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“Just smooth your hair a little,” I say.
She tugs it up and puts it in a bun at the nape of her neck. Then, I follow her to the bedroom doorway and loiter with the kitchen just in my sightline. I can hear Allison taking her bootsoff in the hall. She says something to Diane and they both go into the kitchen.
“It seems like it went well,” Diane says, her voice deliberately casual.
Allison has her hands tucked behind her back, her heel kicking on the floor. “Yeah, I think it did.”
“Can I be a little nosy?” Diane says, handing her a glass of water.
“I mean, a little bit.” Allison’s blushing now.
“Did he kiss you?”
She blushes dark pink. “No, he got all tripped up and embarrassed. But he did ask if I wanted to go out again. Is that…okay with you?”
Diane leans over and gives her a hug. “Of course, honey.”
“Will dad be okay with that?” She purses her lips, biting the inside.
“He’s fine,” Diane says. “And so is Sovereign. If you like Cash, you go out with him. It’s not like you haven’t had time to think it through. You’ve been crushing on him for a while now.”
Allison opens her mouth and then her eyes narrow. “Is dad listening right now?”
I step back and decide now is a good time to go shower before I turn in. It’s a few minutes later when I hear Diane come back to the bedroom. I run my hands through my wet hair, wiping my face. It was a long day of working in the barn and my muscles ache. Maybe they ache more than they used to.
Diane pulls back the curtain. “She’s sharp, she clocked you.”
“I shouldn’t have been eavesdropping,” I say.
“This is all new to us,” Diane says, bending to kiss me on the wet shoulder. “It’s okay. But she’s happy and he wants to see her again. So far, so good.”
I kiss her mouth, leaving water droplets on her chin. “So far, so good, darling. You get in bed and I’ll shut everything off.”
She disappears, giving me a sweet smile. The bed creaks and I know she’s snuggling up under the quilt. At peace, I finish showering and dry off before sliding into bed beside my wife.
Tomorrow is another day. We’re heading into the busy season. River is getting older and he’s a big help to me now. I know if I get too busy, Jensen, Deacon and his boys, and Sovereign and Cash will come help out. Whatever we need, I only have to ask for it.
She mumbles as I pull her against my chest. Her hair smells sweet, like yellow lilies in spring. Maybe a little like the first time I slept with her, wrapped in her sheets upstairs. Honeysuckle in the air. Her skin is like silk, her body is warm. Every day I go to bed thinking about her and every morning I wake up forever grateful that she chose me.
She gave me all this—the kids, the farm. Everything I have I owe to Diane and the chance she took on me all those years ago.
The world is a vast place. And I’m glad to be in this corner of it.
CHAPTER SEVEN
DIANE
I get up early the next morning. The house is so quiet I hold my breath as I creep across the floorboards. In the kitchen, the coffee drips slowly and I pull on a light sweater from the hall closet.
The soft scent of dewy grass greets me as I push open the back door. Bird chatter in the tree behind the house. I can hear my chickens stirring inside their coop.
I pour a little cream in my coffee and climb down the porch steps. My bare feet are quickly covered by bits of grass as I head across the yard. Some of the horses are already out of the barn meaning a few of the ranch hands must already be awake. I lean on the rail and click my tongue, making the closest horse lift its head and stare before going back to grazing.
The world is so quiet, just waking up. The sun sends a faint glow through the mountain that towers over Carter Ranch. I could draw the outline of the horizon with my eyes shut. It’s so familiar to me it feels like slipping into an old pair of jeans.
This is all I’ve ever wanted.
Maybe it took a lot to get here. Some of the things my husband did we’ve never spoken of and don’t plan to in the future. That’s how I prefer it.
Carefully, I clamber up on the fence and drop down on the other side without spilling my coffee. Warm cup in hand, I gather up my skirt with the other and start walking.
The house falls away, looking like a postcard. I lift my head and inhale, holding it in. Soaking in the part of my life where I get to live my happily ever after, one day at a time. I let the air flow from my lungs and mingle with the wind.
Pale golden rays break the horizon. It’s time to get breakfast going.
As I’m walking back, something stirs in front of me. There’s a rush of wings and a meadowlark rises from the grass.
Dark against the rising sun.
THE END
