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One Last Ride

REINA

I’d spent so much of the last few years wishing on every passing star and plane to have more moments like this. The three of us, the laughter of my brothers, full and hearty in the distance as I kept to my own. Just the energy around them was enough to make me somewhat happy to be content with this little life of mine.

Seth had been gone for far too long. The gap in his presence was felt by us all. I didn’t blame him for any of it. We all reacted in different ways. If he had to run away to get better, then so be it, as long as he found his way back to us. Warm sunlight streamed into the stables, highlighting the little white speckles of dust in its glow. I tapped my foot against the wooden stool to the beat of some song on my ‘Good Vibes Only’ playlist, humming along to the harmony, my fingers weaving knots into a crochet top.

A bucket of water clanged against the floor, startling me into a straightened posture. Hunter lay on his ass with a menacing glare at Seth’s pointed finger. I grinned, joining in Seth’s rare laugh, and shook my head at Hunter’s clumsiness. Though I wasn’t exactly coordinated, Hunter was less than balanced himself unless he was on top of a horse, which seemed to be more time than not these days.

“I knew that was behind me,” he grumbled, but took Seth’s extended hand. Hunter brushed himself off as Seth mounted his horse. “Wanna go for a ride, little sister?”

I dropped my crochet hook, leaning forward as I looked them over and tried not to appear too eager. “You sure I won’t just slow y’all down?”

“Probably,” Seth mumbled, staring down at me from the top of his horse, Freedom. My brother was already tall, and gazing up at him on the seat of his stallion put a crook in my neck. Heat rushed to my cheeks as I glanced at Hunter, then picked at my crochet hook. Hunter cleared his throat, mounting his mare without tearing his hard stare from his twin. “But that doesn’t mean we don’t want you to come.”

Clicking pause on my tunes, I stopped what I was doing and quickly tied my hair into a braid. Hunter reached out a hand before I crossed over to his horse's stall. “Up you go. Ride with me, for old times’ sake?”

A toothy smile wide enough to pinch my cheeks took over. I hadn’t been for a ride with Hunter in ages. Since we were kids, actually. It was a memory I dreamed about when my family was falling apart. I used to spend a lot of time with my brothers. Then James died and Seth left. The loss of them both had sent Hunter into a period of recluse, leaving me to my lonesome.

Riding the property in one of the trucks or a four-wheeler was one thing. Feeling the rhythmic motion of Hunter’s sweet Daisy beneath me, her muscles flexing with each step, was a beauty of its own. I’d forgotten how picturesque the rolling hills of Billings were. They resembled a dang painting that cost thousands of dollars hanging in some fancy museum. Green grass waved in the breeze in every direction. The blue of the sky seemed brighter accompanied by the earthy aroma of the rich soil and wildflowers.

Patches of trees sparked vivid memories from my childhood. My brothers and I spent many afternoons there, wasting away time and sharing the water of whomever had any left. We’d hide in the shade for hours when our father had told us we couldn’t come back in until our chores were complete. A worn down wooden structure showed its head after a few silent minutes of riding. The tree house James had tried to build for me ages ago when I’d begged for one for my tenth birthday.

Seth’s tan, freckled face beamed with the joy and freedom that riding brought him. He looked at Hunter, exchanging the silent words that only twins could do. The stormy blue eyes we all shared glimmered as they fell on me with a wicked grin. “Hold on tight.”

With a series of gleeful whoops and shouts, the wind ripped in my ears as my brothers took off. Daisy's and Freedom’s tails trailed behind them like banners, their feet moving so fast, I could not decipher when they were touching the ground. Freedom and Seth moved as one, the two of them in their element.

I loosened the grip I had on Hunter, my arms out wide, thighs tightened for stability. My laughter mingling with the wind as we raced across the open field. The pressure and expectations our daddy had on us felt far away out here. Understanding why my brothers spent so much time away and out on the property was easy with this kind of reminder. In sync, Hunter and Seth slowed to a steady trot. They rode side by side, the only sounds now the soft clop of hooves and the buzz of nature around us.

Hunter was the first to break the silence. “Anything from that school yet? SCAT?”

“SCAD,” Seth corrected, noting the sharp dart of my eyes on the ground and failure to answer the question. He moved Freedom closer, peering at me from beneath his favorite pinched front cowboy hat. “Don’t sweat it. Their loss.”

The words meant a heck of a lot coming from him. He’d been the main one crapping on the idea of leaving this place along with our dad. “I never applied.”

“What?” Hunter asked, turning slightly to get a good look at me. Though he and Seth were twins, they were opposites despite the even amount of time spent in the sun. His pale skin and dark hair resisted the changes from the harsh sun, much like my own. “Why? You were so excited.”

“Dad … he didn’t think it was a smart move. A waste of money,” I answered, more meekly than I’d intended. It was a touchy subject, considering there was a chance Seth would somehow find a way to defend the harsh words of our dad. They both intended well, had my best interest at heart, but their words could use a lesson in bedside manner from our momma.

“Since when has dad’s opinion meant anything to you?” Hunter’s olive-hued skin reddened in frustration.

“I mean, I don’t know,” I reasoned, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “He’s right. I’m of better use out here, anyway. If I leave, y’all would need to hire a ranch hand. We can’t afford that and school. Makes sense. I get it. Honest.”

“Fuck that, Reina, and fuck what happens here. You deserve to go,” Hunter snarled. He was the more protective of my brothers. Always looking out for me, considering my wants and needs. They tended to come last in this house, whether it was intentional or not. Not with Hunter, though. He always put me first. It was admirable—his selflessness. If more people could have a heart as golden as his, then one day the world would be a better place for it.

“Hunter,” Seth warned.

“We can pick up the slack around here,” Hunter said definitively. The defiance in his ice-blue stare left Seth little room to argue. With a deep sigh, Seth nodded in agreement. “The two of us will talk to dad.”

“Yeah. You just focus on getting in. Go sew a new top for your application or something.”

I smiled at Seth. If he’d allow it, I’d smother him with a hug. He tried to understand my world, he really did, and I could only love him for it. “That’s not how that works.” I looked between the two of them, waiting for them to say sike. “Really though. Y’all sure? No take backs.”

“Yeah, we’re sure. You let us handle—” Hunter’s sentence cut off at the sudden God-awful alarm blaring from his phone. He raised his hips a bit, pulling it loose from his pocket. His fingers trembled as I fought to make out the words on his screen, to no avail.

Buzzing tickled the butt of my pants, the silent mode of my phone saving my heart from another scare. I freed it from the back pocket of my jeans and nearly dropped it at the header of the news alert. Daisy huffed, her movements becoming jerky from the anxiety flowing from my brother and me.

“What?” Seth asked. “What happened? Ma okay?”

He never took his phone when he left the house. Technology and him weren’t exactly two peas in a pod and he preferred the peace that came with the disconnection on a ride away from home.

“We need to get home. Now.” Hunter nudged Daisy, and she took off at full-speed. The urgency in her gait was eerie. Like she knew the world was ending.