Freedom Ranch

Chapter 25

  "Hey you!" roared Collin from across the room, pointing a stubby finger his way.

Colt kept his eyes from Dakota slinking off into the kitchen and raised his glass to Collin, who was now storming closer to him.

"Fancy seeing you here."

"Cut the shit, cowboy. Where is my wife?!"

"Hey, now, you are going to have to keep it down to a respectful conversation or you will find yourself back out the door," said Nick.

Collin's thundering footsteps slowed as he eyed the bartender behind the counter. He sized him up for a moment, his beady eyes squinting in frustration. Colt assumed he realized that Nick indeed could kick him out if he had to. He was a stout guy that had a few inches on him. He stopped a few chairs away from Colt before turning his attention back to him.

"Where is my wife?" he asked in a low growl, clearly trying to abide by the rules to get the answer he was looking for.

"I told you. North Dakota."

"Bull shit!"

"That's what the rumor mill says. You were asking about her too much. She caught wind and took off. I'm surprised to see you still here when she's clearly gone."

Collin sucked his teeth as he mulled over Colt's words.

"Why do you have two plates in front of you then?" he grumbled.

Without missing a beat, Colt stated while picking up a fork full of fries covered in green chili, "I have a healthy appetite and don't like to wait for a second plate. Especially when things can get busy with the dinner rush."

"What about the two beers?"

Colt glanced at Collin. He looked like a monkey trying to figure out a puzzle. He kept from snickering over his thoughts and replied, "Same concept. I had a bad habit of drinking too much if I sat in one spot. So, I order both at the same time. Nick can vouch for me, since I'm a man of habit."

Nick nodded behind the counter, unfazed by being called out as a "witness".

"What about the girl that was here?"

Colt looked at Collin curiously, not responding to see where this was going.

"You know, the girl with the cowboy hat. She must have left when I walked in."

He realized he must have seen Dakota but didn't recognize her. As perplexing as that was, he replied with a scoff, "Oh, that's a girl who was looking for a ranch hand. I'm already employed, so she moved on."

Colt decided to change the subject and use a different tactic to throw Collin off Dakota's trail.

"Look, ugh, what's your name again?" asked Colt as he pushed his empty plate to the side.

"Collin," he grumbled.

"Right, Collin. No one has heard of Dakota being married before around here. No one believed it and she took off before anyone knew the truth. I feel for you, and I do believe you how persistent you have been. It must be hard to have a wife who won't stay home where she is supposed to be."

Colt watched Collin's face light up as he nodded in agreement.

"Is there family or friends she would stay with up there in North Dakota? She mentioned it more than once to multiple people. That must be where she is. I bet you can find her there and convince her to go back home where she belongs."

"I don't know. I can't think of anyone or any other place she would be."

"Maybe I can ask around and get back with you. Someone must have heard more details than just North Dakota."

"Yea, that would be helpful."

"Let me take your phone number and I'll call you tomorrow after I catch up with some folks around here."

Collin gave Colt his phone number. He was hoping this plan would calm him down until he gave him a bad tip tomorrow. After a few minutes of small talk, Collin stood up and left the bar. Colt watched carefully out the window to see him leave in an old brown car that clearly didn't match all the pickup trucks usually seen in town.

"Dakota, you can come out now," called Nick.

Dakota popped her head around the corner and looked around before stepping out of the room. Colt could see the fear in her eyes lingering. As she sat down next to him, he gently placed his hand over hers.

"Collin didn't even recognize you," said Colt in disbelief.

"It's because my hair is down. I never wore it this way, and it was never this long when we were together," said Dakota quietly.

Colt kept his hand on Dakota's, surprised she didn't pull away from the contact. He could sense all these fight-or-flight responses with Collin's presence in town were draining her.

"Do you want to finish your food?" he asked.

She shook her head as she stared at the half-eaten plate.

"No, I lost my appetite."

Colt turned his attention to the bartender, who was looking at Dakota with concern.

"Nick, can we take that to go along with a container of green chili sauce and two buffalo burgers?"

"Wait, you can order the green chili to go?!"

Colt smiled at Dakota's change in tone. He glanced at her to see she was now sitting up straighter and the sparkle in her eye was back.

"I was thinking we could use that for breakfast in the morning."

"Sounds great to me!"

Colt chuckled and squeezed her hand gently. He was happy she didn't pull away. Maybe by the time they got home, her appetite would be back. Maybe they would have a quiet night for once without Collin showing up at the property. He would have a conversation with her later about getting that restraining order done tomorrow. He now had a description of the vehicle and a license plate that could help locate where Collin was to serve him the restraining order. But, for now, he was content just trying to make Dakota happy. A rare feat how much she protected herself. Maybe she would eventually let down those walls when Collin was long gone.