Carrillo's Cowboy Tee Smith (top rated ebook readers .TXT) 📖

on it, no matter what. Know what I mean?” She didn’t wait for him to answer before continuing. “In the end, there’s not much point working on a marriage when the other party just isn’t interested anymore. When I came back out here, it just felt like that was the end, everything kind of dissolved. Know what I mean?”

He stared off into the distance as he spoke. “I don’t know. I’ve never been in love.”

“Maybe you just haven’t met the right person yet.”

Taking another swig of his beer, he leaned back against the chair and caught her eye. “Maybe. Perhaps my idea of being in love is much like your own, that you make it work no matter what. Or maybe that’s just pie in the sky, bullshit.”

“Mum, I’m finished. Can I play my game now?” Austin called from the doorway, disrupting the moment.

“I’ll have to take a look first.”

“What games have you got, buddy?”

“My dad bought me the latest Ricochet Buck Shooter, wanna play with me?”

Cody turned back to Callie, waiting for permission, which she gave with a nod of her head and a laugh. “You boys are all the same. Go on. I’ve got to get dinner cooked anyway.”

Friday night’s routine consisted of pizza for dinner, followed by a movie. They would each settle into a beanbag; more often than not, Grace would be asleep before the second ad-break. Austin would usually take himself to bed before the movie reached the end. Leaving Callie to watch the remainder of the show alone.

“Would you like to stay and watch the movie with us?” Callie asked, not wanting to lose Cody’s company already.

“Sure. Do we have popcorn?”

Austin glared hard at him before turning his gaze to his mother. “Mum doesn’t let us eat after dinner.”

“Oops.” He raised his hand to his mouth in mock shock. “My bad. Sorry, Mum.”

Callie laughed and led the way to the lounge room. After a few minutes of squabbling over who got to have the best beanbag, even though they were identical, the kids settled in. Callie made herself comfortable on the couch, and Cody sat beside her. Close. So close, they were almost touching but not quite. If she just relaxed her legs a little, their knees would hit. Her hands rested on her thighs. He could easily reach over and loop his with hers, but he didn’t. He kept to himself. A perfect gentleman, although she found herself thinking more about him than the movie.

As the credits rolled, Austin excused himself. Callie hit the power on the television remote, leaving nothing but Grace’s soft snores to fill the room.

“Will you be alright with her?” Cody asked, pointing to the sleeping child.

“Yeah, I’ll wake her, and she will take herself to bed, then tell me in the morning, she watched the whole movie.”

Cody chuckled softly. “Thanks for inviting me to stay. It’s nice to feel like part of a family for a while.”

“Thanks for staying,” Callie replied softly, suddenly feeling enveloped by the silence.

“Maybe I can cook for you tomorrow?”

“Wow, that would be nice. Thank you. I don’t remember the last time someone cooked for me.” Adam had never cooked her anything, not even a slice of toast. He had been big on dinners at fancy restaurants without the kids. Whereas Callie often longed for a nice romantic dinner at home. It could still be romantic with the kids around. Anyway, what was she doing, thinking about romance? That wasn’t what she was looking for. Was it?

“Well, I better let you get to bed then,” Cody said, abruptly rising to his feet.

“I’ll see you out,” she replied, rising to stand beside him.

“No need.” His gaze fell back to Grace. “You’ve got sleeping beauty to deal with.” His hand squeezed her shoulder, and she hoped he might lean in for a kiss. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Then, just like that, he was gone. Leaving her with nothing but the wish she had done something to stop him.

Chapter Six

It was Sunday morning, and the event was closing in on her. In just a few short weeks, the place would be teeming with people, and she still had so much to organise. Having Cody around the last few weeks had freed her up for the office work she needed to do. The list was endless, though; phone calls, printing, contracts, and orders.

Opening her wardrobe, she reached for her skirt and blouse. Business attire today. Her father always told her, “Dress for the job at hand.” That was why he was the only man seen around Harlow’s Bend sporting a suit and tie. Initially, the townfolk thought of it as a bit of a joke, but they soon changed their tune when the tourist dollars started flushing into town. Several businesses even struck up on the back of Carrillo’s rodeos. Vin Carrillo soon earned the respect he deserved.

Tying her hair into a low bun, she made her way to the kitchen and grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl on the table. That would see her through until lunchtime. Cody had come by every evening for dinner in the past week, even offering to cook for her and the kids several times. He was great company, easy to talk to, and easy on the eye.

To keep business and home life separate, she had set up her office at the arena. It meant she would need to drive the almost one kilometre to the showground, but it was all part of her property. As she made her way to the car, something caught her eye. Just a flash. She knew the kids would still be in bed asleep. They had to rise early each morning to take the bus to school, so they made the most of their Sunday morning sleep-ins. Taking the extra steps, she rounded the corner of the house to the yard.

Blinking several times, she could barely believe her eyes as she spotted Austin, saddled proudly atop Marla, Cody at his side. Austin had