She turned to a display of ornaments, then glanced back at him. “Can we talk about your ex?”
Cole’s jaw tightened and he looked toward the window where sunlight spilled across the street. Thenhe met her eyes. “What do you want to know?”
“How long were you together?”
He took a breath. “We grew up here together. Started dating after she came back from Stanford. Got serious about six months in, and when she applied to the Clifton hospital I thought that settled it. Her residency kept her busy, but we made it work. About a year after she became a doctor she moved in and we started talking about getting married. We were happy, mostly. She’d leave when we argued, then come back. Looking back, I think she was testing how far she could push me. She always said she wanted out of Clifton, but when she took the job here I told myself she’d changed her mind.”
“You said she left before. How many times?”
Cole raked a hand through his hair. “I lost count. Every argument she’d storm out, then come back once she cooled down. Most of the time we fought about being apart. She said things would be different in a bigger city, that she could open her own practice.” He shrugged. “I never understood why she couldn’t do that here.”
“She didn’t want to,” Aftyn said quietly. “This was while she was still working in Clifton?”
“Yes. Then a college friend called her from New York. Same field, same goals. Callie said she wanted to go check it out.” He paused. “I thought she was just visiting. She never told me they were already planning to open a practice together. When she came back she laid it out plain. Go with her or she’d go alone.”
Aftyn’s eyes widened. “Just like that? After everything?”
“Callie always believed she could bend me to herwill. And too many times, I let her.” His voice quieted. “But that ultimatum was the last straw.”
“Did she really think she could talk you into it?”
“Absolutely.” He stared at a shelf of ornaments. “I should’ve seen it coming. Every time she left I’d welcome her back and go right over the cliff again.”
“She wanted the bright lights.”
“When she first visited, the city swallowed her whole. She came back with stars in her eyes and plans to drag me along.” He exhaled slowly. “I told her I couldn’t walk away from my family or the farm.”
“And you train horses too,” she prompted.
“Reining competitions. I’ve raised several champions.”
“Do you share in the prize money?” Her eyes sparked with interest.
“Yes, that’s usually how it works. Seth trains cutting horses, Ethan breeds and sells barrel racers. Same deal.”
“I love watching cutting horses. The way rider and animal move as one. I always wonder how the rider stays in the saddle.”
Cole grinned. “You have to trust the horse completely. The horse reads the cow’s every move. A good one knows what to do before the rider does.”
“I’ve only ever seen it on TV.”
“You need to see it live. There’s a rodeo here in September if you’re still around. And you should have seen Wyatt Stone compete. He and Cochise were something else. Unbeatable.”
“He might compete at the fair sometimes,” Cole added. “You’d want to see that.”
“I’ll probably still be here.” She touched a delicate ornament, turning it in her fingers. “I can’t imagine what that car is going to cost me.”
“Chuck’s had italmost a month and hasn’t even looked at it yet. You might be better off putting the money toward something newer.”
“Aunt Ping said the same thing. She offered to help but I hate accepting.”
“You didn’t ask. It was her idea.”
“I’ll think about it.” She picked up a snow globe and shook it gently, watching the flurry settle. “I bet this town is magical at Christmas.”
“It is. Garland on every lamppost, red ribbon, tree lighting ceremony. The whole town goes all out.”
“Like a Hallmark movie,” she said softly.
