Page 34 of A Family With the Cowboy

“Hayden?” a voice asked behind him. It was Dawson, holding the door. “Come on in. It’s cold out there.”

“Thanks,” Hayden muttered as he entered the station. He had enough trouble as it was. He didn’t need another complication.

Chapter Thirteen

“Has Luke leftfor school already?” Hayden asked as he sat down to have breakfast. Only Becket’s dogs were lying near him, as always. Jessie was nowhere to be seen. They’d all been up since early this morning. It was Monday, two weeks since he’d installed the doggie door for Laura—two weeks of restless nights and endless days thinking about her.

It was the last week of March. The spring equinox had come and gone, but the weather was moody. Some days it was warm and gentle, followed by angry winds and dark skies—kinda like his own mood. They had just experienced another heavy snowfall with freezing temperatures. Outside, the ground was becoming sodden and heavy. The brief periods of above-freezing temperatures only aggravated the problem of weight of snow on the many roofs on the ranch. On a ranch the work never stopped.

“Don’t you remember?” Isabella pulled out a chair and sat down with a mug of coffee. “It’s school break this week.”

“Of course.” Feeling like an idiot, Hayden shook his head. He should know what was going on in his son’s life, damn it.

Becket slapped him on the shoulder as he got up. “You’re in a filthy mood, bro. I don’t know what your problem is, but you’ve moved from grumpy to downright insufferable. Everyone, even Ricardo, is complaining about your temper. I’m tired of trying to explain your behavior.”

“Mind your own damn business,” Hayden growled.

“You are literally our business,” Coop said mildly, as he also got up. “It’s about time you admit what is bugging you so that we can get on with the business of ranching. I want to show you something in the barn, Becket.”

Both his brothers left the kitchen.

Isabella also got up.

Hayden glared at her. “You also have a complaint?”

“I agree with your brothers,” she said stiffly before she also left the kitchen.

“What about you?” he snarled at Willow.

“Oh, I know what your problem is. We all do.”

“Yeah? And what is that?”

“You’ve got a thing for the lovely Laura, but you’re too stubborn to admit it or…”

“Damn it, I’ve admitted it. I’ve told her. She’s not interested.”

Willow’s eyes widened. “Really? What exactly have you told her?”

Fed up, Hayden crossed his arms. “I’ve tried to be honest. There is no future in whatever is between us, but I thought we could spend time together.”

Groaning out loud, Willow rolled her eyes. “Good for her for blowing you off. You don’t tell a woman like Laura, ‘Hey babe, let’s have a fling for a while.’ Who does that? You should be ashamed of yourself.”

Muttering under his breath, he rubbed his face. “I wasn’t the one who called it a fling. She used the word. I don’t see what’s wrong with spending time together. Anyway, it’s a moot point. She’s not interested.”

Willow shook her head. “Look, I am the last person to talk about relationships. You know I can never have one. But you feel something for her. I have an idea it’s not the kind of feeling that will just go away and a fling isn’t going to ‘cure’ you, if that’s what you’re thinking. You feel deeply, Hayden. You always have. It’s not going to go away after a few kisses.”

“I’ve discovered that.”

“Ah, so you’ve kissed her?”

He glared at her. “Don’t you know these things?”

“Not everything, but I do know what you’re feeling right now isn’t temporary.”

He got up quickly. “Well, it’ll have to be. I can’t go through losing someone again.” The words were out before he’d thought about it.

“And there you have it.” Willow nodded as she stood up. “The reason why you’re running scared. Understandably so. It’s not the only reason, of course.” She shrugged. “I’m just glad you’ve told Laura there’s no future for you two. I was wondering why she’s dating just about every single guy in town over the past two weeks. Now it makes sense.” And with a wave of her hand, she walked out of the kitchen.

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