She smiles, the twinkle in her eye confirming she’s up to no good. “Well, baby girl, you know what that means?” she asks, wiggling her eyebrows.
“Oh god, what scheme are you plotting now?”
She playfully leaps from my lap, and with one final smirk says, “We’re gonna’ make him eat his heart out at the rodeo this weekend.”
Lord have mercy on my soul. I forgot about the fucking rodeo.
Thirteen
Dallas
“I’m telling you, Dallas, it’s going to be a blast,” Colt yells from the tractor, his voice muffled over the exhaust.
“Dude, I can barely hear you from all the way up there,” I call back.
At this point, I’m up to my knees in fencing wire, I’ve got a cracking headache, and I’m dying for a beer. One of our stud bulls got out last night, busting three fences on his way and heading straight for the mob by the river. We share those paddocks with the neighbouring property. If he gets to one of the heifers, we’ll be out more than just the stud fee.Fucking bulls.
The tractor engine rumbles to a halt and my brother leaps from the machine in one nimble swoop.Youthful prick.His boots thud against the dirt as he sticks the landing. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he swaggers towards me with the mischievous grin he inherited from our dad creeping across his lips.
“I said, the rodeo is going to be amazing. I got some new boots, and I’mitchingfor a ride,” he says with a wink.
I shake my head at my brother, rolling my eyes as I say, “Righteo, stud. We’ll head in for dinner after our video call with Billie.”
“We can’t let her know we’re missing her,” he adds with a laugh.
“Fuck no, we can’t. If she catches wind that shewas right, we’ll never live it down.”
“Beautiful and ruthless, just like Sam.”
“She reminds me more of her mother every day, Colt.”
He gives me a sombre nod, neither of us needing to elaborate further, we both know. From the blonde curls to her blue eyes. Our girl is brilliant, headstrong, and passionate. She’s everything her mother was.
We pack up the gear in silence, working together in tandem to clean up the remaining fence line before mounting the horses and making the ride back to the house. This corner of the farm looks so beautiful at this time of night; we’re just close enough to Fires Creek to inherit their sunsets. Hues of orange and pink dance across the mountains; when they hit the water, you truly understand how the town got its name. It’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen. It’s a sliver of magic, a scene so perfect, you struggle to believe it’s real.
I have always wanted to buy property in Fires Creek, having spent enough time there travelling with Dad. I knew that place like the back of my hand. I’d even considered placing an offer on Ashwood Manor back in the day; the farm now owned by the Carters. But something about Hawks Hollow drew me in. Thatsomethingwas Samantha.
I still remember the day Sam and I first drove out here. Sam wanted more space; somewhere quiet where we could raise our kids. She’d come home from work with a huge smile on her face and immediately begun telling me about a property she’d seen on one of the local bulletin boards.
“Oh, Dallas, you’ll love the farm. It’s called ‘Northbrook.’ It’s got two stables, stockyards galore, plenty of room for the horses. There’s a chicken coop ’round the side, and it even has a tire swing! There’s somuch room for gardens, we could even get Highland cows. They have a great school there too.” She can barely contain her excitement as she rattles off lists of future projects and lets herself get carried away in planning our future.
“Where is this place, exactly?” I ask.
“Hawks Hollow. It’s only an hour from here, just outside Fires Creek, so we can still take the kids to watch Colt ride.”
“Do you just want it ’cause it’s called Northbrook?” I cock my eyebrow at her as I question her.
“Huh?” she asks, clearly confused.
“Sammy, our last name is Northlane.”
She instantly bursts into laughter and says, “See, Dallas, it’s perfect!”
“Well, princess, Hawks Hollow it is,” I tell her.
I feel a sense of comfort wash over me as she flashes me a delighted smile. The image of my wife and the family we’ll create running around together on the farm that will someday be ours brings a tear to my eyes. I picture us teaching our daughter to ride her first horse, her first bike, helping her mother plant gardens with her siblings, and swinging in the tire swing.
Before I realise how far we’ve travelled, the boundary line nearing the main yard creeps up on me and snaps me back to reality. Clearing my throat, I call out to Colt that I’ll meet him back at the house. He nods in agreement and continues on his way. I turn in my saddle, unclipping the leather saddle bag with fencing gear that’s strapped to the skirt and throwing it into the dirt beneath me. I’ll pick it up later, for now, I need to shake off this feeling.
