Page 81 of The Wayward Son

“For what?”

“For giving me days like that. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have any good days to remember.”

“You made them memorable for me, too.”

They rode on in silence until they came to the swimming hole. It was a wide spot in the creek with a natural deep hole. There was a big willow tree on the bank that provided shade and also a branch to jump from. They stopped their horses and dismounted.

After tying the horses to a scrub oak, they walked to the water’s edge. Sawyer knelt and put his fingers in the water.

He stood and wiped his hand on his pants. “Yeah. It’s cold.”

She took his arm. “Can we sit for a minute? I want to talk to you about something.”

“Sure.” They went to a sunny spot and sat in the grass. “What’s up?”

She took a moment to answer. “I need to do something with my dad’s house.”

“It hasn’t been sold? Or auctioned off?”

“No. As his soul heir, it went to me.”

He seemed surprise at the news. “So, it’s just been sitting there for the last two years?”

“Yeah. I’ve been dreading dealing with it. So, I’ve been ignoring the fact that it’s here.”

“Are you paying a mortgage on it?”

She shook her head. “No. He used my mother’s insurance money when she died to pay off the mortgage. I just owe property taxes every year and my aunt has been paying them.”

“So, what do you want to do?”

“Now that I’m here. I really should do something.” She took his hand. “Would you come with me to go see what kind of shape it’s in?”

“Of course. Do you want to do that before we go to Missoula?”

“I think so. It’s been on my mind. But with the storm and all, the opportunity really hasn’t presented itself.”

He squeezed her hand. “Whenever you want.”

She gave him a small smile. “What are you doing tomorrow?”

“J.T. and I have to ride out to the herd. But I should be back by mid-afternoon.”

“Can we go then?”

“Of course.”

She let go of his hand and laid back in the grass. “It’s so beautiful here.”

He laid next to her, resting on his elbow. “Are you glad you’re back?”

“Yes.”

“Is it more appealing than a sunny beach and palm trees?”

She laughed. “At this moment, yes. The other night, no.” She looked at him. “How would you feel about that? Me getting a job offer that took me away again.”

“Um…I’d be happy for you.”

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