Page 39 of Wasted

My gaze shifted, meeting his, and I searched his eyes for some recognition that he knew where we were, but if he did, I couldn't tell. There was no way he didn't remember. We'd spent hundreds of hours underneath that tree talking about everything: our futures, our days, each other, what new things we'd learned, everything...

"It's perfect."

It took Cole about five minutes to get the picnic set up, and when he pulled out everything I loved from the basket, I knew it wasn't Bailey who packed it. Bailey and I were close, but not so much that she could pack the perfect picnic for me. I just couldn't figure out why he didn't just say it was him.

We sat silently eating as a cool breeze whipped around us, and by the time we finished eating, any awkwardness had faded, and we were deep in conversation as we lay on our stomachs watching the horses drink from the creek.

"Tell me what you'd do with this place if you were keeping it?"

"Oh, wow, um." I pushed up on my elbows, my gaze shifting around the open space around us. "Well, first, I would restore it back to what it was before my mom died. I'd go back into breeding, training, and selling horses. I'd start doing riding lessons and barrel racing training again. And..." I trailed off.

"And?"

I shook my head, playing with a piece of grass that I'd pulled out of the ground. "It's stupid."

"Tell me."

"When my mom got really sick, and she was bedbound, I would lay in bed with her, and she would tell me everything we were going to do when she got better." I smiled, thinking back."She wanted to turn my grandparent's old barn into a wedding venue and their old house into a place for the bride and groom."

"You never told me this."

I shook my head. "I never told anyone." My gaze dropped to the grass in my hand. "It was like her and my little secret, and she would get me so excited about it, and when she died, I knew I wanted to make that last dream we made together come true. I thought you and I would go to Nashville, and once you made it, I would stay here and run our ranch while you were on tour." I chuckled. "I actually thought you and I would marry in that barn." I shook my head. "Silly dreams."

"None of those dreams sounded like they included Caleb's bar." I shrugged. "Do you want to run the bar?" My gaze lifted, meeting his. "You have to be honest with me if you want this friendship to work, Taylor."

Blowing out a heavy sigh, I shook my head. "No, but it's all I have right now, and it's the last thing Bailey and you have of your brother."

"Then why not ask Bailey to buy you out?"

I huffed out a humorless laugh. "I wouldn't want to put that burden on her, and I feel like she would feel obligated to take it over."

"Caleb put that burden on you."

"I knew what I was getting into."

"But did you?" His eyes narrowed. "Did you really know this was how it would all turn out?"

"No, but I'm meeting with a realtor tomorrow morning, and with as much interest as I've gotten over the last few months, I imagine this place will sell pretty quickly, so I'll need a place to stay until I figure out what I want to do with my life."

"You know you're always welcome to crash at the Montgomery Ranch."

"I, uh, don't think your mom would agree with that. She still hasn't forgiven me for what I did to you, and she blames me for Caleb not getting treatment."

"That's ridiculous."

I shrugged. "She's grieving." I glanced down at my watch. "Oh shit." I shifted, rolling so that I could push to my feet. "I have to get back to the house, or I won't get the bar opened on time tonight."

He nodded, and I started to pack up quickly.

My gaze shot up when Cole's white stallion neighed loudly, bucking his back feet. "What the..." I stood up as Cole moved quickly to the horse, but it was spooked and took off. "What happened?" My gaze flicked to the opposite side of the tree where the mare was eating grass, completely unfazed by the event.

"Trigger's a newer stallion," Cole said, watching as the horse disappeared into the distance. "He's still training. Bailey said he's... He's a little sensitive and gets spooked easily." He pulled his cap off and shoved a hand through his hair before replacing the cap backward. "Guess I didn't realize how easily."

I laughed, and then I laughed harder. He cocked a brow at me. "So, you brought a horse that's easily spooked all the way out here."

"Trigger and Jewels were the only options today."

I laughed again, almost uncontrollably. "So, now we have to ride back together. On one horse." It wasn't a question, and the situation wasn't funny, but I couldn't stop laughing because if I did, I might cry.

---