“Thanks, Dad. You’re not bad yourself.”
“Thanks, kid. Things are going to start happening around here pretty quickly. Lots of people coming and going. Are you ready for that?” I asked her as I plated her ham and cheese sandwich.
“Yes. I think it will be fun. I want to ride all the way on the trail. I can ride Moonlight.”
A string of cheese hung from her lips, and I wiped it with my free hand. “Hmm. I don’t know about that. Moonlight is sensitive, so you have to catch her on the right day to ride. I don’t want you getting bucked off her.”
“I won’t. She listens to me, and she talks back.”
“You can talk to horses?”
She nodded her head as more cheese dripped from her chin. This time she caught it.
“Your grandpa used to do the same thing.”
“Can you speak to them, Daddy?”
“Not speak, but I can feel if they are going to do something. Like buck me off.” I smirked.
“You’ll be okay. Moonlight just doesn’t like it if you don’t ride her. She likes the sunshine. Says you don’t ride her enough.”
“You are the cutest.” My daughter was a horse whisperer. “Your mother would be proud.”
“I miss Mommy. She made me laugh. I wish she would come back. But I like Amber, too.”
I took her one of her little hands in mine. “You can like them both. Nobody will ever replace your mother, but Amber is your friend now, and you can talk to her, too.”
“I know. I really like her. She’s nice to me.”
“I like her, too. What would you think if I married her?”
“Yay! Can I be the flower girl?”
“You sure can.”
Even gunslinging cowboys need love.
Epilogue: Amber
Six Months Later
The Merced sky was an incredibly vivid blue, and the sweet, melodic sounds of birdlife filled my ears. I was standing in the middle of a fully enclosed horse arena built by Colt and his father. At the entry was a red and white flag with the outline of Moonlight on it. At the front of the property, I’d helped paint the sign for Colt Trail Rides. I couldn’t be prouder. Colt put me through the wringer, riding every morning until I got used to all the horses. When I touched the inside of my thighs, I felt like they weren’t there.
Then, a week before we were due to open, he said in his Colt way, “I think you’re ready.”
Two weeks before the opening, we were booked out for a whole month. Both Colt and I couldn’t believe it. We were both sitting on the couch in the living room, counting all the bookings.
“Can you believe this is happening? We are fully booked!”
“No. I can’t. This is crazy. Wow. You did it, Colt!”
“Baby, I couldn’t have done it without you.” I smiled wide and big as I thought of the memory. Colt and I were going from strength to strength, growing and getting to know one another more deeply.
Fast forward to the day of our official opening. I was nervous. Colt was nervous. Clive was fumbling around with last minute things in the barn. Cheryl was baking muffins for morning tea. We had a full schedule. I was taking the role of administration, bookings, and specific groups.
“The arena looks great, baby. I can’t believe you built this in such a short amount of time. I’m really proud of you.”
Colt wrapped his thick muscular arms around me, kissing me like it was his last breath.
“What was that for?”
His blue eyes were the same color as the sky. “For sticking by me and believing in me.”
I touched the side of his face with my finger. “I know you’re a good man, Colt. I was always going to stand by you. What happened was self-defense.”
“Yes, it was. That guy came back from the dead. I thought the Russians took him out. But that’s not the only reason. Or the only situation. The whole way through, you had my back.”
“That’s what you do for the ones you love.” I meant it.
My life was just beginning. I quit after seven years of social work, with a twist. I started a collaboration project with the Department of Human Services for young men and women to ride for self-esteem. Psychological studies showed that communicating with horses was good for emotional healing and trauma. I wanted to give some of the foster kids some hope. So I led the groups on trail rides. Nothing fancy, just trotting along the trail. If nature could be soothing for me, then it could be soothing for kids and young adults.
I was nervous to ask Colt about it. I didn’t know if he thought it would work. I danced around him in the kitchen one night.
“Amber, what is going on with you? You’re all jittery and acting funny. Tell me.” Colt pulled me close to him, and I melted as I always did in his presence.
“I thought I could run a program with the foster kids to ride. I want to still be involved. Do you think we could add that to the schedule?”
Colt didn’t bat an eye. “Of course we can. That’s a brilliant idea. Were you scared to tell me that?”
“Not scared. I just didn’t know what you would think.”
He kissed me hard on the lips, leaving me breathless. I was more in love with him than ever.
“Well, I’m glad you asked, anyway.”
Now Colt and I walked around the ready-made arena, checking for pockets that the horses might fall in. “I feel somewhat responsible. If I didn’t get you mixed up with helping my brother, you wouldn’t have been in that situation.”
“You’re kidding, right? If I hadn’t shipped illegal car parts on behalf of the Outlaws, I would never have been in jail. If I was never in jail, I never would have met the love of my life. Every single thing in life happens for some reason or another. Sometimes, we don’t understand why until later, but still.”
“Colt Winters, my reckless cowboy, when did you become so wise?”
“Right about now.” Colt stomped his feet over certain sections of the grass, making sure it was just right. It looked like a mini horse ranch. Transformed from a free-flowing paddock to this. “I’m determined to make this work, and with you by my side, I can do anything.”
Some days Colt’s intensity blew me away. He was a force all his own. I watched as he prepared the saddles, and the older version of Colt stepped forward to the arena.
“You got the mic?” Clive asked.
“Yes, I do, Pops. Fully charged.”
Clive appeared to age backward. Ever since he’d been working on the farm with Colt, he seemed so happy and content. He was a man who belonged to the land for sure. Crop season was fast approaching, and Cheryl had a handle on that. Workers came and went from the property daily, and the back fields transformed into rows of uniform food crops. Colt’s home was a hive of activity.
Colt couldn’t stand still. “What if they don’t show up? What do I do?”
I grabbed his hand. I knew how to keep him calm when he got agitated. “It’s going to be all right. Think about it. They’ve already paid their money. They are going to show up. Breathe, baby.”
Colt squeezed my hand back. “You’re right, and I know you’re right.”