9781631053566SpringsDelightBallNC (3 page)

The sound of the door opening
made her freeze. Colt walked through the door and she screamed. As quickly as
she could, she snatched the towel from the floor, ran into the bathroom and
slammed the door. Her heart beat frantically as she leaned against it.
Oh my
. Spring felt herself blush from head
to toe.

Looking in the mirror she
shrugged, there wasn’t much worth seeing anyway and certainly nothing to blush
about, or so she tried to tell herself. She was a thin mass of bruises.

With trembling hands, she
washed and dried herself. She’d wanted to make a good impression, but it would
be impossible now. Why it even mattered so much, she wasn’t certain. She put on
a pair of old jeans and a yellow T-shirt, allowing her long red hair to fall
down her back to air-dry.

Bravery was required to open
the door, so she stared at the door handle for a minute or two to steel
herself
before finally turning it. Holding her breath, she
opened it. She let that breath out again when there was no sign of Colt on the
other side.

Her heart began to slow, but
she was a bit jittery. How she wished Caleb
were
here
to pave the way. Caleb knew all about her past and he’d been the one warm,
bright spot in her dark, cold world. Colt probably wouldn’t even ask unless
Billy somehow found her. Actually, she hoped he didn’t ask because she didn’t
want to talk about it.

Stirring the chili, she heard
the door open and close. Too embarrassed to turn around, she simply kept
stirring. No footsteps, he must be waiting at the door. Finally, she turned
putting her hands on her burning cheeks. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”

Colt’s brow furrowed. “It’s me
who’s sorry. Truthfully, it was just an accident, and I didn’t look.”

The glint in his eyes and the
suppressed smile gave the impression he did see everything, but she nodded at
him and pulled the cornbread out of the oven. “Dinner is just about ready.”

“It’s a real treat to have
dinner all made for me. I almost always do the cooking except for when Caleb…”

The stark look on his face
made her want to hug him. “He was your brother. You’re bound to talk about him
now and again. I feel the depth of your loss, and I wish I knew how to help
you, but I don’t.”

Colt nodded and took off his
boots, jacket and his hat. He ran his hand through his brown hair. “I reckon I
can see why Caleb was so taken with you.”

“Oh, it was never like that.
He was a friend who wanted to help. But that’s beside the point. Dinner is
ready. I made chili, and I hope I made it hot enough.”

“Honey, there has never been a
bowl of chili I couldn’t handle.”

“Good, I was a little
nervous.”

They both sat down, and Colt
smiled at her.
“Looks good.”
He took a big spoonful of
chili, and he seemed to enjoy it. Then his eyes suddenly began to water, and
his face turned beet red.

“Are you choking?”

He shook his head and croaked
out. “Hot.”

Spring took a bite and smiled.
“This is mild in Texas. I was shooting for hotter, but I missed.”

He ran to the sink and quickly
turned on the faucet, filling a big glass with water. As he gulped it down, his
crimson face started to turn back to normal. “This is mild in Texas? Good Lord,
honey, what are their stomachs made of?”

“Steel of course.” She smiled.
He had gotten annoyed, and he didn’t try to take it out on her. Colt’s outsides
were steel, but he really wasn’t so hard on the inside.

Chapter Two

Colt left the house as soon as
he finished eating. He couldn’t believe that one little gal could affect him so
much so soon. She pulled on his heart and that he couldn’t allow. Pity, but
that’s the way it had to be. Obviously, she’d been hurt, and Caleb’s death must
have come as a real blow to her. It had been a blow to everyone. No, he wasn’t
going to get close to anyone again; it hurt too damn much when they were gone.

After making sure the horses
were all fed and watered, he stood in front of Heavy Duty’s stall and waited
for the quarter horse to check his shirt pocket. It was a nightly ritual. The
only difference was this time his mind wasn’t on the ranch or Caleb.

It felt good and right to
offer
her a
place to stay and a job. A slight smile
crossed his face as he thought about that afternoon. He couldn’t remember the
last time he’d glimpsed a naked woman, and now he wished he’d looked.

Already she was changing his
thinking, he could tell. Maybe his dad was right, maybe women were bad news.
Colt had heard his father say it often enough. It wasn’t that his mother had
left; she died and left behind two scared boys and a bitter husband.

Dating came naturally. All he
had to do was smile. He was known as quite the flirt around town, but then
there was the damn emotional stuff. Whatever happened to no strings attached?
Every woman he’d shown any interest in, automatically thought of marriage. He
always figured that Caleb would be the one to have a family, with sons to pass
the ranch down to.
A silenced dream that would never come
true.

Damn it
. Colt pulled his jacket collar up around his
face. He longed to be inside by his fireplace. If it’d been warmer, he’d just
wait until he was certain she was asleep, but in this bitter cold, he didn’t
have that luxury. He gave Heavy Duty a grim look and made the cold march to the
house.

Colt walked in and immediately
his gaze was drawn to the couch where
Spring
lay, a
green blanket covering her. Light from the fire bathed her, making her look
achingly beautiful.

Quietly, he walked to the
couch and looked at her. She had circles under her eyes. Poor girl was worn
down to the nub. Traveling all that way, and then jumping straight into
overhauling his house, it was no wonder. Colt placed his hands under her and
lifted her into his arms. Even though he knew she was thin, she was much
lighter than he’d imagined. Her eyelashes swept across her face, at the top of
her high cheekbones. They were a light color, much lighter than her bright
hair. The sprinkling of freckles across her cheeks gave her a childlike
appearance.

She didn’t move until he
started to place her on the bed. Her eyes opened, and all hell broke loose. She
screamed and fought him, kicking and scratching. Spring was more like a feral
cat than a sweet gal.

Instantly, Colt let her go and
stepped back. Touching his cheek, he found that he was bleeding.

Wide-eyed,
Spring
stared at him. “Oh no, Colt, I’m sorry! I didn’t know it was you. I didn’t
remember where I was.” She got up from the bed and closed the distance between
them. Her hand touched his cheek where it bled, and doubt appeared in her eyes.

Colt felt her pulling on his
heart again. What was it with this girl? “I’m fine. I’m sorry I scared you.” He
backed away toward the door. “Goodnight.” He hurried out of her room.

Colt rubbed the back of his
neck as he made his way to his own room. Glimpsing in the mirror, his scratch
didn’t appear deep. Shaking his head, he sighed. She was going to be trouble.

* * * *

The next morning,
Spring
jumped out of bed and was certain she set all kinds
of records getting dressed so fast. Reading westerns was a favorite pastime for
her, and she knew cowboys liked to be up before dawn.

Darkness still enveloped the
outdoors as she made coffee. Remembering last night made her heart pound. What
if he decided to send her packing? She put two extra scoops of coffee into the
coffee maker just in case. Cowboys liked their coffee extra strong didn’t they?

She frowned, realizing she
really didn’t know anything real about cowboys or ranching. At the rate she was
going, she might not need to know.

When the coffee was ready, she
sat at the big oak table and ran her hands over all of the dents and scratches.
There was even a tiny letter C carved into it. She wondered if it was Colt or
Caleb who had put it there. She reached for her coffee and took a sip, almost
spitting it out on the floor. It tasted strong and bitter, and she hoped that
Colt liked it that way.

It surprised her that Colt
hadn’t gotten up yet. It wasn’t quite sunrise, but didn’t he need to milk the
cow and feed the horses? She stood up and walked to the window. Her brow
furrowed. There was no one in sight.

She grabbed the sweater Colt
had given her and headed outside to the porch to watch the sunrise. Finally,
the sun rose in hues of orange, purple and yellow with a dusting of pink. It
was a remarkable sight.

The door behind her opened,
and her body automatically jerked. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Colt’s
perplexed expression.

“Get inside. Damn it’s cold!
What are you doing out here?”

“Watching
the sunrise.”
Without looking at him, she scooted past his
hard body and went inside.

Shutting the door behind him,
he leaned his tall frame against it. “Why are you up so early? Couldn’t you sleep
after last night?” Concern crossed his face.

“I wanted to have your coffee
ready for when you got up to milk the cow.”

Colt’s lips twitched, and he
glanced away. His laughter started as a rumble deep in his chest that bubbled
over. He turned toward her and bit his lip, but he started laughing again.

Wrapping her arms around
herself, her pride stung. Why shouldn’t he laugh at her, everyone else seem to,
except for
Caleb.

“I’m sorry, honey.” He grabbed
the coffee pot and poured himself a cup. He tried to look somber, but it wasn’t
working. Taking a sip of the coffee, he spit it out and started laughing again.

Spring flew to her room and
slammed the door. She didn’t fit in here and she didn’t fit with Colt. She’d
grown up with enough people laughing at her. She’d been told time, after time
she was useless and hopeless and she was tired of it. Her foundation was made
of sand, constantly shifting and blowing away but she always tried to stand
strong. Sitting on the bed, she traced the star pattern on the quilt with her
finger. Somehow, she thought she’d find firm footing here, a firm foundation to
stand on, but now she wasn’t so sure.

There was a light knock
followed by the door opening. Colt leaned against the
doorframe,
his wide shoulders filled the whole doorway.

“I didn’t mean to upset you,
and I shouldn’t have laughed.” He looked somewhat contrite. At least he wasn’t
laughing anymore.

“I’m fine. It takes more than
a little laughter to upset me,” she bluffed.

“I’m sorry all the same. It’s
not my way to hurt others. I know I’m gruff, and hell that was the first time I’ve
laughed in months. I’ve never seen anyone scramble so quickly. I usually get up
at sunrise, have a quick bite to eat, and head out. Some days I bring lunch
with me, and other days I stop home for lunch. Dinner is after sunset.”

Spring nodded.
   

“Oh, one more thing, I’m not
like those cowboys you read about or see in movies. I don’t like my coffee so
strong that it’ll take the polish off my belt buckle.” He smiled. “It’ll be
fine, really, we need to adjust to each other but we’ll be fine.”

* * * *

Colt stared at the horribly
mangled snowmobile. It was a twisted piece of metal and fiberglass. No one
could have survived such destruction.
If only he had gone
looking for the damn dog instead of Caleb.
Hell, he wouldn’t have gone
looking, not in that storm. It’d been the worst storm of the season. What was
Rachael doing out in the storm with Snoopy anyway? The temptation to go over to
the McCoy’s house and kick her father’s ass grew stronger every day.

Why hadn’t Stone McCoy gone
out looking for that good-for-nothing dog? Colt kicked the snowmobile then
winced at the throbbing in his foot. He thought about getting it hauled away,
but he just couldn’t. Caleb bought the blasted thing himself, and he was so
proud of all the hard work he’d done to earn the money for it. The ache in his
heart overwhelmed him, and he was on an emotional overload.

Caleb was always a sucker for
a damsel in distress. Colt had always admired Caleb’s kindness but now… “Damn
it, Caleb, why did you have to go, and look for that mangy animal?” His words
drifted away on the snowflakes. No one would hear them. No one would answer
them. No one cared.

He was doing just fine before
Spring
arrived. He’d hardened his heart and let his bitterness
take control, and it worked just fine for him. Dang blasted female! She was
making him feel all over again, but Caleb meant to help her so he’d honor Caleb’s
plan as hard as it may be.

He’d have to use the other
snowmobile to take the hay to the cattle. They were probably scattered in this
weather. Spring in Montana was harsh and unpredictable, but up until the last
week, he’d thought he’d had a good life. Now he wasn’t so sure. Maybe all the
hard work wasn’t worth it. What did he really have to show for it? He wouldn’t
get anything out of it if he sold and with the economy the way it was, his
ranch wasn’t worth much. The land was worth plenty, but the thought of it
sectioned into housing units made him gut sick. Ranching was in his blood and
it always would be.

Glancing at the house, he
found his bitterness abating. Milking the cow at dawn and mud coffee? He shook
his head and his lips twitched. She tried hard, but she clearly wasn’t a
country girl. It would take a bit to get used to having a female in the house
but for Caleb’s sake, he’d give it his best shot. Her blue eyes looked too big
for her face, and she was as skinny as all get out. He liked her red hair, but
she looked as though she hadn’t been eating right or something. She needed
looking after.

He loaded the snowmobile
trailer with hay, got on and started it, looking once again at the house. It
made him leery, but for some reason he wanted to be the one to look after her.
He told himself it was because he missed Caleb, but deep down he knew it was
more. Something about
Spring
attracted him, and he’d
have to be on his guard to be sure it didn’t lead anywhere.

* * * *

Spring contemplated scrubbing
the wood floor. It really needed cleaning but her shoulder still hurt. Walking
over to the mantel, she examined each photo. Her heart hurt for Caleb. It also
hurt for Colt. Caleb had told her they had lost their father when Colt was
twenty-one and Caleb was sixteen. Caleb never said how he died. He just told
her how long and hard Colt worked to keep the ranch going to keep them
together.

The door opened, and two burly
men entered the house. Spring jumped, and dropped the picture she held as she
felt all the blood drain from her face.

“Howdy,
ma’am.
I didn’t mean to scare you witless.” The bigger of the
two approached her. “I just have a load of food to bring in. This here is Shady
and I’m Bibbs.”

Spring nodded at them both.
The width of Bibbs’ shoulders scared her. He was not a man to tangle with,
although his kind brown eyes nicely countered his scruffy unshaven look.

Shady on the other hand looked
like a young kid. He had blond hair, blue eyes and a great smile. He made her
feel more comfortable about having two strange men in the house.

“I remember now. Colt said you’d
be by.”

“Good thing. There’s a storm
brewing, and we won’t be going back to town anytime soon.” Bibbs took the
toothpick out of his mouth while he talked and put it back in.

“Looks like you’ll have two
extra guests around here.” Shady went to the door. “I’ll start bringing in the
supplies.”

“You don’t live on the ranch?
Isn’t there a bunk house?”

“Yes but Shady and me bunk in
an apartment near town. Shady, he’s got himself a lady. Me, I’m free as a
bird.”

Spring wasn’t quite sure what
the free as a bird thing was about but he was one bird she’d rather not catch.
She just gave a forced smile and went back to her work. Picking up the dropped
photo, she was relieved to see the glass hadn’t shattered. The photo showed a
young Colt holding his baby brother.

“Well, ma’am, that’s all of
it.” Shady smiled at her.