by Carré White
“Suppose you’re right,” Lottie replied. “Hate to—”
Colton interrupted her with a kiss. A light, surprising, wonderful kiss, that took her breath away for the instant that their lips touched.
“We’d better go,” he whispered, pushing off the ground and extending his hand. “I just had to see.”
“See what?” she said, blushing and grinning.
“Had to see if it would be as good as I’ve been imagining for the last three months.”
Colton bent to gather the blankets, and wrapped one tight around Lottie’s shoulders.
“You,” Lottie said, and then stopped, squinting at him and grinning.
“I what?”
Her answer was a smile. “Coming, pa!” she shouted.
Chapter Eight
“Gettin’ to the last days we’ll be able to be outside very long,” Lottie said as the three of them silently chewed biscuits.
December was half gone already, the time having passed faster than any that either Lottie or her father remembered since the town emptied. All of their preparations were done, there was nothing left except figuring out what they could possibly do to produce something approaching a Christmas dinner, if such a thing was even possible.
“How is it you can tell so much about the weather?” Colton asked, taking another bite of his buttered biscuit. “You keep guessing right, but I can’t tell the slightest difference in the days until you say something. Then as sure as anything, it comes true.”
“Pa told me,” Lottie said. “Don’t ask me how he does it though.”
Will grinned. “There’s nothing as useful as experience. The weather out here is hard to read for strangers, but once you’ve dealt with it for a couple decades, the mystery just opens right up.”
“But how? Three days ago, you said there was going to be two days of snow. You said that in the middle of a day that was nothing but sunny, and then—”
“The wind changed,” Will said, “I smelled the moisture.”
Colton shot Lottie a disbelieving glance. “Don’t look at me,” she said. “I can’t do it either, I have to see a cloud or hear some thunder to guess that weather’s changing. He’s always been able to do this though.”
“Age, dear heart,” Will said with a grin. “It comes with age. I’d happily trade my ability to guess the weather for your working knees any time you’d like.” He grabbed one of his knees and bent it until it popped.
For a moment, the three of them chewed, swallowed, and sipped their coffee in silence. Ever since Colton showed her the stars, the snows had come in longer and longer bursts. Late last night though, it finally started sticking. The drift nets were doing exactly what Will hoped they would, and so far the snow hadn’t started to build up around the makeshift stables, or the house.
This morning though, the howling, frigid north wind picked up across the plateau. The drifts started moving, started evening out, much quicker than William figured on.
Setting his fork down with a slight clink against his plate, Colton looked over at William. “How long do you reckon we have until it’s time to stable down the horses and make sure they stay warm?”
“You going somewhere?” Will said. “I wouldn’t go far, whatever your plans are.”
Colton shrugged and turned his eyes to Lottie. “No, not necessarily going anywhere,” he said. “Just thinking about something I’d like to do before the snow gets too deep is all.”
As Lottie took a drink of her sweetened coffee, she looked at his radiant emerald eyes, remembering what it felt like to be in his arms, shielded against the cold.
Pursing his lips and sucking the bottom one between his teeth in thought, William pushed back from the table. He balanced his hair on two legs and rocked himself slowly. “I’d guess most of the day. It’ll heat up enough that new snow won’t stick.” A moment later, he added, “Probably, anyway.”
“Most of the day, you said?” It was Colton’s turn to push back from the table, but he patted his full stomach as he did. “Beautiful breakfast as always, Lottie.”
She averted her eyes for fear of blushing or worse. “It was nothing,” she said. “Thank the chickens.”
Colton reached down from where he sat. “Well then, thank you, Belle,” he said, scratching the passing hen.
“That’s Delilah,” Lottie corrected him, giggling. “But I’m sure she appreciates the gesture. Not many people even remember what any of them are named. Isn’t that right, pa?”
“Creaky knees and a memory that’s not what it used to be,” William said. “Well, we’re two weeks to Christmas. Lottie did so want to get together some kind of proper dinner, but I just don’t see how that’s going to be possible.”
“I’ve got a few ideas,” she said. “I want to surprise the two of you though.”
“Surprise? Unless you’ve managed to gather yourself a feast without my knowing, I don’t see how you’ll do that,” William said.
“I have some womanly wiles,” Lottie said, grinning. “There’s only one thing I’ve yet to figure on, but don’t worry. I won’t let either of you down.”
“You couldn’t let me down,” Colton said, smiling at her directly, not even hiding his affection. “You could make oats, boiled lettuce and canned beans and it’d be the most wonderful Christmas dinner I ever had.”
Somehow, she knew he wasn’t just saying things mean to flatter. The even and peaceful look he cast across the table made the rest of the world almost melt away. At least until he stood up and stuck his hand out.
“Come on,” Colton said, taking Lottie’s extended hand, stepping around the table, and helping her up. “I’ll clean up in a bit,” he said. “Don’t you get any ideas, Mr. Wright.”
“Oh, no, no, I insist. You two go on and do whatever it is you have in mind. I’ll get this all put away and put some water on to boil. Nothing much better than a hot bath in the middle of winter.”
On the way to the door, Colton turned back to the table. “I’m going to say this, Mr. Wright, and I don’t want you to think I’m being theatrical.”
“Of course, young man,” Will said, “I think we’ve gotten sufficiently close over the past stretch of time that you should feel comfortable to say whatever you need to say. That’s how Lottie and I have got along for so long. Best to get things out in the open. I’ve started to think of you as something more than a passing visitor, anyway.”
Colton’s mouth fell open. “I’m... I’m sorry, but you’ve just got me quite stunned.”
Will smiled. “That’s my specialty. If it’s not with rudeness or vulgar jokes, I stun with open honesty. No one expects that.”
Colton let the arm he was about to use to put on his hat, fall to his side. “I don’t know what to say, but, I—”
“What is it, young man? You look like you’re taken with emotion.”
“It’s just,” Colton paused to take a deep breath. “I don’t know how much Lottie’s told you, but I had a little bit of a rough upbringing. I, uh, I don’t really know the way to say this without embarrassing myself. I’m not terribly used to expressing my feelings and laying myself out in the open like this.”
Standing up, and massaging one of his knees, Will crossed the room and put his arm around Colton’s shoulder. “Mind if I tell you a secret?” he said walking Colton away from Lottie and lowering his voice.
Lottie stuck her head in and briefly looked on, fascinated, but decided this was a conversation she wasn’t meant to hear. “I’ll be outside,” she said, and waited for a response. Colton and her father were far too interested in whatever they were talking about to notice though. With a grin, she left them alone.
“Now,” William said as soon as the door closed and they were alone. “I believe now you can tell me whatever it is you wanted to tell me.”
“Oh,” Colton said. “No, no, you first, I’m,” he trailed off, obviously strained with nerves.
“You don’t need to always be up front with everything you’re thi
nking. Sometimes, a man should keep quiet, especially if what he’s going to say might hurt someone. Understand what I mean?”
“Well, yes sir, I do,” Colton mumbled. “But—”
“But, sometimes, sharing just a little more than what is expected, that can really impress someone. Especially if what you say comes from the heart.”
“From the heart?” Colton said. “You mean that I should just be clear about how I feel? I don’t know. It seems to me that might end up getting me hurt. What if I’m reading her wrong?”
William let out a low, soft whistle. “And here I had no idea you were about to reveal your feelings about my daughter.”
“I,” Colton stammered. “I don’t know what... Oh goodness, Mr. Wright, I’m just a fool. I thought that you were trying to,” he pursed his lips. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“Nonsense,” Will said with a chuckle. “I’m just trying to get you to relax. I remember being your age, and smitten with a woman I wasn’t sure I should be smitten with. Lottie’s mother was far more cultivated than me, more civilized and mannered. I was just a farm boy in Virginia and she was,” Will fell silent as memories flooded him.
“What was she, sir?”
Will swallowed hard. “She was special. It wasn’t just her beauty – though she was, certainly, gifted with that. She was kind and gentle. And let me tell you, she had enough suitors that I was sure I’d never stand a chance.”
William pointed to the two facing rockers, and the men sat as Lottie whistled outside, the broom rasping over the patched-up porch. Colton leaned forward with his elbows on his knees.
“How did you do it then? I mean, how did you convince her?”
“I’ll tell you how I didn’t,” William said. “I didn’t try to be someone I wasn’t. I’m not the strongest or the smartest, or the best looking, that much is obvious.” He paused to laugh. “But I also just won’t ever quit. As you can see from my insistence on staying in this place long after anyone with sense would have up and left, here I stay. At least for now.”
“But then, you just went after her until she relented?”
“Yes, that was part of it,” William said. “But it was more than that. I noticed what everybody else was trying. Some were bringing her gifts, some tried to show off their manliness or their strength. Hell, some of them even fought one another over her, made a great big show of it all. I couldn’t do any of that, and Molly – that was her mother’s name – wasn’t ever much impressed by the theatrics anyway.”
Colton leaned forward further as though he was anticipating a great surprise.
“All I did was be myself, young man,” Will said. “That’s all. I thought that I probably wouldn’t be able to compete any way other than doing what I knew, so I just told her how I felt. I stumbled through it, felt like I was barely coherent, but when I was finished rambling and sputtering and all that sort of mess, Molly was just beaming at me.”
“So it worked?” Colton said, leaning forward almost far enough to fall out of his chair.
“Evidently,” Will grinned as Lottie let out a bit of a whistle and sang part of a tune. “I don’t believe anything I’ve ever done has worked better.”
The two men sat quietly for a moment as Colton digested everything he’d heard.
“That’s enough rambling from me, though. You’ve got someone waiting for you out there... whatever it is you’re planning,” William Wright broke the silence with a grin. “I hope, though, that some of what I said made sense.”
Colton stood up, still a little shaken. “Well, I,” he paused to gather his courage. “Mind if I try that whole thing on you first?”
“How do you mean?”
“Well, I was going to say that... I,” he took a breath. “What I mean to say is that in the last few weeks, you’ve come to seem more a father to me than my own ever did.” He said it all in one breath.
It was William’s turn to be stunned. “I don’t,” he paused to consider his words. “I don’t believe I expected that at all. He stood up and grabbed Colton’s hand. The shake turned into a one-armed hug, turned directly into a full embrace. “Thank you,” he said. “Thank you, Colton.”
He opened his mouth again, but just closed it tight and shook his head. “This really is a time of year you can’t ever predict, isn’t it?”
“A year ago, I was running from something I never meant to do,” Colton said. “I never, ever, not even in my wildest dreams, imagined any of this. Your kindness, Lottie’s...”
“I know what you mean, son,” Will said. “You don’t need to say anything more. Now go on, you’ve got someone waiting for you. Go on.”
“Thank you,” Colton said as he turned and grabbed the doorknob. “Thank you for everything.”
“Oh, there is one more thing,” William said. “Have her in before it gets too cold. I also remember the part about how quickly time passes when you’re with someone who...”
“I will,” Colton said with a smile. His easy grin was back. “I promise.”
~*~
“You two must’ve had quite a talk,” Lottie said with a smirk when Colton finally emerged from the house.
He blushed slightly, or so she thought. “It was nothing,” he said, “just some man talk.”
“Oh, so ‘man talk’ it is, then?” Lottie laughed and deposited her broom against the side of the house. “What is it that you’ve brought me out into this growing winter for?”
“I remember something you said when I first came around.”
“Before or after I tried to kill you?”
“After,” he said with a laugh. “Though not terribly long, as I recall it.”
She let out a low humming sound. “It’s been too long,” she said, searching her memories. “Oh! Are you talking about Ernie?”
In a flash, Lottie remembered that she told him her desire to learn to properly ride a horse.
His answer was a smile that absolutely entranced Lottie as he closed the distance and took her hand. His fingers were warm, secure, and powerful around hers. Everything she’d ever wanted, though she only realized it when she met Colton.
“Come on,” he said. “I promised your father I’d have you back by dark, but we’ve still got plenty of time until then.”
The hours from late morning until the haze of dusk finally began to threaten their riding light went by as fast as anything Lottie ever remembered. Somehow, Ernie seemed just as calm and gentle as Colton, as patient and as loving. He trotted slowly when he was commanded, then quicker, and finally galloped at full speed just so long as she was relaxed on his back. At the slightest tension, he calmed and slowed until she was ready to go again.
All across the parts of the farm still untouched by snow, Colton urged his horse back and forth, never leaving Lottie’s side until she begged him to let her ride free.
When they finally stopped, out of deference to the impending darkness and the rapidly dropping temperature more than fatigue, Lottie brushed Ernie down with Colton watching.
“He likes you,” he said.
“He does? How do you know?”
“Easy,” he smiled and drew near, putting his arm gently around Lottie’s waist. “He didn’t throw you off.”
All the way back to the house, the two of them laughed and smiled, neither of them willing to let the other catch the longing glances, but also not willing to stop looking.
“Lottie,” Colton said as they neared the door, and the end of their time alone. “I, uh, there’s something I want to tell you.”
“Well get it out, Colton, I’m just about to freeze to death.”
He stared at her, studying her face. He couldn’t help it; whenever the two of them were together, he smiled more than he ever had in his life. “I’ve never felt like this before,” he said. “I don’t even know what this really is, if that makes any sense.”
She huddled against him and put her face against his chest. The soft thudding of his heart somehow made her feel phy
sically warmer. “I think I know what you’re talking about,” she said softly.
Colton opened his mouth again right when they heard William shuffling around inside the house. “Lottie, I—”
She put her finger to his lips. “I know,” she said. “I know.”
In one quick, smooth motion, she stood on her tip toes, pecked a kiss on his bottom lip, which was as high up as she could get, and pushed open the door.
Chapter Nine
When the snow finally came and didn’t let up, it came hard. Ten days of unrelenting ice and bracing winds swept the panhandle, and kept Lottie, her father, and Colton, cooped up along with Rolf and the three chickens.
Without fail, every morning and every night just before sunset, Lottie went out, saying she needed to get some air, brush the horses and check their blankets. Each time she went, she bundled herself up into an almost absurd wad of down cloaks, shawls, scarves, long-johns and leathers to keep the wind off herself as best she could.
“You can leave them for one night,” Colton protested over a cup of warmed-over coffee. “I know you like them, but Lottie, it is cold enough out there that you might really catch your death.”
“Oh Colton,” she said. “Don’t worry so much about me. I’ve been doing this for most of my life.”
Colton looked over at William, who nodded. “She has. Used to drive me just crazy too, but then she kept doing it without permission, sneaking off into the cold and doing whatever she did that eventually I had to realize she probably wasn’t going to freeze to death.”
Lottie smiled proudly. “See?”
Colton let out a heavy sigh. “Well why don’t I go with you? I can’t stand the idea of you out there freezing.
“No, no, I’ll hear nothing of it. Going out and brushing them is how I relax of an evening. You drink that oily coffee,” she laughed, “and I tend the horses. You and pa have yourselves a nice talk about whatever it is that men discuss when the womenfolk leave a home, and I’ll be back this side of an hour.”
Before anyone else could protest, Lottie pushed out into the blowing cold and snugged her hood down on her cheeks to shield herself from the wind’s bite. At the same time, she pulled out the string of pouches that she’d stuffed inside her coat and slung it over her shoulder.
