And she was beginning to care deeply for the man sitting beside her.
But she did not want to make a decision based on fear or gratitude.
“I want to understand what belongs to me,” she said.
The attorney nodded.
“Then that's where we'll begin.”
He explained the next steps.
The woman took notes.
After he left, she sat quietly at the kitchen table.
The cowboy poured coffee.
“Troubled?”
“A little.”
“About the land?”
“About everything.”
He waited.
She looked toward the window.
“Six weeks ago, I thought I was coming here to become someone's wife.”
The cowboy leaned against the counter.
“And now?”
She smiled faintly.
“Now I'm keeping ranch accounts and discussing water rights with a lawyer.”
He grinned.
“Life does have a peculiar sense of humor.”
She laughed.
Then her expression softened.
“Do you ever wonder what would have happened if we hadn't met?”
The cowboy's smile faded.
He looked at her carefully.
“More often than you know.”
She noticed the change.
“What do you mean?”
He looked down at his coffee.
“Sometimes a person crosses your path and changes the direction of your life.”
She nodded.
“Yes.”
He continued.
“And sometimes you don't understand how much until years later.”
The woman studied him.
There was a strange sadness in his voice.
She wanted to ask about it.
But before she could, the younger ranch hand appeared in the doorway.
One of the horses had developed a severe limp.
The cowboy immediately set down his cup.
He followed the ranch hand outside.
The woman remained at the table, wondering what he had almost told her.
That afternoon, she watched him examine the injured horse.
The animal was an aging gray mare that had belonged to his father.
The mare had been struggling with stiffness for several months, but the new injury made her reluctant to place weight on one leg.
The cowboy worked carefully.
He cleaned the affected area and sent for a veterinarian experienced with horses.
The woman stood near the corral, resting one hand on the fence.
The mare turned toward her.
She had begun spending time with the animal whenever the weather allowed.