Page 21 of When the Storm Breaks
“I might have to write a song about you.”
He snorted. “A rock song about an asshole cowboy. Sounds like a chart topper.”
“I get the feeling there are a lot of layers to you.”
“Lucky for me, you won’t be here long enough to peel back all the layers.”
“Don’t underestimate my psychic powers.” I nudged his arm with my shoulder. “For all you know, I’m reading your mind right now.”
We stopped outside the barn and he turned to face me, his eyes roaming down my body before returning to my face. “Nah. If you could read my mind, you’d be blushing like a schoolgirl.”
“Doubt it. I’m not an innocent little virgin.”
He spun the rope in his hand. “Too bad you’ve given up men.”
“Yeah. Too bad.”
“You hungry?”
“Starving.”
* * *
Brody’s pickupbounced over a rutted dirt lane that cut through his property, the sunshine pouring in through the windshield, and the warm breeze whipping my hair around. I’d tuned into the oldies station and Aretha was singing about a woman who demanded respect from her man. Something I should have done years ago.
I had no idea where he was taking me. Earlier, we’d made sandwiches in his farmhouse kitchen with terracotta floors and oak cabinets. His house had surprised me. I wasn’t sure what I’d expected—maybe a bachelor pad—but it looked like a well-loved home, the paneled walls painted off-white, braided rugs scattered on the wide-plank hardwood floors and a brown suede sectional in the living room that looked worn but comfortable.
He’d packed up our lunch, grabbed bottles of water and hustled me into the truck, claiming he preferred to eat outside and wanted to show me something. A few minutes later, he backed the truck under a tree and cut the engine.
We sat on the tailgate to eat, the valley spread out below us, sitting close but not so close that we were touching.
“What did you want to show me?” I asked after I’d eaten half of my turkey and swiss on rye and he’d almost finished a second sandwich.
I followed his finger to where he was pointing and leaned forward, straining my eyes for a better look. “Hang on,” he said. He hopped off the tailgate and came back a few seconds later with a pair of binoculars. I took them from his hand and held them up to my eyes, bringing the horses into focus. There were about a dozen horses, maybe more, clouds of dust kicking up behind them as they ran. They looked so wild and free.
“God, they’re so beautiful.”
“They are,” he said quietly. “America’s living legends.”
After a few minutes, I lowered the binoculars and set them next to me then picked up the other half of my sandwich and took a bite. Now that I knew what I was looking for, I could watch them from here. “Why aren’t they with the other horses?”
“They’re wild horses. Mustangs. I wanted them to be free to roam the land but still be able to take care of them.” He bit into his green apple, his gaze focused on the valley. “If I could, I’d rescue hundreds of them, but I don’t have enough land.”
“How much would you need?” I wrapped my crusts in saran wrap, tossed it in the paper sack and plucked a grape off the stem, popping it into my mouth.
“Thousands of acres. I’ve got eighty now. Forty are for them. I’ve got eighteen mustangs and can’t take on anymore. As it is, that’s not enough land for them.” He finished his apple and tossed the core into the grass. “So yeah, that’s never gonna happen.”
“You never know. Sometimes dreams come true.”
“Are you living the dream, Shy?”
I unscrewed the lid of my water bottle and took a long drink of cool water before I answered. “Sometimes it feels like a dream. Sometimes it’s a nightmare. But it’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted. I feel most at home on a stage or in a recording studio. Without music, my life would be so empty.”
He studied my face. “Why are you here?”
The way he was looking at me, searching my face as if he’d know a lie if I told it, I couldn’t form a response. Until finally, I answered as truthfully as possible. “I have my reasons but they’re personal. And I guess...” I let out a breath. “I’m just looking for some calm in the storm.”
Brody nodded like that was something he understood and respected. “Okay.”
