Page 12 of Steadfast

“Ew, of course not,” Mia replied, shaking her head quickly as though she were trying to clear her mind of the very thought. “My mom and I just got into an argument. It’s not like I wasdisowned.”

She crinkled her nose. “Sorry, too soon?”

“Mia,” Oakleigh put her arm around her best friend and gave her a reassuring squeeze. “I have missed you.”

By the time Maeve turned off the highway onto the dirt road, the sun was setting low behind the mountain range. The orange and pink hues of the sunset accentuated the sprawling acres. When the ranch house came into view, Mia threw her hand over her mouth in awe at the sight of the sprawling country estate.

“Oakleigh, this house is absolutely stunning. I thought Harper said—” Mia’s voice trailed off as though she hoped the words that had escaped her lips went unnoticed.

They hadn’t.

Oakleigh chewed her lip, giving Maeve a quick glance. She was grateful when Maeve took charge, intentionally flipping the conversation away from what would undoubtedly become a heavy topic.

“Oakleigh will show you around. Mia, please make yourself at home,” she said. Propping open the heavy door, she stepped out of the truck.

Oakleigh noticed her G-Wagon was parked in her usual spot. Without even having to ask, she knew that Crew had pickedup her car from town. He was always conscientious to make her life as easy as possible.

A moment later, he bounded down the front steps to meet them with a bright smile. His blue eyes sparkled as he wrapped Oakleigh in his arms and gave her a tender peck on the lips.

“Stunning house, and a stunning man.” Mia folded her arms as she observed the one who had stolen her best friend’s affection. “You must be Crew.”

“That’s me.” Crew nodded, taking her hand in a firm handshake. “And you must be the big surprise that Oakleigh picked up from the airport.” He went to the bed of the truck and retrieved Mia’s luggage bags. “I’ll bring this to your room for you.”

“What a gentleman,” Oakleigh observed with a playful gleam. “And why is it that no one ever helpedmelike that when I first got here?”

“You were too busy falling out of the truck if I remember correctly,” Crew grinned.

She wrapped her arm around his waist as they went up the stairs of the porch, with Mia trailing just a step behind them.

“I don’t have to be the third wheel to you two lovebirds for my whole trip, right?” Mia asked in mock exasperation.

Wade strolled by with a saddle under his arm and a bundle of rope over his shoulder, “They always get like this before Crew leaves for a competition,” he said, spitting a stream of tobacco into the dirt as he went.

“You’re leaving already?” Mia looked over in surprise.

“Our big competition is in a couple weeks,” Crew answered. “I’ll be in the practice arena later if you’d like to see arealcowboy in action.”

“There will be plenty of time for that.” Oakleigh casually waved away his suggestion. The truth was that she rarely ventured to the south pasture if she could avoid it. Every inch of the arena brought to mind his terrible accident. The vivid memory of laying in the blood soaked earth, holding him close as his life hung in the balance, was too much for her to bear.

Oakleigh gave a quick tour of the house before showing Mia to her bedroom, feeling a little embarrassed at what felt like humble accommodations.

“It doesn’t look like much, I know.” Oakleigh began as she flipped on the little lamp on the nightstand. The dim light illuminated the standard sized bed draped in a hand stitched quilt.

“Oaks,” Mia smiled, placing her hand on Oakleigh’s shoulder, sensing her best friend’s unease. “I can already tell this place is wonderful.”

Although they had not seen each other in months, an awkward silence resonated between them.

Oakleigh excused herself, explaining that she had evening chores. Mia tilted her head to the side and gave her a wide eyed glance of surprise.

“Oh—okay?” Mia’s voice went high.

“I’ll let you get settled in,” Oakleigh said, making her way out the door. She couldn’t help but wonder if Mia’s reactionwas one of surprise or perhaps her first moment of judgment at her new chapter of life at the ranch.

Oakleigh shut the bedroom door behind her. She leaned back for a moment and said a quick prayer, thanking God that her best friend’s arrival had gone smoother than she could have anticipated. Yet Oakleigh couldn’t help but wonder, after all the years of their friendship, if they had anything left in common at all.

Chapter 5

Out of Sight

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