Page 24 of Rogue Cowboy
“I did.”
“Riley okay with that?”
It was a valid question.He didn’t have an answer either of them would like.
“We’ll see.”
That should have been it.Neither he nor Rohan had ever been chatty.They took orders, improvised when necessary, and got the job done.
“See you got an all-access pass,” Rohan said, noting Cole’s lanyard.“That doesn’t extend to Riley.”
“My family’s name and reputation, not mine.I don’t take anything I haven’t earned.”He paused, a hint of a smile ticked up at a memory.“Besides, she once informed me that it’s no longer the eighteen hundreds and women have their own power and choices.”
An answering amusement washed over Rohan’s face.
“Yeah.Dammit.”Rohan’s smile ghosted and the shadows in his eyes lightened.“Sounds like her.”The tension broke like the sun after a summer thunder shower.“How you been, Cole?”
“Still alive.”
“It’s a gift.”
“Heard you’re married.A daddy now.”
Rohan’s light shone bright.“Ginny.My high school sweetheart.She had a son, Lucas.He’s mine now, and we have a little girl.Lydia Lane Telford—Ginny’s maiden name.”
“Congrats.”Cole wondered if they were supposed to do a bro hug, but the saddle and other equipment made that too awkward.Good thing because when Rohan learned the whole story, he was going to want to take another well-deserved swing at him, and this time, Cole would make sure Riley was not within striking distance.
“Damn,” Rohan said, ignoring the saddle.“Good to see you, my brother.”He stepped forward and pulled Cole in tight.Held.Released and then gripped his forearms.
“What, are we Klingons?”
“Some days feels like.”Rohan laughed.“Dad said you’d be in town at least a week and were meeting with the Wilders and Ballantynes to see their operations.We’re in partnership with Wilder Dreams.Come to the house for dinner one night before you take off back to the Lone Star State.”
Rohan said that firmly, as if he wanted to ensure leaving was on Cole’s agenda.But no one dictated to him and Cole had no intention of heading south without Riley.
“Damn, I asked you to check on her, not get bewitched by her.”
Cole didn’t answer.It wasn’t as if he’d intended to do anything but take Rohan’s sister to dinner if she wanted.
“Sorry, Cole.I did trust you.I do.But something happened to Riley in LA.She came back early.Changed.I wasn’t home for another three years, but she’s different.More careful.Quieter.Homebody.She pretends to be whole and happy, and we pretend to believe her.But she doesn’t even do open mics anymore.My mom says she doesn’t even hear her play her guitar.It’s like…” Rohan held out his hands helplessly then jammed them back in his pockets.
“Your mom and dad didn’t push?Make her talk?”
“They’re not the military, Cole.Can’t interrogate my sister.She deserves privacy.Riley would have been an excellent spy.No one’s a vault like Riley.”
Maybe so.But vaults were designed to open.Cole just needed the combination.
*
Riley limbered upalongside Arlo and Petal, buoyed by their enthusiasm.She’d primarily been a barrel racer and had wondered if Petal would be interested in that sport when Riley’s brother Witt and his wife Miranda had adopted her, but Petal had loved gymnastics, so trick riding had seemed like a fun combination to bring together Petal’s skills and her life at the ranch.
Riley had always been a horse girl and yet the music had surged and rolled out of her as lush and beautiful as the Yellowstone River—undeniable.Once.But now everything was so quiet inside of her.No melodies playfully nudged her in her dreams, waking her up so that she’d pull out her guitar anytime she heard something.It was like the music had died and now she only hummed other artists’ songs.
She only had horses now.And her family.To save her sanity and do something useful at the ranch, she’d joined her mother’s business breeding and training horses for cutting and barrel racing.Horses wouldn’t judge her for her arrogance and stupidity in LA.
“Are we going to ride Cinnamon and Spice?”the girls chorused.
“In the parade on Saturday.This morning, I thought you’d take time reviewing a few skills on Cinnamon.Boone is bringing Spice and his horse Shadow this afternoon, because Spice doesn’t like the big trailer.”
