Page 5 of Cherry Tree Ranch

I blush. I told Lani about the bronc rider who got injured at Silver Springs.

“No – I’ll hurry. My grandpa left me the ranch.”

Lani’s eyes go round. “What? Just you?”

“Crazy, right?”

“That’s wild.” Her voice wavers slightly. “What are you going to do now?”

I half laugh. “Not sure. Ride Blue a lot? I’ve got a lot to think through.”

Lani’s eyes dart away, towards her auntie. “I bet…” she says. “So you might stay?”

“I don’t know…” I say. “I’m trying to choose.”

“Look, I’ve got to go. But we’ll catch up later, OK?” Lani smiles. “This is exciting, Dahlia.”

“Thanks, Lani. Speak soon.”

Before she hangs up, a blur of the sandy beach and the golden beginnings of a sunrise streak across the screen.

Here, the sky is overcast, but the June air is warm. Thankfully in these hills, among the cliffs and junipers, we’re close to the mountain peaks that send a cool breeze down every morning. It’s still evident in the rustling of the cherry-tree leaves, sounding like a late morning lullaby.

Lani’s tone changed ever so slightly before she hung up, and I can’t help but wonder if it wasn’t only because of the photo shoot that she wanted to get off the call. Will she be upset if I don’t go to college with her? And how will I feel without my favourite person in the world by my side?

Shadow pushes against my leg, her tail curled like a question mark at the end. She purrs and leans in close as I lift her in my arms. The scent of wild mustard flowers, a weed that grows everywhere on the ranch, permeates her coat. Its spicy, radish-like aroma makes my heart swell with longing for one of Grandpa’s big hugs. This time of year, his clothes smelled like the weeds. Ever the optimist, he’d walk through the fields every day looking for signs of grass, Shadow always at his side, the mustard weeds thick with purple and yellow flowers. I squeeze Shadow into a gentle hug and breathe her in, wondering if she still does the walks without him. This may not be what most people consider paradise, like Maui, but it’s paradise to me.

Mom finds me a moment later. “Fancy a walk together before the sun gets too hot?” she says.

I smile, nodding, and fall into step with her, enjoying a moment of companiable silence.

“Grandpa must have known how much I love the ranch,” I say eventually.

Mom stops to tie her shoelace. “I think you’re right.”

“But, Mom…”

She stands up and raises her brow.

“The timing sucks. I want to go to college and travel too. And I’m scared. I don’t know what to do with a ranch.”

She looks me straight in the eye. “You’re the only one who knows what they’re doing, Dahlia. Grandma and Grandpa taught you everything they knew, everything their parents knew. That’s lifetimes of priceless knowledge.”

“I guess,” I say, and we start walking again.

“It’s completely up to you,” Mom says.

“Well, that doesn’t make it any easier. Thanks for that.”

“Happy to help with all life-altering decisions. What else have you got for me? Any boys in your life?”

“Um, no,” I say definitively, but thoughts of the bronc rider keep stirring in my mind. Thoughts that make me blush and squirm all at once. Getting hooked on a guy so instantly is the behaviour of a swoony twelve-year-old girl, not me. I shake away the image of him standing confidently in his chaps and cowboy hat before mounting his bronc, not knowing what was to come. Then my mind replays the horse’s hooves striking his head and his body falling limp. A heaviness has weighed on my chest since that moment. One I can’t get rid of or explain. When Mom and I visit the little grocery store in town, I find myself looking for him down every aisle.

“We can do a pros and cons list. The ranch versus college,” Mom offers.

“OK, good idea,” I say, trying to sound chipper. “So, let’s say I go to college – pro: I get out of Silver Springs.”

“Yes, but that’s also a pro for taking over the ranch.” She points her finger in the air. “And it’s warmer over here.”