Page 40 of Save A Horse (Texas Rose Ranch #1)

Daisy

W e made our way outside to the tire swing.

It had always hung in the same place from the big oak tree.

Colt’s mom had his dad install it right there so she could see him from the porch or if she were inside the house.

It was the perfect spot. She loved watching us play.

I sat down, and Colt pushed me gently. I laughed lightly, feeling the breeze against my skin.

“This is nice…just us.” He nodded.

“I wish we could be open about this. About us. I mean, it hasn’t been that bad. I just really want to show you off.” I wanted nothing more than to be with him, openly. I wanted people to notice that we were together.

“Show me off?” He tried to make a joke, but the lingering thoughts made it kind of difficult to find laughter in the moment. “I know. We just have to keep being careful and keep this hidden for a little while longer.” I nodded at his words. This had become harder as the days passed.

“Then you’ll tell him?” He sighed, but I pretended not to notice. I didn’t want to start overthinking.

All I wanted was for Colt to man up and tell his dad. It was his place to tell him, not mine. He made his dad a promise and broke it, now he needed to own up to it. He needed to have a talk with him. Maybe he would understand. Maybe he wouldn’t be as hard on Colt as he thought.

I wanted Colt to sit with me, wrap his arms around me, and just be free. I wanted to be free from the chains and shelter of having to keep a secret. I closed my eyes for a moment as I briefly felt Colt’s hands against my back as he pushed me again, letting out a deep breath.

I had been paying attention to see if Walt came back, but I hadn’t yet seen him. I knew he would be back soon since he had already been gone for a bit.

Colt walked in front of me and helped me off the swing. We walked to the barn, side by side, just as when we went anywhere together as kids. I felt our hands grazing each other’s. It was a small thing, but it was a sweet, silent moment.

“Hey, Daisy?”

“Hm?”

“You haven’t checked on the chickens, have you?”

“No, not since I’ve been here. Your dad hasn’t asked me to do it.”

“Yeah. He really likes chickens, so he usually does that himself. My mom always loved them.”

“They probably remind him of her.”

“Yeah. She collected them. That’s why there’s some in the house.”

“I’ve noticed them. I think the black and white one with the cowboy hat, boots, and bandana is my favorite.”

“She liked to find the ones that were unique and different. ”

“She had a good eye for them.”

“What do you say we go take a look at the chickens?” I nodded.

As we approached, I could hear the clucking of the chickens echoing in the air.

I was excited. I hadn’t been around chickens since the last time I had been at Texas Rose Ranch.

We didn’t have chickens, but I always saw them here.

I spotted the chickens with their glistening feathers in the sunlight.

They scurried around, pecking at the ground below.

Colt opened the door, and as we stepped inside the coop, I could smell hay and fresh straw.

I looked around at the ground, trying to avoid most of their little drops.

Colt filled the feeder with grain while I checked the water buckets.

I carefully made sure their water was clean before adding fresh water for them to enjoy.

“Look at them go!” Colt chuckled, nudging me slightly.

One hen pushed her way to the front to get to the food.

I smiled, enjoying the sight of our feathered friends.

It had been a long time since I saw chickens.

There weren’t any in Dallas, but Garrity Valley always had them.

It was something else I really loved about this place…

Something I had missed and not even realized.

Sometimes, it’s the little things that bring the most joy.

Being with Colt made everything more fun. I watched as he made sure everything was just right. He was so meticulous. It was one of the things I admired most about him.

“Let’s see if we can find any eggs.” I nodded, hoping I would find more than him.

We wandered around, checking all the spots. From experience, even if you have a nice box made with hay or straw in it for them to lie in, you will always have at least one that decides a random spot on the ground is a better place. Hunting eggs was almost like a treasure hunt.

“Got one!” I held it up to show Colt .

“Nice one! I don’t see any more lying around anywhere. Maybe the rest were smarter and actually lay in the boxes.”

“Let’s check.” We walked over to the boxes, and all but one of them had at least one egg inside.

As we gathered the eggs, we were careful not to crack them. A good thing about being on a ranch like this was being able to get some food like this without having to go to a store. I never did like going shopping, and even after moving away, I still only went when it was absolutely necessary.

I glanced over at Colt, who was still collecting eggs, being so careful and attentive as he placed each one in the basket he was holding.

I loved these moments with Colt. They felt timeless.

I wanted to bottle little moments like this up so I could go back to them later and relive them all over again.

Eventually, we finished our egg hunt. Colt set the basket down and began counting the eggs.

“Twenty eggs, Daisy!”

“Do you all usually get that many?”

“Yeah, it’s usually around that many this time of year.”

“That’s a lot!”

Working with the chickens today was another way for us to bond.

It had always been a strong one, and getting that back has been great.

It has meant a lot to me that Colt and I could put the past behind us and be like this together.

He was wonderful. We have been creating some more memories that I can look back on and hold near and dear to me.

As we walked back to the house, I wanted to reach over and take his hand, but I could see his dad in the barn and knew that wasn’t the best idea. However, I still smiled and felt grateful that I had someone so special in my life who would make saying goodbye so hard.