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“Mmmhmm. Always wanted a tree house, since I was a kid. So we decided to make a real one.”
She looked out across the canopy of trees in front of them. They had a wonderful view, with the ranch in the middle-distance, and the misty, pale-gray colored peaks of the mountains on the horizon.
“It’s amazing.”
“Glad you like it. Hey, make sure to drink that.” He pointed to the glass of fizzy orange in front of her.
“Tastes funny.”
“Doesn’t matter. That’s got a ton of vitamin C in it, as well as a bunch of other stuff that’s gonna help with your hydration and your energy.”
“Fine,” she grumbled, taking a sip of the strange potion. “So for the past ten years, you’ve been here, working away.”
“Yep. Pretty much.”
“Where’s your dad now?”
A look of infinite sadness rested on Chuck’s face. “Gone. We lost him. My mom too.”
There it was. The reason for the change in him.
“Oh no. Chuck, I’m so, so sorry.”
“Thank you. It’s been rough. Lots happened. We nearly lost the ranch. Kind ofdidlose the ranch, in a way.”
The pain was obvious. Millie reached out and let her hand rest on top of his. “I’m here for you.” It was a strange thing to say, but somehow it felt like the only thing she could say.
“I appreciate it. So. What have you been doing the past ten years?” Chuck almost smirked at the enormity of the question.
“Me? Well. Um. After you left things… kinda went downhill for me. I don’t know if you noticed, but I’m not a world-famous dressage rider.”
“I looked out for you in competitions,” he said. “Was sad not to see you taking part.”
“Wasn’t the life for me.” That was partly true, but mostly a lie. “I did some time teaching riding. Did a lot of stable work with dad. But… in truth, I lost my way.” She sighed. “Did lots of partying. Lots of drink.”
“Boys?”
“No. Actually. No.”
“Sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that. It was inappropriate.”
“It’s fine.” She bit her lip. “Means I can ask you if you did lots of… girls.”
“Did?”
She pulled her hand away from his and swatted his shoulder. “You know what I mean.”
He grinned. “I do. And no. The answer is no. Conclusively no.”
Her heart fluttered in her chest.
“Anyway,” he continued, “We better get on. Like I said last night to you, you’ve got a long day ahead of you.”
“You’re not going to make me work, are you?” Her desperation was so fierce it was almost physical.
“Oh yeah. You’ve got a long day of cartoons ahead of you.”
“C-cartoons?”
