Amanda Renee - Home to the Cowboy

She caught a glimpse of Cole in the distance, mounted on a sleek black horse. He removed his Stetson and ran his hand through his thick brown hair before turning to eye her warily.

Gripping the steering wheel, she revved the car hard. With a wave of his hat, Cole signaled his horse into a full gallop. Tess floored the gas pedal, her tires spinning. Clouds of dirt encircled the car before it shot forward.

Machine versus beast took them back in time to when they were teenagers. Tess would try to best one of Cole’s prized quarter horses with a ranch rig. The horse always won.

History repeated, Cole reined his mount beside the front porch. Tess jerked the wheel to the left, braked hard and fishtailed to a stop on the other side.

Cole nudged his gelding to the driver’s side door. Before Tess placed one booted foot out of the vehicle, he was off his mount and blocking her path.

“Pretty impressive for a rental, but I win again.” He placed both hands on the door frame to prevent her escape, motioning with his head to the horse behind him. “But Blackjack here is the real winner. Although I’m afraid I might have to spend the next month unlearning this race toward home trick we just taught him. Remember how Captain Chaos threw riders when he charged the stables after he came off the trails?”

“Do I ever.” Tess ducked under his arms. “Your dad was furious with us for racing.”

Cole grabbed her by the waist before she had a chance to flee.

“What’s your rush?” He guided her back toward the car. “We have a lot of talking to do.”

She inhaled the scent of sweat, dirt and horse. Home. This is what home smells like. This was also what one hundred percent man felt like. At that sudden realization, she pulled away from him.

A rough, callused hand lifted her chin. “What’s the matter, sweetheart?” he challenged. “Have you forgotten what a real man is?”

Tess tried to squirm past Cole but only succeeded in wedging herself tighter between car and cowboy. The length of him pressed against her made Tess all too aware of the danger that lurked behind his mischievous grin. She’d wind up in a whole mess of trouble if she remained in this position much longer.

“Is my mother here?” Struggling to avoid his eyes, she stared instead at his chest. The corded muscles were unmistakably visible through his taut fawn-colored thermal shirt. She felt the urge to run her hands underneath it and trace each ripple with her fingers.

“In the house, but I didn’t tell her you were here. Figured you’d like to do the honors.”

He ran his hands leisurely down her sides and tightly gripped her waist.

Shock registered the moment Tess realized what he was about to do.

“Cole, please don’t.” She grabbed at his hands, trying in vain to pry them away. “Not that!”

Cole’s powerful fingers dug into her sides, tickling her. She twisted in his arms, her knees buckling.

“Okay, okay—you win!” she said in between shallow breaths. “We’ll talk, but later, all right? Let me go see my mom.”

Tess looked up at Cole. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed. When had life become so serious and complicated?

The noonday sun upon his face contrasted the shadow of the previous night’s beard. Tess reached out to stroke his cheek but withdrew before making contact. She refused to fall into that trap again. She hated to admit it, but being here with him felt good, although she knew Cole probably would never forgive her for missing his dad’s funeral. The most she could hope for was to put the past to rest and start over again.

Would Kay Langtry accept her apology? Tess didn’t know where to begin without sounding selfish. The problem was her reasons were selfish. She’d wanted to avoid Cole, even though she had seriously considered flying home. She’d also wanted to avoid a major blowup with Tim. He didn’t want her going back home without him and he wouldn’t miss work to attend the funeral of someone he’d never met. Tim wasn’t interested in seeing where she came from, no matter how hard Tess tried to convince him. How could she love a man like that? The signs were there, but she’d been oblivious to them day after day.

“It’ll work itself out.” Years might have passed, but Cole could still read her emotions.

“I hate it when you do that. I was never able to put anything past you.” Tess faced her old friend. “I truly am sorry.”

Cole turned her toward the porch stairs, placing his hands on her shoulders, and gave her a push.

“It’s not me you have to apologize to.”

Tess sighed and hesitantly clambered up the porch stairs and entered the house. Rustic log walls reached up toward a bevy of skylights in the Langtrys’ great room. Hand-hewn wood beams led to a large open loft. Intricate beaded artwork from the Native American Kickapoo tribe decorated the far wall leading to the kitchen. Plush, cognac leather sofas formed a horseshoe before a monumental, floor-to-ceiling river-rock fireplace.

The house was indulgent, yet it swathed you in warmth and comfort the moment you stepped within its depths. Tess headed for the dining room, stopping when she overheard her mother and Kay’s voices.

“I’m so glad Tess is still coming to the wedding,” Kay, her mother’s best friend, said from beyond the kitchen wall. “It hurts me to think of her staying in New York by herself.”

“It hasn’t been easy for her” came Maggie’s reply. “She still has her roommate, but I think that relationship’s a little strained since Tess was laid off.”

“This vacation will do her some good,” Kay said. “Maybe she’ll move home. You can set those in the other room to cool. I’m afraid we’ve run out of counter space in here.”

Maggie placed a tray of honey-drizzled croissants on the dining table a few yards away from Tess, who flattened herself against a large sideboard, almost gouging her ribs on a deer antler lamp in the process. Her mother would tan her hide if she caught her eavesdropping. A ravenous belly grumble almost betrayed her location. Maggie turned and walked into the kitchen as Tess let out a sigh of relief.

“Shh,” Tess whispered. She placed a hand to her abdomen and tried to concentrate on the conversation, not the sweet aroma that beckoned her.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when the screen door creaked behind her. Cole stood in the doorway, the light behind him shadowing his face.

“Lose your way?” Cole placed his hat on the hat rack beside the door.

Tess crept closer to the kitchen to hear more, motioning to him to keep quiet.

“Tess, it’s so wonderful to see you!” Cole bellowed. A wide grin spread across his face when he sauntered into the room and grabbed a croissant from the table. Admiring the flaky crust, he broke off a piece and motioned for her to taste it. “These are amazing. Try this before it cools off much more.”

Tess shot him a look that would have killed most men on the spot. How dare he give her away! Even worse, he was distracting her with food. Unable to resist a moment longer, she reached for one of her own.

“Here.” Cole offered her the other half.

Tess opened her mouth and took the piece from him, almost nipping his fingers.

“Holy hot!” She danced around the dining room, Cole chortling at her pain. “You set me up, you idiot!”

“I thought you were going to take it from me.” Cole laughed. “Not bite it right out of my hand.”

Maggie and Kay emerged from the kitchen in time to see Tess fanning her face. Caught with her hand in the proverbial cookie jar, Tess fumbled for an excuse to explain her silent entrance into the house.

“Look who’s calling who an idiot.” Cole jumped up and down flailing his arms, mocking Tess.

“Colburn Joseph Langtry!” Kay threatened. “Put a cork in your pistol.”

“Oh—” Tess giggled. “You’re in trouble.”

“Tessa May Dalton,” Maggie howled. “How old are you? Two?”

“Ha-ha!” Cole shouted.

Kay snapped a towel at him, hitting his elbow with a resounding thwack. He held his arm like a wounded child while Tess did her best not to burst out laughing. Nope, life in Ramblewood hadn’t changed. At least Cole’s antics eased the tension in a potentially strained greeting.

Maggie rushed over and gave her daughter a body-engulfing hug, then held Tess at arm’s length to get a better look. Pleased, she drew her in for another clinch.

“We weren’t expecting you until tonight,” Maggie squealed. “You should have called.”

“I took the chance of waiting on standby and got an earlier flight,” Tess said. “I hate flying later in the day. It’s a waste of valuable hours.”

She turned to Cole’s mother, who was standing next to her son. “Hello, Kay. How are you?”

Maggie released her daughter as Kay enveloped Tess in a warm embrace.

“Were your ears burning?” Kay asked. “We were talking about you this very minute. My, it sure has been a long time.”

Tess knew a subtle reprimand when she heard one. “I’m so sorry for your loss and I sincerely apologize for not being here.”

“I’m sure you had your reasons, dear.” Kay was polite, but the underlying criticism was clear. “When you’re settled, I need your expertise.”

“Mom,” Cole warned. “What are you up to?”

“Go make yourself useful and check the humidistat in the wine cellar,” Kay said. “It felt too damp down there this morning.”

Cole’s booted feet stomped loudly out of the room. What was his issue? Tess wondered. Maggie wet her fingertip and tried to smooth Tess’s hair from her face.

“Eww, Mom, stop! I’m aware it looks bad.” Before the day was through, Tess needed to do something with her hair. Once her mom started in with the spit styling, she knew she was long overdue for a trim.

“It’s nice to see you and Cole made some progress with this mysterious rift between you two,” Kay said, once Cole was out of earshot.

“Rift? There’s no rift.” Tess wasn’t surprised to hear Kay didn’t know why she and Cole were no longer together. How did a son explain to his mother that his libido had ruined a relationship? “What do you need my expertise on?”

“I don’t even know where to begin when it comes to marketing a hippotherapy facility. Since you’re here, I’d like to hire you to get us headed in the right direction and really showcase Dance of Hope.”

“But I thought that was on hold. Mom told me Shane and Chase are blocking the project from going further.”

“Eh!” Kay dismissed the thought. “They’ll come to their senses soon enough. I don’t want to waste any more time.”

“I’m not sure I can help.” Working so close to Cole would completely negate the peace and relaxation she’d anticipated for this trip. “I’ll be here for a few short weeks, and then I’m heading home.”

“Tess, outside.” Annoyance registered on Maggie’s face.

“Uh, okay, I—”

“Tessa May!”

Use of her full name twice in one day meant her mom was serious even though Tess wasn’t sure what she’d done wrong.

“Kay is offering you a paying job and you’re second-guessing her?” Maggie chastised her daughter on the porch. “After the crap you pulled this summer, you owe this to her.”

“What?” Tess didn’t believe her ears. “I have other things going on, Mom.”

“And what are they, Miss Big Shot? You don’t even have a job.”

Tess spun around, “Yes, and thanks for bringing that to all of Ramblewood’s attention. I also hear everyone knows Tim ditched me.”