“Have I ever mentioned how much I admire you?” Nathan carried their dirty plates to the sink. Carli watched him in surprise, frozen to her seat, and didn’t even stand up to lend a hand.
He didn’t turn to face her but instead filled the sink with sudsy water. “You gave up everything you had known to move here. That took some guts. I’ve lived here my whole life and I can’t even imagine what that must be like. A stranger in a strange place. You fit in like you’ve been here forever.”
“It wasn’t that big of a deal. Once I made my mind up, there was no turning back. I tend to be like that. It takes me forever to decide, but once I stop doubting, I just bulldoze ahead. But look at you. Your destiny is decided. What a beautiful life and family. You have no decisions to make.”
Nathan let out a heavy sigh, his head bent over the sink as he washed their plates. “I don’t want to spend the rest of my life running our ranch.” He froze at his task and stood silent for a minute. “I can’t believe I told you that. I’ve never said it out loud to anyone.”
Carli walked over to the sink and stood behind him. She placed a hand on his shoulder. “What do you want, Nate?”
“I want to be an artist.”
“What kind of artist?”
“Everything. Working with metal, bronze, sculpting. I also like to draw and paint. But mostly I'm obsessed with learning about bronze sculptures. There, I said it. That's what I want to do.”
“You should follow your dreams, Nate. If that’s your passion, go for it.”
“I wish someone would tell my dad that.” He turned to look down into her eyes. “Are you following your dreams?”
Carli’s heart fluttered as he leaned his face closer. She could tell he wanted to kiss her by the fire in his eyes. Yes. But no. How could this be the right thing when her heart said no? But she was drawn to him. At the last minute he pulled away.
“It’s getting late. I should go.”
Stunned out of the moment, it took Carli a while to still her heart and then to realize he already had his hat on. She followed him to the front door and clicked on the porch light. “Thanks for cooking dinner. It was fun. And thanks for listening.”
“Any time, Carli. Are we still on for the art gallery opening? I’ll call you.” He walked halfway down the sidewalk, but suddenly turned. He stopped at the bottom step and, at eye level, looked intensely into her eyes. With no hesitation he kissed her. Soft at first, and then the second time firm and deep.
“I hope that’s a new memory for you.” He turned and strode to his truck. The only response she could manage was a wave at his taillights as he drove away.
Glancing up, she looked across the compound and saw the silhouette of a cowboy standing in the light of the saddle house door. Motionless and still, he didn’t move from his spot. Carli stared back, watching Lank watching her.
Stupid men. Always making things so darn complicated. She spun on a heel and slammed the front door behind her.
Chapter Nine
At her desk in the back den of her grandparents’ house Carli wrestled with names for her riding school. The business she had in Georgia, with her partner Mark, had been named for the road where it was located. Seemed like a lifetime ago, but in reality, just less than a year. Her life was so different now. In Georgia she had to work part-time for a realtor in order to pay her bills and spent every spare minute on the horse show circuit and training a few clients—high school girls. It was a daily struggle, a delicate balance, like juggling the puzzle pieces of her life, working so hard to stay afloat financially while chasing her passion for horses, but always feeling like something was missing.
Back in Georgia, she didn’t have much of a social life or any close friends to speak of. And her cell phone now in Texas certainly wasn’t blowing up from the acquaintances she had left behind. She always heard, “out of sight, out of mind” and now understood how people moved on with their own lives. The show competition had been rigid, and meaningful relationships on the circuit were hard to develop. Any kind of travel was always horse show related.
Carli often thought of her old life though. Georgia was green and beautiful, mountainous in some areas. Texas was dry and flat, yet a different kind of breathtaking emptiness with an endless sky that reminded her of an awesome Creator. Interesting that every day she was feeling more and more like this place was her true home.
She had found her family, where she belonged, but was still unsure about her purpose. Buck told her that God has a plan for everyone, but we need patience because He works by His timing, not ours. She had stopped questioning if she had made the right decision to move to Texas and live on the Wild Cow. There was no going back now. She left her life in Georgia behind. As Carli remembered, she wondered if maybe the struggles she had faced were hints from above of what was waiting for her, like a nudging whisper telling her she should move on.
In just a few short months she learned to love this place, the ranch of her ancestors, but she still felt there was something else she should be doing. Working with young riders again might fill the void, and she needed an eye-catching name that would attract students but also have special meaning. She didn’t want to use the Wild Cow Ranch, although that name was well known around the area. The riding program would be separate from the cattle operation.
She dug around in
