Page 36 of The One Who Never Left: Colter

CHAPTER 14

Colter had expected their night to end with a quick goodbye and a polite wave. Lucky for him—or unlucky, depending on how he looked at it—Sutton’s car refused to start, and he’d ended up driving the two ladies into town and back to their apartment.

But when they walked in, he was rooted in place with shock.

“Apartment” didn’t even begin to describe the six-hundred-square-foot, one-bedroom postage stamp. Sterile walls, two single-paned windows, and carpet that looked like industrial sludge. No matter how she tried to make it homey, it wouldn’t feel much like a home.

This was not the kind of place a little girl deserved to spend her birthday. He wasn’t sure there’d even be room for the people she’d already invited, let alone a class-full of kids.

He made his way to the bedroom and leaned against the doorframe, body suddenly heavy. Lynlee was curled up on the bed, eyes fluttering shut only to snap back open, fighting bedtime, while Sutton read from a book with a horse on the cover.

Closing his eyes, Colter let her soft, hushed voice wash over him, sleep-roughened and husky. It made him want to crawl into a bed, but only if it included just Sutton—naked, and eight uninterrupted, kid-free hours.

When she reached the end of the book, she leaned over and pressed a kiss to Lynlee’s forehead. Her shirt rode up and the hem of her jeans rode down exposing a sliver of pink silk. All Colter could think about was what kind of panties she had on and if they came with a bow he could slowly untie to reach her “present.” Then he reprimanded himself for thinking about his vet tech like she was an object—especially when she was in mom-mode.

“Sleep tight, Pumpkin,” Sutton said softly.

Impeccable timing, as always. His libido had never once picked an appropriate moment in its life.

“But I’m nots sleepy,” Lynlee protested, her eyelids already drooping halfway closed.

“How about I come back and check on you in thirty minutes. If you’re still awake, then we’ll read another book. Deal?”

“Thirty minutes!”

“That’s my final offer.”

Lynlee narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, clearly weighing the terms like a seasoned negotiator. After a beat, she nodded her agreement, though the pout lingering on her lips said she wasn’t thrilled about it.

A four-year-old with a better read on leverage than half his ranch hands.

Then Lynlee spotted Colter in the doorway and lit up. “Mister Colter, yous gonna come to my party?”

“You bet.” He glanced at Sutton, who looked so impossibly tender standing there with a kid’s book in hand that he completely forgot what he was going to say.

“We’re having a pony.”

“Hold on, Missy,” Sutton said. “There was no talk of a piñata or a pony. I’ll give you the piñata, but a horse is out of the question.”

“But it’s a pony party,” she said her eyes batting with disappointment. “I gots to have a pony.”

“Maybe we can have a pony cake.”

“Buts I already told everybody there’s be a pony.”

Sutton leaned over the bed and sighed, already bracing herself. “Okay, then Mommy will be very clear when everyone gets here that the pony is imaginary, made of cake, and does not poop in the yard. That’s the pony we can afford.”

Colter, who had been leaning against the doorjamb, trying to stay out of it, straightened. “Actually,” he said casually, “I’ve got a pony you can borrow.”

A prime example, he'd realize about ninety seconds too late, of the exact moment a good day goes sideways.

Lynlee’s head snapped up and her eyes went huge. “A real pony?”

“A very real pony,” Colter confirmed, fighting a smile. “Friendly. Likes apples. Goes by the name Happy.”

Lynlee let out a squeal, hopped out of bed and launched herself at Sutton’s leg. “Mommy! See! I tolds you!”

Sutton closed her eyes for half a second, then opened them and turned to Colter with a polite, tight smile. “That is incredibly generous of you,” she said evenly. “But we’re going to have to pass.”