The Lionhearted Cowboy Returns by Patricia Thayer Read Free Book Online Page A

because you keep acting like one,” Jeff pointed out. “Pulling this stunt wasn’t a wise choice.”
    Colin threw him a killer look. “She won’t let me do anything. ”
    “Like I said, you have to prove yourself first. And your actions lately haven’t been exactly mature.”
    “What do you know? You’re not my dad.” He turned away, his eyes filled with tears.
    “I know, Colin, but can’t I be your friend? To start with, I know why you’re acting like this.”
    “You don’t know nothin’.”
    “I do, because I acted the same way when my mother brought me here to live, and my dad wasn’t in my life,” Jeff explained.
    “Did he die?” Colin asked curiously.
    Jeff shook his head. “No, he went to prison.” He hadn’t thought about his biological father, Darren Wells, in years. “But that didn’t mean I didn’t want him around. Boys need their dads.”
    He saw the boy blink at tears. “Well, I don’t need one anymore.”
    Jeff’s chest tightened, knowing what Colin was going through. “Yeah, I can see that.” He glanced around. “By the looks of it, you’re doing fine on your own. Are you planning on living off the land?”
    “No. I just need to think about things.”
    “Anything I can help you with?”
    The boy shook his head.
    Jeff released a breath and motioned to the log. “Would you mind if I sit for a while? My leg isn’t used to riding yet.” He rubbed his thigh, happy he’d accomplished the task, then took a seat on the log.
    “What’s wrong with your leg?” Those eyes, so like Trevor’s, studied him. “Did you get wounded or something?”
    “Yes, I did, but the doctors couldn’t save it.”
    The boy swallowed. “You mean you don’t have a leg?”
    There was no more hiding for him. “They removed it just below my knee.”
    “Wow,” the boy sighed in wonder. “Can I see?”
    Jeff couldn’t help but be taken aback. Colin was definitely Trevor’s son. He reached down and tugged up his pant leg, once again exposing the metal post.
    Colin leaned closer to examine it. “Does it hurt?”
    “Sometimes. It’s been nine months, but I’m still learning to walk with the prosthesis.”
    “Cool. Do you ever take it off?”
    Jeff nodded. “When I shower and sleep.”
    “Will you take it off now?”
    Okay, this was more than he’d expected. He hadn’t shown anyone this besides medical personnel. He examined the boy’s wide-eyed look. Jeff realized Colin wouldn’t judge him, or even make fun of him. He was just curious.
    “I’ll make a deal with you. I’ll call your mother and you tell her you’re safe, and then I’ll show you.”
    Colin groaned. “She’s going to be mad. And she’ll ground me until school starts.”
    “What you did was wrong and dangerous. So you’ve got to deal with that.”
    The boy nodded. “Okay, but you’ve got to stay with me here until morning.”
    Jeff gave him his best stern look, thinking about the hard ground.
    “It’s already too dark to go back now,” Colin pointed out.
    The boy was too smart for his own good. “I’ll say one thing, kid, you remind me far too much of your dad. He used to get me into trouble, too.”
    Colin flashed a bright grin. Jeff was suddenly taken back twenty years. He had a feeling Trevor would have loved this idea.
     
    Early the next morning, Lacey waited at the cabin for her son’s return. She had been against letting Colin stay out there, but Jeff had assured her they were both safe. Yet one night out didn’t solve their problems, not with her son, and not for the future.
    Lacey drew a breath and paced the small cabin. How was she going to handle this? Colin couldn’t get off without a punishment. She sighed. “Oh, Trevor, what do I do? I’m not sure if I can handle raising a boy on my own.”
    At the sink, she glanced out of the window toward the pasture. Still no one. She looked down at her hand resting on the counter and the letters carved in the wood.
    She smiled and began tracing the