Read Online Close Enough to Touch by Victoria Dahl - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Victoria Dahl
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and watching TV and waiting to get back to
work. And now he was so damn close, and the one person in the world who’d always
supported him was blocking his way.
Jenny came to take the cash he set down. “You sure you’re okay,
Cole?” she asked quietly.
He smiled at Jenny and offered a wink. “I’m good.”
“You’re quiet, is what you are. That’s not like you.”
“Come around the bar and I’ll slap you on the ass. Will that
make you happy?”
“Nah.” She laughed. “But I bet it would brighten your day.”
“Damn straight.”
When he stood to leave, hiding his wince, Jenny patted his
hand. “Take it easy out there, all right? I don’t want you falling off a horse
again and rebreaking that leg.”
“I didn’t fall off a horse,” he growled. “It fell and pinned
me.”
“Fell?” Shane interrupted. “I hear that horse went down so slow
it looked like a dog taking a seat. I don’t know why you didn’t get out of the
way.”
Cole elbowed him hard enough that some of Shane’s beer sloshed
out of the mug. “You weren’t even there.”
“Pretty sure I’m right, though.”
“Hey, Cole,” Jenny said as he turned away. “There’s a big group
of Hollywood people in town up at Teton. You know any of them?”
Cole made sure he didn’t stiffen. “Why would I?” he asked with
a deliberately puzzled smile.
“You lived out there for a while, didn’t you? You were in a
movie, even. Some Western?”
“That was a long time ago, Jenny. And nobody lasts in
Hollywood. Anybody I knew is long gone by now.”
“I’m sure you’re right.” Jenny sighed. “I just think it’d be
neat to meet someone famous. Nobody cool ever comes in here.”
“Hey,” Shane responded. “What about me?”
She slapped Shane with her towel and winked at Cole. “Bye,
then. Have a good evening.”
“I will.”
Hollywood people. He felt another moment of anxiety as he
stepped out of the saloon and into the blindingly bright day. But it was the
pure, nearly painful light of a Jackson summer, not that hazy, hot sun of L.A.
He had nothing to fear from those people. The disaster he’d made of his life in
California…he was the only one who could take credit for that.
CHAPTER SIX
S HE WAS SO DAMN QUIET over there.
Shouldn’t a girl like her be loud? Stomping around. Cursing.
Slamming doors. Playing music at all hours of the night.
But Grace Barrett was like a mouse. All he ever heard was the
occasional noise of water running in the bathroom. At least if she were banging
around at 2:00 a.m., he’d have something to think about instead of staring at
the ceiling for… Cole glanced at the clock. Five hours. It was just after seven.
He’d never gotten back to sleep.
He heard a board creak on the other side of the wall and cocked
his head. Water ran through the pipes.
Grace was up, it was seven o’clock on a Sunday and he had no
plans and a hell of a long day to fill. Maybe she needed something to do,
too.
Cole braced himself for that first deep jolt of pain when he
pushed himself from bed. He’d been cutting back on ibuprofen for the past few
weeks, but now he had to admit that this wasn’t the time. He’d have to get back
to the prescription-strength pills for a little while. Just while his body
adjusted to working again. His physical therapist was still trying to push
muscle relaxants to let him get some sleep at night, but Cole wasn’t going to
touch them. He was doing the stretching now. Doing everything he was told to do.
When that didn’t help, he just dealt with it.
Like this morning, when the ache in his leg was spreading up
through his hip to his back and digging in there like a rabid badger.
Jesus, he was only thirty-four. He had another forty years of
injuries ahead of him. If he got back to riding. If he could still be a cowboy.
If not…
No, he wasn’t going to think that way. He’d get through this
and move on. Soon enough, he’d be past it. It’d be a distant bad memory.
He
work. And now he was so damn close, and the one person in the world who’d always
supported him was blocking his way.
Jenny came to take the cash he set down. “You sure you’re okay,
Cole?” she asked quietly.
He smiled at Jenny and offered a wink. “I’m good.”
“You’re quiet, is what you are. That’s not like you.”
“Come around the bar and I’ll slap you on the ass. Will that
make you happy?”
“Nah.” She laughed. “But I bet it would brighten your day.”
“Damn straight.”
When he stood to leave, hiding his wince, Jenny patted his
hand. “Take it easy out there, all right? I don’t want you falling off a horse
again and rebreaking that leg.”
“I didn’t fall off a horse,” he growled. “It fell and pinned
me.”
“Fell?” Shane interrupted. “I hear that horse went down so slow
it looked like a dog taking a seat. I don’t know why you didn’t get out of the
way.”
Cole elbowed him hard enough that some of Shane’s beer sloshed
out of the mug. “You weren’t even there.”
“Pretty sure I’m right, though.”
“Hey, Cole,” Jenny said as he turned away. “There’s a big group
of Hollywood people in town up at Teton. You know any of them?”
Cole made sure he didn’t stiffen. “Why would I?” he asked with
a deliberately puzzled smile.
“You lived out there for a while, didn’t you? You were in a
movie, even. Some Western?”
“That was a long time ago, Jenny. And nobody lasts in
Hollywood. Anybody I knew is long gone by now.”
“I’m sure you’re right.” Jenny sighed. “I just think it’d be
neat to meet someone famous. Nobody cool ever comes in here.”
“Hey,” Shane responded. “What about me?”
She slapped Shane with her towel and winked at Cole. “Bye,
then. Have a good evening.”
“I will.”
Hollywood people. He felt another moment of anxiety as he
stepped out of the saloon and into the blindingly bright day. But it was the
pure, nearly painful light of a Jackson summer, not that hazy, hot sun of L.A.
He had nothing to fear from those people. The disaster he’d made of his life in
California…he was the only one who could take credit for that.
CHAPTER SIX
S HE WAS SO DAMN QUIET over there.
Shouldn’t a girl like her be loud? Stomping around. Cursing.
Slamming doors. Playing music at all hours of the night.
But Grace Barrett was like a mouse. All he ever heard was the
occasional noise of water running in the bathroom. At least if she were banging
around at 2:00 a.m., he’d have something to think about instead of staring at
the ceiling for… Cole glanced at the clock. Five hours. It was just after seven.
He’d never gotten back to sleep.
He heard a board creak on the other side of the wall and cocked
his head. Water ran through the pipes.
Grace was up, it was seven o’clock on a Sunday and he had no
plans and a hell of a long day to fill. Maybe she needed something to do,
too.
Cole braced himself for that first deep jolt of pain when he
pushed himself from bed. He’d been cutting back on ibuprofen for the past few
weeks, but now he had to admit that this wasn’t the time. He’d have to get back
to the prescription-strength pills for a little while. Just while his body
adjusted to working again. His physical therapist was still trying to push
muscle relaxants to let him get some sleep at night, but Cole wasn’t going to
touch them. He was doing the stretching now. Doing everything he was told to do.
When that didn’t help, he just dealt with it.
Like this morning, when the ache in his leg was spreading up
through his hip to his back and digging in there like a rabid badger.
Jesus, he was only thirty-four. He had another forty years of
injuries ahead of him. If he got back to riding. If he could still be a cowboy.
If not…
No, he wasn’t going to think that way. He’d get through this
and move on. Soon enough, he’d be past it. It’d be a distant bad memory.
He
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