Debra Clopton - Her Homecoming Cowboy

“You mean it! I can come to your house?” Leo exclaimed, giving Annie a moment to gather her wits about her.

On the one hand, the fact that Colt was apologizing was a good thing. On the other hand, the man had his hand on her arm and electrical jolts were pulsing through her arm straight to the pit of her stomach. His gaze was locked on hers, too, with an intensity that could have knocked her over if she had been any shakier.

“Sure you can,” he told Leo.

“Complicated” Colt had said—the cowboy had no idea how complicated it was, and it was getting more so with every passing moment.

For Leo, and for the fact that the man had just saved them, Annie relaxed and gave him a free pass.

“That would be a thrill for him,” she said, pulling her arm away.

Hastily he drew his hand back as if he hadn’t realized he’d been touching her. She couldn’t get over the fact that he lived practically in their backyard. How in the world had that happened? Still, of all the places for her to rent... This was not divine intervention, was it?

She was standing in a pasture with Leo and his father, and that was either an odd coincidence or a God thing, only time would tell.

Colt stared at Leo, a curious expression on his face. The two of them were locked in conversation about where exactly Colt’s cabin was. Leo had his hand hiked to his hip and his left leg slightly bent. He’d stood like that when he was in conversation ever since he was old enough to do so. He cocked his head to the side slightly and dipped his chin.

Colt was standing exactly the same way.

Annie’s heart started hammering. Colt’s eyes shifted to her, holding her gaze before he moved his attention back to Leo with the same contemplation. Annie’s hand went to where the collar of her blouse would be, but she forgot she was wearing a collarless shirt! Instead she ran a finger along the edge of her neckline in a nervous movement that in no way matched the clanging alarm in her head. Colt was taking it in—seeing the uncanny mannerism of Leo. The one that she had seen all his life, never knowing till now he’d acquired it from the genes of his father. Genes that ran deep despite the boy having never been around Colt in person.

Suddenly Annie saw other things she’d never seen before. Things that a photo hadn’t picked up on. Such as the way Colt’s eyes flashed sharply with intelligence. It was the same way Leo’s flashed when he was learning new things.

“Well, thanks for coming to our rescue,” she blurted out, anxious for Colt to leave. She didn’t want him figuring things out before she’d decided what she really wanted to do.

“Have we ever met before?” Colt asked, not taking her hint.

His eyes flashed with curiosity. Annie could practically see him rifling through his memory trying to place why she and Leo looked familiar. She knew she and Jennifer looked enough alike that people could tell they were sisters. However, there had never been a huge, jump-right-out-at-you resemblance. There was a similar thing that had gone on between them that was going on between Colt and Leo. Annie and Jennifer had the same expressions in different faces. They had the same voice and when she laughed there was a similarity. Not that Annie had had anything to laugh about since they’d come here, but she suddenly wondered how close Colt and Jennifer had been. Would he recognize Jennifer’s laugh if Annie forgot herself and really got tickled about something?

“No. I don’t think we’ve met.” She forced the words.

He grimaced, favoring his collarbone for a moment.

“You are hurting.” Annie changed the subject. “I know all that running and vaulting over the fence could not have been good for your injury.”

“I’ll live.” He gritted the words out as he pressed his bent elbow closer into his side, adjusting the strap of his sling.

“And so will we, thanks to you.” Gratefulness filled her up to overflowing.

“You both just seem so familiar to me,” he said, stuck on figuring out who they were—maybe distracting himself from the pain that she imagined was stabbing through his broken bones.

“I ain’t never met you in person,” Leo said, bless his little heart. “I been want’n’ to meet you, though.”

Colt almost smiled. “Right. Maybe you both just remind me of someone. Anyway, I’m glad y’all are safe and that I heard y’all’s yells for help.”

Annie wanted to groan with relief as Colt changed the subject.

Leo edged closer to Colt. “I won’t ever forget you jumping over that fence. You looked like you could fly.” He held his arms out and pretended to fly. Colt laughed, shocking Annie.

He seemed as shocked by his laughter as she was. One minute it was rumbling out of him and the next he clamped his lips together and cleared his throat. It was as if he was rusty at laughing. As if he didn’t want to laugh.

“Look, I better walk y’all back to your house and then I’ll call Cort and tell him what happened. We’ll make sure that momma and calf are put into another pasture farther away from the house. You should be able to take a walk without worrying about getting trampled. If y’all are going to live here, Leo needs to be safe.”

“Aw, I can learn to scare them cows just like you did.” Leo grinned up at his hero. Though they didn’t look alike, there were indisputable similarities in Leo’s expression and that of Colt.

Her nerves shook like brittle autumn leaves clinging to a branch. Colt shifted his gaze from Leo to her, then back to Leo once more.

He’s seeing more resemblances with each passing moment. Right along with me.

Annie braced herself for his questions to resume.

“You’re sure we haven’t met? There’s something about Leo that seems so familiar. Of course, I’ve met a bunch of kids at the rodeos.”

The clock was ticking. She wasn’t sure how long it would be before Colt realized that the child reminded him of himself. For that matter, she wondered who else would spot the resemblance. There was nothing for her to do about it right now except pray that God left blinders on everyone long enough for her to figure out what her next move was going to be. All she could do right now was act as though she had nothing to hide.

What better way to find out what kind of man Colt really was to live nearby?

So far her arrival in Mule Hollow had been nothing like she’d expected. Then again, when Colt found out why she was really here and what secrets she was keeping, how would he react?

How would the kind folks of Mule Hollow act?

* * *

Annie understood why the clinic needed help. Staring at the books the next morning, she was floored by how busy the small clinic was. Being the only clinic within at least sixty miles, Susan Turner had plenty of clients. Especially taking into consideration that Mule Hollow was surrounded by ranches, many of them fairly large operations. There was no end to the varying array of procedures she was hired to do. That, plus small animal checkups, left her and Gabi very little time to keep up with the paperwork.

Paperwork was Annie’s specialty.

“So what do you think?” Susan asked after they’d gone over the books and the scheduling. “Do you think you can help us out?”

“I can,” Annie said confidently. Susan was a willowy blonde who looked more like a model than a vet. She had long blond hair pulled back into a thick, lush ponytail that looked more glamorous than practical. It was obvious, though she didn’t look the part, she was an excellent vet.

Gabi, on the other hand, was fresh faced, dark haired and had an athleticism to her movements that fit in with her career choice. Her energetic zest was evident, and there was no doubt in Annie’s mind that she was the best at what she did.