Adam walked Sport through the hay field that Pa had told Hoss to get out and cut today, but there was no sign of any hay being cut, and it was coming up on late afternoon. He stopped Sport in his tracks when he saw the picture of contented bliss lying in the middle of the field on a blanket from a bedroll. The eyes were a sparkling blue. There was a wisp of brown hair gently blowing over the forehead. The smile showed satisfied delight as the eyes looked up into the sky, its cerulean dotted with little white, puffy clouds.

Adam dismounted Sport and quietly walked over, stopping at the feet, blocking the view in a low shadow. The face looking up at him changed. The eyes went from sparkling blue to tempest gray, the smile turning into a troubled frown. Adam looked across the field of golden waves swaying in the gentle breeze that caught a curl on the back of his neck, gently tickling him. He looked up at the sky, feeling the fading warmth of the sun on his face, seeing the azure canvas of the sky behind the fluffy, light swirls floating across it. Tossing his hat on the ground, he lowered himself to his back, stretching his legs out and crossing his feet. Snapping off a stem of hay and holding it between his teeth, he lay back on his arms folded under his head and watched as the colors of the clouds changed from white to bright pinks and fiery oranges with the sun slowly melting into the horizon.

Adam breathed a relaxed sigh. "Pa's gonna have some choice words for you."

"Prob'ly," answered Hoss. He didn't care. These kinds of days didn't come around very often.