“Yep.”
She stands, and we head outside to where our car is parked.
We don’t say much on the way to the farm. It’s weird how comfortable the silence is. Neither one of us feels forced to fill the air with chatter. Instead, we let the music play, both of us singing along to the songs that come on.
As we pull up to the farm, I turn toward her and love seeing the amazement on her face.
“Why do you look like you’ve just seen a unicorn or something?” I ask jokingly.
“Have you looked around?” She motions to the land around us. “It’s gorgeous here. I’ve never seen anything like this.”
“Welcome to Montana. There’s a reason it’s called Big Sky Country.”
“I can’t believe you grew up in a place like this,” she says under her breath as she looks around in awe.
I turn the car off and sit back to watch her. “I can’t believe you grew up in the city. Did you really never go on vacations?”
“We did, but not to places like this!”
“Well, you’re in for a treat then. Let’s go.”
I open the door and step out onto the grassy, dirt road where we parked the car. Thankfully, the makeshift road is pretty compact, so any dirt we could be on is not a big deal now, but who knows where they’re taking us for this tour?
We walk up to the barn that’s five times larger than any barn I’ve seen and much nicer, too, with a sitting area out front, where it’s shaded from an overhang off the roof. The railing lining the area is used for tying horses, which you can tell is original to the land, where other parts have obviously been redone.
Zoe rubs her hand over the softened wood on the railing, seemingly enjoying both the beauty and the history of it all. “How long do you think this has been here?”
“Over a hundred years,” Samantha says as she opens the door, wearing jeans and riding boots—a huge change from the Chanel outfit and Louboutin heels she had on in our office. She holds her hand out to Zoe, then me. “So glad you guys could make the trip.”
“Thank you for having us,” I reply.
“This place is amazing. Truly. I’ve never been anywhere like this.” Zoe doesn’t hide her awe.
She holds her arms out to the sides with a genuine smile. “Then welcome to our family home. I see you’re prepared.” She points at me, and then she looks at Zoe. “Did you happen to bring any other shoes?” She points at Zoe’s flats.
She glances my way in panic, then back to Samantha. “I didn’t realize we were supposed to dress a specific way.”
“It’s okay. I have something you can slide on. Follow me.” She motions to us, then turns around to walk inside the barn.
Zoe is quick to slap my arm and forcefully whisper, “Why didn’t you tell me to dress another way?”
“Why didn’t you think about the fact that we were going to tour a ranch?” I chuckle under my breath.
She rolls her eyes and tries to fix her composure, but I can tell it’s eating away at her.
We enter the barn, which is not what I was expecting. Normally, you see horses and stables with hay everywhere, but no. This place has been made into a home-like atmosphere withhardwood flooring that looks like it was refinished years ago and a seating area with a few desks off to the side.
“Wow,” Zoe says in awe as she takes in the area, and I have to admit, I’m feeling the same way.
“I have some boots out here for you, and then we can start the tour.” Samantha motions for us to follow her through two big wooden doors.
Once we walk through there, I’m brought back to my childhood. It’s just like the barn my grandparents had, where I used to spend my weekends as a little kid, then worked all through high school.
To the left are piles of hay, and farther down, multiple horse stalls line either side. The sight of saddles and pitchforks brings a smile to my face that I haven’t felt in years. I didn’t realize I’d missed this as much as I did until right this minute. I thought I could leave this part of my life behind me, but being back here is making me think otherwise.
Samantha picks up a pair of riding boots and hands them to Zoe. “These should fit you. You can place your flats here.”
Zoe places her hand on my arm to steady herself, like it’s something we’ve done a million times and not the first time she’s ever touched me on her own.
