Her Cowboy Hero (The Colorado Cades)

by Tanya Michaels

  He seemed to enjoy building as much as he did working with the animals; it was difficult to tell given the distance and sound of tools, but she could have sworn he’d been whistling earlier. And he’d been like a big kid last night, brainstorming ideas with Evan. Her son wanted a trapdoor for the playhouse, which Colin had nixed. But he’d appeased the boy with the offer of a periscope.

  “You’ll be able to spy on everyone in the area. I helped my brother make one when he was little. I think I can make one for your headquarters.” After dinner, he’d amended the sketch to reflect some minor tweaks to the original design.

  It had been nearly a week since he’d moved in, and it wasn’t uncommon to see his sketch pad around the house. He’d shown her not only the blueprint for Super-Ev HQ but a great sketch of Viper that captured all of the gelding’s better qualities and made her forget what a pain in the ass the horse could be.

  “You’re talented,” she’d told Colin the other day.

  “Mom used to say I got it from her. When Justin was in high school, he begged me to draw a picture of this one girl he liked so he could claim credit for it and increase his chances of her going out with him. I refused, but he still ended up taking her to junior prom the following year. Lord knows what elaborate stunt he pulled to impress her.”

  From the stories Colin told, Justin sounded unrepentantly outrageous; it was difficult to picture him as the brother of someone so serious. “Does Elisabeth know she’s marrying a con man?” she’d asked. The more she heard about these people, the more she wanted to meet them.

  “Reformed con man. And don’t worry about Elisabeth. She knows how to handle my brother.”

  Undoubtedly, the woman Hannah should be worried about was herself. She was having far too many moments like these—replaying conversations with Colin in her head, letting her gaze stray to him. His smiles were coming more easily, and the anecdotes he shared with her about his family and his past no longer sounded as if he were prying them painfully from himself with a crowbar. But the more he opened up to her, the more appealing he was.

  Opening up to friends is what people do, she reminded herself.

  And getting too attached to a cowboy with one boot already out the door was what fools did.

  If Hannah thought she might actually be ready for another relationship, there were at least a dozen women in Bingham Pass who’d offered to set her up with cousins and grandsons and coworkers. It seemed statistically impossible that any of those potential dates had as much emotional baggage as a man who’d lost both of his parents, his wife and his child. That much despair was staggering.

  Her gaze went to Evan, who was blowing bubbles and laughing as Scarlett chased and snapped at them, and she closed her eyes in a brief prayer for his continued safety and health.

  Noticing her attention, Evan ran toward the garden fence. He’d picked radishes for her, but harvesting the peas was a bit more difficult. “Mommy, are you sure Mr. Colin doesn’t need my help? I’m a good helper.”

  “Yes, you are. But do you remember our talk about staying back while anyone’s on a ladder?”

  His face twisted into a scowl. “Okay.”

  “Tell you what, I’m almost—” She was interrupted by her cell phone, which was trilling her ringtone for Annette. “Hold on, honey. Hello?”

  “I may have a lead on a horse! For you, I mean. You need more for guests, right?”

  “Um...yes? But, practically speaking, I need guests before they can do any riding.”

  “I know. Maybe this is lousy timing, but you’re the person who’s always talking about positive thinking and seizing opportunities. Do you know Darcy Arrendale? She and her husband are divorcing, and she’s got an everything-must-go mentality. They have to split the money from selling Ringo, and she said she’d rather sell him cheap to a good home than get top dollar and turn the money over to her husband, who, I quote, ‘would just spend it on his trampy mistress.’ She’s doing this pretty quietly, but I told her you might be interested in coming by to see the horse. Did I overstep?”

  “No. It never hurts to look, and I appreciate your thinking of me.”

  “Oh, good, because she’s hoping you can come by this afternoon if you’re interested. Apparently, some of her girlfriends are taking her away for the weekend. I’ve got her number, and if you decide to go over there today, you can leave Evan with me.”

  After they hung up, Hannah went into the house so that she could take notes while talking to Darcy rather than conduct the conversation from the middle of her garden. She took Evan in with her and settled him at the table with a frozen strawberry bar.

  Richard Arrendale was the most successful real estate agent in Bingham Pass. She didn’t know him well enough to know if he went by Dick or if that was just the moniker his soon-to-be ex-wife favored. Darcy used it about twelve times in their short conversation. As they were getting off the phone, she said with a sigh, “I just hate the way these men think they can do whatever they want—not just Dick but the whole ‘good old boy’ lot of them. He plays poker with Gideon Loomis and the bank manager. Between you and me, I think the Loomises hurt your chances of getting a loan. They’ve made it clear they plan to make an offer as soon as you ‘come to your senses.’”

  Cold fury knotted in her stomach. “Well, they’d better get used to disappointment, because I’m not going anywhere.” Except to Darcy’s to meet Ringo.

  Hannah sent Evan to wash his sticky hands and to change into cleaner clothes for visiting Aunt Annette. Then she hurried out to discuss the situation with Colin.

  When he saw her, he climbed down from the ladder. He lifted the hem of his T-shirt to wipe sweat from his cheek, and the glimpse of hard abs almost made her forget what she’d come out to tell him.

  “What’s up?”

  “Annette called me with what might be a serendipitous opportunity—she knows someone wanting to sell a horse cheap. But the words ‘too good to be true’ also come to mind. How much would I be throwing off your schedule if I asked you to go look at the horse with me? I’d appreciate a more experienced eye before I make any decisions I might regret later.”

  “Well, I have to check with the boss lady,” he drawled. “She’s a real slave driver. I should probably clean up first.”

  “We have time. Darcy’s not expecting us for an hour and a half. Annette ran into her in town, and Darcy’s not finished with her errands. Plus, I didn’t know how long it would take you to reach a good stopping point, and we need to drop off Evan.”

  “Sounds like a plan, but word of advice? Any time you go to see a horse for the first time, it’s not a bad idea to arrive earlier than expected. Unscrupulous people have been known to drug troublesome horses prior to the appointment to make them appear more docile.”

  “That’s awful! Why do people suck? Obviously, not all people,” she clarified. But definitely Gideon Loomis and his parents. “Life is tough enough without us sabotaging each other.”

  He hit the brim of his hat, tipping it back on his head so he could get a better look at her. “You okay?”

  “Yeah.” She got a little moody around this time of year—and a lot moody when people tried to screw her over—but none of that was Colin’s fault. “I need to get back in the house, make sure Evan hasn’t tried to repaint the walls or help himself to any unauthorized cookies.” It had occurred to her earlier that maybe she should bake a cake for this weekend—Evan would certainly enjoy decorating it with her—but she hadn’t been able to work up much enthusiasm for making her own birthday cake.

  Colin joined them in the house a few minutes later, while Hannah was trying to give her son an explanation for why people had to wear shoes from the same pair and shouldn’t just mix and match at will. Evan had decided he wanted to wear one red rain boot and one sneaker. She suspected this was because he couldn’t find the other sneaker and sugg
ested they look harder.

  “The ladder and power tools are all secure in the garage, and I’m headed up to grab a quick shower,” Colin told her.

  She nodded. “I’m going to hunt through Evan’s room for a missing shoe. If I’m not back in half an hour, send a search party.” Her son’s room was overdue for some spring-cleaning. She’d become so focused on renovating guest areas that she occasionally overlooked the private living spaces.

  It took her only a few minutes to locate the sneaker, but while she was waiting for Colin, she took the opportunity to direct her son in some rudimentary tidying. Evan put toy cars into a plastic bin while she shelved all the picture books she found on the floor. She was considering dusting his dresser and the shelves lining his walls when Colin appeared in the doorway, his face puckered into a worried frown.

  “What is it?” she asked nervously. No good news in the history of the world had ever been delivered with that expression.

  “Maybe nothing, but you’d better call a plumber to double-check. I noticed something on the way downstairs. You have a flashlight?”

  Stomach sinking, she grabbed one and followed Colin to the stairs. Even with the staircase light on, the windowless space was dim. Using the beam of the flashlight, he showed her some dark spots along the wall.

  “It’s possible you have some water leakage back there, maybe a broken pipe fitting or something. If so, it’s important to find out where and fix the problem before it gets any worse. Water damage...”

  She didn’t even want to imagine the possibility of flooding or how costly that would be to repair. “I don’t suppose there’s a way to find or fix the problem without putting holes in my wall?”

  His answer was an apologetic wince.

  “Dammit!”

  “Mommy?” Evan’s voice at the bottom of the steps was scandalized. “We’re not supposed to say that word.”

  She resisted the urge to bang her skull against the wall—why weaken its structural integrity further? “You’re right, honey. Mommy forgot. Thank you for the reminder.”

  Colin’s hand was warm and reassuring on the nape of her neck. “If it helps, you can swear all you want after we drop him off. I promise not to tell on you.”

  “Thanks.” She bit her lip. “I should call Darcy back and cancel our appointment. If I’m about to spend thousands on plumbing repairs, I have no business buying a horse, even one that’s unbelievably discounted.”

  “Don’t panic,” Colin advised. “At least, not until we know more about the plumbing. And even if you don’t buy the horse, the act of inspecting him and thinking about the questions you want to ask is good practice. Come on,” he cajoled when she remained tense and silent. “What happened to looking at the bright side?”

  “You mean looking at the world through rose-colored glasses?” she asked drily.

  He sucked in a breath. “Forget I said that,” he ordered. “I was an ass. Just because I have trouble maintaining a positive attitude doesn’t mean you should lose yours. Promise?”

  He sounded so sincerely distraught by the possibility that she nodded. “I promise.”

  “Good. Then let’s go see a woman about a horse.”

  * * *

  AFTER THEY WERE finished at Darcy Arrendale’s, Hannah called Annette to let her know they were on the way to pick up Evan.

  “You sure?” Annette said. “He just ate dinner with us, and he’s welcome to stay the night. You know I keep a spare toothbrush for him, and he had Trainket when you dropped him off, so we’ve got the basics covered.”

  Letting Evan spend the night with the Reeds would leave Hannah alone in the house with Colin on a night when she was feeling particularly vulnerable. Oh, hell no. “Absolutely not. You and Todd have a two-hour drive in the morning. You don’t need my child waking you up at three a.m. for a glass of water.”

  Tomorrow, the Reeds had a consultation appointment at one of the best fertility clinics in the region.

  “Any luck with the horse?” Annette asked.

  “Not sure,” Hannah said. “Colin suggests I always ask for a short trial period and that anyone who really cares about the horse should agree to that, but Darcy wants to get this over and done with before Richard catches wind of it. She assured me she has the legal right to sell the horse without him approving the sale, but it feels shady. I learned a lot, though.” Colin had given her lots of tips that she might not have considered.

  He’d said that any time a potential buyer arrived to find the horse already saddled, it was a red flag. A seller might be trying to hide that the horse was difficult to handle. Colin said she should always watch a horse be groomed and saddled. And while she obviously wouldn’t buy one she hadn’t ridden, he’d stipulated that she shouldn’t ride a horse without the owner doing so first.

  “Besides,” she added, “none of the plumbers I called can come out until Monday. If I get good news, I can call Darcy next week and see if the horse is still for sale.” Ringo was sweet. At ten years old, he might not have as many prime years in him as a younger horse, but he had experience. Colin said that horses with some mileage—assuming they’d been appropriately trained and well cared for—were much better with beginning riders. Most of her guests would probably not be equestrian experts.

  When they got to the Reed farm, Annette told her there were leftover enchiladas. “Help us finish off this food so I don’t have leftovers in the refrigerator. Todd and I were planning to stay out of town tomorrow night, anyway, instead of making the return trip, and now he’s talking about staying through the weekend, making a minivacation out of it.”

  Hannah thought that was smart. The stress over not getting pregnant was taking a toll on the couple. A few days away would do them a world of good.

  Evan met them at the door, a wireless video game controller clutched in his hand. “Uncle Todd was going to teach me a racing game. I’m gonna ask Santa to bring me one for Christmas!”

  Bringing video games would first require Santa to bring a video game console. Which may not be in Santa’s budget. “Um...December’s a long way away,” she said noncommittally.

  Next to her, Colin’s blue eyes had brightened with interest. “Which racing game?” He followed Evan, and within moments, all three males in the den were excitedly discussing video games.

  “Boys will be boys,” Annette said with a laugh. “No matter their ages, huh?”

  Both women were amused when it was Colin—not Evan—who asked if they had time for one quick football game, promising to set short quarters. Todd had put away the racing disc and was showing Colin some of his other favorites. Hannah sat in a recliner with her plate, while Annette cheered on her husband and Evan rooted for Colin. Todd didn’t score once. Colin decimated him.

  He hoisted Evan on his shoulders for an impromptu victory dance. “This is the part where they pour Gatorade on us,” he told the boy.

  “On cream-colored carpeting?” Annette asked in mock horror. “I don’t think so.”

  Colin was still grinning as he and Hannah herded Evan to the car.

  “I wouldn’t have guessed you were so good at video games,” she said, holding out her hand for the keys. Now that she wasn’t making a bunch of phone calls, she didn’t mind driving.

  “Are you kidding? Justin and I used to play for hours.” He tilted his head at her. “Why would you assume I was bad at them?”

  “Oh, it wasn’t that I thought you’d be bad at them. They just weren’t part of the picture I’d painted of you in my head.” Were her cheeks getting red? “Not that I spend a lot of time thinking about this. But you don’t have a computer and you carry charcoal pencils and a sketch pad in your motorcycle bag. I guess I had this vision of you as kind of a...bohemian cowboy.”

  He snorted, but tried to school his features into a serious expression. “Yes, a bohemian cowboy wi
th many deep and mysterious layers. And a competitive streak a mile wide.”

  From the backseat, Evan asked, “What’s com-petive?”

  “Competitive,” Hannah corrected. “It means when someone likes to win.”

  After a moment’s thought, Evan proclaimed, “Everyone likes to win.”

  “Yes, but some people can get overzealous about it,” she said.

  “I don’t know that word, either.”

  “It means they want it really bad,” Colin said. “Some people get bad attitudes. You know that word?”

  “Ohhh, yes. Mommy tells me all about attitudes.”

  Hannah stifled a laugh.

  “I try not to get a bad attitude about winning,” Colin told the boy, “and just try very, very hard to make it happen. Like your mom, putting so much effort into the ranch. She’s a real winner.”

  “I want to be like her when I grow up,” Evan said.

  “Yeah.” Colin smiled in Hannah’s direction. “So do I.”

  * * *

  EVEN BEFORE HABITUAL nightmares had made him restless, Colin had been a light sleeper. When he was younger, a sense of responsibility for Justin and Arden—a fear of losing any more family—had jarred him from sleep whenever he heard a noise. It had eased somewhat after he married, when he’d been content with life and had Natalie pressed against his side, but after Danny was born, Colin had quickly resumed old habits.

  He woke early Friday morning, before the sun had fully risen, to the sound of voices downstairs. Then he heard the front door open and close. He’d slept in a pair of boxer briefs and a T-shirt. Now he pulled on a pair of faded jeans, washed so many times they’d lost their denim texture and were threadbare at the knees.

  When he got downstairs, he found Hannah sitting on the sofa, her knees tucked up beneath her. There were no lights on in the living room, but she appeared to be staring at something on the coffee table. He squinted in the gloom. Was that a muffin?

  “Morning,” he said, trying to gauge her mood.