Page 27 of Save A Horse (Texas Rose Ranch #1)

Colt

T he sun rose over the ranch. I woke up to thecrowing of the roosters and the faint smells of the world outside.

I grabbed breakfast, then slipped on my boots and headed out the door.

My dad was already out in the fields. I was falling a little behind this morning.

I joined him, helping with some of the morning chores.

“Colt, come over here. I need your help.”

“I got it.” I grabbed the door of the gate, closing it quickly. We had to wrangle the cattle and check on a few that were sick, making sure to give them the required medicine to help them get better.

“I need you to help me with them. They have to be held still so I can inject them. They have to get this medicine to help with their respiratory infections. Come on. We need to get this done so none of them get any sicker.”

“I got it, dad. ”

“You ready?”

“Yes.” My dad took the syringe and injected it.

“Easy now, girl.” He gently rubbed her. “Good job. Now, let’s move on to the next one.”

As we worked side by side to give each of the sick cattle their injections, I couldn’t help but think about Daisy.

Since she had been back here, I had seen her love for this place blossom again.

I understood why she had left and moved to the city.

Pain is hard. It is especially harder to face it head-on rather than run away from it.

I knew I would do everything in my power to keep my promise to her and make this the most unforgettable summer for her.

Once the chores were done, I decided it was time to find Daisy.

I hadn’t seen her in a bit, where I was so focused on helping my dad, but there was something I wanted to ask her.

I walked over to the barn and didn’t see her.

Usually, she likes to hang out here if she has any free time at all.

I thought about it, then made my way to the house.

Once inside, I saw her coming down the hall.

“Oh, Colt. You scared me.”

“Sorry.”

“I just had to run inside to use the bathroom quickly. Are you hungry? I figured while I was in there, I would go ahead and make myself a sandwich. Can I get you one? I can make one up for your dad, too.”

“That would be great, but could you make mine and yours to go?”

“To go?” She looked at me, confused.

“I thought we could go fishing.”

“Fishing?”

“Come on. There’s no way it’s been so long that you’ve forgotten what fishing is. ”

“No, I haven’t.” She laughed lightly.

“Well?”

“I would love to go with you.”

I wanted to kiss her, but I was going to save it until we were alone by the water.

There was a small pond with just enough fish that we could catch from time to time and make a meal on, and I couldn’t think of anything better to eat on a summer day than some freshly caught fish.

We headed out, stopping by to drop off a sandwich for my dad.

“Daisy made us all a sandwich.” He looked down, noticing our sandwiches in our hands.

“Where are you two headed off to?”

“Well, since we finished with the cattle and Daisy has finished everything with the horses, I thought she could go with me and help catch some dinner.”

“Fishing?” I nodded.

“Well, make sure she doesn’t scare them off. I want enough to eat.” I nodded, offering a crooked grin.

Once we reached our fishing spot, I set up the rods while Daisy explored the area.

She picked up a couple of rocks and skipped them in the water.

I watched her, captivated by the way she moved.

She was so carefree and adventurous, and this moment reminded me of when we were kids, and we would go fishing.

? ? ?

Daisy and I were sitting at the edge of the creek with our feet dangling over the water.

She moved her feet back and forth to create tiny ripples in the water.

The two of us had only been fishing by ourselves a few times.

Our parents were nervous about us being around the water, but once we were old enough- I was fourteen and Daisy twelve- our dads convinced our moms that it would be okay.

“Do you think we’ll catch anything this time?” Daisy asked, her eyes sparkling. She held on to her fishing pole tightly, not wanting the same mishap from last time to happen again. I shrugged.

Going fishing with Daisy was special. It was just the two of us. We could sit and talk a little, or not say anything at all, and it was so peaceful.

She brought me peace.

She brought me comfort.

“We might catch something. I sure hope so.”

“You had pretty good luck last time. Remember that big bass you caught?”

“Sure do! That was the biggest one I have ever caught.” She turned her head back to face the water, watching her line in the water, hoping she would get a bite. “I really hope you get one today.”

“Me, too. I hope mine is bigger than that bass you caught, too.” I chuckled as she rolled her eyes. She was funny like that. She had pouted when I caught the bass, and she didn’t have anything to show off from our fishing trip.

“What’s that?” I noticed her pulling something out of her pocket.

“These are going to do the trick!” She held up a small container full of colorful worms.

I leaned against a rock, watching my line in the water, occasionally stealing glances at Daisy’s way. She was beautiful. She was stunning. I knew there wasn’t any such thing as perfect, but Daisy sure was the closest thing to it.

“It’s so nice out here. I love fishing with you, cowboy.”

“Yeah, you aren’t too bad of company out here. But fishing is one of the best ways to spend a summer day.”

We waited patiently for a while longer, and I was starting to lose all hope that we would catch anything for supper.

I felt kind of bad because I knew how badly Daisy wanted to catch something.

After coming backempty-handed last time, she looked upset.

She was trying to hide it, but I could see right through it.

“I think I got one!” I jumped. Daisy had so much excitement in her voice.

“Come on. Reel it in.” Daisy had both hands on her pole, reeling it in. She was so close. “You can do it. Yeah. Just like that.” Daisy had the most determined look on her face, pulling with all her might.

“Look! Colt, look!” She held up the end of her line, a fish hanging off. “I did it! I finally caught one!”

“You sure did. Looks like it might be a little bigger than the one I caught last time.” She was so proud, but there was no way she was as proud as I was of her.

Daisy deserved this.

Daisy deserved the sun, the moon, and the stars.

? ? ?

“Come on, Colt. Let’s see who can catch the bigger fish this time. You remember I did last time.”

“How could I possibly forget?”

She smiled at me, and I knew she was up for a challenge. I grinned, accepting it. We both cast our lines into the water. For a while, there was silence. The only sounds were of Mother Nature. As the afternoon was coming to an end, we were starting to think we wouldn’t catch any.

“Colt!” I looked over at Daisy, reeling in her line.

“You’ve almost got it!”

Once she had it, she took the fish and held it up, letting me know she caught the first one.

She stuck her tongue out at me, and I knew I needed to catch one quickly or else I wouldn’t be hearing the end of this.

She put it in the bucket, then threw her line back out.

It was only a few minutes later when I caught one .

“Look here, Daisy. Two can play at this game.” We smiled at each other.

“Just wait. I might have a secret weapon up my sleeve.” This felt so natural, so right, being here with her. It felt just like old times.

“I’m really glad you’re here this summer. I know you coming here wasn’t what you had originally wanted, but you must admit that you’re enjoying being here now.”

“I am. I have missed this place, Colt. I have missed you.” I could see the sincerity in her eyes.

“I’ve been thinking?”

“You? Thinking? Don’t hurt yourself.” I laughed.

“I’ve been thinking about us.”

“And?”

“What are we going to do once summer ends?”

“Let’s not worry about that. I don’t want to talk about it.” I nodded. “Let’s just enjoy the summer. Remember, you promised me the most unforgettable one.”

I nodded again, giving her a slight smile.

I looked out at the water. A worried feeling came over me, and I could feel a little pressure in my chest afterward.

What would happen between us when summer ends?

Our time together will be up, and reality will set in.

Daisy will be leaving to go back to her place in the city soon and resume her life there, and I will be here.

I will be at my family’s ranch.

I will be at the Texas Rose Ranch.

I will be in Garrity Valley, Texas.

Our summer has once again been filled with talks, smiles, laughter- and this time, more.

It has been as it once was. The thought of her packing up all her things and leaving is starting to weigh heavily.

There will be physical distance between us again, but what if this also brought a different kind of distance?

What if she decides it is too hard to try something long-distance?

What if she decides to end things with us?

I have been feeling that this means as much to her as it does to me, but what if she doesn’t really feel that way?

What if this is just asummer fling to her?

I brushed my thoughts away, knowing that worrying would do me no good. All I could do right now was to cherish the time that we have spent together and cherish the time yet to come for the remainder of the summer.