Part 1

The summer sun beat down on him, the sky a cerulean blue with white, puffy clouds that did nothing to shield him from the heat. The cattle bellowed in the meadow. His horse, Black Moon, twitched his ears and Blair glanced over his shoulder. He narrowed his eyes as he spotted movement in the tree line a few yards to the left.

A girl emerged, holding her hand over her eyes as she looked around. Her light blue dress reached her knees and her hair hung down to her shoulders, a cascade of blonde waves that stood out against the dark shadows from the woods behind her.

He turned his horse and walked toward her. “Are you lost?”

Her head snapped up to him and the smile that greeted him made his stomach clench. She had dimples in both cheeks, a few strands of hair sticking to her temples where sweat dotted her skin.

“Hi, sorry, I guess I am a little lost,” she said.

He got off his horse and adjusted his hat. “Blair Fitzgerald. Where are you headed?”

“Madeline,” she said and looked down briefly. “I went for a walk earlier. I just moved here.”

“You walked all the way from town?” Disbelief flashed in Blair’s eyes. It was six miles from town just to reach the start of their ranch borders. Where they were currently standing, it was at least another two miles to their border fence.

“No!” she said quickly and tucked her hair behind her ear. “My grandfather doesn’t live far. At least, it hadn’t felt that way when I started out. It’s on a dirt road a few miles out of town.”

“Old man Lansing’s your grandfather?”

“Yes,” she said with another smile.

“That was some walk you took,” he said and glanced back at the cattle. “I can take you back, if you want. It’s a few miles’ walk.”

“On your horse?” She looked up at Black Moon and Blair had to grin. She looked horrified at the idea of getting on his horse.

“It would be the fastest way,” he said. “Don’t look so afraid. Black Moon is real gentle. He looks fierce, but he’s not.”

“I guess I have no choice but to take your word for it, Blair Fitzgerald,” she said.

He chuckled. “I’m going to cup my hands. Put your foot on it and when I lift you, swing your leg over the horse.”

She nodded her head and Blair leaned forward and made a foothold with his hands. She placed her foot on his hands and he lifted her easily. She swung her leg over and grabbed hold of the horn. 

“Now scoot forward as much as you can,” he said. The moment she shuffled forward, he swung himself up on Black Moon’s back and settled in behind her. He took the reins and clicked his tongue. Black Moon started walking and Madeline’s entire body stiffened. 

She hadn’t shied away when his arms touched her sides to take the reins and he smiled at that thought. He guided Black Moon across the open field and headed toward the gate that would take him to the dirt road and their house. Old man Lansing mostly kept to himself. He was a hardened, rude old man that glowered at everyone. He wasn’t the town’s favorite resident, and Blair couldn’t remember that he had children. For as long as he knew, the old man had lived alone.

“You said you just moved here… why?”

Her shoulders slumped forward a little and she cleared her throat. “My parents died in a car accident six months ago. I was living with my aunt, but she just got a job offer overseas and couldn’t take me with her, so I got shipped here.”

“I’m sorry about your parents… we lost our mom two years ago,” he said softly.

“How did she die?”

Blair felt her loss every single day, the pain still as raw as it was the day she died. “Cancer. She was sick for a long time, so her death was a blessing in the end.”

“I’m sorry,” she said and glanced at him over her shoulder. 

“How long have you been here?”

“A week, but today I just had to get out. Has he always been so… rude?”

Blair huffed out a laugh. “For as long as I can remember.”

They walked on in relative silence, a soft breeze moving wisps of her hair. At one point, she sagged back against his chest, and he could smell her shampoo. It smelled like peaches and vanilla. He knew, in contrast, he probably smelled terrible. He’d been at it since five that morning, cleaning stalls, checking the fence line and his shirt was sticking to his back already.

It wasn’t long after that they turned onto the dirt road and a few minutes later, the house came into view. Blair was almost sorry that it hadn’t taken longer, not sure when he’d see her again. It was summer break and he was always busy on the ranch.

“Will you be going to school in town?”

She glanced at him again and nodded her head. “Yes, I’ll be a senior when school starts.”

“I’ll be a senior too, so I guess I’ll see you around after all,” he said.

They reached the front of the yard, the grass a little overgrown, but not to the point of neglect. The house had been repainted in the spring and the large oak tree stood alone in the yard, creating shade in the otherwise empty garden.

The screen door opened and hit the side of the house with a loud bang as Blair got down from his horse. He held his hand out to help Madeline down from the horse. Old man Lansing stood on the porch and glared at him. Blair tried not to smile, because if looks could kill, he’d be a pile of ash.

“Don’t get no funny ideas, boy!”

“No, sir,” Blair said. “She got lost on her walk in the woods. I just brought her home safely.”

“I know your type, Fitzgerald! You boys are all up to no good!”

“Grandpa, you’re overreacting! I never would’ve found my way back if Blair hadn’t come to my aid.”

“Blair… what kind of name is Blair anyway? Get on up here, Madeline. Don’t you look at that boy twice and end up like your momma!”

Madeline’s cheeks heated as she shook her head. “Thank you, Blair, maybe I’ll get lost in the woods again soon.”

Blair grinned. “I look forward to it.” He watched as she walked toward her grandfather and lifted his hat at the old man. He grumbled something under his breath about boys and bulls. Old man Lansing didn’t waste any time locking the screen door behind him as Blair mounted his horse and turned back toward the ranch.