“How long you been out?”
“Not long. I didn’t want to leave until Renie did, and that was only three weeks ago.”
“Where’d she go?”
“She’s working at Black Mountain Ranch this summer.”
“The dude ranch? My daddy worked there when he was a youngin’.”
“That’s the one. She doesn’t know it, but your daddy helped get her the job.”
“She’ll be there all summer?”
“Yes, Billy. She will.”
It was May. She’d be gone until September.
“I gotta go, Livvie. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, Billy. I understand.”
He needed to sit down, catch his breath, and figure out how in the hell he’d last another four months without any chance of seeing her.
Knowing the thing between her and Jace would end when summer did made it easy between them. They stayed so busy at the ranch, some days they saw each other, some days they didn’t. There wasn’t time for them to disagree, or have any relationship “issues.”
Jace would seek her out at dinner, sometimes he’d sit with her, but not every night. He tried to get at least one dance in with her a night, although it wasn’t always possible. Jace was a good-looking cowboy, and there was usually a line of ranch guests waiting to dance with him—some of whom were not enthusiastic about giving him up at the end of a song.
It didn’t make Renie jealous, it made her laugh. She did a lot of dancing with guests herself. Her favorite dance partners were the little boys who reminded her of Jake and Luke. She missed her stepbrothers, and her mom. She even missed Ben.
She realized she hadn’t been allowing herself to miss anyone. Missing someone reminded her of the person she missed the most. At some point in the last couple of weeks, she’d been able to think about other people in her life, people outside the fences of Black Mountain Ranch, without automatically thinking about Billy Patterson.
She called her mom the next night before dinner.
> “Hi, Mom,” she said when her mother answered her cell phone.
“Renie! Oh my goodness. It is so good to hear your voice. How are you?”
“I’m good. I miss you.”
“I miss you too, honey.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m in Lewisburg, Ohio, of all places.”
“How’s it going?”
“Second in the money for the region.”
“Woohoo!” Renie shouted.
“It is so good to hear you ‘woohooing.’”
“It feels good to be doing it.”
“Are you having a good time?”
“I am, Mom. It’s the best thing I could’ve done for myself. Don’t get me wrong though, it’s hard work.”