Chapter One
Colt
The sun beat down on the parched Texas plains, turning the dust into a shimmering haze. As I adjusted my worn Stetson, my eyes scanned the horizon for any sign of trouble, but what I saw instead was her.
Daisy Carter, a city girl turned ranch hand, was off limits. My father, Walt, told his best friend, John, that he would teach his daughter about working hard. It was a long-overdue favor he owed. Daisy had left Garrity Valley right after graduating high school, and other than coming back for my mom’s funeral a few years later, she hadn’t been back here to Texas. She had never even come to visit her father.
I thought I had heard my dad and her dad talking once and mentioning something about Daisy working, but I didn’t know what she did, and I never bothered to ask. Apparently, it wasn’t much since she was here to learn about hard work, or at least it wasn’t what her dad approved of.
We were friends as kids, but she cut all ties once she moved to the city.
“Daisy, come over here and unlock this gate.” I glanced over my shoulder at my father’s words. He wasn’t even looking at her when he spoke.
Daisy had only been here for two days, and this task seemed to be turning out harder than my dad predicted. He thought it would be easy since he is such a hard ball, but Daisy clearly hates every minute of being here. He wasn't making it any easier on her, and I really couldn’t blame him. Her attitude needed a real, hard adjustment.
Daisy wrestled with the stubborn gate, and I couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle. It was fun watching her struggle. It was like a little dose of karma coming for her. If I had moved away and asked my dad for help with anything after not even bothering to ever come visit him after all he's done for me growing up, he would have slapped me upside the head or asked, 'You have brain damage, son? Did you fall off your horse?'
Daisy was still struggling, and my father wasn’t going to get out of the side by side to help. One thing about my father, he would make you learn the hard way. Like I said, he’s a hard ball for sure. Instead, while she struggled with the gate, my father scratched his loyal companion’s head. Hank was a beagle whom my mother had given to my father during the last year of her life. Hank flopped down to the side, leaning against the back of the seat of the side by side, kicking one leg involuntarily like he always did, because to him, scratches were just that good.
“Hold on, boy. The pretty lady needs some help.” I whispered, putting Shadow’s lead around the fence. I walked over to Daisy at the gate, noticing my father looking at me from his comfortable seat on the side by side. I knew he wasn’t going to say anything about me helping her, even if he wanted to. He knew I would help him out with teaching her hard work on the ranch this summer, as I promised him I would do, but he alsoknew I would never be as hard as him. I grabbed the gate, moving Daisy’s hands away. With one hard heave, I unlocked the gate and opened it, moving my body to the side so I didn’t get in the way. My dad put the side by side in drive, huffing as he went through.
He didn’t understand why I wasn’t as tough as him. Once, he told me I was like my mother in that way. I always took it as a compliment when anyone said I reminded them of my mother or that I was like her. She was the best. I wanted to help people, but I wanted to do it where there was a mutual sense of respect and understanding, with a little bit of kindness thrown in along the way.
My father wasn’t always like this, but since my mother passed away seven years ago, he hasn’t been around anyone or gone out like he used to. I think, after all these years, it was still hard for him to process, and he was still hurting. I tried asking him about my mother once, but he acted as if he didn’t hear me. My father rarely talked about my mother anymore, but I knew he thought about her. His hardened exterior was just a cover-up for his sadness. It had been hard on me, but I came to terms with the fact that she was gone. However, I still thought about her every day and tried to keep her memory alive in any way I could.
I closed the gate back and walked over to Shadow, untying his lead from the fence. I hopped on the saddle, rubbing his neck as I always do before riding.
“Thanks for the help.” I turned to look at Daisy, who was still standing by the gate, only now she had a slightly confused look on her face. I gave her a slight smile and got Shadow into gear.
I enjoyed riding, feeling the wind against my skin, and being able to not worry about anything for a couple of hours. It is something I did daily. My mother used to ride with me, and this was one of those things I did to keep her memory alive. She used to say that horses are the wings we don’t have. I thoughtabout that every time I got on a horse. She was right when she said that, and I could feel it any time I was on a horse. Riding a horse felt like soaring through the open air, where every gallop brought a sense of liberation and connection to nature. It was a perfect escape from the world.
My father doesn’t ride for fun anymore, but back then, sometimes my mother would talk my father into taking a break and riding along the ranch with us. She could talk him into anything. She was his weakness. My father would go and pick her flowers every time he was out working late. She would also tell him, 'They’re beautiful,' and his response was always, 'Yes, Rose, they are, but they could never be as beautiful as you.' I missed seeing my father happy.
Chapter Two
Daisy
Ihad already completed the grimy chore of cleaning out the stalls. The stench of manure clung to my clothes as I scraped away the muck, wishing I could escape this foul task for good. It was my father’s fault I was here and doing dreadful tasks like these.
Now, I was supposed to go open the gate for Walt. I didn’t understand why he couldn’t ask his son, who wasn’t doing anything but getting his horse ready to ride, or better yet, get off the side-by-side he was sitting on and do it himself.
I hated that my father signed me up for this. He knew I was a city girl now. I didn’t want this life anymore. Yes, I had grown up on a ranch not far from this one, but I had spent the last seven years trying to forget this place. Growing up so close to here is how my father and Walt met and became friends. I guess you could say the two of them are best friends. They spent a lot of time together as Colt and I grew up, helping each other out on their ranches- my father’s being a much smaller one and Walt’s Texas Rose Ranch being the vast land that was as far asthe eyes could see- and sometimes sharing a beer when all the work was finished. Our mothers were friends, too, and they liked to get together from time to time. Rose was a sweet person, just like my mother, Ivy.
The day of high school graduation couldn’t come soon enough for me. I was already packed and ready to get out of here and to the city- somewhere new and different. The change of pace was much needed in my life. Ever since graduating at eighteen, I have been in the city and never looked back. Seven years away from this lifestyle wasn’t nearly long enough.
I tried to open the gate. I could tell the chains were older by their faded color, and they were pulled so tightly. I was sweating, embarrassed that I couldn’t get the chain loose to open the gate for Walt. I’m sure he is taking delight in this, though. I knew he was a tough one- he had been growing up- but even more so since his wife passed years ago. I remember the funeral. That was the only time I had come back to this place since leaving seven years ago. My father knew what he was doing, putting me under Walt’s supervision for the summer. I could only hope that the time passed quickly.
I was still pulling on the impossibly stiff chains, sweat beads forming above my upper lip. I never sweat unless I mean to, like when I’m at the pool during the summer. I closed my eyes for a second, praying that I could just get the chain loose so I could end this embarrassment. It was washing over me like a wave, anxiety tightening its grip as I could feel the eyes of Walt waiting impatiently, making this simple task seem monumental and impossible.
I felt a hand brush against mine, a mix of warmth and discomfort. I moved my hands back, watching the rough, calloused hands undoing the chains and noticing the small scars. I’m sure after years of working on a ranch, you would have plenty of scars and marks on your body from all the strenuous and demanding labor. He made opening the gate look so easy,and I kind of hated him for it. I wondered why Colt was helping me. I wasn’t used to that, and we hadn’t spoken a word to each other since my father dropped me off here. Walt drove on with his pal by his side once the gate was open, and Colt shut the gate behind him, ensuring nothing was going to get in or out.
I turned around and looked across at the cowboy. I admired the way he swayed in those Wranglers- they fit him in all the right places. He placed his left foot in the stirrup, throwing his right leg over the horse to get on. He had a streak of sweat running down his grey shirt. I wondered how he did what he did every day. He rubbed the neck of his horse with those calloused hands of his. I wondered how many years of hard work those hands had seen on this ranch- probably as long as he could walk. That’s what you do as a cowboy, especially here in Texas.
“Thanks for the help.” He was sitting up so high on the horse. I hadn’t been on a horse since I left Texas, and I wondered for a split second how it would feel again. The only part I ever liked about being here the last couple of years I was here was riding. I felt free. That was the only time I felt free in this place the last little bit I was in Garrity Valley.
The cowboy turned to me, giving me a slight smile. I couldn’t help but notice he had some sweat forming above his eyebrows. I would have to admit that he didn’t look too bad in a cowboy hat. I watched as the curls at the back of his neck blew in the wind as he rode away.
Chapter Three
