Page 19 of Want You Back (Second Chance Ranch #1)
Chapter 19
Maverick
In LA, people would pay thirty bucks a plate for the bacon, pancakes, and eggs the trail ride dished up. Further, unlike LA, there was nary a comment about calories or carbs as we cleaned up from breakfast.
“Are you really going to ride Firecracker?” Hannah asked, tone blatantly skeptical.
“Sure.” I kept my voice upbeat. I’d spent all of breakfast convincing Colt to trade with me, faking a confidence I certainly didn’t have where the large horse was concerned. However, I’d brave a lot of things to take care of Colt. “Colt’s hurt. Adzuki is lower to the ground and easier to handle.”
“Please don’t die.” Hannah let out a surprisingly dramatic wail.
“Hey.” I stooped so we were eye to eye. Perhaps she wasn’t as stoic as I’d assumed. She’d had an awful lot of change thrust at her this summer, not to mention the ongoing issues with Faith’s sporadic attempts at parenting. “I’m not going to die, okay? I’m going to be here for you. I promise.”
“Okay.” Hannah swallowed hard. When she was born, I celebrated the arrival of cute baby photos, but I hadn’t felt the weight of responsibility, not like this. I was going to be hard-pressed to let her return to Houston with Faith, especially if Faith didn’t get her drinking under control. I needed to be there for Hannah.
With those thoughts weighing me down, I approached Firecracker.
“Listen. I know you’re a badass.” I spoke to him in low tones as I saddled him, giving lots of soothing pats and touches. “Biggest horse in the barn. Stubborn. I get it. I’ve got an independent streak as well. But if you could cooperate with me for a few hours, I’d really appreciate it.”
Maybe it was silly to talk to a horse. I didn’t care. I needed all the assistance I could get. Last night’s kissing made me more determined to take care of Colt’s injury. Maybe I’d never be his forever, but I could damn sure try to be what he needed right now. I tried not to think about Dominic, the toxic cycle of our fighting and his cheating, and the inevitable divorce, but the truth was that I’d been busy with too many hotel-flipping projects and juggling the show. Dominic had cheated all on his own, but I couldn’t deny that I hadn’t been the best husband. I wasn’t quite ready for another long-term relationship, but Colt inspired a level of caretaking and concern I hadn’t had since the early days of my marriage.
“Ow.” Colt limped around Adzuki, looking in no shape to ride, but he mounted with a pained groan before I could renew my bid for him to ride in the wagon, let others worry about how to get the extra horse back.
Determined to show I was capable, I swung up—way up— into the saddle. So far, so good.
“You can have all the treats back at the ranch if you don’t throw me,” I promised softly.
“Looking good, cowboy.” Colt managed to joke despite the deep lines around his eyes and mouth. It didn’t matter how hard Firecracker was to handle. Colt would be the one hurting more at the end of the ride, and that perspective kept me from complaining even as Firecracker required far more from my hamstrings than the placid Adzuki had.
Halfway back to the trailhead, though, a surprising thing happened. I started to enjoy the ride. As a kid and teen, I’d always faced a string of critiques for my riding skills, but left to my own devices, it turned out I remembered far more than I’d realized, even with a difficult horse. Good job, Maverick. I heard the ghost of my mother’s voice, that rare approval for my cowboy skills. I knew better than to get cocky, but relaxing into the ride gave me fresh confidence, a continued high even as we ended the ride in the early afternoon.
“Should we help Willow and Colt tonight?” Hannah asked as she dismounted next to me. “I don’t think Willow can cook.”
“You have a good heart.” I’d already been musing over a similar plan. “Yes, we should help.”
“I don’t need help.” Colt was one of the last riders to arrive back at the parking lot and almost fell getting off Adzuki.
“Colt. You can barely drive. Thank God your truck looks like an automatic.” I steered him toward his truck, using the maneuver as an excuse to serve as his human crutch. “I already texted Kat. I’ll drop the horses off, then come over. Willow and Hannah can have the additional time together, and I’ll make sure you rest.”
“How do you intend to do that?” Colt was possibly more stubborn than Firecracker.
“I have ways.” Oops. That sounded a little too flirty, so I backpedaled. “Don’t make me take you to urgent care for X-rays so a doctor can be the one to order you to stay off your feet.”
“It’s just a sprain.” Colt glared at me. Thankfully, though, he listened and got in the truck. He grudgingly gave me his address before the girls and I loaded the horses. I did a quick hand-off to Kat at the ranch and switched to my car. Faith wasn’t back from Denver, so taking care of Colt was a good distraction for Hannah as well. We stopped for a bag of ice on the way to Colt’s place, which, not surprisingly, was on the same street as his mother’s small home.
His house was also on the smaller side, an older one-story ranch with a decent-sized fenced lot, but not the sort of room a horse might need. Enough acreage for a horse or two and a barn was at a premium around here. It said something about county payroll and the price of land when this modest home was all the sheriff could afford. Colt’s truck was parked next to his official county SUV, so I pulled in behind him.
“You came!” Willow rushed out of the house. “Dad’s trying to water the garden.”
“Of course he is.” Sighing heavily, I followed Willow and Hannah to the backyard, where Colt was hobbling around some raised beds with a hose in one hand and a rake for a crutch in the other.
“You need to sit down before you fall down.” I shot him my sternest glare.
“I don’t want our tomato plants to die.”
As sweet as Colt Jennings having pet tomato plants was, I couldn’t help my groan. “I’m more concerned about your foot.”
“How about some ice?” Voice bright, Hannah held up the bag of ice.
“You brought me ice?” Momentarily distracted, Colt allowed Willow and me to guide him into the house, entering his kitchen through the back door.
“I wasn’t sure what your freezer situation was,” I said as the girls rushed off to Willow’s room.
“Abysmal.” Colt collapsed onto a kitchen chair at the small table to the side of the cabinets. A whiteboard containing a lengthy to-do list, including watering the plants, sat in the center of the fridge door. I transferred some ice to a plastic bag and put the rest in the near-barren freezer.
“You can’t ice your foot while sitting.” I glanced at the living area beyond the kitchen and dining area. The living room featured two mismatched loveseats and a big TV. “Hmm. Both of those couches are too small for you to put your foot up. I’ll help you to your room.”
“Maverick…” Colt resisted my efforts to pull him back up to standing.
“I’m not going to jump your bones with the girls here.” I kept my voice to a whisper but added an eye roll. “Let me take care of you.”
“Fine.” Colt hoisted himself up and allowed me to assist him in hobbling down a short hall to the primary bedroom, which was in dire need of one of my makeovers. Gray sheets. Gray-and-white comforter. Beige walls. However, I was more concerned with getting Colt situated with his ankle iced and elevated than with the decor.
“There.” I stepped back from the bed. “You rest.”
“And what are you going to do?” He continued his bid for grumpiest patient ever.
“As much of your to-do list as I can.” I grinned confidently even as he bristled. I ignored his protests in favor of working my way through his list of small chores. Vacuum. Bathroom. Fix a wobbly door. Tighten a leaky faucet. Basic stuff that felt good to knock out for him.
At some point, Colt limped into his attached bathroom and showered before reluctantly resuming his rest on the bed in a pair of athletic shorts and a black sleeveless T-shirt. I’d noticed tattoos playing peekaboo with his T-shirt sleeves before, but this was the first time I could really see the ink. Willow’s name trailed across one bicep, while other tattoos featured more abstract Western motifs. As hot as he looked with ink, the tattoos were another reminder of the life he’d lived in the years we’d been apart. He’d grown up in so many ways.
“Hey, Uncle Maverick!” Hannah appeared right as I finished with the faucet. Willow was close behind. “Willow’s aunt has an above-ground pool. She invited us to come for dinner and a swim. Willow has a suit I can borrow.”
“The pool isn’t terribly deep, and Tiffany keeps a good eye on the kids,” Colt called from the bedroom. “She lives in the old Becker place, on the other side of Mom’s. Girls can walk over.”
“Wow, your family almost has its own block.” I laughed, taking a second to school my expression to not seem too eager to be alone with Colt. “And sure, you can go. I’ll figure out some dinner for Colt.”
“Yay!” The girls rushed off to change into swimsuits and find towels before leaving a short time later.
I took the opportunity to fetch Colt a glass of water and check on him. “So, cranky, any requests for dinner?”
“Not that hungry. The ibuprofen is messing with my stomach.” Colt accepted the water and took a sip before setting it aside. “And I’m bored. Only so much playing on my phone I can do before I lose my mind.”
“I have the answer to that problem.” I grinned widely as I approached the bed. My determination to meet his needs had only grown as the day progressed.
“Oh? Going to let me get up?”
“Nope.” I kicked off my boots. “I’m going to blow your mind. Among other things.”