Page 107 of We Redeemed the Rain

“Ineedto.”

Our eye contact held again. Her gaze roamed my face. She whispered, “Okay.”

A beat of silence fell as I awkwardly stood there. I needed to take my medication, and it was the first morning I hadn't been able to discreetly slip it in while her back was turned. Today, she was ready and simply waiting on me.

Oh screw it.

I opened the cabinet, grabbed my prescription, shook a pill into my hand, and swallowed it with a swig of tea. Took five seconds and she didn't bat an eye.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

I didn’t keep my promise. Fifteen minutes flew by, and before I knew it, we’d finished the morning feed and it was 6:30 a.m. Muscles did significantly loosen up though, which improved my mood more than I thought possible.

We’d worked in near silence, and I was thankful. I needed the quiet to process what happened in the kitchen. The mindless work choked the fire blazing behind my breastbone.

Walking back to the barn, Bea tapped my forearm. “Stop for a sec.”

I turned. “Hmm?”

“Look.” She waved her hand down the driveway.

The sunrise.

The sun had kissed the edge of the horizon, a shred of fire between the sky and world. Dazzling pinks and oranges chased out the violet and the stars dissolved into the light of the sun. Bea stood there, smiling at it, her cheeks a warm pink in the morning’s glow.

Without looking at me, she said, “You were so focused, I was afraid you’d miss it.”

“It’s one of the things I love about this ranch.”

“The sunrise?”

“And the sunset. Meadowbrook has the perfect sun-watching spots.”

“Sun-watching. I like that term.” She scuffed the gravel with her shoe, her tone adopting a bit of sarcasm. “Is this spot right here the prime location for sunrise watching?”

I huffed a soft laugh. “No.”

“Where is it?”

I pointed south, past the barnyard. “Creek’s that way. If you follow it up and over to the top of the ridge”—her gaze followed my hand—“you get a panoramic view of everything that hill blocks.”

She bit her lip. “Rodeo’s a bit later today, right?”

“We don’t gotta be there till about three o’clock or so. Why?”

“Maybe you could take me.” She shrugged her shoulders innocently. “To the ridge.”

“Oh, well, I can’t really drive up there.”

“Then let’s ride.” Her eyes lit, a flame of excitement glowing in her chocolate irises.

“The sun’s already comin’. By the time we saddle two horses, it’ll be?—”

“Let’s go bareback then. Pick one and we’ll both hop on.” Bea took a step toward the pastures with a slight hop of excitement. “Come on! Whichever one we can catch first!”

“Are you—are you serious? You wanna ride the ridge bareback?”

“Sure!” Our communication was hurried, frantic.

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