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It’s the closest I think I’ll ever get to Dad telling me I was right.
I’ll take it.
Chapter 17
Sunny
I
I stretch my neck stretch my neck side to side. In the first couple weeks of being in the saddle every day, I felt like I could barely move. Strange how certain muscles can go dormant when they’re not used. But now, it’s only the soreness of having to pony a seven-year-old all the way back from the beach today. Spending most of my time cockeyed in the saddle as I held his lead rope to guide his horse home gave me an awful kink.
The timer on the oven goes off and I hurry to fetch the pasta dish I made. Most nights I still eat dinner up at the bunkhouse, but tonight I had a craving and Cookie gave me the ingredients with the promise I’d bring him a square for lunch tomorrow. I pull the bubbling casserole from the oven, breathing in a little taste of home. I tend to want to put that past behind me, but some memories are worth keeping.
Dad was never a great chef, but with Mom gone early on, he had to learn a few tricks. Spaghetti was his go to for a long time, but from there he learned variations. This one, the one he called “Dad’s Special Pasta” was nothing more than rigatoni noodles, mozzarella cheese, spaghetti sauce and meatballs mixed in a bowl before he dumped it in a casserole dish and baked it until the cheese melted. Once I was old enough to take on some of the cooking, I added spices and improved the original recipe, but it retained the name.
My heart aches as the memories become too much.
“You don’t even know what happened,” I remind myself. It’s enough to smother the feelings for a minute. Living on my own, I find that if I give into the feelings, they overtake me. I start crying as the sun goes down, and if I’m not careful, the tears won’t stop until sunrise. Best to avoid it all together.
A gentle rap at the door frame steals my attention. I turn to see Rhett haunting the entryway, crooked grin firmly in place. “Table for one?
I grimace like he’s asking a lot. “Sorry, only a table for two here.”
He steps through the doorway, setting his hat on the counter as he passes. “I’m willing to share if you are.” His fingers riffle through his hair, maybe trying to fix it, but only making it worse. Even messed up with dark hair going in every possible direction, he’s absolutely dashing.
Rhett’s been swamped with work for the past couple months. The only time I see him is on brief snatches before he leaves in the morning or our sunset rides with the horses. Even though I’ve been out of the bunkhouse for two months, he’s never stopped by the cabin, not once.
“Did you smell something and follow it to my doorway?”
“Like a cartoon character.” He answers my question, but he’s too busy looking around my cabin to meet my eyes. “It looks nice. Nothing like I remember.”
“Helps that your mom decorated it for me.”
Hands shoved deep in his pockets; he walks toward the bookshelf. Clara put a few classics up and a bronze horse head, claiming it was too barren. “Yeah, this all screams Mom. She was always trying to get me to read these.” He takes a few steps to the fireplace, setting his hand on the mantle. “You need pictures up here.”
“Is this another ploy to get me to tell you my name?”
He casts a quick grin over his shoulder like I caught him, but he’s quick to dispel the rumor. “I didn’t say they had to be pictures from your past. Pictures of your life here would work.”
I set two plates at the table, then pour water for two cups while he still makes his rounds. He’s got something to say, but sometimes it takes him a minute. It’s best to let him get there on his own.
“How would you feel about a roommate?”
It’s pretty off the wall to ask me, especially if he’s suggesting that he would be that roommate. Considering his mother’s feelings on the subject, it doesn’t sound smart. I start to answer but press my lips shut. Rhett turns to face me, maybe realizing how it might have sounded.
“Not me,” he laughs nervously, “another girl to work with you on day rides.”
“You’re pushing forward without Buddy’s permission?”
That grin spreads over his face. “We got it. He wants you to make it bigger. Hire someone else, and we need to get some more horses.”
My mouth drops open. I knew I was doing well, but I never thought Buddy would give me permission to expand this fast. “Really?”
“Really.” Rhett pulls out the chair and takes a seat. “I can’t believe it either.”
“We did it.” I cut a square of the casserole and put it on his plate.
“No.” He sets his hand over mine, halting my movement. “You did it, Sunny. This was your idea, and I couldn’t have done it without you.”
