Page 69 of Summer Ride

“Aren’t they the most wonderful things?” She laughed up at him. “Oh! I should have tried to get some pictures.”

“Maybe they’ll come back?” He sat on his own board and moved closer to hers.

“The moment is forever here.” She patted her heart. “God, this is why I love it here.” She took a deep breath and lay back on the paddleboard so she was looking straight up at the blue sky.

He did the same and took just a moment to breathe like she was as they floated on the calm water.

He smelled the mixture of the sand, the salty water, the tall grass on shore, and the fresh air. There were huge fluffy white clouds hanging directly above them. As they floated by, she reached for his hand and held on.

“This is pretty amazing,” he admitted. When he looked at her, she was looking at him.

“We go home tomorrow, then back to work the next day.” He sighed. “I wish we could stay here, like this.”

“Yeah, I guess I didn’t really think about how that’s going to happen with this.” She held up her cast.

“I’m sure they’ll figure out something for you to do until you heal. We could call them and tell them we decided to stay here forever?”

“You’d miss your animals too much,” she pointed out with a smile.

He laughed. “I already can’t wait to see those stupid goats when I get back. Not to mention the little chihuahua you had your eye on. I know for a fact that she’ll be ready to go home in a week.”

She turned her head towards him. “Growing up, I always wanted a dog. My parents believed that animals were dirty and were meant to live outside.” She shrugged and then turned her face back towards the sun.

“What are you going to name her?” he asked.

She was silent for a moment.

“Panda,” she said with a laugh. “They’re black and white.”

“Naming a tiny chihuahua, Panda. I like it.” He laughed and squeezed her hand. “What would you name the goats if I decided to keep them?”

She sat up and looked at him. “You’re going to keep them?”

The fact that she sounded excited had him smiling.

“I’m thinking about it. That and maybe one of the horses and a cow from the last rescue. They’re older and I doubt anyone would want them.”

“The fact that you care so much about animals is one of the reasons I was drawn to you,” she said, as her eyes searched his face. “You asked me what I first found appealing about you. It was that and the way you looked in a wet T-shirt and board shorts while playing with a horse in the surf. Those were my first impressions of you.” She smiled and then lifted her toe and pushed his board until he fell into the water. When he surfaced, she said, “You still look good wet.”

She screamed as he rushed towards her and tipped her into the water. She managed to hold her casted arm up and keep it from getting wet.

They both laughed as they held onto one another in the waist-deep water, which was just as clear as the water in the pool.

“I love you,” Carter said as he trailed his mouth over hers.

“I love you.”

That evening, they sat out on the back deck and ate leftovers.

Carter did everything he could to make her feel comfortable and relaxed. He knew that they would be back there again soon, and he wanted her to only remember the good times.

How had he gotten so lucky?

For the first time in his life, he could see a clear path to their future. His and Kara’s future together. Soon, they’d have a dog. Goats. And more important, a child.

As they lay in bed that night, they talked about names for the baby and dreamed about what life was going to be like for their child. They talked about whether they would have more children. How many they wanted. How many dogs or other animals they would have on the ranch. It was one of the best nights he’d ever had.

The next morning after breakfast, they packed up their things and cleaned out the fridge, putting everything that was left in the coolers and taking it with them.