Page 59 of Rancher's Return

The question was, how big of a risk was she willing to take to have it all?

The last thing Buck expected to see when they tumbled down the stairs the next morning to get coffee was Lily and Colton sitting there at the breakfast table, looking like two disapproving parents.

Marigold stepped behind him, holding her robe closed, and he felt like clutching his own nonexistent pearls at the fact that they had been caught by their children.

“Good morning,” Lily said, looking sideways at Colton.

Colton took a sip of the coffee, looking at Buck disapprovingly. “You didn’t come home last night,” he said.

“No,” Buck said. “But I told Marcus to let you guys know something came up.”

“You did,” Colton said. “You weren’t honest about where you were. You said you had to go to Grandma and Grandpa’s. Is this Grandma and Grandpa’s, Buck?”

“It isn’t,” Buck said, giving his son the most deadpan stare he could manage.

“I didn’t think so. It’s very disappointing behavior.”

“Well, very sorry for disappointing you.”

“We just want to know that you’re being safe,” Lily said.

Marigold sputtered. “Excuse me?”

“Emotions can run high in these situations, and it’s very important to know that you’re making good choices. Your health and safety is very important. As is your future. Mom, you’re about to start a business, and given that, you know it’s not a good time for you to have a baby.”

“A baby!” Marigold looked like she was going to faint away.

“Well, accidents happen,” Lily said.

“And on that topic,” Colton said. “Buck, anybody could see your truck was parked in the driveway all night. You know how the neighbors will talk. And it is much more difficult for the women in these situations than for the men. People are very judgmental.”

“All right,” Buck said. “That’s it. Enough.”

“Don’t take that tone with me,” Colton said. “Sorry,” he said, “it was for the bit.”

“Well the bit isdone,”Buck said.

“You just should’ve told us,” Lily said. “Instead, we had to figure it out by watching the two of you at the dance last night.”

“Which anyone could have done,” Colton said. “Because you were putting on a performance for our entire school. How do you think we feel about that?”

Marigold pushed forward. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to...”

“Don’t worry about it, Mom,” Lily said. “I’m not mad. I just wish you would’ve told me.”

“I thought it was too complicated.”

“There’s no complication,” Colton said. “We broke up.”

“What?”

“Yeah,” he said, shrugging his shoulder. “A while ago. We’re just friends now. And we’re going to college at the end of the school year. It’s not that deep.”

Buck stared at his son. He didn’t think Colton was being honest at all. There was a strange kind of detached way he was talking that Buck recognized a bit too clearly from when he had first met Colton at the ranch.

It was the way he responded to trauma. And Buck didn’t like that at all.

“What we wanted to say,” Lily added, “is that there’s no reason you two can’t...do your thing. Date. Whatever this is. You’re adults. And yes, we wanted to give you a hard time, since you gave us a hard time too. But whatever reason you have for hiding it... You just don’t need to anymore.”