then, she saw Noah coming across the arena, looking all cowboy and sending a wave of unease rippling through her. She hoped Colton had done the work he was assigned. But what if he hadn’t or if he had been a problem?
“Hello again,” Noah said.
“Hello.” Lily watched as he deftly climbed the fence, swinging one long leg over, then the other, as though he’d done it a million times before. Next thing she knew, he was beside them.
“You’ll be happy to know that Colton did a real good job. Did everything I asked him to, didn’t argue much.”
Her son’s head shot up. “I didn’t argue. Did I?”
The man grinned. “No, you didn’t. I just wanted to see if you were paying attention.”
Colton relaxed then. “Good. ’Cause I can’t wait to come back.”
Lily’s smile faded, her stomach muscles tightening. “Come back? You mean you want to go riding again?”
“Yeah, kinda. But what I really want is to learn to rope. With Noah.”
“Oh.” Uncertain how she felt about that, Lily’s gaze drifted to the cowboy.
His dark eyes held an air of guilt. Had he been planting ideas in her son’s head? “In addition to trail rides, we also offer riding and rodeo lessons.”
She felt her own eyes widen. “Rodeo?” The last thing she wanted was to see her son bucked off some unruly bull or equine the way she had been all those years ago.
“Well, that’s kind of an overarching term. Roping is only one part of rodeo. One that starts with learning how to use the rope correctly. It takes patience and discipline, but if he’s persistent...”
“I’m sure I can learn.”
Had she ever seen her son this enthusiastic about anything? Especially something that involved work? While she didn’t relish the idea of spending so much time with a bunch of horses, patience and discipline were things Colton desperately needed to learn. Perhaps this sort of training—any training—could be good for him. Give him something to focus on besides himself.
Tucking her fear aside, Lily addressed Noah. “How much do the lessons cost?”
He tipped his cowboy hat back with a smile. “They won’t cost you a thing.”
She bristled. “Nothing is ever free, Mr. Stephens.” In her experience, people always expected something.
“I said it wouldn’t cost you anything.”
She eyed him curiously, waiting for him to explain.
“Colton tells me you’re in Ouray for the summer.”
“That’s correct.”
“Well, he’s the one who wants lessons.” He turned his attention to her son. “And we could use another hand around here. What if we worked out a trade? You muck out the stalls three days a week in exchange for three days of lessons.”
The elation on her son’s face only added to her dilemma. “Can I, Mom? Please?”
She studied the rafters overhead, uncertain how to respond. If she said no, she’d be the bad guy. But while she liked the idea of Colton working and appreciated his excitement, she was still skeptical. And not only about the horses.
Her gaze shifted to Noah. Why was this long, tall cowboy being so nice after Colton stole from him? Was he simply trying to get some free labor or did he genuinely want to help her son?
No matter which way she looked at it, she couldn’t help wondering what this arrangement might cost her in the long run.
* * *
“That’s good, Colton, but you need to twist your wrist like this.” Standing alongside the boy in the arena the next morning, Noah demonstrated. “Which also turns the rope so it will lie properly as you’re coiling it.”
“Like this?” The boy ran a gloved hand down the length he held, then twisted his wrist outward the way Noah had.
“Now you’re getting it.” Noah’s gaze inadvertently veered toward the aluminum bleachers outside the arena where Lily and Piper had been throughout Colton’s lesson. Why had Lily been so cynical when he offered to teach Colton in exchange for some work? As if he was trying to take advantage of them. Wasn’t his word good enough?
The kid looked up at him. “It feels kinda weird.”
He again gave the boy his full attention. Or at least tried to. He sure hoped Colton’s mother wasn’t planning to be there for all of his lessons. Given her fear of horses, though, Noah had a feeling she’d be front and center for each and every one.
“At first, yes. But as you practice, it’ll become second nature.”
Colton tossed out his rope again, and a few moments later, he had it perfectly coiled. “Look, I did it.” He held it up. “It looks just like yours.”
His enthusiasm warmed Noah’s heart. This was what he loved about teaching kids. Sharing in their sense of accomplishment.
“Remember what I said yesterday about practice, patience and persistence?”
“Yeah.”
Noah lifted a brow, careful not to look too stern. “How about we say ‘yes, sir’?”
A hint of pink crept into the kid’s cheeks. “Yes, sir.”
Noah smiled then. “You exercised both patience and persistence as you practiced coiling that rope until you finally got it right.”
The kid was quiet for a moment. “Can I keep practicing?”
“Not only can you, you have to.” Noah tossed his rope out. “The more you practice—” he began to reel it in “—the more used to it you become.” He held up his freshly coiled rope.
“Awesome.” Colton practically beamed as he made another attempt.
Noah, however, found his thoughts preoccupied once again by the boy’s mother. Why did it chafe him so that Lily had questioned his integrity?
He glanced from Colton to Lily to one of the hands who was tending to the horses. Because in his world, integrity was everything. A man without honor was nothing but a coward in his book. And for some strange reason, he wanted Lily and her children to see him as honorable.
He shook his head. Ridiculous. Why should he care what they thought? They were strangers. Which made his reaction even more preposterous.
“How come I’m not on a horse?”
He jerked his gaze back to Colton, annoyed that he’d allowed himself to be distracted. “There are two parts to roping. Rope handling and horsemanship. You have to learn both, though we won’t put the two together for a while yet. We’ll work with a horse during your next lesson.”
“Next
