Chapter 36

Elliott parked his truck in front of the house and helped Sam out. She had her camera out of the bag and ready before she left the truck. She stood beside him and slowly made a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree turn, trying to take in all the surrounding beauty.

"It's, it's so, so pristine out here, Elliott. Untouched except by Mother Nature. The air is so clean and the smell of horsesit's breathtaking." She laughed.

"I know what you mean. Every time I come out here, I feel the same way. Let's go play with the horses." Elliott took Sam's free hand, held it loosely, and strolled toward the barn. Leading her to the side of a nearby pasture, they stood in front of an old wooden fence. He let go of her hand, and placed his arms across the top rail, his one booted foot on the bottom rail.

Sam started snapping away, taking pictures of frolicking colts in the nearby pasture. The horses, in various robust colors, were grazing, until they sniffed Elliott. One dapple-coated filly started to ambl