Page 33 of The Cowboy's Unlikely Love

Late the next morning, Colt had just returned from the store with a load of groceries. Taylor stood beside him putting the food in the cabinets. He asked, “What would you like to do for fun, if you had your choice right now, Taylor?”

She paused with the canister of oatmeal in her hand. “Seeing all of those guns of yours reminded me of something.”

That was unexpected. “Really? Like what?”

“One of the few happy memories I have from my childhood is going deer hunting with my father. Seeing your rifle reminded me of that. He’d take me to the gun range sometimes, and we’d shoot. That was the only way my dad spent time with me.” She brushed her hair back behind her ear. “When he was home from the rigs, he spent his time with his buddies, mostly drinking at the bars or hanging out with them at their houses. By the time I was seven, he was leaving me home alone. So I learned to take care of myself.”

“My God, Taylor, that’s awful. Didn’t anyone know? He should have been turned in. That’s child neglect.”

“I’m glad nobody did. I didn’t want to go into foster care. I was terrified of that. I tried to be the best girl I could be so that I didn’t cause him any trouble. I was terrified of him leaving me like my mom did.”

“I thought your mom might have died. God, Taylor, I’m so sorry.” He set the can of vegetables in his hand on the counter and took her in his arms. “So, would you like to go deer hunting, then?”

She met his gaze and shrugged. “That’s too much to ask. I know you must have paying hunters this time of year. It was just something that came into my head.”

He chuckled. “Taylor, of course we can go hunting. In fact, today might be perfect. There’s a storm due in this evening, and deer usually come out to eat right before a storm.”

Her eyes lit up with excitement. “Seriously?”

“Of course. Just to be safe, Shannon and JJ can stay with my parents while we hunt. Shall we ask her?”

Shannon, who was cradling JJ in her arms, walked into the kitchen. “Ask her what?”

Taylor told her what they had been discussing, and Shannon said, “That sounds just fine. I’d love to meet your folks, Colt.”

Colt checked his watch. “OK, let’s plan on leaving here around one-thirty.” He glanced at Taylor. “That’ll have us set up in the blind by two-thirty. The storm’s due in at six-thirty. We’ll have plenty of time to get us a deer.” He grinned. “This is going to be fun.”

Chapter Nine

High up in the fifteen-foot-tall blind, Colt knelt beside Taylor and whispered, “That’s right, rest your elbow there on the shelf at the window and steady the forestock just like this.” He adjusted her hold on the rifle.

He looked through the binoculars at the buck she had her eye on. The animal had his head down eating. The mesquite trees outside the clearing thrashed in the wind that had sprung up with the oncoming storm. Although the rain had been forecast to arrive at six-thirty, the weather reports had been wrong. It had just turned four, and already heavy thunderclouds filled the sky. The scent of rain was in the air.

Taylor, one eye squeezed shut, peered through the scope at the buck in the distance. The large, muscular animal stood in the corner of the small feed plot that Colt and his dad had planted to attract deer to the enclosure.

“Now, breathe in and then out and steady yourself. Then, when you’re ready, slowly,slowlysqueeze the trigger,” Colt said quietly.

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