Chapter 9 Cole
CHAPTER NINE
COLE
The weekend passed by in typical fashion. I took yesterday to catch up on cleaning the barn and ended up saddling my blue roan gelding, Rocky, and headed out onto the range for a much needed escape from the monotony of ranch work.
“Hey, Cole,” says Amber, one of our summer stable hands. She smiles at me when I walk into the barn. “With the heat wave today, your brother said we can take the day off from working the horses.”
My chin dips and I walk over to the closest stall, rubbing my hand against the dappled gray who pokes his head out over the stall door. “I was thinking the same thing. No one wants to be outside on a day like today.”
“Isn’t that the truth?” She chuckles, shaking her head. “I was going to finish up with cleaning the stalls and then I have an appointment this afternoon I need to get to.”
“No worries,” I say, offering her a smile. “There’s not much we can do about the weather, so take the rest of the day.”
“Are you going to take the day off too?” She asks, tilting her head to the side. “Cade isn’t here to crack the whip on anyone today.”
I snort, blowing a breath through my nose and rolling my eyes. Cade is always on someone’s ass to make sure things are getting done.
“You know what, I think I will find something to do to stay out of the heat too,” I say, smiling deeply. I leave Amber to her work and give everything a once over, making sure there isn’t something I absolutely need to be doing before heading back out to my truck.
The air is thick with heat as I roll up the sleeves of my shirt and climb into the front seat. Cade and Cash left earlier this morning to look at a new trailer with living quarters.
With neither of my brothers here, I feel free in a way. My stomach grumbles and I laugh softly to myself, knowing exactly where I can go to take care of my hunger pains. I start the engine of my truck and put it in gear, driving through the property in the opposite direction of my house.
I keep driving until I get to the other side of the lake and find myself pulling into a familiar parking lot.
The bar is fairly empty in the middle of the day on a Monday.
I park my truck and head inside, finding an empty barstool.
Remi walks over to take my order when she sees me and disappointment settles on my chest as I order a water and sandwich.
My eyes survey the space, not seeing Ella anywhere.
I pull out my phone, deciding to text my friend, Austin.
Growing up, it was Wyatt, Austin, and me who were the inseparable trio.
The three of us all left Silverspur at the same time, headed in different directions, although Austin was the first to come back.
After he finished college and got his masters in Psychology, he opened his own practice here.
Wyatt settled into a life in Cheyenne after he graduated and started his emergency medicine residency program last month.
My fingers move across the screen, typing out a message to Austin. I want to see if he wants to go out on his boat to fish later this afternoon, hopefully after the heat dies off a bit.
“You again.”
Pressing send, I lift my head from my phone, my heart skipping a beat at the sound of her voice. My breath catches in my throat as my eyes meet hers. Ella stands before me, as she adjusts her black shirt that hugs her curves, with a smile drifting across her lips.
Her curly blonde hair is pulled away from her face, revealing her delicate features and icy blue eyes. I watch her for a moment, my heart hammering in my chest as she tilts her head to the side.
“Me again.”
She points to my water. “I see you’ve already been taken care of.”
I'd rather if you took care of me.
My head nods. I’m not sure if she just got here or if she has been here the entire time. My chest expands and a warmth washes over me. I’m happy to see her.
“I’ll be around if you need anything,” she informs me with a bright smile and a wink before she disappears to the other side of the bar.
Glancing at my phone, I see Austin texted me back and I respond to his message. He’s busy this afternoon with appointments so it doesn't work for him. Ella being at the bar changes things. Suddenly, I don’t feel like going out on the boat anyways.
The crowd at the bar is relatively low key and there aren't many people here today. I wait patiently for my food, checking my emails while watching the sports highlights that play on the TV screen hanging above the bar. Ella makes her way back to me with a bright smile on her face. She tends to gravitate toward me when I’m here but I can't quite read her.
I can't figure out why. Does she enjoy the conversation as much as I do or is she only being friendly because of our history?
“You didn't come in the other night,” she says softly as she gets herself a water and takes a sip of it.
Her words catch my attention and I stare at her for a moment. She noticed I wasn't here. “Yeah. I ended up getting caught up helping my brother with something.”
She nods, still smiling. “That’s right. You mentioned you were going to be helping him with one of the yearlings he bought, right?”
My head tilts to the side. Most times we've spoken, I wasn't sure if she was making conversation as a nicety.
I didn't realize she was actually paying attention and listening to the things I was saying.
She remembered a small, miniscule detail from a conversation we had a week ago. “Right. You remembered.”
“You seem surprised.”
“Because I am,” I admit as a soft laugh escapes me. “You work at a bar, Ella. You know how to talk to your customers and be friendly with them. I'm surprised because I never expected you to remember the things that I've told you.”
Her icy blue eyes pierce mine as she studies me for a moment. “You're right. I have a lot of conversations with a lot of people. Sometimes certain ones stick out more than others.”
She leaves without another word and confusion encapsulates me. Ella is a closed book and I want to peer inside her mind. I want to dissect her thoughts. I want to know everything I can possibly know about her.
She stays over on her side of the bar for a while and she’s gone long enough for me to finish my entire meal. Cade texts me, asking when I’ll be back at the ranch. They ended up buying the trailer and came home early.
I respond, telling him I'll be there in a little bit. Remi comes back over to me and I hand her my card to pay my tab as Ella starts walking back over.
“Are you leaving already?” She questions me with a touch of sadness in her tone. “I’m so sorry, I got caught up when that rush of people came in.”
“You don’t have to apologize, El,” I say. “Cade needs me back at the ranch. Him and Cash are both home early and we need to move the cattle to a different pasture.”
“No, no, I get it,” she says with an unreadable expression on her face. A touch of emotion washes over her irises but it passes too quickly that I don't get a chance to see what it was.
“I don't have to leave just yet,” I say with a shrug. I can’t help but feel like I should stay.
Her lips part, as if she’s going to say something but she quickly closes them.
It’s like watching a door close right in front of your face.
There’s a part of me that thought she was opening that door to further our conversation but then I watched her close it again, like she made a mistake.
“Oh, no,” she waves her hand dismissively. “I don't want to keep you. I'm sure I'll see you another time.” She forces a smile onto her lips that almost looks genuine. “Bye Cole.”
She turns her back to me and I can’t let her walk away. “El, wait.”
She quickly turns back to look at me, her eyes shining brightly. Her lips part once more and I watch her chest deflate as she exhales. “Yeah?”
“Can I take you out sometime?” I pause, letting out a breath. “Just to dinner or somethin’.”
Her eyes widen and I feel the same feeling inside my chest. I don't know where the hell the question came from but my brain and mouth didn't make the proper connection and the words slipped out before I had the chance to stop them.
She nervously shifts her weight on her feet. “I'm sorry, but I can't do that.”
My stomach sinks. Of course she can’t. “I apologize. That was rude of me and I shouldn't have asked. I didn't even think about you not being single.”
Her eyebrows pull together and she shakes her head. “No, I am. It's not that–” She pauses and lets out a ragged breath. “I just don't think that it's a good idea.”
“Why not?”
She pulls her plump bottom lip between her teeth and bites down before releasing it. “It's complicated.” She blows out a breath. “You’re friends with my brother, Cole. And I have Chloe.”
My head cocks sideways. It’s an excuse and a bullshit reason. Hell, it’s not even a real explanation. Her brother isn’t here anymore, so I refuse to accept that as a complication. He’s been in Cheyenne since he left medical school and has his own life away from Silverspur.
The Chloe part—I can see how she might think of that as a complication, but really, it’s not. Not in my mind, at least.
She stares back at me as if she’s contemplating running in the opposite direction. I’m beginning to wonder if maybe I’ve overstepped.
“I'm sorry. Forget that I said anything.”
A conflicted look passes through her eyes. “Please don't apologize. I'm not in a place in my life to be dating or seeing anyone.”
Regret strikes my chest. Ella doesn’t say it, but I imagine she means because of her daughter.
“It's only dinner, Ella. Nothin’ more. I just want a chance to talk to you away from here.” I pause, letting out a soft breath. “We used to know each other, remember?”
She shakes her head. “Things are different now, Cole. Our lives look nothing like they did when we were kids.”
I’m not sure how to proceed. For the first time in my life, I’m at a loss for words. “Okay,” I say with simplicity as I rise to my feet. “I understand.”
“I'm sorry,” she says again, softly, with a frown pulling down the corners of her lips. “I just don’t think it–.”
“El, stop. It’s fine, I understand.” I force a smile onto my lips. “Thank you for being honest with me. I promise this changes nothin’ and we can pretend like this never happened.”
She stares at me for a moment, like she doesn't believe a single word I said. Her forced smile matches mine and she bobs her head. “I would like that.”
“I’ll see ya again soon,” I say before turning my back to her and walking away. I hate myself for saying anything, but it was only a matter of time before I did. I know now that she’s much more guarded than I realized.
We can pretend like this didn't happen, but we both know it did.
And she isn't going to scare me away that easily.