Читать книгу Her Colorado Cowboy - Mindy Obenhaus - Страница 15

Clouds dotted the sky as Lily passed under the arched metal sign that read Abundant Blessings Ranch late the next morning. She could hardly wait to hear about Colton’s experience. Lord willing, three hours of mucking out stalls would teach him a lesson.

A shudder ran through her as she approached the stable, though this time it had nothing to do with equines. Hands tightening around the leather-wrapped steering wheel, she stared straight ahead. Colton was becoming so much like his father it was scary. The lies, the bullying, now stealing...

God, please help me to train my son up in the way he should go.

Something that wasn’t always easy for a single parent. Especially when the other parent didn’t share your faith. Not that Wade ever spent any time with his kids. Even during their visitation, they were often left in someone else’s care. Because Wade didn’t care about anything but himself and having a good time.

Unfortunately, it was Colton who suffered the most. Like most young boys, he wanted his father’s approval. And, apparently, he thought that behaving like him was a means of getting it.

Only one of many reasons she’d wanted to get the kids away from the city. And while they usually took an extended summer trip, this year she hadn’t wanted to go somewhere exotic or to some exclusive resort. That was Wade’s style, not hers. She wanted something simpler. Something meaningful.

Okay, so it hadn’t even been a week since they arrived in Ouray. Still, she’d never expected things could actually get worse.

By the time she and Piper stepped out of their SUV, Lily had determined that there would be no TV, handheld devices or computers of any kind for Colton for at least a week. And if he pulled another stunt, or she caught him lying, his sentence would be even longer.

That should provide the perfect opportunity for plenty more Jeep rides and family hikes. Maybe the kids would enjoy exploring some of the old mining towns that dotted the area. Anything that didn’t involve horses was fine by her.

Inside the stable, she spotted her son midway down the wide corridor, standing on the bottom rung of the pipe fencing that surrounded the practice arena in the center of the building. His arms were draped over the top of the fence as he watched something or someone inside the arena. Whatever it was had certainly captured his interest, because not only had he not noticed her or his sister, he was completely engrossed. Something Lily had rarely witnessed outside of his video games.

Evidently noticing her brother, Piper let go of Lily’s hand and ran ahead of her, sending dust flying from her sneakers. “Colton!”

He looked their way and, to Lily’s surprise, actually smiled. He hopped down off the fence. “Mom, you wouldn’t believe all the horses Noah has.”

Funny, if Piper had made that same remark he would have belittled her the way he had yesterday when she pointed out the horseshoe.

“Wanna see them?”

That would be the last thing she wanted to do on such a beautiful day. Or any other day, for that matter. Still, she was happy to see him so animated.

“He’s even got one that can do tricks.”

“Oh.” Piper’s eyes widened. “I wanna see the horse that does tricks.”

“And look at that, Mom.” Colton pointed into the arena, where Noah was standing beside a young man on horseback.

“What are they doing?”

Her son’s gaze never left the horse. “Noah’s teaching him how to rope.”

“What does that mean?” Piper poked her head between the rungs for a better view.

“Just watch,” said Colton.

Noah stepped away from the boy then. “Go!”

Suddenly, on the other side of the dirt-covered ring, an all-terrain vehicle sprang to life, driven by another cowboy, pulling something that looked like a small cow with horns, except with a wheel at the front. As it moved around the ring, the hind legs bobbed as though it were running.

Behind that, the horse and rider took off, the rider swinging a rope in one hand. As they approached the makeshift cow, the rider sent the rope flying.

“He did it!” Colton thrust a fist into the air as the rope fell around the horns. He looked at Lily, his smile wide. “That guy’s been practicing all morning. He finally got it.”

She loved teachable moments like this. “Like they say, practice makes perfect. If you want something, you have to be willing to work for it.”

He looked toward the rider, who was getting ready to go again. “He’s sure been working, all right.”

“And all that hard work paid off.” She draped an arm around her son’s shoulder. “How did things go today?”

“Good.”

That was vague.

Just then, she saw Noah coming across the arena, looking all cowboy and sending a wave of unease rippling through her. She hoped Colton had done the work he was assigned. But what if he hadn’t or if he had been a problem?

“Hello again,” Noah said.

“Hello.” Lily watched as he deftly climbed the fence, swinging one long leg over, then the other, as though he’d done it a million times before. Next thing she knew, he was beside them.

“You’ll be happy to know that Colton did a real good job. Did everything I asked him to, didn’t argue much.”

Her son’s head shot up. “I didn’t argue. Did I?”

The man grinned. “No, you didn’t. I just wanted to see if you were paying attention.”

Colton relaxed then. “Good. ’Cause I can’t wait to come back.”

Lily’s smile faded, her stomach muscles tightening. “Come back? You mean you want to go riding again?”

“Yeah, kinda. But what I really want is to learn to rope. With Noah.”

“Oh.” Uncertain how she felt about that, Lily’s gaze drifted to the cowboy.

His dark eyes held an air of guilt. Had he been planting ideas in her son’s head? “In addition to trail rides, we also offer riding and rodeo lessons.”

She felt her own eyes widen. “Rodeo?” The last thing she wanted was to see her son bucked off some unruly bull or equine the way she had been all those years ago.

“Well, that’s kind of an overarching term. Roping is only one part of rodeo. One that starts with learning how to use the rope correctly. It takes patience and discipline, but if he’s persistent...”

“I’m sure I can learn.”

Had she ever seen her son this enthusiastic about anything? Especially something that involved work? While she didn’t relish the idea of spending so much time with a bunch of horses, patience and discipline were things Colton desperately needed to learn. Perhaps this sort of training—any training—could be good for him. Give him something to focus on besides himself.

Tucking her fear aside, Lily addressed Noah. “How much do the lessons cost?”

He tipped his cowboy hat back with a smile. “They won’t cost you a thing.”

She bristled. “Nothing is ever free, Mr. Stephens.” In her experience, people always expected something.

“I said it wouldn’t cost you anything.”

She eyed him curiously, waiting for him to explain.

“Colton tells me you’re in Ouray for the summer.”

“That’s correct.”

“Well, he’s the one who wants lessons.” He turned his attention to her son. “And we could use another hand around here. What if we worked out a trade? You muck out the stalls three days a week in exchange for three days of lessons.”

The elation on her son’s face only added to her dilemma. “Can I, Mom? Please?”

She studied the rafters overhead, uncertain how to respond. If she said no, she’d be the bad guy. But while she liked the idea of Colton working and appreciated his excitement, she was still skeptical. And not only about the horses.

Her gaze shifted to Noah. Why was this long, tall cowboy being so nice after Colton stole from him? Was he simply trying to get some free labor or did he genuinely want to help her son?

No matter which way she looked at it, she couldn’t help wondering what this arrangement might cost her in the long run.

* * *

“That’s good, Colton, but you need to twist your wrist like this.” Standing alongside the boy in the arena the next morning, Noah demonstrated. “Which also turns the rope so it will lie properly as you’re coiling it.”

“Like this?” The boy ran a gloved hand down the length he held, then twisted his wrist outward the way Noah had.

“Now you’re getting it.” Noah’s gaze inadvertently veered toward the aluminum bleachers outside the arena where Lily and Piper had been throughout Colton’s lesson. Why had Lily been so cynical when he offered to teach Colton in exchange for some work? As if he was trying to take advantage of them. Wasn’t his word good enough?

The kid looked up at him. “It feels kinda weird.”

He again gave the boy his full attention. Or at least tried to. He sure hoped Colton’s mother wasn’t planning to be there for all of his lessons. Given her fear of horses, though, Noah had a feeling she’d be front and center for each and every one.

“At first, yes. But as you practice, it’ll become second nature.”

Colton tossed out his rope again, and a few moments later, he had it perfectly coiled. “Look, I did it.” He held it up. “It looks just like yours.”

His enthusiasm warmed Noah’s heart. This was what he loved about teaching kids. Sharing in their sense of accomplishment.

“Remember what I said yesterday about practice, patience and persistence?”

“Yeah.”

Noah lifted a brow, careful not to look too stern. “How about we say ‘yes, sir’?”

A hint of pink crept into the kid’s cheeks. “Yes, sir.”

Noah smiled then. “You exercised both patience and persistence as you practiced coiling that rope until you finally got it right.”

The kid was quiet for a moment. “Can I keep practicing?”

“Not only can you, you have to.” Noah tossed his rope out. “The more you practice—” he began to reel it in “—the more used to it you become.” He held up his freshly coiled rope.

“Awesome.” Colton practically beamed as he made another attempt.

Noah, however, found his thoughts preoccupied once again by the boy’s mother. Why did it chafe him so that Lily had questioned his integrity?

He glanced from Colton to Lily to one of the hands who was tending to the horses. Because in his world, integrity was everything. A man without honor was nothing but a coward in his book. And for some strange reason, he wanted Lily and her children to see him as honorable.

He shook his head. Ridiculous. Why should he care what they thought? They were strangers. Which made his reaction even more preposterous.

“How come I’m not on a horse?”

He jerked his gaze back to Colton, annoyed that he’d allowed himself to be distracted. “There are two parts to roping. Rope handling and horsemanship. You have to learn both, though we won’t put the two together for a while yet. We’ll work with a horse during your next lesson.”

“Next lesson? You mean we’re done already?”

“We’ve been working for almost two hours.” And Lily had been watching them from the second row the entire time.

Colton’s eyes widened. “Really?”

“Time flies when you’re having fun.”

“Yea—Yes, sir.”

Noah ruffled the kid’s sandy brown hair. “Good boy.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his father take a seat beside Lily.

She smiled as they talked, making Noah uneasy. What were they discussing? Colton? The weather? After Dad’s little talk the other day, not to mention his comment about Lily being pretty, there was no telling what the old man was apt to say.

Noah cringed at the possibilities.

“Okay, Colton, how about we plan to meet again Monday morning?”

“Aww, but I’m just getting good.”

“All right then, you can keep practicing while I go talk to your mother.” Because the more he saw Lily laugh, the more he wanted to know what she and his father were discussing.

A few minutes later, he hopped the fence to join the three of them. “What’s going on?”

Hands clasped, forearms on his thighs, his father looked up at him. “Lily here was just telling me that she plans a lot of charity events back in Denver.”

“That’s nice.” He glanced at Lily. Dressed in jeans and riding boots with a navy blazer over a white T-shirt, she looked ready for English riding. Something she wasn’t likely to find at Abundant Blessings Ranch.

“Big events.” Dad’s dark brown eyes glinted with pleasure. “Like grand openings.”

Noah glared at his father, knowing good and well what he was up to. He wanted Lily to help them. Well, Noah wasn’t biting.

“Mommy gave me the best princess birthday party ever.” Piper moved behind her mother, snaking her arms around Lily’s shoulders.

“I see.” Birthday parties. Kids’ parties, at that. Not exactly the kind of event he had in mind.

“She also hosted Denver’s Oil Baron’s Ball,” said Dad.

Noah lifted his hat to scratch his head. Okay, so that was a little higher up the scale. Still, that didn’t mean Lily should help him.

Straightening, his father twisted to give Lily his full attention. “Did you know that Noah is in the process of expanding our little riding school?”

She peered up at Noah. “I heard mention of rodeo lessons.”

Noah cleared his throat. “Actually, we’re expanding to a year-round rodeo school.” He shifted from one foot to the next. “The new arena is still under construction, but it should be ready sometime in August.”

“Is that the building going up next door?” She pointed in the general vicinity.

“Sure is,” Dad answered before Noah even had a chance. “The grand opening is set for Labor Day weekend to coincide with the annual rodeo in Ridgway. Problem is that Noah doesn’t have any time to promote or plan the event.” He shrugged. “Not that he really knows much about that sort of thing.”

Noah shook his head. He knew the old man was trying to help, that he wanted the rodeo school to succeed every bit as much as Noah did, but sometimes he just didn’t know when to shut up.

“Dad, I—”

“Mom could help you. She knows all about planning stuff.”

Noah jerked his head to discover Colton standing beside him. “I thought you were practicing.”

The boy lowered his gaze. “It wasn’t as fun without you.”

Noah’s heart swelled, though he quickly tamped it down. “Your mom is on vacation, Colton.”

“I know, but she always says parties and stuff aren’t really work.” He looked at Lily. “Right, Mom?”

The poor woman seemed to be at a loss for words. She was no more interested in giving Noah her help than he was in receiving it. Yet while he’d come to accept that he did, indeed, need some sort of help, he’d prefer to hire someone local. Someone familiar with rodeo. Not a city girl who was afraid of horses.

He set a hand on Colton’s shoulder. “Colton, that’s not fair to your mom. You all are here because she wants to spend time with you and Piper, not some grungy old cowboys.”

“That’s okay,” chimed Piper. “We can help, too.”

“Yeah,” said Colton. “We’ll still be together.”

Dad stood then. “I’m afraid Noah’s right, kids. It’s not fair to volunteer your mother like that.”

Noah’s brow lifted. Dad was the one who started this whole discussion.

“Thank you for understanding.” Lily reached for Colton’s hand. “This summer is all about my kids.”

“As it should be.” Ignoring the unexpected wave of disappointment that came over him, he studied the woman laughing with her children. Lily might know how to put on a good party, but she was the wrong candidate for this job.