Page 13

The way the sun rises over the land in the mornings always fills my heart with gratitude. All the hard work I did to get here was worth all the long, wearying days.

This land stretches as far as the eye can see and the vastness, the rugged beauty of it fills the horizon.

Majestic oak trees shade the house, so the porch is cooler in the summer. I was careful when I built the place not to cut down too many trees for that exact reason.

I’m still working on finishing the house so it’s rough and not much to look at yet, but my main priority was to finish building one for my folks first.

I’d wanted my grandmother to be able to move back onto the land that used to belong to her grandfather. I get choked up thinking about how much it meant to her the day she stepped foot on the land again. She’d knelt down and taken a handful of dirt and clutched it to her chest.

Tempest’s ancestors had cheated mine for this land and sold off most of it except for the part where her Aunt Kyra lives. My goal is to one day get that parcel back, too.

I stretch out a kink in my back that developed from staying stooped over too long checking the horses. I was concerned that Lady Grace, one of the older mares, might have developed a hoof wall crack. The livestock veterinarian had assured me it wasn’t and I was thankful.

I’d brought Lady Grace home after the former owner could no longer physically care for her. She’s a sweet old gal obsessed with my jean pockets ever since I’d tucked a few raspberries in them.

She nuzzles the side of my pants now, seeking her treat. I take them out, holding them in the palm of my hand for her.

“I gotta get going to ride the boundary lines.” I stroke her softly. “And I told you yesterday I also have to weld a gate. I’ll check on you later, hmm?”

She neighs softly as I start to walk away.

My ranch is slowly picking up speed and though I’m in debt up to my eyebrows, I’m heading toward a good place financially. As long as I keep the growth steady and don’t take on too many financial responsibilities, everything’s going to work out.

My phone vibrates and I check the message from Sunflower.

I only have time to write out a quick reply.

To: Sunflower

Subject: The whatever

I agree that flowers or whatever are important. So what’s your whatever?

Busting my ass in the hot sun and looking forward to your answer.

~Midnight Cowboy

I sign off and tuck my phone away. I’ve got a long list of things to finish up before I can head to town to work on Kyra’s ceiling again. If I had more ranch hands, everything here would get done a lot faster, but for now, I can only afford one full time and one part time.

Logan is coming today with machinery to help clear some land at the back of the property where everything grew too wild and out of control.

An older car pulls into the driveway, sending plumes of dirt dust into the air. My mother gets out carrying a casserole dish. Our homes are only separated by a dozen acres and she’s here every other day bringing food she just happened to make too much of.

This time, however, because of my lie about dating Tempest, I suspect she’s on a mission other than bringing me food.

I adjust my Stetson and stride to greet her. “Ma, I would have stopped by the house if you would have called.” I take the dish from her.

She glances toward the house. “Are you alone?”

I shake my head.

“Oh. Tempest is here?”

“Why in the world would—Oh…” I cough to cover my near mistake. “I’m alone. I meant my ranch hands are here. She’s in town working at Kyra’s business.”

My mother nods. “It’ll be nice to have the arcade back. Your nephews will love that place when it opens.”

The way she’s talking sounds off. “Everything okay at home? Granny’s alright?”