Page 17 of Truck Off

Sunny’s several years older than Amber and has a calm, easy personality. Whereas Amber is full of spunk. It’s one of the things that drew me to her when I was looking to get another horse a few years ago.

I lead Sunny out to the pasture first. He trots along beside me at a slow pace. He’s rarely ever in a hurry. I ride him when I need to relax and find peace in this world. He’s particularly great when I take the trails through the woods. He handles the hilly terrain like a pro.

Amber, however, loves to run. I’ve no doubt as soon as I let her in the pasture, she’ll take off for the open fields like she’s trying to fly.

When I head back into the stables, she’s bucking around next to her gate like she can’t get out fast enough.

“Calm down, girl. You’ll hurt yourself.” I reach over the edge and run my hand down her mane. She nuzzles into my touch and neighs.

I grab her bridle and slide it on before I unlatch the gate. She’s way too excited for me to risk opening it before I’ve got a way to hold her back. I make sure I’ve got a good grip on her reins before I slide the door open.

I can tell she wants to take off, but she contains herself. She’s finally learning some patience.

“That’s a good girl.” I coo in her ear. “Let’s get you to the field. Maybe later today, we can ride out and check the fences. Would you like that?”

She lets out a whinny and nods her head like she understands exactly what I’m saying. When I reach the gate to the pasture, she bucks in excitement. Amber is so full of energy and life. She’s happy and excited for her day to begin. She’s everything I wish I felt sometimes.

Not that I’m not happy. But my life isn’t exactly where I want it to be.

An image of Lina pops into my mind. I’ve had a crush on her for so long that sometimes I forget what it is about her that pulls me in.

There’s a story behind her expressive eyes. One that we’ve all heard rumors about. It’s impossible to keep anything a secret in this small town. Her family’s connection to the motorcycle club, the Unholy Ghosts, is common knowledge, as are the reasons her mother left town never to be heard from again.

I’ve watched Lina from the sidelines for most of our lives, observing her actions and reactions to situations. She’s had a hard life. One that was much harder than mine, and mine wasn’t easy. Her life’s experiences are what’s given her strength like no other and that hard exterior she hides behind. She’s stubborn and proud and ridiculously kind under that mask of indifference she always wears.

That kindness is a side of her she doesn’t let many people see. I’ve only seen it because I’m always watching. But will she let me see the real her freely?

Probably not after she finds out I lied to her.

I take a moment and watch my horses run around the field. Would Lina like this life? Farming isn’t for everyone. It’s hard and demanding and sometimes feels like an anchor. But it’s a life I love.

I picture Lina riding Sunny while I ride Amber. Her long black hair flows behind her as the wind whips past us. Would she be smiling? Frowning? Probably frowning.

That image puts a smile on my face. I get why Lina doesn’t smile a lot. I’ve rarely seen her smile, and even then, it’s faint. She hasn’t had a lot of reasons to be happy.

But I want to change that. I just have to figure out how to break it to her that she’s got a date with me, Chase, not my twin brother, Christian.

I slap my gloves to my thigh and head back to the stables. There are too many morning chores to get done. I still need to feed Clarence and Chubs, our two pigs. And if I don’t feed the chickens and gather the eggs soon, they’ll riot.

Princess Fluffybutt—that’s the only chicken I’ve named because of her distinct attitude and leadership skills—will have staged a coup if I don’t feed them soon. She’ll have all my chickens running free.

There’s work to be done. Which means there’s no time to stand out here and fantasize about a life that may never be.

* * *

By late morning, I’ve finished my chores, showered, and am heading to the garage to see what my brothers are up to.

Now that we’ve hired Sophia to help, I’m not needed as much to keep the garage going. I still help Ash and Mac with custom racecar builds, but Liam no longer needs me to help with daily customer needs. Sophia and Ash take care of most of that.

This is the change we all wanted and asked for. With the spring and summer demands from the farm, I didn’t have enough time to work at the garage too.

But I miss them.

I went from working side-by-side with them every day to my solitary work on the farm. It’s an adjustment I’m not even close to being used to yet.

At least I’m about to be too busy to dwell on it much. I start plowing the fields next week to prepare them for planting. I’m sticking with soybeans and corn again this year. Those two crops always have the best return. Plus, they do really well in our fields.

Once those are in the ground, I’ll start on the family garden—lettuce, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, green beans, and various peppers. Grams loves to cook with fresh vegetables, and I try to grow enough for her to can enough to get us through the winter months.

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