Do you take this rebel - By Sherryl Woods Page 0,68

he’d asked a half dozen people, five of the six would have told him that was what he needed to do. The sixth would tell him to cling to the anger, to remember it, so she could never hurt him again. That would have been his father’s advice—which made it suspect right off.

Frank Davis hadn’t let up once since the wedding. Despite the show he’d put on during the reception, he hadn’t gone out of his way to welcome Cassie any more than Cole had. He seemed to have forgotten all about his own role in keeping Cassie and his son apart.

At the same time, he was doing everything in his power to turn Jake into the rancher that Cole himself refused to be. It frustrated Frank no end that Jake showed more interest in Cole’s computers than he did in cattle.

“You’re ruining that boy,” Frank grumbled when he stopped by the hotel the morning after Cole’s argument with Cassie and found father and son squinting at the computer screen.

His arrival was a good distraction. It meant Cole wouldn’t have to deal with Cassie and the feelings that had come roaring to life the night before. He could ignore them for a little longer, put off having to make the decision he’d spent the night debating.

Jake, unaware of the undercurrents or the depth of his grandfather’s disapproval, regarded the older man with innocent excitement. “But this is so cool. Cole’s letting me write a real program for a game, one I made up myself. One of these days every kid in America will play it,” he said with complete confidence. “Cole said so.”

Frank scowled. “What are you doing calling your daddy Cole?” he demanded, seizing on that, rather than commenting on the game that had his grandson so excited.

“Leave it be,” Cole said tightly, though it bothered him some, too, that Jake hadn’t started calling him Dad.

Jake blinked rapidly at his grandfather’s criticism, then gazed up at Cole. “Can I?”

“Can you what?”

“Call you Dad?”

Cole’s heart crept into his throat. “Of course you can.”

A smile spread across the boy’s face. “You never said, so I wasn’t sure, and I didn’t want to ask Mom, ’cause she looks kinda sad a lot, especially when you and I spend a lot of time together.”

“She needs to get over it,” Frank grumbled even as Cole shot a warning look in his direction.

“I’ll speak to your mother,” Cole promised. “I’m sure she won’t have any objections.” How could she? he thought. There was no denying the relationship. The whole town knew about it by now.

The things he and Cassie needed to discuss were adding up…and most of the topics promised to be uncomfortable.

“Jake, why don’t you come out and spend the night at the ranch with me?” Cole’s father asked. “That horse I bought for you needs to be ridden.”

“I’m not very good,” Jake protested.

“And you won’t get any better by avoiding it,” Frank said.

“Okay, enough,” Cole said, frowning at his father. “Don’t push him.”

“I want to learn to ride,” Jake said, regarding his grandfather earnestly. “But that horse is too big, and he doesn’t like me.”

“Part of learning to ride is learning to control the horse. You’ll get the hang of it,” Frank insisted.

“Maybe he should start out on Buttercup,” Cole said. He grinned at Jake. “She was my first horse.”

That was recommendation enough for Jake. “Could I?” Jake begged his grandfather.

“Absolutely,” Cole said, not giving his father a chance to refuse or to label the boy a sissy because of his preference for a gentler horse. “Shall I come along?”

“I’m perfectly capable of giving the boy a riding lesson,” his father grumbled, clearly understanding Cole’s unspoken message. “On Buttercup, if that’s the way you want it. The poor old mare can barely make it out of the barn, though.”

“Which means she’s not likely to run off with him,” Cole said. He winked at Jake. “Take her an apple, and she’ll do whatever you ask of her.”

Jake ran to grab one from the basket of fruit the hotel had sent up. “Okay, Grandpa, I’m ready.”

Frank looked momentarily taken aback by his eagerness, but he finally gave him a gruff pat on the back. “Let’s go, then.”

“Jake, shouldn’t you get your toothbrush, at least?” Cole asked.

“I don’t need one. Grandpa gave me one last time. And there are some jeans and shirts and stuff in my room at the ranch.”

Cole regarded his father evenly. “Is that so?”

“No point in having him haul stuff back and