“Not a cowboy,” he bellows.
I point to his hat before shrugging. “Looks like a cowboy, works like a cowboy, sounds like a cowboy to me.”
He shakes his head, not giving my thoughts the time of day. Tough crowd.
“I am a morning person, but waking before four is not what I’m used to. So maybe lower the volume, or play it in your headphones or something.”
“Yes, sir!” I tease. “You’re awake now, so wanna run to breakfast with me?” Maybe he needs a friend. If he’s been living out here for ten months in this cabin without human interaction other than Arnie and Lilly, I fear he might need to get desensitized to human interaction again.
“I don’t run.”
“What do you mean you don’t run?”
“I don’t run. That’s what I mean.”
“Have you not chased an animal out here? I remember seeing Arnie doing that all the time.”
He shakes his head again and puts his hands over the rail. We arenota morning person, got it.
“Okay then, well, I’m going for breakfast. See you around, cowboy!” I hit play on my song again and take off.
It’s so peaceful out. I know the only sound echoing is my shoes crunching as I go, even on the misty tall grass between the old oaks. The sharp burn in my lungs as I pick up the pace is addictive; it makes me feel alive. Every shallow breath gets deeper and deeper as I inhale the morning, and everything that comes with it out here. It’s beautiful. Breathtaking. And I one hundred percent can see how Dom would’ve been disturbed by my loud music if this is what he’s been used to.
I see the main house up ahead, sitting on the rise like a big, sleepy animal. The porch light is a tiny amber dot—a warm flame in the whole valley, welcoming even from afar.
God, it’s been forever. Running back home sounds like a cliché, but when your feet hit the dirt you grew up on, it feels more like a collision.
A reckoning.
An awakening.
My heart’s thumping against my ribs, partly from the sprint and partly from the sheer weight of seeing Lilly again. I want to prove to her I can do the things I’m asking for and, in the process, prove it to myself too.
A truck passes by on the main road. I can’t tell which one, but it looks like Dom’s from here.That man.
As I clear the last stretch of fence, the smell hits me—cedar, damp earth, and just a hint of woodsmoke from the kitchen stove. It tastes like every morning of my childhood. I slow my pace as I get closer, lowering the volume to trigger my brain and body to know it’s time to be done, at least for now. I look at my watch, eleven minutes. Not bad for the second run back in forever. I hope I can get it under ten by the time summer’s over.
Running up the wooden steps, I find Dom waiting by the front door with a bottle of water in his hand.
“Beat me to it, cowboy.”
He grunts. “Not a cowboy, and yes, I drove, like a regular person.”
“But running is so much fun and overall better for you.” He hands me the water bottle, but not before opening it and holding on to the top. “Thanks.” I take a sip, and it cools me off from the inside out to match the temperature of the morning air. Perfect. I usually drink milk after my runs, but this will do. “You should try it sometime.”
“What?”
“Running.”
“No, thank you.”
He steps inside, and I follow him in. “Good morning, everyone,” I say to the few people in the mess hall.
“Lainey!” I shout as soon as I see her. She’s been working at the ranch for forever, cooking and doing some cleaning in the main house. It’s always good to see her.
She opens her arms, ready to welcome me in, and I run right into them. “It’s so good to see you.”
“You as well, Riley. Look at you.” She spins me around. “Are you still on that nonsense of running before the sun is even up?”
