Page 29 of She's My Kind Of Rain

I release yet another breath, this time feeling a little bit more whole thanks to Sawyer.

“So, now that you know why I love music, how about you? What drove you to sing?”

“Well, I actually didn’t grow up here either. I got in trouble for hitting a kid, and ended up breaking his nose.”

I can tell in his tone that he—to this day—doesn’t regret hitting whoever he’s talking about.

His expression looks slightly embarrassed. “I swear, I haven’t hit anyone since. He was the school bully, and, long story short, he pushed me one day. I just so happened to land the one and only punch of the entire fight. I don’t know who was more surprised by what happened, him or me.” A gentle laugh escapes his lips. “Anyways, the school was going to allow us both back, but my family collectively decided I should finish out the year living with my Pops.”

A soft smile crosses his face at the mention of his grandpa. It must be contagious, because my lips pull up into a smile of my own.

“Once I moved here, I worked on his ranch and decided to finish up the rest of high school in an accelerated program that they offered. I honestly just enjoyed being with him, and it was a bit hard to make friends at school so late in the year.” A breath releases from his chest. “My Pops was my favorite person, much like your dad was for you, and he’s also the reason I love music. I was never a big feelings person in the sense that I shared them out loud, but I’ve always really cared about how others felt, and how I made them feel. I don’t like the idea of hurting people. Especially for no reason…hence the lack of girlfriends.” He gives me a look, mentioning the earlier conversation we had.

I just nod. For whatever reason, it just seems to make sense.

“When my Pops and I were finished with chores or if I had a hard day for whatever reason, he would pull out his guitar and sing any song that came to mind at the time. He knew howto play just about any request you could ever imagine. He was amazing.”

He smiles, and the look in his eyes when he talks about his grandpa makes me wish I could know him, or, at the very least, thank him for shaping the man sitting before me. I mean, he literally let me sob and showed not a single sign of judgment.

“It was never really about what he played, but more so the impression it left on my heart. Music feels like magic. On a bad day, it can help make me feel better, and even on a good day, it feels like a high you can’t get anywhere else.”

His eyes shine a bit more with each mention of his grandpa, and he rubs them as if to ward off the tears that linger behind his tough exterior.

“He always knew owning a ranch might not be my dream, but he also knew I preferred to put those I love before myself, so when he found out he was sick—he had cancer.” He lets out a deep sigh, a sad look overwhelming his features for a moment. “After that, he sold all of his cattle. He made sure I didn’t feel for even one moment like I had to make the ranch my forever job. I can’t lie, I’m really glad he did that, because I wasn’t really sure what I wanted and him doing that gave me the chance to decide.”

Any bit of sadness seems to fade as he continues, “He left me everything, and I don’t just mean the ranch or his belongings. He left me with a heart that knows what real love is, and a heart filled with music. I can never thank him enough.” He takes a moment to ponder, then chuckles. “Oh, and Rhett, that son of a bitch, is my Pops reincarnated, at least all his good traits.”

I laugh too, because in the short time I’ve known Rhett, I can see some of the traits Sawyer might not wish to be thrown onto his grandpa’s image, specifically his confident, borderline arrogant demeanor or overly flirtatious personality.

“He’s the one who said ‘let’s make ya famous’. So that’s the only reason I took music to the stage. But, honestly, he cameinto my life at the right time, because if he hadn’t, I wouldn’t be sitting here with you.”

The grin on his face is larger than it’s ever been in my time knowing him—not that it’s been long. He leans in and gives me another kiss, and I know without a doubt that this man is something special. I kiss him back, lingering on how good this entire night has been all because of, yet again, another spilled drink.

“On to more pressing questions,” I joke, because we both have been so vulnerable tonight and I think it’s best to shift the conversation to anything else. “Do you have any pets?”

He laughs. “Yeah, careful, don’t get too personal. I have a horse. His name is Wrangler.”

“Stop. You have a horse?” I practically leap off the steps with excitement. “I haven’t been around horses much, but they are, like, one of my absolute favorite animals.”

“Want to meet him?” A sly look appears in his eyes.

“Can I ride him?” I give the biggest doe eyes I can muster in the hopes that his only answer will be a yes.

He pulls me in, gives me a kiss and whispers, “You can have whatever you want.”

19

SAWYER - JUNE, 26, 2004

The sun shinesthrough my bedroom window and I roll over to take in the scene outside. Wrangler and Angel canter across the field, whinnying back and forth with one another. There is nothing like the beauty of this land—well, besides Daisy. I release a relaxed breath, taking in the scene, then reminisce on the events of last night.

Rolling out of bed, a huff escapes me at the effort it takes to move this morning. Everything in me wishes I was waking up next to the girl of my dreams, but something about her is different. I have no desire to ruin whatever we have by sleeping with her the first night we had together. I know most people would think it’s just lust, or that I’m falling too fast, but given my track record for never actually wanting to commit to someone I think it’s safe to assume that this time is different.

Making my way toward the kitchen, the smell of coffee and breakfast permeates the air.

“Good mornin’, sunshine,” Rhett says, pouring what I would assume isn’t his first cup of coffee today.

Taking a seat at the island, I place my hands on the counter and move a hand towel out of the way.

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