“Haskell called. Poppa is antsin’ y’all to get there,” Liz said, “and Mama, watching y’all leave was pretty tough.”

“Change hurts sometimes, but you are where you should be. I should have married a carnie instead of your father! It was his genes that keeps you in one place. A third-generation carnie would have given you good genes.”

Liz managed a weak giggle. “I’m riding bareback right now. I promised Raylen I’d help exercise horses if he’d help me take care of all my Christmas decorations and the party.”

“You loved horses from the time you could walk. That’s Daddy’s genes coming out in you,” Marva Jo said. “We’re getting into Vernon and traffic is heavy. I’ll call when we get there.”

She’d barely ended that call when Blaze called. “I’m miserable.” He sounded like he might cry, and Liz had only seen him shed tears one time in his life—that was the day they buried his mother.

“I’m glad.” Liz sniffled. “When y’all left I sobbed like a baby, and now just hearing how sad you are makes me want to be there for you.”

“I just now stopped snifflin’ enough to call you. I’m in love, Liz,” Blaze said. “I thought all that love at first sight stuff was a load of crap, but I believe now.”

“It can happen. It did to me when I was just ten years old,” Liz told him. “What are you going to do about it?”

“I don’t know. It’s brand-new territory for me. Got to go. Traffic is slowing us down. Call you later,” he said, and the call ended.

The phone rang a third time. “Where’d you learn to ride like that?” Raylen asked when she answered.

“I started riding before Poppa or Mama knew it. I rescued an old wood stool from the barn and stood on it to mount up on the Shetland ponies. I was barely four, and Mama said I was too little to ride, but all I could think about was getting on that pony. I was too little to saddle up. I’d been riding a month or more when they figured out I wasn’t playing with my Barbie dolls out there behind the barn.”

“Stubborn little cuss, weren’t you?” He chuckled.

“Always,” she said. “I’m bringing Fire Red in now. Who’s next?”

“Glory. She’s one of Major Jack’s first colts,” Raylen told her. “She’s got a lot of spirit like this belly dancer I know. She’ll test you.”

Liz scoffed. “As much as you do? Are you coming over tonight?”

“It’s a date,” he answered.

Maddie was still mucking out the stall when she rode Fire Red into the barn. Liz slid off the mare’s back and rubbed her down.

The sun was a bright orange ball hanging right above the western horizon when they finished up. The inside of Raylen’s truck smelled like hay, horses, and manure but neither Liz nor Raylen noticed. She wanted some time alone with Raylen.

“Just so you know, Mama invited us to have supper with them. I told her that I’d promised to help you eat up some Italian leftovers,” Raylen said.