Page 23 of Christmas with the Cowboy
“Some of us more than others,” Reed said.
“I didn’t have a father to try to beat some sense into me,” Daniel shot back.
“I did,” Reed said to Lex, whose eyes were now wide for real. “Not in the literal sense. We had a lot of…talks.” So many talks. And sometimes silences. Long ones. The silences were the worst.
“Ah.Talks,” Lex said, getting the drift. Reed had no idea if it was good or bad for her to see the dynamics between him and his dad, but there was no changing Daniel, so it was going to happen. And that was why there wouldn’t be too many family dinners. He was certain his mom understood. As long as he and Lex were in the house next door, he didn’t think she’d mind.
“It’s so weird to think of you as a kid,” Lex said half an hour later as they walked to their house.
“Well, I was one. I think everyone goes through the kid stage of life, immediately after the baby and toddler stages.” And just before the clueless young adult stage.
“I don’t know. Some of the parents I know in Bozeman act like they hatched as adults.”
Reed laughed. “I wasn’t one of them.”
“Obviously.”
He reached out and ruffled her hair.
“Hey,” she said, leaning away as she reached out a hand to expertly tap the rear brim of his hat, so it fell over his eyes.
“Where’d you learn that trick?”
“Places,” she said lightly. “So your old girlfriend saved the day?”
He’d been kind of relieved that Trenna’s involvement hadn’t been a big part of the conversation at the dinner table, but he should have known that it would be addressed in due time.
“She did in a way. Henry wasn’t about to hurt anyone with the tractor.”
“Or, as we will now call it, thedistractor.”
“Right.” Reed’s lips curved. “He just wanted to startle the Hunt Ranch guys. As soon as he got their attention, he stopped, and Trenna showed up while he was dialing the sheriff.”
“To save the day.”
“Right.”
She stopped at the walkway to the house. “Is it weird seeing her again?”
“You have no idea.”
He hadn’t expected to be so candid, but Lex’s laugh made it worthwhile. Maybe it was okay for your kid to see you as a human being who made mistakes and learned from them. Even mistakes that ripped your heart out.
She didn’t need to know about that part, and he wasn’t going to think about the strong pull of attraction he still felt for Trenna Hunt. Number one, he was a dad. Number two, he was working on being a cooperative son so that he and Lex could live on the ranch with a minimal amount of stress. He didn’t need distractions, and he didn’t need reminders of how strong his feelings for Trenna once were.
Lex gave him the side-eye.
“What?”
She shook her head and pushed open the gate. “Just that parent as human being thing.”
He smiled as he followed her up the path to the house. Again, she had no idea.
*
“We have towear gloves?”
“I know. It seems silly, but finger oils damage old paper and why do it any more harm than time and being crunched into a box has already done?”
