Page 68 of Colt

Colt put his phone back into his pocket and finished tending to the stall, then put away the wheelbarrow. When Brian entered the barn, Colt was just finishing saddling his horse. He refused to meet Brian’s eyes. Colt hated the tension between them. But there was no going back now.

He mounted his horse and waited for Joey to join him. Once they were both ready, they left the warmth of the barn and headed toward the west pasture where they would ride the fence line.

The air was crisp and cold, but Colt welcomed it. Maybe it would cool his temper down. He had been seething with anger ever since Brian confronted him about what happened between him and Chelsea. Damn, he knew it was a stupid move on his part, but he couldn’t help himself. The thought of losing her completely made him snap.

How was he supposed to stay away from her? He wanted her every day. She was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, but if it meant going against everything, he knew was right and risking his relationships with the men who worked for him, then it could never happen.

When they agreed to see each other in secret, he warned her that they needed to keep it quiet because of how it would affect everyone else at the ranch. He knew it would piss off the employees, especially when they were abiding by the rules, and he wasn’t. It wasn’t fair to them, but he couldn’t seem to resist her pull.

Even though he missed Chelsea, there seemed to be no other option for Colt. He couldn’t afford to lose any more workers. Bobby had left, and John was fired, leaving them short-handed once again. Now, he had to go through the process of hiring someone new and all before his two weeks were up.

“Colt? Everything okay?” Joey asked as they reached the end of the fence.

“Yeah, Joey. I’m fine.”

“You seem quiet.”

Colt stopped his horse, and looked at him.

“Are you saying I’m not quiet?”

“Uh…”

“Just messing with you, Joey.”

“Okay. It’s really cold out today.”

“The wind will cut right through you. Let’s head back.”

“I’m more than ready.”

Colt smiled. He was grateful that Joey had stayed on after his community service was over. He enjoyed working on the ranch and hoped Joey would stick around longer. However, Colt wasn’t. With the money he had now, he could easily build himself a nice home and raise horses.

Shaking his head, he didn’t know what to do. He’d spent twenty-six years on this ranch, and it was killing him to know he had to leave it. It was his home.

Once they returned to the barn, they took care of the horses and Joey went back to work. Colt put his horse in its stall and headed to his office. As he walked toward it, he saw Brian entering the barn. Ignoring him, he entered the office.

After closing the door behind him, Colt sat down at his desk to print copies of the checks for the men. They all had direct deposit, but they were given non-negotiable checks for their records.

Once they were printed, he put each check in an envelope with their names on them and left his office to distribute them.

When he entered the bunkhouse, everyone fell silent and looked at him. Colt tossed the envelopes onto the table.

“Hand these out, Steve.” He glanced around the table. “I’ve given my two weeks’ notice. I’m sure Chelsea will hire a new manager or maybe choose one of you.” Then he walked out.

He hated that some of the men had lost respect for him, and he was sure he was a topic of conversation when they were all together. But, for now, he was still their boss, and if they didn’t like it, they could leave.

****

Chelsea’s heart ached with longing for Colt. She regretted buying the ranch, but then she wouldn’t have been with him if she hadn’t. And she wouldn’t trade their time together for anything.

She threw on her coat and beanie before stepping out of the house onto the porch. Snowflakes drifted down, but she couldn’t stay cooped up any longer. She needed to get out of the house.

Trudging across the yard, Chelsea reached the stables where her horse was kept warm in the barn. She grabbed her horse and led it out of the stall. Just as she was about to mount, Brian walked in with a wheelbarrow. Their eyes met, but he continued to the other side of the barn to clean those stalls. Chelsea’s jaw clenched at his presence, knowing he had ruined things between her and Colt.

She understood why he felt that way, but he should have just talked to Colt instead of being confrontational. Things could have been handled more amicably. If Brian had dated Christine, and didn’t mess around on the job, nothing would have mattered. But instead, he acted like a jerk about it.

Chelsea knew Brian’s accusation had hurt Colt, even though it was true. It could have been resolved peacefully if only Brian had approached it differently.

---