Her Cowboy Hero (The Colorado Cades)

by Tanya Michaels

  “Mom used to insist I got her voice, like I got her talent for drawing, but we all knew she was kidding.” He chuckled fondly. “That woman couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket. When she belted out Christmas carols, the neighborhood dogs buried their heads in the snow.”

  Hannah laughed at that, wondering absently what stories Evan would someday tell about her. Hopefully, he’d be able to say that she’d taught him about perseverance and the value of positive thinking. She wanted Evan to believe in himself and have the courage to follow his dreams.

  Since pretty much the entire town turned out for the May Day festival, parking was an ordeal. After dropping off the cakes at the designated delivery area, they circled back block by block until they found a lot with open space. Hannah half expected her son to complain about the long walk, but he was too spellbound by the sight of the giant inflatables and large rides temporarily dotting the familiar landscape. By far the biggest attraction was a looming Ferris wheel at the center of the festival.

  Evan craned his head all the way back, looking up with wide eyes. “I am not going on that.”

  Hannah squeezed his shoulders in a sideways hug. “You wouldn’t like it anyway—it doesn’t go fast enough for you.” She knew from their trip to Heritage Square that he was a speed demon. He loved amusement parks. The only obstacle to his joy was frustration that he wasn’t tall enough to ride every attraction.

  They stopped at a booth to purchase a thick roll of tickets for the rides and games.

  “What first?” Colin asked.

  As expected, Evan asked for rides, jumping up and down enthusiastically to make his point. But they had to cross a midway en route to the closest ride, and he got distracted by the noises and sights, sucked in by the barkers’ calls to win prizes.

  Colin gravitated toward a booth where players threw darts in an attempt to pop colorful balloons spread across a corkboard wall. “My kind of game,” he said, grinning. “You’re looking at a two-time Peak’s Pints dart champion. Our local bar back home,” he said in answer to Hannah’s quizzical expression. He ruffled Evan’s hair. “You want to try?”

  Colin exchanged two tickets for three darts and was handing them to Evan when he froze, his gaze contrite. “Sorry,” he said to Hannah. “Probably should have asked if it was all right before I gave your kid sharp projectiles.”

  She laughed. “You have my blessing.”

  “That’s a relief.” He nudged Evan with his elbow and said in a stage whisper, “After this, we’ll try running with scissors.”

  “Why?” Evan asked, his tone perplexed.

  “Not really,” Colin said. “It was a joke.”

  “Oh. It wasn’t very funny. Knock-knock jokes are better.”

  Evan picked up his first dart, and Colin knelt down, helping him aim. The boy didn’t put enough force behind his first throw, and it didn’t even make it halfway to the wall. He did better with his second try and, with some assistance from Colin, popped a lime-green balloon on his third, winning a plastic horse.

  When Colin offered to win something for Hannah, she suggested they postpone that for later in the day so that they wouldn’t be carrying it for hours on end. “The horse fits in my purse,” she said. “A giant teddy bear won’t.”

  They navigated through the boisterous crowd and finally made their way to one of those awful “spinny rides of dooms,” as she called them. It looked like a giant egg that had been cut in half to allow for passengers. The three of them squeezed onto the bench seat with Evan in the middle, and the attendant secured the small metal gate meant to ensure their safety.

  Evan wiggled his body, too excited to sit still. “This is gonna be great!”

  Then the buzzer sounded and the whirling began, and Hannah had a brief thought about the things mothers endured for the happiness of their children. Although she had to admit that this particular ride wasn’t bad. Oh, it went on forever and Evan was screeching the entire time and the crazed looping, dipping pattern was every bit as nausea-inducing as she remembered. But Colin had his arm around the back of the seat, his fingers sliding over the nape of her neck, and the sensations that caused were so enjoyable she almost gave in to Evan’s demand of “Again! Again! Again!” when the ride ended.

  Colin laughed. “Pace yourself. We’re going to be here until the fireworks tonight, so maybe we should see what else they have that we want to spend our tickets on, okay? We can always come back...” Frowning, he glanced at his phone, then tucked it back in his pocket.

  “Everything okay?” Hannah asked as they exited the gated ride area.

  He nodded. “My sister. Again. She’s a little hypercommitted to staying in touch.”

  “Sounds nice, speaking as someone who’s never had any siblings, hyper or otherwise.” Sometimes she felt bad for Evan, an only child with no dad. Was she enough family for him, all by herself? But she brushed away the maudlin thought.

  Colin gave her a sheepish look. “Didn’t mean to sound ungrateful for having a sister who cares about me so much. I love Arden. I’ll call her back when I’m not surrounded by so much background noise.”

  They passed by a corral where kids were getting pony rides, and Colin offered to stop if Evan wanted to participate.

  Evan shot them the kind of disgruntled look Hannah expected to see a lot during his teenage years, along with the single-word caption lame. “I don’t want to ride tiny horses. I want to ride Viper! I know I’m not big enough to ride him by myself, but can you take me, Colin?”

  “We’ll see.”

  Hannah got a text from the Reeds that they were running late, so they killed some time in the funhouse. Evan enjoyed the crooked walkways and trick mirrors. His favorite was one that had a normal reflection from the center of the room, but the closer you got, the taller you appeared. He went back and forth, laughing at his dramatic growth spurt. When he got back to where she and Colin stood in the middle, he linked hands with each of them. Reflected back at her were a good-looking man, a little boy having the time of his life and a woman who was dangerously close to being happy. They looked too much like a family, like a dream too treacherous to pursue.

  Seeing so clearly what she wished she could have—what she wished she could give her son—caused a lump in her throat. “Need some air,” she told the guys before dashing outside. “Feeling a little claustrophobic in here.”

  According to loan officers, there was a high probability her plan to turn an old ranch house into a tourist destination would fail. But better to channel her time and energy into something that had a chance than to try to build a future with a man still recovering from his past. She planned to make the most of her time with Colin and would try to view it as a gift. But then she’d have to let him go.

  * * *

  A LIVE BAND played inside a large tent with tiny white lights strung all around. It had been Annette’s suggestion to come in and enjoy the music since none of the adults wanted to brave any zooming, zigzagging rides after eating dinner. They still had another hour until the fireworks display.

  Within minutes, they’d found a table, although Evan had to share a seat with his mom. They piled the tabletop with purchases, including the carved wooden eagle Hannah had bought Henry as a get-well present, and prizes. True to his word, Colin had won Hannah a giant stuffed animal. Now she just had to figure out the proper place in the house for a lime-green octopus that was roughly the same size as Evan.

  Annette sighed happily. “Nice to get off my feet for a few minutes after covering every square inch of the festival.” Yet she was tapping her toes with enough vigor to jostle the table, keeping time with the lively song, and there was a wistful quality to her expression as she watched the couples spinning across the portable dance floor.

  Hannah nudged Todd with her shoulder. He gave her a quizzical look, but then comprehension dawned.

  He
leaned over and kissed his wife on the cheek. “Dance with me, gorgeous?”

  When they came back, Annette’s cheeks were flushed and her eyes were shining. “I don’t know why we don’t do that more,” she told her husband.

  “From now on, we’ll make a point of it,” he promised.

  Annette smiled. “Your turn, Hannah! We can watch Evan if you and Colin want to—” She broke off, interrupting herself. “Do you dance, Colin?”

  He responded slowly, as if he wasn’t sure of the answer. “I used to, but it’s been a long time.”

  “At the very least, we know you can dip me,” Hannah said, thinking of the bowling alley.

  He grinned. “Well, that’s a start. I’m game if you are.” Rising from his chair, he took her hand. His thumb brushed back and forth over the spot he’d kissed last night, and a tremor of anticipation went through her.

  She clasped one hand in his and slid the other above his waist, and everything else faded to black. She doubted that her rhythm was right because she could barely hear the music over her own heartbeat. He may have even stepped on her toes, but she couldn’t feel anything beyond his hand at the small of her back. She wished it was a slow dance, so that she had a reasonable excuse to press herself against him, even with friends and family watching, but she made the best of the situation. It wasn’t difficult to find a bright side when Colin was holding her.

  The song was over too quickly, and she tried not to feel despondent as she returned to their table.

  “We’ve been talking,” Annette said, “and the three of us want ice cream. What if Todd and I take Evan, and we’ll meet the two of you for fireworks?”

  Which would give Hannah and Colin at least half an hour alone. Annette really was the best friend ever.

  “Please, Mommy! Can I have a cone with just one scoop?”

  He’d already had plenty of junk food today, but she supposed she could make an exception since the May Day festival came only once a year. She tried very hard not to think about Easter baskets, trick-or-treat bags, Christmas stockings or any of the other year-round opportunities to get cavities.

  She took an extra moment to give the illusion of deliberation, then nodded. Her friends were even thoughtful enough to take all the stuff with them, Todd carrying the octopus atop his shoulders as if it was a young child. But the Reeds were so busy shuffling everything that they didn’t realize Todd’s wallet had dropped. Luckily, Colin spotted it before he took Hannah for another spin around the dance floor.

  “Be back in just a sec,” he told her, hurrying after them.

  She was watching him walk away—and enjoying the view—when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned, half expecting Malcolm Kilmartin. Though she’d told him to look for her at the fair, she hadn’t seen him all day. She wasn’t looking at him now, either. Instead, she found herself face-to-face with Gideon Loomis.

  Her mouth twisted. What did he want? “Hello, Gideon.” Every time she saw the man, he wore a different cowboy hat. Tonight’s was a black Stetson with a studded band.

  “You owe me a dance,” he informed her.

  “How do you figure?”

  “I won a cake of yours today.” He put his booted foot on the empty chair beside her and winked. “Since you’re responsible for the calories, it’s only fair you help me work some of them off. Preemptively, so to speak.”

  Why did all of the man’s attempts at flirting make her want to smack him with a rolling pin? Even though she’d been planning to dance, now she wanted to escape the tent. “I’m pretty beat. Comes with trying to keep up with a four-year-old all day. So—”

  He grabbed her hand and tugged. “Hannah, Hannah, Hannah. When are you going to learn?” He chortled. “Loomises don’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”

  “Do they take painkillers?” Colin asked mildly. “Because you’re going to need one if you put your hands on her again.”

  Yanking her hand free, Hannah stood, putting herself between the two men. She should probably be appalled by the indirect threat of violence, but mostly she was just glad Colin had returned. “I was explaining to Gideon that I’m getting tired and was thinking about going elsewhere.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Colin agreed. He shot Gideon one last fulminating glare. “It’s too crowded in here.”

  As they emerged into the cool night air, Hannah jabbed him in the ribs. “Not that I’m ungrateful for the timely interruption, but you cannot go around threatening to beat up anyone who annoys me.”

  He ducked his head. “You’re right. But don’t you think me popping him one on the nose would be more humane than letting you Taser him?”

  She laughed. “Let’s just agree to avoid Gideon when possible. Although, I’m sorry we left the tent.”

  “I’m not,” he said cheerfully.

  “No?” Maybe he hadn’t enjoyed the physical proximity of their dance as much as she had. There was a depressing thought.

  “I have something else I want to do with you.” Mischief laced his tone. “Without Evan around.”

  “Um...what did you have in mind?”

  “You’ll see.” He reached for her hand. “Come on, Hazel Eyes, this’ll be fun.”

  Ten minutes later, they were handing their tickets to the attendant at the Ferris wheel. It was all lit up for the night, and the garish lights of the carnival were prettier than they should have been. When she climbed into the suspended bucket, it immediately rocked back and forth. The motion didn’t bother her when they were at ground level. Once they were one hundred feet in the air, however, she had a slightly more nervous reaction to the swinging. Wind curled around them, and she clutched Colin’s hand.

  He grinned, tightening his hold on her. “Maybe I should have taken you into the haunted house. That could have been fun. But this,” he said as they rotated to the very top and stopped there, “is perfect.”

  His playful smile dissolved into something more intent, and he cupped his hand around the nape of her neck. She met him halfway, clashing in a hot, open-mouthed kiss. They were as hungry for each other as lovers who’d been separated for months. Throughout the day, wanting him had been a kind of sweet, heavy ache inside her, but now it sharpened to piercing need. Her fingers were meshed in his hair, her chest pressed to his when the bucket lurched. She realized they were moving backward, but she couldn’t bring herself to break away yet. He kissed her all the way down.

  They finally broke apart, and if she hadn’t been too breathless to speak, she might have invoked her son’s festival motto. Again, again, again!

  He took her hand and helped her to her feet, not bothering to let go once she stood. They walked hand in hand to where they were supposed to meet the Reeds, and Hannah gave him a sidelong smile. After that explosive kiss, though, the glittery flare of fireworks was going to be a little anticlimactic.

  * * *

  EVAN FELL ASLEEP in the backseat of the truck before they’d even left the parking lot. Smiling, Hannah studied him from the passenger seat. He looked so serene, it was hard to reconcile him with the noisy little boy who’d thrown a fit when he’d discovered he was an inch too short to ride something called The Toxic Blaster.

  She’d helped him pull off his boots while Colin started the truck, and his hat hung crookedly from his head. “He can just sleep in his clothes tonight,” she said. Then she scowled, rethinking her decision. “Although I guess I should probably wake him to brush his teeth after all that junk food, huh?”

  “It’s one night. And you did give him that piece of plaque-fighting gum during the fireworks show.”

  She laughed at his earnest tone, not sure a stick of gum qualified her for Mother of the Year. “Oh, well. I’ll make him brush twice as long tomorrow.”

  When they got to the ranch, Colin volunteered, “I’ll get him. You’re the one with the house keys.”
/>
  She pulled them out of her purse and unlocked the door, pausing to shoo Scarlett outside for the night while Colin carried Evan to his room. When she joined them a few minutes later, he’d tucked Evan beneath the blankets and was standing by his bed with a heart-rending expression on his face. She wasn’t sure she’d ever seen joy and sadness comingled so poignantly.

  Swallowing back a tide of emotion, she passed him to drop a kiss on Evan’s forehead. Then she took Colin’s hand. “I know it’s been a long day,” she whispered, “but is it too late for that second dance?”

  He shook his head. “I’d like that.”

  Her purse was on the end table in the living room, and she pulled out her phone, scrolling through her playlist until she found something appropriate. The music wasn’t very loud, but it was enough for barefoot dancing in her living room, illuminated only by the spill of light from a tabletop lamp. Now that they were free of an audience, she put one hand on his shoulder and fit her body to his. It was closer than they’d been all day, but it still wasn’t enough. Heat thrummed through her as they swayed, the friction of his jeans erotic through the soft cotton of her skirt. He was tracing his fingers up and down the length of her spine in a slow, sensuous manner that would have been relaxing if it weren’t so arousing. Electric shivers broke out over her skin.

  She craved his kiss like a drug, but not even standing on her tiptoes would bridge the gap between them. “Colin.” His name was somewhere between a plea and a reprimand. “You did promise me a kiss at the end of the date.”

  His lips quirked in a wicked half smile. “Are you sure you want this to be the end?”

  Chapter Twelve

  Hannah’s face was covered in a fiery blush, but she was smiling at his bold question. He found it impossible to look away from her mouth. The memory of how she’d kissed him on the Ferris wheel had him hard all over again.

  “I don’t want this to be over,” she admitted. “I want you.”

  He cleared this throat. “Then maybe we should move to another room. One with doors.” Once he got her out of that dress, he might not notice if a marching band came through the room.