Page 16 of Want You Back (Second Chance Ranch #1)
Chapter 16
Colt
The day of the trail ride dawned clear and sunny, and in a perfect world, I’d already be at the trailhead parking lot meetup spot.
“Did you sign off on those supply orders?” Dolores asked. In addition to serving as our weekend dispatcher, she provided general office support and did a fine job of keeping me on my toes. “And what about the Mercer case? Did you return that task force call?”
“Done and done.” I tried for a patient tone, but in reality, I’d only stopped by the station to finalize a few details. I’d hoped for a quick stop on the sleepy July Saturday morning, but I should have known better. “I’m only going to be gone forty-eight hours.”
“And you deserve the break, but our line of work doesn’t recognize vacation days.” Dolores had served under four sheriffs, including my father, and she ran a tight ship. Given how thin our force was spread, we needed support staff like her, but I could do without the subtle lecture. I kept my PTO to a bare minimum, but as a single dad, I undoubtedly used more than my predecessor. Warming to her topic, Dolores leaned forward on her desk. “The county keeps growing, and our job keeps getting harder.”
“I know, and I wish we could add a few more deputies, but it is what it is.” I kept my tone pragmatic, not wanting to get into a deep discussion about lobbying the county for more funding.
“Speaking of deputies, you think that brother of yours might join us after he’s done with the military?” Dolores had a soft spot for one of my younger brothers, having had two sons of her own serve.
“Maybe. He doesn’t talk to me much, but I know our mom wants him back in Lovelorn for good.” I’d been so focused on keeping the family together when Carson, Kane, and my sisters were younger that I had taken on more of a parental role than brother or friend, and as a result, I was the one they called in a pinch, but never simply to chat.
Once I finished my conversation with Dolores and was in my truck, my stack of phone messages underscored my utility to the family. I worked my way through various requests before hightailing it to my mom’s house, where Willow was waiting, backpack, sleeping bag, and scowl at the ready.
“Hey, honey, ready to go?” I asked, hoping to smooth over my tardiness.
“Colt!” Mom came out onto her wide porch, holding a box of lightbulbs. “I was hoping you’d have a minute to help me with the porch lightbulb.”
“Sure thing.” The last thing we needed was her on a ladder, which was exactly what would happen if I said no. I’d simply have to be fast.
“Dad,” Willow groaned. “We’re going to be late.”
“This will only take a second.” I fetched the small ladder from the side of the house.
“I don’t know why you had to go to work on a Saturday anyway.” Willow was in a rare complaining mood, not that I blamed her. She’d looked forward to this trail ride trip for weeks now, more so now that Hannah and Maverick would be joining us.
“I needed to make sure the office was set in case something comes up while I’m out of contact.” I took the box of lightbulbs from Mom and readied the ladder under the porch light.
“Hannah texted that she and Maverick were already loading the horses.” Willow’s tone continued to be sharp. Earlier in the week, we’d worked out that Maverick would bring all four horses in a trailer from the ranch, a scheme I was skeptical about, but lacking my own trailer, I hadn’t had many options.
“Hope that went well,” I said mildly as I climbed the ladder to remove the dead bulb.
“Hannah’s gonna be a great rider.” Willow’s defiant voice dared me to disagree. “Maybe she and I will be like Mom and Kat, competing together.”
“Maybe.” My lower back tensed. I loved that Willow finally had the friend she’d longed for and hated that she was likely courting heartache. “Don’t get too set on that idea though. We don’t know how long Hannah is staying.”
“Yeah.” Willow’s slim shoulders slumped.
“Okay. Done.” I screwed in the new lightbulb and quickly scrambled down from the ladder. “Now we can head out.”
“Finally.” Willow gave me an epic eye roll as she climbed up in my truck, stowing her stuff next to mine in the back seat.
I had to push the speed limit, but we made it to the meeting spot at two minutes past ten, right as others were milling about, getting saddled up and ready to go. Seeing as the ranch was sponsoring the ride, Gray had spared a few hands to help with organizing and driving the chuck wagon, and I nodded hello to those I knew as I exited the truck.
“See?” I grinned hopefully at Willow. “Not late.”
“I see Hannah!” Apparently over being grumpy, Willow raced away from the truck toward a Lovelorn Ranch truck hauling a large four-horse trailer. As I followed Willow, I admired Maverick’s parking job, lining up the trailer with the row of others hauling horses. Maverick emerged from the driver’s side of the truck in faded jeans, a plaid shirt over a T-shirt, and an actual cowboy hat, borrowed, no doubt.
“You’re looking mighty cowboy.” I looked him up and down as I kept my voice light. I wouldn’t know flirty if it smacked me in the face, but I wanted to keep to easy teasing, no innuendo. “Thanks for bringing the horses.”
“No problem.” Maverick grinned at me. “And I’m not too proud to admit Kat helped me load the horses, and I practiced driving with the trailer the past two days. Been a while since I hauled anything.”
“You gonna be good to ride?” I followed him around to the back of the trailer. I was impressed that he’d taken the ride so seriously. For someone who wanted the hell out of Lovelorn, he was putting in the effort as an uncle, at least.
“Muscle memory. Been practicing that too.” He unlocked the trailer, pausing to look back at me. “I was surprised to hear you requested Firecracker for your ride. He seems feisty. And huge.”
“Maybe I like a challenge.” Crap. Did that sound suggestive? Judging by the blush sweeping up Maverick’s neck, I’d probably wandered into flirty waters, so I backed the hell out. “Also, I’m not a skinny teenager anymore. Takes a stronger horse to haul me around.”
“You’ve definitely added muscle.” Maverick gave me an appreciative glance that made me feel better about my dad-bod but also made my skin prickle.
I gave an uncomfortable cough, moving to help him lead the horses out of the trailer. Change in subject time. “Hannah seems confident. Has she been practicing too?”
“Every chance she gets.” Maverick’s smile turned proud. “I think it’s good for her, especially since Faith is so…sporadic.”
“Busy trying to get out from under the will?” I had a certain amount of sympathy for Faith as we’d both been thrust into early adulthood via the death of a parent, but Faith also had a shrewdly calculating side I’d never cared for.
“That and busy pickling her liver.” Maverick sighed heavily as he led Adzuki out of the trailer after I’d secured Firecracker. “Sorry. You don’t want to hear my family drama.”
“No, it’s okay.” Reassuring Maverick was as natural as ever, and I wasn’t lying. I did want to hear. “We’re…”
I trailed off from the sentence I’d uttered a hundred times before.
“Friends?” Maverick’s voice was more tentative than usual. “Think we could try?”
Our gazes met over the back of the horse, something warm and potent passing between us. We’d been friends before and it ended terribly. Friends now seemed risky as all get out, but I’d never been able to deny those pleading blue eyes.
“Maybe,” I allowed. What other choice did I have? Declare us enemies right before we headed off into the backcountry? “I’ve heard worse ideas. And I feel you on the family drama. Sibling stuff never ends.”
“Yours too?” Maverick followed me back to the trailer to retrieve the girls’ horses.
I opened my mouth, intending the same short reply I’d give anyone else, but instead, I found myself spewing all my earlier frustrations and worries from dealing with my text messages to Mom.
“My mom keeps trying to do too much, so there’s that. Then Tiffany wants to have another kid, which means needing help adding a room to their place. Stephanie’s going back to school for a master’s, and Mom’s worried about how she’ll make ends meet. Carson’s deployed, so there’s that concern, along with what he’ll do in a couple of years when his twenty is up. Kane’s raising hell, as always. Rumors say he’s got multiple baby mamas spread out over three counties. He could probably drink Faith under the table, but good luck lecturing him on sobriety.”
“Wow. That’s a lot.” Maverick regarded me with wide eyes. “And you’re the sheriff. Your days never end, do they?”
“Nope.” I shook my head, another moment of understanding passing between us. Damn. I’d missed having a friend like this, someone I could open up to, share the family crap that plagued us both without judgment or a lecture. I’d always appreciated that despite being a born problem solver, Maverick had never tried to solve my issues for me. He was a good listener, and that was probably a big part of why he’d been so successful at turning hotels around.
“Dad!” Willow came rushing up, Hannah close behind her. “Hannah and I had the best idea!”
“What’s that?” I asked with the sort of wariness that came with a dozen years of parenting experience.
“We want to swap tents so we can share, and then you can share with Maverick instead.”
“Sounds good to me.” Maverick spoke first.
Lies. Being trapped in a small tent with my former best friend and first love sounded like a recipe for disaster, but who was I to deny the girls their fun?
“Fine.” I nodded sharply. “Let’s get to camp in one piece first.”
I wasn’t looking forward to nightfall in the slightest. At best, I hoped the trail ride exhausted us all, replaced the thrum rushing through me with something calmer. Friends. We were friends again, but that was all it could ever be.