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"And you look gorgeous as always."
Although Sarah was originally from Colorado, with her blond hair, blue eyes, and a slim, long legged body that was a testament to her devotion to yoga, she looked like the quintessential California girl. Which meant that she fit right into her adopted home of Southern California, where she had moved with her now ex-husband after he joined a plastic surgery practice in LA.
"Ugh, I'm sure I don't. I was up until after midnight packing and we had to leave the house at four-thirty to make our flight."
Colleen rolled her eyes. Okay, maybe there was a hint of puffiness under her friend's wide blue eyes, but, as usual—with her fine-boned features and seemingly poreless complexion—Sarah looked nothing short of stunning. Dressed in black leggings, a black tank top and designer ballet flats with a lavender cashmere pashmina artfully draped around her, she somehow managed to look like she'd just stepped off a photo shoot.
With her cut-off shorts and T-shirt and flip-flops on her feet, Colleen felt positively frumpy.
Their bags came quickly and Colleen led them out to her jeep.
"Mom, I'm hungry," Aidan said from the back seat as Colleen pulled out from the parking lot.
"We can stop and get something on the way out," Colleen said.
"Oooh, can we go to McDonalds?"
From the passenger seat, Sarah gave a heavy sigh. "Honey, you know that food is so bad for you. Fake meat and processed carbs..."
Colleen stifled a smile. Some might chalk up Sarah's devotion to clean eating as some Southern Californian affectation, but as Sarah had a bachelor of science in nutrition, Colleen knew she came by it honestly.
"Mom, we're on vacation," Aidan wheedled.
"Okay, fine. I suppose one Happy Meal won't kill you."
Aidan bounced excitedly in the back seat as Colleen turned the jeep into the nearest drive-thru.
"You better brace yourself," she told Sarah. "The ranch's menu consists of mostly red meat, red meat, and the occasional pork chop thrown in for variety."
"I'll just close my eyes and pretend it's all organic and grass fed."
"Plenty of time for wheat grass juice and quinoa bowls when you get back home," Colleen said as she passed the coveted meal to Aidan in the back seat.
"I forgot how beautiful it is here," Sarah mused as the buttes and prairies surrounding Billings gave way to stunning mountain vistas as they approached Big Timber.
"It's not like where you live is a dump."
Sarah lived right on the beach in Malibu, where she could watch the crashing waves through the floor-to-ceiling windows that lined the walls of her kitchen and living room.
"I know. I love living by the beach, but there's something about the mountains that makes me feel like I'm home. The way the air is so clear and the sky is so blue... I've missed the mountains ever since we moved."
"Here we are," Colleen said as they pulled through the gate that marked the driveway to the Lazy Creek.
"I don't see the hotel," Aidan said as he peered out the window.
"Actually, the main ranch and all of the buildings are another five miles up the road," Colleen said, "but as of now we are on the ranch property."
"And we're not staying in a hotel, sweetie. We get to have our very own cabin."
"Cool," Aidan replied. Then, "Ooh, look, Mom, a deer."
"There's a ton of them roaming around the ranch," Colleen said. "And last week, I heard one of the guests saw a moose while they were crossing the creek."
"Wow," Sarah and Aidan said in unison.
"This is even better than the web site," Sarah exclaimed as they pulled up in front of the lodge.
Aidan pointed excitedly at the horses tethered to the picket line up by the barn.
