Hayden shook his head. “No, I got most of my work done during class.”
Mr. Watkins’s eyebrows raised in the rearview mirror. “Most?”
“Okay, I have like two things I need to do, but I’ll get it done, I swear.” Hayden rolled his eyes, but his dad didn’t even react. “Can we go see the horses?”
His dad chuckled. “Does Sierra want to see the horses?”
“Ofcourseshe wants to see the horses, Dad!” Hayden insisted. “I led with that, obviously.”
“Sierra?” His dad made eye contact with me through the rearview mirror.
“Yeah, that sounds fun. I like horses. I used to ride sometimes.”
“Well, there you have it.” Mr. Watkins chuckled at the same time Hayden’s head popped around the seat to look at me.
“No way, really? You ride? You should do high school rodeo with me!”
“Oh, I don’t know.” I looked down at my feet. “My parents probably wouldn’t let me. I don’t even have a horse.”
“That’s okay! Plenty of kids don’t have their own horses. You could use one of ours, and you could practice here, and?—”
“Hayden.” Mr. Watkins laughed. “Let the girl breathe.”
“Sorry, it’s just that Keenan is my only close friend who does rodeo. The rest of the girls who do rodeo from GHS are kinda mean, and the other guys are more interested in the girls than rodeo.”
I held back a snicker at his comment.
Mr. Watkins chuckled awkwardly, scratching his head. “All right, well…”
I didn’t think Hayden’s dad really knew what to say, which prompted Hayden to continue. “You’ll think about it, right, Sierra?”
I pursed my lips and nodded.
The remainder of the drive was fairly quiet, and about five minutes later we turned off the main highway onto a long gravel road with a headgate sign spelling outWatkins. Off in the distance stood a farmhouse with a barn and fenced-in arena. Cattle lowed in the distance, and when we pulled up to the house, a Corgi ran up to the passenger side.
Hayden hopped out of the pickup truck, looking like he intended to head immediately to the stables, but his dad stopped him. “Go say hello to your mother first! She’s probably got snacks for you two.”
“Okay…” He drew out the word. “Come on, Sierra!”
Hayden took off, leaving me standing next to the pickup branded with the GCSO logo andSheriffon the side.
“Thanks for the ride, Mr. Watkins,” I mumbled awkwardly.
“You’re very welcome, Sierra. Hayden’s a good kid, you know. Any friend of his is welcome at our place any time.”
You probably wouldn’t be saying that if you knew who my family was.
I offered a terse nod then speed-walked to catch up to Hayden.
The scent of freshly baked cookies hit my nostrils the second I opened the front door. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting his house to look like, but the homey atmosphere, warm lighting, and family photos lining the wall in the entryway felt right.
I slid off my shoes, placing them neatly by the front door, and padded forward into the open-concept kitchen and living room.
“You must be Sierra!” a woman, who I assumed was Hayden’s mother, exclaimed.
“That’s me.” I gave her a small smile.
Hayden sat at the kitchen island, so I joined him, sliding onto a stool next to his.
