The question hung in the air between us like dust in a beam of sunlight.
Norah blinked, then looked away, her voice softer now. “Oh. Um…”
“I’ve just noticed how close your family is. You, your brothers, your mom...it’s obvious you guys have each other’s backs. And I guess it just struck me the other day that I’ve never seen your dad around. And maybe that’s none of my business, but I just…” I held up my hand and scrunched my eyes closed as heat rushed to my cheeks, feeling like a jerk that I even bothered her with the question. “You know, it really is none of my business. Just forget I asked, okay?”
Norah chuckled and gave a soft shake of her head. “You’re fine, really.” She didn’t sound upset, but she went quiet, carrying the saddle into a small room housed with similar horse things without another word.
When she came back, she tossed me a brush. “Here,” she said simply, grabbing one for herself and running it over Cheyenne’s golden coat. “It’s just been a long time since I’ve talked about him.”
I glanced down at the brush in my hand, then over at the horse. I hadn’t realized how close I’d gotten. Cheyenne was massive—sleek and powerful—but there was a calm in her dark eyes that made me feel braver than I should’ve. Slowly, I crossedto the other side of her and lifted the brush. I dragged it gently along her back, trying to mimic Norah’s movements. After a few strokes, I reached out with my free hand and gave her a small pat. She didn’t flinch. I smiled.
Norah’s voice pulled my attention back. “I don’t really remember him,” she said. “My dad.”
“Did he…die?”
She shook her head. “No. Nothing that tragic. At least not in the traditional sense.” She kept brushing, her rhythm steady. “I just know him through stories I’ve been told. My mom always wanted the ranch. My dad? Not so much.” Norah gave a faint, dry laugh. “They were really young when they got married, and I don’t know all of the details but one day, he was just…gone. Left a note on the table saying he’d met someone else, and that was it.”
She didn’t say it with anger. More like someone reciting an open-wound memory that had long since scabbed over.
“That’s awful.” It felt inadequate, but it was all I had.
She shrugged. “I was only one, so Ireallydon’t remember him at all. Luke was three and barely remembers anything. Zane’s the only one who really knew him, and I think that’s part of what turned him into the man he is today.”
I looked at her. “That must’ve been hard on him.”
“It was and still is to some effect. No one asked him to, but I think Zane felt he needed to step into the role our dad left behind. He was still a kid, but he acted like someone who had to hold it all together. He carries it around even now, twenty-some years later. It’s one of the reasons he struggles to trust people.” She paused and looked down at her hands. “I guess you can’t blame him.”
I nodded. “No. I get it.” I hesitated, brushing absently, and was just about to ask about those other reasons when Zane and Luke rode up to the barn.
Zane was on a tall black horse, thin leather straps loose in his hand, rope looped over his shoulder. He looked straight out of a movie and, unfortunately, he caught me staring. He tipped his hat with a smirk, and heat rushed to my face. I quickly dropped my gaze, hoping he hadn’t noticed the way my cheeks were definitely glowing.
“You boys get in enough practice?” Norah called out as she led Cheyenne toward the barn door.
“Sure did,” Luke replied. He patted the neck of his horse with pride. “Lady’s running like lightning. I think she’s even faster than Cheyenne.”
Norah scoffed. “Yeah, right. Keep dreaming.”
They kept up their banter while Zane dismounted and led his horse into the barn. He paused beside me, giving his horse a quick rub behind the ear.
“That’s a beautiful horse,” I offered, a little too eagerly.
“Thanks,” he said with a nod. “You know much about horses?”
“Not really,” I admitted. “What’s his name?”
“Cash.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Like…money?”
“After one of my favorite singers,” He grinned at my confused expression. “Johnny Cash,” he supplied.
“Oh. Right.” I nodded. “That makes sense.”
Zane chuckled softly, and I didn’t dare admit I had no idea who Johnny Cash was. “Want to help me brush him?”
“Sure.”
I ducked into the room with all of the horse stuff and grabbed the same brushes Norah and I had used earlier. When I returned, Luke was unsaddling his horse nearby.
