Part 4

He grinned as he neared the Lansing House, seeing that Madeline was already waiting for him at their spot. He helped her up onto his horse and they set off toward the stream. It had become an almost nightly routine for them. They’d been meeting in secret like this for nearly two months.

Sometimes they sat there in silence for long stretches of time, other times they talked about their lives and their dreams, what they wanted to do when they were older. Blair told her stories about the people in town, their school and his family.

“Sometimes I fantasize that I’m somewhere far away from here,” she said softly. 

They were lying side-by-side in the grass, the stream bubbling, small animals scurrying around in the woods. Blair shifted onto his side to look at her.

“Like where?”

“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “He’s so mean all the time.”

“Is he… does he hurt you?” Blair looked intently at her.

She sighed and shook her head. “Not physically, but it still hurts when he tells me I’m useless, just like my mother, that I’ll never amount to anything.”

“One more year, Mads, then you can run away to me,” he said, tucking her hair behind her ear. 

She smiled sadly. “Oh yeah? What will we do?”

“Whatever we want. We could start a new life together. Go to the same college. It can be a fresh start for us. We can go out of state, someplace where nobody knows us. We can just be Blair and Madeline.”

“That sounds nice,” she said, her voice trailing off as it softened.

“What’s your dream, Mads? Have you thought beyond next year? What you’ll do once school is over?”

“I used to paint. I love art… but—”

“But what? If you love to paint, why don’t you paint?”

“I haven’t painted since my parents died. Some days I feel empty inside, like this pain will never go away. I feel numb to everything around me,” she whispered.

“Maybe that’s exactly why you need to start again. Life is hard enough as it is, but pushing through it, chasing your dreams, that’s never a bad thing. As harsh as it sounds, the world moves on and we only get left behind because we stop living. Life is worth living, Mads.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

The silence between them stretched, but for Blair it was peaceful. Lying next to her in the grass, he could let his mind go. He could stop worrying about the ranch, about all the responsibilities that had landed on his shoulders when his brother left. For a few hours, he could just let go.

The days all started to blend together. Madeline seemed to settle in more. She spoke less about running away and Blair felt relieved. Most nights were spent in silence, kissing and touching each other. Before that night, it hadn't gone further, not for lack of wanting, but out of respect for her. He'd wanted to wait, but it was a bit late for that now. He wanted to introduce her to his father and tell him that he loved her, that she was the girl for him. He knew they were young, probably too young, but when he was with her, he felt at peace.

Madeline sometimes withdrew from him, but they didn’t always need to say the words. She didn’t need fancy dates, and she seemed quite content with how things were between them. Every night she’d smile and tell him she was okay and that filled him with happiness.

The idea of her leaving made him nervous, but as time went on and the end of summer loomed on the horizon, Blair felt comfortable in the knowledge that she was his girl and that they just had to get through the school year. They would both be free then. It had never been his dream to take over the ranch, but he knew he’d keep working it until the day he could leave with her. 

Colt and Dylan had their own ideas, and he knew they would take over the ranch. They loved the ranch, even if Colt was a prankster and Dylan was more reserved than his twin. They had a sound business plan in the making to start buying horses and training them. 

Blair wanted more out of life than just the ranch. He wanted to explore the world, make his own money and travel. In each of those dreams, Madeline was standing right beside him. It was all he wanted for them. Freedom and happiness. Getting her away from old man Lansing was just a bonus.

He stretched his arms over his head, his eyes snapping open when someone cleared their throat behind him. The weight of Madeline’s head was on his chest, her one leg thrown over his. Confusion dulled his senses for all of ten seconds as he looked up at the lightening sky, the woods in front of him and the sound of the stream nearby.

He tilted his head back and locked gazes with his father. The stern expression on his face had him gently moving Madeline off him as he scrambled to get to his feet. Madeline gasped and lowered her head in embarrassment as Blair straightened his shirt.

“It’s not what it looks like, Dad.”

“Get that girl home,” Thomas said, his voice low and dark. The disappointment was visible in his eyes and Blair nodded his head.

Thomas mounted his horse and rode off toward the ranch as Blair stood there and watched him disappear. He dragged both hands through his hair and sighed.

“I can’t believe we fell asleep out here,” Madeline said, fear etched in her eyes.

“It’s fine… it’ll be fine,” he said. “My dad won’t tell your grandfather.”

It was probably just after 5 a.m. as Blair led his horse back toward Madeline’s house. He could already feel that it would be another scorching day. When they reached their meeting spot, Blair slid off his horse and helped her down.

“Call me later when you can talk. Don’t worry too much, you won’t get into trouble,” he said and kissed her forehead.

“It’ll be harder to see each other now,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes.

“We’ll figure it out, I promise. Come hell or high water, I’ll be here tonight,” he said. “I’m 18, he can’t stop me from leaving the house and we did nothing wrong.”

“Maybe we should wait a day or two,” she said. “Let me know what happens with your dad.”

He watched as she headed toward her window and climbed through it. When she was gone from sight and everything remained quiet, he got back on his horse and rode home. He wasn’t too worried, legally, he was an adult and it wasn’t like his father could do much to stop him. It was a rebellious thought, but one he couldn’t stop having.