by Claire Adams
I looked over and saw that Tif was standing beside me, and I slid some drinks over to some people before I slung the bar towel over my shoulder.
“How did we do?”
“If the numbers check out and everyone sticks to their purchases, Cheyenne will have enough to not only replace and repair, but she’ll be able to expand.”
“You’re kidding,” I said.
“Not one bit. We did it. Cheyenne’s staying.”
I wasn’t too sure about that statement, but the fact that the community had rallied together like that was astounding. I had been secretly taking up donations all evening from those who weren’t interested in the silent auction products we had to offer, so there was an entire money bucket that hadn’t even been counted yet. Everything had been a massive success, but I still felt a small fluttering of nerves in the pit of my stomach the rest of the night.
I didn’t see the man that had been talking to Cheyenne around anywhere, but I could see her clutching her purse a little tighter than usual. The card he gave her must be in there, and I wondered if she knew how much it appeared to be weighing on her.
Everyone eventually trickled out around midnight while Tif continued to collect for the silent auction items and tally up other donations. I told the chef to have the staff start cleaning up and tearing things down so we’d be ready for business tomorrow. When Tif was done collecting the money, and everyone else was gone, I saw Michael slip his arm around my sister.
“So, how about that drink?” he asked.
“Now? Oh, no, no. I gotta help clean up around here and break down things and—”
“There’s a bar up the road that’s open until 3. It’s my only real competition around here when it comes to drinks. You two have fun,” I said.
“Colt, I gotta help out here,” Tif said.
“No, you don’t. Because he’s got me. Go on, Tif. Have some fun for once. Isn’t that what you’re always telling me to do?” Cheyenne asked.
She looked between the three of us before she finally relented and let Michael whisk her off. I was so happy my sister had finally seen the good in Michael, and I knew he would treat her with care and respect.
If anything because he’d seen what I could do when I wanted to fuck someone up.
“Colt, could I talk to you for a second?” Cheyenne asked.
“Sure,” I said. “What’s up?”
“There was a man that approached me tonight,” she said.
“The guy in the suit? I saw him briefly.”
“Ever heard of Second Chances?” she asked.
“Yeah. It’s a massive horse ranch a few counties north. Why?”
“He offered me a job running all their operations,” she said.
I was completely floored. Out of all the scenarios that had run through my head, that one never even came to the forefront of my mind. I searched Cheyenne’s face for any sign as to where the conversation was going, but all she did was study me and how I was reacting.
Which meant I had to keep a lid on how I was feeling so she wouldn’t feel obligated to make her decision based on me.
“He said it starts in February, and it would be a massive opportunity. He’d have places for all my horses, and I’d have a steady wage. Plus, I’d also have a 401(k) as well as medical benefits.”
“That’s a hell of a job; that is almost unheard of in what you do,” I said.
“I know.”
I could tell she was conflicted, and every single part of me wanted to beg her to stay. She’d worked so hard, and she still had no idea how successful the fundraiser had been, but I couldn’t make this decision for her. She had to make it herself, and she had to do it without anyone influencing her decision.
“It’s everything I’ve ever wanted, honestly,” she said. “I wouldn’t have to worry about paying for things or relying on grants and donations to keep things running. My blood pressure would finally be at a normal level, and I think I’d be really happy there.”
I was gripping the edge of the bar as hard as I could to keep from screaming. I was watching a woman I had come to care for and respect debate on whether to stay or leave, and my stomach was tying itself in knots. I wanted to scream at her to stay, to show her the final numbers and the donation bucket just to give her physical proof of the love she was surrounded by. Would she find that farther north? People who revered her so much they were willing to open their own pocketbooks to keep her going?
“You’d be a long way from Green Point,” I said.
“Yeah.”
“What would that mean for us?” I asked.
I watched her face fall, and that’s when I realized she hadn’t thought through all the implications. All the relationships she’d cultivated and all the people that had come to admire her would disappear. I’d be willing to travel to her when I could, but between the ranch and the restaurant, I’d be pretty busy.
“You’re right,” she said. “I’ll give him a call and tell him—”
“That you’ll think about it,” I said.
“What?”
“Just think about it for a while. Don’t make any hasty decisions. When I’m done shutting down the restaurant and counting the money, I’ll shoot you the final tally, but from what Tif told me earlier, the silent auction alone will help you repair, rebuild, and expand.”
“Are you serious?” she asked.
“Like I said, I’ll get you a final tally tonight. Just, think about it for a bit before deciding either way. It’s a wonderful opportunity that’ll probably never come around again. Whatever decision you make, make it because it’s really what you want.”
“Colt.”
I could see the shock rolling over her face. She expected me to fight her. She expected me to give my opinion and tell her to stay. She expected me to chase her like I’d done all these weeks, but this was different. This wasn’t just protecting her from someone who wanted to do her harm; this was her future.
In the end, I wanted what made her happy. I wanted her to succeed in whatever she chose to do, and by all standards, this job was definitely success in the eyes of an independent horse sanctuary owner.
“Like you said, it’s your dream job. That should at least warrant a few nights of thinking,” I said.
“Everything you’ve done for me,” she said, “how am I ever going to repay you?”
“You don’t have to. That’s the beauty of it,” I said. “I did what I did because I came to care about you. I don’t expect anything in return, and there’s no IOU to pay.”
“You protected me, Colt. That deserves something. The way we…”
When she fell silent, I knew exactly what she was talking about. She was talking about how close we’d grown physically. How empty it now felt to be alone, and how natural it felt when we were together. She was struggling to define something she was scared to, and for once I could understand where she was coming from.
“Go on a date with me,” I said.
“What?”
“With everything we're going through, we’ve never actually been on a proper date. Let me take you out. That’s how you can repay me,” I said.
“Alright,” she said, smiling. “When is this wonderful date going to be?”
“Christmas. I want it to be special, and I don’t want the date influencing the decision you’re going to make with this job.”
“Colt,” she said with a sigh.
“Christmas. That’s how you can repay me. A date on Christmas.”
“Then a date on Christmas it is,” she said. The smile that spread across her cheeks warmed my chest, and I knew I had to make it as special as I could. If she was going to stay, I wanted it to be the perfect start to something that had been brewing between us for a long time.
But if she was going to leave, I wanted her to leave with a positive memory at the forefront of her mind.
“Go home and get some rest. I’ll bring the final tally over and stick it under your door before I go home,” I said.
“Or you could just come in and slip into bed. Tonight’s supposed to be pretty chilly,” she said.
“I think I like the sound of that better.”
“Uh huh. I figured you would,” she said with a wink.
Cheyenne was unlike any woman I’d ever come across, and whatever decision she chose, I supported her fully. Maybe we could make it work with her being a few counties north, even if it was only a temporary thing.
But I would be lying if I said that labeling us as ‘temporary’ sat well with me.
“Feel you in a couple of hours,” Cheyenne said.
And all I could do was laugh at her statement while I watched her walk out of the restaurant.
Chapter 37
Cheyenne
I woke up Christmas morning to the smell of snow on the ground. I rushed to the window and peeled back the curtains, and when the bright morning sun reflected off the white snow on the ground, I squealed in delight. I had learned it was Green Point’s first white Christmas in over a decade, and I couldn’t wait to get out in it and play. The horses would have no issues staying in today, which meant they would be very low maintenance, and I was still reeling from the sheer amount of money the silent auction had generated a few weeks ago.
Plus, the date Colt and I were to go on was today, and I had been anxious about it for weeks.
I spent Christmas over at Smith Ranch while everyone opened presents, and the entire thing was picturesque. Snow was piled on the windows, and the Christmas tree was decorated from top to bottom. Smells of cinnamon and apple wafted in from the kitchen with Colt’s breakfast concoctions melting in our mouths, and Michael had even joined us after the festivities with his parents.
All day, I kept glancing over at Colt. He still had yet to tell me where this date was going to take place, and I was nervous because I knew the snow would shut down most of the town. Whenever he caught my eyes, he’d smile, but never once did he make a move to tell me what we were doing.
And then, just before I went to leave for my home, he slipped his hand in mine and walked me out to my truck.
“How about you just meet me at the restaurant in an hour,” he said.
“I suppose I could do that,” I said with a smile.
I went home and changed into a nice pair of slacks and a cream-colored turtleneck. I pulled on some snow boots so I could get to my truck and shoved a pair of black flats deep into my purse. I was excited to spend time with just Colt on this beautiful Christmas evening, but a part of me felt a little guilty. I had been bouncing back and forth on the job offer all this time, and as it stood, I was seriously considering taking it. There would be no stress, no worries, and no issues with funding—all of which were concerns if I stayed here in Green Point doing what I was doing now.
I’d been scraping by spending only what I needed so I could pay people back if I chose to take the job, but I couldn’t get past how I felt about Colt. There was an evening a couple of weeks ago where he had come by after the restaurant closed and slipped into the house, and for a split second, I thought he was Bill. I had reared up and thrown my fist at him, but when he caught it, he wrapped his arms around my body and softly talked me out of the nightmare I was having.
Being pulled close to his body by those warm, strong arms was something I would miss. His laughter and his smile were some things I would crave late at night, and every time I woke up alone in the morning I knew I would cry whenever he wasn’t there. My body had become accustomed to having him there. He was like a drug I never wanted to let go. But there was something else there that night when he held me and rocked me through my nightmare.
Something I hadn’t felt until that very moment. In the darkness of my room, while my body cowered into his for warmth and security, I realized something.
I realized I was in love.
I knew I could be more help with so many more horses with my talents at the other job, but I loved Colt. I knew it would set me up financially and take the weight of the world off my shoulders, but I loved Colt. I knew I would never want for anything and that the job would make me exponentially happy, but I loved Colt.
I pulled up to the restaurant only to see that it was closed, and I wondered if there was another restaurant Colt meant that I hadn’t caught when I’d been staring up into those comforting, beautiful eyes of his.
I slid off my snow boots and slipped on my flats, then started into the restaurant. The lights were off in the front, but the door was open, and when I opened it, what I saw was nothing short of breathtaking. Candles had been shoved into every corner of the restaurant, and food I’d never smelled before was trickling by my nose from the kitchen. Dozens and dozens of crimson red roses were tucked away on the empty tables, and as Colt stood up from the table he was seated at, I had to consciously talk myself through breathing.
The restaurant was absolutely breathtaking, but it didn’t hold a flickering flame to the man I’d come to see. My heart fluttered with every step I took towards him while the candles played sharp shadows on his rugged features. The suit he was wearing was tailored to every single ripple of his chiseled body, and I could feel my pelvis burning for him before I even got to the table.
“You look incredible, Cheyenne,” he said.
“My God, so do you,” I replied.
He embraced me tightly before he placed a light kiss on my head, then he pulled out my chair and ushered me into my seat. His chef walked out with a beautiful plate of pineapple ham, and suddenly plates, silverware, and glasses full of wine appeared in front of us.
“What in the world?” I asked. “Why is no one here?”
“The snow, and it’s Christmas.” he said.
“But I didn’t have any issues getting here.” He did have a point on the fact that it was Christmas day. Not many people would want to go out to eat.
“Doesn’t mean other people wanna come. Plus, I figured we could have the place to ourselves,” he said. “It was wonderful having you at the house for Christmas.”
“Thank you for inviting me,” I said.
“Do you feel like you still have no family but your horses?” he asked.
My mind raced with his question. I looked into the eyes of the man I’d come to love, and all the while I thought about Tiffany and Michael. I thought about how they’d all embraced me and protected me. How Tiffany had volunteered her services at my sanctuary and how Michael had used his other vocational skills and contacts to help nail Bill to the wall. I thought about how Colt had opened his home to me, and even how he took in my horses like his own when Rick had burned down the barn.
I had even made a few friends at the silent auction. There was Bobby Due, who owned the diner on the other side of town. There was Randy, who owned the only other bar in the area.. There was even Patty, who was the secretary at the only church the town had to offer. They had all embraced me that night, and made my problems their problems; made my hopes and dreams their hopes and dreams.
And I knew my answer the moment tears rose to my eyes.
“Not at all,” I said lightly. “I finally feel like I fit in somewhere.”
A smile crept across Colt’s face. He grabbed his fork and tapped lightly on his glass, and for a split second, I thought he’d gone crazy. There was no one else in this restaurant but us, and I wasn’t sure whose attention he was trying to get.
But after he was done tapping on his glass, Tiffany, Michael, Jacob, and everyone else poured from the orifices of the restaurant and stood around us.
“What the heck?”
“You are loved, Cheyenne. So much, and by so many. Everyone in this town adores you for who you are, respects you for what you do, and supports you in any and every decision you decide to make.”
Tears streamed down my face as I looked around the room. Their smiling faces were red with happiness and love. Their warmth radiated a depth to them I hadn’t stopped to consider. Michael was holding Tiffany close, and Jacob had his hands behind his back. Several of the other
townspeople I’d met at the silent auction had their hands clasped over their mouths, and even more were nodding their heads in agreement.
“Whatever you choose to do—whatever decision you make with the job—we will all support you. You owe this town nothing. Not a cent of what you got. Because what you’ve given this town is something no one can put a price on.”
“Oh, Colt,” I said breathlessly.
“You are safe, and you are loved. And by none other more than me,” he said. “And whatever you choose—and wherever you go—I will always be with you, standing in your corner and rooting you on.”
I knew, in that very moment, I was where I was supposed to be. After fighting with my parents and running from them. After fighting with Dexter and running from him. After fleeing to Green Point and fighting for my place in this town, I had finally found the home I’d longed for my entire life. These people, and their warmth, made me feel complete in a way I’d never felt before. Losing my parents so young left a gaping hole in the pit of my stomach that festered for years, but now?
Now, these beautiful people of Green Point that I’d come to love so deeply and so desperately had packed themselves tightly into that hole. They worked to close it up, to make me feel wanted, safe, and secure.
And the man I loved was right there in front, cheering me on with whatever I decided to do with my life.
I jumped up from the table and wrapped myself around Colt. His eyes were large and searching as I grabbed the collar of his shirt, but when I pulled him to his feet, he knew he had won. He had won my heart, my soul, and my presence, and I knew I would never leave this place.
So long as I lived, I would stay by his side.
I crashed my lips into his, and the entire restaurant erupted into shouts and applause. His arms wrapped around my back and pulled me deeply into his body, and my chest filled to the brim with love for him. Our tongues danced hotly together as plates of food began to clatter on the tables, and as everyone settled in for a Christmas feast fit for our massive, wonderful family, I simply pulled away and stared into his eyes.
