Page 60 of All We Carry Home

Warren

Eva looked away and uttered a quiet “Maybe.”

At least it wasn’t a no. That felt like a ray of hope, like what she attributed to sunrises.

She stood and led the way back to the truck. My mind was consumed all the while with the confusing and captivating creature that was Eva. The woman who didn’t enjoy sunsets. The woman who wasn’t scared of a handful of thugs on her doorstep.

The lake, the view of the hills, and the mountains from the highway were all breathtaking. But nothing compared to this tenacious woman driving the truck and horse trailer.

Who didn’t like sunsets?

That was something I wanted to more fully understand.

Yet I was keenly aware of how the clock was winding down. We were halfway into Phantom’s contract, and the most dangerous lessons were still ahead for him. For Eva.

We drove another half hour to a sprawling cattle ranch that left Birkstrom’s thousand acres feeling like a petting zoo.

Eva walked toward one of the barns, and I followed. She moved with a quiet assurance that drew people and animals toward her. Horses and humans watched her as she passed, and I couldn’t blame them.

She introduced me to the ranch owner, and they chatted briefly next to a robust black mare that panicked and broke ropes whenever she was tied. The horse was muscular and impressive, so they didn’t want to just retire her to pasture or sell her to another unsuspecting owner.

I was grateful for the additional horse to keep Eva busy and distracted. In the meantime, Eddie and I had made a few calls and would bring even more hands to Birkstrom. I wouldn’t leave her alone in this fight, and I needed to know that the farm was secure for when I’d have to go back to the East Coast.

Eva took the mare by the lead rope, scratching the animal’s neck and talking softly, before she loaded her and closed the trailer.

As we drove back toward Birkstrom, the sun slumped in the sky, dangerously close to one of those sad sunsets she avoided.

She seemed to sense that, looking over at me with lips pressed into a firm line. “Go ahead,” she said with a light tone. “Ask.”

“Ask what?”

She looked over with narrowed eyes.

“Well, I just thought sunsets were one of those things everyone liked.” I twisted in the seat to face her as she drove. “Don’t women find them romantic?”

She hummed a soft laugh. “I don’t think I’m like most women.”

That was clear.

“Do you like flowers, then?”

“No, it’s one more thing to take care of.” Her gaze kept steady on the road, but her grin widened.

“Going out to dinner?” I prompted.

“Only when you’re on the road at a horse show and there aren’t any other options.”

“Jewelry?”

She slung a patronizing look to me at that one.

“Maybe you’ve just never had the right person give you these things.”

She tensed. “Maybe.”

I hadn’t meant to strike a nerve. Her response at least confirmed my suspicions. “So, as a child, what did you wish for at Christmastime?”

She smiled and her shoulders relaxed a bit. “A new horse, of course. And there was always a new horse to train when Gramps was around.”