Page 28 of Her Second Chance Cowboy

As they walked around and looked at the horses and cattle, Bex chattered away to Nancy about next year when she would be able to ride and how excited she was, and Colin did his best to match her enthusiasm even as he sent up a prayer that this was a phase she would grow out of sooner rather than later. He’d spent so long picturing every nightmare scenario, reliving his mother’s accident over and over, that it was hard for him to even consider allowing her into a saddle, despite his promise to let her try on her next birthday. His need to protect her was so strong that the thought of her in danger made him feel physically ill. He’d already let Sabrina down, failing to protect her from the pregnancy that had nearly upended her life. He was determined to do right by Bex, even if she didn’t agree with his choices. He could deal with her being angry with him as long as she was safe.

While they were walking through the livestock pens, Colin was relieved to see Bex get caught up in the lambs softlybaahing. She put her hands through the bars and pet their woolen heads, murmuring to them that everything was going to be okay. He would buy her a whole flock of lambs if it meant she would stay away from horses, but even as he thought about it, Bex spotted the pony rides. “Daddy!” She pointed. “Daddy, can I? Please?” The “no” was on his tongue and out of his mouth in an instant, and Bex deflated. But then, very softly, she said, “Those ponies aren’t much taller than me, and they’re tied to that thing in the middle. Please? Can’t I try?”

Colin looked over at the pony rides. They truly were relatively small ponies, standing in a circle and looking very calm and placid. But when they started walking, a little boy nearly slipped off the side, and his mother dropped her phone to catch him. “Maybe next year, darlin’,” he said.

Bex sighed and went back to petting the lambs, though much less enthusiastically than before. Colin hated seeing her so disappointed; it ate at him. From beside him, he could see that Nancy was trying to keep her opinion to herself, but she looked like she might just burst if she didn’t let the words out. He sighed and tugged her over to the side a bit so they could talk without Bex overhearing them. “What is it?”

“Look at those kids,” Nancy said. “Look at how happy they are. All of their parents are right there beside them. It’s about as safe as it gets. Why can’t she have a ride?”

Colin had asked for her opinion, so he couldn’t blame her for speaking up; but that didn’t mean he had to like it. On the other hand, he had to admit that the kids coming off the ponies were all smiling, even the boy who nearly fell. And since that boy was maybe two years old, it might be a little unfair to judge the safety of the ride by whether that little tyke had been able to hold on by himself. Maybe he could give in, just this once. Maybe it really would be okay. Before he could lose his nerve, he turned to his daughter. “Bex,” he said, getting the girl’s attention. “You’ve been doing so well with your chores. Helping me in the stables and making things easier on Jessie. Because you’ve been such a good girl, maybe you really have earned just one pony ride.”

Bex launched herself at him, hugging him around the middle. “Thank you!” she said over and over. “Thank you so much, Daddy!”

They walked over to the pony rides, and Colin stood, hovering protectively in the background, as Bex was lifted onto a pony. She petted at its mane and its neck but stayed away from its ears like Colin had taught her. The man in charge got the ponies walking, and Colin’s heart jumped into his throat. He reached down and took Nancy’s hand and squeezed it, needing every ounce of support her touch could offer. “She’s doing so good,” Nancy told him, rubbing her thumb over his knuckles.

The smile on Bex’s face when she came off the pony was beautiful. Easily the biggest smile that Colin had ever seen. She hugged him again. “That was amazing,” she sighed and leaned into Nancy.

Nancy nodded. “But you know what else is pretty great?” she asked.

“What?”

“The Ferris wheel!”

Bex bounced up and down. “Yes!” Colin kissed Nancy; she was amazing. Bex saw and complained, “Ew, Daddy, that’s gross.”

Nancy laughed and took Bex’s hand in hers. “Funnel cakes before or after the Ferris wheel?” They started moving toward the rides, giggling all the while. Colin hung back a little, watching them. The hope was starting to grow in his chest, and it was a dangerous thing. But he couldn’t help when she and Bex were getting along so well—when the three of them just seemed to fit together, like a real family.

The rest of the day went much smoother: they actually stayed until the sun turned the sky pink with sunset. Colin had bought two horses for the ranch, and he arranged for them to be delivered the next day. He’d left Bex with Nancy while he settled up, and when he returned, Nancy looked absolutely panicked. “Nance, what’s wrong? What happened?”

“She wanted to play the guess-the-weight game,” Nancy said, pointing to where Bex was practically beaming. “I didn’t know what the prize was for winning.” She rubbed the heels of her hands into her eyes. “Colin, I am so sorry.”

“Wha—?”

“Daddy, I won a piggy,” Bex called as the game worker walked a spotted pig around the counter on a lead. Bex dropped to her knees and cooed over it.

Colin laughed. He couldn’t help it. “Nancy, it’s okay,” he told her. “I promise.”

Nancy looked at him. “Really?”

He nodded. “We live on a ranch. Livestock happens.” He put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her in for a hug. “This isn’t the first animal she’s brought home.” Colin let her go with a kiss and then turned back to Bex, still loving on her pig. “What’s his name, darlin’?”

Bex considered it. “Pulled Pork,” she declared with a smile. Laughter burst from Nancy, so hard and so sudden that she snorted after a second.

“I love it,” she said when she had recovered from her giggle fit.

They took Pulled Pork to the truck and got him loaded into the back before climbing into the cab. On the drive back, Bex sat between Colin and Nancy in her booster seat. She kept turning her head to check on her pig. “I promise he’s still there,” Colin told her and pointed at the rearview mirror. “I’m keeping an eye on him.”

Bex sighed, a happy thing. “Thank you, Daddy.” She leaned into Nancy’s shoulder. Before long, her breathing evened out, and she was asleep.

“What do I do?” Nancy whispered to him.

Colin chuckled. “Don’t move,” he suggested.

He hadn’t meant it, but when they pulled into the ranch, Nancy hadn’t so much as moved an inch. Colin quickly came around so that he could get Bex out of the cab without waking her up all the way. She stirred briefly, but luckily, she quickly slipped back to sleep. “She had a big day,” Nancy remarked.

“Thank you for coming with us,” Colin said. “It wouldn’t have been the same without you.” He meant that: he definitely wouldn’t have allowed Bex on that pony without some encouragement.

“What do we do with Pulled Pork?” she asked as they looked into the bed of his truck. The pig had taken its cue from Bex and was sound asleep.

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