Page 27 of Her Second Chance Cowboy

The corner of Nancy’s mouth curled upward. “I am, am I?” she asked.

“Yes, yes, yes!” Bex said, jumping up and down.

Nancy put an arm around the girl. “I’d love to.”

* * *

The fair was mixture of food, games, and rides, but at the far end, it played host to a livestock and horse auction. While Colin wanted to take Bex to ride the Ferris wheel and stuff themselves with funnel cake, he also wanted to see about adding a few new horses to his stables. “Do you want Nancy to take you to the games while I do some business?” he asked, hoping that he could distract Bex from some of her horse fever.

Bex gave him a look that was so reminiscent of Sabrina as a teenager that it hit him like a kick to the solar plexus. “I want to check out the horses too,” she said, almost primly.There goes that idea.

Nancy mouthed a “sorry” at him, and the trio set off for the auction. As they approached the group of men gathered around the livestock pens, Nancy let out a little whistle. Colin looked at her. “What is it?”

She gave him a look that was entirely too amused. “There must be something magic in the water here,” Nancy said.

“What do you mean?” She gestured wildly towards the men. Daryl and Kyle Rivers were pointing at one mare; Sam Carden and his girlfriend, the chef, were sharing funnel cake. Michael Townsend was shaking hands with the auctioneer; his mouth was spread into his wide, nice-guy smile. They had all been his friends—their friends—since grade school. “What about them?”

“They’re hot,” a voice behind them said. “Every single one of them.” Nancy turned and let out a happy sound. Sally Weston was behind them. Colin did his best not to tense up; she worked for the Hunters at the Lucky Star, and she had given him a piece of her mind when she’d found out about his transitioning to a dude ranch. “It’s good to see you, Nance,” Sally said.

Nancy grinned. “Likewise.” She looked back at the group of ranchers. “Super hot, right? I’ve been gone so long, I’d mostly forgotten.”

Sally laughed. “It’s kind of ridiculous.”

“Daddy, it’s not that hot,” Bex piped up. “What are they talking about?”

The three adults looked down at the little girl, and both women burst into laughter. “When you are much older,” Nancy said, “you will understand what we mean, sweetheart.”

Neither Colin nor Bex liked that: Colin because he’d rather chew glass than picture Bex dating, and Bex because she didn’t like to be kept in the dark about things. “It’s nothing, Bex,” he assured her. “They’re just being silly.” Though…Nancy noticing other men didn’t exactly feel silly to him. He put his hand on the small of her back, and she glanced at him, smiling coyly in a way that was just for him.

Sally cupped her hands around her mouth. “Daryl! You owe me ten bucks!” Colin looked at her, even as Daryl turned and saw them. “When Evie announced the wedding, Daryl and I made a bet that you and Nancy would—” She looked down at Bex. “—rekindle yourfriendship. He thought it would be during the wedding; I said before.”

Well, that’s horrifying.“Thanks a lot, guys,” Daryl said as he stalked over to them. He dug his wallet out of his back pocket and slapped the money into Sally’s outstretched hand. Daryl turned and pulled Nancy into a hug. “It’s good to see you, Nance.” When he turned her loose, Colin pulled Nancy back to his side, sliding an arm across her shoulders. That only made Daryl’s smile all the larger.Jackass.

Sam and his girlfriend found their way to them. “Look who’s back in town,” Sam said. “Nancy, I’d like you to meet Arielle Rose, my girlfriend and the soon-to-be chef of what’s going to be the best restaurant this town has ever seen. Arielle, this is Nancy Sharp—we went to high school together. She’s Colin’s girl.”

“I’m—”

“She’s—”

They spoke at the same time, and everyone burst into laughter. “While they might protest,” Sam explained, “we all thought they’d be the first to tie the knot after high school.”

That hit like a punch to his solar plexus. “Sam,” he nearly growled out a warning.

“Enough teasing,” Arielle said before she looked at Bex. “Hey, cutie. Nice to see you.”

Bex looked around curiously. “Where’s the baby?”

“She’s got a little bit of a cold, so she had to stay home with the housekeeper today. But I know she’d love to see you sometime soon.”

Bex beamed at the idea of spending time with Sam’s baby daughter. “We could have a play date!” she said. “I get to do that sometimes now.”

Sam laughed, sounding a little uneasy. “Maybe when she’s older.” Colin had to smile; Sam had become a father very suddenly and unexpectedly, but he’d put his whole heart into it. It was sweet…and also hilarious to watch him fumble sometimes. Colin was sure he looked very similar when Bex was a baby, and he was trying to figure it all out.

They all stood around, chatting, for a moment, but the auction was going to start soon, and he had come down this way on a mission, after all. “You want to get a closer look at the animals, Bex?”

The little girl’s eyes lit up. “Yes!”

“Coming?” he asked Nancy, who was talking to Sally. She nodded, and they waved to the group.

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