Eli uttered “stay here” before she got out and jumped the fence line. It took Sarah a minute to see the cow, but there she was, eating the wheat.

  Eli clapped her hands and shouted as she moved Cassie toward the fence. Sarah strained her neck to see Eli in action. Cassie scraped at the ground and lowered her head. Sarah worried Eli was about to get headbutted over the fence line, but instead, Eli stood up straight and put her hand out, yelling at Cassie. She couldn’t make out what Eli said, just her tone of voice.

  Cassie changed her tune quick and started walking toward the fence line. Eli followed her and then started running at her, clapping her hands again. Cassie sped up before she jumped through the small break in the fence. Eli shook her head as she herself jumped back over, then messed with the fence while Cassie meandered off in the other direction.

  When Eli swung into the truck, she let out a heavy sigh. “Cow is going to be the death of me someday.”

  Sarah gave her a small smile.

  “Don’t suppose you know how to fix fences.”

  “No,” Sarah answered.

  “Didn’t think so.” Shoving the truck into reverse, Eli drove toward the house. “We’ll switch out trucks and then head to town, all right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “She’ll be fine for a day or two. I promise.”

  “Okay.” Sarah glanced out the window at the fields surrounding her. She had no idea what just happened, but they’d gone from flirting back to cold again. The ping-ponging was exhausting, but she wasn’t sure how to put an end to it. Keeping her mouth shut, Sarah watched the different fields pass as Eli drove her to town to get her car, and thankfully, her phone. She was going to have to call Kara as soon as she got a chance and fill her in on all her adventures since she’d arrived.

  They got to town as dusk hit. Eli was glad Sarah was going to have to follow her back to the house. That way she could guarantee she wouldn’t get lost this time. Her day had been interesting. Unlike with any other guest, she felt Sarah was trying to learn something new, not just experience something once and leave with it that way. Sarah also showed a genuine care for her cattle and herself.

  Eli pulled into town. They were meeting the Hargraves at the sausage supper and would grab the keys and the car there. Eli drove around until she found the rental car and parked nearby.

  She knew without a doubt that Sarah was going to stick out like a sore thumb, but she’d wanted to go in the first place. Eli could have skipped it for all she cared. It was a place for gossip to happen, which she didn’t really enjoy, but she did like seeing everyone and catching up with them. She knew there would be a lot of talk about the calves already born.

  Eli prepared herself for the mass of people who were going to be inside. She only hoped her ex wasn’t there. That would be an adventure, since they hadn’t figured out how to be in the same room together since they broke up, like two years before. Since then, they’d just avoided each other when they could.

  She was nervous in a way she hadn’t been before. Something about bringing Sarah to a town-wide event where she had no doubt her ex was going to be was nerve-wracking. She stayed right where she was but jerked suddenly when Sarah’s hand found hers.

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah. It’s fine.”

  “We don’t have to go in if you don’t want to. We can eat leftovers.”

  Eli shook her head. “No. We can go.”

  Sarah looked out the front windshield then at Eli. “You’re not moving.”

  “Right.” Eli turned the truck off and pocketed her keys into her thick jacket. “Let’s go.”

  “Really, Eli. We don’t have to go. I’m not exactly thrilled about it being in a church.”

  Eli snorted. “There’s only one other building in town big enough for this crowd.”

  “Really?”

  “Really really. Come on. It’s decent grub.” Eli shoved the door to her truck open and drew in a cleansing breath. She could do this. They would sit with the Hargraves and ignore her ex if she was there.

  Eli held the door to the church open so Sarah could step inside first. When she moved in behind Sarah, she shucked her jacket and hung it up. Sarah stayed put, her body tense and her hands wringing in front of her. Her lip was back between her teeth again. Eli winced and wondered if her lip had a callous on it from all the gnawing or if it was soft as silk from being constantly moistened.

  Pushing that thought to the back of her mind, Eli stepped next to Sarah and nodded her head toward the second door. “Coming?”

  “Yeah.”

  Leading the way, Eli stopped by the table where a little old lady sat with a basket in front of her. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her wallet, gripping a twenty and dropping it in. “How are you doing, Kitty?”

  “Fifty-fifty, Elijah. Yourself?”

  “Good as ever if I can get Cassie to behave.”

  “Oh, she still hopping that fence?”

  “Seems to be every other day lately.”

  Kitty chuckled. “You’ll figure it out soon enough.”

  “I’m going to build a brand-new fence if she keeps it up.”

  “Aww, Elijah, she just wants to be free like the rest of them.”

  “Don’t start, Kitty. She needs to learn like the rest of them that Bill’s wheat isn’t any better than my wheat, but don’t tell him I said that because I’m sure he’ll deny it.”

  “That he will. Say, how much rain did you get the other night?”

  “Fifty hundredths.”

  “Really?”

  “It hit hard up north.”

  “Harder south. We saw an inch.”

  “Really? Hadn’t heard!” Eli shot Sarah a look and rolled her eyes. “I’ll see you around, Kitty.”

  “See you, Elijah.”

  As soon as they got to the line, Eli leaned over to Sarah and whispered in her ear. “It’s always a competition to see who got the most rain each time it does rain. She didn’t get an inch, trust me, but she was trying to one-up me.”

  The grin on Sarah’s lips set Eli’s stomach tumbling. She locked her gaze onto Sarah’s and smiled as she grabbed a tray, silverware, and a drink. They stepped up into the line. Eli went first, told them she wanted two patties and two biscuits along with the green beans. She saw the Hargraves and headed in their direction, knowing Sarah followed closely. She stopped short when she saw the lanky woman in a Sheriff’s uniform sitting next to Mrs. Hargrave.

  Cursing, Eli set her tray down with a heavy sigh as she nodded at her ex, who gave her a curt nod in return. “Bridget.”

  “Elijah.”

  Eli’s stomach plummeted. The one thing she had wanted to avoid, and now she was stuck sitting next to her. There was no way around it because they had to meet up with the Hargraves to get the keys. With a sigh, she pulled over the bowl of gravy and doused her food with it. She was going to duck her head, focus on eating, and get out of there as soon as she could.

  “How were your first few nights here, sweetie?” Mrs. Hargrave focused on Sarah.

  Sarah nodded. “It’s been wonderful, thank you. But I’m happy to get to town and see everything that’s going on here.”

  Eli kept her mouth shut and focused on the next bite of food she shoveled into her mouth. If she wasn’t careful, she was going to finish it too soon and have nothing to distract her from the situation. She wasn’t paying attention, and Sarah’s hand on her arm surprised her. Glancing up, she looked at Sarah with curiosity.

  “Huh?”

  “How much rain did we get?” Sarah asked.

  “Oh! Fifty hundredths.” Eli shoved another bite of food between her lips as she risked a glance toward Bridget, who stared directly at her and flicked her gaze to Sarah. Eli knew what she was thinking—that she was with Sarah as a date—but she also knew Bridget wouldn’t dare bring it up in a room packed with people. They had a stare down until Sarah broke her gaze again with a hand on her forearm. “What?”

  “Nothing,” Sarah responded on a whisper.

  “Food good?” Eli asked, trying to find a way back to a normal conversation, but knowing she was doing a crap job at it.

  “Yeah. It’s fine.”

  Eli shifted in the uncomfortable metal folding chair and stared over at Mrs. Hargrave who had a keen eye glued to Eli’s face. Eli wished she could crawl in a hole and hide, but she wasn’t sure she could get away with that anytime soon. Sarah didn’t touch her again through the rest of the meal, and Bridget excused herself as quickly as she possibly could when she was done eating.

  As soon as they got outside the church, Eli released the tension in her shoulders and closed her eyes. The fresh air was welcome compared to the overheated fellowship hall of the church. As she opened her eyes, Sarah reached her small hand out and grabbed her arm again, she saw Bridget drive by in her cruiser, gunning the engine as she went, and glaring the whole while.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” Sarah asked, her voice full of concern.

  “I’m fine,” Eli answered, swallowing down her hurt and anger, which wasn’t directed at Sarah even though she was bearing the brunt of it. “I’m sorry. I know I...well, I’ve been coming off like an ass tonight, and I’m sorry about that.”

  Sarah shook her head. “I don’t mean to pry, but...I’m not even sure how to ask this...”

  “Yes, she and I dated.”

  “And I take it that it didn’t end well.”

  “No.” Eli grunted.

  “Who ended up with the broken heart?”

  Eli blinked back tears as she stared into Sarah’s worried gaze. Sniffling, Eli ground her molars before she answered. “Honestly? Probably both of us.”

  “I’m so sorry. How long ago was it?”

  “Too long for it to still be this much of an issue.”

  “Months?”

  “Closer to two years at this point.”

  “Wow.”

  “Yeah.” Eli shoved her hands in her pockets and stared at her work boots. She didn’t want to be having this conversation with a near stranger, even if she did know said stranger was batting for the same team she did. It was still too much personal information to be sharing with a guest. She needed to pull herself together.

  Sarah scooted in a bit closer to Eli, and Eli’s stomach dropped. She glanced around to see if anyone was there to see what was happening, but when she saw that there was no one in sight, she turned to stare at Sarah, trying to make an easy escape.

  “Exes come and go, you know. And sometimes, the ones you loved the hardest will always hurt, no matter how much time passes.”

  Eli drew in a deep, shuddering breath. The sincerity in Sarah’s tone, the seriousness in her face, the truth of her words—they hit her all at once. She repeated exactly what she’d said moments before, barely getting the word out. “Yeah.”

  “So, take it one day at a time, and maybe in twenty years you’ll be able to be in the same room as her.”

  “Yeah.” Eli cursed. Couldn’t she say anything else? Definitely not with Sarah standing this close to her in the cold night air. The sun had set when they’d come to town hours before, and she was sorely tempted to lean in and press her lips to Sarah’s thin ones. Her gaze kept dropping down to Sarah’s mouth then back to her eyes. Shaking herself from the moment, Eli cleared her throat and sniffed again. “Yeah. Thanks.”

  “I have my fair share of exes, Eli. Some are great to talk to. Others I haven’t spoken to since the day we broke up. Luckily, I have only a few who run in the same circles I do, and we get along decently well.”

  “Good for you.” Eli clenched her jaw.

  She’d gone from thinking they’d had a connection to wanting out of the conversation as fast as possible. She did not want to listen to Sarah talk about her exes or compare problems. Of course, that was the norm anytime someone brought up a problem, but she didn’t want to listen to it that night. She wanted to jump in her truck and head on back to her little oasis in the basement before she had to go out and do her nightly checks of the cattle.

  Sarah must have gotten the hint because she stepped away and raised her chin up. “Thank you for bringing me here tonight. It was an experience I’m not likely to forget.”

  Eli snorted. “Because I mucked it up.”

  “No, actually.” Sarah grinned. “Because it was fun to see how a small town works. I’ve heard stuff, but since I’ve really never been to one, or lived in one, or been shown around by an insider, it was all very interesting.”

  “How so?”

  “Well, you know everyone, and everyone knows you.”

  “Yeah?” Eli wasn’t quite sure she understood.

  Sarah grinned. “It’s like the conversation never ends or starts. You all just pick up where you left off and leave off where you’ll pick up.”

  Eli thought back to everything that had happened that night, and she supposed Sarah was right. “Huh. Never thought of it like that.”

  “See? Interesting.”

  “I guess.” She shrugged. “You ready to head home?”

  “Yes! I need to check on Buddy.”

  Laughing, Eli shook her head. “You and that calf.”

  “What? I like him.”

  “You’re going to spoil him so much he’s going to reject his mama when I try to stick him back with her tomorrow.”

  “Oh.” Sarah stared down at her shoes.

  Eli reached down to lift Sarah’s chin to look in her eyes. “I was joking.”

  “Oh!”

  “Want to come with me in the morning to see if they like each other yet?”

  “Sure. When?”

  Eli’s eyes crinkled as she grinned. “Bright and early. Six.”

  “Ugh.”

  “You asked.”

  “Maybe I’ll skip.”

  “Well, if they take to each other, you’ll miss out on Buddy since he won’t be in the barn.”

  “Hmm.” Sarah stared out at the street and passing cars. “I guess I’ll go.”

  “Good. He’ll have to sit in your lap.”

  “What?” Sarah’s eyes were wide.

  Eli laughed again. “Joking, but he is going to fit in the cab of the truck with us.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes.”

  Sarah scrunched her nose. “Not in the back?”

  “No. He’ll fall out.”

  “Fine.”

  Eli knocked her shoulder into Sarah’s. “Come on, let’s get out of here. Follow me back.”

  “Absolutely. I do not want to get lost again.”

  “Yes, let’s try to avoid that.”

  With a new smile on her lips, Eli headed toward her truck. She got in and waited until she was sure Sarah had her car started up. Pulling out into the street, she waited until Sarah was behind her before taking off toward home. Tomorrow would be interesting for sure. Maybe she could turn Sarah into a country girl.

  Chapter 9

  Sarah lay on her bed that night, staring at the ceiling, her precious phone charging next to her as it blinked to life. Dinner had been far more entertaining than she had anticipated. She hadn’t expected Eli to also be gay, or lesbian, or whatever—she didn’t expect Eli to be interested in women at all.

  Something about coming to the middle of nowhere out in the country, she hadn’t expected anyone to sway her direction, and it intrigued her. She turned on her side and stared out the window—she’d kept the drapes open every night since she’d been there.

  She hadn’t expected to do that. In Dallas, she was fastidious about closing the curtains and keeping her room as dark as possible, but out here she loved to turn over in the middle of the night and gaze at the stars until she fell back asleep. Sarah checked the time on her phone before she stood up and moved to the window to look outside. If she was lucky, maybe she would see Eli walking out to the barn to get into her truck for those three-in-the-morning checks she was always going on about.

  Eli was such an enigma. She wasn’t what Sarah would call outwardly sexy, she had a feminine feel to her but also a masculine one—and she owned both sides of herself—but Sarah had honestly thought Eli was about to break down outside that church building. She’d hesitated even driving back to Indigo in a separate vehicle, wanting to stay as close to Eli as possible and make sure she was okay.

  But she hadn’t felt comfortable asking, or implying that she should stay with Eli. Her heart went out to Eli for sure. Breakups were a nasty thing to handle, and she was curious as to why they had broken up, especially considering Eli had said they were both still hurt by it.

  Holding the curtain, Sarah stared out into the dark sky around her. It was nearly pitch black save for the moon and stars, and the lights Eli had around the house and the barn—which in the grand scheme of things was not a whole lot. Sure enough, like clockwork, Eli stepped off the covered deck and moved toward the trail that would bring her down to the barn.

  Sarah’s breath caught in her throat. If only she was the type of person who could handle a quick fling, but she wasn’t. Even though most of her relationships had been short compared to others like Kara, Sarah was not someone who dabbled in one-night stands very often. And with her career, she had become far more picky and careful than before. The higher her records climbed on the charts, the more closed off she became. Perhaps it was her age, too, if she really admitted it. She was tired of the drama.

  Sarah watched as from a distance Eli jumped into her farm truck, backed out of the drive, and headed down the dirt road. Sarah kept her eyes locked on the taillights for as long as she could, then turned back and grabbed her guitar. The wee hours of the night were the prime time for some music.

  The first strum of the strings made her heart sing. She played around, making different chords, letting the sound echo loudly in the room since she knew she was alone. Her voice rang out as she vocalized however it pleased her. It didn’t take long for a new melody to start to show its face in her playing. Sarah pressed on with it, trying new things here and there, letting some fail and fall to the wayside. Eventually, she gave up and set the guitar down as she moved back to the window.