It’s her.
Sedona walks toward the car, small in the vastness of the parking lot.
She’s wearing her hair down today, the red curls blowing around her face. She hugs her arms around herself, even though the day is warm.
She opens the driver’s side door and slides in. She closes the door, sealing out the noise of the airport traffic.
She exhales. A long, shaky breath.
“Thanks for waiting,” she says. Her voice is quiet.
Her cheeks are pink. Not from the sun. From the emotion. From saying goodbye.
I shift in my seat. I reach over and unbuckle my seatbelt so I can turn to face her.
I open my arms.
She doesn’t hesitate. She leans over the center console and buries her face in my chest. I wrap my arms around her, pulling her close and resting my chin on top of her head.
I breathe her in. Honeysuckle. Cedar. Salt.
She’s shaking slightly, so I hold her tighter.
“Are you okay?” I murmur.
She nods against my shirt. “Yeah. I just… Clara is like my sister. It’s hard to watch her go.”
I swallow the lump in my throat. I know what it’s like to watch people go. To have family leave. My mom. Dad. Joey.
“At least you get to see her soon,” I say. “And New York isn’t that far.”
“Right,” she says. She pulls back. She wipes her eyes with the back of her hand. “Right. It’s not forever.”
She sniffs. She looks at me. Her eyes are red, but there is a spark of resilience in them.
“So,” she says. “Back to the ranch?”
I shake my head. “Not yet.”
“Why? Do we need to pick up supplies?”
“Nope.” I put the truck in reverse. “I know something that will cheer you up.”
She raises an eyebrow. “Tex, I’m not really in the mood for bronc riding practice.”
“Not that,” I say. “Trust me.”
I pull out of the lot and head toward the highway. I drive past the turnoff for the Carson ranch. I keep going.
“Where are we going?” she asks.
“You’ll see.”
We drive for twenty minutes. The landscape changes.
The flat pastureland rolls into gentle hills, dotted with wildflowers. The sun is high, turning the grass a vibrant gold.
I turn onto a gravel road. A sign at the entrance reads:Wildflower Hollow Ranch.
