The sun is just starting to slip beneath the horizon, leaving a stunning display of pinks, yellows, reds, and indigo streaks in its wake, when I finally return Cassie and Sally to the battered house trailer.

I pull up beside a dust covered full size dark green van. It has a lift built into the side of it for Sally’s wheelchair.

Sally leans forward and studies it. “Mom’s home.” There’s no emotion at all in her voice.

Cassie unclips her seatbelt. “Looks that way.”

Without another word, she lets herself out of the truck’s back seat and opens the passenger seat and starts getting Sally ready for the transfer from my truck to the wheelchair.

I haul the chair out of the truck bed and set it up before wheeling it over to where the two women wait.

Once the chair is in place, Cassie turns to her sister, but Sally shakes her head.

“No.” Determination deepens Sally’s voice.

“No?” Cassie repeats. “No what?”

“I don’t want you to do it. I want Ronan to help.”

“Ronan gave up his entire day to drive us out to the farm so you wouldn’t miss your riding lesson, and he stayed there all day when you decided you didn’t want to leave. I think he’s done more than enough for you.”

I touch Cassie’s shoulder, redirecting her attention to me. “It’s okay,” I tell her. “I’m happy to help Sally.”

Cassie looks like she wants to protest, but she swallows her words and moves aside, allowing me to move into the space between the side of the truck and the open door.

I can’t believe Sally asked me to help her from the truck to her chair. I’m touched. I watched both Loretta and Cassie do a few wheelchair transfers and each time I was stunned, not by their ability to shift her, but by Sally’s complete and total trust in them. If I were in Sally’s position, I’d be scared to death.

The fact that she trusts me with such a delicate procedure is both humbling and beautiful. Now, if only I can figure out a way to inspire the same kind of trust in her sister.

I take a half step forward and bump my calves on the truck’s running board. My eyes meet Sally’s. She looks a lot more relaxed than me.

I take a deep, steadying breath. “Okay. I think I’m ready. How ‘bout you?”

“All set,” Sally says.

She wiggles around until she’s facing me and her legs are dangling off the side of the seat, her toes pointing down toward mine. Still smiling, she stretches her arms toward me, linking her fingers tightly together behind my neck.

“Slowly, step backwards until she’s completely out of the truck,” Cassie instructs. Her voice is softer than I’ve ever heard it sound before.

I do as she says. Sally leans passively against my chest, her toes just brushing the short, dusty grass.

“Nicely done.” Cassie wheels the chair next to me and sets the brakes. “Carefully turn so her rear is facing the chair. You can use your left foot to nudge her feet along. Just don’t be in a hurry.”

In what feels like the slowest, strangest dance maneuver of all time, Sally and I slowly turn.

“Great job,” Cassie says. I don’t need to look at her to know she’s beaming. “Now just lower her into the chair. Slowly.”

By the time I get Sally into the chair, I’m so proud of myself I could crow.

For the second time today, Cassie grins. It’s an exact copy of Sally’s trademark smile and makes Cassie look about fifteen years old.

My lips practically itch to taste it.

“Congratulations,” Cassie says as she releases the wheelchair’s brakes. “If anyone had been watching they’d never know it was your first wheelchair transfer.” She nudges the back of her sister’s head. “What do you say to Ronan?”

“Thank you, Ronan,” Sally chirps. She grabs onto her wheels and maneuvers the wheelchair towards the house, pausing halfway to bend over and stroke a large, brown hen that’s scratching in the dirt. “Hello, Ladybug. I had a good day, but I’m tired right now so you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to hear about it.”

I glance at Cassie. “She actually knows which chicken is which, or are all the chickens called Ladybug?”

Cassie leans against the side of my truck and watches her sister go. “Each of the chickens has a different name and as far as I can tell, she can tell all of them apart. They were Loretta’s idea. Sally doesn’t have much stimulation here, so Loretta thought the chickens would give her something to do. And they have. We thought she’d just want to watch them, but she’s diligent about making sure they’re fed and watered, and she collects the eggs. The birds are messy and noisy but they’re her best friends, and that makes putting up with them worthwhile.”

Cassie waits until Sally lets herself into the trailer before looking at me. I can’t read the expression in her dark eyes.

“Ronan,” she says, her tone softer than normal. “I really can’t thank you enough for today. It meant the world to Sally … and to me.”

I ache, actually ache, to lean forward and steal a kiss. That’s exactly what I’d do if she was any other girl. I’d kiss her and take her out dancing. But Cassie isn’t any other girl. She’s special and she can’t be pushed.

So instead of asking her out, I shove my hands in my jeans pockets and address the other bit of business currently binding us together. “By the time I roll back into San Antonio, all the auto parts stores will have closed up, but I’ll pick up a new belt for your alternator and get it installed right away. Once that’s done, I’ll pick you up and you can drive your Buick home.”

Fixing Cassie’s car would probably earn me more points than taking her dancing anyway, plus it ensures that I’ll see her, at least for a little while, tomorrow morning.

Cassie stares down at the ground. “Ronan, you keep asking me what I want.”

My stomach sinks. She’s getting ready to tell me she doesn’t want to ever see me again. Getting dumped by the same girl two days in a row has got to be a new world record. And her timing sucks. Most people would at least wait until after I fixed their car. I mean, even if she does dump me, I’ll still do the work, but most guys would say screw it.

“I’ve decided that I’m not ready to go in just yet.” Cassie sends a quick glance at the trailer before looking back down at the ground. “So, if you don’t have any other plans for tonight, I was wondering if maybe you were still interested in checking out that barbeque place you were talking about yesterday.”