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“Was something funny?” Gabrielle asked.
She shook her head. “I was just lost in thought about… something else.” There was no way they’d believe her, but it was worth a shot. When they didn’t immediately return to their conversation, Becca thought for sure they’d ask her what she was thinking about.
Her prayers were answered when they didn’t do anything of the sort. Instead, they went back to work and just kept on cutting the fruit.
Becca was the furthest thing from perfect for Ethan.
And everyone would realize that soon enough.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The wind whipped around Ethan,tugging at his clothes and his hat. The sound of the hooves hitting the dirt and the smell of it as it lifted into the air made him feel like he was born to be here. The cattle darted toward the gate they’d discovered had been left open. It was off the main road, but thankfully it was early enough not many cars were out.
The horses they’d taken out on this trip were working in harmony with their riders. Everything was absolutely perfect—except for the fact that they had to come out here in the first place.
This was just one of those moments he could appreciate all the effort he’d put in to get these animals ready for the work they’d continue doing for the rest of their lives.
It was a dream come true. He had never felt more alive than he did in this very moment. And the strangest thought overcame him. He wanted to share it with someone.
But not just anyone. He wanted to share it with Becca.
That was strange, right? They barely knew each other. She didn’t know about his struggles with reading, and yet one day he might even be willing to share that side of him.
His chest tightened with the realization.
Becca was someone he thought he could trust. It was like there was this little lightbulb that had turned on. It warmed him from the inside out and he justknewthat she would hear him out and tell him that it would be okay.
A grin crossed his face as he watched all his hard work come together and as his thoughts continued to weave together the possibility of a future with someone special.
His heart pumped and his whole body felt like it had been jolted with a bolt of lightning. The only loose end to tie up at this point was figuring out how the gate had managed to come open. His cousin Jack had been the one to find it, and he’d climbed down from his horse to shut it after the last steer had been brought back into the pasture.
Once the lock had been secured, he was back on his horse and they were all headed back the way they’d come. They let the horses take it easy on the way back, walking rather than running. Ethan turned his face to the sky and let the sun’s rays warm his skin. When they got back, he wanted to take Becca out for a ride.
She’d be nervous at first, but for once in his life, he was going to take a chance. He wanted her to feel the joy and the exhilaration of doing something new—of facing her fears. And maybe, just maybe, he’d be able to do the same.
That thrumming in his heart continued. What would she say if he told her his darkest secret? How he’d managed to avoid all the administrators at school and pass high school by the skin ofhis teeth? What would she say if she knew it took him hours to read just one page and that he’d found so many hacks to avoid reading?
His stomach swirled, churning with a discomfort he hadn’t felt in ages.
She was a writer. There was a very real chance she would look at him differently. Perhaps this wasn’t something he could share.
Not yet, anyway. He’d find some other way to connect with her.
They rounded the trail, coming up along a fence that lined the highway. His horse bobbed her head as they padded down the path, and his cousins bantered up ahead. Bo and Andrew were in front of Jack, and every so often, Jack would glance toward Ethan. That was strange. Did Jack have something to say? Why didn’t he just pull back so they could ride side by side?
The farther they rode, the more uneasy Ethan became. Jack wasn’t glancing back with curiosity or even joy. There was concern etched in the lines of his face. Ethan had always thought one of the reasons he’d had a hard time reading words on paper was because he could read people so much easier. He was a master with facial expressions and body language. Reading Becca had actually been a lot easier than it should have been given they were complete strangers.
He tilted his head after the sixth time Jack turned to look at him over his shoulder. But before he could call out to his cousin and ask him to slow down, a car rattled around the corner to their left. A deer darted out of the bushes on the other side of the road.
The blaring sound of the horn pierced the air and the deer retreated to its side of the highway. But the damage had been done.
In a matter of seconds, Andrew’s horse reared back and bucked wildly. Everything afterward was a complete blur. Andrew was thrown to the ground. Bo and Jack laughed.
“What happened, Andrew? Were you daydreaming?” Jack called out.
Bo grabbed ahold of the reins and pulled Andrew’s horse away from him as Andrew got to his feet.
Ethan’s heart sank and he jumped from his own horse to run toward Andrew. His cousin’s face was twisted with pain and one of his shoulders hung at a lower level than the other. He sucked in sharply, holding his arm to his side. Ethan got to him but before he could touch him, Andrew held his hand out with a grimace.
