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If only it could give me partial amnesia for the bad parts of my life. And it could last forever.
We followed the trail for another hour as it gently sloped upward. When we reached the crest of a hill, I gasped. We’d reached the broad pasture where the herd of buffalo grazed. They were giant creatures with thick brown fur, curved horns, and brawny shoulders.
“Audrey,” I exclaimed, “look at the buffalo!”
“They’re actually bison,” our guide said. “They’re similar to buffalo, but with some notable differences. Unlike buffalo, bison have humped shoulders, horns, and beards. Even the ladies!” She grinned at us. “The ranch has a whole herd of them. We can only get up close to one of them—just follow me. Gigi was bornhere. She’s semi-domesticated, which is highly unusual. She’ll accept treats from us. You can pet her if you want to.”
“Seriously?” I almost fell off my horse. “We canpetone of them?” I whipped my head at Audrey. “All my dreams are coming true!”
She laughed. “You crack me up, Jenny. First the iguana, now the buffalo.”
“Thebison,” I corrected her. “Gigi the bison, no less.” We rode slowly through the pasture. Most of the bison ignored us, not even casting a sideways glance at the horses. Still, I noticed that the guide was careful to keep us a safe distance from them. I didn’t mind. Riding near the herd as they grazed was basically my idea of Disneyland. The animals were so peaceful. I tried to soak it in.
My life had never been especially peaceful, and it was about to get a lot worse. I could feel it. Better enjoy the peacefulness of the gentle giants while I could.
The guide pulled up next to a giant bison, grazing silently off by herself. “This is Gigi.” The guide slowly climbed down from her horse and carefully approached the bison. She took some apple slices from her pocket and offered them to the animal. Gigi sneezed, then gently ate them from the guide’s hand.
She grinned at us. “Sneezing means she’s happy,” she said.
“Can I feed her?” I asked.
“Of course you can,” the guide said kindly. “I brought enough apples for everybody.”
Audrey and I stopped and gingerly climbed down from our horses. “Good girl,” I told Betsy. When the guide gave me my apple slices, I made sure that Betsy got one first.
“Come over and meet Gigi when you’re ready,” the guide said.
“I’m ready,” I said, but I approached carefully. The female bison was enormous, with big furry shoulders, a large, black, wetnose, and somber dark eyes. “You look like you’ve seen some things,” I whispered to Gigi as I held out an apple slice.
She took it, her surprisingly soft tongue swiping my palm.
“Oh my goodness,” I whispered, “she’s amazing.”
“Here, you can have my apple slices,” Audrey said. “I think Gigi’s amazing, too, but I don’t want her to lick me.”
I accepted the apples gratefully and fed the rest to Gigi. When she finished, she sneezed.
“You’re welcome,” I said.
In response, she snorted.
We stayed for a bit longer, and I took in the moment fully, trying to remember every detail so I could play it later like a movie in my mind. I would never forget the Silver Rivers Ranch. I would never forget Betsy the horse or being so happy for James and Audrey’s wedding. I would never forget Gigi the bison and her dark, wise eyes.
Most of all, I would never forget Cole.
Audrey and the guide talked for a few minutes. Audrey asked the guide questions about her job, the ranch, and normal, real-life things.
“I’m never going to have a normal life,” I whispered to Gigi. She let me pet her neck. “Which isn’t exactly anything new. Except that I got my hopes up—which was dumb, Gigi. Real dumb. Take it from me.”
In response, Gigi blinked. I felt seen.
“I wish I were a bison,” I said wistfully. Gigi appeared skeptical. Maybe she was disappointed there weren’t more apple slices; I wasn’t sure.
“We should get going!” Audrey called brightly. “We’re meeting James and Cole for drinks and pool time. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to see my man again!”
Before I turned around, I plastered a smile onto my face—the one I usually reserved for clients. “Me either, Audrey. Me either.”
COLE