“I’m good,” Rainy grinned. She was surprised how comfortable she felt on the back of a steady horse, even if she was still a little sore from her earlier ride.
Nathan lifted Lucas, setting him in the saddle and meeting Rainy’s blue eyes. She was still the prettiest woman he had ever known.
“Giddy-up!” Lucas yelled, shaking the reins his mother held and making the quiet horse move forward.
“Whoa there, buckaroo,” Nathan laughed, grabbing the bridle “Wait for me.”
Rainy couldn’t hide her grin as Nathan used a mounting block to climb into the saddle. When she had first met him he had just come from his grandfather’s ranch and had boasted about his ability to ride. “A little out of practice, cowboy?” she teased.
Nathan chuckled, despite himself. “You have no idea. I think college made me soft.”
Rainy’s eyes trailed over his lean form taking in the wide shoulders and muscular arms. “You don’t look it.”
“Working here on the ranch has been grueling,” Nate smiled. “You ready buckaroo?” he asked, looking down at Lucas nestled in his mother’s arms.
“Giddy-up!” the boy’s enthusiastic reply made the placid horse move out and Nathan pushed his horse into step with a grin.
“Don’t go too fast,” Rainy, cried. “I’m not used to this.”
“You heard the lady, pardner,” Nathan laughed. “Slow and easy.”
Lucas twisted in the saddle to look up at his mom. “Okay, Mommy.” He grinned. “We’ll go slow for you.”
Rainy looked up as they splashed across a shallow stream and out onto the sage dotted prairie. A variety of well-worn trails broke away from the main path and soon they were making their way along a side hill and up into a patch of whispering pines.
“It’s beautiful out here. So quiet.” Rainy’s voice was reverent as the stillness, and vibrancy of the natural world washed over her.
“It’s been good being at the Broken J,” Nathan offered, easing his horse in next to hers. “After grandpa passed, I needed a quiet place to feed my soul.”
Rainy looked up, studying his face. He seemed so sincere. “I’m sorry about your grandfather,” she said. “I know how close you were to him. You always said you were going to prove how much more you could be for him.”
“I was an idiot,” Nathan shook his head.
“Mimi says that’s not a nice word.” Lucas piped. “You have to say nice words.”
“You’re right, little man,” Nathan grinned. “I won’t say that again.” He looked up delighted at the twinkle that lit Rainy’s eyes. “What I meant was that I didn’t understand. I thought that if I focused all of my efforts on making a name in this world, it would mean something. I didn’t realize that what was truly important didn’t have a price tag. It was almost too late before Gramps saw me find that truth.”
“You mean this newfound faith?” Rainy looked straight ahead feeling uncomfortable with the conversation.
“Yes.”
“But you finished your education, didn’t you? You were so sure that once you got that degree the world would be yours for the taking.”
“I finished.” Nathan’s tone was flat as he reflected on his drive to get that degree at any cost.
“Then why are you here?”
Nathan twisted in the saddle, meeting Rainy’s soft blue eyes. “I didn’t know where to go.” He swallowed hard as emotions warred in his chest. “Once I found the truth, everything changed. I was still here in Wyoming but didn’t know what to do. I was afraid to come home. Afraid I would see you.”
Rainy gasped shocked by his words and her grip loosened on Lucas who started to slip from her grasp.
“Easy there now pardner,” Nathan laughed, pushing the boy upright again. “You need to hold on.”
Rainy felt something long forgotten stir in her heart, like a sleeping dragon scenting the purest gold.
They rode on in silence for several more minutes before Nathan pulled his horse to a stop, turning to face the setting sun. “This is the spot,” he grinned. He seldom got out on the range, but today was special. The first unsteady steps in building some kind of relationship with his former love were in the making. He only prayed that in time God could find a way to let him into his child’s life.
Nathan looked over at Rainy, her face bathed in the golden glow of the evening sun. He knew that the odds of her ever forgiving him were slight. She would never trust him again with her heart. But perhaps she could find room in her life for him to become a father to Lucas.
Lucas snuggled in close to his mother, his sleepy eyes taking in the prairie beyond as he soaked in the peace that seemed to emanate from the strange man on the horse beside him. Grown-ups were confusing.
The sun slipped closer to the horizon painting the prairie in tones of pink, purple, and chartreuse as it washed away the cares of the day.
“Thanks,” Rainy whispered letting some of the tension she had felt since seeing Nathan that morning slip away.
Nathan looked up and nodded, smiling when he saw that Lucas was asleep, his head resting against his mother. “It looks like the day has caught up with someone,” he grinned.
“Oh my. How am I supposed to manage the horse with Lucas asleep? I’m not that good at riding, even with a quiet horse like this.”
“I’ll take him if you want.” Nathan looked up willing her to say yes. Willing her to let him hold the boy this one time.
“Can you get him?”
Nathan angled his horse close, steadying it with his knees as he reached out and lifted Lucas on to the saddle in front of him, cradling the boy between the saddle swells and his legs. “I’ve got him.” It seemed like a breakthrough, Rainy trusting him to carry the boy home.
Making sure that Lucas was secure, Nathan turned his horse toward the ranch as the royal blue of night met the purple glory at the end of the day.
Today had
