Chapter 11
Cheyenne
I heard Colt rise shortly before the sun rose the next morning. Sunlight was spilling in through the blinds, but there wasn’t any warmth to be felt. The chill in the morning air was unmistakable. Summer was officially gone, and now I had a very limited time to get the barn rebuilt with no leads of who started it.
Rubbing a hand across my face, I kicked the warm blankets and sheets back to get dressed for the day. The horses would need to be brushed and rode today, so I didn’t even want to think of showering just yet. I jogged down the stairs to the kitchen where I could smell a pot of coffee brewing and stopped short at the sight that greeted me.
Colt’s head was stuck in the fridge as he rummaged around for something that I couldn’t see. My eyes were glued to his well-muscled ass that those semi-tight jeans hugged. This was another reason why I needed to get the barn rebuilt. I couldn’t afford to stick around with Colt as a temptation to stay. The night before had been a breathing testament to that. It had been so tempting then to give in, to let him kiss me. The heat in my stomach knew exactly where things would’ve gone the night before if I hadn’t turned away.
He straightened to look at me with a frown. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I said quickly. “I was trying to see what you were doing in there.”
“Finding some fresh eggs that I had got from the chicken coop yesterday,” Colt said, and he held up the container full of eggs. “Care for some breakfast before you start the day?”
“Sure. That would be nice.”
I took a seat on a breakfast bar stool while Colt poured us both a mug of coffee. He set about the kitchen confidently, whisking eggs together in a bowl and pouring the egg batter into a frying pan on the stove.
“I am going to head into the hospital to check on Tiffany,” Colt said. “She should be back tomorrow to recoup here from the surgery.” He took a sip of his coffee. “I’ll have to drive her to therapy every other day.”
“She doesn’t need to worry about helping me either,” I said. “I can manage the horses on my own, so she can take the time to rest.”
“She really loves working with you and the horses. I’m sure she’ll be watching enviously from the living room window.”
Colt chuckled as he grabbed a spatula to chop the egg batter. The smell of cooked eggs filled the kitchen as he worked around the stove. I cradled my coffee mug close while I studied the muscles in his back. He was so strong that it was hard not to wonder how those muscles felt beneath warm and tanned skin.
Back to reality, Cheyenne.
Scooping a portion of scrambled eggs on the plate, Colt set it in front of me with a smile before loading up his own plate. He folded his long body onto the bar stool next to mine before digging in without hesitation.
“I have to be at the restaurant today too,” Colt said through a mouthful of eggs. “I’ll be there all day and night, so if you need anything, make sure to talk to Rick. He should be here within the next hour.”
I took a bite of eggs. “Thank you. I should be fine. You’ve done enough with letting me stay here until the insurance adjuster comes out.”
“Have you contacted them about the fire yet?”
“They said that they would send someone out this week to look at the damage and give an estimate on how much it would cost to get the barn rebuilt along with the supplies.”
Exhaustion filled me at the thought of how much work there was to do. I had no idea how Tiffany and Colt managed to balance their life at the Smith ranch with their other jobs. It time-consuming and stressful enough to focus on my own ranch.
“I hope that you can get everything back,” Colt said, but his eyes were doubtful. “Take what you need from here, seriously. I can take the hit.”
“I’m sure that it’ll be enough. My grants cover a lot of the supply costs.”
“Any new adoption requests?”
“None so far,” I replied gloomily. “I think word got out about the fire. I had to disable the website temporarily.”
Colt took a long drink of coffee. “And no word from the sheriff about what they think started the fire?”
“It’s not a question of what to me,” I said, darkly. “It’s a question of who. I have no doubts in my head who started the fire. There were gas cans next to my barn that I never keep there.”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Cole started, turning to face me with a frown. He took another drink of coffee. “Try to hear me out on this, but I’ve heard that Bill Coates is upset about the fire because he lost his horse.”
“He abused the horse, so he can’t fake empathy all of a sudden. What’s your point?”
“I think the fire wasn’t started by him,” he said. “I think he may have possibly suggested it to someone, but I don’t think he would’ve poured gas on your barn with his horse inside.”
I shook my head at him in disbelief. “Cole, this man abused his horse. The other animals too, according to Jacob. I don’t have any doubts in my head that this was something that he had a part in.”
“That’s my point. He had a part in it, but he wasn’t the one that started it. Think about it for a moment.”
“I don’t understand what you’re getting at,” I replied, frowning. “He told me that things weren’t over when I refused to give him back his horse.”
“Look, I’m not saying Bill Coates is the best man in the world. Nobody is denying that the man has a tendency to be a prick about everything, but that horse made him money. And money is a huge deal to Coates.”
“I’m sure it is a big deal to him. I just can’t shake it, Colt. I saw that look in Bill’s eyes that day. He was angry.”
“I know that he was angry, but nothing like this has ever happened here at Green Point. Not to the extent of property damage, Cheyenne. Bill doesn’t like attention, and starting a fire in the middle of the night with your horse locked inside the barn is a sure-fire way of drawing attention to yourself. Now I don’t know why he was out there the night of the fire, but I can assure you, it wasn’t because he started it.”
“I called PETA on him,” I pointed out, irritation starting to bubble in me. “That’s enough to piss someone like him off.”
Colt sighed in exasperation. “I’m not getting my point across. All I’m saying is that you need to think about the possibility of it being a freak accident is all.” He rose from the table to deposit his plate and coffee mug in the kitchen sink. “I have to get going before I lose too much of the morning. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call. Rick will be here throughout the day too if you need help.”
“I’ll be fine,” I said. “Thank you. Let Tiffany know that I’ll be here when she comes back.”
Something in Colt’s eyes flashed at that, but he turned away quickly before I could read it. He grabbed his cowboy hat from where it was perched on the back of a chair before walking out the front door. I rose from the dining room table to watch as he secured the hat firmly on his head as he walked down the driveway to his truck that was parked next to Rick’s.
Even if I didn’t like to think of it this way, Colt did have a point. Bill Coates abused his animals, but setting the barn on fire with his horse inside was a bit odd. I frowned as I stared across the sweep of pastures and evergreen pines. The gas cans though. I couldn’t remember setting them anywhere near the barn or even filling the gas cans up that weekend.
My phone buzzed from where it was charging on the kitchen counter. I grimaced when I glanced at the caller ID. For a moment, I debated on just letting the call go to voicemail.
“It’s better to get this over with now rather than later,” I grumbled, and hit the answer button. “Hi, Mom. What’s up?”
“Why didn’t you tell us about the fire?”
I grimaced at the harsh question. “I didn’t want you and Dad to panic over it. Everything is fine. I have the insurance adjuster coming out this week to look at the damage.”
“Damage? The barn is completely burnt down?”
“Yes,” I replied, numbly. “Completely burnt to the ground.”
“Were there any horses stuck inside the barn when this happened?”
Tears filled my eyes at the thought of the stallion screaming in terror before endless silence. “Just one horse. Mom, I don’t really want to talk about what happened. I’ll start crying if I think about it again.”
“I wish you would tell us what is going on with you, Cheyenne. I told you that having a sanctuary would be hard work, that you would be facing some questionable characters. Fires are personal.”
“Right,” I said.
“So, you are staying with Colt Smith then?”
I loved my mother more than anything the world, but when it came to my life, she liked to pry her fingernails into everything. Whether it was my work or my love life, she liked to know what was going on at all times. I didn’t know how to answer her question either. A part of me never wanted to leave the safety of the Smith ranch, while the other part knew if I stayed any longer, something was bound to transpire between Colt and me. It was only a matter of time before it happened.
Swallowing, I looked away when Colt came from the barn to hop into his truck gracefully. I didn’t want to include that tidbit into the conversation.
“His sister, Tiffany, works with me. She volunteered that I come stay here with the horses until insurance pays for a new barn and supplies.”
My mother sighed into the phone. “Do you honestly think that I was born yesterday, Cheyenne?”
“No. I meant—”
“I’m all for you finding someone to love, but is this really the proper way to go about it?”
“Go about what?”
“Pursuing a relationship with a man you don’t even know. After what happened—”
“There is no relationship going on right now, Mom,” I interrupted, rolling my eyes. “None. Trust me. I told myself that a relationship was far from my mind when I came to Green Point. They are good friends of mine. They are helping me out is all.”
“I really want to believe you when you say that, but I know how you are, my dear. You are an old-fashioned romantic with a fixation on cowboys. I’ve seen Colt Smith from afar. I know what you’re looking at.”
“Nothing is happening,” I said, exasperated. Unfortunately… I chased that thought away. I wasn’t about to give my mom the satisfaction of being right. I wanted something to happen. The both of us did, but I couldn’t let it happen. I wouldn’t let it happen.