Seeing the others approach out of the corner of her eye, she nodded and slipped out from beneath his arm.
‘Daddy!’ Poppy ran to him and threw herself into his arms. ‘Come dance!’
The band smoothly transitioned into Tracy Chapman’s ‘Fast Car’. As couples started swaying together and others started heading to the dance floor to join them, Maverick pushed to his feet, Poppy in his arms.
He put her down on the dance floor and bent down to take her tiny hands in his.
Nina watched them as they danced, the huge cowboy in his faded blue jeans, button-down, and baseball cap, and the little girl in her white dress and cowgirl boots, and she was reminded that life could besobeautiful.
Still, knowing what lay ahead for her made her eyes sting, and not wanting to ruin a near-perfect night, Nina took a sip of her drink, leaned back in her chair, and laughed when Markus caved to his need to photograph Maverick and Poppy and pulled out his iPhone.
As her friend took a zillion pictures, Sierra came and sat next to her. ‘How are you doing?’ she asked.
Nina thought she could happily stay in that moment for the rest of her life. She replied, ‘Good. Really good, actually.’ She waved one hand, encompassing the Wagon Train. ‘This is incredible.’ She tilted her head back, closed her eyes. ‘I swear the air tastes different out here.’
Sierra laughed lightly. ‘It does. I always thought it was just my imagination …’
‘No.’ Nina inhaled. ‘It’s almostsweet.’
‘Yeah. When I lived in New York and LA, I would forget what clean air tasted like, and then every time I would come home, I almost couldn’t believe the difference. Nothing beats the smell of the valley.’
‘Especially in the morning,’ Nina said, thinking of those early mornings, sitting outside. ‘When the sun is just rising and everything is a little dewy from the night before …’
Sierra studied her in silence for a moment.
Nina caught the look. ‘What?’
‘You’re close to hooked,’ Sierra teased gently.
Nina didn’t deny it. Just because she hadn’t known this type of life before didn’t mean that she couldn’t recognize it as extraordinary. Perhaps more terrifying than that, she could picture herself here or, if not here, somewhere similar, in the future. Maybe she’d buy a little plot of land somewhere remote and quiet. She could get a dog and a couple of horses, hire a full-time manager so that she didn’t have to worry when she was away filming …Ifshe was filming, she reminded herself.
The thought dampened her mood instantly. She had a lot to deal with before she’d even knowifshe’d act again.
Sierra looked out over the assembled guests. ‘Most people who come here are looking for novelty. A few days to dress up and play cowboy for their Instagrams – so long as there are full amenities, of course.’
Nina laughed. ‘I can’t judge in that particular arena. I’m not outdoorsy. To be honest, I’d be hard-pressed to even glamp.’
‘Oh man.’ Sierra shook her head. ‘You only say that because you haven’t been out for an overnight in the valley.’
‘Do you guys do that?’ Nina had been so content to stay at the stables near Maverick that she really hadn’t explored much of what else Hunt Ranch had to offer.
‘Yes. But don’t do it guided. Ask Mav to take you to Wrangler’s Clearing.’
‘Wrangler’s Clearing?’
‘It’s a family spot,’ Sierra explained. ‘Every time we talked about adding it to the trail ride, we backed out. It’smagical. We decided to keep it a secret.’
‘I don’t know …’
‘It has an outhouse,’ Sierra offered. ‘And I promise it will be worth it.’ Sierra looked up at the blanket of stars above them and sighed. ‘There’s nothing like lying underneath the stars in your lover’s arms. Absolutely nothing.’
Nina wasn’t sure Sierra was even aware that her gaze shifted, finding Benji where he sat with a mix of ranch staff and guests. Nina didn’t know their history, but when Benji looked up and found Sierra’s eyes immediately, she knew that they had one.
Sierra turned away from him, giving Nina her full attention again.
And unsure what to say when she saw the deep grief that had suddenly appeared in the woman sitting next to her, Nina simply murmured, ‘I’ll think about it.’
Chapter 13
