Chapter Six
As they rode through the sun-drenched pasture, Cole held the reins loosely, fighting the urge to glance back at her.
The steady rhythm of hoofbeats behind him made his pulse quicken.
She was someone he’d love to get to know.
But she was hellbent on leaving once her sister was found, and he’d been down that road before.
After Callie left the last time, he’d sworn off women who put everything else first. He’d invested years in that relationship, countless dinners at The Hartland, long rides under star-filled skies, only to be handed an ultimatum she knew damn well he’d never meet.
The farm had been in his family for generations.
The oak trees his great-great-grandfather planted still stood by the house.
It wasn’t as if he’d hidden any of it. She’d told him on their first date she had no plans to leave Clifton; fingers intertwined with his as fireworks exploded against the night sky.
He clenched his jaw. She’d lied straight to his face, those brown eyes never wavering. It had cut him deep, but he was done. He wouldn’t take her back. Ever.
“Over that rise is the pond.” He pointed toward a knoll where cottonwoods cast long shadows across the grass.
“I hope there’s a breeze off the water.” A bead of sweat caught the sunlight as it traced her temple. “It’s brutal today.”
“It is.” He wiped his forehead with his bandana. “I’ll be glad to see cooler weather.”
“Me too.”
When they reached the pond’s edge, dappled light danced across the surface. Cole swung down and brushed the grass from his jeans as he stepped toward her.
“Can you get down on your own, or do you need help?”
“Let me try.” Her voice caught on a laugh.
He stepped back, stifling a grin as she lifted one leg over the saddle. Her brow furrowed, and she froze mid-movement, looking at him with wide uncertain eyes. “Could you stand behind me in case I tumble? My knees feel weak already.”
“Sure.” He moved close, hands raised and ready.
She kept her left foot in the stirrup and hovered above the grass, arms draped across the pommel. “It looks so far down from up here.”
“Come on.” He settled his palms at her waist, heart thudding, and guided her down until both feet touched the soft turf. She straightened and swayed.
“How can my knees be this weak?”
“We’ve been riding half an hour. Give them a minute.”
“I’m not sure I can face climbing back up,” she said, half laughing, half serious.
“I’ll help again. But unless you keep at it, next time will be just as wobbly.”
Aftyn sighed, then grinned. “I suppose I’ll have to have you come get me every Sunday.”
Cole’s chest tightened with something he couldn’t name. Their eyes met and held, but she looked away, tracing a pattern in the grass with her foot. He pressed his lips together and said nothing.
“You’re wasting your time,” he muttered.
“What?” She tilted her head.
“Nothing.” He cleared his throat. “Talking to myself.”
He unsaddled the horses and spread a woolen bedroll across the grass, smoothing it flat. From his pack he pulled the paper bag and two chilled bottles of water, handing her both a sandwich and a bottle.
She eyed it with suspicion. “This isn’t the mustard one, is it?”
“No.”
She took a cautious bite. “Mmm. So good.”
“Did you really think I’d switch them?”
She laughed, the sound tightening his throat. “I was hoping not.”
They ate in companionable silence, broken only by distant birdsong, the occasional plop of a fish at the pond’s surface, and Ollie crashing through the tall grass. When they finished, Cole tucked the wrappers into his saddlebag and produced two fishing rods and a tin of worms.
He assembled both rods, handed her one, then rose and took careful aim before flicking his wrist. The lure cut through the air and landed with a soft splash at the pond’s center, ripples spreading outward in slow circles.
“Nice cast,” she said.
“Thank you, ma’am.” He settled onto the blanket, legs stretched out, leaning back on his elbows. They watched the bobber sway on the glassy surface and breathed in the peaceful hush of the afternoon.
****
Aftyn forced her gaze to the pond’s rippling surface, but the sun kept catching Cole’s dark hair and green eyes in a way that made her heart clench.
She focused on her sandwich until the last bite was gone, folded the wax paper into the plastic bag, and walked to the edge of the water.
She gripped her rod, flicked her wrist, and sent the line arcing over the water.
The hook landed short of Cole’s but far enough, skimming a patch of yellow-green algae before the bobber settled.
“Not bad,” he murmured, voice low above the whisper of wind through the reeds.
She bent her knees and rested her chin on them. A soft breeze carried damp soil and wildflowers from the bank. “My dad used to take me fishing all the time.” Her voice trembled slightly with it.
Cole’s broad shoulder grazed hers through their shirts. “You still miss him.”
“I do. My mother too.” Her fingers curled through the cool grass.
“How long were you married?”
She bit her lower lip. “Seven years. Divorced six months ago, but it was over long before that.”
“Seven years is a long time.”
She watched a family of ducks drift across the glassy surface, ripples fanning out behind them. “Yes.”
“Are you bitter about it?”
She let out a slow breath. “Not bitter. Just stupid.” She met his eyes. “Judd wasn’t a villain in the way you’d picture. Never raised a hand, never said a cruel word. But he cheated.”
“That’s a bad man in my book,” Cole said, his voice firm but quiet. “There’s more than one way to hurt someone.”
She exhaled, the sun warming her face. “He was a nurse in the ED where I worked. When he first asked me out I should have known better, but I convinced myself he’d change.
That I was special.” She shook her head.
“The first time, I forgave him. Then I started hearing rumors at the hospital, and I noticed how he looked at Avery, how he laughed too loud at her jokes. They both said it was innocent. I wanted to believe that.” She squared her shoulders.
“I don’t care about Judd anymore. What hurts is my sister.
Let her have him. He’ll never be faithful to her any more than he was to me. I just want justice for what she took.”
“His cheating must’ve cut deep all the same,” Cole said quietly.
“It did. The second time, I realized I’d been married to a liar the whole time.
He swore it was a mistake, that he loved me.
That’s when I understood I wasn’t the problem.
He was.” She leaned back on the blanket and looked up at the pale wash of blue overhead.
“I filed for divorce. Every time he came to collect his things he tried to talk me into taking him back. Then one night he showed up, saw Avery, and hugged her like they’d been friends forever.
I’m sure they’d been together long before that.
” A bitter laugh slipped free. “It won’t last. He’ll get bored, or she’ll betray him the same way she did me.
Neither of them deserves loyalty.” She shrugged, the motion light but resolute.
“I hate saying that about my sister. But it’s the truth. ”
Cole nodded. “Most of us learn eventually.”
Aftyn propped herself on one elbow, brushing grass from her jeans. “Tell me about the woman who left you.”
He smirked. “I suppose Connie mentioned it.”
“She did. Not in a gossipy way.”
Cole sighed, running a hand through his hair.
“For a while I was the town fool. I kept taking Callie back, blinded by the hope she’d change.
” He turned his gaze to the pond, sunlight dancing across the rippling surface.
“This land is in my blood. I’ll never leave it.
Dad handed it down to me, oldest son tradition, though I think Callie always believed I’d eventually sell my share to Seth or Ethan.
” He paused. “My dad owned eight hundred acres, and he parceled it to two hundred each when he retired. I inherited the homestead. I promised him I’d keep it alive, and I will, until the day I can’t anymore and hopefully hand it down to my own family someday. ”
“Where’s the main house?” Aftyn’s brows pulled together.
“Gone. Torn down years back. My parents built something smaller, and we each put up our own places. But it’s all still Harrison land. Always will be.”
“Do you think she’ll ever come back?”
“I doubt it.”
“Was she that unhappy here?”
He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, eyes on the slow bob of his line.
“Callie was born and raised in Clifton, but she always wanted big cities, bright lights, places that didn’t shut down by nine.
Small towns aren’t for everyone.” He glanced at her.
“Same as city life isn’t for everyone. People who work the land usually only give it up when they’re forced to. ”
“What forces it?”
“Bad luck, mostly. Drought, sick animals, theft. Things that can wipe out what took generations to build.” He watched the bobber drift. “I’ll keep at it until I can’t.”
She smiled, glancing at the wide-open sky. “It’s gorgeous out here. The air feels different, cleaner. I love Colorado, but this is next level.”
“Montana’s got more room to breathe,” Cole said quietly. “Not as many people.”
“Colorado doesn’t stretch out like this, that’s for sure.”
Cole nodded toward her line. “You’ve got a bite.”
“Oh!” She stood, grabbed her pole, and let the fish run a beat. “Alright, little guy. Almost there.” She tugged on the pole to set the hook and started reeling.
Cole moved beside her with the net, scooping it up as she brought it close. “Nice catch.”
Aftyn lifted the fish by its lower lip and held it up while Cole worked the hook free, then tossed it back. She watched the ripples fade.
“I wonder what fish think. You suppose he goes home and tells his family, ‘You won’t believe what I just survived’?”
Cole laughed. “Fish families, huh?”
“You don’t think fish have families?” she challenged.
“Can’t say I ever thought about it.” He grinned. “Seems like you have though.”
She dropped her pole in the grass, put her hands on her hips, and fixed him with a look. “Are you making fun of me right now?”
He looked genuinely puzzled. “Me?”
She glanced around with exaggerated patience. “You see anyone else out here?”
Cole surveyed the empty bank and shrugged. “Doesn’t look like it. I just don’t know why you’d think that.”
She took a step closer. “Just a hunch.”
He laughed, shaking his head. “That’s your reason? A hunch?”
“Keep laughing, Harrison, and you’ll be joining the fish.”
Cole mimicked her stance, hands on hips. “You really think you could put me in there? Have at it.”
She smirked, closing the gap. “Sounds like a challenge.”
He spread his arms wide. “Go for it, darlin’. Show me what you got.”