Tomas: Cowboy Homecoming

“Sadie, color in your own book.” She homeschooled the girls, and while she worked in the store, they did their lessons. Today they were coloring a picture according to the colors Cheyenne had marked on the page.

“Sammie doesn’t know how to color. I’m just showing…” Sadie’s green eyes widened and her mouth fell open. Cheyenne knew why. Tuf was standing behind her. She could feel his warm vibes.

She stepped aside. “I don’t believe you’ve formally met my daughters. Girls, this is Tuf Hart, Aunt Dinah’s brother. And this is Cassandra and Samantha. Otherwise known as Sadie and Sammie.”

“Why not call her Sandy or Cassie?”

Cheyenne tensed. “It’s a name her father gave her.”

Tuf nodded and looked at the girls. “Nice to meet you.”

Sadie scrunched up her face. “I don’t like you.”

“That seems to be a unanimous opinion in the Wright family.”

Cheyenne forced herself not to smile. “Sadie, that’s not nice. Apologize.”

Her spirited daughter hung her head.

“Sadie.”

Sadie mumbled something, and Cheyenne went to the checkout counter with Tuf. “My name is Sundell now,” she said and was unsure of the reason why she needed to mention that.

“So you and your husband moved back to Roundup?”

Cheyenne kept scanning the items into the cash register, trying not to react. Trying to be cool. “No. Just the girls and me.”

There was a pregnant pause filled with all kinds of questions. But again, she didn’t react. “Will there be anything else?”

“I need PRCA regulated rowels and spurs.”

“Austin orders those.”

“I figured.” He reached for his wallet in his back pocket and pulled out a credit card.

She totaled his purchases, swiped his card and ripped off a receipt for him to sign. She watched as his strong hand slashed out Tomas Hart. No one around here called him that. Even in school he was always known as Tuf, the youngest Hart.

As he slipped the card back into his wallet, he said, “I was out of line the other day. Your child is your business and I shouldn’t have said a word.”

She was taken aback by the apology, but all of Sarah Hart’s children had good manners. “No, you shouldn’t have, but I appreciate your concern. Sadie always tests my patience.”

He nodded and picked up the big bag from the counter as if it weighed no more than his wallet. “Thanks for the help.”

Even though she told herself not to, she watched through the display window as he took long strides back to his silver truck.

“Mommy, who’s that man?”

Cheyenne looked down to see Sadie staring up at her with big green eyes.

Someone I knew a long time ago. Someone I wished I’d had the courage to date.

“He’s Aunt Dinah’s brother.”

Sadie bobbed her head. “Aunt Dinah gots lots of brothers.”

Sammie leaned into her, wrapping herself as close as she could to Cheyenne, needing attention, love and reassurance that their world was still okay. Sometimes she didn’t know if she had that much strength because she struggled every day to make sense of a life blown apart. But for her daughters she would do everything possible to hide her fears.

Her eyes strayed to the window. If only she could go back in time…

* * *

TUF GLANCED ACROSS THE STREET at the redbrick building that used to be the home of the old newspaper but was now the Number 1 Diner. Sierra, Beau’s wife, owned it, and Tuf’s mother raved about the home cooking. He swung the bag of clothes into the backseat of his truck and walked over.

Inside, the diner was decorated in a mining theme, and he remembered his mom saying it had been named in honor of Sierra’s grandfather, who’d died in a mine. On the walls were mining photos and a long shelf held mining artifacts. The tables were red and the chairs had black leather seats. The place had a rustic, homey appeal, and the scent coming from the kitchen made him hungry.

He spotted Dinah and Austin sitting close together in a booth. Not wanting to interrupt, he started for the counter to order coffee, but Austin eased out of the booth, so Tuf strolled over to join them.

“Hey, Tuf.” Austin shook his hand.

“I was just over at your shop to order some rowels, spurs and chaps.”

Austin’s eyebrows rose. “Getting back into rodeoing?”

“Yeah.”

“Come back and I’ll get you set up.”

“Okay. I’ll visit with my sister first.”

“Good deal.” Austin leaned down to kiss Dinah and then made his way toward the door. Dinah’s eyes followed him and she had a dreamy look on her face.

Tuf slid into the booth. “You’ve got it bad, Sheriff.”

Her gaze swung to him. “Yes, I do.”

Tuf removed his hat and placed it beside him. Before he could say anything, a young girl in jeans with a red apron trimmed in black appeared to take his order.

“Just coffee, please.”

When the girl left, Dinah asked, “So you’re getting back into rodeoing?”

“Mom and I talked about it. She’d rather I take it easy for a while, but I need to be busy.”

“Maybe you’ve been taking it easy for two years. Who knows?”

This was the Dinah he knew, the one who came straight to the point, spoke her mind and didn’t pussyfoot around.

“But I’m not going to grill you because I know you’ve been through a great deal.”