"Same time tomorrow?" Addie asks, already heading toward her truck.
"Same time," I confirm.
She waves and drives off, and it's just me and Eli standing in the barn aisle.
He steps closer, hand finding my hip. "You got plans today?"
"Besides the usual? Not really."
"Good." His mouth curves. "Because I'm taking you somewhere."
"Where?"
"It's a surprise."
I raise an eyebrow. "A surprise."
"Yeah. And before you start listing all the things that need doing—the fence line can wait. The hay delivery's not untiltomorrow. Mae's got the afternoon covered." He tips my chin up. "One day, Hazel. Just us."
Something warm unfurls in my chest. "Okay."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
His smile is slow and devastating. "Go get changed. Something comfortable. I'll pick you up in an hour."
An hour later, I'm standing on Mae's porch when his truck pulls up.
I've changed into jeans and a soft flannel shirt, boots that have seen better days, hair pulled back in a loose braid. Mae watched me get ready with a knowing look but didn't ask questions.
Eli gets out, and I notice the bed of his truck is loaded with something covered by a tarp.
"What's all that?" I ask, climbing in.
"You'll see."
We drive out past the main pastures, past the fence lines I know by heart, toward the back corner of Dawson property where the land starts to roll and the trees get thicker. I haven't been out here in years—not since we were teenagers and used to ride out to explore.
"Where are we going?" I ask.
"You'll recognize it when we get there."
The road narrows to a dirt track, then disappears altogether. He pulls off near a stand of pines and kills the engine.
When I step out, I can see the ridge through the trees. The spot where the property overlooks the valley, where you can see for miles on a clear day.
My breath catches. "Eli."
"Come on."
He grabs a basket from the truck bed, along with a blanket, and leads me through the trees. The ground slopes up gently, pine needles soft under our boots, the air smelling like sun-warmed sap and wild grass.
When we break through the tree line, the view opens up.
Rolling hills. The valley spreading out below us, green and gold and endless. Mountains in the distance, still capped with snow. The sky so blue it almost hurts to look at.
"I forgot how beautiful this is," I say quietly.
