Henry froze and I could practically see the wheels turning in his head. “We check him first.” I nodded in approval and stood back while Henry looked the pony over to make sure everything was okay. Most folks didn’t do that and eventually, Henry would be able to figure out when it was really necessary and when it wasn’t, but for now, I wanted him to learn some good habits.
As we worked together to saddle King, the routine of the work gave me time to consider what I was doing here in Poplar Springs and at the ranch. I wanted to be with Amy. I knew that much for sure. But I was up against a lot of forces—the residents, the Thornes, and the ghost of Amy’s dead husband.
Maybe it would be better if I stuck to what I came to town to do. Put on a damn-good charity rodeo, make money for the town’s community center, and ride off into the sunset. My obligations had been crystal clear from the beginning.
And they still would be if not for Amy.
TWENTY-TWO
AMY
While I had a minute to myself, I called the mayor to update him on ticket sales for the rodeo.
“That’s good news,” Mayor Bob Lumley said. It took him a few tries to get the words out and they came out with a heavy stutter. Bob had had a stroke at the carnival fundraiser and was airlifted to UCHealth hospital. He was currently in a rehab hospital relearning how to do everything all over again—walk, talk, feed himself. No one had the heart to ask Bob to resign from office. It would happen eventually. Just not today.
We talked for a few more minutes. It was mostly me doing the talking. Bob had me on speaker and his daughter, Elise, was with him, which was helpful—she would chime in to translate anything her dad said if it wasn’t clear.
“If the Denver AM interview goes well, I’m sure we’ll have no problem selling out the event.” They agreed with me. When I got off the phone, I felt as though I could breathe freely for the first time since I’d proposed the charity rodeo.
It was going to be a success, and I felt proud of myself. The rodeo was the biggest event I’d ever planned, and with the mayor in the hospital and the two Bobs pretty much leaving me on my own, the responsibility to pull it off without a hitch rested entirely on my shoulders. I constantly worried that I wasn’t up to the task. That my degree in public relations hadn’t prepared me after all. Before falling for Luke and getting pregnant, I’d had an internship and potential job lined up in the film industry and I’d been confident and excited about the possibilities it presented. But it’s easy to believe you can do anything when you’re twenty-two. When you’re thirty, and life has already dealt you some hard knocks, it’s tougher to trust yourself, professionally…and personally.
Which was what had me so conflicted about Cal. I’d thought during the time in my bed that we’d formed a genuine connection. After sitting at breakfast and picking up on the nervous vibes at the table, I wondered if I’d confused great sex with something more. And then there was whatever I’d walked in on in the barn between Jake and Cal.
Jake had been serious, even somber. What had he been saying to Cal? Had my impulse to take Cal to bed led to conflict between the brothers? It was dicey and complicated, but was it worth it? I’d thought it was during the night, but I was less sure in the light of day. Maybe if I talked to Cal I could get that sense of certainty back. I grabbed my jacket and headed for the arena attached to the barn where Cal would be with Henry. I walked slowly, enjoying the sunshine on my bare head.
Cal’s back was to me when I approached. Henry was carefully guiding his pony around the barrels. Neither of them seemed to notice me, so I watched for a few minutes and was pleased with what I saw. Henry listened to Cal’s quietly spoken instructions, changing course or pace when told to, glowing under every word of praise.
“You got it, Henry,” Cal said. “Put a little more pressure on the right rein. Okay, that’s it. Now ease up.” Cal kept a steady dialogue going that was half encouragement and half directions. He was a natural with kids.
And I suddenly felt lucky. I wasn’t sure what to make of my relationship with Cal, but he was a good man who was great with my son. What more could I ask for? Maybe I should stop worrying about what others might think and enjoy being with him.
When Henry had ridden the course perfectly, he came to a stop next to Cal and launched himself off the pony and into Cal’s arms. Cal caught him easily and pulled him into a hug.
“I love you, Uncle Cal,” Henry said.
I hadn’t expected that—not yet, anyway. Some of my worry reignited. No matter what happened between me and Cal, he wasn’t likely to stick around. He might return for visits when the circuit brought him close by, but those trips would be short. The mother in me didn’t want to see Henry hurt. If Cal told Henry he loved him too, it would bond the pair closer together, and my little boy might start to rely on someone who would be gone more than he was here.
At the same time, I also wanted Cal to respond to Henry’s declaration because not having his feelings returned would devastate him.
“I love you, too, kid.” Cal’s tone was gruff, as if he were trying to mask how much he was feeling. I watched as he lowered Henry to the ground. “Let’s go get King unsaddled, then you can give him a rub down and a treat.”
I waved to Henry as he took the pony’s reins and headed into the barn, Cal walking at his side. The unnerving thought that they could be father and son struck me. As it was, they were uncle and nephew, which meant Cal would always be part of Henry’s life. As he gotolder, Henry would come to understand that his Uncle Cal couldn’t be around full time, and he’d be okay with it.
Would I?
I didn’t know how my relationship with Cal would develop. It might just fade out despite his words and lovemaking last night. Would that make things easier or harder as he and I continued to cross paths over the coming years? I needed to think about that before I got in much deeper with Cal.
I went back into the house intending to get a bit more work done. I had a small remote office set up for days when the weather was too poor to make the drive to town or when Henry was sick. It had a nice view of the barn and pasture and the gorgeous mountain range in the distance.
Sorting through the invoices for the additional fencing, latrines, and lighting we needed for the rodeo, my mind kept wandering to all the different what-ifs.
The ringing of my cell phone startled me out of my drifting thoughts and I looked down to see a series of mmms and nnns spread across the open Word file where my fingers had pressed down on the keys. I shook my head and deleted the letters while I answered the call from my best friend Maggie. Her sister in Dallas had just had a baby and her husband was deployed somewhere he wasn’t allowed to talk about, so Maggie was staying with her for the next few weeks.
“Hey, lady,” Maggie said before I could say hello. “I saw your interview onWake Up, Colorado. That rodeo man you’ve got with you ishot!”
“You don’t think he looks too much like Luke?”
I could hear glasses clinking together and a muffled Maggie asking someone to give her a few minutes. I heard a screen door slam andthen she was back. “So, based on that question, either you have the hots for him or you’ve already gone and done the naughty. Which is it?”
