Николас Спаркс - The Longest Ride

“I’d like that, if you think your mom will be okay with that.”

“She will.”

“What time?”

“Around six?”

“Sounds great,” she said. “By the way, where’s that maze you were talking about?”

“It’s near the pumpkin patch.”

She frowned. “Did we go there the other day?”

“No,” he said. “It’s actually closer to the main road, near the Christmas trees.”

“Why didn’t I notice it when we drove in?”

“I don’t know. Because it was dark, maybe?”

“Is it a scary maze? With spooky scarecrows and spiders and all that?”

“Of course, but it’s not really spooky. It’s mainly for little kids. One time, my dad went a little overboard and a few of the kids ended up crying. Since then, we try to keep it toned down. But there are a ton of decorations in there. Spiders, ghosts, scarecrows. Friendly-looking ones.”

“Can we go?”

“Of course. I’ll be happy to show you. But keep in mind it’s not the same for big people, since you can see over the bales.” He waved away a couple of gnats. “You didn’t really answer my earlier question, by the way.”

“What question?”

“About relationships,” he said.

She adjusted the blanket again. “I used to think I understood the basics. I mean, my mom and dad have been married for a long time and I thought I knew what I was doing. But I guess I didn’t learn the most important part.”

“Which is?”

“Choosing well in the first place.”

“How do you know if you’re choosing well?”

“Well…,” she hedged. “That’s where it starts getting tricky. But if I had to guess, I think it starts with having things in common. Like values. For instance, I thought it important that Brian be faithful. He was obviously operating under a different value system.”

“At least you can joke about it.”

“It’s easy to joke when you don’t care anymore. I’m not saying it didn’t hurt me, because it did. Last spring, after I found out he hooked up with another girl, I couldn’t eat for weeks. I probably lost fifteen pounds.”

“You don’t have fifteen pounds to lose.”

“I know, but what could I do? Some people eat when they get stressed. I’m the other kind. And when I got home last summer, my mom and dad were panicked. They begged me to eat every time I turned around. I still haven’t regained all the weight I lost. Of course, it hasn’t been easy to eat since school started back up, either.”

“I’m glad you ate with me, then.”

“You don’t stress me out.”

“Even though we don’t have a lot in common?”

As soon as he said it, he worried that she would hear the undercurrent of concern, but she didn’t seem to detect it.

“We have more things in common than you’d think. In some ways, our parents were pretty similar. They were married for a long time, worked in a struggling family business, and expected the kids to chip in. My parents wanted me to do well in school, your dad wanted you to be a champion bull rider, and we both fulfilled their expectations. We’re both products of our upbringing, and I’m not sure that’s ever going to change.”

Surprising himself, he felt a strange sense of relief at her answer. “You ready to check out that maze yet?”

“How about if we finish our beers first. It’s too nice out here to leave just yet.”

As they slowly drained their bottles, they chatted idly and watched the moonlight trace a path across the water. Though he felt the urge to kiss her again, he resisted it. Instead, he reflected on what she’d said earlier, about their similarities, thinking she was right and hoping that it was enough to keep her coming back to the ranch.

After a while their conversation lapsed into a peaceful lull, and he realized he had no idea what she was thinking. Instinctively, he reached toward the blanket. She seemed to realize what he was doing and wordlessly held his hand.

The night air was turning crisper, giving the stars a crystalline cast. He looked up at them, then over to her, and when her thumb gently began to trace the contours of his hand, he responded in kind. In that instant, he knew with certainty that he was already falling for her and that there was nothing on earth he could do to stop it.

As they strolled through the pumpkin patch toward the maze, Luke continued to hold her hand. Somehow, this simple gesture felt more significant than their earlier kisses, more permanent somehow. He could imagine holding it years into the future, whenever they were walking together, and the realization startled him.

“What are you thinking about?”

He walked a few paces before answering. “A lot of things,” he finally said.

“Did anyone ever tell you that you have a tendency to be vague?”

“Does it bother you?” he countered.

“I haven’t decided yet,” she said, squeezing his hand. “I’ll let you know.”

“The maze is right over there.” He pointed. “But I wanted to show you the pumpkin patch first.”

“Can I pick one?”

“Sure.”

“Will you help me carve it for Halloween?”

“We can carve it after dinner. And just so you know, I’m kind of an expert.”

“Oh yeah?”

“I’ve already carved fifteen or twenty this week. Scary ones, happy ones, all kinds.”

She gave him an appraising look. “You are obviously a man of many talents.”

He knew she was teasing him, but he liked it. “Thanks.”

“I can’t wait to meet your mom.”

“You’ll like her.”

“What’s she like?”

“Let’s just say that you shouldn’t expect a lady in a flowered dress and pearls. Think more… jeans and boots with straw in her hair.”

Sophia smiled. “Got it. Anything else I should know?”

“My mom would have been a great pioneer. When something has to be done, she just does it, and she expects the same from me. She’s kind of no-nonsense. And she’s tough.”

“I would think so. It’s not an easy life out here.”

“I mean, she’s really tough. Ignores pain, never complains, doesn’t whine or cry. Three years ago, she broke her wrist falling off a horse. So what did she do? She said nothing, worked the rest of the day, cooked dinner, and then afterwards, she drove herself to the hospital. I didn’t know a thing about it until I noticed her cast the next day.”

Sophia stepped over some wayward vines, careful not to damage any of the pumpkins. “Remind me to be on my best manners.”

“You’ll be fine. She’ll like you. You two are more alike than you’d think.”

When she glanced over at him, he went on. “She’s smart,” he said. “Believe it or not, she was valedictorian of her high school class, and even now she reads, does all the bookkeeping, and stays on top of the business. She’s opinionated, but she expects more from herself than from others. If she had one weakness, it was that she was a sucker for guys in cowboy hats.”

She laughed. “Is that what I am? A sucker for cowboys?”

“I don’t know. Are you?”

She didn’t answer. “Your mom sounds pretty amazing.”

“She is,” he said. “And who knows, maybe if she’s in one of her moods, she’ll tell you one of her stories. My mom is big on stories.”

“Stories about what?”

“Anything, really. But they always make me think.”

“Tell me one,” she said.

He stopped and then squatted down near an oversize pumpkin. “All right,” he said as he shifted the pumpkin from one side to the other. “After I won the High School National Championship in Rodeo —”

“Wait…,” she said, cutting him off. “Before you go on… they have rodeo in high school here?”

“They have it everywhere. Why?”