The Long Ride Home (Cowboys & Cowgirls) (5 page)

“She is no longer my
fiancé; why does it matter?”

“It matters if you are willing to try and get her back.”

Holton stopped and looked at Pastor Mike. “I don’t want to do that. She is much better off without me.”

“Then you’re an idiot.”

Holton looked at Pastor Mike and couldn’t help but agree.

“I don’t know what you want from me, Pastor Mike! I talked to Elena last night. She and I want two different things.”

“What does she want?”

“She wants to be married; she wants a family.”

“You don’t want a family?” the pastor questioned.

“I want a family, I just don’t want…”

“You want a family, but you don’t want to get married?”

“No, that’s not it.”

“Then what is it, son, because you are awfully confusing.”

Ho
lton sighed, irritably, “I don’t want her to die. She can’t make that promise! I can’t have her dying on me, too. Everyone…everyone that I have ever cared about is dead. I am alone now!”

Ho
lton shook with fear. He couldn’t believe that just came out of his mouth.

***

The next two weeks were much of the same. Holton couldn’t get any sleep; he kept thinking about how he left things with Elena and he thought of his conversation with Pastor Mike. He thought about the night when he gave Elena the ring. He thought about the kiss and then later that night about her legs wrapped around his waist as he pushed her up against the wall. The electricity was there in volumes.

Holton looked at the clock on his
nightstand; it read 10:00 PM. He couldn’t stop thinking about Elena. He picked up his cell phone and dialed her number.

“Hello?” Elena answered, yawning. Who the hell would be calling at ten?

“Elena?”

Holton. Elena’s heart hammered in her chest. “Holt. Everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything is fine. How have you been?”

“I’m…good. School is going great.”

“Like all your professors this semester?”

“Yeah, everything is going well. How was the auction?”

“We got good money for your Herefords. You should be able to make a big chunk of your loan go away.”

“Those are yours, Holt. That was part of the contract, remember?”

Holton took a deep breath and ran his palm down his face. He was exhausted, but talking to her was making him feel better. “How are you really doing?”

Elena gasped. “What do you mean?”

“Come on, I know you, Elena.”

“I don’t think so…”

Holton wished she was there with him. “Go out with me this weekend?”

“What?”

“You heard me. Let’s go on a date.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to take you out on a date. You say I don’t know you, I say I do. Let’s prove it.”

“Why do you want to;
why does it matter?”

“It matte
rs to me. Saturday at six. Wear something beautiful.”

“Okay, but…”

“Six. Elena?”

“Yes?”

“I miss you.”

Elena swallowed. “I miss you, too.”

Chapter 7

T
he rest of the week went by in a blur, as all he could do was think about his upcoming date with Elena. He went online as soon as he finished talking with her and got a reservation for dinner and tickets for the opera. As his buddy Joe informed him, chicks like Elena digged the opera. Whatever the hell that meant.

Ho
lton went into the bunkhouse on his property early that morning and was greeted by two of the cowboys that worked for him. Jake Pierson and Thomas French.

“Good morning,” Ho
lton greeted as he came through the door. The two men were sitting at the table eating breakfast. “Lousie get you two some chow?”

“Yeah,” Jake replied with a mouthful. “She’s been complaining lately though. She said something about Jessop Overton… you may want to watch out for that one.”

“Jessop Overton?”

“She’s sweet on him,” Thomas said, grinning. “She’s been trying to get on at his ranch for some time now.”

What else could happen? Holton thought. “Well, isn’t that great. Any one of you cook?”

“Hell no, cooking’s a woman’s job,” Jake said, laughing. “And the last time I looked, Mr. Dade, I ain’t no woman.”

“Well, that right there answers the question as to why you aren’t married,” Holton replied.

“What’s your excuse, Mr. Dade?” Thomas asked.

“Stupidity. So, I’m heading out Friday afternoon to see Elena. I just wanted to let you two know that I won’t be back until late Sunday. So I won’t be around to check on things, and I need to make sure you two check the fence lines and a few more chores that I usually do around here. Also, the vet is supposed to be here Saturday morning to check on some of Elena’s Herefords. I need you, Thomas, to head on over to Elena’s Saturday morning to meet Elise Flannery.”

Thomas’s face reddened. “Why not have Jake do that?”

Holton looked at his ranch hand curiously. “You have a problem with Ms. Flannery?”

“Yeah, he’s got a problem alright,” Jake laughed as Thomas sneered at him.

“Shut the hell up, Jake. No, Holton, I can do it. Anything else?”

“Just call me if anything happens…anything worth a phone call at least. Let Elise know where I am. She has my number if there is a problem, which I am sure that there is not. Anyway, if you two need anything just call. Oh, and Louise will be here for meal times. Please, for the love of God, don’t start anything with her. I need her. I barely get a good meal in half of the time.”

“Will do, Boss,” Jake replied and Thomas nodded.

“I’ll see you guys out there. I’m going to go out to the west side of the ranch. I need to repair a section of fence.”

“See you later, Boss,” Thomas said as Holton left the house.

Later that night, Holton called Elena again. She answered on the third ring.

“Hello.”

“Hey.”

“Holton! What are you doing calling me again?”

“Aren’t I allowed
calling you?” he asked, amused.

“I think this is the most we have ever talked consecutively…not counting when we were living right next to one another.”

“I think it is. Why is that?”

“Because you think you are so much more mature than I am.”

Holton laughed. “I don’t think it, babe, I know it.”

“Aw, so cocky. So how was work today?”

“It sucked.”

Elena laughed. “Oh, and why is that?”

“You know that bull that I have? The one that I should never have bought?”

“Yeah,” Elena laughed. She remembered the night he brought that monstrosity home. It was mean, ugly and foul tempered. It also was the reason why his last cook left.

“Well, it nearly gored me tonight. Part of the fence was down and stupid ol me when to go fix it without checking to make sure old Howard was put away.”

“You named that ugly thing Howard?”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Remind me to never let you name your children.”

Holton smiled. He never really thought about kids before.

“Aw, scared again?” Elena asked.

Hell yes he was scared. “No, about what?”

“Nothing.”

“So, brat, how was school?”

“Oh…sucked.”

Holton chuckled. “Yeah, I imagine it does. I never had that luxury, though.”

“You never wanted to go to school, though. You always wanted to be a cowboy. And you know what?”

“What’s that?”

“I always liked that about you. You always knew exactly what you wanted to be, even when you were just a kid.”

“You never knew me when I was a kid,” Holton replied. He pictured Elena scowling as he said that.

“I knew you as a kid. I was a kid, too. I remember you always wearing your dad’s cowboy hats and you trying to rope that old steer that your dad had. What was his name?”

“Fred,” Holton replied, laughing.

“What is with you and your family and names?” Elena giggled. “That is terrible.”

“So, I guess you think my name is terrible, too.”

“No, not your name. Your mother was a Saint.”

Holton smiled, thinking of his mother. “Yeah, she was. I miss her.”

“I miss her, too, Holt. I remember when she taught me how to sew. My mother didn’t have a crafty bone in her body.”

“My mother didn’t have a cooking gene in hers,” Holton chuckled. “Thank God we had your mother for that.”

“Thank God I had your mother for the sewing. Can you imagine my mom coming up with an Angel costume for the Christmas play?”

Holton laughed and remembered when his mother made her the costume she was talking about. “You were adorable in all that tinsel.”

“I know I was. I remember when your mom made me that costume. I came over a lot. I also kept tabs on you.”

“No you didn’t.”

“The hell I didn’t. I told your mom one time that I left something in your room. Your mom saw right through me. She told me to go ahead and go in and look. She knew I wanted to see what it looked like.”

“What!”

“Yep.”

“You little brat. I can’t believe you did that.”

Elena was laughing pretty hard right now. She had tears coming down her eyes. “Yeah, I was. And do you remember that cowboy hat that you had that…”

“The brown one?” Holton interrupted.

“Yep!” Elena laughed heartily. “That’s the one.”

“What did you do with it?”

“I stole it. I took it home and wore it in my room and pretended I was a cowgirl.”

“I looked for that thing forever. I got in a lot of trouble for that!”

“Yep, and do you know why you stopped getting in trouble for it?”

“Yeah, because my mom made me go to church and tell God that I was sorry I lost it.”

“Nope,” Elena returned. “I told your mom the night before the Christmas play that I wanted something of yours.”

“You have got to be kidding me!”

“Nope.”

Holton shook his head, not believing how cunning a little Elena could be. “You are a brat, you know that?”

“Sure. So, what are you doing calling so late?”

Holton looked at the clock and groaned. “I just finished working. I wanted to hear your voice.”

Elena smiled and turned off her desk lamp. Up until the time he called, she was doing homework and studying for her anatomy class. “That’s sweet.”

“That’s what I am,” Holton agreed.

“M
hmm. You are sweet. I remember a few sweet times in your life.”

“Oh yeah? What’s that?”

“Oh, when you stayed with me my junior year of high school.”

“Dear God, I’m still trying to get over that one.”

“You remember?”

“Yeah, how can I not remember?”

Elena giggled. “Well, I wasn’t exactly subtle in my feelings for you.”

“No, that you weren’t.”

“Why was I over there anyway?”

“I called you. My parents were late coming home from the movies and it started storming out. Remember the sirens?” Elena asked.

“Yeah, I remember now. You hate thunder.”

“
Lightning’s much worse. Well, the animals were going crazy and there was no way in hell I was going outside to get them in the barn.”

“Yeah, I had to put our animals away, and then come over to your place. You were freaking out. My mom ushered me out of the house quickly so I could get to you.”

“Your mom was great.”

“Now that I know a little more about you and her, I’d say
you were thick as thieves,” Holton replied, making Elena grin.

“She knew my feelings for you,” Elena said quietly. “I told her many times.”

“Well that’s embarrassing.”

“Embarrassing? No, she was always really good about it. She told me about her and your father.”

“What about them?”

“She said that we were a lot like them.”

“Really?”

“Yep.”

“How so?”

“She said that your dad was an idiot, too.”

Holton didn’t say anything for a minute and Elena laughed.

“You’re lying,” Ho
lton said.

“Nope. She said that she told your dad how she felt several times and he pretty much just ignored her…well, that was until Bobby Shelton came around.”

“Dear God I remember something about that guy. My dad always grumbled about him around my mom when she mentioned high school.”

“That’s because he dated your mom.”

“How is it that you know so much about my parents?”

“Hmm…probably because I pay attention to those things! I was at your house all the time. I looked through your photo albums, hung out at your place for a glimpse of you. It was pathetic.”

“It really was,” Holton joked.

“Hey! If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have had a teen stalker.”

Holton grinned and leaned back on the couch. “I know that’s right. Listen, I have to get off this phone. I’m exhausted, and I know you have to get to school pretty early.”

“Yep, seven.”

“Hell, I’ll be half way done with my morning by then,” Holton said.

“Well, some people do have lives.”

“Yeah, that’s why I get up so early.”

“Ho
lton, you are ridiculous.”

“So are you. I really wish I could talk longer. I’m glad you were home.”

“I’m glad you called.”

“Goodnight, Elena.”

“Goodnight, cowboy.”

***

The next morning Elena woke up feeling like
she was on top of the world. Holton called her the past few days and they had actually had a real conversation.

“What are you daydreaming about?” Chery asked Elena as she was getting the coffee maker ready.

Elena looked at her with a smile on her face. “Holton called last night.”

“Really?”

“Yep.”

“Has Hell frozen over? Isn’t that two nights in a row?”

“Yep,” Elena said, swooning.

“I can’t believe it. I think you may have actually caught your man, El. What will Jonathon think?”

Jonathon was a guy in her anatomy class that had asked her out on more than one occasion.

“Well hopefully he will take the hint that I am not interested.”

Cheryl put her coffee cup under the holder and waited for the hot liquid to dispense. “I hate these damn KCups. They take forever!”

“They take less than a minute,” Elena defended.

“Who are you, the inventor of the damned Keurig?” Cheryl asked, irritably. “Oh, no… I know who you are… you are in love.”

Elena laughed as Cheryl made gagging faces. “Nice. I hope your face doesn’t stick that way.”

“I hope it does,” Cheryl said, making Elena laugh harder. “I would love to see people’s faces as they noticed mine.”

“
You are nuts.”

“Yep, just a little. So, what’s going on tonight?”

“Nothing. I have to work at the diner, and then I have to study pre-calc. I have a test Thursday that I am going to fail.”

“Sounds painful,” Cheryl chimed. “Need some help?”

“Would you?”

“Of course! I love math, but absolutely know nothing about anatomy, except for the basics…like what a penis is. I’ve seen one of those before.”

“Oh God!” Elena laughed. Her face turned a bright red and Cheryl grinned. “That never gets old. You are such a ninny, Elena. I have never seen a grown woman blush at the mention of a penis before. I really have to visit where you grew up.”

“Thanks, Cheryl. You always know how to make me feel better,” Elena groaned.

“No problem. Hey, before you go to school I wanted to tell you something.”