cold. Then I wrap a towel around my hair and another around my body. The air is thick with steam — there’s no bathroom fan — so I open the little window above the toilet and watch the puffy clouds of condensation push their way outside. I wipe the foggy mirror clear with a towel.
After drying myself, I slather cream over my body and then start on my makeup. Green shadow accentuates the colour of my eyes, and mascara fattens my lashes. No need for blusher; the sun has bronzed my skin and the emotional high I’m on has pinked my cheeks. Instead of pulling my hair back into its usual ponytail, I blow it dry and let the soft, shiny waves fall onto my shoulders. I even put on earrings, gold hoops Mom gave me for my birthday. I check myself out in the mirror — from the shoulders up, anyway. I’m ready.
Sam is pacing the living room. When he sees me, he stops.
“It’s about time!” he growls. “I was beginning to wonder if you’d drowned in there.” Then his expression softens. So does his voice. “You look very pretty.”
“Thank you.” I smile. This is a good start. I just hope Micah shares Sam’s opinion. “You look good too,” I tell Sam. “Very handsome. You have that Johnny Cash look.”
“Too much, you think?” he says as he slides the brim of his black hat through his fingers and looks down at his black shirt, black jeans, and black boots. “Maybe I should wear a different shirt — something brighter.”
“Absolutely not.” I shake my head and make a quick 360-degree inspection. I pick a piece of lint off his shoulder and smooth away a crease in his collar. “You’re perfect just the way you are. And your string tie is gorgeous. That big turquoise stone is all the colour you need.”
Sam beams. “You like it?”
I nod. “I do. A lot, actually. Mom has one that’s almost identical.”
Sam’s face brightens even more. “You don’t say.”
I nod. “Yeah — except hers is a pendant on a silver chain. What a coincidence, huh?”
He shakes his head. “Not really, considering I gave it to her. I found those stones at a street market in New Mexico when I was there for a rodeo — years back before you were born. I had one made into a necklace for your mom and the other into a necktie for me.”
“That’s cool,” I say. “Especially since you both still have them. Mom never wears hers, though. She just keeps it in her jewellery cabinet.”
Sam fingers the turquoise at his throat. “Well, that was a long time ago. Until today, I haven’t worn mine either.”
———
The potluck supper is a blast. There are so many people! When Sam and I arrive at six o’clock, the only faces I recognize are ones from the ranch and, of course, Kathy Ann from the motel. But by the time the night is over, it’s like I’ve lived in Webb’s River my entire life. Everyone feels like family.
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