Page 45 of Save A Horse (Texas Rose Ranch #1)

Colt

T he day was a blur after our romantic time together at the picnic.

It was now the next morning, and the morning sun was casting a long shadow across the ranch. Daisy emerged from her room, her hair still lightly damp. I smiled at her as she made her way to the front door where I was standing. I opened the door for her, leading her towards the barn.

“Dad’s already out there.” I nodded in its direction. “You know he gets up before the chickens even think about it.” She chuckled a little, and the sound of her laughter filled my soul.

As we approached the barn, we found my dad tinkering with the old tractor.

His hands were covered in grease and dirt as he expertly adjusted the carburetor.

His brows were furrowed as he concentrated.

I couldn’t wait until we could afford a new tractor.

We had both spent a lot of time working on this one, and it was about time for an upgrade.

I was tired of it breaking down and costing us parts .

My dad looked up, a smile softening his rugged features as he saw us standing there near him.

“Morning, you two. Sleep alright?”

“Yep.” Daisy nodded, agreeing with my answer.

“How did it go at your dad’s yesterday? I didn’t get a chance to ask you two about how it went last night.” I looked at Daisy, wondering if she was going to answer. I noticed her lips parting, so I stayed quiet.

“It went well. We helped him in the garden. I know he keeps that up because it was one of my mom’s favorite things.

” She paused for a moment, then continued.

“We helped him tidy up the shed and get it organized, too. He needed some help with repairing a small part of the fence where the cattle are.” She glanced at me.

I remembered that was the moment I stole her away for our romantic picnic rendezvous.

“Colt and I aided in the repairs to it.”

“Well, I’m glad you two got to go over there and help him out for the day.”

“He told us about the help he had leaving for other work. Walt, has my dad been struggling?”

“Ah…” My dad scratched his head, not wanting to answer.

“He was doing pretty good running the place with the help he did have. Since they’re gone now, he has called on me and Colt sometimes for a little help.

It’s not a big ranch, but neither you nor your dad is getting older.

A little assistance is good for us. I don’t know what I’d do without Colt here. ”

He placed a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it. It felt nice to have him say those words and give me some credit for all the effort I put in and the work I do around the ranch. I want to take over someday. That’s the dream.

“Alright, enough talk. We’ve got work to do. Colt, I need you to go check the fence and cattle. You can take the side-by-side down there. Daisy, can you help me with the horses? ”

“Of course.”

I heard a bark and looked around to see Hank stepping into view. He never strayed far from my dad.

“Oh, alright, Hank. You can help with the horses, too.” My dad knelt down and rubbed his head. He moved his leg a little, letting us know that the head scratch was hitting the right spot.

I grabbed food and water and loaded it into the back of the side by side.

I was eager to get started. Once I arrived, I filled up the troughs with food and water, then slowly drove the side-by-side around the fence, making sure there weren’t any problem areas.

We had one heifer that liked to try to break through it often, and it was better to check the fence daily and be safe rather than sorry. I didn’t catch anything wrong with it.

I paused for a moment and watched the cattle as they ate.

Growing up here, Daisy and I talked about seeing other places, but I never did want to go.

Being around life like this all the time, I didn’t see why anyone would ever want to leave it.

I understood why Daisy left, though. There was a lot of heartbreak, and she always had that strong, adventurous side that wanted to explore the world.

? ? ?

I was fifteen and Daisy was thirteen. She was sitting on the tire swing at the big oak tree, me pushing her gently.

The gentle breeze felt cool against my skin and the only sounds were of the horses whining.

Daisy leaned her head back as I gave her a push, her arms briefly letting go of the swing as she came back to be level with the earth beneath us.

“You know, cowboy?”

“What’s that, Daisy?”

“I’ve been thinking about all the places I want to see when I grow up.”

“Like where? Looking around, this is the best place to be. Here, you don’t have anyone to bother you, and you can be surrounded by nature, horses, and cattle all day.

You can go riding when you want, and there are so many things you can do and have here that you can’t anywhere else. ” She ignored my comment and continued.

“There is so much out there. New York City would be fun to see one day. It’s so big and the buildings are so tall there.”

“Yeah, but it would be really crowded there with all the people.”

“Exactly! I want to see the bright lights, the street performers, and all of the sights it has to offer. I want to experience it. The Statue of Liberty must really be a sight!”

“You and your big dreams. What else?” I pushed her again, and she kept talking about all the places she wanted to see someday.

“The beach! I’ve never been. People at school talk about going on vacations in the summer.”

“I’ve heard them.”

“You could go swimming and build sandcastles. You may even see a dolphin! That would be awesome!”

“What if you got sunburnt?”

“I’ll wear sunscreen. That’s beside the point. Don’t worry, though. I’ll bring you along so you can help me build that sandcastle. Maybe I can bury you in the sand, too.”

“You wish.”

“Wouldn’t the mountains be nice to see? We could go hiking. We could have a picnic up there, too, as we took in the view from the top.”

“A picnic?”

“We could explore caves and look for cool rocks. At night, we could lie under the stars.”

“You’ve really thought this through, haven’t you?”

“I guess so. I just think it would be fun to see other places besides here…only if you go with me, though.” I smiled. I liked the fa ct that she included me in all her plans. “Garrity Valley is my home, and I will always come back to it. It would be nice to visit some other places in my life.”

? ? ?

The sun had now climbed high, and the earth felt like it was baking in its rays.

The side-by-side bounced against the ground as I headed in the direction of my dad and Daisy.

I could see some dust flying up as I moved along.

The air was thick with the smell of leather and sweat as I got back to the barn.

I ran a hand across my forehead, wiping away the perspiration.

I slowed the engine as I approached. My dad and Daisy were still inside, standing in the doorway now.

My dad was leaning against Titan’s stall, and Daisy was in the center, her hands moving with gentle ease as she brushed Domino’s mane.

Domino shifted and snorted softly, but Daisy’s calm voice soothed him.

Sunlight seeped through the cracks of the barn, beaming off her face and illuminating the dirt on the group inside.

I cut the engine, the sudden silence allowing me to hear the horses. Daisy looked up, her eyes meeting mine, and a smile formed on her face.

“Hey.” She called out, her voice carrying across the distance between us.

“Back already?” I nodded to answer my dad’s question. I hopped out of the side-by-side and walked over to them.

“The fence looked good. I left them eating, and the water troughs full of water.”

“Good to hear.”

“So, what’s next?”

“Can you two pick up sticks from the yard? I need to mow, so I’m going to go work on that. After that, could y’all go feed and water the chickens and collect the eggs? ”

“On it, Walt.”

“Got it, dad.”

Daisy and I headed straight to the yard, me pushing the wheelbarrow behind her so we could throw all the sticks in for easy collecting and disposal.

“Come on, slowpoke.” I looked up at Daisy after that remark.

“Excuse me? You know I could run circles around you with picking these up.” I waved a stick around as she scoffed.

“You’re on.”

We worked in a comfortable silence, stealing glances at one another to see the progress each of us was making.

Neither of us wanted the other to outdo ourselves.

Daisy scooped up the sticks swiftly, but with my longer legs and arms, I clearly had the advantage.

Daisy was more methodical, scanning the ground and carefully picking up the smallest bits of debris.

“Looking good, team.” We both looked up at my dad’s words. “Looks like I’m ready to start. Take the wheelbarrow and dump all the sticks in the barrel.” Inodded and started wheeling it over, Daisy following behind me.

“Looks like it might have been a tie.”

“That sounds good to me.”

Together, we unloaded the sticks from the wheelbarrow to the inside of the barrel.

This would be good to lay on a bonfire. I was hoping we could have one soon.

A little over half of the barrel was filled, and we walked back to the barn so I could put the wheelbarrow back inside.

I felt a smack on my butt and jolted back.

“Hey!”

“Don’t worry. Your dad is on the mower and can’t hear a thing. He’s concentrating too hard to be looking over here at us.” I shook my head at her but still smiled. I liked that she did it without warning. She kept me on my toes.

“I’ll grab the basket from the barn.” Daisy headed over to grab it while I grabbed the feed bucket and filled a jug of water.

I made sure to keep a couple of steps behind her as we headed to the chicken coop. Inside, the smell was a mix of dust and crap, and the air was filled with feathers and clucking. I hoisted the feed bucket, scattering grain across the floor.

“Alright, y’all. Food is served.” I heard squawks as the chickens ran toward the scattered piles of feed.

I walked over and refilled their water. Daisy was already kneeling by the nesting boxes, placing eggs in the basket she had in her hands. I checked the boxes on the opposite end of where she was, placing those inside the basket along with the others.

“How many do we have?” We stood up, and Daisy started counting.

“Twelve eggs. Not bad at all.”

* * *

That evening, we were all sitting out on the porch.

We had accomplished quite a bit on the ranch today, and I was glad that I could experience this time working alongside Daisy.

I wondered what it would be like to work with the person you were in a relationship with after seeing my parents and Daisy’s parents working together all those years.

Experiencing it now was nothing short of amazing.

We balanced each other out, and it was always fun being around her.

“Well, kids, I’ve got to head out.” I turned to him. “I’ve got some business to take care of.”

“Business?” I raised an eyebrow. “What kind of business, dad?”

“Nothing you need to worry about, just something I need to get done. Don’t wait up on me. I may stop at John’s before I come back.” I nodded, and my dad headed to his truck .

We watched as he drove down the driveway, dust flying behind the tires. As he went out of view, there was silence in the air. The only sounds were those of the crickets chirping. I turned to Daisy, an intense gaze forming between us.

“Well, Daisy. I have a proposition for you.”

“Oh. I’m intrigued.” She leaned against the porch railing, biting her lip on one side. She was doing things to me just by the way she was looking at me.

“What do you say we head into town and go to the bar for food, drinks, and I have a dance or two in me. I heard the bar has a live band playing tonight.” I winked at her.

“Hmm…I don’t know.” I twisted my head, knowing she was messing with me.

I stepped closer, placing a hand on her cheek.

“Of course I’ll go. I could use a night out.

You, too, cowboy.” She leaned forward, kissing me on the cheek.

I wasn’t about to let her tease me like that, so I grabbed her face, pulling her lips to mine.

“Go get cleaned up. We leave in twenty.”

“On it, cowboy.”

I quickly showered, knowing that I could be in and out faster than it would take Daisy to pick out clothes to wear. Her last outfit stole the show, so I was curious what she would have on tonight.

I slipped on a light blue button-up, rolling the sleeves up to my elbows, and a clean pair of jeans.

I pulled on my boots and added my cowboy hat to finish the look before heading out of the room toward the living room to wait for Daisy.

I was hoping she would be quick. I was eager to eat, but I was even more anxious to see her.

I heard footsteps, so I turned toward the hallway.

When Daisy walked into my view, all I could do was stare.

She had on this dress, a perfect shade of blue, mimicking the colors of the night sky with its dark and blue and shimmering effect.

It was short, but it didn’t show too much.

She had on some short, black boots, and her hair was down.

I admired how her bouncy curls flowed down her body.

She was glowing. Her makeup was simple, and I recalled how she never wore a lot.

She liked the natural look. She was effortlessly stunning, like she just threw it on and walked out the door.

I looked her up and down as she came closer to me.

My breath caught as I looked at her, every curve making me ache with how beautiful she is.

She was a dream, my dream, and didn’t even know it.