Scarlett took a deep, satisfied breath as she eased shut the door to Abbott’s room. He was having a good day, with less pain than he usually complained of, and he had gone down for his nap easily and gratefully. Surprisingly, having Scarlett and Denver in the house seemed to have lifted his spirits some, which Scarlett saw as a welcome benefit from her apartment flood fiasco.
The house had the sleepy, slightly stuffy quality that came from manufactured heat. Scarlett fetched a thick cardigan from the room that was, for the time being, hers, and headed out to the front porch. She shut her eyes in pleasure at the feeling of the crisp winter on her face, the sun’s warmth still finding a way to make its presence known, too.
She was shocked and a little unsettled by how easily she and Denver had transitioned to living on the Harvey ranch. It was a new experience living in a place that felt like such a stable, established home. Denver was surprisingly sweet with the girls, letting them lead him through whatever games struck their fancy. He even let Lizzie attempt to paint his fingernails, something that looked terrible but had everyone in stitches.
More than anything, though, it was Travis that was making Denver so happy. Whenever he got the chance, Denver followed the man around like a shadow, peppering him with rapid-fire questions about life on the rodeo circuit. When her job allowed, Scarlett would hover on the fringes of things, watching the two interact.
She kept waiting for Travis to lose his patience with Denver and tell him to get lost. Some small, selfish part of her might even be hoping for that. At least then Denver would start looking at Travis like he was a flesh-and-blood man instead of some kind of untouchable superhero.
But Travis’s patience seemed to be unending. Scarlett thought he actually liked spending time with Denver, too, and not just because of the hero worship. He never made excuses to get away from the boy and even made overtures to spend more time with Denver when he could.
Now, for example, out in the pasture in front of the house, Denver and Travis stood together talking, and when Denver caught sight of Scarlett, he came sprinting toward her. His face was full of hopeful excitement, and Scarlett couldn’t help smiling in return.
“Hey, bud, what’s up? You look like you’re having a good time.”
“The best!” Denver said, practically shouting and vibrating with his mood. “Travis is showing me all kinds of things. He knows everything there is to know about horses. Like, everything.”
Travis, coming up behind them at a more leisurely pace, chuckled. With his cowboy hat set at the perfect angle on his head and his hands resting casually in his pockets, he looked like some sort of cowboy pinup. It made Scarlett’s heart leap just to look at him, so she made a point of studying Denver instead. She was not some flighty schoolgirl. She was not going to lose her head over this man, no matter how tempting it was.
“I don’t know about that,” Travis said, climbing a step and ruffling Denver’s hair fondly. “I think I’ve still got a while to go before I know everything there is to know.”
“I don’t think so,” Denver insisted loyally, and when he looked up at Travis, it was with frank, simple love.
“Well, I’m glad you boys are having a good time,” Scarlett said with a slightly strained smile. “But really, Travis, if you need him to leave you be for a little while so you can get some work done, that’s totally fine. I’m sure he’ll understand.”
Denver’s face fell. “But I want to learn how to ride a horse, like the rodeo guys do. Can I, Travis? Will you show me how to ride a horse?”
“Sure,” Travis said with a grin, at the exact same time as Scarlett said no.
She and Travis stood looking at each other for a silent moment, with Denver looking expectantly from one to the other. Travis looked slightly guilty, but that did little to curb Scarlett’s annoyance.
Travis gestured toward the barn with the hopeful look of a little boy. “We’ve got an older horse named Snuffles,” he said patiently, like he was trying to make her understand. “All three of the girls learned to ride on her. She’s great with kids—very calm, very steady. He’ll be safe on her; I can promise you that.”
“See?” Denver said with the slight whine of a boy determined to get his way. “Even Lizzie can ride her, and she’s basically a baby. You can’t say no to that.”
Scarlett wasn’t an idiot. She could see what was happening here plainly enough. This was a classic case of good guy versus bad guy, and she was on the wrong end of things. Despite everything she’d done to try to be a good foster mom, Travis was the one who could walk in and earn Denver’s instant loyalty by being cool and fun while she was boring and always said no. But she was the one who was responsible for Denver’s well-being, not Travis. She kept seeing Alex being thrown from his horse and trampled, and the idea that it might happen to Denver made her feel ill. On the other hand, she really wanted to be able to say yes to something for once. She was just going to have to trust Travis, even though she didn’t want to.
“Alright,” she finally agreed haltingly. “Fine, but you better keep him safe.”
“Oh, I will,” Travis said with a relieved laugh. “And who knows, maybe I’ll get you up on a horse before long, too!”
Scarlett raised an eyebrow and shook her head. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, rodeo man. One obstacle at a time.”
Denver’s first riding lesson went better than even Travis could have hoped for, and he was filled with an easy contentment as he, Denver, and Scarlett headed back to the house. He had never spent much time around kids, and he was surprised to find how natural it felt with Denver.
It didn’t hurt that Denver was so clearly interested in everything Travis had to say. He’d interacted with fans before—including kids—but it was different here, so far away from the ring. Denver was interested in him, not just in the shiny prize he’d won. And in exchange, all Denver wanted was some attention, and the kind of male interaction he didn’t seem to have gotten so far. Travis knew he had to be careful not to let Denver get too used to having that with him, but for the moment, he liked the way it felt.
“So?” Travis asked, glancing at Scarlett as they ascended the porch steps. “Was it as terrifying as you thought, watching Denver get his first riding lesson?”
She bit her lip, and Travis could have sworn she was biting back a smile. “No, it wasn’t. But the thought of Denver wanting to make riding a regular thing is. That’s not exactly the cheapest pastime, is it? Hopefully, he’s more interested in spending time with you than in the riding itself.”
Travis opened his mouth to reply as they stepped through the front door. When he saw Will on the couch and Abbott in his wheelchair beside him, however, he shut his mouth again. He was glad for the opportunity to help out when his family needed him, truly. But the tension between him and his father remained. Looking at the older man’s face now, he felt the old, familiar dread rising in his throat.
“Can I have a snack?” Denver asked, oblivious to the sudden tension in the room.
Scarlett nodded and Denver headed for the kitchen, leaving just the adults in the room. Travis felt his father’s eyes on him and had to will himself to meet the gaze.
“How was the nap, Pops?” He did his best to keep his voice as easy and level as possible.
“It was fine,” Abbott answered gruffly. “But I wanted to talk to you about the list. I had Alex write out a checklist and tack it to the fridge. It has everything you need to do to care for the horses and the equipment. Did you do everything on the list, boy?”
Boy. Travis was thirty years old, and his dad was still calling him boy. Will winced, and when Travis gave Scarlett a sideways glance, he could have sworn he saw sympathy there, too. It was that more than anything else that helped him to stay calm enough to give an answer.
“Yes, Dad,” he answered slowly, measuring his words as best he could. “I did everything on the list. Remember, I grew up here, too. I know what needs to get done.”
“Maybe,” Abbott answered, waiving a dismissive hand in the air and already rolling away. “But it’s been a long time since you called this home, and I don’t have a clue what you’re actually responsible for on the road.”
Travis bit his tongue to keep from saying something he would regret. Beside him, Scarlett reached for his hand and gave it a little squeeze. “Thanks again for giving Denver his first lesson.”
“Don’t mention it,” he said. “And let me know when you’re ready for a lesson of your own. I promise you I’ll give you the ride of your life. That’s the Travis Harvey guarantee.”
Scarlett rolled her eyes and dropped his hand. Whatever sympathy she had felt for him a moment ago was long gone. “Right. Good to know. I’m going to get to work now.”
That left only Travis and Will, who stood after a moment and stepped to Travis’s side. “Well, I’ll say one thing for you. You sure know how to clear a room.”
“Very funny, little brother.” Travis punched Will lightly on the shoulder.
Will was quiet for a moment, then looked at Travis thoughtfully. Of the four Harvey men, Will had always been the most perceptive. It was a good quality to have, Travis supposed, but that didn’t mean he was a fan of having that insight turned on him.
“Can I ask you something, Travis? And get a real answer?” Will asked quietly.
Travis shrugged and nodded. “Sure, why not?”
“Do those lines actually work on women?”
“Come on,” Travis chuckled, giving Will another playful punch. “What kind of question is that? They’ve worked on plenty of women in the past, believe me.”
Will nodded, but he didn’t look impressed with the answer. “Yeah, sure. With rodeo groupies and the like. I already knew that I suppose. Hell, it was hard for me to talk to girls in high school with you to try to live up to. You had them all in your pocket, didn’t you?”
“I don’t know,” Travis said, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other. “I guess. So then why ask, if you already know the answer?”
“Maybe it was the wrong question, then. Do you really think that lines like that are going to work on a woman like Scarlett? Because I think the answer is no. She’s not the groupie type.”
Travis might be trying to make light of the situation, but Will clearly was not. It made Travis feel uncomfortably exposed. “What makes you think I would really go after a woman like Scarlett in the first place?” he blustered. “In case you haven’t noticed, she’s got a foster kid with her, and I am in no position to play dad.
“Yeah, I hear you,” Will said, his eyes still holding Travis’s. “But I have to ask you if you’re being fully honest with yourself.”
“Come on,” Travis started, but Will held up a hand to quiet him.
“Look, I’m going back to school in the morning, but I want to leave you with some parting advice. If you’re serious about getting to know Scarlett, then why don’t you drop the cheesy lines and try actually doing that?”