2. Julius #2
“What’s that supposed to mean?” She narrows her eyes at me.
“It means you’re stubborn and you don’t quit.” I don’t blink. “You bottle-fed a horse for weeks when everyone told you to let her go. You yelled at me in your own barn until I did what you said. You don’t give up on things. Ever.”
She stares at me, her fry frozen halfway to her mouth. Then she drops it back on her plate and looks away.
“You think the animal thing is stupid?” Her voice comes out quieter, and she’s picking at the edge of her napkin.
“No, I don’t.” I lean closer.
“Most people do.” She still won’t look at me.
“Then most people are stupid.” I say it flat, no room in it for argument.
She looks up, and her eyebrows go up with her. The set of her chin gives out.
“You actually mean that.” She searches my eyes, waiting for the punchline.
“Yeah, I do.” I reach over and steal one of her fries, popping it in my mouth. “Now eat your burger. It’s getting cold.”
She laughs out loud, and it gets away from her before she can stop it. “You’re kind of a dick, you know that?”
“I’ve heard that before.” I grin and steal another fry.
“I like it, though.” She picks up her burger and takes a huge bite. “Keeps things interesting.”
I don’t want this to end.
The ride back takes longer than it should.
Neither of us is in a hurry. The horses walk side by side along the trail, the sun dropping low through the trees.
We talk about school, about teachers we hate, about her dad being overprotective and my dad being impossible to please.
She tells me June escaped her stall last month and ate half a bag of feed before anyone caught her.
“Was she okay?” I adjust my grip on Duke’s reins.
“She was fine.” Ramona shakes her head, laughing. “Fat and happy. Didn’t even look sorry about it.”
“Smart horse.” I steer Duke around a stump.
“Too smart.” She pats Pepper’s neck. “She gets it from me.”
“The escape artist thing or the no-remorse thing?” I glance over at her.
“Both of them.” She grins back, her nose scrunching up. “What about you? Any good animal disaster stories?”
“I fell off a bull in front of a full grandstand once.” I wince just thinking about it.
“That’s not an animal disaster, that’s a you disaster.” She steers Pepper around a rock in the path.
“The bull was involved.” I hold up a hand in defense.
“The bull was doing his job.” She laughs loud enough that Pepper’s ears flick back. “You were the one who fell off.”
“Okay, fair point.” I tip my head in defeat.
“What happened after?” She slows Pepper so we’re riding side by side again.
“I had to limp out of the arena while everyone watched.” I rub the back of my neck. “My dad didn’t talk to me the rest of that weekend.”
“Because you fell?” Her eyebrows pull together.
“Because I embarrassed him.” I stare straight ahead at the trail. “The Wyatt name and all that.”
She goes quiet, and I can feel her looking at me. “That sucks, Julius.”
“Yeah, well.” I force a smile and look over at her. “At least I didn’t have sad trombone music playing.”
“Please tell me that’s not a real thing.” Her mouth falls open.
“It’s absolutely a real thing.” I nod, solemn.
“That’s horrifying.” She presses a hand to her chest.
“That’s rodeo.” I spread my arms wide.
She laughs again, her whole body shaking with it. I’ve spent all day trying to get that sound out of her.
We reach her back fence as the sun hits the tree line.
I slide off Duke and swing the gate open, then run my hands down his legs to check him over after the run.
She gets down too and lets Pepper drink from the trough beside the gate, then leans against the fence with her arms crossed, watching me work.
“What is it?” I straighten up and dust off my hands.
“Nothing.” She pushes off the fence and shrugs. “You’re good with them.”
“With the horses?” I wipe my hands on my jeans.
“No, with the gate latches.” She rolls her eyes so hard her whole head moves. “Yes, with the horses, dummy.”
“Is that another point in my favor?” I take a step toward her.
“Don’t push it.” She holds up a warning finger, but she’s fighting a smile.
I walk over to where she’s standing. The sun’s almost down and it’s on her hair. She’s looking up at me with those sharp brown eyes, and I shove my hands in my pockets because I don’t know what else to do with them.
“I had a good time today.” I clear my throat.
“Don’t sound so shocked about it.” She folds her arms again.
“I’m not shocked. I’m just saying.” I scuff my boot through the dirt.
“You say a lot of things.” She tilts her chin up. “Anyone ever tell you that?”
“You’re the first.” I take my hands out of my pockets.
“I doubt that very much.” She holds her ground.
We’re standing close now. Close enough that I can see the freckles scattered across her nose, the smudge of ketchup she still hasn’t wiped off her chin. Her throat moves when she swallows.
Just kiss her.
I lift my hand, then hesitate. She stays close, looking up at me while I try to figure out whether she wants me to kiss her.
“You’ve still got ketchup on your chin.” I brush it away with my thumb, meaning to lower my hand afterward.
Instead, my fingers rest lightly against her jaw. She stops smiling, and I start to draw back until her hand catches my sleeve.
“You could have told me sooner.” She glances at my mouth before meeting my eyes again.
“I kept getting distracted.” I leave my hand where it is, close enough now to hear her take a breath.
“Then stop talking for a minute.” She tightens her fingers around my sleeve and draws me closer.
I lean down, slow, giving her time to pull away. She doesn’t. My nose brushes hers and I stop, my mouth an inch from hers.
“Is this…”
She grabs the front of my jacket and closes the gap herself.
She tastes of cheese fries and chocolate milkshake. Her fingers twist in the fabric and she makes this small sound against my mouth that I feel all the way down to my boots. I cup the back of her neck and pull her closer, and she lets me, her other hand coming up to grip my shoulder.
When I finally pull back, we’re both breathing hard. Her eyes are half-closed and her braid is coming undone around her face.
“Okay, wow.” She blinks up at me, dazed. “That was…”
“Yeah, it was.” I couldn’t stop grinning if I tried.
She stares at me for a second.
She pulls me back before I can ask whether she wants another kiss. I hold her waist while her fingers tighten on my shoulders, and when she draws back, I almost follow.
Please don’t tell me that’s all I get.
Her mouth is red and she’s looking at me with her head tilted.
“I should go. Dad’s going to wonder where I am.” She steps back, but her fingers stay caught in my jacket until she turns toward Pepper.
“Wait, Ramona.” I follow her to the saddle, still trying to think of a reason she should stay.
She puts her boot in the stirrup and looks over her shoulder.
“You’ll have to be quicker than that.” She swings into the saddle, then gathers the reins while I stand beside her.
“Thanks for today, Julius.” She looks down at me with a smile she isn’t trying to hide anymore. “It didn’t suck.”
“I’m glad I wore a clean shirt for that.” I rest my hand against the saddle, close to hers.
“You can take the compliment.” She brushes her fingers over mine before I lower my hand. “I don’t give them out to everybody.”
I’m still smiling when she turns Pepper toward the gate. She rides through toward her barn, then glances back to find me exactly where she left me.
“Hey!” I call after her, stepping away from the fence. “You’re taking my horse!”
She laughs. “You know where to find him!” She lifts a hand without slowing down.
I settle into the saddle, but I don’t turn Duke toward home. Ramona reaches the barn and gets down beside Pepper, keeping a hand on his neck while she opens the door.
She looks back and catches me watching. She shakes her head, smiling, and leads Pepper inside.
I want another afternoon with her. I want to learn what she’s like when she isn’t trying to win an argument, if that ever happens. I want her asking whether I’m coming and expecting me to be there.
Then I have a thought I’m smart enough to keep to myself.
I want to marry her.
I tighten my hand around the reins. I haven’t even asked for another date. She gets a say in all of this, and knowing Ramona, she’ll make sure I hear it.
But everybody in my life keeps telling me what my future should look like.
This is the first time I know what I want to tell them back.