Cherished Moments (Cherish Cowboys Book 2)

by Charlene Bright

  “Care for a beer and some dinner?” Colton asked. “It’s the least I can do to repay you for everything you did today.”

  “You sure it’s no bother?” she asked.

  “None at all. Plus, I didn’t really get to give you too extensive a tour of the ranch after all the action started.”

  She’d thought about that, of course, but she had chosen to put it out of her mind. The experience she had with Colton had been incredible, and what she was looking for certainly wasn’t going anywhere, either.

  “Well, maybe we can pick up on that another time,” she said.

  “No problem,” he said. He wondered how it could be that anyone could take a trip to Cherish with an open-ended leave date. Didn’t she have responsibilities back at home, or a job to tend to? She never mentioned it, which he’d not realized until that moment, strangely enough.

  The two walked up to the house, a bit quiet from hunger but both with content looks on their face. It had been quite a day.

  Five minutes later, two beers were in their hands and a frozen pizza was in the oven. Colton’s nightly dinner had gone significantly downhill since he’d started having to cook for himself more.

  “Should we go sit out on the porch?” he asked.

  “That would be great. It’s a beautiful night,” Olivia said.

  The two sat down, side by side, in wicker rocking chairs, and slowly moved back and forth, going between silent moments where they each pondered their own thoughts to moments where they were animated in conversation, talking like they were long lost friends.

  Olivia thought she saw a shooting star and sprung up to walk over to the railing to look. The paper that had been in her back pocket fell out and Colton reached over to get it. He wanted to look at it badly, but knew that wasn’t the right thing to do—despite his curiosity. He got up and walked over to Olivia. “You dropped this,” he said softly. Then he extended his hand out.

  Her eyes grew wide and it was evident even in the darkness, as the light from inside the house illuminated on them just enough. “Oh, thank you,” she said. She looked down at the paper and then into his eyes to see if he’d looked at it.

  “No, I didn’t look at it,” he offered. “Not that I didn’t want to, but I figure that you’ll perhaps enlighten me in your own good time.”

  “Maybe,” she said. “But for now, I think I’ll enjoy all the opportunities to hang out with you while I decide if I can trust you.”

  “And I’ll enjoy letting you play all those little games. They’re entertaining,” he said.

  Entertaining, she thought. That kind of stung. She thought she was a bit craftier and better skilled at using her feminine wiles than that. Ouch!

  “Well, something’s cooking and I better tend to it,” he said, referring both to the pizza and to whatever it was between Olivia and himself. There was something, and he could sense it went beyond her just finding what she wanted on the Tisdale Ranch. They had this chemistry that was surprising and almost indefinable.

  “You’d hate for it to get burned,” she said, smiling mischievously.

  “Indeed I would,” he said.

  After pizza on the porch and a few more beers, Colton debated whether he should ask what was on his mind. He decided to go for it. Why not just spend some more time with Olivia if he was going to just be thinking about her when she wasn’t there.

  “Will you still be around this weekend?” he asked.

  “I think so, haven’t gotten very far in my quest. Why?” she asked, looking at him, one long leg resting casually over the arm of the rocking chair, swaying back and forth.

  “This weekend there’s a six-shooter competition in Deer Run. They can be pretty fun to watch and the party afterwards is usually a good time. I thought maybe …” Colton stopped talking, suddenly feeling a wave of nervousness come over him. It surprised him and he was thankful that Olivia took note and took over the invitation.

  “I’d love to go to something like that, if that’s what you’re asking me,” she said.

  “Great,” he said. “How about I pick you up at your hotel room on Saturday morning, 9 a.m.?”

  “Can’t wait,” Olivia said, “and on that note, I should get going. It’s getting late and I’m wiped out. I bet you sleep like a baby if every day is as much hard work as today was.”

  “Well, I do have a pretty sound sleep. Fresh air, hard work, and long days tend to do that.”

  “Good for the mind. Good for the soul,” she offered.

  “You got that right,” he concluded.

  The two stood up and Colton looked down into her eyes. He wanted to kiss her so badly, but something was holding him back. It just didn’t seem right, despite his desires. He leaned in and saw that her eyes closed gently, showing that she wouldn’t mind being kissed at all. But as beautiful as those lips were, he wasn’t going to press his against them that night. He hugged her instead, thanking her once again. Then he walked her to her car.

  Olivia got in and rolled down the window. She watched him for a moment. He was so handsome and such a gentleman. She wished he was a little bit less of one at that moment, because all she could think about was how great it would be to experience a kiss from him. His lips looked like they were made just for kissing.

  “Well, cowboy, I’ll see you in two days,” she said. Then she drove off, thinking that it might be a long two days. She couldn’t even think of an excuse to see him between now and then, but maybe, if she was lucky, she could run in to him in town.

  Chapter Five

  Olivia was beside herself with curiosity and obvious fascination. This entire six-shooter competition was different than she ever could have imagined it to be. Everyone was smiling and having a good time and she felt like she’d just been transported back to the Wild West. This event was, without a doubt, her cup of tea and she was shocked that she’d never even heard of one before.

  “This is like a cowboy’s version of a renaissance festival, isn’t it?” she asked, looking around.

  “Kind of like that, I suppose, but I’ve never been to a renaissance festival to say for certain,” Colton replied. He had his hand on the small of her back as he guided her through people. There was quite a turn-out that day. It was a regional competition, which meant that they should get to see some great shooting—the best of the best.

  Olivia looked at a flyer that had been handed to her and for every line she read, she found an immediate question. “So, shouldn’t we be calling this CAS—Cowboy Action Shooting—not a six-shooter competition?”

  “Look who’s getting technical on me,” he said. “If I’d said a CAS competition, would you have known what I was talking about?”

  “No, but I would have asked,” she said, batting her eyelashes at him.

  “I have no doubts about that,” he said.

  Then she looked back down. “Look at this, how fun,” she said, pointing to the program.

  “What?” he asked. He pulled her to the side because they were slowing down traffic. He didn’t mind, but he didn’t want to bug other people with constantly stopping in the middle of the flow. When others did that to him, he didn’t take too kindly to it.

  “They give themselves sweet little names, just like all the old bandits from the Wild West,” Olivia said.

  “It’s one of the strange nuances of this sport. In the spirit of what it represents, you’re required to have an alias from back in that time period. If it’s not an existing person, you have to make up a name that sounds like it fits the bill.”

  “Cool. That’s what this Buck McCourtry must be.” She pointed down and Colton looked, but not at the name. He was watching her, and the excitement she had on her face and in her body language was great to see. He’d definitely picked a good venue for a date with her. It’s not a date, just hanging out, he quickly thought. His mind had been trying to talk him out of his devilish thoughts for the past week, and especially the past two days.

  “It looks like they’re getting ready t
o start the Wild Bunch Action Shooting. Should we go get a spot in the stands?” he asked.

  “Yeah, what’s that, anyway?”

  “They literally make it look like a duke-out in an old Western film,” Colton said. His eyes were lit up now, too, as this was his favorite event at this type of competition—hands down. Everything about it was entertaining and fun. “And they have to use revolvers that are pre-twentieth century.”

  “As a history girl, this entire thing is speaking my language,” Olivia said. “I should try to get a job with this SASS, the ones who sanctioned this.”

  “Where do you work right now, anyway?” Colton asked. He was glad she opened the door to his question. It shouldn’t have been so challenging to ask, but he just hadn’t.

  “I’m transitioning. I’d had a part-time job at a museum back in Bozeman, but it closed down. Lost its funding, which is a real bummer, so now, I’m hoping to get into something more permanent. History degrees have more options than one might think.”

  “Like what?”

  Olivia looked up at him. “Curators, documentarians, actual historians in a town, teachers, lots of things.”

  “We have a town historian who is also the librarian,” Colton said. “I’ve never heard her ask nearly as many questions as you, though.”

  “Some people read, some ask questions,” she said. “Personally, I enjoy both a great deal. But nothing beats a genuine experience like this. I really do feel like I just went through a portal and landed in the Wild West. It’s incredible.”

  “I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”

  “It’s perfect,” she said. Without any thought to it, she reached over and kissed his cheek.

  He froze.

  She allowed her lips to linger there and took in a deep breath, smelling his cologne. He certainly was appealing in about every way imaginable to her, right down to that scar above his eye that made him look not quite so perfect.

  As the two watched the competition, the entire crowd came to life, cheering and yelling and getting completely wrapped up in the moment. Both of them jumped up from their spots in the bleachers, along with everyone else, and cheering wildly when Wild Bill Hickok won the shoot-out.

  Then the announcer called out something over the antique PA system that had been on the rodeo grounds where the competition was being held for a long time. According to Colton, longer than he’d even been alive.

  “If you want to try your hand at competition with a six-shooter, make your way over to the booth at the far end of the grounds that has a banner that reads ‘Lessons’ above it.”

  “Can we do that?” Olivia asked right away.

  “Well, that depends. You’re not going to cry if you lose, are you?” he asked.

  “I cry when I’m happy, and when I win, I’m happy, so I don’t think that’ll be a problem,” she shot back. “However, can a gambler like you afford to lose a man card?”

  “Nobody’s accused me of not operating with a full deck yet, ma’am,” he bantered back. Then he tipped his cowboy hat for emphasis.

  “Any wagers?” she asked.

  “How about the winner pays for dinner?”

  She looked at him and wrinkled up her nose. “That is the worst bet ever. It doesn’t even make sense.”

  He just smiled. He knew that he was going to win, first of all, because he had plenty of experience with target shooting, and second of all, he was raised with the mentality that a gentleman never let the woman pay for dinner. Whether it was too old fashioned didn’t matter to him; the notion of it all resonated well with him.

  “The loser buys dinner and then it’s a deal,” she said. She pretended to spit in her hand and stuck it out.

  “Did they really do that to seal a deal?” he asked.

  “Nope, but the Gypsies did—and do,” she said.

  “You part Gypsy? That explains it,” he said.

  “I’m a free spirit seeking out a home so if that’s what you mean, I say ‘thank you.’ But if you want me to speak Romany, you may be disappointed.”

  “No Romany, I promise.” He laughed.

  The two walked over to get their lessons and prepare to compete against each other. Both felt confident that they would win, but they’d soon find out who would be able to claim the bragging rights for that battle.

  ***

  Olivia stood there looking at the beautiful gun in her hand. She was disappointed that it wasn’t an antique gun, but it was a beautiful piece, nonetheless—the Match Champion .357 Magnum Revolver. It was sleek, sexy, and felt good in her hand. She tried to visualize her victory in her mind, justifying that the piece she held was easier to get a bull’s-eye with than her old Red Ryder BB gun ever was.

  Colton was admiring the six-shooter he’d chosen, a Smith and Wesson ProSeries. It was tough, and the name alone was one that any respectable westerner appreciated.

  After signing some waivers, receiving a few explanations on how to use the pieces, and taking some practice shots, Olivia and Colton met back in the middle.

  “You ready?” she asked. She smiled and pretended to blow a kiss to her gun, smiling at him in the most seductive manner possible.

  “You really do light up around weapons,” he commented, shaking his head. She was trying to get into his mind, and that’s why he shook it—he had to get her out of it and win this competition.

  The man who was overseeing the competition quickly stated the rules. There would be five stages. For every miss, five seconds would be added to your time. You only got one round per stage. Thirty bullets total, fastest time wins.

  “What if I have a dispute?” Olivia asked the poor, unsuspecting man.

  He spat out his tobacco and grumbled. “No disputes.” End of story.

  Colton laughed and said, “You think you’ll get close enough where you even have to worry?”

  “I think I’ll be all right,” she replied.

  Then they began.

  Olivia went first. The targets at this stage were six tin cans set up along a fence post about forty feet away. Bullet one—miss. Bullet two—hit and knock-off. Bullet three—hit but remained on fence post, which meant miss. Bullet four—hit and knock-off. Bullet five—hit and knock-off. Bullet six—miss. Total time: thirty seconds.

  She grumbled and Colton laughed.

  “Well, let’s see what you got there, Cowboy,” she taunted.

  Colton ended up with three misses and three hits, as well, but his total time was twenty-seven seconds.

  “Lucky round,” she said.

  “Smells like the start of a victory to me,” he said.

  “That gunpowder must be making you lose your senses.” As Olivia said this, the man who was timing and judging snorted his approval. She smiled at him, knowing that he was finally warming up to her.

  The second stage gave the advantage to Olivia by four seconds, which meant she was now two ahead.

  The third stage was a tie. Olivia still had two seconds on Colton.

  The fourth stage was to Colton’s favor by three seconds, giving him a one-second edge over her.

  She frowned, wanting to beat him so badly that she could taste it. Breathe in and relax; you can do it, she thought. Then she watched because Colton got to go first since he’d won the previous stage. He did pretty great, too, knocking over five tin bull’s-eyes out of the six and getting a time of twenty-four seconds. It would be tough to beat, but she was ready for the challenge.

  With the grip pressed firmly against her palm and her arms relaxed, she breathed in and out, waiting for the start timer to go off. She looked at the targets and pictured each one knocking over with a loud “ping”.

  One, two, three, four, five, six. Six hits and a time of only eighteen seconds.

  “Yes!” she shouted, quickly setting the revolver down and then starting to jump up and down in victory.

  “Holy cow,” the judge said.

  “Unbelievable,” Colton mumbled. His pride was a bit wounded; he couldn’t believe he’d lost. If
his buddies ever heard about that they’d tease him until kingdom come.

  “I win. And from what I estimate, I’ve won by a solid three seconds. Oh yeah.” She began to move her arms around like she was mixing something up and was out of control, excited.

  Colton was blushing a bit, but he had to admit, she was a heck of a woman and anyone who could shoot a revolver like that deserved some kudos.

  “You’re a natural, or so it seems,” he said.

  “Not really, I’ll confess, my daddy used to take me target shooting all the time. I had to use my BB gun, but I was pretty accurate with it. These are a lot easier.” She pointed to the revolver sitting on the stand.

  “Cheater,” he teased.

  “Admit it, you assumed that you’d win, which makes the victory all that much sweeter. I guess I’m glad that we switched the bet to the loser buying dinner.” Then she laughed and held her hand out for a high five, which Colton gave.

  As his palm pressed into hers, he realized he didn’t want to bring it back. He wanted to wrap her up in his arms and give her a wild kiss to match the wild mood of the day. It had been so incredible and he didn’t want it to end. It was getting harder to deny that he was eager for something to begin, more so than anything else.

  “Since I’m buying, I know the perfect place to go for dinner,” he said.

  “Where’s that?” she asked. She hoped it was a nice intimate place where she could get him to relax a bit. It was selfish for many reasons, including still needing access to the ranch land. But even more than that, she just wanted to be close to him and hoped that he’d finally give her that kiss she saw his eyes telling her he wanted. She didn’t want to make the first move … just in case she’d read him incorrectly.

  ***

  “So, Sergio’s is an Italian-named restaurant that really specializes in steak and other more American cuisine?” Olivia asked. “That’s hysterical.”

  “It is, I suppose, but honestly, we’re so used to it that we don’t pay it much mind,” Colton said.

  They pulled into the restaurant and it was already 7 p.m. It had been a long day of fun with a bit of fair-type food and watching some excellent marksmen entertain them with their performances. Now it was time for some real food and for him to get Olivia to himself. She drew attention everywhere she went, which was interesting to observe, but he was a little jealous about it. At least he thought he was—jealousy was not something he was used to feeling.