Page 34 of Operation: Return

“I miss having him around. No offence to Edwyn.” Cole released his hold on the fence and headed for the barn where he’d been going in the first place. He had to ready Venison for Trace that morning. They weren’t making any progress toward actual communication. He wasn’t sure how to help Trace without it.

Sam followed him and stood by while he saddled Venison.

“Is Trace riding yet?”

Cole shook his head. “No, but he leads him around. I’m hoping that if Scarlet comes out with him today that they’ll ride together. Junior said it took Scarlet a while to warm up to the horses too.”

“Might try bringing him over to the kennels. If he responded well to Bubbles, he might like the dogs better.”

He’d thought of that, but changing tactics wouldn’t happen until Trace either made it known he wanted to try something else, or they exhausted this option. The horses were trained for therapy, the dogs were trained for security. “He’s not prevented from going anywhere on the ranch. Has he come over to see Bubbles?”

Sam shook his head. “Not that I’ve seen, but I’ve been pretty busy with Donna and these dogs. I was actually out with her doing some dog training when that attack dog showed up yesterday. She was really scared and I had to send her back to her cabin. Anyway, I just wanted to meet you before you got into your day and thank you for keeping a cool head and making sure everyone got out of the situation unharmed.” He gave a nod and walked away before Cole could reply.

Then again, in the past he would have rolled his eyes at a thank you and said he didn’t need thanks for doing his job. Maybe it felt a little good to be recognized. He’d cut himself off from having friends because he didn’t want to be let down. Not that the military had been his friend, but they had let him down. But the friends who’d betrayed his team had let him down in the worst way.

If he didn’t look to anyone for help, then they couldn’t disappoint him. The kiss from last night, oddly, had reminded him that his relationship with Erica had been more than physical. It had been plenty physical, and he’d allowed himself for a long time to believe they wouldn’t have lasted because their relationship wasn’t deep, but he’d been wrong. The physical was there, but so was the depth, the caring, the desire for something meaningful.

All the things he’d forgotten about her came back to him and he’d been unable to stop thinking about her all night. The conversations, the quirks, the sweet things that only he knew about her because she didn’t have a family to share with.

He’d promised to be her family and he let her down. But she’d let him down too. He still didn’t know for certain who Pete’s father was or if a relationship with her meant he’d have to worry about another guy someday wanting time with his child.

Yes, Pete looked like him, but that didn’t mean anything. Especially since no one knew what her parents looked like. She still hadn’t said Pete was his, just that she welcomed talking about him and showing him Pete’s baby books. Wouldn’t she come out and say he was a father if he was?

He tightened the cinch strap on the horse as Trace approached. He looked strange in jeans and a cowboy hat. Some guests fell into the role quickly and they just relaxed, Trace was not one of those people.

“Want to try and ride today?” He’d hoped Scarlet would come, but he didn’t see her.

Trace shook his head and frowned as he shoved his hands in his pockets. If there was a stance that said he didn’t want to be there, he was making it. Cole stopped what he was doing and tried to focus his attention totally on Trace. Generally, he didn’t like trying to help guy clients. They just didn’t work well with him, but he was trying to make this work for both of them.

“Is there something else you’d feel more comfortable doing?”

Trace tugged his phone from his pocket and typed up a text within seconds, then shot it off and shoved the phone back in his pocket.

Cole fished his phone from his jeans and read the one-word text: Working.

Trace had worked for a movie theater as the part of the clean-up crew after films. He was allowed to watch the movies if there were empty seats after the first fifteen minutes of any show. All he had to do was hurry up and clean the theater between films. There wasn’t really any job like that available at the ranch.

“Are you wishing I’d just left you alone?” There was no way Cole could take him back now. Not until the threat of Viceroy was gone.

Trace scrunched his face and kicked at a rock. Cole had the frustrated feeling like he did when trying to talk to a teen and they wouldn’t just say what they wanted. Then again, if Scarlet was right, Trace wasn’t much older than a teen. Maybe Trace’s behavior made more sense than he thought.

“Do you want me to back off and leave you alone?” He couldn’t walk away, but he could give Trace the space he might want.

With shuffling footsteps, Trace came closer and Venison swung his head around, pressing his cheek into Trace and nuzzling him. Trace almost smiled, but it didn’t get any further than a very slight lift of the corner of his lips. At least it was progress.

The only two people who’d had any success in talking to Trace were Scarlet and Pete. Erica would never want him to encourage a friendship between Pete and Trace, and he hesitated with the idea too. Trace was going to have to deal with a lot from his past that no six-year-old could handle. If Trace suddenly decided to talk to someone he was comfortable with, Pete might hear more than he should. That wasn’t a risk he could take.

That left Scarlet, who was willing but still going through her own treatment journey. She’d hit a major setback after Viceroy’s men, and her aunt who’d put her in the position to be trafficked, had shown up at Wayside to bring her back.

The barking of a dog reminded Cole of the day before. He’d talked with Edwyn about these men doing little things to inch their way closer to their target. That target was Trace and Scarlet, who would’ve normally been out with him the day before. But instead it had only been Pete. The attack dog had to be another way for them to upset the apple cart and get the Wayside team focused somewhere else.

He’d have to warn Edwyn and the rest of the guys to keep watch for anything.

* * *

When Erica had saidshe wanted to do Lacy’s job, she hadn’t realized there would be days when Pete would have to be with her. Unfortunately, the task was too huge for her to just take a day off. Honestly, after last evening’s kiss with Cole, she needed time in a closed-in office to think clearly.

Her emotions weren’t any help.

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