Chapter Three – Colt #2
“And Ensley blamed herself for his death. But none of us knew how unhappy he was, Colt. Not a single one.” Letting out a long sigh, she looked down at her hands.
“After about a year or so, she stopped asking about you, where you were. Just like you stopped asking not long after that. So…I’m going to take this moment to let you know how the last ten years have been for Ensley.
That girl loved you with her whole heart, Colt.
She lost her best friend and the love of her life all within a few short days.
You already know I wasn’t happy with you for what you did to Ensley, and I’m still not. ”
I didn’t say anything. I simply let my mother speak her peace. It was the least I could do. That she hadn’t done so yet, after a decade, was a miracle.
“I watched the light slowly go out of those baby blues, and it about killed me. She was so lost without you, though she would never admit it in a hundred years.”
“Has she…um, moved on?”
Her gaze lifted to mine. “From you? No, I don’t think she has. She’s never been in a serious relationship, at least not that she’s shared with me.”
I wasn’t sure whether I was happy to hear that or not.
“Have you moved on from her?” my mother asked.
For a few seconds, I simply stared at her, not sure whether I wanted to admit the truth or not. Instead, I shrugged. “I’ve dated. Nothing serious, more casual than anything.”
She shook her head again. “I will admit that I still don’t understand why you left, Colt. I know it has something to do with your brother and Ensley. That much I could figure out.”
I turned away. “I don’t want to talk about it, Mom.”
“No, of course you don’t.”
Snapping my head back toward her at her tone, I frowned.
“You are my son, Colt. And I love you. I will always love you. But you’ve been running from real life for the last ten damn years.
While you’ve been gone, the rest of us have had to move on.
We couldn’t run and hide. I guess I can at least be glad you didn’t cut your father and me out of your life. ”
“I would never do that,” I said quickly.
She let out a long breath. “I’m glad you’re here. I hate that it took your father having a heart attack to bring you home…but I’m very happy you’re here.”
Guilt hit me so hard that I found it hard to breathe.
“I never meant to cause you, Dad, or Ensley pain.”
Her eyes met mine. I knew she wanted to say more. Call my bullshit, because I knew damn well leaving and staying gone for so long had done exactly that—caused unimaginable pain.
“We should get back to check on your father. I can give you the key to my room if you’d like to head there and rest for a bit.”
I nodded. “It would be nice to take a shower and get out of these clothes. I’ve been in them for over twenty-four hours. A storm moved through Banff, and we were stuck at the airport waiting it out for a while.”
Reaching into her purse, she took out the room key and handed it to me. “Granby Resort Hotel. Room 407.”
I took the key card and slipped it into my wallet.
We stood and headed back to my father’s room, both of us silent as we walked.
Not long after returning to his room, the doctor came in and gave us an update on when my father would be released.
They wanted him to stay at least two more days, then they’d likely release him.
“Dad, why don’t you try to get some sleep?
” I said, after we had talked for over an hour about my time in Banff since their visit last summer.
My father was genuinely curious about my work and about the ranch itself.
They didn’t see much of it last year, or the year before, when they came out for visits.
I’d taken them around to see all the sites, instead.
Banff was so beautiful, and I really enjoyed my time there.
But in the end, it wasn’t River Falls.
“I am a bit tired.”
My mother gave me a look. “You go to the hotel and rest, too. Not just shower.”
I nodded. “We can take shifts.”
She simply smiled.
Standing, I made my way over to my father and kissed him on the forehead. When Mom started to stand, I said, “No, don’t get up.” I kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
“I mean it. Take a nap, Colt. You look exhausted,” she ordered.
I laughed. “A nap sounds like heaven right now. I’m not even sure about the last time I ever took a nap.”
She squeezed my hand. “Get something to eat, as well. You hardly touched the food at the café.”
I said my goodbyes and, an hour later, I’d showered and changed, then laid down to catch a bit of rest. I set my alarm so I wouldn’t sleep too long. I texted my mother that I’d bring dinner later, so she didn’t have to eat at the hospital café again, then closed my eyes and quickly drifted off.
It felt like only five minutes had passed when my alarm blared.
I swung my legs off the bed and stood. The quick two-hour nap helped more than I thought it would.
I was honestly surprised I hadn’t dreamt about Ensley.
I often did, and since I’d seen her in the flesh earlier, I thought for sure she’d occupy my dreams, but I’d slept deeply for those two hours, for which I was grateful.
I changed out of my sweats and slipped on jeans and a long-sleeved shirt with the Lazy T Ranch logo.
I grabbed my baseball cap, put it on since my hair was a mess, and headed out of the room toward the elevator.
I pulled out my phone and checked my email.
The owner of the Lazy T had emailed me with a few questions.
I hated that I’d left him high and dry, but I did recommend Charles, one of the ranch hands, as a great fit to take my place.
The kid was young, but he knew everything that happened on the ranch.
The doors to the elevator opened and I stepped inside. I could see out of the corner of my eye that someone else was already in the elevator, but I didn’t look up. I turned and reached for the lobby button, seeing it was already lit. The moment the doors shut, I somehow knew who was there with me.
I glanced over my shoulder and saw Ensley, so far in the opposite corner that I thought she was trying to climb the wall.
“Ensley.”
She started to say something when the elevator came to an abrupt halt.
We both froze for a few moments, neither of us saying anything. I went to reach for the elevator phone when the damn thing jerked back to life.
Looking at her, I let out a laugh. “That would have been awkward to be trapped in here together.”
She didn’t say anything, only offered me an icy stare.
The doors opened to the lobby, and she quickly slipped out and practically sprinted away.
“Ensley, wait.”
I jogged to catch up, gently took her arm, and brought her to a stop.
“Ensley, please wait.”
“I don’t have anything to say to you, Colt.”
“I disagree. Can we please go somewhere and talk?”
She blinked at me a few times. “Talk? Now you want to talk? About what? How you walked away from me ten years ago with nothing but a fucking note reminding me of a stupid promise? And then radio silence for over a decade?”
I closed my eyes for a moment before focusing on her. “Yes. I would like to talk to you about that.”
“Ensley…ummm…is everything okay?”
She quickly turned her head. “Doug? What are you doing here?”
Doug Sanders stood there with a frown on his face as his eyes went to my hand, which was still on Ensley’s arm. She jerked away.
“Doug?” I asked, as he glared at me.
“Long time no see, Colt.”
My eyes bounced from Ensley to Doug. Were they together?
Forgetting my manners, I asked, “How are you doing?”
He gave me a quick nod. “I’m doing good.” He turned his focus to Ensley. “I just came to see how you’re feeling and if you guys needed anything.”
Ensley smiled. “That’s so sweet of you, Doug.”
“Are you heading to the hospital, or have you had dinner yet?”
I quickly realized I was clenching my hands into tight fists. I slowly relaxed them as I watched Ensley walk toward Doug. “Dinner sounds good.” She glanced back at me. “I’m assuming you’re going to the hospital?”
“I was, yes.”
She smiled again, but it didn’t reach her eyes this time. “Perfect, then I can go after dinner with Doug and hopefully avoid being in the same room with you.”
Doug’s brows shot up, but he remained silent.
“I don’t think we’re going to be able to avoid each other for the next few days, Pippa.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You don’t get to call me that ever again. It’s Ensley. And you clearly don’t know me very well. Then again, how could you, since you’ve been gone for ten years? Besides, avoiding seems to be your specialty, doesn’t it?”
I rubbed at the instant ache in my neck. I hadn’t been prepared for what it was going to be like to run into Ensley. I knew I’d see her soon enough if I was moving back home…just not on my first day.
Without saying another word, she wrapped her arm around Doug’s, and they headed toward the exit.
Interestingly enough, all the years I’d spent regretting my decision to leave were nothing compared to the pain I felt watching Ensley walk away from me with another man.