Chapter 36
Colt
Cheyenne looked stunning tonight. She wore a simple light blue dress that dropped all the way to her feet. It hugged her curves in places I hadn’t put my hands on yet, and whenever I looked at her, the only thing I could think about was putting my hands there later. I could tell she was overwhelmed with the number of people that showed up at the venue. I was not surprised a bit, which was why I had already prepped the restaurant with the food and drink we would need when Tif switched the venue.
My sister and I had briefly talked about switching it on her anyway, but I thought it would be a really good visual lesson for her to see the amount of people I knew would turn out for this event. Many people sympathized with her and had clashed with Bill at one point or another, and—if anything—their anger over the situation would prompt them to be more generous with their pocketbooks.
However, when that man began talking to Cheyenne, I could tell something was wrong.
Her eyes were lighting up when he was talking, but her body language had become tense. She talked with him for a little while before he handed her a card, and then she left to go outside after he moved on. Whatever he told her was weighing heavily on her mind, but I decided to leave her be for now. I knew she would want to give a thank-you speech soon, and the last thing I wanted to do was distract or upset her by bombarding her with questions about something that clearly was troubling to her.
“Good evening, everyone,” she started. “I want to thank you all so much for coming out tonight. I know that all of you are at least somewhat familiar with everything that has taken place the past few weeks, and I just want you all to know how much it means to me that you turned out to support the sanctuary this evening.”
Small claps and hollers ricocheted across the room, but I couldn’t take my eyes off her on stage. I had finally convinced her to just let her hair be after she’d been fussing with it all night, and the way the candlelight played off the long strands of hair made me want to run my fingers through it. I was shocked when I learned that she had told my sister about us—and even more shocked that Tif hadn’t given me a ration of shit about it yet—making me wonder where we actually stood.
Was she comfortable telling people we were together? Was what we were doing more than casual? I was hoping it was, but I also wasn’t oblivious to the fact that she may have just needed me and what I could give her for stress relief during a terrible situation. I was prepared for either answer, but when she was talking to that man, a part of me hoped our relationship was strong enough for her to deny whatever it was he had offered her.
The silent auction we held across the restaurant had been a resounding success, and the food that had come out of the kitchen had been some of the best I’d ever tasted. I told my chef to get creative, and after the crowd really took to them, I told him we would add a couple of his dishes to the menu. I briefly spoke with him about having seasonal dishes he created himself to showcase his abilities, but our conversation was interrupted when it was time to close down the auction, and I began to speak.
“It looks as if all the items in the auction have been claimed in one way or another. Tiffany Smith is going around right now highlighting the highest bidder on each of the items, so if your name is highlighted, stick around! And again, thank you so much for coming out and supporting me. The love and overwhelming support you all—”
I watched tears well up in her eyes and, for a split second, I thought I might break down as well. Her body was trembling, and the microphone was shaking. At that moment, I realized all at once how truly overwhelmed she was tonight. I wanted to rush up and wrap my arms around her, to ground her to her place so she could finish her speech, but I knew she really had to do this on her own. I knew she had to come to terms with some things and make some decisions on her own terms, so I simply crossed my arms over my chest and kept my eyes trained on her.
“Just, thank you,” she said into the microphone, steadier now. “Thank you for everything you all have offered, given, and done for me.”
“We love you, Cheyenne!” someone shouted from the crowd.
People began to clap, and Cheyenne wiped away the tears now streaming down her face, and that’s when I officially opened the bar for business. I made drink specials specifically for tonight, so Cheyenne didn’t think she was making me lose out on any money by holding the fundraiser here, and people flocked to them. I got compliments on how good they were, and people wondered why they weren’t on the regular menu. At some point, I realized this fundraiser wasn’t only benefitting Cheyenne, but it was benefitting my business, too.
“So, I haven’t done a final tally yet, but I did some quick math on the silent auction numbers.”
I looked over and saw that Tif was standing beside me, and I slid some drinks over to some people before I slung the bar towel over my shoulder.
“How did we do?”
“If the numbers check out and everyone sticks to their purchases, Cheyenne will have enough to not only replace and repair, but she’ll be able to expand.”
“You’re kidding,” I said.
“Not one bit. We did it. Cheyenne’s staying.”
I wasn’t too sure about that statement, but the fact that the community had rallied together like that was astounding. I had been secretly taking up donations all evening from those who weren’t interested in the silent auction products we had to offer, so there was an entire money bucket that hadn’t even been counted yet. Everything had been a massive success, but I still felt a small fluttering of nerves in the pit of my stomach the rest of the night.
I didn’t see the man that had been talking to Cheyenne around anywhere, but I could see her clutching her purse a little tighter than usual. The card he gave her must be in there, and I wondered if she knew how much it appeared to be weighing on her.
Everyone eventually trickled out around midnight while Tif continued to collect for the silent auction items and tally up other donations. I told the chef to have the staff start cleaning up and tearing things down so we’d be ready for business tomorrow. When Tif was done collecting the money, and everyone else was gone, I saw Michael slip his arm around my sister.
“So, how about that drink?” he asked.
“Now? Oh, no, no. I gotta help clean up around here and break down things and—”
“There’s a bar up the road that’s open until 3. It’s my only real competition around here when it comes to drinks. You two have fun,” I said.
“Colt, I gotta help out here,” Tif said.
“No, you don’t. Because he’s got me. Go on, Tif. Have some fun for once. Isn’t that what you’re always telling me to do?” Cheyenne asked.
She looked between the three of us before she finally relented and let Michael whisk her off. I was so happy my sister had finally seen the good in Michael, and I knew he would treat her with care and respect.
If anything because he’d seen what I could do when I wanted to fuck someone up.
“Colt, could I talk to you for a second?” Cheyenne asked.
“Sure,” I said. “What’s up?”
“There was a man that approached me tonight,” she said.
“The guy in the suit? I saw him briefly.”
“Ever heard of Second Chances?” she asked.
“Yeah. It’s a massive horse ranch a few counties north. Why?”
“He offered me a job running all their operations,” she said.
I was completely floored. Out of all the scenarios that had run through my head, that one never even came to the forefront of my mind. I searched Cheyenne’s face for any sign as to where the conversation was going, but all she did was study me and how I was reacting.
Which meant I had to keep a lid on how I was feeling so she wouldn’t feel obligated to make her decision based on me.
“He said it starts in February, and it would be a massive opportunity. He’d have places for all my horses, and I’d have a steady wage. Plus, I’d also have a 401(k) as well as medical benefits.”
“That’s a hell of a job; that is almost unheard of in what you do,” I said.
“I know.”
I could tell she was conflicted, and every single part of me wanted to beg her to stay. She’d worked so hard, and she still had no idea how successful the fundraiser had been, but I couldn’t make this decision for her. She had to make it herself, and she had to do it without anyone influencing her decision.
“It’s everything I’ve ever wanted, honestly,” she said. “I wouldn’t have to worry about paying for things or relying on grants and donations to keep things running. My blood pressure would finally be at a normal level, and I think I’d be really happy there.”
I was gripping the edge of the bar as hard as I could to keep from screaming. I was watching a woman I had come to care for and respect debate on whether to stay or leave, and my stomach was tying itself in knots. I wanted to scream at her to stay, to show her the final numbers and the donation bucket just to give her physical proof of the love she was surrounded by. Would she find that farther north? People who revered her so much they were willing to open their own pocketbooks to keep her going?
“You’d be a long way from Green Point,” I said.
“Yeah.”
“What would that mean for us?” I asked.
I watched her face fall, and that’s when I realized she hadn’t thought through all the implications. All the relationships she’d cultivated and all the people that had come to admire her would disappear. I’d be willing to travel to her when I could, but between the ranch and the restaurant, I’d be pretty busy.
“You’re right,” she said. “I’ll give him a call and tell him—”
“That you’ll think about it,” I said.
“What?”
“Just think about it for a while. Don’t make any hasty decisions. When I’m done shutting down the restaurant and counting the money, I’ll shoot you the final tally, but from what Tif told me earlier, the silent auction alone will help you repair, rebuild, and expand.”
“Are you serious?” she asked.
“Like I said, I’ll get you a final tally tonight. Just, think about it for a bit before deciding either way. It’s a wonderful opportunity that’ll probably never come around again. Whatever decision you make, make it because it’s really what you want.”
“Colt.”
I could see the shock rolling over her face. She expected me to fight her. She expected me to give my opinion and tell her to stay. She expected me to chase her like I’d done all these weeks, but this was different. This wasn’t just protecting her from someone who wanted to do her harm; this was her future.
In the end, I wanted what made her happy. I wanted her to succeed in whatever she chose to do, and by all standards, this job was definitely success in the eyes of an independent horse sanctuary owner.
“Like you said, it’s your dream job. That should at least warrant a few nights of thinking,” I said.
“Everything you’ve done for me,” she said, “how am I ever going to repay you?”
“You don’t have to. That’s the beauty of it,” I said. “I did what I did because I came to care about you. I don’t expect anything in return, and there’s no IOU to pay.”
“You protected me, Colt. That deserves something. The way we…”
When she fell silent, I knew exactly what she was talking about. She was talking about how close we’d grown physically. How empty it now felt to be alone, and how natural it felt when we were together. She was struggling to define something she was scared to, and for once I could understand where she was coming from.
“Go on a date with me,” I said.
“What?”
“With everything we're going through, we’ve never actually been on a proper date. Let me take you out. That’s how you can repay me,” I said.
“Alright,” she said, smiling. “When is this wonderful date going to be?”
“Christmas. I want it to be special, and I don’t want the date influencing the decision you’re going to make with this job.”
“Colt,” she said with a sigh.
“Christmas. That’s how you can repay me. A date on Christmas.”
“Then a date on Christmas it is,” she said. The smile that spread across her cheeks warmed my chest, and I knew I had to make it as special as I could. If she was going to stay, I wanted it to be the perfect start to something that had been brewing between us for a long time.
But if she was going to leave, I wanted her to leave with a positive memory at the forefront of her mind.
“Go home and get some rest. I’ll bring the final tally over and stick it under your door before I go home,” I said.
“Or you could just come in and slip into bed. Tonight’s supposed to be pretty chilly,” she said.
“I think I like the sound of that better.”
“Uh huh. I figured you would,” she said with a wink.
Cheyenne was unlike any woman I’d ever come across, and whatever decision she chose, I supported her fully. Maybe we could make it work with her being a few counties north, even if it was only a temporary thing.
But I would be lying if I said that labeling us as ‘temporary’ sat well with me.
“Feel you in a couple of hours,” Cheyenne said.
And all I could do was laugh at her statement while I watched her walk out of the restaurant.