A Cowgirl's Secret(21)

“No, thanks.” Kolt didn’t bother looking up to respond.

Though Luke wasn’t happy to see he had his work cut out for him in getting to know his son, he was somewhat encouraged by the fact that Daisy had been telling the truth about Kolt’s skittish behavior, rather than just thinking his son had been avoiding him.

Glancing at the half-loaded bins on the kitchen pass-through bar, Daisy asked, “Going somewhere?”

“A job in south Texas. Mare got caught in a lightning storm. Been spooked ever since.” He added a can of spaghetti to the nearest bin. “I’ve got an old Airstream trailer I usually stock and take with me to stay in. More comfortable than a motel and keeps me on the horse’s property.”

Nodding, she rummaged through the rest of his canned goods. “You should eat better.”

He frowned. “I get by okay.”

Kolt perched on the sofa arm to play his game.

“Yeah, but baked beans and Vienna sausages? Your arteries are going to solidify.”

“Kind of you to care.” He nudged her aside before placing the lid on top of the tub, snapping it tight.

“I do care. We’ve been friends a long time.”

“Have we?” He hefted the box off the counter and added it to the pile he had by the back door. “Because, silly me, not hearing from you for a decade had me wondering.”

“He’s right, Mom.” Kolt looked up, for an instant meeting Luke’s gaze before darting his attention back to his game. “You could’ve at least called.”

Sitting on one of the counter stools, ignoring their son, she set her keys jingling against the tile. “I’ve been busy. And anyway, Luke, you were the one who went and got married months after I left.”

On that blast from the past, he had to chuckle. “Really? Ten years later you’re holding a grudge? How’d you even find out?”

Glancing away, she sighed. “Clearly, we shouldn’t have come.”

“Why? Because I’m so impossible to deal with? I’m not as civilized as you?”

“Stop.” Heels of her hands to her forehead, she asked, “Can we just start over? The last thing I wanted was for us to fight.”

“Me, neither,” Kolt mumbled.

“Who’s fighting?” Luke asked, taking an ice cream sandwich from the freezer. Daisy used to love them. His mom would buy them and whenever Daisy came over to watch movies or play video games, his dad had teased her about having to guard them from her. “Want one?” he asked his son.

“Sure,” Kolt said with a shrug.

After handing one to his boy, Luke offered a treat to Daisy.

“Why would I want ice cream at a time like this? We’re right in the middle of—”

“A time like what?” Luke licked the melting parts around the chocolate edges. “We having a crisis?”

After making a sexy little growling noise, she hopped up from her stool, not only helping herself to his freezer, but granting him a tempting backside view. “I’ve blocked what a nightmare it is dealing with you.”

“Whoa,” he said while she unwrapped her snack. “Lest you’ve forgotten, you’re the one who showed up on my doorstep. Right after that, you attacked my diet, then raided my freezer. From where I’m standing, I’m not the one with the problem.” Especially since he wasn’t counting his sudden and ridiculous fascination with the speck of chocolate clinging to her lower lip.

“Never mind.” Ice cream sandwich in one hand, she maneuvered her free hand through her purse handle, then grabbed her keys. “Kolt, you ready to go?”

“Geez, Mom.” He crammed the last of his ice cream into his mouth. “You need to chill.”

Luke grinned. “Kolt, I think the two of us finally found something we can agree on.”



BY THE TIME DAISY REACHED the main road, she was a trembling mess. She’d been stupid to even have gone to Luke’s. Especially with Kolt. More than anything, she wanted Luke to know what had happened with Henry. Judging by her irrational behavior, she suspected she was more to blame than Kolt for his inability to get to know his father.

“What’s wrong with you?” her son asked as they pulled up the ranch’s main drive.

“I’m tired,” she said.

“Yeah, well, you’re acting weird. Like, I thought we went over to Luke’s house for us to all, like, sit around and talk and stuff, but then we just left.” He licked chocolate from his right pinkie. “I wasn’t really wanting to do all that, but Uncle Cash said Luke has a cool horse, so that might’ve been fun to see.”