Blackfoot Ranch Pt. 02

I looked up at the pale blue sky and the deeper blue lake and the icy crashing waterfall. This was a life so far from my own, and it was the kind I wanted. I replied, "I think I'm starting to agree with you."

After a few serene moments, we cleaned up, packed out, and hiked back to our campsite. We let the afternoon drag into evening, not quite ready to return back to Mom's cabin and Elena's ranch, respectively, away from each other.

"I'm really glad you invited me out here," I said as I finished up my last bite of Elena's fire-roasted veggie stir fry.

She replied easily, "I'm really glad you said yes."

We didn't exchange many more words as we got everything together in her truck and started the drive. We didn't need to say anything. In the silence, there was the acknowledgment that life was complicated, that we didn't know what this was, but that we didn't need to know. Not yet.

The setting sun washed the sky in hues of orange and pink as we drove back towards civilization -- or, at least, the Montanan equivalent. The quiet of the truck's cabin was comforting, and the feeling of being with someone who understood without needing to explain was soft as a hug around me. As the road wound through the forest, I stole glances at Elena beside me. Her profile was illuminated by the fading light, and her features held a mix of contentment and vulnerability.

We continued on, both lost in our own thoughts. The evening grew darker, and stars began to sprinkle the night sky as we finally arrived at the familiar junction where we would part ways: Mom's gravel driveway.

"I guess this is it," Elena said softly, her voice tinged with a hint of reluctance.

"Yeah," I replied, trying to hide my disappointment. "Thank you again for inviting me out there."

She sighed. "I'm going to miss you, Sadie."

The light turned on in Mom's front room. She was waiting for me, but I wasn't ready to go. I took Elena's hand in mine and kissed her fingers. I assured her, "I'll come back."

"You promise?"

I offered her my pinky and she linked hers. We both chuckled at the sweet, innocent gesture after the less-than-innocent trip. "Promise."

She unlocked the car doors and said, "Bring the girls with you. I'll teach them to ride on some of the trails."

My heart twitched. "You mean that?"

She looked at me like it was silly for me to doubt the idea that a romantic interest might be kind to my kids. Not silly, actually, but sad. Elena told me, "Yeah, duh. I make a great babysitter."

"Good. That sounds good."

I hopped out of the car, hauled my backpack out of the trunk, and walked up the path to the cabin. I pushed the door open, still smiling, and dropped my bag on the floor.

Mom was on the couch with a mug of tea and a knitting project, one of which she was ignoring. so that she could give me a pointed look. Sipping her tea, Mom gave me a smirk and said, "I assume you had a nice time with Elena, then."

She'd always been able to see right through me. So I just sighed and said, "Yeah. Really nice. Beyond nice."