With a nod toward Sylvia, Colt put on his hat and headed for the door. He paused before opening it and looked back at Chelsea.
“Yes, ma’am.” With that, he left and closed the door behind him.
Chelsea sighed and turned to her mother, who was smiling knowingly.
“Oh yeah, he’s definitely still mad.”
“He can be so stubborn sometimes,” Chelsea vented.
“But he’s also very handsome,” Sylvia said with a teasing smile.
Chelsea couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes, he is. Too bad he’s such a hardhead.”
“Most men are. I can’t tell you how many times I’d like to slap your father upside his head.” Sylvia laughed.
Chelsea had no clue how she would even get him to listen to her, but either way, she knew she needed to apologize to him.
After her mother left, Chelsea pulled on her coat, tugged her beanie over her head, then opened the door, and walked to the barn. She wanted to find Colt and apologize for being a jealous fool.
She strolled along the aisle but didn’t see him anywhere. Had he gone home already? Looking at her watch, she saw it was only five, so she was sure he was around somewhere, but it didn’t look like he was in this barn.
She heard the door open and saw Christine enter. She smiled at Chelsea as she walked to her.
“Do you know where Colt is?”
“No, I was looking for him, myself,” Chelsea said. “Is there something I can help you with?”
“Did he tell you that Bobby quit?”
“Yes.”
“Well, if you’re going to replace him, would it be possible to also hire someone to work in the riding stable with me? Sometimes I need help. Bobby helped, but now he’s gone and it’s going to be more work for everyone.”
“I’ll talk to Colt about it.”
“Talk to me about what?” Colt asked as he entered the barn.
“Hiring two more people. One to help here, and Christine could use some help in the riding stable.”
Colt shrugged as he walked toward her, then moved around her, opened the door to his office, and entered it. Chelsea and Christine looked at each other and Chelsea shrugged.
“And men say we’re hard to understand,” Christine muttered.
“Right?” Chelsea sighed. “I’ll talk to him and get back with you.”
“That’s fine. Just make sure they know what they’re doing.” Christine smiled.
“Alright.” Chelsea huffed. “I’ll talk to you later.”
Christine nodded and left the barn, leaving Chelsea alone and trying to gather the courage to talk to Colt. Damn, what a stubborn man.
After taking a deep breath, she walked to the door of his office, knocked, opened the door, and entered the room. He sat at the desk but didn’t look up when she entered. She walked to the chair in front of the desk, sat down, and stared at him. After a minute of silence, she sat forward in the chair.
“Colt—” She stopped when he looked at her.
“What? I’m busy, Chelsea.”
“I want to apologize to you for yesterday. I’m so sorry.” She shook her head.