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"Ryan," she starts, then hesitates. "Thank you. For this."
"Anytime, sweetheart. I'm glad you're here." The endearment slips out easily, the words feel heavy with truth, and the weight of something more starting to build between us in a fast amount of time has my chest tightening.
"Me too," she says, smiling.
And just like that, we ride out together, chasing the sunrise and maybe, just maybe, a fresh start.
We ride for a while, Daisy and my own horse following the fence line that marks the edge of my property. Luckily, I haven’t come across anything that needs mending.
"Let's take a break," I suggest, pointing toward a massive oak tree up ahead. Its branches are wide enough to shade us from the growing heat of the day.
"Sounds good to me," Julia agrees, and we steer our horses beneath the tree's expansive canopy.
I swing down from my horse, the dust kicking up around my boots. Then I step over to help Julia dismount, her hand finding stability in mine, warm and real. Daisy stands patiently as Julia slides off her back, a little awkward but safe in my grasp.
"Easy there," I say, steadying her. "You're a natural."
Julia laughs, brushing herself off. "If you say so."
We sit down on the grass, the oak's thick trunk at our backs. Julia stretches out her legs, a look of contentment crossing her features. There's a peace here that seeps into your bones, one that healed me when I was at my worst. I will always be indebted to this place for that.
“Hey, Jules, why do you do what you do?” I blurt out.
She looks over at me, and the sunlight catches in her eyes, turning them into pools of liquid emerald. "What do you mean?"
"Like, what drives you to slave away at building your business," I reply, knowing that there’s a catalyst for everyone to stumble into that all familiar work ethic.
"My ex," she starts, her voice dropping a little as if the oak leaves might be eavesdropping. "It was a bad relationship. Really bad."
I nod, my gut clenching at the thought of anyone hurting her. "I'm sorry to hear that, sweetheart."
She plucks at the blades of grass, tearing them into tiny pieces. "Yeah, well, it was a while ago now. But it took a lot out of me. Made me question a lot of things."
"Like what?" I ask gently, curious to get to know her more.
"Trust. My judgment. Whether or not I could ever let someone get close again." Her words are measured, each one heavy with meaning.
"Understandable," I murmur, watching her closely. She's strong, I can tell, but even the toughest among us have their scars.
"Anyway," she continues, brushing off her hands and changing the subject like flicking a switch. "After that mess, I just dove into work. Building my business became my safe haven." She looks up at me and shrugs one shoulder.
"Work can be a refuge when the rest of the world gets too loud," I reply.
“I get it. Sometimes the ranch is the only place where things make sense to me, too,” I say further, picking a blade of grass and flicking it through my fingers to watch it soar through the air.
"Exactly." She nods, animated now. "I've always had this thing for growth. Doesn't matter if it's a plant or a profit margin. There's something about taking something so small... and nurturing it, watching it grow into this big and beautiful thing." Her arms spread wide as she speaks, encompassing the vastness of the idea—or maybe the vastness of her dreams.
I can't help but smile at her passion, and I’m reminded that I can’t remember when I’ve smiled this much in one day. It’s not even noon yet. "Seems like you're pretty good at making things flourish."
"Guess so." She shrugs modestly, but I see the pride there. "But sometimes I wonder if I got too caught up in it all. Work became everything, you know? My entire world."
"Until you decided to take a break and come out here?"
"Yep, even though this was still supposed to be a work trip, but with our mother’s help, it turned into a little vacation instead." She laughs, yet there's a hint of seriousness behind it. "Who knew a city girl like me would find peace on a Texas ranch with a cowboy who's more grumpy than sunshine?"
"Hey now," I protest, feigning offense. "I'm not that grumpy."
"Right," she teases, rolling her eyes. "The sunniest guy I ever did meet."
