“But you are planning on staying in Last Chance?”
“Yes. This is my home. The people who live in this town are my friends. We all became close after the blizzard that killed our husbands.”
“Hopefully, I’ll find good friends when I leave this place, too.”
Blaze gently squeezed her cousin’s hand. “You will. I just know it.”
Emma stood and moved to the door but stopped before reaching it. She turned to look at Blaze again. “You know, for years, I thought you and Colt would find love and get married. You two make an adorable couple.”
Blaze’s chest tightened with emotion as she fought back her tears of sorrow. “Yes, well... fate has different plans.”
Emma gave her a sympathetic smile. “You were in love with him, weren’t you?”
Nodding, Blaze expelled a deep sigh. “I thought I was, but I’ve had to change my feelings. After all, I’ll be marrying Kent Dalton soon.”
“Cheer up. At least he came to you. I, on the other hand, will have to go in search of a husband.”
Chuckling, Blaze left the bed and walked to her cousin. “Life is odd that way, don’t you think?”
“Yes, but I also think it’s not fair.”
“It’s not, but we women do what we have to in order to survive.”
“Indeed we do.” Emma placed her hand on the doorknob. “It’s sink or swim, right?”
“Exactly.”
As Emma left the room, Blaze knew she’d be swimming... even if it was with the sharks. Admitting defeat wasn’t something she did well.
* * * *
SOMETHING MUST BE WRONGwith Colt. He couldn’t stop sneaking around and spying on Kent. That man wasn’t truthful, and Colt wanted desperately to prove that their grandfather was behind this. The controlling old coot was famous for doing underhanded things like forcing two cousins to compete for the same thing.
Blaze didn’t work today. Instead, she took her beau into town to introduce him to her friends, but more importantly, to speak with the preacher and pick a wedding date.
Irritation grew inside Colt, making him put everything he had into fixing Doctor Hamilton’s wagon. At times Colt was so upset, he believed he could spit bullets. Why had his grandfather thought he could mess with Colt’s head? If he didn’t put a stop to the old man’s shenanigans, who would? And yet, the sizable amount of the inheritance would make any man weep with joy if they were given it.
But it was just money. If only he could look at it that way. Instead, he could only imagine what that kind of money would buy. Colt’s dreams would finally come true, and just maybe, he’d feel right about settling down and raising a family with the woman he loved.
Yet, the woman he loved would be getting married to his cousin very soon if he couldn’t stop it. That was not an option right now. Hemuststop it. And the only way he could change Blaze’s mind is by showing her exactly what kind of man Kent Dalton was.
Colt placed his tools on the bench and turned to let the others know that he was leaving early. However, as he swung his gaze around the barn, he realized he was the only one here. The sun was dipping on the horizon. Time had somehow passed by without him knowing what happened.
He needed to find Blaze, hopefully before supper, but definitely, before she and Kent shared more private time. Colt worried that his cousin might sweet talk her until she was swooning in the man’s arms.
Boiling inside from just the thought, Colt marched out of the barn and toward the house. The scent of freshly baked bread wafted through the slight breeze, making his stomach grumble. Emma and Dakota must have been busy in the kitchen this afternoon. Then again, Colt had no idea who was working in the shop with him today since his mind was on other things.
As he entered the house, he heard Lisa’s voice and her giggling daughters. But he didn’t detect Blaze’s angelic voice amongst them. He peeked into the kitchen. Blaze wasn’t there. He pulled away and walked to the stairs but stopped. Dare he go up to her room and talk to her there?
From the parlor, he heard his father speaking to someone. The weariness to the older man’s tone and how he coughed more than he should made Colt’s stomach twist. Was his father really dying, as Blaze had suggested? Colt didn’t want to think of that right now. Instead, he had an engaged couple to break up first.
Taking soft steps, he moved toward the parlor, hoping nobody inside would see him. He stopped far enough away to see his father and Kent. Lisa’s boys were sitting at a small table playing chess. After a few minutes of listening, Colt couldn’t hear Blaze’s voice. He prayed she wasn’t in there because he didn’t know how he was going to pull her out to talk to her in private.
He turned back to the stairs and hurried up them. His long stride skipped over every other step until he made it to the top. Then, he walked just as quickly toward Blaze’s room. He knocked quietly on her door and listened inside. After a few moments, he knocked again. A little louder. Still, he didn’t hear any movement from inside the room.
Grumbling, he left the hallway and rushed back downstairs and out the door. Thankfully, nobody tried to stop him. He stopped in the middle of the yard to think. Where would Blaze go to be by herself?
He grinned. The stream!
