Chapter Eleven
Chuck inspected every inch of the Enclave with the kind of thoroughness that made her glad Cole had suggested it, and when he gave his nod she drove back to the dealership and sat under the fluorescent lights for a solid hour of paperwork while her aunt wired the money.
The drive home felt like a reward. The leather cradled her, the engine purred beneath her hands, and she couldn’t keep the grin off her face the whole way, following Cole’s pickup through familiar roads until they turned onto his gravel driveway.
She watched his tall frame unfold from the truck cab, then reached into the back seat for her overnight bag and the dress in its paper covering, still swaying gently from the hook.
She was glad she’d made the stop at Paige’s shop.
The slinky black dress and the blue stilettos had felt like an indulgence at the time. Now they felt like a plan.
She stepped out onto the crunching gravel, ran her hand once across the smooth hood out of pure affection, then walked to Cole and took his hand.
Inside, a burst of golden fur launched itself in her direction.
Ollie circled her twice at full speed, ears flopping, tail a blur, then planted himself at her feet and looked up at her like she’d personally hung the moon.
“You’ve spoiled my dog,” Cole said, the corners of his eyes creasing.
“He deserves it.” She crouched and scratched behind his silky ears. “I love dogs.”
“Me too.”
“How did you come up with Ollie?”
Cole shrugged, his broad shoulders shifting beneath his worn flannel.
“I didn’t. That was his name when I got him from the shelter.
I had a Goldie for years before him. Had her since she was eight weeks old, just this little ball of fluff that fit in my palm.
” He paused. “Had to put her down about four years ago. Cancer.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Two years of coming home to an empty house and I figured it was time.”
“I’ve never had to do that myself, but my Aunt Ping has. Several times.”
“It’s never easy. The room always feels too bright. Too sterile.” His voice was quiet with the memory of it.
“Did you stay with her? Until the end?”
“Yes.” He was quiet for a moment. “I didn’t know if I could do it, watching her close her eyes for the last time.
I told the vet tech I wasn’t sure I could stay, and she said they’d be with her if I couldn’t.
That made my decision for me. My dog didn’t know those people.
She knew my scent, my voice. She’d want familiar hands on her when she went.
” He looked down at Ollie, who had settled across his boots.
“I hated every second of it. But it was the right thing for her. She’d suffered enough. ”
Aftyn didn’t say anything. There wasn’t much to say.
“This one,” Cole continued, the shadow lifting from his face, “stood in his pen and barked at me the entire visit. I knew before I left that lot he was coming home with me. He was two then. He’s four now and hasn’t slowed down a day.”
“He’s a sweetheart.” She looked down at Ollie, who had migrated to her feet again. “And he obviously loves you.”
“Yeah, he does. Goldies are like that. Loyal to the bone.” Cole’s expression warmed, the corners of his eyes creasing. “So. How’s the new vehicle treating you?”
Aftyn twirled her keys around one finger and smiled. “I love it. Rides so smooth. I’m happy.”
“Good.” He straightened and reached for his hat. “I need to go check on the horses. Won’t take long. Make yourself at home and we’ll find something to watch until it’s time to go.”
“Can I put this in your bedroom?” She lifted the garment bag, the paper crinkling softly.
“Of course.” He reached for her overnight case. “I’ll take that. You keep the dress.” His gaze settled on her face with a look that made her glad she’d splurged. “The dress I cannot wait to see you in.”
“I bought it at Paige’s.”
Cole groaned, low and genuine, a rumble from deep in his chest. “There isn’t a red-blooded man in Clifton, Spring City, or Hartland who doesn’t love that place.”
Aftyn laughed. “I can see why.”
They walked to his bedroom together, boots quiet against the hardwood. He set her case down on the patchwork quilt covering his king-sized bed and straightened.
“I’ll be back soon.”
“I’ll be here.” She smoothed the dress bag carefully across the quilt.
“Good.” He crossed to her, kissed her once, soft and unhurried, then headed out through the back door.
****
Cole crossed the yard, the dying grass crunching under his boots.
The temperature had dropped fast, the way it always did this time of year.
September in Clifton was Mother Nature’s idea of a joke, warm enough by noon to forget yourself, then cold enough by evening to remind you exactly where you lived.
His breath came out in small clouds and the air bit at his face and hands.
He wouldn’t be surprised to find snow dusting the distant mountains by morning.
He pulled the barn door open and stepped inside, the earthy warmth of hay and horses wrapping around him. The familiar smell settled something in his chest the way it always did.
“Hey, boss.” Rio’s voice carried across the space, his silhouette cut sharp against the lights burning in the rafters.
“Rio.” Cole rubbed his palms together. “How goes it?”
“Good. Got the horses in, fed and watered. Temps are supposed to drop to seventeen tonight.” Rio’s face was half-shadowed beneath the brim of his hat.
“Damn.” Cole glanced down the row of stalls, where the horses stood quiet, steam rising soft off their bodies. “I should’ve known you’d already have it handled.”
“Once it started turning I didn’t wait around.” Rio glanced down at himself. “I was in a T-shirt this morning. Now I’ve got flannel over it.”
“That’s September for you.”
Rio was quiet a moment, then nodded toward the window and the gleaming black Enclave sitting in the driveway. “Who does the new ride belong to?”
“Aftyn. She bought it today.” Cole heard the way his own voice changed on her name and didn’t much care for it.
Rio’s grin said he noticed too. “I see.”
“You don’t see shit. We’re going out tonight, that’s all. Nothing serious. She’s leaving Clifton soon enough.” Cole set his jaw, a muscle ticking along its edge.
Rio leaned back against a wooden post, straw shifting under his boots. “Well, damn. I was hoping she’d stick around.”
“Why?” Cole’s question hung in the cold air between them.
“Because you need a decent woman in your life. And she seems like one.” Rio paused. “Nothing like Callie.”
“Thank God for that.” Cole’s mouth curved despite himself. “But she’s leaving, so we’re not getting serious.”
Rio chuckled low and turned away, his boots leaving prints in the scattered hay. “Yeah. You keep telling yourself that.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“I imagine you’ll figure it out,” Rio called back, his voice already fading toward the door.
“I can fire you, you know.”
“Keep telling yourself that one too.” The door swung open, let in a gust that cut straight through, then swung shut behind him.
Cole stood there a moment in the quiet. They weren’t going to fall in love. He’d been down that road and he knew exactly what it cost. Aftyn was leaving, that much was certain. Once she’d dealt with her sister, Clifton would be nothing but a memory to her.