse things to lose than a horse.”

  “I’m pretty sure that God looks down upon arson or hurting one of his creations if you want to get technical.”

  “Since when are you a religious man?”

  “Since you brought the subject up,” I said. “What else did you want to say to me? I have somewhere to be.”

  “That your bartender waters down your drinks in there,” Bill spat out and turned to wobble down the sidewalk. “What sort of business wat
ers down their drinks?”

  “You better keep your nose clean, Bill,” I called out to him, opening the front doors. “Don’t want to bring any more unwanted attention to yourself.”

  “Robert has cleared my name.” He stopped to turn around. Sweat gathered on his upper lip. “In case you haven’t heard, the case is closed. My name was cleared because I had nothing to do with it, so I’d appreciate it if your girlfriend would stop accusing me.”

  I didn’t even bother correcting the last part as Bill turned the corner. I had no idea where he was going, but I stepped inside the Iron Stallion to scan the crowded bar and dining room area. That same sense of dread filled me again. No matter what Cheyenne said or did, she had marked herself as an enemy of Bill.

  My parents had marked themselves as enemy of Bill long ago. My horse had paid the price for it, and there was no doubt in my heart that Cheyenne’s price had been the barn. The only problem was that everyone knew why, but not how. That was the biggest problem.

  Chapter 15

  Cheyenne

  It felt strange coming back to my place after spending the past few weeks at the Smith ranch. It was quiet. Eerily quiet without the usual sounds of horses in the distance, or even the chatter of nature in the evergreen pines beyond the property line. A chill went up my spine while I walked up the dirt pathway to the front porch. I didn’t care what anyone else said about Bill Coates. He had something to do with the charred remains of my barn on the ground. He was the reason why my safe place no longer felt safe.

  The cold autumn air nipped at the back of my neck when I opened the front door, pushing aside the pile of mail that the mailman had shoved through the slot.

  Rifling through the envelopes, I separated the junk mail from the important pieces of mail that included bills and anything that dealt with the sanctuary. A few adoptions requests had come through the mail—a small flicker of hope in the darkness. Other than that, bills were late and unpaid. The electricity company had sent a disconnect notice last week, which explained why the lights didn’t click on when I reached for them and why there was no hum of the kitchen fridge.