The Reluctant Cowboy (19 page)

As they approached the barns, Cole could see worried looks on all of their friends’ faces.  He winked as he rode by them, giving them a grin.  He was feeling confident again, but wanted to make sure Sierra wouldn’t balk.  She was still following him, so that was a good sign. 

When he dismounted at the barn entrance, one of the high school girls that had helped when he first rode, happily offered to take Sally and cool her down and brush her for him.  He waited patiently, as Sierra had stopped to talk to Quinn and Dana. 

She came around the corner a few minutes later and dismounted Tinker.  She stood near him and raised her eyebrows at him, “Now what?” 

Cole smiled and headed toward the parking area.  He sensed her hesitation and wondered if he should stop walking.  When he was getting ready to turn around, he heard her running to catch up with him, “So, now the silent treatment?  What is going on?” 

He stopped beside a truck and turned to face her, raising his hands and proclaiming, “Ta-da!” 

“Cole, I’m getting really annoyed and confused.  Enough already.” 

“Like my new truck?” 

“Huh?” 

She began rubbing her forehead, so he started to explain, “I traded in the Benz.  Got a new ride.” 

She looked around him and at the truck beside him.  It was a new Chevy Silverado 1500 4x4 crew cab.  It had just a small lift on it, to make it seem bigger and badder.  It was a silver color.  He complimented her, “I picked the color for your eyes. Get in.  Got something else to show you.” 

He gently guided her to the passenger side and opened the door for her.  While she climbed in, she asked, “Where are we going?”  He could tell by her voice that she was getting tired and confused. 

“You’ll see.”  He climbed in, started the truck and headed down the lane. 

He looked over at her and saw her closing her eyes.  Concerned, he asked, “Headache?” 

“Yes.  The sun hurts my eyes.  I forgot my hat today.” 

Handing her his sunglasses, he said, “Here.  These should help.” 

They drove for a few miles in silence.  He checked his GPS to make sure he was going in the right direction.  Sierra was watching out the window.  When he made his turn, Sierra straightened in her seat, asking, “Where are we going, Cole?” 

“Almost there.” 

“Enough with the cryptic answers.  I know this area.” 

“Good.  Then you probably will recognize the place,” he replied, before turning the truck into a long drive. 

“Why are we here?  This is one of the homes I was looking at for me and Skye.” 

“Exactly.” 

“Damnit, Cole.  Enough.  What is going on?” 

He pulled up to the house and put the truck in park.  He unbuckled his seat belt and turned to face her.  He reached behind the seat and produced a small package and handed it to her.  He didn’t say anything, so she opened the present and was staring at the snow globe in her hands.  They were starting to tremble, so he placed his hands underneath hers. 

He smiled and whispered, “Try not to break it this time.”  He saw the tears flowing down her cheeks, so he removed the sunglasses and gently took the globe from her to place it on the seat, before continuing, “I bought this house for us…for you, me and Skye.  It’s where I want to be, Sierra.  I’m not the reluctant cowboy you met in New York.  I want to be here.  With Skye…and you.” 

She wiped at her eyes and nose, crying, “How didddd youuu knowww?” 

“I had some friends help and was getting everything finalized this past month.” 

“But, I thoughttt…” She was trying to catch her breath and talk.

He pulled her into his arms, “Sshh, please tell me those are happy tears.” 

“Yyyess,” she replied with a muffled response into his shirt. 

He drew back to help wipe away the tears, “I love you, Sierra… I have from the instant I saw you at the reception.  Your eyes hypnotized me. They still do.” 

She took a deep calming breath.  Her eyes, watery, but still a vivid pale shade of blue, aimed directly at him, showed her true feelings, before she spoke, “I love you, too. Only you. Always you.” 

They continued to hug each other until her tears subsided, then he added, “Oh, and Sierra, there is one more thing. This is important.”  She stared at him, listening intently and he said, with a sparkle in his eye, “When we buy Skye her first pony or horse….its name is going to be
one
word,
Horsey
.”

“Mommy, Daddy, come on.”  Skye was getting inpatient waiting for her parents to follow her.  The now four-year-old little girl didn’t like waiting.  “I want to put saddle on Horsey myself.  Please.” 

“We are coming, honey.  Right behind you.  Daddy is getting his boots on.”  Sierra watched Skye bound happily toward the barn. 

“I’ll try to show her again how to saddle Horsey, but I still think he’s too tall for her to reach.”  Cole snuck up behind Sierra, startling her, as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. 

“She’s already tall for her age.  Horsey is the perfect size for her to grow into.” 

Sierra felt the goosebumps down her arms as Cole kissed the side of her neck.    Sierra told him, “You go on ahead.  I want to grab my hat.” 

She turned in his arms to give him a quick kiss, as he said, “Don’t keep us waiting.” 

He grabbed his own hat and headed out to follow his daughter.  Sierra stood in the doorway with her arms folded, watching him as he caught up with Skye and scooped her tall, thin frame in his arms and threw her over his shoulder.  She was giggling hard and trying to smack his butt as they continued towards the barn. 

Sierra felt her eyes get watery and quickly wiped at them with her sleeve.  “Stupid hormones,” she mumbled. 

She was happier than she had ever been in her life.  She couldn’t believe how just a couple of years could change her life forever.  Skye was her pride and joy and blossomed more each day.  She had a natural love for the horses and currently, they had three in the barn. 

For Skye’s second birthday, Cole bought her a quarter pony that Quinn and Doug helped him pick out.  He had wanted to surprise both Skye and Sierra.  He was a five-year-old gentle gelding, but Sierra had worried he would be too big for Skye.  Her fears vanished quickly as she saw what a natural she was on him.  They made her wear a helmet and pads to protect her while she rode.  She resisted it at first, but now it came as second nature for her. 

Quinn and Riley also surprised them when they gave them Sally and Tinker as a wedding present.  Cole and Sierra were both thrilled.  Now they had the three horses in the barn, along with a pygmy goat, and a couple of barn cats that Skye adored.  Skye spent a lot of time in the barn with her daddy. 

In two years, they had worked together to make the home and barn their own private sanctuary.  The house and barn sat on five acres and that is all they both wanted. 

Cole was now an active business partner with Quinn, but wanted to stay more on the business side of things.  He was turning into an excellent horseman in his own right, but wanted to keep it for pleasure and not as a business.  He wanted to ride on the weekends and go on trail rides all over the country.  When Skye got older, they planned to go cross country and take the horses with them for vacations.  

He was also assisting Doug and Dana with setting up their own business model and they would soon have their own training facility and stables.  Sierra was so proud of how much Cole had learned about horses and how smart he was with business.  His own company was growing again and was doing well with the leaders he had in place. 

He had kept his role as CEO and was still involved, but only had to travel to New York a few times a year.  She and Skye would go with him and make it a family affair.  They would spend time with Denise and her family and she fell in love with Zach and Carrie, as they had a little girl of their own now.  She looked forward to seeing them each time they visited and they would come spend weekends with them when they could.

She continued writing in her journal and would make entries about their visits.  Her journal had become important to her.  She tried to write in every day.  She had shared some of her passages with Cole and he enjoyed her writing and encouraged her to continue.  He told her how important it would be later and how much Skye would value it.    

“Wife?  Watcha doin?”  Cole was standing near the entrance of the barn with Sally. 

“Coming.”  She put her hat on her head and walked out to be a part of her very own fairy tale.

*****

Cole watched his lovely wife walking towards him.  She could still take his breath away.  From the first time he saw her in a bridesmaid dress, to that special night in New York with the black satin formal dress, to the wedding dress she wore when he married her, he realized it didn’t matter what she was wearing.  He was thinking that she was just as beautiful in her holey blue jeans and worn flannel shirt. 

“What?”  He heard her ask him as she approached. 

He grinned down at her, “Nothing.” 

“What are you thinking?”  She was grinning back at him. 

“Just that you might need to get those jeans mended.”  

“Uh.  You said you liked me in these jeans.  Besides, they are my favorite pair.”   

“Whaaat? You asked me what I was thinking,” he teased, defending himself.

She swatted at his stomach, “You are such a dork.”   

“Oh, now I’m a
dork
?”  He followed her with Sally as she headed towards the stall where Tinker was waiting.  He glanced over to see that Skye was happily entertaining herself with the barn cats.  “
Who
is the one that made me watch a Buffy marathon a few weeks ago? 
Who
is the one who knows every episode and tells me what is going to happen before it does,
knowing
that I have already seen it….like a hundred times now.”     

“Don’t act like you don’t like it as much as I do,” she bantered, with Cole rolling his eyes in response.   

“Still a bigger
dork
than me,” he mumbled, under his breath.     

“I heard that,” she said, flirting with her man.  Cole winked at her, as she saddled Tinker.   

“Meant for you to.”   

“Faith.”  He heard her say as she was tightening the girth. 

“Faith?   Who?”   

“From Buffy.  If we have another little girl I want to name her Faith.”  

Cole laughed, “Faith was a bad girl on the show, Sierra.”  

She had turned to face him, still standing in the stall, “She was good at the end.  She was tall, had dark hair and was independent.  She could take care of herself.” 

Cole couldn’t believe the conversation they were having.  “Honey, you know how much I worry about having more kids.  As much as I want to, and we practice
a lot
, I’m scared about the disease.  Besides, we have Riley and Vanessa’s boys to grow up and play with Skye.  Not to mention, your parents spoiling her every weekend.”   

Sierra was now leading Tinker out of the stall and Cole followed her.  He did enjoy watching her from behind.  Cole handed Sally’s reins to Sierra to hold, while he got Horsey out for Skye.  He helped her get on him and they made their way to the outdoor arena. 

The barn wasn’t large enough for an indoor arena.  Cole was still considering the options to expand or sell.  Sierra seemed content with their home now and they would go over to Quinn’s in the winter if they wanted to ride inside. As they rode around the arena, Cole was still amazed that he was able to use his business skills to enhance his personal life. 

He knew how fortunate he was, being able to use his money and degree to help his friends with their goals.  He even worked with Mark and Vanessa to help them expand the bar and other ventures they wanted to pursue.  He gave them advice on how to invest and set up retirement funds. 

He thought he might miss the big city, but after the first year he didn’t think of it at all. He had his home office set up nicely with everything he needed.  He loved being home with Skye, while Sierra continued to work at Nations Insurance.  He told her several times she didn’t have to work, but could tell she enjoyed it.  He looked forward to visiting New York and his friends with Sierra and Skye.  He would continue to show them more of the city on each trip they made. 

Christine and her partner had done a lot with his old apartment and Sierra had really liked it the first time she saw it, after the new décor was in place.  He heard his own laugh escape him.  “What are you laughing at?” Sierra asked, trotting Tinker up to get beside him. 

“Just remembering when you first found out Christine was gay and how surprised you were.” 

Sierra laughed, too, “It was a shock.  I was determined not to like her.”  

“Yes, you were.  I’m glad you are friends now.”    

“Me, too.  What made you think of that?”    

“I was thinking of how much we have done in the last couple of years.  I thought I’d always be in New York.  Confirmed bachelor.”  He winked at her, “Now, I’m riding a horse with three names, beside a beautiful woman I get to call my wife, also riding a horse with three names.  I have an amazing daughter whom I adore.  I can’t think of anything more I could possibly want.”  He gave her a big smile.  

“You sure about that?”  She grinned at him. 

“Sierraaa?” 

He watched her take off in a lope past him when she turned in her saddle and yelled back, “All you need is a little Faith.” 

About the Author

I hope you liked Cole and Sierra’s story.  I had fun writing it and hope to continue to write more stories.  If you want to learn about Riley and Quinn, you may want to check out:
https://www.amazon.com/Vetted-Cowboy-Cherie-Ullman-ebook/dp/B014N3KRZW/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1454841950&sr=1-1&keywords=the+vetted+cowboy

Besides reading, I love spending time with my husband and two daughters, fostering kittens, and attending the youngest daughter’s soccer games.  I live in a small town east of Columbus, Ohio.  I would love to hear from you at
[email protected]