Without another word, he walked over to the cupboard and got himself a mug. Standing next to her, he poured his own coffee.
“Lonny’s taking care of the horses,” she told him, as if she needed to explain where her brother was.
Briefly, Chase wondered how she would have responded if he’d said it wasn’t Lonny he’d come to see.
“Cricket talked nonstop for hours about riding Firepower. It was the thrill of her life. Thank you for being so kind to her, Chase.”
Chase held back a short, derisive laugh. He hadn’t planned to let Cricket anywhere near his gelding. His intention all along had been to avoid Letty’s daughter entirely. To Chase’s way of thinking, the less he had to do with the child the better.
Ignoring Cricket was the only thing he could do, because every time he looked at that sweet little girl, he felt nothing but pain. Not a faint flicker of discomfort, but a deep, wrenching pain like nothing he’d ever experienced. Cricket represented everything about Letty that he wanted to forget. He couldn’t even glance at the child without remembering that Letty had given herself to another man, and the sense of betrayal cut him to the bone.
Naturally, Cricket was innocent of the circumstances surrounding her birth, and Chase would never do anything to deliberately hurt the little girl, but he couldn’t help feeling what he did. Yet he’d given her a ride on Firepower the day before, and despite everything, he’d enjoyed himself.
If the truth be known, the ride had come about accidentally. Chase had been on the ridge above the Bar E fence line when he saw two faint dots silhouetted against the landscape, far in the distance. Almost immediately he’d realized it was Letty and her daughter, working outside. From that moment on, Chase hadn’t been able to stay away. He’d hurried down the hill, but once he was in the yard, he had to come up with some logical reason for showing up in the middle of the day. Giving Cricket a chance to see Firepower had seemed solid enough at the time.
“Would you like a waffle?” Letty asked, breaking into his musings.
“No, thanks.”
Letty nodded and turned around. “I don’t know why Cricket’s taken to you the way she has. She gets excited every time someone mentions your name. I’m afraid you’ve made a friend for life, whether you like it or not.”
Chase made a noncommital noise.
“I can’t thank you enough for bringing Firepower over,” Letty continued. “It meant a lot to me.”
“I didn’t do it for you,” he said bluntly, watching her, almost wanting her to come back at him with some snappy retort. The calm way in which Letty swallowed his barbs troubled him more than anything else.
As he’d suspected, Letty didn’t respond. Instead, she brought butter and syrup to the table, avoiding his gaze.
The Letty Ellison he remembered had been feisty and fearless. She wouldn’t have tolerated impatience or tactlessness from anyone, least of all him.
“This coffee tastes like it came out of a sewer,” he said rudely, setting his cup down hard on the table.
The coffee was fine, but he wanted to test Letty’s reactions. In years past, she would have flared right back at him, giving as good as she got. Nine years ago, Letty would have told him what he could do with that cup of coffee if he didn’t like the taste of it.
She looked up, her face expressionless. “I’ll make another pot.”
Chase was stunned. “Forget it,” he said quickly, not knowing what else to say. She glanced at him, her eyes large and shadowed in her pale face.
“But you just said there’s something wrong with the coffee.”
Chase was speechless. He watched her, his thoughts confused.
What had happened to his dauntless Letty?
—
Letty was working in the garden, carefully planting rows of corn, when her brother’s pickup truck came barreling down the drive. When he slammed on the brakes, jumped out of the cab and slammed the door, Letty got up and left
“Lonny’s taking care of the horses,” she told him, as if she needed to explain where her brother was.
Briefly, Chase wondered how she would have responded if he’d said it wasn’t Lonny he’d come to see.
“Cricket talked nonstop for hours about riding Firepower. It was the thrill of her life. Thank you for being so kind to her, Chase.”
Chase held back a short, derisive laugh. He hadn’t planned to let Cricket anywhere near his gelding. His intention all along had been to avoid Letty’s daughter entirely. To Chase’s way of thinking, the less he had to do with the child the better.
Ignoring Cricket was the only thing he could do, because every time he looked at that sweet little girl, he felt nothing but pain. Not a faint flicker of discomfort, but a deep, wrenching pain like nothing he’d ever experienced. Cricket represented everything about Letty that he wanted to forget. He couldn’t even glance at the child without remembering that Letty had given herself to another man, and the sense of betrayal cut him to the bone.
Naturally, Cricket was innocent of the circumstances surrounding her birth, and Chase would never do anything to deliberately hurt the little girl, but he couldn’t help feeling what he did. Yet he’d given her a ride on Firepower the day before, and despite everything, he’d enjoyed himself.
If the truth be known, the ride had come about accidentally. Chase had been on the ridge above the Bar E fence line when he saw two faint dots silhouetted against the landscape, far in the distance. Almost immediately he’d realized it was Letty and her daughter, working outside. From that moment on, Chase hadn’t been able to stay away. He’d hurried down the hill, but once he was in the yard, he had to come up with some logical reason for showing up in the middle of the day. Giving Cricket a chance to see Firepower had seemed solid enough at the time.
“Would you like a waffle?” Letty asked, breaking into his musings.
“No, thanks.”
Letty nodded and turned around. “I don’t know why Cricket’s taken to you the way she has. She gets excited every time someone mentions your name. I’m afraid you’ve made a friend for life, whether you like it or not.”
Chase made a noncommital noise.
“I can’t thank you enough for bringing Firepower over,” Letty continued. “It meant a lot to me.”
“I didn’t do it for you,” he said bluntly, watching her, almost wanting her to come back at him with some snappy retort. The calm way in which Letty swallowed his barbs troubled him more than anything else.
As he’d suspected, Letty didn’t respond. Instead, she brought butter and syrup to the table, avoiding his gaze.
The Letty Ellison he remembered had been feisty and fearless. She wouldn’t have tolerated impatience or tactlessness from anyone, least of all him.
“This coffee tastes like it came out of a sewer,” he said rudely, setting his cup down hard on the table.
The coffee was fine, but he wanted to test Letty’s reactions. In years past, she would have flared right back at him, giving as good as she got. Nine years ago, Letty would have told him what he could do with that cup of coffee if he didn’t like the taste of it.
She looked up, her face expressionless. “I’ll make another pot.”
Chase was stunned. “Forget it,” he said quickly, not knowing what else to say. She glanced at him, her eyes large and shadowed in her pale face.
“But you just said there’s something wrong with the coffee.”
Chase was speechless. He watched her, his thoughts confused.
What had happened to his dauntless Letty?
—
Letty was working in the garden, carefully planting rows of corn, when her brother’s pickup truck came barreling down the drive. When he slammed on the brakes, jumped out of the cab and slammed the door, Letty got up and left
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