I prayed he’d forget to ask. “Deal.”
“Erin is already parkin’,” Jimmy said to Colton, glancing at his hand placement. “She’ll grab Marty. I’ve got Nova. You two go home, take Gracie, we’ve got this.”
“Thanks, Jim.”
He nodded and walked back to his kids.
I watched in wonder, amazed by the support this family had for each other. Jimmy was loading Hunter and Cash back on the horse, took Ellie by the hand, and started walking the horse back to the main path.
“You’re a liar,” Colton said, making me jump.
“I am?” I asked, a little surprised.
“You got hurt.”
I shook my head. “Oh, no. Really, it’s nothing-”
“Let’s get you back to the house,” Colton said. “We’ll see if it’s actually nothin’ or not.”
Gracie, the amazing horse she was, had stayed close, despite not being held or tied up. She simply stood waiting for us.
I got on first, grabbing thesaddlehorn. Colton’s hands found my waist and gave me a small boost onto the saddle. I smiled down at him in thanks. He was blushing as he pulled himself onto the horse.
I sat behind him, my arms around his waist unapologetically.
~~~
I followed Colton down the hall. “I promise I’m fine.”
“You can tell yourself whatever you want, but at least let me help you get some of the dirt off your face,” he said, walking into the bathroom.
“It’s quiet here,” I observed, looking around the empty house.
“Dean is probably around here somewhere, but Mamma and Dad are in town for the day.”
I stopped short when I saw my reflection in the mirror. I was disgusting. My bright blonde hair had turned into an ashy gray. The left side of my face was coated in dirt, and all my makeup was gone. My shirt was ripped on one side, probably fromthe branches while I was riding, and there was blood on the edges.
“Have a seat,” Colton invited me with a teasing grin. He took off his cowboy hat and rested it on one of the towel racks.
His hair was a mess, loose curls clinging to his forehead, sweat making it stick to his neck.
I saluted him, immediately regretting it, and sat on the edge of the bathtub. “Yes, Dr. Nash.” My gosh, could I be any more of a nerd?
Colton turned the water on, letting it run for a while to heat up. He grabbed a homemade rag and held it under thewater. “Let me know if this is too hot,” he whispered as he knelt in front of me.
It was.
Colton was an inch away from my face, breathing quietly. I could smell his sweat and see little dots of perspiration on his forehead. He dabbed the rag on my cheek and started wiping. “Is that okay?”
“Yes,” I whispered back.
He wiped my face off so gently, going back to rinse the rag off once. It felt like heaven.
It was time to see if there were actually any physical injuries from the tree. I lifted the sleeve of my shirt, just enough to reveal my skin getting more purple by the minute.
“Oh, Ally,” Colton said in surprise. “That’s-”
“It’s not that bad,” I argued. “I bruise like a Georgia peach. You saw my eye.” I was definitely lying, and he definitely knew that. It hurt so bad.
