Cherished Moments (Cherish Cowboys Book 2)

by Charlene Bright

  As he worked in the barn, tending to the horses, he was so involved in his thoughts that he didn’t even notice someone had come up behind him.

  “You’re going to brush the hide right off that horse, Colton Tisdale. What’s wrong with you?”

  He turned around and jumped slightly. Mal stood there with her arms crossed and an amused look on her face. Colton’s face, however, showed no amusement.

  “Hey,” he said absently, turning back to the horses. He wanted to hide his expression because his sister would not hesitate to start scrutinizing and “evaluating” it. To him that was her worst quality by far.

  “You okay?” she asked, walking up to him. She petted the horse affectionately as he picked up a dandy brush and began to clean around the hooves.

  “Fine. Busy day. Can I help you with anything?” he snapped.

  “Whoa! Slow down, big brother. What’s got you so riled up?” she asked.

  “Just tired,” he answered far too quickly.

  “You’re a horrible liar, Colton. And if you don’t mellow out with that brush, you’re likely to get your teeth knocked out,” she cautioned. Her spirit was showing through pretty well by that point.

  “It’s nothing I won’t get over,” he replied.

  “Is this about Olivia Jaspers?” she continued to pry. Really, she couldn’t resist it.

  “Why would you assume that?”

  “Because you two were clearly in to each other the other night. The chemistry was there and it was easy to read. That’s why.”

  “Just a moment of weakness,” he offered.

  “Stop.” Mal walked over to him, leaned down, and grabbed the brush. “You’re clearly bothered. Just get what you’re thinking off your chest. Maybe then you can move on.”

  Colton let her take the brush, but his first instinct was to tug back on it. Darn it, she was right. He wasn’t going to admit that, of course, but he knew that Mal, as nosy as she may be, would be worried about the horses first and foremost.

  He got up and walked over to the empty stall and hopped up on the door, sitting on its edge and looking down at his little sister. “You ever get the feeling that someone is hiding something from you, and they’re desperate to keep it a secret at any cost? Or worse, they’ll do anything to get what they want?”

  “Those seem to be two separate issues,” she began. “Let’s start with the first one. The secret thing I get. I know how crazy it can drive you. Think about you and Wade and Tommy.”

  Colton looked at her with large caution flags waving in his eyes.

  She smiled, but she knew he’d received the point. He’d carried around a burden of guilt for a good many years about Tommy, a childhood friend, whom he thought he’d helped to kill after a bull riding accident. If they’d all talked sooner about it, though, both Colton and Wade would have realized that Tommy had been sick, that he had wanted to go down in a blaze of glory.

  “Okay, you get my point about the secret. What type of secret do you think Olivia’s keeping from you? Something about her past?”

  “No, she wants something and she needs me and this ranch to get it. At first, I was glad to entertain her game, but I didn’t count on—” Colton clammed up, unable to say it.

  “Developing feelings,” Mal offered.

  “Yeah, something like that. It leads me to my next point. I think that Olivia is willing to do whatever it takes to get what she wants. I don’t have the patience or desire to be played a fool like that. I’m not going to let it happen.”

  “I don’t blame you,” Mal said.

  Colton looked at her curiously. That was too easy, he thought. She’d made no attempt to resist what he’d said whatsoever. It was almost as if … “You’re not in cahoots with her, are you?”

  “Cahoots?” she said with a laugh. “Okay, Grandpa. No one besides him ever used that word.”

  “You’re avoiding the question.” He hopped down and now he was standing over his sister, a full head taller, and expecting an answer.

  “You don’t scare me, and no, I just met Olivia when she came to town. But like I said, just stay away from her if you don’t trust her. It’s easier than trying to coax her into saying what’s going on. You’re not really patient enough for that stuff.”

  Again, Mal had a straight face. And Colton’s face was turning redder by the second. They both knew what was happening. They were in the middle of a stare-down, something that they’d done often as kids and occasionally as adults. Colton usually won, and Mal couldn’t hold back; she started laughing. He could have the win, because she’d proven her point.

  ***

  Olivia was on her way out to the ranch and feeling a bit morose about how she’d acted in her hotel room yesterday during the surprise visit from Colton. She’d been distracted and he’d startled her. The result was that she was fairly certain he thought she was a lunatic, at least, and a manipulator, at most. She felt like a bit of both. It was unfamiliar ground, yet necessary. Clinging to that secret seemed like the safest choice to her, and for her family.

  She drove slowly, wanting to collect her thoughts and be organized with everything. For the first time she was legitimately nervous to be face to face with Colton. They’d had such a great time these past few days, but in a single unplanned instant, it had evaporated. It forced her to really admit that she liked him more than just someone to play to get what she wanted. That was understandable, as roles like that were never really suitable for a woman like her.

  Finally, it was inevitable, she was in front of the long gravel driveway and it was time to turn. She paused, and the older car that had been stopped behind her began to honk impatiently due to her indecisiveness. She put her blinker on and turned onto the driveway, making a slow procession as if heading toward a funeral. There was something eerie in the air, almost like a storm was brewing.

  You’re getting yourself worked up for nothing, she thought. Just apologize, be yourself, and everything will be fine.

  She parked the truck in front of the house and looked around for Colton. He usually met her right there, but he was nowhere to be found that morning.

  “Colton,” she called out. She wasn’t as loud as she could be, but her voice seemed to be an invasion on his ranch.

  She called twice more. After getting no answer, she justified taking a walk out into the pasture again. Maybe she could find some landmarks; she’d gotten enough of a feel for them the other day out here.

  She was glad she was wearing her hiking boots because the pasture was ruttier than she’d realized. She felt like a drunken sailor going down the sidewalk as she weaved further into the pasture.

  Then she heard a snort. She squeezed her eyes shut for a second and was afraid to turn around. She hadn’t even thought about a bull or anything like that. Please let there not be any bull!

  She slowly turned around and saw Colton on his horse and looking down at her, the shadow of his bill covering his face just enough to make him look really mysterious. But once she adjusted to the shock and really took him in, she realized she might have preferred the real bull. Because he looked as ornery as a bull with the way he was assessing her.

  “Colton, hi,” she said, talking fast. “I called out for you, but no one came out or answered. I thought I’d go try my hand at finding that calf.”

  “You did now, did you?” he asked.

  “Bad idea?” she replied with question in her voice.

  He only shook his head and then offered his hand. “Let’s get back up by the barn.”

  She took his hand and he helped her get up on back of the horse. What should have been something that would feel wildly romantic in nature was anything but. She felt more like someone who was being taken in for a bounty. He was all business, and she was really uncomfortable.

  It was a silent ride and only after both of them were off the horse, did Olivia talk. “I’m sorry about being all crazy yesterday, Colton. I was just a bit surprised, that’s all.”

  “No worries. I s
topped by unannounced,” he said.

  “You sure?”

  “Positive.” He turned away, eager to shelter what he was truly feeling. She was like a snake oil salesman to him at that moment, nothing more.

  “Okay. So, how’s our baby calf doing?” She was desperate to change the energy in the air and hoped that she could latch on to her enthusiasm about the calf to make that happen.

  “Good.” His answer couldn’t have been any curter.

  “Can I see her? Is it a her?” she asked.

  “Sure, she’s in the barn,” he said.

  They walked in silence and Colton pointed to where the calf was. It was mixed in with many other calves and cows. “Which one is she?”

  “The one over there on the right,” he said, pointing in that general direction. I noticed Mama having a difficult time after the delivery so I moved her into the barn to keep a close eye on her and her calf.

  “Oh,” she replied. She was getting nowhere breaking through the icy disposition that Colton seemed insistent on having with her.

  “Well, you got to see the calf. I have a lot of work to do now so it might be best if you got going.”

  Her face fell and she suddenly felt desperate, almost like an anxiety attack was going to surface. She’d never had one before, but she was quite certain it would feel like she did at that moment—hot, the walls closing in, throat tightening up, and her heart thumping so strongly that it might very well break her rib cage and burst right out of her body.

  “I understand,” she said. She turned and walked away, focusing on making the journey to the safety of her truck.

  He didn’t even say goodbye to her and she felt as badly about that as anything. He was really hurt, and he had a right to be, if she were to be honest about it.

  She got into her truck and began her slow descent back down the gravel driveway. She didn’t want to go and her speed indicated that quite well.

  She knew she should just tell him. She had no reason not to trust him, after all. He’d done nothing wrong but be supportive. And worst-case scenario, if she did tell him and he turned on her, she really wouldn’t be that worse off. She did not have what she had come for at that moment, anyway, and if she didn’t give some type of olive branch to the hard-headed Colton Tisdale, she would only be assured of one thing—leaving without it.

  Chapter Eight

  Re-entering the driveway at a considerably quicker pace, Olivia made her way up it and parked in the same spot. She moved quickly and with purpose, because she did not want to chicken out. She had to talk to Colton and do it right away. Time was running out, he was retreating from her.

  “Colton,” she called out.

  There was no answer.

  She ran toward the barn to see if he was still in there.

  “Colton,” she called again.

  Still no answer. A shadow cast over her and she looked up. Colton was standing in a loft area, his body silhouetted by a big barn light.

  “Hi,” she said. “Can I come up there?” She looked to the right and saw the ladder and didn’t wait for an answer. She started to climb it, rung by rung. At least that way she could keep him trapped up there until she said what she’d come back to say.

  “What else can I do for you, Olivia?” Colton asked. He didn’t sound angry, but tired.

  “I just want you to listen, if you don’t mind,” she said.

  “Fine.”

  “Can I trust you?” she asked. “To keep a confidence.”

  “My reputation for being trustworthy isn’t the one in question here,” he said. His voice was direct and deep, but a bit gentler.

  “Touché, my friend. Message received,” she replied. “Mind if we sit down?”

  “Be my guest,” he said, gesturing to the ledge of the loft and sitting down, his feet dangling over the end.

  Olivia followed suit, suddenly second guessing having trapped Colton up there. She wasn’t really keen on heights. And there was no railing or anything.

  “So, what’s on your mind?” he asked. His tone had grown yet more relaxed, almost encouraging, and he sensed that whatever she had to say really had her worked up. He might spend hours trying to get her to spit it out if he didn’t change his tone. It was a good reminder of why he didn’t like to lose his patience, because it often led to one thing that he didn’t particularly care to do—taking it back and smoothing out the tone. Did she deserve his annoyance? Absolutely, but still …

  “Okay, this is hard,” she said. She rubbed her hands against her jeans, pressing her palms into her thighs. “You know that my great-grandparents owned this property.”

  “That’s been established, yes.”

  “Okay, well, I happened to stumble upon something from my parents while I was looking for some information for a history project for my master’s thesis back when. It was kind of like a treasure map … of this property.” Olivia looked at Colton and saw that she’d gotten his attention. He wasn’t laughing at her so that was a good start.

  “Anyway, some other things I pulled up, namely a letter from my grandmother, indicated that my great-grandparents may have buried something of value on this property. That’s what I’d like to find out.”

  “Like what?” he asked.

  “My great-grandmother’s wedding ring. That’s what.” There, she’d said it and it felt good to get those words out of her mouth, but she was still really worried about how Colton would respond.

  He paused, tilted his cowboy hat forward, and then decided to take it off. After setting it down next to him he turned to Olivia and was met with expectant eyes.

  “A few questions come to mind,” he said softly. “First, why would they bury something like that and not keep it in the house?”

  “They had some financial trouble, from what I can tell, and that ring was really valuable. They wanted to keep it in the family,” she said. Afraid that Colton would think that shiftiness ran in her bloodline, she added, “I know it sounds wrong, but it really meant a lot to them.”

  “But not enough to take it when they sold the property?” he asked.

  “Well, my grandmother had hidden it, but unfortunately, she passed on before the ranch was sold. She’d never told Grandpa where it was or showed him the spot. He was always a busy man, you know, so he probably didn’t think much of it.”

  “But she wrote it down?” he asked. He had to admit, this was not what he was thinking and he felt bad for how much time Olivia had wasted by not just being upfront with him. She must have really had to make sure she could trust him.

  “Kind of. There are some clues in a few letters that I have back at the hotel, but the problem is, there’re no buildings that look anything like what she described. She mentioned putting it in a small steel box underneath a lose floorboard in a shed.”

  “And that small box is something that you really think you can find on this large piece of land? It’s 1720 acres, more or less, remember.”

  She felt herself growing irritated. Of course it sounded farfetched, but it was important. “Look, I get that it sounds silly. Just forget about it.”

  “Do you want the ring for nostalgia purposes or something else?” he asked.

  This was the part of the deal that Olivia had hoped to avoid at all costs. It was personal, and a bit embarrassing. “Why do you want to know?” she couldn’t resist asking, knowing that it may lead to Colton closing the door he’d begun to open again in her face.

  “Well, you want to dig up my land, for starters. It may look like just land—that it doesn’t matter—but it does. Every bit of this ranch has a purpose. So, it’s okay if you don’t want to tell me, but I’m not likely to want to help you out if you’re not honest with me now. Enough of your stories and avoiding the issue.”

  “You should be a journalist,” she said with a weak smile and a soft laugh. “Well, that ring is worth a fair amount of money, I suspect. I’m not sure how much, really. I’d love to keep it, but I really need it to sell.”

  �
��Why?” he pressed on.

  “To help pay for my sister Amelia’s college. She has a great opportunity, but the financial aid isn’t there and my parents would rather see her pursue a different dream than the one she’s after.”

  “What does she want to do?” he asked. He could not imagine.

  “She’s really smart and she’d like to practice international law, but in France. They just don’t like it, don’t think it’s a safe idea. She’s ready to give up and follow what they want—going to law school here in the US, but it’s not as great of an opportunity. And seeing that sad look in her eyes about giving up. Well, it’s tough. She tries to hide it from me, but she’s not so good at that.”

  “This ring would be worth that much?” he asked.

  “I have no idea. We need to see it to get it appraised, but anything at all is helpful. Hopefully it can get her over there and at least into a place where she can figure it out from there.”

  “Determined like you, I see.” Colton reached out and touched the loose tendril from her tieback and softly tucked it behind her ear.

  “More so, really.”

  “And your parents would let you just sell this ring? Don’t they have some sort of claim on it?”

  “Well, they think I’m being a fool and on a hopeless mission. They’d rather that I find some gainful employment to replace what I’ve just lost.”

  “I see their point, I guess. But what you’re doing, it’s a good thing. At least I think so.”

  The look of relief in her eyes traveled through her entire body and she felt all her muscles release the built-up tension. “Thanks. That means a lot,” she said.

  Colton continued to ask questions and was happy to see that the walls had been torn down and she was willing to offer a little bit to help him trust her more. He’d wanted to, but he could not afford to have her involved in his life for just a physical attraction alone. That would never have worked.

  “Would you be willing to show me what you have?” he asked. “Maybe it will help trigger something. Or perhaps we can go down to the courthouse and see if we can dig up anything that may help.”