The Bodyguards Sweetheart

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

     IT WAS THE DAY after Rian had finished helping Warren with the cattle and CoCo had helped Adeline do a little grocery shopping in the tiny town of Woodsville that Rian and CoCo found themselves back on the horses, enjoying a leisurely ride through the countryside.

“I’d forgotten how much I enjoy riding,” she admitted, loving the clean country air and the carefree feeling in her heart. “I used to love it.”

“Warren used to say that wisdom could always be found in the company of a good horse.”

She laughed, agreeing. “He’s right. I lost all my wisdom once we had to put Gypsy down. For a brief moment I’d considered getting a new horse but each time I tried, I started crying. Suddenly, partying and going out with friends seemed so much more fun than dealing with my grief.”

“At least a horse won’t slip something in your drink,” he noted derisively and she supposed he was right. She should’ve stuck with horses. “Speaking of, what’s the deal with that friend of yours, Stella?”

CoCo sighed. “I don’t know. She’s a party girl. She loves a good time and isn’t afraid to go after one. I think that’s what I liked most about her when we first met. Believe it or not, I was a little shy when I first moved back to live with my mom. I didn’t really know anyone and Stella helped me break out of my shell.”

“Did you go to college?”

“Of course. Honor roll with a degree in marketing.”

“Wow. Impressive.”

She laughed wistfully. “Now ask me what I’ve done with that degree and you’ll be a lot less impressed.”

“So what happened?”

“Life happened, I guess. Getting a job was a lot less attractive than being footloose and fancy-free, plus no one was making me do anything so I didn’t. My mom couldn’t care less about what I do and my dad is so sweet and understanding that he never pushes me to do anything.”

“So why marketing?”

“My dad wants me to take over the company.”

“Do you want to?”

At one time she thought it would be exciting to work for the company that her father had built from the ground up but then working in general had lost its appeal and she’d stopped thinking about it at all. “I don’t know. I mean, it’s shoes, you know? I wanted to design a women’s shoe line but my dad was insistent that I stick to the menswear. I just didn’t have an interest. Eventually, I stopped sketching my own ideas and discarded the idea of working for my dad at all.”

What did you sketch?”

She blushed at the idea of sharing something so personal. Sure, they’d had sex but that had nothing to do with her dreams and ambitions. Somehow sharing her private sketches felt so much more intimate. “Nothing really, just doodles of heels and whatnot.”

“Are you any good?” he asked and she stared, incredulous at his unapologetic question. He shrugged. “Hey, that I like to sing in the shower doesn’t mean I can belt out a hit like Laci can.”

“Okay, fair point and, um, I think I might be good. Well, I don’t know, maybe I suck,” she said, blushing. “I see the lines in my head of how a shoe should conform to the foot and... Never mind, it’s stupid.”

“It’s not stupid. It’s pretty cool, actually.”

“Really? You think so?”

“I wouldn’t say otherwise. One thing about me, princess, I never shoot bull for the sake of shooting it. I don’t have the time to keep lies straight.”

CoCo bit her lip to keep from smiling. She liked that Rian was honest. It was such a breath of fresh air after hanging out with so many liars. “Anyway, I stopped trying and my dad stopped asking.”

“Seems like you’re ignoring your calling.”

“Maybe. But I never really thought designing shoes was very glamorous. I mean, it’s a shoe. I love my dad and I’m very proud of him but designing shoes is just...I don’t know...a little boring.”

“No? What about Stella McCartney? She has a shoe line, right?”

“Of course.”

“Well, I don’t think anyone’s accusing her of being less than glamorous. I mean, she hangs with Gwennie, am I right?”

At that CoCo giggled. “I never took you for a name-dropper.”

“I use whatever I can get to make a point. Seriously, though. Why’d you really quit?”

She sighed, the question hitting a raw spot. “I don’t know. The pressure, I guess. You can’t fail if you don’t try, right? I mean, my dad never questioned that I would follow in his footsteps but what if I can’t handle the weight of his expectations? I mean, what if I’m not as good as him and I ruin the company?”

“It could happen,” he agreed pragmatically and she rose up to stare at him with a frown. Wasn’t he supposed to reassure her that she was being silly and that everything would be fine? Oh, that’s right, he didn’t like to lie. Well, she took back her previous thought that honesty was refreshing.

He chuckled and said, “Calm down, tigress. All I’m saying is that, true, you could fail. That’s part of the risk when you try something new. But there’s the opposite of failing, as well. You could rock and you could be better than your dad ever was. If the pendulum swings one way, it has to swing the other because the world is about balance.”

“Very Zen of you,” she said drily but he had a point. “But I don’t want to take the chance of failing my father. He worked his entire life building his company. It means everything to him.”

“And the fact that he believes in you as strongly as he does his company says a lot about how he feels about you.” She bowed her head, blinking back tears. She knew her father was nuts about her. She’d used his love for her more times than she was proud of to get what she wanted. Manipulation was a sport you medaled in in the circles she traveled. Maybe it was time for different circles?

Rian gathered her in his arms with a soft sigh. “Don’t sweat the small stuff, kid. And it’s all small stuff, right? You’re talented, so do something with it. What if Laci had listened to all the haters who’d said she was nothing but a backwater country girl with a guitar? She thumbed her nose at all of them and look at her now, racking up hit songs and taking names like a champ.”

CoCo sniffed with a watery laugh. “That’s true.” She’d love to meet Laci but that was looking too far into the future to tackle right now. She turned and Rian responded by giving her a quick but sweet kiss that melted her from the inside out. “You’re such a good kisser,” she murmured. I’m going to miss this. A sharp pang punctuated the thought and she said, “Let’s go back inside before we scare the wildlife,” if only to give herself something to do to collect herself. If she stayed in this spot, cuddled up to Rian for much longer, she’d start bawling.

Done and done,” he said, grinning as he helped her up. They quickly donned their discarded clothing and walked hand in hand back to the house like an old married couple. It felt right. It felt like a fairy tale. It felt like more than just something to pass the time.

And her heart wouldn’t likely let her forget.