Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Monty hadn’t intended to film the action going on in the stall. But when Tex’s lips started moving and the foal responded, he’d pulled out his phone. Zinnia would want pictures.
The video was pure gold and he couldn’t wait to show it to her. After the foal returned to his mother, Zinnia and Tex had an excited little confab about the interaction. They both had to be over the moon.
He was on a high, himself. He exchanged a smile with Graham, who’d also taken pictures. This whole deal had to be special for the guy. He’d wanted kids but he’d picked a woman who didn’t care for them.
Now he had daily contact with Tex, who was a natural with horses. No doubt Zinnia’s influence had enriched that talent. As he helped raise this foal, he’d grow even more intuitive.
What did the future hold for him? Likely he’d be working with horses in some capacity.
Would he become a farrier like his mother and great-uncle? Or a trainer like Jordan? Or a horse whisperer like Luis? Or a vet like him?
That last option created a flare of excitement. Perfectly natural reaction. The profession he loved would benefit. If Tex chose to practice locally, then maybe they could even—
Wait. Wait a damn minute. Somehow his natural reaction had ballooned into a future in which he and Tex could be partners. What the hell?
Not long ago he’d promised himself that after this weekend he’d put mental and physical distance between himself and Zinnia’s kid. And Zinnia, too.
Especially Zinnia, the curvaceous woman who had finally coaxed her son to leave his seat on the bucket. Rolling back the stall door, she ushered him out. “Any chance one of you guys took pictures?”
Graham held up his phone. “We both did.”
“Thank heavens. I didn’t think of it until the moment he started over toward Tex.”
“And kissed me. On my ear.”
Monty returned his infectious grin. “We saw.” He held up his palm and Tex slapped his hand against it. “Congratulations, cowboy.”
“Thanks. Now we gots to play cards.”
“We do?”
“I didn’t bring out the cards. I wasn’t sure—”
Graham tucked his phone away. “I’ll go get ’em.”
“Except Mister Monty doesn’t have to play, son. It’s polite to ask someone if they want to. Not everybody enjoys card games.”
“But he’s a cowboy, Mommy. They always play poker.”
“You play poker?” He didn’t want to insult the kid’s intelligence, but that was a complicated—
“It’s Go Fish Poker. You gots to match up cards.”
“Ah.” He swallowed a laugh. “I know that one.”
“Hey, I gots an idea!”
“What’s that, sport?”
“We can be a team! Me and you against Mommy and Uncle G.”
“Sure. As long as it’s okay with them.” He glanced at Zinnia and his breath hitched. She quickly turned her head, but not before he caught the sheen of tears in her eyes.
“Want to have teams, Mommy?”
She used her sleeve to wipe her eyes and faced them wearing a bright smile. “Teams! What a great idea! You two better bring your A-game because Uncle G and I are in it to win it.”
What had brought on those tears? Was he somehow responsible? Whatever had triggered that reaction, she’d conquered it and was fully on board with Go Fish Poker.
Once they started playing, he was the one with concentration issues. He blamed the simplicity of a game that left him plenty of time to gaze at the woman sitting across the card table.
He paid way too much attention to the sound of her breathing, the citrus scent of her perfume, the glisten of the lipstick she’d reapplied. He was distracted by the movement of her nimble fingers and the flush on her cheeks when she scooped up the cards their team won.
Tex saved his butt. The kid had a memory like an elephant, which kept them in a constant tie with their worthy opponents. Zinnia was clearly focused on the game. So was Graham, although Monty caught the guy giving him an assessing look now and then.
Too bad the farrier knew him so well and could spot chinks in his armor. How would this sleepover with Tex work out?
If Zinnia stuck to her guns, she’d skedaddle inside after putting Tex to bed. Or if she didn’t, she’d find a reason to keep Graham around.
But Graham was the first to call it a night, maybe because Tex had started to yawn. The teams were tied so Graham agreed to one more game. Monty sharpened his focus for Tex’s sake and they broke the tie.
“Good game.” Graham stood and stretched. “I’m turning in, but by all means come get me if a problem crops up.” He folded up the card table.
“G’night, Uncle G.”
“See you in the morning, buddy.” Graham leaned down and gave him a hug before picking up the card table and leaving the barn.
“Okay, sleepy boy.” Zinnia had fetched Smokey and she held out her hand to Tex. “Smokey’s ready to bed down.”
“I gots to stay up, Mommy.” Tex climbed on his stool. “Me and Mister Monty, we’re keeping watch.”
Impressive. The kid was yawning and rubbing his eyes, but he’d do his duty. That kind of grit would serve him well in the future.
But in the present, it created a problem. A five-year-old needed sleep.
They needed a reset. “I forgot to explain how this deal works, sport. When you have two cowboys watching over the herd at night, you take turns. I’ll handle the first shift. You need to rest up for the second shift.”
“Oh.” He looked relieved. Climbing back down, he walked over to his mom. “Smokey and me are on second shift. That’s how it works.”
“I see.” She handed him the bear and lifted her head to mouth a silent thank you.
He responded with a nod. Then he checked the time on his phone. He’d grab this opportunity to take Speckles’ temp and give her a quick exam. The foal’s exam could wait until morning.
As he entered the stall, Speckles gave him a glance and went back to munching from her hay net. Evidently he’d earned her trust. She continued eating as he took her temperature and checked for any damage to her tissues from the birth. Nothing major.
Her foal wasn’t as trusting and stayed well out of reach. He clearly remembered the man who’d delivered the sting of disinfectant to his navel.
“I know, little one,” he murmured. “You’ll forgive me eventually. You don’t want to hear that it was for your own good, but—” He paused. Was Zinnia singing?
Yes. And Tex was joining in on the chorus of a Kenny Rogers classic, The Gambler. He chuckled. Not your usual lullaby, but then Tex wasn’t your usual five-year-old.
Good song. Great lyrics. Excellent advice. He’d do well to keep it in mind.
The song ended. Giving Speckles a pat, he left the stall, making as little noise as possible opening and closing the door. At five, his sister Greta had been able to sleep through anything.
He’d never had that ability. Was still a light sleeper. As a baby, or so he’d been told, he wouldn’t conk out unless he was in a moving vehicle. Must be true, because he still got drowsy driving at night. Had to blast the radio to stay awake.
He settled down on a hay bale to wait. Would he and Zinnia have that talk? Probably didn’t need to. Graham’s comments indicated they were already on the same page.
The whisper of her footsteps brought his head up.
“He’s out. He’s had a long day, so I doubt he’ll wake up. You shouldn’t have any problems.”
“That’s good.” He got to his feet. “All’s well in the stall. Should be a quiet night, then.” His crazy heart was thumping so loud he was afraid she could hear it.
“I assume you’re not going to wake him up to take his shift.”
“Certainly not in the middle of the night.” He sounded so calm. Could she tell he was forcing himself to stay planted in this spot, maintaining a safe distance? “But I could wake him up while it’s still dark so he can take the last hour before dawn. That way he’ll feel like he did his job.”
“He’ll like that. By the way, thanks for your response to Smokey. I knew you wouldn’t make fun of him, but I wasn’t sure how you’d handle it without lying.”
“I’ve never taken a poll. For all we know, lots of cowboys take teddy bears to bed with them.”
She smiled. “Do you?”
“I used to. I still have Fozzy on a shelf in my bedroom, just in case life gets scary.”
“Which house is yours?” Then her cheeks turned pink. “Not that it matters. I was just—”
“I’m in my Grandma Doris’s gingerbread cottage. Fozzy fits right in.” So would she, if she cared to pay him a visit.
“And she’s living in the fuchsia bunkhouse now?”
“Yes, ma’am, along with my three aunties. They call themselves the Dazzling Damsels.”
“Uncle Graham told me. I’m glad I’ll get to meet them on Saturday.”
“You’ll have fun. So will Tex.”
“For sure.” She paused, her expression tough to read. “It was kind of you to include him even though he didn’t fit into your original plans.”
Ouch. Direct hit. “I…” He gulped in air. “I’m sorry. I took one look at you and I…I have no excuse. I was thinking with my dick.”
“You’re not the first and you won’t be the last.”
He groaned. “The thought of being lumped in with every other guy who’s lusted after you makes me sick to my stomach.”
“You’re not lumped in with anybody.”
“Of course I am. I deserve to be.”
“Not really.”
“I’ve never had that reaction to a woman, and I apologize. Talk about a one-track—”
“Shut the eff up, Montgomery Bridger.”
He blinked.
“I can’t very well judge you for your behavior when I felt the same way when I first saw you.”
He stared at her, speechless. When he finally untangled his vocal cords, his voice was a garbled croak. “I doubt it.”
“Oh, no, I promise you I did. But I reined it in. Those thoughts don’t fit into my program. You’re beautiful, but you’re not for me.”
She’d called him beautiful? “Is that why you were crying a while ago?”
She rolled her eyes. “No.”
“Something got to you.”
“Um, yeah.” She glanced away. “The thing is, I picked a loser. It’s my fault that Tex doesn’t have a dad.”
“No, it’s not. That guy gets all the blame for—”
“Whether he does or doesn’t makes no difference. It’s up to me to fix it since he won’t. I thought this foal would fill the void. Then I heard the eagerness in Tex’s voice when he proposed teaming up with you and I realized….”
His chest tightened. “That foal is a wonderful gift. They’ll have a great time together. He’s a lucky boy.”
She shook her head. “A foal is not enough. He still needs a dad, and I’m not taking a chance on making another mistake.” She looked at him, her gaze bleak. “There’s no answer.”
He ached, and there was nothing sexual about it. Well, maybe slightly sexual. “I wish I could hold you. I wish I could magically make everything better.”
“But you could make everything worse. For both of us. For all three of us.” She sucked in a breath. “I need to get out of here.” Squaring her shoulders, she walked quickly past him.
He resisted the urge to go after her. And do what? She’d said there was no answer. She was probably right.