abandoned the blocks for the horses.
His eyes narrowed. “You heard me say that the other day.”
“I did. Is that why you left town in the first place? You wanted to break free?”
He stayed quiet for so long that she thought he wouldn’t answer.
“One of the reasons,” he said finally.
“Layne never mentioned what you’ve been doing since you’ve been gone.”
“Cowhand.”
The same work Jed had hired him to do, now and years ago.
She could envision Cole in those high school days as if no time had passed at all.
While she rode the county bus home, he had driven his pickup truck, which meant he arrived at the ranch much sooner than she did. So many times, Abuela had scolded her for running right to the barn once the bus had dropped her off when she should have gone inside to tackle her homework and chores. But she had lived in hope that she could steal a few minutes to talk with him before he started his assigned job for the afternoon.
“Did you go somewhere in particular?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No. I didn’t want to get tied down.” For a moment, his eyes looked bleak. He set one of the building blocks on top of another and batted it off again. “A rolling stone, that’s me. Meant to roam. I stayed in the South, though. Spent the last two years in Texas. It’s a big state.”
“As nice as New Mexico?”
He laughed. “Talk to my friends in Dallas, and they’ll tell you everything’s bigger
and
better in Texas.”
“Nothing’s better than being home.” When he didn’t respond, she asked, “What are your plans now?”
He shrugged. “To give Layne a hand.”
Not the most definitive answer. She couldn’t push without being willing to give in return if he pushed back. And she wasn’t ready for that. Instead, she said, “This was the first I’d heard about her having to move.”
“She didn’t get much warning, either.”
His grim expression made her wince.
“I don’t see her very much anymore,” she admitted, “not even at SugarPie’s. Abuela and I stop there when we go into town to grocery shop. But it always seems to be a day Layne’s not there. I’m sorry things didn’t work out for her and Terry.”
“She’s better off.”
“From her situation with Terry or from marriage in general?”
If she had given herself time to think, she would never have spoken. Why bother, when she already knew what his answer would be? But now she
had
asked the question, she wouldn’t back down.
* * *
K NOWING — AND NOT LIKING —the direction their conversation had suddenly taken, Cole stared back at Tina. “What does that mean?” he asked, keeping his voice low.
“The first day you came in to the hotel, you made a comment about swearing off marriage and kids.”
“Yeah. I made that statement about me, not Layne. And before I knew I had a son. That changes part of the equation.”
He stacked a couple of blocks in front of him. He’d barely spent any time at all with the boy. Certainly not enough time to figure out how to break the news to him. And right now he wasn’t thinking beyond that.
Obviously, she wasn’t any more prepared.
One of them needed to redirect this conversation.
“Speaking of changing things,” he said, “how are you feeling about all the excitement around here?”
At yesterday’s brunch, when Andi had arrived and Jed had made his big announcement about the hotel, he could tell Tina hadn’t liked the news at all. He felt sure no one else had noticed. But he had sat right beside her, close enough to hear her breath catch. Close enough to see the way she had clamped her hands together beneath the edge of the table.
From Jane and Andi’s comments at supper tonight, he knew she was doing her part, keeping track of ideas for the hotel in order to gather estimates for the work.
Still, she seemed quieter about the project than he had ever known her to be about anything.
And she hadn’t responded to his question. She probably never
His eyes narrowed. “You heard me say that the other day.”
“I did. Is that why you left town in the first place? You wanted to break free?”
He stayed quiet for so long that she thought he wouldn’t answer.
“One of the reasons,” he said finally.
“Layne never mentioned what you’ve been doing since you’ve been gone.”
“Cowhand.”
The same work Jed had hired him to do, now and years ago.
She could envision Cole in those high school days as if no time had passed at all.
While she rode the county bus home, he had driven his pickup truck, which meant he arrived at the ranch much sooner than she did. So many times, Abuela had scolded her for running right to the barn once the bus had dropped her off when she should have gone inside to tackle her homework and chores. But she had lived in hope that she could steal a few minutes to talk with him before he started his assigned job for the afternoon.
“Did you go somewhere in particular?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No. I didn’t want to get tied down.” For a moment, his eyes looked bleak. He set one of the building blocks on top of another and batted it off again. “A rolling stone, that’s me. Meant to roam. I stayed in the South, though. Spent the last two years in Texas. It’s a big state.”
“As nice as New Mexico?”
He laughed. “Talk to my friends in Dallas, and they’ll tell you everything’s bigger
and
better in Texas.”
“Nothing’s better than being home.” When he didn’t respond, she asked, “What are your plans now?”
He shrugged. “To give Layne a hand.”
Not the most definitive answer. She couldn’t push without being willing to give in return if he pushed back. And she wasn’t ready for that. Instead, she said, “This was the first I’d heard about her having to move.”
“She didn’t get much warning, either.”
His grim expression made her wince.
“I don’t see her very much anymore,” she admitted, “not even at SugarPie’s. Abuela and I stop there when we go into town to grocery shop. But it always seems to be a day Layne’s not there. I’m sorry things didn’t work out for her and Terry.”
“She’s better off.”
“From her situation with Terry or from marriage in general?”
If she had given herself time to think, she would never have spoken. Why bother, when she already knew what his answer would be? But now she
had
asked the question, she wouldn’t back down.
* * *
K NOWING — AND NOT LIKING —the direction their conversation had suddenly taken, Cole stared back at Tina. “What does that mean?” he asked, keeping his voice low.
“The first day you came in to the hotel, you made a comment about swearing off marriage and kids.”
“Yeah. I made that statement about me, not Layne. And before I knew I had a son. That changes part of the equation.”
He stacked a couple of blocks in front of him. He’d barely spent any time at all with the boy. Certainly not enough time to figure out how to break the news to him. And right now he wasn’t thinking beyond that.
Obviously, she wasn’t any more prepared.
One of them needed to redirect this conversation.
“Speaking of changing things,” he said, “how are you feeling about all the excitement around here?”
At yesterday’s brunch, when Andi had arrived and Jed had made his big announcement about the hotel, he could tell Tina hadn’t liked the news at all. He felt sure no one else had noticed. But he had sat right beside her, close enough to hear her breath catch. Close enough to see the way she had clamped her hands together beneath the edge of the table.
From Jane and Andi’s comments at supper tonight, he knew she was doing her part, keeping track of ideas for the hotel in order to gather estimates for the work.
Still, she seemed quieter about the project than he had ever known her to be about anything.
And she hadn’t responded to his question. She probably never
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