Page 59 of We Redeemed the Rain

Ninety minutes into my search, I found the warranty registrationapplication, and none of the fields were filled out. My heart sunk into my stomach. Maybe…he had filled them out elsewhere and this was an extra form? I could only hope for the best as I dialed the number to confirm.

I found myself wandering down the driveway, looking for Tag. I scanned every building and distant field as I went. The trucks were all here, so where was he?

Truth be told, I could have called him, but the big house felt quiet and I needed a walk anyway.

I followed the main corridor of the barn, surprised to see every stall empty. “Tag?” I called—only loud enough that someone in my direct vicinity would hear. I stopped motion, listening.

When I was met with silence, I finished walking the corridor, out to the other side of the barn. Far beyond the barn doors, I saw him.

He was in a large, circular arena atop a beautiful chestnut horse. Ametal fence surrounded a slab of dusty dirt, and I immediately recognized the lever-release bucking chutes off the side. This must be where Tag trained his horses.

Tag pushed the horse into a run and circled the arena. I leaned against a barrier fence, watching from a distance. The horse’s mane and tail streamed out behind her, her hooves pounding into the dirt. Tag’s voice filtered my way now and then—he was talking to her. The pair of them were making so much noise, I wondered how I didn’t hear them before.

After circling five or six times, he leaned forward, brushing a hand down her neck. I couldn’t hear his voice anymore, but his lips were moving. I found myself smiling. He slipped out of the saddle and grabbed her reins, tugging her toward the barn.

They would walk right by me. My mouth suddenly dried, and I almost laughed at myself. I didn’t know what to expect from Tag. His responses were an odd combination of thoughtful and dismissive—completely unreadable. Maybe that’s why my hands fretted at my thighs until I shoved them into the back pockets of my cut-off skinny jeans.

I rarely got nervous, but here I was—smoothing my hair back and wondering whether I should say hello or just let him see me first. I had only seen him a few hours ago, but for some reason, it felt longer than that.

I knew the moment Tag saw me, because he went from looking straight ahead to looking at the ground and his hand reached to rub the back of his neck. The rim of the cowboy hat blocked my view of his face. He walked up the slight slope toward the barn’s back entryway. When he looked up, his eyes found mine. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

“Everything alright?”

“Yeah, I found the warranty company’s phone number. I tried calling several times and left a few messages. They are supposed to return the call by end of day.”

“Alright.” He pulled the horse to a stop a few feet away from me. “Thank you, for callin’ them.”

“No problem.”

“That really helps out.”

“Well, I’m glad to dosomething.”

A beat of silence passed and Tag twisted the reins in his palms. His brows knit as he fell into his role of host. “Anything I can do for you?”

“Uh, no, not at all!” My voice was higher pitched than I intended. “I think I’m going to take myself on a walk and, you know, kind of sight-see the ranch a little bit.”

He nodded once. “Watch out for rattlers.”

“I’m sorry. Rattlers? You mean, rattlesnakes?”

“Off the west side of the driveway, there’s some rocks. Just don’t wander off down there.” He continued toward the barn, talking to me over his shoulder. “You’ll be fine if you stay ‘round the pastures.”

Okay, nixing the walk idea.

I turned on my heel, following him inside. The barn corridor wasTshaped, with two hallways branching from the main. Tag led the horse to the left hallway and clipped a rope onto both sides of its bridle, securing her in place. Without acknowledging that I’d followed him, he went straight to work—loosening the strap, removing the saddle and blanket, grabbing a brush off a table against the wall. His deft hands flowed from task to task without ever hesitating. He brushed the horse’s back and sides, finishing in whathadto be record time.

He unclipped her bridle and walked her back outside. Stopping at the barn hose, he stooped down and turned it on. Maybe it was weird I followed him, but I didn’t have anything better to do. I bit my tongue, forcing myself not to ask questions, because I knew he had a lot to do.

Hose blasting, he finally said something to me. “Wanna hose her down?”

I smiled. “Yeah.”

He passed the hose to me.

“Everywhere?”

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