Colton: Rodeo Cowboy

“That’s a good idea.”

“Thank you. I just received a message that Sarah Hart wants to interview me tomorrow. Is there any chance you could watch the kids for me, again?”

“I have coffee plans with some friends in the afternoon, but my morning is free. I’d be happy to have them for a few hours. Would that be enough time?”

“Lots. Thanks so much, Mom. I’ll bring them over around nine-thirty.”

Leah sat on her bed and picked up her phone to end the call with her mother then typed a reply to Colt’s message. Great! Tomorrow at ten, okay?

His reply came a few seconds later.

That works. Now you owe me, darlin.

Chapter Five

Efforts to reach Jackson on Skype the next morning were not successful. Leah ended up leaving him an email message, asking when the best time to talk to him would be. The kids miss you, she added, hoping that would provide incentive for him to answer promptly.

Putting her ex-husband out of her mind, Leah connected her computer, then checked the directions to Thunder Ranch. When she was sure she knew where she was going, she loaded the kids into the truck and drove to her mother’s.

As soon as she saw her mother’s face, however, she could see that she wasn’t well. “Do you have a migraine coming on, Mom?”

“I’m afraid so.”

Leah kept a hold on Davey and Jill, who had been about to run to their grandmother to give her the hugs and kisses they’d talked about yesterday. “Hang on, guys. Grandma’s head is hurting today. Don’t touch her, okay? And try to be very quiet.”

She took a closer look at her mom. “Have you taken your pain meds?”

“Yes.”

“And have you eaten anything today?”

“Toast and coffee.”

“That’s good. Why don’t you lie down in your room, and I’ll bring you some water.” She went to the kitchen, took out a glass and filled it with ice-cold water from the tap.

“I’m so sorry about this, Leah. I know you have that appointment at Thunder Ranch. Maybe if you turn the TV to some children’s programming, the kids and I will make out okay until you return.”

“No way, Mom.” She felt guilty enough already about how much her mother had been helping her. Maybe she was pushing it and that was why she’d come down with the headache today. She didn’t get them often, but when she did, they were dreadful.

“But your meeting…”

“I’ll figure something out. I’m more worried about you right now.” She took her mother’s arm and led her to the bedroom. She helped her settle and left the glass of water on the nightstand. “Will you be okay for a few hours?”

“Oh, yes.”

“Good. I’ll come by around lunchtime. For now, please get some rest.”

“Thank you, Leah.” Her mother’s eyes were already fluttering closed.

Leah found the children in the living room. Jill had the remote pointed at the TV and was changing channels while Davey kept saying “no” to everything she found.

“Jill, please hand me that.” Leah switched off the television. “We have to get back into the truck. Since Grandma’s sick we’re switching to Plan B.”

“What’s Plan B, Mommy?” Jill asked.

She had no idea.

* * *

WITH THE KIDS STRAPPED into the truck, Leah dialed the number for Thunder Ranch. Sarah Hart answered.

“Hi, Mrs. Hart, this is Leah Stockton. I’m afraid I have a babysitting issue this morning. Could we please reschedule our meeting for tomorrow?” She hated asking, feeling as if this could only hurt her chances for landing the job.

But Sarah proved understanding. More than Leah could have expected. “No need for that. Bring them with you. And don’t forget their swimsuits.”

“Are you sure?”

“You bet. It’s been too many years since we’ve had young ones around here.”

“Gosh, well thanks, Mrs. Hart. See you at ten o’clock, then.”

“Looking forward to it, Leah.”

After disconnecting the call, Leah turned to the children. “Anyone want to go to a ranch?”

“Yes!” Davey clapped his hands, then asked, “What’s a wanch?”

“It’s a place with cows and horses,” Jill said authoritatively. “Right, Mom?”

“Yes. And they have a swimming pool, too.”

“Awesome.” Jill’s violet-blue eyes went round with wonder.

Leah drove back to the house on Timberline Drive and stuffed a backpack with books, snacks and sunscreen as well as the kids’ bathing suits and towels.

For all the years she’d known Colt, Leah had never been to Thunder Ranch, which was on the opposite side of Roundup from the farm where she’d been raised. The first ten miles were along Highway 12, but when she turned south off that, she lowered her speed and opened the windows so they could enjoy the scent of growing hay and the tang of the ponderosa pines.

The light blue sky was clear of clouds and provided the perfect backdrop to the gentle hills of sage-colored grass, low-growing ponderosa pine and sandstone rock outcroppings. Every breath smelled like home to Leah, who hadn’t appreciated, until this moment, just how much she missed her own family’s farm.

At last she arrived at the mile-long driveway that led to Thunder Ranch. Taller spruce trees grew on either side of the well-maintained gravel road until finally Leah could see the main house. Large, but not pretentious, with wood siding and a fieldstone wall, the home blended into the surroundings with an air of permanent belonging.

Again, Leah couldn’t help but think of the farmhouse where she’d spent her childhood. She understood why her mother had to sell after her father’s death. But she wondered if any house would ever truly feel like home to her, the way that one had.

The new house in the suburbs of Calgary where she’d lived with Jackson certainly hadn’t. Nor, she had to admit, did the place she’d just rented on Timberline Drive. She looked back at her children. What did home mean to them? she wondered. She’d moved them around so much the past few months….

“Is this the ranch?” Jill asked, doubtfully. “Where are the horses?”

“This is just the house. See those buildings down there? Those are the barns where the horses live. But I bet most of the horses are outside today. On ranches the horses live in fenced areas that are called pastures.”

Leah hoped she would have a chance to show them the livestock later. But for now, she helped them out of the truck, then grabbed her briefcase and their backpack. Before they had reached the big front door, Sarah had it opened.

The matriarch of the Hart family was in jeans and a neatly pressed gingham blouse. She was also wearing a beautifully tooled leather belt, which had to have been crafted by Sarah’s nephew Beau Adams. Leah had admired his leather goods at the Western Wear and Tack Shop in town.

“Hi, Mrs. Hart. These are my children, Jill and Davey.”

Her son stuck his chest out proudly. “I’m Davey.”

“Thanks for clearing that up for me, Davey.” She winked at Leah. “So you must be Jill.”

Leah’s daughter smiled, and Leah wondered what Sarah thought of Jill’s bright pink leggings and green-and-orange striped T-shirt. The combination made Leah want to reach for her sunglasses, but Sarah made no comment.

“We might as well go straight to the equestrian barn since that’s where the office is.”

And Colt? Leah had thought about the possibility of seeing him today when she’d dressed in her favorite lavender shirt. She’d even stared in the mirror, remembering the comment he’d made about purple bringing out the color of her eyes. But they’d looked the same to her. Just cowboy flattery on Colt’s part. She had to remember to watch out for that.

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