Page 38 of Colt

When the movie ended, she yawned and decided to close her eyes for just a little while, then she’d wake him and he could drive home. Yeah, she’d wake him soon.

****

Colt jerked awake; his senses immediately alert as he scanned the unfamiliar room. For a moment, he couldn’t remember where he was until he saw Chelsea’s familiar belongings scattered around the room. The scent of sizzling bacon filled his nose, making his stomach growl in hunger.

Glancing at the clock on the nightstand, Colt cursed under his breath. He quickly got dressed and made his way to the kitchen where he found Chelsea cooking at the stove.

“Why didn’t you wake me?” he asked with a slight edge to his voice.

Turning to face him, Chelsea smiled. “I fell asleep too.”

Colt grit his teeth, trying to suppress his frustration. Moving toward his hat hanging on a hook by the door, he grabbed it and placed it on his head before heading toward the door and opening it.

“Wait. Where are you going?” Chelsea called out after him.

With a little too much force, Colt closed the door and turned to face her. He tried to keep his tone calm as he spoke.

“I’m leaving. We agreed to keep this between us and if someone sees me leaving here in the morning, how is that going to happen?”

“I didn’t do it on purpose,” Chelsea retorted defensively.

“I didn’t say you did,” Colt replied with exasperation. “But we can’t risk anyone finding out about this.” He removed his hat, ran a hand through his hair in frustration before sighing heavily. “I have to get to work.”

Slamming the door behind him, Colt rushed across the yard and entered the barn. Once inside his office, he slammed that door shut too and leaned against it with his hands on his hips.

What was she thinking? They had agreed to keep their relationship private until they figured out if there was something more between them, but how did this early morning incident help with that? All it took was for one person to see him leaving her house and their secret would be out.

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. He opened it to see Brian standing there.

“What’s up?” Colt asked, trying to push aside his frustration.

“Jett is still sick,” Brian informed him. “I sent you a text but you didn’t answer, so I wanted to let you know.”

“Damn it,” Colt muttered under his breath. “Another long day ahead then. Thanks for letting me know, Brian.”

When Brian hesitated before leaving, Colt raised an eyebrow in question. Clearing his throat, Brian mumbled something about checking on the horses before quickly exiting the office.

Feeling drained and stressed from the morning’s events, Colt removed his hat and threw it across the room in frustration.

****

Chelsea stared at the door, jerking when it slammed shut. She set the fork down, turned off the burner, moved the pan off it, then pulled a chair out and sat down. She never meant to make him mad. She had every intention of waking him, but her eyes grew so heavy, and she thought if she just rested for a minute, she’d wake him up, but she didn’t wake up until six this morning.

Not wanting to disturb Colt’s peaceful slumber, she quietly got out of bed and got dressed before heading to the kitchen to make coffee. She hoped the smell of bacon would wake him up an hour later.

Unfortunately, it did more than just wake him up. He was beyond angry, and she understood why. He didn’t want to be seen there at that time of the morning. She just prayed that no one saw him because if they did, he would be beyond pissed.

Sighing, she pushed back her chair, stood up, and made her way back to the bedroom to change clothes. Her appetite was gone.

As she entered the bathroom, she saw Colt’s wallet on the counter.

After getting dressed, she picked up the wallet and headed back to the kitchen. Pulling on her jacket from the hook by the door, she stepped outside onto the porch. The morning air was cold, and snow was predicted for later in the day.

Descending the steps of the house, Chelsea made her way toward the barn, hoping to find Colt in his office. She needed to apologize for falling asleep without waking him up first. She feared his reaction would be one of disappointment and anger, telling her that their relationship wasn’t worth the risk.

Entering the barn, she walked along the aisle until she reached the office door. Letting out a sigh, she watched her breath form in front of her in the chilly air. It was cold within the barn walls but warmer than outside.

As she turned to leave, she caught sight of Colt emerging from the tool room, pushing a wheelbarrow. When he saw her, he stopped and took a deep breath before walking toward her.

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