The Longest Ride

the doctor was standing at the door and Sophia knew it was time to go. She rose from the chair and Luke returned it to its place against the wall, then slipped his hand into hers. As he turned his head on the pillow, Ira’s mouth fell open, and his breathing became labored. Sophia turned to the doctor, who was already on his way to Ira’s side. With one last glance back at Ira’s frail figure, Sophia and Luke started down the corridor, on their way home at last.

31

    Luke
    A s February passed and gradually wound down, Sophia edged toward graduation, while the ranch inched toward its inevitable foreclosure. Luke’s winnings in the first three events had bought his mother and him another month or two before they defaulted, but at the end of the month his mother quietly began to approach their neighbors, exploring their interest in buying her out.

Sophia was beginning to worry concretely about her future. She hadn’t heard from either the Denver Art Museum or MoMA yet, and she wondered whether she’d find herself working for her parents and living in her old bedroom. Similarly, Luke was having a hard time sleeping. He worried about his mother’s options in the area and wondered how he could help support her until she landed something viable. For the most part, however, neither of them wanted to talk about the future. Instead, they tried to focus on the present, seeking comfort in each other’s company and the certainty of the way they felt about each other. By March, Sophia was showing up at the ranch on Friday afternoons and staying until Sunday. Often she spent Wednesday nights there as well. Unless it was raining, they spent most of their time on horseback. Sophia usually assisted Luke with his farm duties, but occasionally she’d keep his mother company instead. It was the kind of life he’d always envisioned for himself… and then he’d remember that it was coming to an end and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
     

     
    One evening in mid-March, when the first hint of spring was noticeable in the air, Luke took Sophia to a club featuring a popular country-western band. Across the scuffed wooden table, he watched her grip her beer, her foot tapping along with the music.

“You keep that up,” he said, nodding toward her foot, “and I’ll think you like this music.”

“I do like this music.”

He smiled. “You’ve heard that joke, right? About what you get when you play country music backwards?”

She took a swallow of her beer. “I don’t think so.”

“You get your wife back, you get your dog back, you get your truck back…”

She smirked. “That’s funny.”

“You didn’t laugh.”

“It wasn’t that funny.”

That made him laugh. “You and Marcia still getting along?”

Sophia tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “It was kind of awkward at first, but it’s almost back to normal.”

“Is she still dating Brian?”

She snorted. “No, that ended when she found out he was cheating on her.”

“When did this happen?”

“A couple of weeks ago? Maybe a little more?”

“Was she upset?”

“Not really. By then, she was already seeing another guy, too. He’s only a junior, so I’m not thinking it’s going to last.”

Luke picked absently at the label on his bottle of beer. “She’s an interesting girl.”

“She’s got a good heart,” Sophia insisted.

“And you’re not mad about what she did?”

“I was. But I’m over it.”

“Just like that?”

“She made a mistake. She didn’t mean to hurt me. She’s apologized a million times. And she came through when I needed her. So yes, just like that. I’m over it.”

“Do you think you’ll keep in contact with her? After you graduate?”

“Of course. She’s still my best friend. And you should like her, too.”

“Why’s that?” He cocked an eyebrow.

“Because without her,” she said, “I never would have met you.”
     

     
    A few days later, Luke accompanied his mom to the bank to propose a renegotiated payment plan that would allow them to keep the ranch. His mom presented a business plan that included selling nearly half the ranch, including the Christmas tree grove, the pumpkin patch, and one of the pastures, assuming a buyer could be found. They’d decrease the herd by a third, but according to her calculations, they’d be able to meet the reduced payments on the loan.

Three days later, the bank formally rejected the offer.
     

     
    One Friday night at the end