Page 30 of Christmas with the Cowboy
Dawn studied it again, then nodded. “I think so.”
After Dawn left, Trenna decided to go with the last color she’d put on the wall, rather than the one Dawn had suggested. Maybe it was sheer contrariness, but she preferred to make her own decisions, even though she liked Dawn and trusted her taste. Also, when she looked at her kitchen wall, she didn’t want a reminder of her dad.
As if she was going to spend that much time here. She was sleeping in the cottage most nights, but that was only for convenience. As soon as classes started, she’d be back in town, with decent internet service and a television. For the moment, though, living here wasn’t bad—even if it had gotten her sucked deeper into the Keller-Hunt drama. It wasn’t like she wasn’t already there, what with her accepting Audrey’s request for help with the ranch history.
At the time, neither had known that Reed and his daughter would return to the ranch almost a month ahead of schedule, and Audrey had offered Trenna an out when Reed showed up early. An out Trenna had chosen not to take.
Why?
Because it would make it look like Reed still mattered to her?
Or because hedidstill matter, and bittersweet as it was, she wanted to get the occasional glimpse of the man?
The latter was pathetic, so she would go with the former.
Deep down, she knew that what Reed had told her was true. They were on different paths, just as her father had said, and they wouldn’t have made it as a couple. Too many strikes against them.
But you could have tried. You didn’t. You just rolled over, gave up, and lost something precious.
Preciousthen, she told herself firmly.
Trenna lifted the paintbrush, ignoring the drips of paint hitting the newspaper she was standing on.
Things had changed so very much. Reed was focused on fatherhood and building a life on the ranch, and she was the daughter of the neighbor who was trying to legally screw them out of a strip of land.
Not that any of the Kellers had ever openly held her family ties against her, but she couldn’t help wondering if secretly they did. Maybe Daniel and Audrey had celebrated her breakup with Reed as much as her own father had. Maybe she should offer to quit.
She’d talk with Reed about it tomorrow—if he didn’t see her coming, that was. She couldn’t help but smile at his rejoinder to her “see you tomorrow,” and then she shook her head. Reed was spending too much time front and center in her brain.
“This is the problem with living alone,” she said out loud as she set down the brush on the edge of the container. Too much head time.
She needed a diversion.
And damn it, she couldn’t think of one. Trenna set down the brush and walked to her phone, which was sitting on the windowsill. She hesitated, then fired off a text to Jill, whom she’d soon be working with at the community college. The message was simple:
Drinks? Soon?
Trenna tucked the phone into her back pocket, then picked up the brush and swept another swath of her chosen color across the wall.
Dawn’s color was better.
Maybe she’d abandon red and try another color.
*
The colt’s headcame up before Reed heard Henry’s footsteps in the barn behind him. Finally. An unexpected phone call had delayed the start of the day, and while Reed waited for Henry to settle a few matters leading to his retirement, he’d tossed some extra grass hay to the gelding he hoped wouldn’t be his dad’s undoing.
“Beautiful animal.”
Reed’s nerves jumped at the unexpected sound of Trenna’s voice, but he managed a half smile when he turned to say, “Top notch.”
Trenna came to stand next to him, peering over the corral rails at the handsome bay colt.
“He has to be a relative of Wreck ’em Ralph.”
“A full brother, which is why we have him. I don’t think he’s going to be the same kind of horse, but Dad is sentimental about Ralph.”
“Your dad? Sentimental?” She made a noise that made him want to grin. Instead, he gave her a frowning sideways glance, and her lips curved into the same smile that had first attracted him to her, which was dirty pool.
