Page 14 of When a Cowboy Falls Hard
Raquel beamed at her. “And you didn’t fight him on it. I admire that.”
“I’m just hoping it’s not permanent. He’s named after my dad.”
“Oh, dear.” Raquel glanced over at Uncle Graham. “How are you dealing with the name change?”
“Y’know, he’s only five. He never met his grandfather. Even though we’ve told him stories, it’s not enough to make him love the name. I figure when he’s older, he might reconsider.”
“That’s very evolved of you.”
“I can relate,” Monty said. “I’m not crazy about Montgomery.”
Raquel’s chin lifted. “It’s a good name. It has gravitas.”
“That’s the trouble, Mom. It’s too fancy. I’m glad there’s a short version.” He turned to Zinnia. “Did your dad have a nickname?”
“Not really.” Zinnia couldn’t resist looking at him, soaking up the kindness in his gaze. “His friends tried, but nothing stuck, which was fine with him. He liked his name.”
“I suppose you could try Seb or Sebby,” Raquel said. “Or maybe Bastian or Bas.”
“I ran all those by him. He didn’t go for any of them. If you look online, you’ll also find Seabass.”
Monty grimaced. “Let’s hope some kid doesn’t come up with that one.”
“They probably won’t since we’re in Montana. Anyway, none of the choices sounded cowboy enough, so here we are.”
“Then Tex it is,” Raquel said. “I can’t wait to meet him. He should have a good time, since we’re chock-a-block with cowboys around here.”
She smiled. “So I’ve heard.” And one of them was seriously testing the limits she’d placed on herself.
Would it make sense for them to talk about it, get the situation out in the open? Her parents had taught her to meet issues head on and not let a problem fester.
He was coming out this afternoon to check Speckles. That might provide an opportunity to speak with him alone. It was the adult way to handle this inconvenient attraction. Yeah, she’d diffuse this bomb and remove the possibility of an explosion.
Chapter Five
After lunch Monty followed Graham’s shiny red truck over to his place. The guy only had a few acres, just enough for a tidy four-bedroom house, a six-stall horse barn, one corral and a small fenced pasture. He lived simply, which made the gleaming pickup stand out against the background of his frugal lifestyle.
That truck wasn’t the only thing that signaled a change. His carefully tended patch of grass in the front yard had brightly colored toys scattered all over it.
The vintage red, yellow and blue Big Wheel brought back memories of the one he’d inherited from his big brother Adam. These days they were expensive if you could even find them. But he could picture Graham combing the internet so Tex could ride this beauty.
The collection of trucks and action figures weren’t exactly like the ones stored in the ranch house attic for the next generation, but close. The only thing missing was the five-year-old who played with those things. During lunch Zinnia had showed a few pictures on her phone, so he had a general idea of what Sebastian, aka Tex, looked like.
He’d inherited his mother’s curly blond hair. His solemn, green-eyed gaze made him look older than five. His happy grin was a heart-melter.
Glancing through the pictures had started Monty’s stomach churning. Adam had been close to that age when their dad married Raquel. Monty had been too young to understand what was going on.
Should he ask Adam what his thoughts had been during that time? Not a good idea. Especially since he didn’t plan to get involved with Zinnia and her son.
He parked his truck, spattered with days-old mud, next to Graham’s spit-shined one. Graham had taken the dirt roads, both the Bridger’s and his, at a snail’s pace even though the puddles had dried up. Hilarious.
Thinking about Graham’s new fastidious behavior took his mind off the impending meeting with Tex. It shouldn’t be a fraught moment, but his chest tightened as he climbed out and followed Graham and Zinnia to the porch.
The front door banged open and a blond-headed tornado wearing jeans, boots and a T-shirt barreled down the steps. “Mommy! Uncle G! We maded brownies! They’re yummy! We—” He screeched to a halt and stared at Monty, his chocolate-rimmed mouth dropping open. “Who’s that?”
“Tex, this is Monty.” Zinnia’s voice took on a special brand of affection mixed with a warning to be mindful.
Monty recognized the tone. His mom had sounded exactly like that this morning when she’d told him she was fine and he needed to give her some space.
