Chapter Three – Colt
Colt
The last person I expected to see when I walked into my father’s hospital room was Ensley Wilde. The instant those sky-blue eyes met my gaze, the air was yanked from my body.
She was clearly shocked, as well. She took a step back before glancing around the room, almost as if in a panic, before her gaze met mine again.
It took everything I had in me not to rush forward and pull her into my arms. I’d never gotten over her, and to this day, I loved her with my every breath. But if things were that simple, we wouldn’t be here right now.
Now her look of shock was slowly turning into pure anger. That I could understand. She had every right to be angry with me.
Pulling my eyes off her, I turned to see my father in the hospital bed, sleeping. My heart instantly ached when I realized how much he’d aged since I left as I slowly made my way toward him. Reaching for his hand, I leaned over him and kissed him on the forehead.
His eyes opened, and a wide smile grew across his face. “Colt?! Is that you?”
“Yeah, Dad, it’s me. I came as fast as I could when Mom called. How are you?”
“I’ve been better, but from what they tell me, I’ll be okay.”
Closing my eyes, I sent up a quick prayer of thanks.
I glanced over at Ensley, who was still standing in the same spot.
A mixture of emotions played over her beautiful face.
She hadn’t changed…but she had. She was an older, more stunning version of the nineteen-year-old girl I’d left behind ten years ago.
“Is my mother here?” I asked her.
For a moment, I didn’t think she was going to answer me.
Then she cleared her throat. “I had her go back to the hotel to get some sleep. She hadn’t left your dad’s side since they got here yesterday.”
I smiled at her, grateful she was taking care of Mom. “I’m glad she’s getting some rest.”
Ensley moved her gaze to my father. “Jacob, do you need anything?”
“Some cold water would be nice, sweetheart.”
She practically ran from the room as she said, “I’ll go get that for you.”
I watched her over my shoulder until I heard the soft click of the door closing, then focused back on my father.
“I’m sure that was a surprise for both of you,” he said with a soft smile.
“How long has she been here?” I asked.
My father tried to sit up some, and I helped by adjusting his pillows so he could sit comfortably.
“She’s been here the whole time. Got rooms for your mother and herself at the Granby Resort Hotel.” When I didn’t say anything, he asked, “Does it bother you that she’s here?”
“No, of course not. I was simply surprised, that’s all.”
He squeezed my hand. “You can’t avoid her for the rest of your life, Colt.”
I decided to ignore that statement. “How are you really doing?”
Smiling, he said, “I’m doing good, son. The doctor said it was a mild heart attack, but that some changes will have to be made. Diet, medication, things like that. He also suggested now would be a good time to retire.”
I closed my eyes as guilt assaulted me. “I’m so sorry, Dad. I’m sorry this happened.”
“It wasn’t your fault, Colt.”
“I should have been here. I should have been the one working and taking care of the business, not you. I was selfish in my reasons for staying away.”
He slowly shook his head. “Your reasons were your own, Colt. Your mother and I have long since forgiven you for leaving like you did.” His eyes darted to the door, then back to me.
He looked like he was going to say something else, but he pressed his lips tightly together. Still, his meaning was clear.
They might have forgiven me, but Ensley hadn’t.
“All that matters is you’re here now. How long will you stay?”
“I’m not leaving again, Dad. I’m here to stay.”
A brilliant smile lit up his face, and I swore it brought some pink to his cheeks.
The door opened, and Ensley walked in with a pitcher of ice water. She walked to the other side of the bed, poured a glass, then put a straw in it before handing it to my father.
“Here you go,” she said, with a sweet smile for my father. “I also let the nurse know that you were awake, since you missed lunch.”
“What I could really go for is a chocolate shake.”
I smiled as Ensley laughed softly.
“I’ll see what I can do,” she said. Then she cleared her throat, reached for her bag, and put it over her shoulder. “I’ll leave the two of you to visit.”
“Thanks, Ensley,” I said, as I smiled at her. She didn’t return the gesture. Her eyes looked cold and distant. She didn’t say another word as she quickly walked out of the room.
I looked down before catching my father’s gaze.
“I fear she isn’t going to forgive you so easily, son. Can’t blame her.”
All I could do was nod. I hadn’t been planning on running into Ensley this soon, and I certainly wasn’t prepared for the rush of feelings that came back to me at the sight of her. Hell, they’d never left. I’d simply buried them deep inside of me, along with all the rest of my guilt.
“So, you said it was a mild heart attack. How long will you have to be in the hospital?”
After taking a drink of the water, he said, “I had a procedure called an angiogram to treat the blocked arteries yesterday afternoon. So as long as everything goes well, and I rest like I’m supposed to, they’ll let me go home in a few days.
They said I’ll be pretty fatigued at first, so rest is the number one thing, then I’ll begin the recovery process.
Slowly work myself back to regular routines and such. ”
“How many clients do you still have?” I asked.
“Around twenty. I’ve given Ensley a lot of my clients, but the ones who aren’t interested in a woman doing the job still call me.”
I rolled my eyes. “I would have thought they’d have gotten over that.”
My father chuckled. “Some men just can’t see a woman farrier. She’s done well for herself, though, and has often helped out over the years…when I’ve been sick, or when your mother and I go out of town. When we went to visit you last summer, she took on my clients.”
“Did she know you were coming to see me?” I asked. I wasn’t sure why I’d even asked.
“No. Ensley put her foot down about a year after you left. She didn’t ask about you, and she requested that we not talk about you in front of her.”
I nodded. “I’m sorry I put you and Mom through that.”
“And Ensley.”
Another wave of guilt hit me. “Yes. And Ensley.”
The door opened to the room, and I heard a gasp. Turning, I saw my mother. I got up from the chair next to my father’s bed and hugged her.
“Colt! You got here so quickly!”
“Perks of having a boss who’s also a pilot. Sorry I couldn’t be here last night.”
My mother gave me a once-over. “You look like you’re taking care of yourself, sweetheart. Eating good?”
I chuckled. “Yes, Mom, I’m eating fine.”
Her hands moved over my arms. “Got some muscles, so that means you’ve been doing manual labor? I thought you were the boss now.”
After spending five years traveling around the world, I settled on a ranch outside of Banff, Canada, where I started as the farrier, worked my way up the ranks, and was now in charge of all the ranch hands in my position as foreman.
I loved it. But in the back of my mind, I always knew I’d eventually come back home.
“The ranch I was working on kept me busy. Men respect you more when you’re out there doing the work alongside them.”
My father smiled. “I taught you well.”
Mom got me up to speed with my father’s treatment and when he would most likely be discharged. She still looked worried, and I wanted to ease that worry a bit. When my father fell asleep again, we headed to the hospital café and grabbed a quick bite.
“Mom, I don’t want you to worry about anything. I’m moving home so Dad can fully retire. This is probably all my fault for staying away as long as I did.”
She reached for my hand. “It is not your fault. I don’t even want to hear you say that again. And if you’re staying because you feel guilty, I don’t want that, either.”
“I’m not. I’m staying because this is where I belong, and I’ve been hiding for far too long. I got comfortable at the Lazy T Ranch, and it was easier to just stay there than come back home and face…all the memories and the heartache I tried to leave behind.”
“Colt, I need to let you know that Ensley is here, in Granby.”
“I know. She was in the room when I got there. Dad was asleep.”
Her eyes went wide. “I meant to tell her that you’d be coming but I guess I was so focused on your father that it slipped my mind. I didn’t realize you’d get here today.” She worried her lip before saying, “I should have warned her.”
“Warned her? I’d think she would know I’d be here for my father.”
One brow raised. “Would she, Colt?”
Ouch. Okay, I deserved that jab.
I cleared my throat. “I’d hope she would know me better than that.”
Mom leaned back in her chair. “I’m sorry, Colt…but I don’t believe she would. You left her when she needed you the most. And when you needed her the most.”
My mother and father had lectured me the first year or so about how badly I’d hurt Ensley.
They’d eventually stopped and never brought her up again.
I hadn’t been sure how involved Ensley might be with my family after all these years.
But I should have realized she’d still be a significant part of their lives.
She was Grady’s best friend from childhood, we dated for two years, and my father trained Ensley in her profession.
“I wanted to reach out to her, Mom. But a month turned into six months, then a year, then five…and after that, I just figured she’d be better off without me in her life. I’m sure she’s moved on and gotten married by now.”
I wasn’t sure if I was asking a question or making a statement.
She slowly shook her head. “You have no idea how much that girl loved you, do you? You weren’t the only one who was shaken to the core by Grady’s death. She lost both of you, Colt.”
I closed my eyes. “I wasn’t myself, Mom. I couldn’t stay in River Falls…not when I blamed myself for Grady’s death.”