To Not Let Go

Chapter Twenty One

         Renne woke slowly with a startle at the sound of an old diesel starting. Sitting up in her bed, she knew exactly which truck was started. Looking down at the empty air mattress on the floor beside her, Renne knew that it was Swayde who had started the truck. 

         With a smile on her lips, Renne tossed the covers off her, throwing them to the side as she swung out of bed, checking the time on her phone. 9:15. She could not remember the last time that she had slept that long. Regardless, Renne quickly got dressed for the day, tossing on whichever clothes she grabbed first out of her dresser before slipping on a pair of cowboy boots and heading outside, grabbing a ball cap on the way out. 

        Arms spread wide, with a huge smile on her face, Renne walked up to the truck that was parked right by her house. "You got her started!" Just as she said it, the truck stalled. Dropping her hands, she chuckled. "Guess I spoke too soon." 

        Swayde hopped out of the driver's seat to walk up to Renne. Holding his arms out for a hug, Renne took a step back. "You are covered in grease! You are not getting near me with those hands until you wash up." Renne chuckled, watching Swayde playfully roll his eyes before popping the hood on the truck. "Glow plugs probably need changed." Renne assessed as she leaned over the engine beside Swayde. 

        "My thought exactly." Swayde looked sideways at his girlfriend; her beauty always amazed him. Plus she knew her ways around vehicles, and that was certainly attractive. 

         "How long have you been out here working on this?" Turning around, Renne leaned back against the bumper of the old truck so she was facing Swayde. 

        Swayde leaned into the hood of the truck, plunging himself hands deep in parts and grease, practically knocking his ball cap off. "Only about 7am. Then I had to run into town, but the tire shop didn't open until 8am." Standing up some, Swayde turned his ball cap around, so he wouldn't keep hitting the bill on the hood of the truck. 

       "Ti-tire place?" Renne stood off the truck, walking back to the trailer. "Swayde, you bought tires for the trailer already? How much do I owe you?" She was seriously dating the most amazing man in the world, and she could not be more blessed. 

       "Yeah, and don't worry about it. I told the guy who they were for, and he said that there was no charge. Said something about owing you a favor." Swayde grabbed for a shop towel to wipe his hands off. 

       "Are you for real? He doesn't owe me-" Renne thought back to a time two years ago when she had given him some hay, bedding, and horse feed because a fire had started in his horse barn, destroying nearly everything. Since it was so long ago, Renne had practically forgotten about it, plus, she gave those things to him without expecting anything in return. "I mean, I helped him out with some feed a couple years ago, but I did that out of the kindness of my heart, not to get free tires out of it. Plus, what I gave him was no where near how much those tires had to have costed." Smiling at the thought of the 70+ year old man who runs the only tire shop within 100 miles of the ranch. Renne would always love the small town hospitality out here; it was something that she would never get used to, but hoped would never go away. 

       "Small town hospitality for you, darlin'." Swayde grinned that heart melting smile. 

       "My thought exactly." The smile was returned. "So what made you decide to do all of this?" 

       Swayde plunged his hands down into the hood of the truck again. "Well, I could hear it in your voice and see it in your face how much this truck and trailer meant to you, and how much it would mean to you to have your horses home with you, so I decided to see if I could get the truck in running order, and then we can drive it back home with us." He fiddled with a loose wire, but was torn away from it when a hand on his arm pulled him away from the truck.