Page 13 of Colt

“Oh no, we didn’t get along when I worked here. He treated me like a child and unfortunately, he was right. At the time, he was twenty-one and I was only fourteen. Now, looking at him, he seems so much more…” Chelsea gestured vaguely.

“Like a man? Because he definitely is and if you tell Eli I said any of this, I’ll deny it and never speak to you again.”

“Lorna, just because you’re engaged doesn’t mean you can’t admire a handsome man. I’m sure Eli looks at attractive women too.”

Lorna placed her hands on her hips, narrowed her eyes, and gave her a stern look.

“He better not.” Then she chuckled. “I’m sure he does, but I have nothing to worry about. Just like he has nothing to worry about.”

“Of course not. You two are deeply in love and I’m so happy for both of you. I’m also glad that Eli has moved past blaming himself for not being able to save Mac.”

“It took some time, but he’s doing well now.”

“Oh Colt, this is my future sister-in-law, Lorna Carter. Lorna, Colt Monroe, the manager here.”

“Ma’am.” He tipped his hat slightly. “Pleasure to meet you.”

“You too, Mr. Monroe.”

“Please call me Colt.” He tilted his head slightly. “You’re engaged to Eli?”

“Yes. We got engaged last Christmas.”

“Congratulations. Eli is a good man.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” Lorna smiled.

“Well, if you’ll excuse me, I have some work to attend to in the other barn. Have a good day.” He walked around them and headed toward the door.

“Bye, Colt,” Lily shouted after him.

He turned around with a grin and waved at her.

“See you, Lily.” He left the barn.

“He’s even more attractive up close. And his eyes are so dark,” Lorna murmured.

“Let’s go inside, I’ll tell you about the first time I met him.”

They entered the house and sat at the table while Lily unpacked her coloring book and crayons from her bag and started coloring.

Chelsea let out a sigh. “I’ve always loved horses. I have two of my own back at my parents’ place, and you know Eli has horses as well. Anyway, I met Walt and Tricia Cotton when I was fourteen. They came to my mother’s birthday party and I instantly fell in love with them. They’re truly some of the kindest people you’ll ever meet. Mr. Cotton sat down and talked with me, and when I mentioned how much I loved horses, he suggested I come here and work for him during the summers. Of course, I had to ask my parents first. They thought it would be a good opportunity for me.” She smiled warmly. “And it really was. My mom would bring me here around six in the morning, and I’d work until two in the afternoon. I loved every minute of it. But when I met Colt, my heart skipped a beat. I developed a crush on him instantly. But unfortunately, it seemed like everything I did annoyed or bothered him in some way. He even threatened to fire me one day when I forgot to clean one of the horse stalls.” Chelsea shook her head in amusement. “Looking back now, I think he knew about my crush and wanted to put an end to it. There were three other girls working here as well, and he treated us all the same way. Strictly professional. We were just too young for him at that time. Most days he would just ignore us, but I couldn’t help but stare at him. And one day, I even wore short shorts to try to get his attention. But he chewed me a new one, and made me go back home to change into proper jeans.” She laughed at the memory. “I was determined to make him notice me.”

“A young girl’s heart is fragile.”

“Mine was shattered because of the way he treated me. I swore I hated him. I told myself I would never work here again unless Colt was gone, but I returned for two more summers. After that, I went to college and met my loser of an ex-husband. Anyway, when Mr. Cotton told Colt that I was buying this place, we got into an argument. He said we never got along and I said it was because he treated me like a child. He responded by saying, ‘you were a child.’ He was right.” Chelsea grinned at Lorna. “I even told him he was fired once I took ownership.”

Lorna burst out laughing. “You did not!”

“Oh, but I did. But then Mr. Cotton found out about it and made it a requirement for whoever bought the ranch to keep all current employees who wanted to stay. I’m sure he did that with Colt in mind.”

“Do you think Colt told him?”

“Well, I don’t know how else Mr. Cotton would have found out, but I highly doubt Colt went running to him to tattle. Most likely, Mr. Cotton spoke to him after I left, maybe about the sale, and the fact that I fired Colt came up in conversation. So, Mr. Cotton made sure I couldn’t get rid of him unless he did something truly terrible after I took over the ranch.” Chelsea frowned. “Does that make sense?”

“Yes, it does. So now you have to deal with that gorgeous man all day long. Must suck for you.” Lorna grinned.

Chelsea laughed. “You have no idea. It’s hard not to stare at him with his cowboy swagger, rugged looks, and those intense dark eyes. Damn.” She fanned herself with her hand.

---