Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 84868 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84868 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
“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.”