Page 43 of Her Saltwater Cowboy

“So …?”

Chance continued, “That rotation chart you came up with—the hands are responding well.”

Rafael narrowed his eyes. “You been keeping tabs on me?”

“Been watching. Yes.”

Rafael studied him a moment. “Say what you came to say.”

“I’ve been working my tail off ever since I returned to the ranch.” He looked around, taking in the pale golden light dripping from the cross beams. “Just figured I’d expand my hours more when Sparky left.”

Rafael nodded slowly. “I get that.”

“It’s not like I need a title around here for vanity or anything,” Chance added. “It’s just … Ace hiring you came as a surprise.”

“I’m learning that life is sometimes about timing, not who shows up the most.”

The truth of that stung Chance more than he wanted to admit. He swallowed. “You probably don’t know this, but I left when Mom got sick. Told myself I had to finish my degree.”

He kicked his toe against a stall door. “She said she wanted me to go,” he continued, “but I figured out the truth: I just couldn’t stand to watch her fade.”

Rafael nodded, understanding. “And maybe it wouldn’t hurt so much if you weren’t there in the end.”

“Yeah.”

“And?”

Chance stuck his tongue into his cheek. “Hurt like hell.”

Rafael leaned his back against a post, eliciting a deep sigh. “Regrets are worthless, you know.”

Chance didn’t look up. “I regret it every day.”

A hush settled over the barn.

“I miss your mom too.” Rafael said.

Chance closed his eyes. “From what I hear, you stayed with your mom until the end.”

“That was a different kind of hard, brother. The kind that makes you lose your temper and then hate yourself for it.” Rafael grimaced. “But it gave me time to say things I hadn’t said before.”

Chance met his gaze. “You did the hard thing. You stayed.”

Rafael shook his head. “Stop. You loved your mom, Chance. No question about it. Sometimes grief makes us run.” Grey eyes speared him. “But if we’re lucky, it brings us back again.”

“Like you came back here.”

“Well, I can’t say that I planned any grand reunion when I showed up here last year to ask a favor.”

Chance raised an eyebrow. “To borrow the horses?”

“Yep.”

“Hmm. Like you, I’ve been trying to pick up where I left off ever since returning.”

“Maybe you were never supposed to,” Rafael said. “Maybe you were always meant to start fresh.”

Chance thought about all the times he’d butted heads with Ace since coming back to the ranch, how he’d wanted to digitize the books and the budget and automate milking and feeding.

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