Big Girl Boots

Thirty-Two

We drove for what felt like an eternity, although it was probably only forty minutes. The thick silence was what really made the time drag on. Well, that, and my concerns over Wyatt and his grandpa.

It was typical to receive a text back from Wyatt in less than a second, but that wasn't the case today, which had me pretty worried. I prayed that the stroke wasn't a bad one and that Bill could go home soon. Seeing as there were no cars in their driveway, I didn't know what to think.

When my aunt finally turned off the gravel we'd been driving on for forever, I sat up. From my vantage point in the passenger seat (courtesy of Mama Callie telling Kellan to get in the back with Coda), I had a good view of the long, curving driveway that wrapped all the way around a hill. With the ice it was slow going but when we finally made it around the last bend I was amazed.

Nestled nearly in the slope was a gorgeous log cabin that looked like it came straight out of a magazine. The entire thing was solid varnished logs except the stacked rock base. A layer of fluffy snow sat on the roof, making it feel all the more surreal. As mama Callie pulled to a stop in front of the long, cozy looking porch, a huge white dog stood up and yawned. The thing literally looked like a polar bear aside from its big, soft eyes.

Mama Callie put the pickup in park, paying no attention to me and my awestruck look. "You three stay out here for now; I'll come get you when we're ready." And just like that, she was gone and so was the giant fluffy animal from the porch.

I huffed and sat back against the seat again, twirling my hat in my hands. If there were two things I hated they were secrets and waiting. Looking over my shoulder I found Kellan asleep against the door and Coda staring out the window. Her eyes were still red and puffy but I figured it would take at least a few days of not crying for that to go away. Aside from that, she was pretty adorable all dolled up like a real cowgirl.

When she wasn't folded into herself and refusing to make eye contact, Coda was a pretty dazzling girl. She had a beautiful face and a cute figure, plus a great personality when she just bothered to show it. The only time I'd seen that side of her come out was at rodeos. Even then it took a lot of work on her part and everyone else's to bring out. Typically it was Wyatt's coaxing that did it.

Oh, Wyatt.

I missed that boy. He was always so fun and full of life and energy and adventure. I loved him as that kind of friend for me, but what I'd really loved him for lately was his influence on Coda. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, he brought out a side of her that no one else could and it was beautiful. She was beautiful. Especially when she put in just a little bit of effort.

Her blatant rejection of him had been a slap in the face, not just for Wyatt but for all of us. Nobody saw it coming, especially not him. Never in my life had I seen Wyatt so hung up on a girl, and I was totally okay with it. As far as I knew, she'd felt the same way about him.

Had she actually been speaking to me I might've asked her what made her do it, what made her push Wyatt away and forget about him like he hadn't spent the last three months of his life catering her. I just didn't get it. Coda Paxton was an anomaly I didn't know if I would ever get the chance to fully understand.

Mama Callie appeared a few minutes later, followed by a sturdily built brunette woman. The giant dog trailed behind them on the porch and eventually flopped down at their feet while they talked and laughed.

I'd never seen the woman before, but her and my aunt were acting just like old friends. In all honesty, I had absolutely no idea what was going on. Then again, I never did. Usually I was the one left in the dark.

After about five minutes of visiting on the porch in the cold, the woman rubbed her arms and motioned in the house, nodding to the pickup with a grin. Mama Callie started down the porch steps and waved over her shoulder before climbing back into the pickup, smile still in place. "Alright, we're good to go."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I couldn't help but pester her as she put the pickup in gear and we began rolling forward on the road that continued to wrap around the hill.

"You'll see."

By the time the massive white indoor arena came into view, I was nearly bouncing in my seat from the suspense.

"You found us a place to ride?" I screeched, staring at my aunt with a stupidly excited smile. I couldn't even find the words to explain just how much I missed riding in the winter. This was perfect.

"I did." She parked on a cement pad in front of the looming building and shut the pickup off before turning to us. Kellan woke with a start and Coda finally bothered to make eye contact with something other than the snow. "Okay, we're here. My friend Tandy was nice enough to offer us the use of her arena and I decided to finally take her up on it. Anyway, let's get the horses unloaded and saddle up!"

I shot out of the rig like my ass was on fire and wrenched open the trailer door with a loud metallic screech. Excited didn't even begin to describe how I felt thinking about the soft, groomed dirt and windless space that awaited me. I was ecstatic.

The four horses seemed pretty glad, too, and they all nickered upon seeing me. I carefully walked in to untie my favorite roping horse and lead him out, impatient for Mama Callie to get the arena door open. I literally couldn't wait. Kellan grabbed two more horses and tied them to the trailer methodically before going back in for the last one. Coda stood by the pickup looking skeptical as he looped the final halter around one of the bars.

"Where's Winston?"

My aunt, who'd finally got the door open and was making her way back to us answered the question. "I brought you a different horse today. I think you'll get along with him really well."

I knew the horse she was talking about since I'd helped her catch him less than an hour ago. He was a small horse with a shiny light copper coat and white stripe and socks that Mama Callie had fallen in love with the second she met him. His name was Skipper.

Coda stared at her with furrowed brows. The more I got to know her the more I understood how much she hated change. I knew it would bother her to have to get to know a new horse, especially since she got along so well with Winston, Kellan's blue roan. The only reason she would go along with the whole scheme was it was my aunt's idea and not mine. Even I wondered what she was thinking, though. Skipper was her barrel and gaming horse, not a roping horse.