A Son For The Cowboy. Sasha Summers

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СКАЧАТЬ bedroom, watching movies or playing video games or something.” He shrugged. “When will Cheeto get here?”

      Neither one of them liked to be parted from their horses long. “Mitchell’s bringing them up tomorrow,” she reminded him.

      Rowdy sighed. “He’s probably missing me.”

      “I know he is.” Her son loved his pony. And his pony loved him right back. He followed Rowdy all over, more like a dog than the sturdy spotted pony he was. “You got a minute?” she asked.

      He nodded. “Shoot.”

      She smiled. “Well, I’m not sure how to tell you this. So I’m just gonna say it, okay?”

      “You and Mitchell are getting married?” he asked, a slight frown on his face.

      “What? Why would you think that?”

      “You were gonna marry him. Dot says he still wants to marry you,” he said. “Real bad. That’s why he’s always around.”

      “And he knows I don’t want to get married. Ever. To anyone. He’s my best friend, that’s all.” She waited.

      “I feel bad for him, Ma.” Rowdy stared up at her.

      “Oh, well, if you feel bad for him, then I’ll marry him,” she teased.

      Rowdy laughed. “I don’t want you to marry him. I like him but...”

      Exactly. She liked him, valued his friendship, but there was no spark there. She and Mitchell had tried, hoping their friendship could grow into something more. But his proposal had been prompted by her pregnancy and Mitchell’s goodness. His wife had just left him, and he’d been devastated and grieving. And Poppy had needed help. They’d realized it was a mistake a few months later. But instead of losing a fiancé, she’d gained a best friend—one who told it like it was, one she could call if she needed help or share a beer with at the end of a long day. He’d been a fixture since before Rowdy was born. As her friend, nothing more.

      She sank onto the corner of his bed, putting thoughts of Mitchell aside. She took a deep breath, smiled and said, “No, what I want to talk about has nothing to do with Mitchell.”

      “Okay,” he said, sitting beside her.

      “I’ve told you a little about your dad,” she said, her throat constricting.

      “Toben Boone.” He smiled up at her.

      “Well...” She tucked one of his curls behind his ear. She couldn’t say it... The words stuck in her throat.

      “He okay?” Rowdy asked, his brown eyes going wide with concern. “Something happen to him?”

      “No, no.” She shook her head. “He’s here.”

      Rowdy jumped up. “Here? In Stonewall Crossing? Is that why we moved here?”

      “I didn’t know he was here. I lost track of him a while back.” Because she’d stopped looking for him, stopped hoping he’d change his mind and want to meet his son.

      “Does he know I’m here? Have you talked to him?” Rowdy was so excited he was practically bouncing.

      “I have. And so have you,” she said. “The man today with the pastries. That was him.”

      Rowdy stared at her. His smile faded, the energy seeming to slowly drain from his body. “Why didn’t he say anything to me?” His shoulders slumped.

      She reached for him and pulled him close before continuing. “Toben said he didn’t know about you, Rowdy.”

      Rowdy was rigid in her arms. “You told him.”

      “I did,” she agreed.

      “So he’s lying?”

      “I’m not sure,” she said, continuing to hug him. “I don’t know what happened. But he does want to meet you.”

      Rowdy stepped out of her arms and looked at her, the excitement returning to his eyes. “He does?”

      She nodded, her stomach knotting.

      “When?”

      “What do you think about having him over?” she asked.

      Rowdy glanced across the hall at the closed bedroom door. “But Dot. And Otis.” He wrinkled his nose. “I want him to like me.”

      “Of course he will like you, Rowdy.” She tried to smile, tried to sound optimistic instead of terrified. “If your cousins are underfoot, it’ll be that much more obvious that you’re awesome.”

      Rowdy laughed.

      “What do you think?” she asked.

      Rowdy shrugged. “Okay.”

      “Okay,” she said, taking Toben’s card from her pocket. “He wanted me to call him when I’d talked to you. Today.”

      Rowdy smiled. “I’m glad he wants to meet me. I’ve got lots to tell him.”

      Poppy swallowed, fighting back tears. “You do.” She stood, eager to put some distance between them. She didn’t like upsetting Rowdy or getting too emotional in front of him. He was a kid, and while she believed in full disclosure, she was very aware of how things were presented. Rowdy would grow up soon enough, without her putting adult worries on his shoulders. “Need anything?” she asked.

      He shrugged. “When’s school start?” he asked.

      “It’s only June,” she answered. Rowdy loved school. “You’ll have to suffer through a few more weeks of freedom with me.”

      He nodded. “Got time to get Cheeto settled,” he said, opening a box. “And paint the wall orange.” He shot her a grin.

      Poppy chuckled and left him, the wooden floor of the hallway creaking loudly. She stopped walking; the squeaking stopped. The floors might take top priority. She took Toben’s card into her bedroom and lay on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. She could do this. She didn’t need to worry—Toben just wanted to meet his son. Something he had every right to do. Something she’d wanted for Rowdy in the beginning. Back then she’d hoped Rowdy would tame Toben Boone—show him it was time to grow up and why. But now she knew even less about the man than before. And this man, this stranger, wanted to spend time with her son.

      * * *

      TOBEN CHECKED HIS phone again. Still nothing. It was almost six. She hadn’t called.

      “What’s eating you?” his cousin Deacon asked, swinging the saddle back onto the rack. “You planning to help or are you going to keep standing there staring at your damn phone?”

      Toben tucked the phone into his pocket and focused on the task at hand. Once the saddles were stowed, they brushed the horses down, removing any thorns or stickers from their coats and tails. Toben ran his hand down the back of the dapple-gray horse’s left СКАЧАТЬ