Indy is staring at Austin as if he has lost his dam mind. Because he has. She has never ridden a horse and now here he stands on day three of her being on the ranch and suggesting she climb on the horse he has saddled for her.
"Come on, darlin', she is gentle and I will be by your side the whole time. Trust me, you will love it."
"But...but, I have never ridden a horse."
"I will teach ya."
"They scare me..."
"Everythin' is a little scary at first."
Indy sucks in her lips and looks at the horse. It's pretty. It has a coat that looks like caramel and she is smallish. But, still big. She shakes her head. She is not trying to be a pain, but she had never even seen a real horse until she came here - it's a lot to take in. "Probably for the best. I have broken every bone in my body at one time or another from falling off a horse," Ace says as he walks past slowly on his horse. Indy's eyes widen and she takes a step back. "Not helpful, Ace!" Austin shouts over his shoulder then looks back at Indy.
"He was just jokin'."
"Really?"
Now Austin sucks in his lips. "No," he says then grimaces.
"I thought you didn't lie."
"I am human, darlin', I slip up from time to time."
Indy stares at him and then shakes her head. "I am really scared...could we try tomorrow rather? Please?" she asks. Austin sighs, but he has a soft smile on his lips. He is so patient with her. "Ok, baby," he says. Storm hits him on his back with his nose. "Do ya mind? I am talkin' here," Austin says then looks back at Indy. "Tomorrow," he confirms. Storm hits him in his back again. "Will ya stop that? You are pissin' me off. Not everything is about you," he says and again looks back at Indy. "We have work to do on the ranch, I will take you in my truck."
"I can drive your truck, you ride Storm."
"No, you ride with me. Go get your Stetson, darlin'."
Indy feels bad now. Austin looks so happy when he rides Storm and she is taking that away from him. Yesterday he drove his truck back from the waterfall while Storm ran next to them. It had looked and felt wrong. But, she just can't find the courage today. She will force herself tomorrow. So she nods and turns to walk inside but jumps a little when Storm lets out a loud sigh and then trots around them and stops in front of her. What's happening? She takes a few steps back and bumps into Austin's chest. "Darlin'...I know you are scared, but trust me, ok?" he asks. Indy frowns and then looks at him. He is watching Storm with a careful eye. She does trust him. More than anyone in this world.
"Storm is offerin' for you to ride him."
Indy's mouth drops open at that. There is no fucking way she is doing that. The other horse is a quarter of the size of Storm and she was scared - the thought of riding Storm petrifies her. She would never be able to control him, she would never even be able to get on him. He is so big. "I won't force ya, Darlin', but how about you meet him officially and we take it from there," Austin says. Ok, that does not sound so bad even though she is not sure what he means by meet him. But, she has let Austin down enough today so she gives him a little nod.
He takes her hand and pulls her gently to Storm's head. He is huge and very intimidating.
"H-how do I meet him?"
"Just do what comes naturally. There are no rules," he says from behind her softly. Indy stares at the underside of Storm's jaw and then watches as he slowly lowers his head until they are eye to eye. Her mouth opens a little in shock. All the horses she has seen have black eyes. Just little black balls. But, Storms are different. They are blue. A bright stormy blue that swirls around a black pupil and it feels like she is staring into the eye of a perfect storm. She can also see a softness in them that promises to be careful with her. She feels safe with him. He lifts his head slightly again and she remembers she is meant to be meeting him but she can't talk. What does she say?
Austin said do what felt natural, right? So she steps under Sorm's strong neck and stretches her arms around his huge chest. His coat is soft and even though she can feel the power of his muscles under her arms - she knows he won't hurt her. She buries her face in his smooth coat then feels him dip his head again and nuzzle her back gently. Storm looks big and strong but he is just a gentle sweetheart inside, where it counts. He reminds her of Austin.
When Storm lifts his head she lets go and takes a step back then turns around and freezes. All of Austin's brothers are standing behind him, including Ren who had disappeared. Their eyes are all wide and their faces shocked. Austin is standing in front of them with a soft smile on his lips, he trusts Storm with Indy. "Will you help me up, please?" she whispers. Austin's smile widens. "Yeah," he says. He moves to Storm's side and pulls himself up onto the saddle then leans down, curls his arm around Indy, and pulls her up so she is sitting in front of him, between his legs.
"Sh-should I not be behind you so I have something to hold on to?"
"You are fine right here, darlin'."
Indy won't lie. It is high and it feels like she is sitting on a raging storm that is just waiting to explode. It's an exhilarating feeling and her adrenaline makes her heart bang on her chest. "You alright, darlin'?" Austin asks. "Yeah, I think so," Indy squeaks, pushing into Austin's chest. She knows Storm will be careful, but she has a good understanding of the power that's below her now. "What the fuck has happened since I have been away?" Ren asks, still staring at Indy. "The winds of change have started blowing, sweet boy," Evelyn appears out of nowhere, taking Ren's face in her hands and kissing his cheek. "I feel you when you are not here, but I still miss you so," she says to him then turns and walks off to the stables.
All of Austin's brothers are now looking at him with huge smiles on their faces. They look excited. "The winds blow softly, don't get too excited just yet," Austin says. "Hold tight, baby, I am going to move him forward now," he whispers in her ear. Indy clutches the front of the saddle and squeezes her knees. Austin clicks his tongue and then Storm moves forward. Indy can tell he is trying to be gentle but his muscles are big and bulky and so with each step he takes it jostles her. It's a little awkward and she feels like she is going to be tossed off but, then Austin places his hands on her hips. "Relax your body and move with him," he whispers and then manipulates her movements in time to Storm's with his hands.
"Ok, please stop that."
"You got the hang of it?"
"No, but if you don't stop doing what you are doing I am going to have to beg you to take me back home and lock our bedroom door."
"I am barely touching you."
"I know," Indy groans. Austin chuckles, but he removes his hands thankfully. By the time they get to the first pasture, she has got the hang of it and now it feels almost natural. "How long will we be?" she asks. "That dam calf is a pain in my ass," Austin grumbles. Indy giggles. "I have fallen in love, it can't be helped," she says. Austin kisses the side of her face and wraps an arm around her, bringing her closer to his chest. "And I love you for it," he whispers. "Linda has been raisin' orphan calves since before I was born. She knows what she is doin', darlin'. Your calf will be just fine," he says. "She is not an orphan," Indy says defensively. "Apologies. You are right," Austin says kissing her face again.
They walk around the ranch on the back of Storm. The cowboys they meet stop their work and greet Austin, Indy can see they respect him and watch him carefully as he inspects a fence post they are mending or a herd of cattle they are tending to. They all call him Texas and look proud when they receive his nod of approval at their work. Eventually, they come to a pasture that Evelyn and Jimmy are in and Indy can see the shift in dynamics of who the cowboys respect. They still respect Austin, but they respect Evelyn too, and take their orders from her. They call her Cottonwood while Jimmy sits quietly by her side. She does catch Evelyn whispering to Jimmy, consulting with him on the decisions she is making. She does not think Jimmy makes the decisions but he certainly has a say and Evelyn wants his opinion.
Indy is a little confused as to how this all works. They speak of the ranch as if it has a life force all its own - they let the ranch guide them. Indy has caught on that Austin is the son who is meant to take over from Evelyn, but he left. Does he not want this? He looks so happy out here. She knows he wanted to be a football star, but that dream was cut short and she can't understand why he would ever choose to leave this place. It's so beautiful. She never felt a sense of home while she was growing up, it got a little better when she set up her own home in Pasadina - but, still, the concept of home always felt a little out of reach. Austin opened that door for her, he felt like home to her. Not his house necessarily but him as a person. This place? Cottonwood. This place feels like home too. Why would Austin ever leave? If she was given a choice she does not think she would ever choose to leave.
"Darlin', I can practically see your brain melting with your thoughts," Austin mumbles as they walk into an empty pasture. "I just trying to figure things out. I have so many questions but I don't want to throw all of them at you in one go. I am not even sure where to start," she says as a river comes into sight. "Ask one question at a time. I will answer as best I can," he says.
"Ok...um...who is the head of Cottonwood?"
"My mother is. Evelyn Post-Wilde. She is the rancher. She is Cottonwood."
"And your father? What is his role? He is not a rancher?"
"He has rancher's blood, than Jimmy Wilde. That's what my grandfather used to say. It's true. He is my mother's advisor. Her partner. Her husband. Her equal. As it was with my great-grandfather to my great-grandmother and my grandmother to my grandfather. My mother would be lost without him. He is his own man too. He has that ice cream factory, he is the local sheriff, he plans and oversees the trucks to the abattoir too."
"Will your father take over if anything happens to your mother?"
Austin is quiet for a long time and Indy thinks this conversation is over. But, then he speaks. It's barely a whisper. "He is capable...yes...if I am not here." Indy frowns at his words. This is what she means. He has started speaking in riddles and she is having a hard time understanding him. "What about your brothers? Does your mother not think they are capable?" she asks. "She does and they are, but they have their paths and it's not up to her."
"Who is it up to?"
"The ranch."
Indy's head is spinning. Those riddles are coming in thick and fast. Maybe she is not asking the right questions.
"Why did you leave? Wait! Let me clarify that so you don't just say football. You grew up here and I can see it in your heart that you love this place. The cowboys respect you and it's pretty obvious that everyone thinks you will eventually become Cottonwood one day. So my question is...why did you run away?"
Austin sighs above her head. She waits for him to speak. It's a while before he does, they have long passed the river and have walked through two pastures before he speaks.
"When I was a boy, I rode this ranch with my grandfather. As did all my brothers, and my cousins. I am the oldest of us all. My grandfather handed more and more ranch responsibilities over to my mother and spent most of his time with his grandchildren. He was a quiet man, wise, hard, fair, kind, loving. He was soft too, but only when my grandmother was with him. He taught us everything there was to know about this ranch...about life...about being good men and women. No one ever said it, but the older I got the stronger this feeling grew in my gut that I would be the one to take over from my mother. I could just feel it in my bones. I asked my grandfather what he thought, but he just smiled and said it was between me and the ranch. He never changed towards me after I said that, no one treated me any differently and my grandfather continued to love each of his grandchildren the same. There were never any favorites."
Indy shifts and turns around to face Austin. All she has known in life is favorites. He speaks of a man who had five daughters and countless grandchildren, yet he loved them all equally.
"As my brothers and cousins got older they started to dream. Some wanted to be ranchers and spoke of buildin' their own ranches. Some bull riders, some lawyers, some doctors...I have a cousin who wanted to be a hairdresser and one who likes to wander, nobody knows what he does. My grandfather encouraged all their dreams. He wanted them all to stay on Cottonwood but he said they all have ranchers hearts - no matter where they went they would be successful and he would be proud. I grew sour. Angry that it felt like my choices had been made for me. So I grew restless. I focused on football, got a scholarship, and left."
"He didn't try and make you stay? He was not angry?"
"No. The night I left he told me he too had grown restless once. He understood. He said the mountain had called him back when the time was right. He encouraged me to go."
"Did he support your football career?"
Austin laughs and nods. "He watched every game. He would phone me, and tell me he was proud. He was the one who gave me my nickname. Texas. He used to see it was my only flaw and now I owned the state."
"He sounds wonderful."
"I loved and respected my grandfather very much, Indy. Everyone did. He was a great man. A great cowboy."
Indy bites her lip, she has another question for him. She is a little scared to ask him as the answer could be life-changing for both of them and she does not know what it would mean for them.
"Ask your question before your brain melts, darlin'."
"You said the maintain was calling louder than it ever has..." she says, a little scared to finish the question in full.
"I did and it was...but, not loud enough," he says cupping her cheeks and kissing her. She does not know what that means but she thinks it means nothing is going to change for them right now. That's fine. He has a path he is on and she won't force him to write a list or weigh up any pros and cons. She will just stay by his side and follow him wherever he takes her.