9781631053566SpringsDelightBallNC (12 page)

Holden still grinned. “So, you
are here because of
Summer
?”

“She was just the kicker. I
went for a walk, Colt went ballistic telling me what I’m not allowed to do, and
no man is going to tell me what to do again. I’ve lived that life and…” Tears
threatened to spill.

Mindy Sue sat silently looking
from one to the other. She grabbed a tissue from her desk and handed it to
Spring
.

“Thank you, Mindy Sue.”

Holden sat in the chair next
to hers. “He didn’t want you leaving the ranch did he?”

Spring nodded as she wiped her
tears.

“Honey, I know you’ve been
through a lot but so has Colt. He’s trying to protect you. I think he feels as
though he couldn’t save Caleb, so he’s trying to save you.”

“It never crossed my mind.”

“That’s because you’re too
close to the situation,” Mindy Sue chimed in.

Spring nodded slowly. “It’s
done now.” She stood up, grabbed her bag and headed for the door. “Thank you
both, but I have a job to find.” Turning toward the door, her heart stopped.
Colt stood in the doorway, his dark hair tousled as though he’d run his fingers
through it a million times and his brown eyes held a kindness that went to her
heart.

“I don’t suppose you’d like a
job at my ranch? I admit the ranch owner can be grouchy and overbearing but he
has a few good points too.”

She tilted her head. “Oh? Like
what?”

Colt cleared his throat, and
he gripped his Stetson. “He is kind to animals and he’s not a slob.”

She smiled. “It that your
recommendation? There must be more.”

“He’s sorry as all get out,
and most of all he misses you. Oh and Heidi and Daybreak have been so sad
without you.” He winked at her.

“Using those poor animals as
enticements? For shame,” she teased.

“Is it working?”

Holden stood up, put his hand
on the small of her back and gave her a gentle push. “Go on you two. Mindy Sue
and I have work to do. Oh and,
Spring
? I’ll bring
Summer
around to visit soon.”

She turned and gazed at
Holden. “She’s not allowed out without you?”

Holden laughed.
“If you only knew.
I’m lucky if she allows me.”

Spring turned and followed
Colt outside. “How did you know where I was?”

“I
hightailed
it to town when I realized you left and then Mindy Sue called. She saw you
sitting on a bench. I guess your suitcase tipped her off to trouble at home.”

* * * *

Heavy Duty always enjoyed
being brushed down. It’d been two days since
Spring
returned. Colt shook his head. “You know boy, there is no figuring the mind of
a female.”

Heavy Duty snorted. Even the
horse knew what he meant. He didn’t know how to act in his own house anymore.
If he tiptoed, she frowned, if he was polite, she frowned, if he said something
nice, she really frowned. “First, she leaves because I’m too controlling and
now she hates that I’m nice. You know if it was any other female, I’d just call
it a day. Never found one I wanted to go the extra mile for. I’m not saying I
love her or anything, Heavy Duty, I don’t think I have those feelings inside
me. I just like having her around is all.”

“Talking to
yourself
,
Boss?” Bibbs asked as he entered the barn.

“Guilty.”

“Well,
Spring
is not happy with you.
Something about you not leaving your
socks on the floor anymore.
I don’t understand women.”

Colt’s laugh started low in
his chest and rumbled out deeply.
“Me neither, Bibbs.
I can’t seem to win. If I’m too nice she’s in a snit, if I’m quiet she frowns,
and I’m not sure what she wants. I even offered to take her to
Autumn’s
restaurant for dinner, and you would have thought I’d
committed a crime. Now the whole sock thing has me thinking she’s a bit touched
in the head.”

Bibbs laughed, then his eyes
widened, and he abruptly stopped laughing. Colt turned around, and there stood
Spring
with her hands on her hips, glaring at him.

“See you later, Boss,” Bibbs
said as he skedaddled.

“I’d ask if you were here to
see me but I know better. Both Heidi and Daybreak would probably like a visit
from you.” He went back to grooming his horse. It was so quiet he glanced in
her direction and there she still stood in the doorway. “Was there something
you needed?”

“You are
infuriating,
do you know that, Colt O’Malley? If I was a person of violence I’d crack you in
the head with a skillet or something.”

His brow furrowed. “I’ve been
doing everything I can to be nice and not upset you.”

“I know, and that’s the
problem, you’ve been too stinking nice. I’m not a flower that will wilt. I come
from a tough background, and I know a snow job when I see it. Just cut it out.”

“Too stinking nice?” He threw
back his head and laughed. “Hell, I thought you left because I was mean.”

She kept her gaze on the
ground and shuffled her feet back and forth before answering. “I like you for
you. I don’t like the mean Colt but I don’t like the sugary sweet, everything
is fine, Colt either.”

“I guess I don’t know what you
want.” He led Heavy Duty to his stall and closed the door behind the horse.
“Maybe you could explain it to me?”

“I mean I want you to be
happy, but I know you’re not. You’re still grieving, and I don’t want you to be
anything you’re not around me.”

He walked toward her until
they were standing toe to toe. She tilted her head to look at his face. “You’re
lovely did you know that?”

Her blue eyes widened in
surprise, and she shook her head. “No.” The blush across her face made him
grin.

“Well, you are.” He leaned
down and gave her a quick peck on her rosy lips.

She turned her face from him.
“I…this was nice, I think…” She ducked her head, pulled away and headed for the
door. Once there she stopped, turned back and stared at him. “Maybe we can do
that again sometime.” Her face grew bright red.

Colt nodded and watched as she
flew out the door and ran to the house. Heavy Duty snorted. “You are so right,
women are not meant to be understood. What is this ‘be myself’ stuff? I’m
always myself, aren’t I? I mean I’m me, so who else am I? Damn, Heavy Duty, now
I’m some sort of philosopher. Caleb was always the smart one.”

I wish you were here Caleb.
The pain in his heart grew,
instead of getting better, it was worse. Time was supposed to make it better
but whoever said that was a liar. He had moments where he could forget the
pain, but there was so much that reminded him of his brother that it all came
creeping back often.

He walked over to Buckskin’s
stall. Buckskin was Caleb’s horse. Colt smiled sadly remembering their
disagreement on the horse’s name. Caleb thought since the horse was buckskin
his name should be Buckskin. Colt told him that was no name for a horse, and
Caleb smiled at him with that cocky grin of his and told him that Colt wasn’t a
good name for a human.

He sighed as he patted
Buckskin’s neck. The horse whinnied. “I know I miss him too.” Perhaps the grief
would never leave him, he didn’t know.

Shady walked in wiping his
sweaty forehead with his shirtsleeve. “It’s starting to get a bit warm out
there. Hey, any idea what’s for dinner?”

“No idea. I’m just glad
Spring
is cooking again.”

“She sure is changeable don’t
you think?” Shady asked.

“Changeable?”

“Yeah, you know, moody. One
minute she can’t stand you, then she likes you, then she’s mad at you again. If
you want my advice I’d leave my socks on the floor if it makes her happy.”

Colt shook his head. “I might
take your advice. She told me to be myself. She doesn’t like the nice me, she
doesn’t like the ordering her around me. I don’t know what she wants.”

“Just treat her like you treat
us.”

Colt cocked his head to one
side. “How do I treat you?”

“You tell us what to do but
that’s because we work for you, but so does she. Mostly we kid around with each
other, we have each other’s back, and we don’t tip toe around each other in
fear of hurting feelings. Treat her like one of the guys, which will probably
make her happy.”

“When did you get to be so
smart?”

Shady smiled. “I’ve always
been smart but my mama told me to never act smarter than my boss.”

Colt chuckled. “Your mama was
a very wise woman.” He slapped Shady on the back as he passed him. He stepped
outside, took a deep breath and shrugged his shoulders. Shady actually made
sense for a change, go figure.

* * * *

Spring’s hands wouldn’t stop
shaking. She’d been kissed before, but she never cared for it much. She touched
her lips and smiled. Colt made her feel special somehow. It was a brief little
kiss but still—

The door opened, and she felt
her face heat when Colt walked inside. She put on her best smile for him, but
he didn’t smile back. He glanced at her, giving her a brief nod, and without a
word, he went to his room.

Crestfallen, she stared at the
closed door and swallowed hard. Did he regret kissing her? Once a fool always a
fool, she should have known better than to start weaving dreams together. The
pain of rejection stung, and she wished she knew what was going on. He was the
one who kissed her, but she was the one to stop. A sudden coldness settled over
her, rejection was the one thing she knew all about. Her whole life had been
one rejection after another, but she had to buck up. She had to be made of
sterner stuff.

Colt’s ranch seemed different
to her but the world was the same no matter where you went, and she didn’t have
the power to change it. Sighing, she went back to cooking dinner. She was
fortunate to have a job and a place to lay her head. No one ever claimed she’d
have love or romance. Colt couldn’t be blamed for not being attracted to her.
Billy had told her often enough that she wasn’t anything special. Yet for a
moment in the barn, she had been special.

What would Caleb have thought
of the whole situation? Peacefulness came to her. He would have been happy she
was finally done lying to herself about Billy and keeping company with Colt.
His easy laughter was missed, as was his gentle, caring nature. No more running
away like a spoiled child, she would work for a roof over her head and be
grateful.

Dinner was finally ready, and
Spring
was doubly happy Bibbs and Shady ate with them. They
carried the whole conversation. Colt seemed lost in thought, and he was adept
at avoiding her probing stare. Her heart squeezed the whole time but she sat
straight and tall with her shoulders back. There was no way she was going to
show her feelings now. It wouldn’t change anything.

Bibbs and Shady both escaped
as soon as the meal was done. In fact, they practically ran out of the house,
and she couldn’t blame them. The tension in the air was thick.

Colt stood and picked up his
coffee mug. “I’m going to hit the hay, goodnight.” He walked away without
looking at her. Right before he went into his room, he turned. “I’ll leave my
socks on the floor for you.”

Chapter Nine

Sitting on the front porch a
few days later,
Spring
grinned as she sipped her
coffee. No more guard dogs, but she had a feeling they were still keeping an
eye on her from somewhere, which was fine. There was still tension between her
and Colt, but it was easing. He didn’t look at her much anymore, and it stung,
but he was more like his old self and best of all, he treated her like a normal
person, not like a baby bird who had yet to fly.

There might not be long
glances between them, but she still looked her full. Colt was a fine specimen
of maleness. She’d laughed when he referred to Billy as The Lug. In comparison,
that was a good name for him. Colt was all muscle, and the slightest things
were making her stomach flutter. If he rolled up his sleeves and exposed the
dark hair on his strong arms, the fluttering started, and she had no control
over it. If he hadn’t shaved, if his hair was wet, if he bent over... She had
to stop thinking about him.

Hyperawareness, that’s what it
was and surely it would fade eventually. She shook her head, sooner would be better.

As promised, he left his socks
on the floor. He understood what she’d been trying to say about being himself.

“Lost in thought?” Colt took
her by surprise.

Her face warmed, and she
glanced at him briefly. “Something
like
that.” She
pretended to find her coffee fascinating, averting her gaze.