The Longest Ride(55)
“You’ll like it,” she assured him, not bothering to hide her amusement.
When the waitress came by, Sophia rambled off the order like an expert; then they settled into easy conversation, interrupted only when their meal arrived. He gave her an abbreviated overview of his childhood, which despite his chores at the ranch had been fairly typical. His high school years included varsity wrestling for three years, all four homecoming dances, both proms, and a handful of memorable parties. He told her that in the summers, he and his parents would take the horses up to the mountains near Boone for a few days, where they’d go trail riding, the only family vacations they ever took. He talked a bit about his practices on the mechanical bull in the barn and how his father had tinkered with the bull to make the motion even more violent. The practice sessions had started when he was still in elementary school, his father critiquing his every move. He mentioned some of the injuries he’d suffered over the years and described the nerves he felt when riding in the PBR World Championships – once, he’d been in the running for the championship until the final ride, only to finish third overall – and through it all, Sophia listened raptly, interrupting him only occasionally to ask questions.
He felt the laserlike focus that she trained on him, absorbing every detail, and by the time the waitress had removed their plates, everything about her, from her easy laughter to her slight but discernible northern accent, struck him as charming and desirable. More than that, he felt like he could truly be himself despite their differences. When he was with her, he found it easy to forget the stress he felt whenever he thought about the ranch. Or his mom. Or what was going to happen if his plans didn’t work out…
He was so absorbed in his thoughts, it took a moment before he realized she was staring at him.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked.
“Why?”
“You looked almost… lost there for a minute.”
“Nothing.”
“You sure? I hope it wasn’t the anago.”
“No. Just thinking about what I have to do before I leave this weekend.”
She furrowed her brow, watching him. “Okay,” she finally said. “When do you leave?”
“Tomorrow afternoon,” he said, thankful she’d let it pass. “I’ll drive to Knoxville after I finish up and spend the night. On Saturday night, I’ll start driving back. I’ll get in late, but it’s the first weekend we’re selling pumpkins. I got most of the Halloween stuff set up today – José and I built a great big maze out of hay bales, among other things – but a lot of people always show up. Even with José pitching in, my mom still needs extra help.”
“Is that why she was mad at you? Because you’ll be out of town?”
“Partly,” he said, pushing a bright pink sliver of ginger around his plate. “She’s mad because I’m riding, period.”
“Isn’t she used to it by now? Or is it because you got hurt on Big Ugly Critter?”
“My mom,” he said, choosing his words with care, “is worried that something’s going to happen to me.”
“But you’ve been injured before. Lots of times.”
“Yes.”
“Is there something you’re not telling me?”
He didn’t answer right away. “How about this?” he said, laying his chopsticks down. “When the time is right, I’ll tell you all about it.”
“I could always ask your mom, you know.”
“You could. But you’d have to meet her first.”
“Well, maybe I’ll just go out there on Saturday and try.”
“Go ahead. But if you do, just be prepared to be put to work. You’ll be carrying pumpkins all day.”
“I’ve got muscles.”
“Have you ever carried pumpkins all day?”
She leaned across the table. “Have you ever unloaded a truck filled with meat and sausage?” Her expression was victorious when he didn’t answer. “See, we do have something in common. We’re both hard workers.”
“And we can both ride horses now, too.”
She smiled. “That too. How did you like the sushi?”
“It was good,” he said.
“I get the feeling you would have preferred pork chops.”
“I can have pork chops anytime. It’s one of my specialties.”
“You cook?”
“On the grill,” he said. “My dad taught me.”
“I think I’d like for you to grill for me sometime.”