Rescuing the Cowboy

“Hey.”

“Hi.” She stood, automatically brushing the front of her slacks, though not a speck of lint dotted them. “Have a seat. I’ll let Martin know you’re here.” She returned to her computer and opened a messaging window, sending her boss a quick alert. Seconds later, he responded. She read it out loud. “He’ll be a few minutes.”

“Thanks.” Quinn picked one of the five empty visitor chairs in which to wait. He was their last appointment for the day.

Summer came out from behind her desk. “Can I get you a bottle of water or some coffee?”

“Water would be great, if you don’t mind.” He rested his cowboy hat on his lap, unable to look more uncomfortable if he tried.

She hurried to a nearby multipurpose room where a refrigerator was stored. It held a variety of beverages exclusively for clients. She grabbed the closest bottled water, decided it wasn’t cold enough, replaced it and chose one farther back on the shelf.

“Seriously?” she asked herself as she took the cold bottle anyway. On the way back she nearly collided with Alicia. “Oops. Excuse me.”

“Whoa, girl. Slow down. It’s not as if he’s going to spontaneously disappear on you.”

“What? No. Don’t be silly.”

“Right.” Alicia laughed, a full, rich sound. “And your all-fire hurry has nothing to do with that fine-looking man in the reception area and how you went into spasms the second he arrived.”

“Spasms? I think I’m insulted.” And impatient.

“Go on. Get outta here. I’ll answer the phone if it rings.”

“Humph.” Summer, not nearly as put out as she pretended to be, pursed her lips and slipped past Alicia. By the time she reached Quinn in the waiting area, she wore a smile. “Here you go.” Handing him the bottle—the cold bottle—she returned to her desk, which afforded her a nice, unobstructed view of him.

Checking her computer screen to make sure Martin hadn’t contacted her during her short absence, she attacked the stack of documents Alicia had left on her desk.

“Thanks again for setting this up, Summer.”

Hearing Quinn’s voice, she glanced up. “Glad to do it.”

“How’s Teddy?”

“Good. He’s in after-school daycare. I can’t always coerce him into going. Today I got lucky. You may see him this evening. He has his equine therapy class. He hasn’t actually ridden yet. Won’t let anyone help him up into the saddle or put the harness on him. But he loves to pet and groom the horses and lead them around.” She didn’t add that Quinn might see her, too. She usually accompanied Teddy.

“I’ll be sure to look for him.”

“How’s the new job going?” She should be working. Hadn’t she promised Alicia the packages would be ready before five?

“I’m learning the ropes,” he said. “Slowly but surely.”

“Do you like it? That’s the important part.”

“Yeah. I do.”

Quinn shifted nervously, his right boot softly tapping the floor. He didn’t look as though he’d spent a lot of hours in offices. Or, she suddenly realized, the hours he’d spent in them had been difficult to endure. Nothing fun about conferring with your defense attorney and fighting for your freedom.

“Cara’s lucky to have you. You arrived in Mustang Valley at the perfect time.”

“I did.”

She’d meant that Cara needed assistance because the demands of her personal life had increased. The thoughtful quality in Quinn’s tone implied something entirely different. She was even more curious about him than before.

Martin stepped in from the hall. “Mr. Crenshaw. It’s nice to meet you.”

Quinn stood. “Thank you for seeing me on such short notice.”

The two men shook hands, and Martin invited Quinn into his office.

With nothing more to distract her, Summer quickly finished assembling the packages and then updated Martin’s court calendar. She was more than a receptionist for the modest practice. In addition to managing the office, she handled all the billing and accounting. Martin was generous, allowing her to occasionally work from home by logging into her office computer remotely.

At about four forty-five, the office door abruptly opened. Summer stood at the lateral file and, hearing the sound, turned. Her heart immediately dropped to her knees.

“Hal. What are you doing here?” Her ex-husband was the last person she’d expected to see.

“I need to talk to you. It’s about Teddy.”

“You couldn’t have just called me at home? You needed to ambush me at work?”

“This isn’t an ambush.”

Yet that was how it felt to Summer. He liked having the advantage, which taking her by surprise gave him, and frequently pulled stunts like this.

“You’ll have to wait until I’m done.” She turned her back on him, ready to resume her search for the files while also sending him a clear message.

“Dennis called me the other day.”

The manager of the market? “Why would I care about that?”

“Because he told me Teddy had a tantrum and upset some of his customers.”

Summer didn’t take kindly to Hal’s use of the word tantrum. And were the two women really that upset? She refrained from commenting for the moment and walked to her desk. “I left the store right away. It’s not as if I enjoy making a scene.”

“That’s the point, Summer. According to Dennis, Teddy’s had a bunch of tantrums in the market.”

“A bunch? There’s been maybe three.”

“And how many has he had in other places you haven’t told me about?”

“Outbursts are part of his disorder. You know that.”

“Seems to me, he’s been having more and more lately.”

“That’s not true.” Summer’s defenses instantly rose and, rather than insist he leave, she continued to engage him. A tiny voice warned her that was just what he wanted. “Teddy’s been better behaved at home and the learning center than ever.”

“Apparently not in public.” Hal stood his ground. He was a handsome man, when he wasn’t scowling. At the moment he stared at her with glinting eyes and a jutting jaw.

“Dr. Hamilton says Teddy’s outbursts can be his way of exerting his independence or his frustration at communicating and not being understood.”