Page 62 of Save A Horse
“You’re a good boy, Titan. Just a little bit longer.” I walked close enough to rub Titan on the nose while Colt spoke to him.
“There we go. He’ll be fine.” I looked at Titan’s leg, seeing the bandage wrapped around it. “He just needs some rest. No need to worry.”
“Thanks, dad.” Walt patted me on the shoulder.
“You did well coming to get me, Daisy." He looked back at Titan. “Just keep an eye on him for the next few days. Hopefully, that snake won’t be back, and if either of you sees it, then we need to get rid of it. We don’t want anything like this happening again.” We both nodded, and Walt walked back toward the house. “I was about to make those sandwiches. You two come inside and eat when you’re ready.”
Once Walt was out of sight, I leaned into Colt. I placed my head against his chest and instantly felt hands wrapping around me. The feeling of him holding me tightly made me feel safe, calming my nerves.
“You alright?” He pulled me back, a hand of his on each of my shoulders.
“Yeah. I’m okay. I don’t know how you do it.”
“Do what?”
“Stay calm. I was a nervous wreck. I didn’t know what to do.”
“I guess it comes with being used to this way of life. There are so many things that could happen, and you can never be prepared for them all. What do you say we go inside and eat, and once we’re finished, we can rest a bit on the tire swing? Promise not to push you too high.” He winked, trying to make me feel better, and it did.
“That sounds nice.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Colt
As we walked into the house, I could smell the food. Glancing at the table, my dad had three sandwiches there, him already eating his.
“Hey, you two. Made you both one.”
“Thanks.” Daisy picked up a sandwich, both of us taking a seat at the table with my dad.
“Hope you’re hungry. I made your favorite, Colt, turkey and cheese with a little bit of mustard.”
I took a bite. My mom used to always make fun of my dad when he made a sandwich. She always said turkey and cheese with mustard was kind of weird. She wasn’t big on mustard. She preferred mayonnaise.
“You know, Daisy, Colt used to beg me to make him this sandwich all the time when he was little. He couldn’t say sandwich, so he called it a sam sam.”
I used to find that story embarrassing, but as I stole aglance at Daisy while she laughed at my dad’s joke, I wasn’t ashamed. The way she lit up the room made my heart race. She had a smile like a starry night sky-beautiful and captivating.
I glanced back at her, seeing that she still had a little bit left to eat. I sat there in silence, waiting for her to finish, but not rushing her. I was filled with a rush of excitement and nerves. I was going to share a moment with her, even if it was for a short while.
“It’s been a wild morning. Y’all go take a break for a bit. I’m going to ride out and check on the cattle in the far field.” I watched as my dad rose from the table and headed outside. I listened for the sound of the side by side starting, and when I heard it, I turned to Daisy.
“Do you want to go outside for a bit? We can go to the tire swing now.” I wanted to steal a few moments for just the two of us.
Daisy nodded, then we made our way outside to the tire swing hanging from the big oak tree in the front yard. It was swaying slightly in the breeze. Daisy sat down, and I gently pushed her, keeping my promise not to push her too high. Her hair flowed back against the slight wind, and I could hear a gentle laugh from her. It instantly took me back to when we were kids.
? ? ?
I was leaning against the big oak tree, listening to the slight creaking sound of the tire swing. Daisy was laughing as we enjoyed the serenity of a little haven on the sprawling ranch. She had raced me to the swing, obviously beating me, but I let her win. I didn’t mind pushing her on it. It made her happy, so it made me happy.
“Push me higher, Colt!”
As a kid, she was always so full of adventure. She never backed down from a challenge, and I wondered if she would always stay like this.
She was so unique and special, and I loved that she wanted to spend time together. Even after all these years, she never grew tired of me.
I saw the sparkle of excitement in her eyes as I grinned. I dug my boots into the ground to give her that extra push, and I felt joy seeing how happy she was soaring higher into the sky.
