Her Forever Cowboy (16 page)

“I'm glad to know that,” he said.

They stepped over a log and headed the last few steps to the edge of the woods. Susan tried not to cry, but her heart was heavy for Cole. She wasn't sure why she was so compelled to prove this to him. But again, God's will be done.

She blinked and wiped tears from her eyes as they stepped out of the woods. Cole stopped and went still. She looked up, and there wagging her old gray-tipped tail was a grinning Catherine Elizabeth.

C
ole pressed the last brand into the counter and waited as the hot iron burned its way into the wood. From her pallet in the corner Catherine Elizabeth watched.

“So what do you think, ole girl?” he asked. Pulling the brand away, he moved to stand beside the dog. He scratched her ears as he studied the front of the pine reception counter. “It has a certain charm about it, don't you think?”

Catherine Elizabeth barked and turned her head so she could nuzzle his hand with her cold nose. He still couldn't believe she'd been sitting there right in front of them the night before.

Susan had been convinced that God had answered her prayer to prove to him that He cared for Cole. That He'd had a plan for Lori's life and for his. Susan was convinced of all kinds of things the old dog's miraculous survival was supposed to prove to Cole. Truth was, Cole didn't know what to think. When Mrs. A. had awakened
from her successful surgery he'd been overjoyed to tell her that her old companion was alive and well.

“That must have been some rabbit hunt you went on last night,” he said, bending down to look into her chocolate-colored eyes. He'd volunteered to keep her at the house with him and then bring her along to work.

“All that worry and you were taking a nap,” he said, giving her one last rubdown before heading out back to turn off the branding heater.

He couldn't stop thinking about Susan dropping to her knees like she'd done. He'd fallen to his knees like that and begged God to save Lori.

He'd bargained and pleaded with God to spare her. To heal her. His prayers had gone unanswered. He was glad for Mrs. A. that Susan's had been answered.

Cole pushed the memories out of his head and went to finish installing the fixtures in the bathrooms. It was the last of the work here…once he finished the cabinet doors in there and put the top coat on them and the reception desk he'd be done.

And he could hit the road.

He needed to do that as soon as possible. He knew if he stayed around much longer, he'd have to admit that he'd fallen in love with Susan.

And he couldn't admit that.

Couldn't let his heart open up that much. Couldn't chance setting himself up for the heartache of losing the one he loved ever again. He'd been afraid Mrs. A. was going to have to face that last night over Catherine Elizabeth. She'd already lost her beloved Herman and no
matter what Susan said about her being a woman of faith, he'd seen the terror in her eyes when she'd feared for her dog. He'd known that fear as he'd walked out of that hospital. He'd remembered it as if it was yesterday and, faith or no faith, Cole couldn't willingly open himself up to that ever again.

 

It smelled as though Cole had just clear-coated the reception area. Susan walked into the clinic later that day and smiled as she looked at the room. She loved the cool mix of rustic functionality—the branded desk was one of the highlights.

“Cole. Catherine Elizabeth,” she called as she pushed open the door to the back. The place still smelled of clear coat even with fresh air billowing in from the open bay doors.

“Cole,” she called again, looking up to see if he was in the ceiling working like he'd been that one night.

“Hey, Doc,” he called, peeking around the door of what would be the women's restroom. Catherine Elizabeth came ambling out to greet her. Susan dropped to her knees and gave her a hug. She looked good, as plump as a plum, but good. Cole had been sweet to keep her with him so that she wouldn't be so lonesome while Mrs. A. was recovering. It was amazing how much peace it had given Mrs. A. knowing she was going to be with Cole. To her, even just the outward appearance of him was reassuring. He was a walking, talking hero. Mrs. A. told her this morning that God had sent him to take care of her Catherine Elizabeth. She'd also said that he needed healing and time.

Susan had been startled when the older woman had taken her hand and told her that. Her perception had amazed Susan…or perhaps Susan was wearing her feelings on her sleeve now, and if she wasn't careful everyone might be able to see that she'd fallen in love with Cole Turner. Obstinate, hardheaded man that he was…It was crazy. The last thing that should have happened. But obviously love was not logical.

“I just finished hanging the last door in here. Come have a look. See what you think.”

She stood but her feet seemed rooted to the cement floor as she looked at him. His hair was tousled and his clean-shaven jaw made her want to place her hand against it.

Move
, she told her feet and was happy when they obeyed.
Act natural
, she told herself. Hard to do when she wanted to run over and throw her arms around the man.

Crazy. That was precisely what she was. She needed to prescribe “reality” medication for herself. Only problem was she was pretty certain they didn't make anything for humans or animals that would cure what she had.

“Wow,” she said, staring at the finished room. “This is so cool.”

“Are you sure you like it? Because if you don't, I can rip the tin off the walls and install Sheetrock in a day.”

She couldn't stop smiling. The walls halfway down were lined with corrugated tin. The bottom half of the room was cedar with a chair rail dividing it from the tin on top. She'd liked the creativeness of the room before, but with the cabinet doors installed, the finished product
was fantastic. “Are you insane? Clients are going to love everything about the clinic. I don't want you to change anything.”

“Then we're done here.”

He studied her with serious eyes that caused Susan's heart to stumble. He was so close and yet she felt closed off from him suddenly—as if he'd pulled a barrier between them.

“How was Mrs. A.?” he asked.

“She's great. The doctor says with her strong constitution and determination she should make a full recovery. I told him it would take more than a broken hip to get her spirits down. I also assured her that for as long as she needed me to, I'd take care of Catherine Elizabeth.”

“Good.” He tucked his fingers in his pockets and nodded.

“She loved that you were watching over her this morning,” she said, feeling an urgency to break past the barrier but not sure how. “She told me—Well, she told me you were sent from God to watch over her sweet dog.” She'd said that several times.

Cole's expression tensed. “I'm glad to help out, but you were the one who had the faith last night.”

Susan wondered, especially looking at him, if anything she'd done had gotten through to him. She was afraid it hadn't. Afraid actually that she may have done more damage than good with her actions. She was still amazed at how God had worked everything out in His own way…she was well aware that He might have chosen not to answer her prayer in the way that He did.

“The, ah, the equipment should be here before noon,” Cole said, leading the way toward the front. Taking them to different territory both physically and conversationally.

She pulled her thoughts back and followed him. “Sure. Then all it will take is a little setup and some organization and I'll be up and running.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

He was being too pleasant, she thought as he held the door open for her. “Thank you.”

“You're welcome. App and Stanley came out early this morning and helped finish up. They put outlet covers on and cleaned windows.”

“You mean they didn't play checkers this morning?” She couldn't believe it.

“Nope, said they wanted to do something for you.”

She blinked at the sudden welling of tears. “They are so sweet. Even with those scowls they wear half the time.”

“Marshmallows,” he said, and his expression seemed less distant. Less removed.

“You noticed, too?” she asked as her heart quickened when he laughed.

“The two grumps and Sam grumble and gripe like crows bickering over cornstalks, but they've got each other's backs when it comes down to it.”

Susan ran her hand over the counter and traced the Triple T brand—she'd branded it into the counter several times and liked the way it looked. Liked that it stood for the Turner men—for Cole.

Beside it was an
OT
with the
T
turned sideways. “This one is your ranch's original brand, isn't it?” she
asked. She knew it was, but needed something to talk about. Something to keep the wall from going back up between them.

He stepped beside her, his arm brushing hers as he placed his hand on the counter beside hers. “Yes. It stands for Oakley Turner, my great-great-great-great-granddad.”

Susan's nerves jangled as an electric current of connection flowed from his shoulder to hers. “Do you play poker as well as he evidently did?”

“Nope. Not a gambler. Or a horse trader like he was. The man could sell a man a horse and throw in a saddle to sweeten the deal. The buyer wouldn't even realize he was buying a saddle he already owned until he'd already paid the money and Oakley was hotfootin' it down the road.”

Susan laughed. She'd heard many stories about the Turner man with the questionable morals who'd founded the ranch from a poker win. Seth had no respect for the man, yet loved the land. She traced the brand and her hand touched Cole's as she traced the
O
. “How,” she began, sounding like a frog, “how do you feel about your granddad?”

He shrugged and let his finger fall into the trail behind hers. She swallowed and her stomach tilted.

“I'm with Seth on the subject. Oakley was pretty sorry when it came to life skills. He could lie and swindle with the best of them and probably gambled away his family's food money on more than one occasion. No one can figure out how a woman like my great-great-great-great-grandma Jane could have fallen in love with a man like that.”

Her hand had stopped tracing the brand and Cole's hadn't. He drew his finger right to the tip of hers then stopped with their fingers touching. It was excruciating for Susan. “A person can't control who they fall in love with,” she said softly. “Maybe Jane had no control. She fell for the local bad boy whether she wanted to or not.” Just like she had—not that Cole was a bad boy.

The truth settled over her once more like a noose around her heart. She was in love with Cole Turner and it couldn't be denied. He'd loved and lost and she seriously doubted that with the way he'd described his journey to love anything else would ever stand up to it in comparison.

She pulled her hand back and put some distance between them. Her knees were weak as she forced her legs to propel her across the room to a safer distance. Safer—but not safe.

He hated her way of life and didn't understand her actions—and yet illogically that didn't seem to matter. Love and logic didn't play from the same deck.

He would be leaving…and he would take her heart with him and never know it. Of that she would make certain.

She blinked hard as she pretended to study the trim work surrounding the window. “So, you're done?”

“Yes.”

How could a simple flat answer be so devastating? “I'll write you the last check and you'll be free,” she managed and was startled by the steadiness of her voice. She shouldn't have been. She was her daddy's girl, pulling from the reserves of strength he'd empowered
her with so well. “When will you leave town? I'm sure you're needed and missed. Wherever it is you're going.”

She was moving to Mule Hollow to get a life and that life was about to ride off into the sunset. She pushed the thought from her mind.

“I'll be leaving in the morning,” he said quietly. “I returned a couple of calls this morning to set up a few appraisals in a tiny town near the Louisiana boarder. It still has lots of displaced families living out of temporary trailers.”

“I see.” It was all she could manage as she closed her eyes, praying for God's strength. Her own wasn't going to be enough to get her through watching Cole leave. It was ridiculous.

Cole would leave and she
would
get on with her life.

It wasn't as if she'd really known him long enough to fall
madly
in love with him. Not the kind of love where she couldn't live without him…that kind of love—Well, that kind of love took time.

Drawing her shoulders back, she told herself she was really feeling infatuation. That was it exactly. “Well, then,” she said, “I'll write you that check, that way you won't have to wait around any longer. I'll take Catherine Elizabeth and you'll be free. More people than me need you now—I mean—” she coughed with embarrassment “—other people need you. Now that you've finished here.”