Page 44 of Seaside Cowboy's Second Chance

“But my parrot talks to me. The dog doesn’t.”

Breeze sneezed derisively and barked, perhaps saying that just because humans didn’t understand her language, it didn’t mean she didn’t talk.

Dallas slapped his brother on the shoulder. “Any more words like that, and I’ll make sure you’re fitted into a tuxedo for a groomsman, too.”

Kai laughed. “Oh, you got roped into that?”

Formal events and formal attire were so not Dallas’s forte. He raised his chin. “Hey, Marina might be part of the bridal party.”

Kai stopped laughing. “Um, I’ve got to... to do something.” He marched to the porch.

“Keep running away!” Dallas yelled after him.

Breeze tugged on the leash again, this time in the direction of the sprawling oak that once housed a treehouse. Now, only Spanish moss hung in the branches where Dallas and his brothers used to play. Many days, the girls had joined them.

Breeze sniffed the oak’s trunk.

“It’s difficult to understand humans, right?” Dallas said, maybe to the dog or maybe to himself.

Skylar ran down the steps. “Thank you for taking care of Breeze.”

While Breeze barked again, maybe to say Skylar was mistaken about who had taken care of whom, Skylar took over the leash. This time, she was careful not to touch him. It was the right thing to do but still sent a bit of sadness through him.

They walked to the tall red barn with white trim with Breeze exploring things and especially tree trunks on the way. She scared a few birds into the sky who didn’t understand her friendliness. One of them was a Carolina wren with its cinnamon-hued body and orangish belly, its beak long and curved. It could sing beautifully, when not scared away by a dog, of course. A ladybug stayed longer on the grass before it took off. Nobody and nothing stayed forever, and he’d best remember it.

“Do you think Grandma is all right?” Concern tightened Skylar’s voice. “That she just wanted to talk to your mom? Or was she playing matchmaker?”

He opened the massive door of their quintessential red barn for her with a characteristic gambrel roof, double pitched for more storage. Just like the barn, the door was bright red with white trim, only here it also had a zigzag pattern.

She slipped inside, then glanced back. “Remember, you told me that red color started from the time rust was used as a sealant and against moss and fungi? When paint became available, farmers painted the barn red to honor the tradition.”

“Of course, I do.” His heart constricted painfully. He’d forever remember everything he’d told her. And everything he hadn’t.

Inside, it smelled of wood and hay. A few artificial flowers still dangled on the wall, skillful imitation of local oakleaf hydrangea and yellow jessamine, gathering dust after the previous event. “I hope so.” Oh no. That sounded as if he... He coughed profusely. Heat crept up his neck. “I mean, I hope she’s all right. Not that she was playing matchmaker.”

Skylar let Breeze off the leash, and the happy dog dashed to explore every corner.

“Right. I know.” Her voice echoed in the tall empty building, bouncing off the walls and coming back to him, staying inside. She seemed to want to say something else but then shook her head as if in answer to her thoughts. She pulled out her phone and swiped the screen to bring up the camera. “All this about her fiancé’s disappearance worries me. The man himself worries me.”

He didn’t like what was going on, either, but despite everything, he didn’t want to see her stressed. “We’ll figure out something.” He winked, doing his best to sound cheerful. “We just need to get the groom back and make sure he deserves Mrs. Rafferty.”

She snorted like in childhood as she captured photos of the walls, floor, and even the ceiling. “Such a little detail.” She lowered the phone. Then she walked from wall to wall, counting steps as if taking measurements, and punched something into her phone.

Until she stopped near him. “Thank you for doing this for us.”

“Anytime.” He stepped closer, all the memories clouding his judgment. When she was near, when she looked at him like that, he could forget she’d left him, forget she’d broken her promises to him.

The tight bun on the back of her head was secured with pins, and his fingers twitched to shake her luscious golden-bronze hair free, to run through its silkiness again, and to bring her close. Close enough for their lips to touch. His pulse skyrocketed.

He ached to free the caged bird she’d become, but it could be his misconception. She must’ve wanted a different life away from him, or she wouldn’t have led it. A white scarf was wrapped around her neck, the end thrown over one shoulder, but it was his ship that had hung the white flag of surrender to her a long time ago.

“Would you like a barn dance? You know, to test it out for the reception?” He spoke before he could think about it.

Argh. He shouldn’t have let it slip. The barn had been tested out for dances plenty, and it wasn’t a good idea to succumb to the desire to hold her in his arms again.

Visibly trembling like the baby bird he and Austin had once found under a tree, Skylar didn’t say anything. Then she stepped closer and put one hand in his while placing the other one on his shoulder. Was it her gift to him before she disappeared again?

There was no music besides birds chirruping outside, but just like she once used to march to the beat of her own drum, she moved in tune with the silent melody now. It wasn’t a country dance, but it was a dance of their own. He cherished these moments of having her close because he realized how rare they were going to be, how irreplaceable. He whirled her around, then looked into her hazel eyes where regret and tenderness lingered and yet they sparkled.

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