Page 67 of Colt

“I love this shop, this town, and the people in it. Oh, the apartment upstairs was a wonderful bonus. It’s a great place.” Celine smiled.

As their conversation continued, Chelsea found herself relaxing and enjoying Celine’s company. Before she knew it, it was time to leave.

“Thank you for the coffee, Celine. It was so nice to meet you.”

“My pleasure, Chelsea. Please come back anytime.”

Chelsea promised to do so before leaving the shop with a sense of contentment. It was reassuring to know that despite everything that had happened, the coffee shop was thriving under new ownership.

But as she pulled into her driveway and looked toward the barn, her heart sank again. She couldn’t bring herself to go in there and risk seeing him. It would only make things harder for her. And yet, she couldn’t bear the thought of not being near him at all. With a heavy sigh, Chelsea resigned herself to the difficult situation she was in.

****

Colt grumbled and swore as he mucked out one of the stalls in the barn. He had gone into the house last evening with the intention of making sure they stayed away from each other while the ranch was open for business, but instead they ended up almost having sex against the wall, and she tells him to just leave and stay away from her. He knew it was time to buy a place of his own because being close to her and not having her would kill him.

“You fucking idiot,” he muttered to himself, feeling a mix of frustration and desire.

“Colt?” a voice interrupted his thoughts.

He looked toward the gate and saw Joey.

“Yeah?” he responded, trying to compose himself.

“I was wondering if I could ride the fence today.”

Colt leaned his rake against the wall and pulled off his gloves.

“If you think you’ll be alright. It’s damn cold out there, Joey, and you’ll need to have one of the others go with you.”

“Why?” Joey frowned.

“Because of the weather. We can’t risk something happening to you out there alone. Trust me, it’s not just you, it’s the same for all of us.”

“Yes, sir. I understand. I really like riding in the snow.” Joey smiled eagerly.

Colt couldn’t help but smirk. “I thought you didn’t like snow?”

Joey laughed. “I didn’t, but there’s something about being on horseback that makes it fun.”

“I agree. How about I go with you? I could stand to get out of here for a while.”

“I’d like that. I’ll go saddle my horse.”

“Alright. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Joey nodded and ran off to prepare his horse. Colt sighed, grateful for the distraction. Joey started working at the ranch on weekends, since school was back in session. He was here today because school was closed due to the snow. Joey’s enthusiasm for ranch work was infectious, and Colt appreciated how reliable and hardworking he was.

As he waited for Joey to return, Colt took out his phone and called Brian.

“Yeah?” Brian answered after a couple rings.

“Come finish the middle barn. I’m going to ride the fence with Joey,” Colt instructed.

“Uh, yes, sir,” Brian responded hesitantly.

“Is there a problem?” Colt snapped, tired of Brian’s attitude ever since their relationship took an unexpected turn.

“No, sir. I’ll be right there,” Brian quickly replied before hanging up.

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