A Cowgirl's Secret by Laura Marie Altom Page B

her to give him her pony. “I don’t have any money. Aunt Daisy’s buying mine and Betsy’s.”
    â€œThen maybe she’ll pay for me?” he said with a wink in Daisy’s direction.
    Bonnie shrugged.
    â€œHow was your week?” he asked Kolt after obligatory greetings to Wren and Bonnie. Was it wrong that part of him damn near feared talking to Daisy? She made him hot and bothered and took his mind from the most important thing on the day’s agenda—sharing quality time with Kolt.
    Not Kolt’s sexy-as-hell mom.
    â€œThought you couldn’t come,” Daisy said, hating the way her pulse raced at the mere sight of Luke. She felt the way she had back in high school. Save for the ten years she’d been gone, they’d attended this event together literally every year of their lives.
    â€œHey,” Wren said, waving Robin’s chubby hand at Luke.
    Luke playfully snatched the baby’s hand, pretending to chew.
    Robin shrieked with laughter.
    Watching him interact with the infant hurt Daisy to her core. Worse yet was the look on her son’s face as he saw his father interact more easily with a child who wasn’t even his.
    â€œYou’re looking mighty spiffy,” Luke finally said to their son. “I like those cowboy duds.”
    â€œThanks,” Kolt said almost pensively. “I didn’t know if other kids wore this stuff, but since they do, I like it.”
    â€œWhat events have you seen so far?” Luke asked as they stepped up in line.
    â€œBarrel racing. It’s pretty cool. But I’m mostly excited for bull riding. That’s what my uncle Cash does.”
    As a professional bull rider, Cash was ineligible to compete, so he typically hung around back, helping with the chutes.
    Wren shook her head. “To my eternal dismay. As if it’s not bad enough I have to worry about him smashing his head in wrestling with a bull, he’s got so many groupies he could form his own girls’ school.”
    Laughing, Luke said, “And knowing the size of your husband’s ego, he loves every minute of it.”
    Kolt said, “Uncle Cash told me he loves Aunt Wren best, ’cause she kisses like—”
    â€œWhoa there, bud.” Cash sauntered up to them, blasting them with his thousand-watt smile. “Don’t be spilling all my secrets. You can’t let the ladies know how much you like ’em, otherwise that gives ’em leverage to break your heart.”
    â€œOh, stop,” Wren said, pummeling her husband with her free hand.
    Daisy glanced Luke’s way and their gazes locked. For a heady second, hot summer sun melting the sense from her head, everything was back the way it had once been. She was with Luke. Then she remembered he could hardly stand the sight of her. He’d only kissed her to prove all that had once simmered between them was now dead. Only, for her, it should be, but sadly, wasn’t.
    Moving up in line, Daisy was relieved to have finallyplaced their funnel-cake order. Maybe once they’d eaten, Luke would trail off to find his family, and stop distracting her.
    â€œWhat do you think?” Daisy asked Kolt after he’d taken his first bite of the funnel cake.
    All smiles, with his nose and chin white, he said, “This is amazing!”
    â€œTold you so,” Betsy sassed. “You’re dumb for never eating this stuff.”
    â€œYeah, well, you’re dumb and ugly for being a girl.”
    â€œHey!” Daisy warned. “Knock it off.”
    â€œIt’s okay,” Bonnie said. “’Cause he’s dumb and ugly for being a boy.”
    While nodding in agreement, Betsy stuck out her white, sugar-coated tongue.
    While the rest of the party laughed over the kid antics, for Daisy, the moment had lost its sparkle. Standing not ten feet from her was Henry. Sneaking up behind the girls, he made a mock pounce for them, then tugged their matching