Colton: Rodeo Cowboy, page 12
She had to smile back. “Well, obviously the Harts emerged victorious.”
“We got the horse,” Sarah said drily. “We’re still not so sure it was much of a victory.”
“Are you kidding?” Colt almost choked as he reacted to his mother’s comment. “You may have paid top dollar, but Midnight is worth every penny. He is one hell of a horse.”
“He looks good,” Sarah conceded. “But we bought him to be a stud horse and Ace hasn’t had any success breeding him in the barn. He’s just too unpredictable and we can’t risk injuring the mares. We have had some success letting him out in the pasture with the mares. But it’s not as safe or as reliable that way.”
“Midnight has too much energy,” Colt insisted. “That’s the problem. You’ve got to let him burn off some steam on the rodeo circuit.”
“It’ll be a cold day in hell when we let that horse rodeo.” All of them turned to see Ace, who had walked around the back of the house and had obviously overheard part of the conversation.
Chapter Twelve
“I’ve told you before, Colt,” Ace continued, “we have too much invested in that horse to risk him getting injured.”
Colt didn’t argue with his brother. He just crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at the ground. It was left to Sarah to smooth over the gap in the conversation.
“Back from your call already? I didn’t even hear you drive up.” Sarah rose from her seat, then looked at the sky. “Gosh, where did those clouds come from? Sit down, Ace, there’s plenty of food. I’ll get extra plates for you and Flynn.”
“Flynn was tired so I dropped her off at home.” He leaned over the pulled pork and inhaled deeply. “But I won’t say no to your offer.”
“Good decision,” Leah said. “It’s delicious.”
“Hey there, Leah. Excuse me, I didn’t mean to ignore you. My brother knows how to yank my chain, I’m afraid.”
“Isn’t that what younger siblings are for? Davey does a pretty good job with Jill, too.”
Ace smiled at the kids and their barbecue-sauce-smeared faces. “Looks like you guys have been enjoying my mom’s pulled pork.”
Leah laughed. “I was waiting for them to finish before I mopped them up.”
“I rode a horse,” Jill announced proudly, not at all self-conscious about her sticky face. “Colt teached me. He’s Mommy’s friend.”
Ace blinked, but was quick to reply. “Well, you’re learning from the best, sweetheart. If there’s one thing my brother can do, it’s ride horses.”
While the comment was worded as a compliment, Ace’s tone held the hint of a barb. Leah shot a discreet look in Colt’s direction. He was looking down at his empty plate, his expression somewhat deflated. In a ranching family, skill with horses and the rodeo ought to be highly admired, and yet that didn’t seem to be the case with Colt.
She couldn’t understand why.
Finished with her meal, she cleared plates, then wiped Jill’s and Davey’s faces. The sky was considerably darker now as clouds continued to pile in from the mountains. The temperature had dropped several degrees, too, and Leah pulled warm sweatshirts over the kids’ dry bathing suits. “We’ll go home to shower and change,” she told them, knowing they were going to protest.
But it was Ace who voiced the first objection. “Maybe you should wait a bit. I saw some serious thunderclouds out to the west when I was driving home. We’re about to get hit with a storm, maybe even some hail.”
And no sooner had he said that than the first drop fell.
“It’s probably just a shower,” Leah said. Sarah Hart had been so gracious, but she didn’t want to outstay their welcome.
“Better not take the chance.” Colt plucked up Davey with one hand and the platter of pork with the other. “We can check the weather report from inside.”
Since when did Colt call the shots for her and the children? Leah could tell that even Ace was a little taken aback by his brother’s authoritative manner. But just then a loud crack of thunder had both kids shrieking. As if it had been a signal from a conductor, the sprinkles of raindrops turned into a torrent.
Suddenly everyone was rushing. Leah grabbed Jill and the bag with their clothes and towels, while Ace lowered the patio umbrella and packed up the rest of the food. Less than a minute later they were all inside the Harts’ family room, damp and a little breathless. They’d no sooner shut the door behind them, than a second jolt of thunder shook through the house.
“Scawey.” Davey reached for Leah to pick him up, but Jill turned to Colt.
“Are we safe in the house?”
“You bet we are, half-pint.”
The confidence in his voice, even more than his words, seemed to reassure the children. As a distraction, Leah pulled a puzzle out from her bag—this was one of those times she was glad that she was always prepared—and scattered the pieces on the big coffee table near the river-rock fireplace. Both of her kids enjoyed puzzles, and they flocked to it.
Ace had gone to the barn to check on the livestock. Sarah was running around the house closing windows. That left Leah and Colt awkwardly avoiding one another’s gazes.
Finally, he said, “I’ll turn on the radio. See if we can find a weather report.”
The great room opened right onto the kitchen, and that was where Colt headed. She followed him to the island, where she pulled up a stool and admired the stained cherry cabinets and limestone backsplash.
One day she’d love to have a house like this. Spacious, yet cozy, it was the sort of home that immediately made you feel comfortable. But owning a place like this was just a dream. As a single mother she’d be lucky if she could afford to buy, rather than just rent, the house she and the kids currently lived in.
Colt tuned the radio to a local station, which almost immediately broadcast an emergency weather bulletin. Sarah emerged from the hallway in time to hear it, too.
“The National Weather Service in Billings has issued a flash flood warning for Musselshell County—”
“Mom! Davey keeps taking the puzzle pieces away from me.”
“Jill, hush, please. We’re listening to something important.”
Hearing the urgency in her mother’s voice, Jill left the puzzle and came into the kitchen, with Davey tagging right behind her.
Leah had moved in front of the radio, as had Colt and his mother. All three of them listened intently as the broadcast continued.
“…reported water rising on the Musselshell River and approaching houses in Roundup—”
“Roundup, Mommy?” Jill pressed in closer. “That’s where we live.”
Leah shushed her, again, hardly noticing when Colt leaned over to pick up both kids, one in each arm. He seemed to be whispering something to them, but she just frowned and pressed in closer to the radio.
“Doppler radar indicates that another band of heavy rainfall is developing and moving over Musselshell County, producing rainfall rates up to one inch per hour. Enhanced rainfall rates will likely cause flash flooding along the river bank in low-lying areas of Roundup. Residents should take immediate precautions to protect life and property—”
“Oh, my lord.”
Immediately she thought about the smell in her basement. The house had flooded before and now it looked like it was about to happen again. Would it stop in the basement? Or would her entire home be submerged? Everything she and her children owned in the world was in that house. Everything.
* * *
“AT LEAST YOU KNOW your kids are safe and that’s the main thing.” Colt was driving his truck back to Roundup with Leah anxiously strapped into the passenger seat staring out at the wet, gray countryside.
“I wouldn’t expect such sage advice from you. But you’re right.”
She’d neatly put him in his place but Colt could handle it. They were the only words she’d uttered since they’d turned off the radio and he was worried about her. Her face had gone so pale and her eyes seemed to be focused on some hidden, interior space that he had no access to.
His mother had suggested they wait out the storm before heading to town.
When Leah had shaken her head, Colt offered to drive, at which point his mother insisted that the children be left behind with her.
“Your mother is so kind,” she said now, in a quiet voice he could hardly hear above the pounding of the rain against the cab roof. “Seems like I’m always thanking her for one thing or another.”
“You know it’s like a code in these parts. We all help out our neighbors. Besides, she likes you, Leah. I can tell.” A few times he’d noticed his mom glancing from him to Leah, then back again. He knew what she was hoping.
Sarah Hart was a smart woman and she’d picked up on the feelings between him and Leah. If only he was a different kind of man. A better kind of man…
He’d reached the end of Thunder Road. Colt checked for traffic, hoping no one was foolish enough to be driving without headlights in this pounding rain. Once he was on the highway, it seemed like the rain started coming down even harder. The windshield wipers couldn’t go any faster, and he could barely see the road ahead. Still, he drove as fast as he dared, knowing that time was of the essence.
Ten minutes later they were on Timberline Drive. A group of men and women were down by the river, trying to create a sandbag barrier between the water and the town, but the bank had already risen to the footings of Leah’s house. Fortunately the street had a couple feet elevation over the house, so Colt was able to drive almost up to the front door.
He stepped out into the drenching rain and met Leah on the lawn. A man covered in a black slicker and knee-high boots came up to talk to them. “You guys live here?” He pointed at Leah’s house.
“I do,” Leah said, her voice trembling. Colt put an arm around her shoulders and wish he could give her some of his strength to help her through this.
It was a frightening sight, for sure. The river was lapping up the backyard, muddy and roiling with debris.
“We already helped your neighbors evacuate,” the man shouted, above the roar of the storm. “We’ll be glad to give you a hand, too.”
Leah seemed frozen in place, staring at her house. Colt’s mother had lent her one of Dinah’s old rain slickers, but she hadn’t put up the hood and her hair and face were soaking wet. Gently Colt lifted the hood into place, then turned her so she would look at him.
“Wait in the cab. There are lots of people. This won’t take long.”
Leah shook her head. “I have to help.”
She was soaking wet, probably in shock, too. But he could tell by the set of her jaw he wasn’t going to win this one. If he could get her inside the house, out of the rain, maybe she’d be content with just giving instructions.
Of course she wasn’t. She insisted on getting right in the action, tossing clothing, toys and kitchen supplies haphazardly into boxes and suitcases, then lugging them out to the truck. Someone had a tarp, and they tried to protect Leah’s belongings from the rain as much as possible.
Amazingly, it took only thirty minutes to empty out the house, which was lucky. The river had crept up over the foundation—and it was only a matter of time before the road was washed out, too.
“We have to go, Leah.” They’d thanked the volunteers who were already moving up to the next street, where sandbagging efforts were hoping to contain the river from reaching the next level of homes. Colt would have been pitching in, too, but he couldn’t leave Leah.
She was shivering now, standing by his truck and looking forlornly at the jumbled mess in the back. The tarp was offering minimal protection as it flapped in the wind, despite Colt’s efforts to tie it securely.
“Where should we take this?” he asked. “To your mother’s?”
“I don’t know.”
He could see how hard she was fighting not to cry. He knew she and her mother had had a disagreement. Maybe Leah wasn’t ready to face her, yet.
“Then we’ll take it back to Thunder Ranch. Mom has lots of room in the basement. Our property sits nice and dry on high land.”
“I can’t do that, either. It’s too much.”
“Leah.” He gave her shoulders a little shake. “We have to get this stuff out of the rain soon, or we might as well have left it in the house. Don’t be too proud to accept help. Just tell me where to go—your mother’s? Or Thunder Ranch?”
All he could see was her profile as she tilted her head away from him. Her face was soaking wet again—whether from rain or tears, he couldn’t tell. Probably both.
“I don’t know,” she said, again. “I have no idea what to do.” With that, she broke completely from his grasp and climbed back into the passenger seat of his truck.
* * *
LEAH SAT IN THE TRUCK, shivering, barely noticing when Colt joined her. He started the truck, drove to the top of the road, then pulled over. She supposed he was waiting for her to make a decision. He might be waiting a long time.
What else could go wrong? Leah felt as if the rain had washed away every bit of her hope and optimism. The new home she’d worked so hard to build for her children—gone. They’d been lucky to salvage their belongings, but even that was an empty victory. Where was she supposed to put the children’s beds, their toys, all of their clothing?
“The engine’s finally warm. We’ll get some heat now.” Colt turned the truck’s heater up to high and hot air blasted over Leah’s chilled body. “Are you okay?”
“Sure.” What else could she say? Colt had done so much to help her, she couldn’t tell him how awful she felt. She knew she ought to be grateful that she and the children were safe and, of course, she was, but that didn’t make their losses any less significant.
Two months ago she’d moved her children out of the house where they’d been born.
Now they were homeless again.
She felt a warm hand on her head. She turned to see Colt watching her, the look in his eyes full of tender concern. He stroked her head one more time, then reached for her hand and gave her a squeeze.
“You’re going to be okay, Leah Stockton. You’re a strong woman and you have lots of people who care about you.”
“Thanks, Colt.” That was just what she’d needed to hear. She knew she had people who cared, and her mother, for all their differences, was one of them.
She reached inside her jacket pocket for her phone. To her surprise she saw five missed calls, all from her mom. The storm had been so loud, she hadn’t heard any of them.
She hit the call button and her mom answered within two seconds.
“Leah? Are you and the kids okay?”
“Yes, Mom, we’re fine.”
“I heard there was flooding in your area.”
“Yes. We just finished getting our stuff out. Colt and a bunch of neighbors helped me.”
“Oh, dear. This is so terrible.”
Leah couldn’t dispute that.
“Don’t you wonder, honey, if it isn’t a sign? Nothing’s gone right since you left Jackson. Maybe later tonight you could call him. Just to talk. I assume you and the kids will be staying with me again?”
For a minute Leah couldn’t say a word. Just when she needed a kind word, there it was, a stab in the heart. To be fair, she didn’t think her mom meant to hurt her. Still, she couldn’t deal with this now.
She could tell Colt had heard every word her mother had said. He was quietly watching for her reaction and she covered the phone so her mother wouldn’t hear.
“Is your offer still open?” she asked him.
“It is.”
She uncovered the phone. “Mom, the house didn’t flood because I left Jackson. It flooded because we’ve had too much rain. And no—the kids and I won’t be staying with you. We’ll be at Thunder Ranch until I find us a new home.”
* * *
“YOU MADE THE right decision,” Colt said. “The suite where Ace used to live is empty. Lots of room there for you and the kids.”
“But it’s connected to the main house, right? So we’ll need to ask your mother.”
“A mere technicality.”
That wasn’t the point. Leah had no doubt that Sarah would take them in. But it seemed too much to ask. Sarah was her employer, not her family.
“Is there any place else? A cabin somewhere? We don’t need anything fancy.”
“Well, you could take my trailer and I could move into the suite. It would be a definite step up for me, but pretty cramped for you and the kids.”
“We wouldn’t care. As long as you don’t mind?”
“Hell no. Like I said, it’s a good deal for me. But you may want to check out my trailer before you give up dibs on Ace’s suite.”
By the time they returned to the ranch, the rain had stopped and sunlight filtered through the dissipating clouds. Colt ran his plan by Sarah, who was in the process of cooking a roast beef for Sunday dinner while the children—whom Sarah had helped shower and change—were now watching a movie in the adjoining great room. Ace and Flynn were expected to join them for the meal, as well as Sarah’s brother, Joshua, and both of his sons.
“I’m so sorry about your house, Leah.” Hands wet from peeling potatoes, Sarah used the back of her wrist to push back a strand of hair that had fallen in her eyes. “You and the children are very welcome at Thunder Ranch—as you can see we have loads of room. Please stay wherever you’ll be most comfortable. Colt’s camper is pretty tiny. Are you sure you wouldn’t be happier in Ace’s old suite? There’s a big bed for you and we could set up cots for the children.”
“We’ll be fine in the camper. Thank you so much for taking us in.” Sarah had done so much for her today. With her heart condition, it just wasn’t right. Leah longed for a shower and a change of clothes. Instead she reached for the peeler. “Why don’t you rest for a few minutes. I can handle this.”
Sarah ceded the job gratefully. “I’m not going to say no to that. Peel the entire bag, please, Leah. My boys are big eaters.”
* * *
LEAH WAS WORRIED that the commotion of a Hart family Sunday dinner might be too much for her children, but as the evening progressed it was Leah who felt overwhelmed. It had been a long, hard day and not only had she chipped in to help Sarah prepare the meal, but now she also had to try and keep all the new family members straight.
“We got the horse,” Sarah said drily. “We’re still not so sure it was much of a victory.”
“Are you kidding?” Colt almost choked as he reacted to his mother’s comment. “You may have paid top dollar, but Midnight is worth every penny. He is one hell of a horse.”
“He looks good,” Sarah conceded. “But we bought him to be a stud horse and Ace hasn’t had any success breeding him in the barn. He’s just too unpredictable and we can’t risk injuring the mares. We have had some success letting him out in the pasture with the mares. But it’s not as safe or as reliable that way.”
“Midnight has too much energy,” Colt insisted. “That’s the problem. You’ve got to let him burn off some steam on the rodeo circuit.”
“It’ll be a cold day in hell when we let that horse rodeo.” All of them turned to see Ace, who had walked around the back of the house and had obviously overheard part of the conversation.
Chapter Twelve
“I’ve told you before, Colt,” Ace continued, “we have too much invested in that horse to risk him getting injured.”
Colt didn’t argue with his brother. He just crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at the ground. It was left to Sarah to smooth over the gap in the conversation.
“Back from your call already? I didn’t even hear you drive up.” Sarah rose from her seat, then looked at the sky. “Gosh, where did those clouds come from? Sit down, Ace, there’s plenty of food. I’ll get extra plates for you and Flynn.”
“Flynn was tired so I dropped her off at home.” He leaned over the pulled pork and inhaled deeply. “But I won’t say no to your offer.”
“Good decision,” Leah said. “It’s delicious.”
“Hey there, Leah. Excuse me, I didn’t mean to ignore you. My brother knows how to yank my chain, I’m afraid.”
“Isn’t that what younger siblings are for? Davey does a pretty good job with Jill, too.”
Ace smiled at the kids and their barbecue-sauce-smeared faces. “Looks like you guys have been enjoying my mom’s pulled pork.”
Leah laughed. “I was waiting for them to finish before I mopped them up.”
“I rode a horse,” Jill announced proudly, not at all self-conscious about her sticky face. “Colt teached me. He’s Mommy’s friend.”
Ace blinked, but was quick to reply. “Well, you’re learning from the best, sweetheart. If there’s one thing my brother can do, it’s ride horses.”
While the comment was worded as a compliment, Ace’s tone held the hint of a barb. Leah shot a discreet look in Colt’s direction. He was looking down at his empty plate, his expression somewhat deflated. In a ranching family, skill with horses and the rodeo ought to be highly admired, and yet that didn’t seem to be the case with Colt.
She couldn’t understand why.
Finished with her meal, she cleared plates, then wiped Jill’s and Davey’s faces. The sky was considerably darker now as clouds continued to pile in from the mountains. The temperature had dropped several degrees, too, and Leah pulled warm sweatshirts over the kids’ dry bathing suits. “We’ll go home to shower and change,” she told them, knowing they were going to protest.
But it was Ace who voiced the first objection. “Maybe you should wait a bit. I saw some serious thunderclouds out to the west when I was driving home. We’re about to get hit with a storm, maybe even some hail.”
And no sooner had he said that than the first drop fell.
“It’s probably just a shower,” Leah said. Sarah Hart had been so gracious, but she didn’t want to outstay their welcome.
“Better not take the chance.” Colt plucked up Davey with one hand and the platter of pork with the other. “We can check the weather report from inside.”
Since when did Colt call the shots for her and the children? Leah could tell that even Ace was a little taken aback by his brother’s authoritative manner. But just then a loud crack of thunder had both kids shrieking. As if it had been a signal from a conductor, the sprinkles of raindrops turned into a torrent.
Suddenly everyone was rushing. Leah grabbed Jill and the bag with their clothes and towels, while Ace lowered the patio umbrella and packed up the rest of the food. Less than a minute later they were all inside the Harts’ family room, damp and a little breathless. They’d no sooner shut the door behind them, than a second jolt of thunder shook through the house.
“Scawey.” Davey reached for Leah to pick him up, but Jill turned to Colt.
“Are we safe in the house?”
“You bet we are, half-pint.”
The confidence in his voice, even more than his words, seemed to reassure the children. As a distraction, Leah pulled a puzzle out from her bag—this was one of those times she was glad that she was always prepared—and scattered the pieces on the big coffee table near the river-rock fireplace. Both of her kids enjoyed puzzles, and they flocked to it.
Ace had gone to the barn to check on the livestock. Sarah was running around the house closing windows. That left Leah and Colt awkwardly avoiding one another’s gazes.
Finally, he said, “I’ll turn on the radio. See if we can find a weather report.”
The great room opened right onto the kitchen, and that was where Colt headed. She followed him to the island, where she pulled up a stool and admired the stained cherry cabinets and limestone backsplash.
One day she’d love to have a house like this. Spacious, yet cozy, it was the sort of home that immediately made you feel comfortable. But owning a place like this was just a dream. As a single mother she’d be lucky if she could afford to buy, rather than just rent, the house she and the kids currently lived in.
Colt tuned the radio to a local station, which almost immediately broadcast an emergency weather bulletin. Sarah emerged from the hallway in time to hear it, too.
“The National Weather Service in Billings has issued a flash flood warning for Musselshell County—”
“Mom! Davey keeps taking the puzzle pieces away from me.”
“Jill, hush, please. We’re listening to something important.”
Hearing the urgency in her mother’s voice, Jill left the puzzle and came into the kitchen, with Davey tagging right behind her.
Leah had moved in front of the radio, as had Colt and his mother. All three of them listened intently as the broadcast continued.
“…reported water rising on the Musselshell River and approaching houses in Roundup—”
“Roundup, Mommy?” Jill pressed in closer. “That’s where we live.”
Leah shushed her, again, hardly noticing when Colt leaned over to pick up both kids, one in each arm. He seemed to be whispering something to them, but she just frowned and pressed in closer to the radio.
“Doppler radar indicates that another band of heavy rainfall is developing and moving over Musselshell County, producing rainfall rates up to one inch per hour. Enhanced rainfall rates will likely cause flash flooding along the river bank in low-lying areas of Roundup. Residents should take immediate precautions to protect life and property—”
“Oh, my lord.”
Immediately she thought about the smell in her basement. The house had flooded before and now it looked like it was about to happen again. Would it stop in the basement? Or would her entire home be submerged? Everything she and her children owned in the world was in that house. Everything.
* * *
“AT LEAST YOU KNOW your kids are safe and that’s the main thing.” Colt was driving his truck back to Roundup with Leah anxiously strapped into the passenger seat staring out at the wet, gray countryside.
“I wouldn’t expect such sage advice from you. But you’re right.”
She’d neatly put him in his place but Colt could handle it. They were the only words she’d uttered since they’d turned off the radio and he was worried about her. Her face had gone so pale and her eyes seemed to be focused on some hidden, interior space that he had no access to.
His mother had suggested they wait out the storm before heading to town.
When Leah had shaken her head, Colt offered to drive, at which point his mother insisted that the children be left behind with her.
“Your mother is so kind,” she said now, in a quiet voice he could hardly hear above the pounding of the rain against the cab roof. “Seems like I’m always thanking her for one thing or another.”
“You know it’s like a code in these parts. We all help out our neighbors. Besides, she likes you, Leah. I can tell.” A few times he’d noticed his mom glancing from him to Leah, then back again. He knew what she was hoping.
Sarah Hart was a smart woman and she’d picked up on the feelings between him and Leah. If only he was a different kind of man. A better kind of man…
He’d reached the end of Thunder Road. Colt checked for traffic, hoping no one was foolish enough to be driving without headlights in this pounding rain. Once he was on the highway, it seemed like the rain started coming down even harder. The windshield wipers couldn’t go any faster, and he could barely see the road ahead. Still, he drove as fast as he dared, knowing that time was of the essence.
Ten minutes later they were on Timberline Drive. A group of men and women were down by the river, trying to create a sandbag barrier between the water and the town, but the bank had already risen to the footings of Leah’s house. Fortunately the street had a couple feet elevation over the house, so Colt was able to drive almost up to the front door.
He stepped out into the drenching rain and met Leah on the lawn. A man covered in a black slicker and knee-high boots came up to talk to them. “You guys live here?” He pointed at Leah’s house.
“I do,” Leah said, her voice trembling. Colt put an arm around her shoulders and wish he could give her some of his strength to help her through this.
It was a frightening sight, for sure. The river was lapping up the backyard, muddy and roiling with debris.
“We already helped your neighbors evacuate,” the man shouted, above the roar of the storm. “We’ll be glad to give you a hand, too.”
Leah seemed frozen in place, staring at her house. Colt’s mother had lent her one of Dinah’s old rain slickers, but she hadn’t put up the hood and her hair and face were soaking wet. Gently Colt lifted the hood into place, then turned her so she would look at him.
“Wait in the cab. There are lots of people. This won’t take long.”
Leah shook her head. “I have to help.”
She was soaking wet, probably in shock, too. But he could tell by the set of her jaw he wasn’t going to win this one. If he could get her inside the house, out of the rain, maybe she’d be content with just giving instructions.
Of course she wasn’t. She insisted on getting right in the action, tossing clothing, toys and kitchen supplies haphazardly into boxes and suitcases, then lugging them out to the truck. Someone had a tarp, and they tried to protect Leah’s belongings from the rain as much as possible.
Amazingly, it took only thirty minutes to empty out the house, which was lucky. The river had crept up over the foundation—and it was only a matter of time before the road was washed out, too.
“We have to go, Leah.” They’d thanked the volunteers who were already moving up to the next street, where sandbagging efforts were hoping to contain the river from reaching the next level of homes. Colt would have been pitching in, too, but he couldn’t leave Leah.
She was shivering now, standing by his truck and looking forlornly at the jumbled mess in the back. The tarp was offering minimal protection as it flapped in the wind, despite Colt’s efforts to tie it securely.
“Where should we take this?” he asked. “To your mother’s?”
“I don’t know.”
He could see how hard she was fighting not to cry. He knew she and her mother had had a disagreement. Maybe Leah wasn’t ready to face her, yet.
“Then we’ll take it back to Thunder Ranch. Mom has lots of room in the basement. Our property sits nice and dry on high land.”
“I can’t do that, either. It’s too much.”
“Leah.” He gave her shoulders a little shake. “We have to get this stuff out of the rain soon, or we might as well have left it in the house. Don’t be too proud to accept help. Just tell me where to go—your mother’s? Or Thunder Ranch?”
All he could see was her profile as she tilted her head away from him. Her face was soaking wet again—whether from rain or tears, he couldn’t tell. Probably both.
“I don’t know,” she said, again. “I have no idea what to do.” With that, she broke completely from his grasp and climbed back into the passenger seat of his truck.
* * *
LEAH SAT IN THE TRUCK, shivering, barely noticing when Colt joined her. He started the truck, drove to the top of the road, then pulled over. She supposed he was waiting for her to make a decision. He might be waiting a long time.
What else could go wrong? Leah felt as if the rain had washed away every bit of her hope and optimism. The new home she’d worked so hard to build for her children—gone. They’d been lucky to salvage their belongings, but even that was an empty victory. Where was she supposed to put the children’s beds, their toys, all of their clothing?
“The engine’s finally warm. We’ll get some heat now.” Colt turned the truck’s heater up to high and hot air blasted over Leah’s chilled body. “Are you okay?”
“Sure.” What else could she say? Colt had done so much to help her, she couldn’t tell him how awful she felt. She knew she ought to be grateful that she and the children were safe and, of course, she was, but that didn’t make their losses any less significant.
Two months ago she’d moved her children out of the house where they’d been born.
Now they were homeless again.
She felt a warm hand on her head. She turned to see Colt watching her, the look in his eyes full of tender concern. He stroked her head one more time, then reached for her hand and gave her a squeeze.
“You’re going to be okay, Leah Stockton. You’re a strong woman and you have lots of people who care about you.”
“Thanks, Colt.” That was just what she’d needed to hear. She knew she had people who cared, and her mother, for all their differences, was one of them.
She reached inside her jacket pocket for her phone. To her surprise she saw five missed calls, all from her mom. The storm had been so loud, she hadn’t heard any of them.
She hit the call button and her mom answered within two seconds.
“Leah? Are you and the kids okay?”
“Yes, Mom, we’re fine.”
“I heard there was flooding in your area.”
“Yes. We just finished getting our stuff out. Colt and a bunch of neighbors helped me.”
“Oh, dear. This is so terrible.”
Leah couldn’t dispute that.
“Don’t you wonder, honey, if it isn’t a sign? Nothing’s gone right since you left Jackson. Maybe later tonight you could call him. Just to talk. I assume you and the kids will be staying with me again?”
For a minute Leah couldn’t say a word. Just when she needed a kind word, there it was, a stab in the heart. To be fair, she didn’t think her mom meant to hurt her. Still, she couldn’t deal with this now.
She could tell Colt had heard every word her mother had said. He was quietly watching for her reaction and she covered the phone so her mother wouldn’t hear.
“Is your offer still open?” she asked him.
“It is.”
She uncovered the phone. “Mom, the house didn’t flood because I left Jackson. It flooded because we’ve had too much rain. And no—the kids and I won’t be staying with you. We’ll be at Thunder Ranch until I find us a new home.”
* * *
“YOU MADE THE right decision,” Colt said. “The suite where Ace used to live is empty. Lots of room there for you and the kids.”
“But it’s connected to the main house, right? So we’ll need to ask your mother.”
“A mere technicality.”
That wasn’t the point. Leah had no doubt that Sarah would take them in. But it seemed too much to ask. Sarah was her employer, not her family.
“Is there any place else? A cabin somewhere? We don’t need anything fancy.”
“Well, you could take my trailer and I could move into the suite. It would be a definite step up for me, but pretty cramped for you and the kids.”
“We wouldn’t care. As long as you don’t mind?”
“Hell no. Like I said, it’s a good deal for me. But you may want to check out my trailer before you give up dibs on Ace’s suite.”
By the time they returned to the ranch, the rain had stopped and sunlight filtered through the dissipating clouds. Colt ran his plan by Sarah, who was in the process of cooking a roast beef for Sunday dinner while the children—whom Sarah had helped shower and change—were now watching a movie in the adjoining great room. Ace and Flynn were expected to join them for the meal, as well as Sarah’s brother, Joshua, and both of his sons.
“I’m so sorry about your house, Leah.” Hands wet from peeling potatoes, Sarah used the back of her wrist to push back a strand of hair that had fallen in her eyes. “You and the children are very welcome at Thunder Ranch—as you can see we have loads of room. Please stay wherever you’ll be most comfortable. Colt’s camper is pretty tiny. Are you sure you wouldn’t be happier in Ace’s old suite? There’s a big bed for you and we could set up cots for the children.”
“We’ll be fine in the camper. Thank you so much for taking us in.” Sarah had done so much for her today. With her heart condition, it just wasn’t right. Leah longed for a shower and a change of clothes. Instead she reached for the peeler. “Why don’t you rest for a few minutes. I can handle this.”
Sarah ceded the job gratefully. “I’m not going to say no to that. Peel the entire bag, please, Leah. My boys are big eaters.”
* * *
LEAH WAS WORRIED that the commotion of a Hart family Sunday dinner might be too much for her children, but as the evening progressed it was Leah who felt overwhelmed. It had been a long, hard day and not only had she chipped in to help Sarah prepare the meal, but now she also had to try and keep all the new family members straight.
