Colton: Rodeo Cowboy. C.J. Carmichael

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      The morning sun was bathing the ranch in gold as Colt made his way to Midnight’s stud quarters. Colt was on the road a lot, but usually that only made him appreciate his home all the more when he returned. Late spring was a beautiful time of year with the trees in full leaf, and the grass thick and green. Colt inhaled deeply. Nothing finer than the pure air that blew off the Bull Mountains. He knew he was damn lucky to call Montana home.

      If only he could find the inner peace to match his surroundings…

      He found Midnight at the far end of his paddock, nuzzling his favorite mare, Fancy Gal. They sure made an odd-looking couple—the pregnant dun mare and the majestic black stallion. Come next spring, it was going to be interesting to see what their foal looked like.

      Colt climbed over the fence and paused to see how Midnight would react. The stallion shook his mane and pranced backward a few steps. Colt had to admit that all of Ace’s doctoring was paying off. The stallion’s coat was glossy and thick, and he’d lost that wild look that spoke of the abuse he’d suffered at the hands of the damned foreman who’d been hired by Midnight’s previous owners.

      “Hey, boy. How’s it going?” Colt moved slowly toward the horse. He supposed Midnight was on break from his stud duties while Ace was on his honeymoon. “Feel like stretching out those long legs of yours today?”

      Midnight jerked his head upright as Colt approached, and laid his ears back.

      “It’s okay, boy. No one’s going to hurt you here on Thunder Ranch. You’ve figured that out by now, haven’t you?” From the pocket of his denim jacket, he pulled out one of Angie Barrington’s special horse cookies. Along with carrots they were Midnight’s favorite treat.

      Cautiously Midnight accepted the goody, then backed right off again.

      “You miss Gracie, don’t you, boy? Well, don’t worry. I’m not going to hurt you.” He kept talking as he moved closer, angling the horse toward the gate that led to the dirt-packed, round arena they used for exercising and training young horses.

      Midnight was no fool. He knew where Colt wanted him to go. Yet he resisted. Why? Colt wondered. He studied the horse’s dark eyes, trying to understand what was going on in his head.

      Eventually Colt coaxed the stallion into the arena where he used hand gestures and encouraging words to get Midnight to run laps around the perimeter of the fence. A few times Midnight seemed to get into it, but then he would fall back and give Colt a resigned look as if to say, This is it? This is the most excitement you can give me?

      “Not too enthusiastic, is he?”

      Colt started at the sound of his mother’s voice. He turned around and saw her leaning against the fence, one booted foot on the lower rung. She was wearing an old corduroy coat she’d owned for ages and her cheeks were ruddy from the cool morning air.

      “Sorry about yesterday, Mom.”

      “It’s Ace and Flynn you need to apologize to.”

      “I will. As soon as they’re back from their honeymoon.” He glanced back at Midnight, who had stopped running and was nibbling at the grass growing at the edge of the fence. “Has anyone tried riding him yet?”

      His mother looked amused. “That horse was born to buck. I don’t think anyone would dare.”

      “Well, maybe we should let him compete in rodeos again. He needs to get some exercise somehow. Loping around this arena just doesn’t cut it.”

      “That would be pretty risky, don’t you think? What if he was injured?”

      “You have a point,” Colt conceded. “Okay, boy.” He opened the gate to the pasture. “That’s enough for today.”

      Midnight didn’t need to be invited twice. He trotted quickly out of the arena and rejoined his mare.

      “By the way, son, was that a new truck I saw parked by your trailer?”

      “Yeah. I won the use of it this spring, but only picked it up on my way to Oregon. It handles like a dream. I’m thinking of buying out the lease when the year is up.”

      His mother said nothing to that. She never asked him what he did with his rodeo winnings and he never offered any information. But however you looked at it, the new truck was a luxury. One he could hardly afford. But he was thirty-two years old and lived in a trailer that was almost as old as he was.

      And that new truck was so damn sweet…

      “You’ll join Dinah and me for breakfast?” She dug her hands into the pockets of her jacket as she gave him a sideways glance. “And then to church, after?”

      “Sorry, Mom. There’s something else I need to do.” Leah was on his mind. He’d behaved badly yesterday. No changing the past. But there was one thing he could do today to prove that he wasn’t a total jerk.

      Chapter Three

      Leah spent the morning cleaning her new house. Her mother alternated between helping and playing with the kids in their new backyard. With the river so close by, Leah wouldn’t have rented the place if it hadn’t been securely fenced. As a bonus, the yard had a built-in sandbox and swing set and a paved patio that was perfect for Davey to ride his plastic tractor on.

      “The kitchen is sparkling,” Prue commented, as she grabbed a couple of juice boxes out of the fridge for the children. Earlier she’d helped Jill change into a pair of shorts and a T-shirt that matched. She was trying to wean her granddaughter from her penchant for wildly colorful, mismatched outfits. Leah wished her luck with that one.

      “Thanks, Mom. It does look good, doesn’t it?”

      “Have you tackled the basement yet?”

      Leah wrinkled her nose. “No. It’s too big of a project. We’ll just use the main floor for now.” It would be squishy, though, as she’d hoped to put a playroom for the kids, as well as her office, down there. But both she and her mother had noticed a foul odor this morning when they checked the place over.

      “Smells like mildew,” her mother had said. “I wish you’d told me you were thinking of renting this place. Houses this close to the river are prone to flooding.”

      Oh, great. Just what she needed to hear. Now Leah knew why the rent had been such a great deal. At some point she would have to talk to her landlord about ripping out the carpet and scrubbing and repainting the walls. But until then the kids could share a room, and she’d use the main-floor bedroom for her office. All the toys were just going to have to go in the living room.

      They’d get by.

      Leah tossed the rag she’d used to wash the floor into a pail by the door. “I think we’re ready to move in now. I’ll unload the boxes from the truck if you don’t mind staying with the kids.”

      “Actually, I think I should take them back to my place. Davey’s rubbing his eyes and there’s no place to put him down for his nap.”

      She gave her mom a hug. “That would be perfect, thanks. We’ll have to transfer their booster seats into your car.”

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