Miranda exited the house the next morning with a thermos in one hand and a basket in the other. She was surprised to find Keith waiting on the front porch. “Keith! You missed breakfast. I’ve got some coffee and biscuits if you want them. I was just heading over to the bunkhouse to bring them to you. I thought maybe you’d overslept.”
“I’ve been up for about two hours,” he said.
“I don’t understand. Why didn’t you come inside?”
He shrugged. “Wasn’t real hungry, and once a day is enough to impose.”
“It’s not like that!” she protested. “Jo-Jo likes feeding people. In fact, I think she lives for it. But if it really makes you uncomfortable to come over in the morning, we can always go into town later and pick up a few groceries after I take care of the horses.”
“Already done,” he said. “I fed them all and turned the geldings out so we can get started on the fence. Have you ridden out and checked for weak places?”
“Yes. Jo-Jo and I already did that. We know exactly where the bad spots are. We’ll need to replace a few rotted posts and raise the perimeter fence height.”
“Do you want to ride out now to show me where those bad posts are?”
“Sure,” she replied. “That’s probably the best place for us to start.”
“How many need to be replaced?” he asked.
“About a dozen,” she replied.
“The ground’s probably too frozen to dig holes for wood posts, but I’m hoping I can still drive in some metal ones. Got any T-posts and a driver?”
“Yeah, in the workshop,” she said. “There’s a big stack of them.”
After loading up the utility cart with T-posts and tools, they rode out together on the ATV, her arms wrapped around his waist. It was bitter with the wind, but she hardly noticed in her excitement to show him the ranch.
“Our summer grazing’s on the eastern slopes.” She gestured to the nearby mountains as they pulled up to the first post that she and Jo-Jo had flagged with survey tape on their prior inspection. “We have river access on both the north and south boundaries, so we’ve never had to worry about water. You see how ideal this is for the horses?” Miranda gushed as she pointed out the boundaries of the place that had become her pride and joy.
“I can’t argue that,” Keith said. “It’s a shame she ever thought of selling it.”
“The very idea nearly broke my heart, but there’s no way she could have kept running it on her own.”
“She could have leased it out for the income,” he suggested.
“She had an offer to do that but refused. She said she couldn’t stand by and watch someone else run the place that had been hers for so long. She said she’d rather sell it outright, but she really didn’t want to do that either. It’s her home. And now it’s mine too. I love it here, Keith. I feel like I was always meant to be in this place.”
“That’s how I felt when I first arrived in Wyoming. Everything about it spoke to my heart.”
“But you don’t feel that way now?”
He sighed. “I don’t know anymore. I thought I did because I missed it so much, but when I went back, it all felt so different to me. Like I didn’t belong anymore. So many things have changed… I’ve changed.”
“Change isn’t always a bad thing,” she said. “Sometimes it hurts, but it’s also what helps us to grow. I’ve changed a lot too, and I’m much happier for it. I’ve always believed that everything occurs for a reason. Just look at how we met in Nevada. All of this was meant to happen… You and I were meant to happen.” She bit her lip, realizing she’d said too much, implied too much. “I didn’t mean to suggest…”
“I know what you meant,” he said. “I’ve had the same thoughts.”
“You have?” she said softly, watching him unload the posts.
“Yes,” he replied. “I don’t believe in coincidence either. Why do think I came?”
“I don’t know,” she replied, afraid to ascribe too much meaning to his words. She wondered if he’d pull back again. In the past, he’d let her get only so close before shutting her out.
He stood and pulled off a leather glove to touch her face. “Because I want to be with you, Miranda. I was about to drive all the way to California when I first called you. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before.”
Their eyes met. Her heart raced. She swallowed hard and whispered, “Me too. Not even close.” She laid a hand on his arm. “Please, Keith, why don’t you stay?”
He shook his head with a look of regret. “I just can’t. I’ve told you why.” He laid his bare hand on hers. It was still warm from the gloves. “Just give me some time, okay? This is new ground for me. I need to work all this out in my head.”