Chapter 15 #3
“I can’t imagine going that long without seeing Fletch.” My heart aches just thinking about it. “This is the longest I’ve gone without seeing him. At least, since he went away for college.”
“How did CPS get involved? After he went to school?” Colt shifts focus off of himself, and it’s like we’re playing a game, launching the ball back and forth and trying to keep it out of our end of the court.
“One of my teachers realized something wasn’t quite right.
I was coming to school tired, falling asleep in class.
It wasn’t exactly safe for me to sleep when Mom had clients over.
I never had lunch. Fletch was always the one to grocery shop and pack my food, and once he was gone, I didn’t know what to do.
He was taking care of me long before I even realized it. ”
“Why did he just up and leave, then?”
“He didn’t.” My hackles instantly rise, my instincts screaming at me to defend my brother.
“He didn’t want to leave. I begged him to go.
I couldn’t be the reason he didn’t build himself a better life.
I told him he could come back for me when things settled.
And he did. He didn’t need to. He could have put me into foster care.
But we were both scared once I was in the system, he’d never get guardianship of me.
” Dixie turns her head, nudging my knee with her nose in a comforting manner before continuing on her way.
“That’s a lot of weight for a ten-year-old to carry.”
“It was a lot of weight for both of us. We both grew up way too quick. Missed out on our childhoods. We never learned to ride a bike, never learned to swim, never got to have a birthday party.”
“Shit,” Colt hisses, dropping his head. His shoulders sag. “I can’t imagine Ben growing up like that.”
“We survived. And we did it together,” I tell him resolutely.
“It might not have been a good childhood, but it could have been a hell of a lot worse. And you know what Fletch did the second he got custody of me? I mean, literally the moment we walked out of the courthouse. He took me to see my first movie in the theatres. Got me the largest bucket of popcorn and candy. We went and saw Pitch Perfect, and he didn’t complain once.
” It’s my favorite memory with my brother.
“Kayla, are you trying to make me cry?”
“I didn’t think you were capable,” I tease, smiling despite the heavy air around us. “Come on, your turn. Tell me about your parents.”
“Do I have to?”
“Fair is fair,” I tell him, sending a glare his way. I didn’t just drop all of that for him to refuse to tell me about his childhood.
“Fine. Dad ran this ranch before me. I was the oldest and the most interested in the ranch, so it seemed only natural that I would be the one to take over. We spent a lot of time riding through these fields together, while he groomed me to take over.”
“Where is he now?”
“Dead. He died five years ago, a heart attack.”
“Shit, Colt. I’m so sorry.”
“He lived a good life.” He shrugs, but I see the weight in his shoulders.
He might be trying to play it off, to draw attention away from himself, but he’s still hurt.
And why shouldn’t he be? His father is dead.
“He was a good man. An even better father. He raised the three of us, and he gave it his all.”
“Where was your Mom?”
“We don’t talk about her.” His eyes narrow, his shoulders tensing once again.
“Okay.” I could push him on it, could insist he tell me everything.
But why should I? What good would it do for us?
He’ll tell me when he’s ready, and if he doesn’t, then I think that’s pretty indicative of what he thinks of me.
“Where are we going, anyway?” The field has turned to trees, and we make our way through the brush.
It doesn’t seem like Colt is guiding Saturn, but we must be headed somewhere.
If he’s surprised that I don’t push him to talk about his Mom, he doesn’t show it.
“You’ll see, we’re almost there.” We ride along in silence for a while, and I wiggle in my saddle, butt spasming.
I don’t know how he sits in one of these all day.
This is torture. Colter smiles, watching me, but he doesn’t say anything.
“This is my favorite trail on the property,” Colter tells me, as the trees clear away and we come to a gravel trail. “You’re not afraid of heights, are you?”
“No? Why?” He only points in response. To the left, where the trail curves around the tree line, and the ground seems to disappear right in front of us.
The horses follow the trail, swishing their tails.
Wildflowers grow in between the trees, adding bursts of color to the otherwise green and brown scenery.
And then Dixie takes the curve, and I lose my breath.
We ride along the edge of a cliff, staring out over a field of wildflowers.
A creek curves its way through the valley, and we’re high enough up that we can see how it serpentines all the way down.
The valley goes on for forever, coming to an end up against the blunt edge of a mountain.
A waterfall trickles its way down into the creek.
“Is this yours, too?” I ask, voice light as air.
“Yeah.” Colt smiles, watching me take it all in. “It’s a long trek down there, usually a little less than a day trip. We don’t use it for cattle, or really anything, since it’s so out of the way. But we can go one day, if you want?”
“Yeah,” I breathe, smiling. “It’s like you own a little slice of heaven.”
“You think?” Colt asks, looking down over his valley.
“I think it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen on this earth.
” And I’m not exaggerating. I can’t speak for whether it’s prettier than one of the eight wonders of the world—I’ve never seen those before—and I don’t know if it compares to the castles of Scotland or the cliffs of Ireland.
All I know is what I’ve seen, and of all the things I’ve seen, this is the most beautiful.
“Do you want to stop and stay a while?” He asks, with a little chuckle.
“Yeah. I do.”
I want to stay forever.