Serenity Falls(9)

“Thank you,” I whisper.

As my vision starts to come back, I step out of his embrace, embarrassed by my reaction to him. I pull open the screen door and look back over my shoulder at Wes. “You comin’?”





I lean against the stall with my arms folded on the ledge, my chin resting on top of them, looking at Lucy and Jane. I can’t help but think what the bonfire tonight is going to be like. It’s not as if I’ve never been to one before. I have. The last one I went to was graduation night. It was the night my high school boyfriend and I decided to end our relationship. The beginning of high school had been rough, but in my junior year, I pulled myself out of my funk and started living again. I met Jarred Daniels, who later became my boyfriend. We had a good relationship, but were more like friends rather than anything else. When it ended, neither one of us were actually all that upset.

“What are you thinking about?”

Pulled from my thoughts, I look to my left to see Wes standing in the doorway of the barn. His shoulder rests against the doorframe with his hands tucked into his pockets. His vibrant blue eyes sparkle as he looks at me intently.

A slow smile spreads across my face. “So, I take it you haven’t been home in a while?” I ask, changing the subject. Even though Jarred and I ended on reasonable terms, he’s not what I want to be discussing.

“Yeah. I haven’t. It’s nice, you know, to be back in my element,” he replies, walking over to stand next to me. He reaches into a satchel and pulls out a few carrots. “Are you from around here?”

“Nope. I was born and raised in Conroe, and now, I go to the University of Texas San Antonio.”

Lucy walks up to us, taking the carrots out of his hand. “What are you studying?”

“I’m still undecided, but I’m leaning toward nursing,” I reply, reaching for the cheek strap on the bridle and pulling Lucy toward me. When she starts to protest, I slowly reach out with my other hand, and gently run it up and down in a soothing manner along her forehead. “Shh… It’s okay. Nobody will hurt you,” I soothe. Her eyes find mine, and she immediately begins to settle.

“What made you choose nursing?”

“I haven’t chosen, yet, but I like to help people,” I reply. “It’s seems fitting, I guess.”

“You seem really good with horses, too.” Wes nods at Lucy who seems much more at ease with me now.

“And how do figure that?”

He smirks at me as he taps his finger against his temple. “I can tell. I’ve been raised with horses. Trust me, I’m good at reading people and you seem to be good with them.”

I nod, contemplating his answer. “I love horses. I’ve been around them since I was thirteen. Once I learned how to ride, it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”

“I can understand that. Mom and Dad didn’t start Operation Love until five years ago. You know?”

You can hear the love he feels for his parents just from the way he looks and talks about them. I turn to look at him, but he’s looking at Lucy when I reply, “I do. It’s a good organization and I believe in what they’re doin’.”

“Do you know what made them start it up?” he asks, looking at me.

I give a slight shake of my head. I never asked. I just assumed they did it because they love kids.

“My cousin had cystic fibrosis and the only thing that seemed to make him happy was when he was here at the ranch. We all knew he wasn’t gonna live to see eighteen. When he’d come here on weekends or spring break, we would both go riding. It was like nothing else mattered, not his sickness, not his inevitable death—nothing. He could be so sick, but when he came here, he would wear the biggest smile.”

“I’m sorry about your cousin.” It’s all I can say. I know it doesn’t change anything, or take away the pain that his family has suffered, but it’s all I know to say. After my parents passed away, all I ever heard was ‘I’m sorry’. It bothered me, but I learned to accept it, because I eventually realized that my parents weren’t only loved by me, but by a whole lot of other people, too.

I can tell that Wes and his cousin had a close relationship. Compassion rings through his tone. His eyes look so far away, like he’s traveled back in time and is here with his cousin again.

“Shall we?” he asks, nodding towards the horses while looking at me.

Snapping my eyes away from him, I turn away answering hastily, “Yeah.”

A soft chuckle escapes him as I back up, allowing him to open the stall. “What? Are you laughing at me?” I ask.