Page 32 of Steadfast

When her chores were complete, she quietly made her way upstairs, hoping to avoid waking Mia. She couldn’t bear the judgmental glance she would receive for daring to wear overalls. When she successfully made it to her room, she peeled off the grimy clothes and took a long, hot shower. The steamy water rained down and washed off the lingering smell of hay and barnyard animals.

Thank goodness the shop is closed today.

She wrapped herself in a towel and crashed onto her soft white bedding. She was grateful for her few hours off on Sundays.

Maeve must have also taken a personal day, which was something she rarely ever did. Oakleigh felt a little irked to find she had to make her own coffee that morning while Maeve had been noticeably absent from her usual routine.

She propped her cheek on her fist and enjoyed a moment of solitude, basking in the warm sun that beamed through her bedroom window. She could practically hear Maeve’s voice, prompting her to spend a little time with the Lord. Instead,Oakleigh plucked her phone from her nightstand. Yearning for a distraction, she allowed herself to be fully drawn into her bright, colorful screen.

Her moment of peace was fleeting, interrupted by a rap of knuckles on her door. Oakleigh set her phone down with an audible sigh.

“I’ll be down in a minute, Maeve.”She didn’t want to feel annoyed, but she couldn’t help but battle the obligations that warred with her nagging need to recharge.

“It’s Mia.”

Pushing herself off the bed, she wrapped her towel tightly around her and cracked open the door. Mia stood in the hall with her perfectly tailored jeans, designer heels, and a top that hung loosely off one shoulder. Not one whisp of her brown hair was out of place, and her makeup looked fresh and even.

“You’re not even dressed yet?” Mia said quickly, throwing her hand in the air as she scrutinized Oakleigh from head to toe. “You need to hurry! I saw a group of cute cowboys heading out that way.” She pointed out the window toward the ranch’s infamous practice arena.

Oakleigh didn’t bother to inform Mia that she had already been up for hours. The very thought of Mia’s mortified expression at the description of her morning chores brought Oakleigh a dash of anxiety, and she was more grateful than ever that she hadn’t been caught in her barn clothes.

Pulling on her jeans and a gray hoodie, she flipped her wet hair into a messy bun. She eyed the damp, mushy pasturegrass outside her window and opted for her heavy boots. After consideration, Oakleigh grabbed a second pair from the back of her shoe rack just for Mia.

When she stepped back into the hall, Mia tilted her head, and her eyebrows shot up as she scanned Oakleigh from head to toe.

“And I thought the towel was bad,” Mia muttered, clearly grasping for encouraging words. “Nice boots?”

“I’m so happy you like them,” Oakleigh replied, glazing over her best friend’s snark. “Because I have another pair just for you.”

Mia’s eyebrows shot up so high that they might have touched the ceiling if they weren’t attached to her face.

“Oh no, I’m all set,” she said, putting her hand up politely.

“When I say that you can’t wear heels in the field, I mean it,” Oakleigh said, giving her friend an empathetic, pained expression.

Mia pressed out a weighty exhale as she considered for just a moment. She reluctantly took them out of Oakleigh’s hands, letting them sag in dismay as she shook her head.

“This is going to ruin my entire look, Oaks.”

“I know, but you’ll thank me later.”Oakleigh gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. “I can’t carry you back all that way when you twist an ankle.”

“A cute cowboy might, though?” Mia answered.

Oakleigh gave her a side eye glance with the intention of dashing Mia’s shimmer of optimism.

Mia conceded.

“Fine.”

Oakleigh led the way as they lumbered across the long pastures until they reached the practice arena. The very sight of the patch of dirt surrounded by iron fencing forced the memories of that horrible night through her mind. It was like she was back there again, looking up at Crew from the dust. She recalled the panic flashing through his ordinarily calm, blue eyes when he saw her there in the path of Big Slim.

“Pull it together, Oaks,” Oakleigh whispered under her breath, with a quick shake of her head to force the unwelcome thoughts from her mind.

“Say again?” Mia asked, tilting her head to the side, her brow furrowed with concern.

“It’s nothing,” Oakleigh responded.

“Oh, I know this place.” Mia glanced around as she recognized their location. “This is where you filmed that live video when Crew got hurt, right?”

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