“Jake, what do I do? I'm so proud of our boys. They're off on their own, beginning their lives as they should. I know they mean well, but everywhere I look, I see you and the boys. I can't find a space that isn't crowded.” Wiping at her tears, she walks to the bed and sits down. Sasha whines and pushes her head onto her lap.
“I’m okay, Sasha. Let’s go for a walk.”
Later that night, Delta moves to the sunroom to fire her most recent creation, and when she picks it up, she starts laughing. Looking around the room at the shelves full of her lopsided designs, Delta laughs even harder. “I can't believe that they put up with me this long,” she whispers when she catches her breath. Montana, a voice whispers. Adventure, scenery and the perfect place to get away and research. It's everything she promised Jacob she would do and truth be told she's tired of being cooped up. They had many lengthy discussions about her future without him. He wanted her to live. “Alright, Jake, I’ll give it a shot.”
Picking up her cell phone, she calls Phillip back before he shows up with both her boys and drags her out of the house. “Tell me more about this ranch in Montana...”
Chapter 2
“It’s just me,” Bailey calls as Sasha barks excitedly. Best friends since high school, Bailey has been a sister to her. Delta laughs and hugs her as they sit down and talk over coffee.
“Are you sure about this, Delta? Six months is a long time to be away.” Her New York accent has Delta grinning. After high school, she went to a college in New York, earned her real estate license and made a killing before coming home with a husband and two daughters. Now she has a great career selling real estate, a loving family and the beauty to go with it. Bailey is tall, leggy and lean, she is everything Delta always wishes she were.
Delta is busty, petite and curvy enough to turn a man’s head, but most men prefer the model type. Jacob never made her feel less than, he loved her curves. “I wasn’t sure at first, but I need to get away, Bailey. I can’t breathe, or sleep, much less write here. I have to make some decisions about my life, and now that the boys are grown, I'm thinking about selling the house.”
“I agree. You don't need this much space anymore. Let me know when you're ready to list it, and I will take care of everything. If you aren't happy, you can always come home. Are you packed?” Bailey glances around and is sad to see the house so empty, void of life.
“No. What do I take to Montana? I don’t know what to pack, everything I have is old and worn out. Kind of like me.”
Bailey grins and grabs her hand. “Finally! Let’s go shopping and get makeovers. Now!” Grabbing her purse, she practically drags, Delta from the house. They shop for hours, have a mani-pedi and get her hair cut, then colored. She has the dirty-blonde hair layered and colored a bright golden blonde, the way she used to wear it before she quit caring. Her natural waves return with a bounce, and she loves feeling like herself again. To finish off the new look Bailey talks her into a new wardrobe, including a few silk nightgowns. Later that night as they sort all her purchase and finish off the second bottle of wine, she glances at Bailey with shock.
“We’ve just created a new memory that is completely mine, Bailey.”
“Well, how does it feel?”
Delta smiles through glittering eyes, full of unshed tears and covers her mouth with her hand, “Wonderful.”
Two weeks later, Delta is driving in Montana with Sasha seated beside her in the rental car Phillip arranged for her. The last two weeks were spent packing and planning, forwarding her mail, cutting off the utilities and locking up the house. Glancing in the rearview mirror, she smiles at the image reflected back at her. Excitement danced in her eyes and a blush of joy colors her cheeks. Her boys were happy to hear that she was traveling and promise to try to come for the holidays.
Loading the address into the GPS on the Ford Explorer, Delta grins and starts the engine. “Okay, Sasha, two hours to the ranch and we will be home.” Delta listens to the music and takes in the sights as she drives. Montana is breathtaking. Rolling green hills with a beautiful mountain backdrop, but the clouds overhead look like it might snow.
“Snow in April?” She asks herself.
It was colder than she expected. Delta switches on the heater and drives on. Phillip told her that the Silver Creek Ranch is a horse breeding ranch. They breed, raise, train, and sell American Quarter horses. It is also a traditional working ranch with cattle. In addition to that, they stage barrel races, team roping, sales and clinics at the modern indoor and outdoor arenas.
Before long she starts to see white fencing on the side of the road. The GPS indicates her turn is ahead on the right. Turning the Explorer, she drives on about four miles more before she sees a large arched wooden sign overhead. “Silver Creek Ranch” she murmurs. The sign has two running horses on each side carved into the wood. The road turns to gravel, she continues driving around a curve, and a large silver river comes into view with the ranch behind it.
Delta slows, and her smile grows. “Stunning.”
The first thing
