Page 36 of Holding Hope

Defeat flickered across his face. He had a reason for wanting this—something deeper than love or Mama’s wishes.

“But I’ll try.”

His smile returned, and I felt a little lighter.

“So, what’s wrong with Daisy?” he asked.

“The radiator’s out. I was going to call Dad once the emergency phone warmed up.”

Colton nodded and jerked his head behind him. “Hop on. We’ll give you girls a ride to town.”

He held out his hand, and I took it, swinging onto Demeter behind him. I wrapped my arms around his waist, trying to get comfortable. There had been more room back here when we were kids.

“We were headed home, Colton.

He shrugged and looked at me over his shoulder. “And miss out on a day with the coolest guy in all of Opal Springs? Nah, home will always be waiting for us.”

I smiled and pulled myself closer to him. It would be nice to spend the day with him—we saw so little of each other with our conflicting schedules. Everything was better when Colton was home; Mama breathed a little lighter, Dad smiled a little more, and you practically had to drag Melody away by her arms if you wanted to separate her from her favorite sibling.

Colton whistled to Ethan, who had climbed up behind Avalon on Spartan. Ethan’s arms were around her waist, holding the reins while letting her believe she was the one controlling the horse.

We set off toward Opal Springs at a steady pace, letting the horses pick up speed now and then. Town wasn’t far from where we’d gotten stranded—just about a twenty-minute ride. I’d walked the distance countless times as a child, sneaking out for music lessons when I was supposed to be doing farm chores.

I’d always loved the trip to town. Wildflowers and willow trees lined the path, birds nesting in the branches, jackrabbits and small rodents darting through the brush.

Willoughby Well sat along the way—the most popular high school make-out spot.

And then the homesteads, stretching for miles across my father’s land. His ranch hands and the on-call vet lived in those small houses, each one passed down from father to eldest son, each one working for my dad.

It wasn’t until the colorful rooftops and the water tower came into view that Colt finally broke the silence.

“I never did ask—who’s your friend?”

He nodded toward Avalon and Ethan, who were sharing a laugh. Jealousy curled up inside me, sharp and unwelcome, and I quickly turned away.

“Avalon Kennedy is not my friend.”

My brother didn’t press the subject. He simply let out a laugh that rumbled through his shoulders.

We arrived back in Opal Springs just as the sun dipped behind the church steeple.

“God, I could eat an entire horse right now,” Avalon groaned as we walked into Claire-Anne’s Bistro. It was the nicest restaurant in town—probably the only one that would qualify as a restaurant in the city.

Ethan swung open the door, ushering us inside with a polite sweep of his hand. “Well, I can’t promise horse is on the menu, but Claire-Anne sure knows how to make a mean steak and fries.”

His eyes flicked to mine, and I offered him a small smile. Ethan looked good—but then again, he always did. His tall, lean frame had filled out while I was away, and he nearly matched Colton in height despite being several years younger.

“It’s nice to see you, Annie.”

He wrapped his arms around me, practically suffocating me in his coat. Ethan smelled like hay and lumber—exactly the way he had when we were kids.

Stepping back, I gave his arm a light punch. “Hey, you know I told you to stop calling me that. I’m not thirteen anymore.”

Ethan’s booming laugh followed us inside. We found an empty table, and conversation flowed easily as we waited for the waitress.

“Call you what?” Avalon asked, eager to be included.

“Annie,” Ethan replied, sliding into the seat beside her. He sat across from me, Colton on my left; Avalon and I were directly across from each other, closest to the wall.