Just as Sam suspected, the next 6 weeks flew by faster than they ever had before. It felt like just yesterday she and Jake had been standing shoulder to shoulder in his family's barn, talking about training her on Witch, and now it was Jake's last full day home before he left for college in the morning.
To his credit, Jake had been serious about making sure Sam was ready to handle his spirited mare in his absence. They'd spent at least an hour nearly every day together working on her training, and honestly, Sam couldn't have been happier.
No one was more surprised about that than her.
Normally when Jake tried to give her riding tips, it made her want to rip his head off. But with Witch, it was different– she could sometimes be difficult for even Jake to handle, and Jake was by far the best rider she knew. Sam knew how much Jake cared for his horse, and she would feel terrible if she let any harm come to the mare due to her lack of skill. Plus, it gave Sam a rock solid reason to spend as much time as possible with her oldest and best friend before he left for the great unknown, potentially finding someone else to fill her current role in his life.
Sam stopped running the brush through Ace's mane, vehemently shaking her head as if to dispel that troubling thought from her body. First of all, she wasn't 100% sure what her current role in his life was anymore, and secondly, worrying about it wasn't going to do anything– whatever was going to happen was going to happen, whether she worried about it or not.
At the sound of hoofbeats approaching from outside the barn, both Sam and Ace stuck their heads out of the stall to watch Witch thunder into the yard. Jake pulled her to a stop in front of the barn before dismounting in one fluid motion. Sam wasn't sure she'd ever get used to watching Jake move so seamlessly with his horse; a true horseman through and through. She could only hope she looked half as graceful on a horse as he did.
"Good, you're here," Jake said by way of greeting, coming to a stop in front of Ace's stall, his mustang eyes bright and dancing under the brim of his Stetson.
Sam quirked a brow. "Where else would I be?"
Jake lifted his shoulder in a shrug. "I dunno, shopping in Darton with Jen or something?"
"Since when do I go shopping?" She squinted at him, feeling the frenetic energy practically radiating off of him. "Are you feeling okay?"
"I'm fine. You wanna go for a ride?"
"Always."
"Great. I'll get Ace tacked up."
Sam nearly dropped Ace's brush, her mouth hanging open. "You're going to tack my horse for me?"
Jake's signature tomcat grin spread across his face. Shaking his head, he said, "No, I'm going to tack up my ride." He jerked his head towards Witch. "Yours is already set."
"Really?" Sam's eyebrows nearly rose to her hairline. She'd ridden Witch around the fenced-in pasture at the Three Ponies a few times, but other than that, her training had stayed firmly planted in the round pen.
"Really."
"Okay." She gave Ace an affectionate rub on the nose before venturing outside to where Witch stood ground-tied. The mare's ear swiveled in her direction, side-eying her as Sam approached.
"Hey girl. I guess we're playing musical horses today," she murmured, making sure Witch was fully aware of her presence before reaching down to lift her reins back over her neck. Witch chuffed out a breath, shaking her head, but otherwise stayed still, allowing Sam to swing up into the saddle.
"This feels weird," she admitted to the mare, lightly scratching her neck as they watched Jake cinch Ace's saddle before leading him out of the barn.
"Is this my final test?" Sam called, Jake swinging up onto Ace's back. "To see if I can actually handle her out on the range?"
"Somethin' like that."
"What if I fail?"
Jake cut her a look from under his Stetson. "Wouldn't be having you do this if I thought you would, Brat."
Sam's chest warmed at his unspoken compliment. It was no small matter knowing Jake believed in her enough to fully trust her with his mare.
Jake wheeled Ace around toward the open range, glancing back at Sam with a grin.
"Catch us if you can."
Despite their unfair head start, Sam and Witch were able to catch up to the boys relatively quickly, the mare needing no encouragement from Sam. Knowing not to give her too much rein, Sam made sure to keep enough pressure on them to let Witch know who was in control. They pulled even with Jake and Ace, Sam glancing over to catch Jake already looking her way, a genuine smile lighting his face in a way that made her heart flutter.
He turned his attention to the open plain in front of them, his profile illuminated by the late afternoon sun. Sam was suddenly struck by the image of him sitting in some stuffy lecture hall, the sight feeling so foreign and wrong. This was where Jake belonged; on the back of a horse on the open range.
They eventually slowed as they approached the plateau, Witch tossing her head in protest at the more leisurely pace. Sam squeezed with her left leg, pulling on the left rein to drive the mare in a circle, re-asserting her control. With a huff, Witch settled down, obediently falling into step beside Ace. They pulled the horses to a stop, Jake giving her a small dip of his head in approval before turning back to the sun-baked playa, a hint of a smile on his lips.
Sam grinned, leaning down to affectionately rub Witch's neck. They'd just passed the test. But her smile faded as she remembered why they were doing this in the first place, reality sinking in.
Trying to keep her tone neutral, Sam mused, "You're going to miss this, aren't you?"
Jake hummed his agreement, his eyes still on the range. A small part of Sam couldn't help but wonder if she was included in that.
"It's going to be weird not having you around," she admitted, playing with a fraying stitch along the edge of the saddle. For some reason, she couldn't bring herself to look at him.
"I'm going to college Brat, not war." With a shuffling of hooves, Ace sidestepped until Sam felt a familiar press against the outside of her leg. Looking up, she found Jake watching her with that soft look that made her stomach flutter.
"I'll be back," he reassured her, and Sam had no choice but to believe him.
"I know," she told him, offering a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Despite Witch's tendency to get cranky in close proximity with other horses, Jake kept Ace right alongside her, refusing to break his contact with Sam.
A rising cloud of dust in the distance caught her attention, excitement bubbling up as it came into sharper focus. "Jake, look," she gasped, leaning forward in her seat to watch the Phantom's herd thunder across War Drum Flats.
A flash of white brought up the rear, Sam's chest filling with pride at the sight of the Phantom protecting his family. Two colts she hadn't seen before were running alongside their mothers, their gangly legs struggling to keep up with the rest of the herd, but despite being able to run much faster, the Phantom refused to leave them. Her heart warmed at the thought of two more of his children joining the world.
Jake's voice cut through her thoughts, his tone grave. "Samantha."
Her eyes flew to his at his use of her full name. His mouth was drawn in a thin line, his gaze jumping from the Phantom to her. "I need you to promise me something."
Sam internally groaned, sensing where this conversation was headed. In an effort to distract him, she joked, "I know I know, no sugar cubes."
"Not that."
Sam sighed, not wanting to re-hash the same argument they'd been having for years on his last day home. "Look, I know you think–"
"Sam," Jake interrupted, holding up a hand to stave off her rant. "Can you just let me get this out?"
Knowing how rare it was for Jake to actually want to say something longer than a few sentences, she clamped her mouth shut, her heart beating faster, suddenly nervous about what he was going to say.
Jake turned back to the open range, his posture stiff. "I know what you were going to say, that you think I still believe you're an impulsive little kid who needs to be more careful. But I don't. Well, the being more careful part still stands, but the rest of it..." He paused, slowly shaking his head side to side. "I haven't for awhile now." He reached up to rub the back of his neck, his discomfort confirming what Sam suspected he meant by his last statement. Heat flooded her cheeks, her gaze dropping to the ground in front of them, not really knowing how to react.
"What I know is that you're a horse crazy, animal loving, empathetic young woman, Samantha Forster, who's always gonna put an animal's needs and safety above your own, whether or not I'm around to see it." He fell silent, Sam's gaze lifting to find his.
"You wouldn't want me any other way, remember?" she said quietly, her heartbeat pounding in her ears.
The corner of Jake's mouth lifted into a half smile. "Never said I did. But what I do want is for you to promise me that before you do something you know I'd yell at you about, you at least stop to think if there are any other, safer options first."
She tilted her head to the side. "You're not going to tell me not to do it?"
Jake huffed a laugh, fixing her with a look. "As if that'd make a difference?"
Sam couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face at how well he knew her. "No, I guess not. I agree to your terms, Jake Ely."
"Good. And I'd also prefer if you told me about your hair-brained schemes before running off to do god knows what."
"Really?" Sam was surprised he'd even want to know.
"Really. I think I'd feel better knowing you're gonna tell me, as opposed to always wonderin' if you're up to no good."
"I will if you promise not to turn around and run to my dad every time."
"Every time?" Jake frowned. "How many times are you plannin' on giving me heart palpitations, Brat? Cause this should be a once a school year, if that, scenario."
Sam threw her head back and laughed before leaning out of her seat to affectionately bump her arm against his. "Yes, of course, I'm kidding," she assured him, but judging by his half-hearted hum in return, he wasn't buying it.
They stayed like that a moment longer before Jake sighed. "We should get going. Sun's going down, and I gotta finish packing."
Just like that, any trace of amusement disappeared, leaving Sam with sinking feeling in her stomach. This was it, the moment she'd been dreading all summer.
Wordlessly, she dismounted Witch, Jake mirroring her movements on Ace. They stood there for a second, barely an arm's length away from one another, staring at each other. Before she knew it, Sam was lunging across the space, rising on her toes to throw her arms around his neck.
Not letting herself think too hard about what she was doing, Sam buried her head in the curve of Jake's neck, his familiar pine and horse-hair scent enveloping her. She wasn't sure she'd ever been this close to him since they were kids, her heart thundering in her chest.
Jake stayed stock still for the first few seconds, and Sam was willing to bet he wanted to reach over her to rub his neck. "Brat, if you start crying..."
"I'm not gonna cry," she grumbled, refusing to let go. He must've believed her, because he finally relaxed into her embrace, his arms encircling her shoulders and lower back, squeezing her back as his chin came to rest on the top of her head.
"I'm gonna miss you," she murmured against his skin, only now finding the courage to admit it.
"I'll be back," he murmured into her hair, his arms squeezing her tighter, and Sam wasn't sure if it was more a promise to her or himself. She shut her eyes tightly, soaking in the buzzing warmth of his embrace for as long as he'd let her.
Too soon he was pulling away, her arms reluctantly falling back to her sides as he brushed by her, swinging onto Witch. Giving Ace an affectionate rub on the neck, Sam mounted her horse, wordlessly following Jake as he steered his mare in the direction of home.
It wasn't until after Jake called, "I'll see you soon, Brat," tipping the brim of his Stetson down in farewell before he and Witch peeled away from them to head for the Three Ponies that Sam let the burning sensation behind her eyes make its way down her cheeks, for only her and Ace to see.