them like this. Outside of the city.”
“Can you even see the stars in New York?” Taylor laughed.
“I don’t know. Not really. Not like this.”
“They look different even in Austin. This was one of the things I missed
most when I was there. I don’t know, that probably sounds dumb.”
“It doesn’t. I can see why you’d miss this place. It’s pretty amazing.”
Taylor’s chest filled up with a soft, gushy warmth. “Thank you for what
you did at the dugout today.”
Christina turned. Her eyebrows lifted. Her eyes were soft. So freaking
soft that Taylor felt like she could crawl inside of them and live there in that
sea of wonderful blue. “You don’t have to thank me. We both would have
done it. I just got there first.”
“I know, but still. Thank you. It was nasty in there and you went in
without even thinking.”
“Of course! I didn’t know that she could swim.”
“Well, she wasn’t doing a very good job of it, but then she was so
shocked.” Terror rippled through Taylor again when she thought about the
instant she’d realized that Chloe had gone into the water. She’d never forget
that moment of horror or the sheer relief at watching Christina surface with
Chloe, knowing that everything was going to be alright.
Christina sensed it and hurried to change the subject so that Taylor
wouldn’t think about what could have happened but hadn’t. “I’m glad your
mom gave her a big bubble bath after we got back to the house. Chloe loved
that. God, I’ve never seen so many bubbles. I went easy when I had my
bath. It was a nice tub. I’ve always wanted a clawfoot, but I’ve never had
one. I guess it’s a life goal.”
From the barn, the low sound of a cow calling cut through the silence.
Another answered. Taylor could imagine them in their stalls, stamping
gently. She felt so at home on the farm. Obviously, it was where she had
grown up. When she was in Austin, she realized that she felt like she