Chapter 8
3671 Words
Jake POV
I wake up to the sun streaming in the window and sit up stretching
“Oh yeah, that’s good” I groan, rolling my head to stretch out my neck. I get up, get dressed and head down stairs. The house is quiet, too quiet but the smell of fresh coffee fills the air making me smile
“Morning Pops” I say but when I look up I find Rory sitting in the kitchen stacking the eggs
“Morning sleeping beauty” she says with a playful smile
“Oh, I thought it was Pops” I say grabbing a cup
“Nope, he’s still at Lou’s” she says and I tilt my head
“Patterson?” I ask and a genuine smile crosses her face
“Oh yeah, they’ve been dating for a few months now. Oh they’re so cute” she says happily
“Never thought of Pops as cute but okay” I say and she giggles
“Me neither, but those two fit perfectly” she says sighing and I take a seat next to her
“So need any help with your ranch hand duties?” I ask but she gives me a look, something between amused and boredom
“All done, well for now” she says and I sit back
“It’s only 7am” I say and she nods placing the eggs next to the stove
“I know”
“What time did you get up?”
“4am, like every day” she says shrugging and I almost choke on my coffee
“But it’s Christmas”
“Yeah and?” she asks, seeming confused at my surprise
“Why didn’t you sleep in?”
“Jakey, time doesn’t stand still because it’s Christmas. The elves are busy at the North Pole, they can’t do everything here too” she jokes making me chuckle
“You’re a natural at this you know?” I say and she looks at me. I can see the sadness hiding in her eyes but she’s still smiling
“At what?”
“Ranching, all this” I gesture around
“Thanks” a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks
“I mean it. I think you’re better at this than acting” I say but she waves me off
“Bite your tongue” she says and I laugh
“You even have the lingo down” I say and she walks toward the door laughing
“Where are you going?” I ask and she turns
“Come on, I’ll show you” she says and I gulp down my coffee. I jog up to her as she makes her way to the barn in the back. My jaw falls when she effortlessly opens the massive doors revealing the herd all snuggled together
“I never realized there were this many” I say and she chuckles
“If all goes well we’ll have twice as much next year” she says proudly and I look down at her. Her eyes scanning the herd and I see it, the same look Pops has when he talks about the ranch, pure pride and joy
“You going to join me?” she asks and I frown
“With?”
“They need fresh air” she gestures to the herd and I nod
“Come on, let’s get Nellie saddled” she says and I stop
“Oh hell no” I say and she laughs
“Still afraid of horses?” she asks with a raised eyebrow
“No” I retort but I know she can see my fear
“Nellie will be gentle with you, I promise” she says grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the horse. Okay not nearly as intimidating as I remember, but still she’s not small
“Hey girl, this is Jake, he’s my goofball brother” she says happily stepping into the stable
“Hand me that would you?” she asks pointing to the brindle and reins. I reach up and hand it to her and stand there watching as she saddles the horse, without any effort, just pure bliss on her face. God this makes me happy, because she’s happy, and free. She takes the reins and leads the horse out
“Hold this, be right back” she says handing me the reins and I go rigid. Calm down, she won’t kill you. She runs toward the far end of the barn and slides the door open giving a low whistle the herd starts to move toward the door
“Let’s go” she says mounting the horse, looking down at me with and outstretched hand
“Won’t we be too heavy?” I ask, trying anything to get out of this
“Nah, Nellie is strong. Come on, or are you chicken?” she asks with a challenging look in her eyes
“Pfft, please” I say squaring my shoulders
“I face some the most ruthless business men daily, this is child’s play” I say arrogantly and she raises and eyebrow
“Come on then mister big bad accountant” she challenges me and I grab her hand swinging my leg over the horse, settling in behind her
“Hold on now” she says in a Texan accent and I wrap my arms around her waist
“Too tight?” I ask but she looks over her shoulder
“Nope” she pops the P and I chuckle but it stops when she clicks her tongue and the horse starts walking. She steers the horse outside, toward the snow covered fields and kicks her heels, I bite my lip to keep the small scream from escaping
“You good back there?” she asks and I can hear the smile on her face. Torture, this is what she’s doing
“Yup” I say and she laughs, kicking the horse again sending it into a quick trot. Don’t fall, please don’t fall. I must’ve gripped her tighter because she turns her head, looking over her shoulder but her voice is calm and steady
“I got you bro, I won’t let anything bad happen to you” she says and I nod. Swallowing the lump in my throat. I was supposed to keep her safe, to keep her from getting hurt. And still, she’s the one caring, she’s the one making sure I’m safe. She’s never let me down, ever.
“Okay, y’all let’s get you to grazin’!” she calls out and I chuckle at her Texan accent
“Jakey, let go for a moment, I need to open that gate” she says but I loosen my grip
“I got it” I say and slide off the horse. Momentarily happy to have my feet on solid ground as I open the gate. The herd moves through, and I glance at her, her nose is scrunched up a little as her eyes scan the herd and I know she’s counting them. Cowgirl if I’ve ever seen one, right here. The morning sun is casting a glow around her, making her blonde hair seem like it’s on fire, her light green eyes twinkling with vibrant life
“Okay, close it please” she says as the last of the herd walks through and I close it looking out onto the fields
“Gives you peace doesn’t it?” she speaks next to me and I nod. A comfortable silence falling over us as we just look at the brilliant white landscape
“You know, this place healed me. Even when I’m alone here I never feel alone” she says and I look at her
“You feel alone back home?” I ask and she shrugs
“I mean yeah, sometimes. My world is not exactly perfect, contrary to popular belief. The only people I really have are you, mom and dad and Marge. The rest are just there for whatever they need” she says and I turn to her
“I know what you mean” I say and she looks at me
“You feel that way too?” she asks and I nod
“After Lisa passed, I drowned myself in work. I didn’t just lose her that day, I lost a piece of myself. The part where I wanted to be with people, to have friends. Mom and dad helped a lot, but you” I take her gloved hands in mine
“You kept me grounded Ror, you made sure I was okay. If you weren’t there I would’ve been dead already” I say and the tears well up in her eyes
“I wanted to die you know?” I say and she bites her lips, swallowing hard
“I wanted to be with Lisa so badly, but you helped me see that other people still needed me” I say and wipe the tear rolling down her cheek
“I never-“
“You were my anchor Rory. And I… I uhm…” I clear my throat “Thank you” I say and she wraps her arms around me
“Best brother ever” she says and I squeeze my eyes shut hugging her back. No I’m not
“Can I tell you something?” she asks and I nod
“Anything”
“Don’t you think it’s time?” she asks and I pull back
“For?”
“To move on, Lisa has been gone for almost five years now Jake. She’d want you to move on” she says, her eyes honest and sincere
“She was the love of my life” I say softly and she nods
“She was the first love of your life Jakey, not the only one. Lisa was selfless, loving, amazing and caring, we all loved her, we still do. But punishing yourself like this, I just want you to be happy” she says holding my hands
“I am”
“No I mean really happy. You deserve so much to be really happy. It won’t hurt her, I promise” she says and I smile
“How is it possible to be this kind?” I ask her and she shrugs
“Easy, just be” she says and I kiss her head
“Well I can try… but you know my type. The women I deal with aren’t my type” I say and she nods in understanding
“Then we find you the girl of your dreams. Selfless, kind and caring. But Jake” she says and I hum
“You’ll never have another Lisa, just keep that in mind okay?” she says and I nod smiling
“I love you nerd” I say and she smiles hugging me again
“Love you more goofball” she says giggling. The horse neighs and we turn to her
“We should head back, Pops should be home by now” she says and I nod. We mount the horse and as we ride back I tell her what happened to Ava. By the time we dismount she’s almost seething with anger
“I loathe that woman. She tried the same thing with dad, s**t she has no boundaries” she hisses out while taking all the tack off the horse
“I wanted so badly to tell her to F-off that night, but then I would’ve had an HR issue” I say as we walk out the door
“Gosh, can’t you fire her?” she says but I shake my head
“Regardless of her flirting, she’s a thorough worker and her numbers are always good” I sigh but she’s stopped walking and I look at her. Her eyes are glued to something to the side and I follow her gaze, a smile spreading on my lips
“Merry Christmas!” Lou calls out riding up, but she’s leading a horse while Pops is driving behind them
“Merry Christmas Lou!” she calls out. She stops near us and hugs Rory then turns to me
“My goodness, Jake Farrow, aren’t you just the most handsome thing this side of the Mississippi” she says and I smile
“Hey Mrs. Patterson, long-time” I say and she waves me off wrapping me up in a hug
“So formal, calm down boy. Let me look at you” she says stepping back scanning me up and down and I glance at Rory, she’s holding back a laugh
“My, my, my. But you have grown into a dashing young man” she says and I nod
“Thank you Lou, you’re still as radiant as always” I say kissing her hand
“Oh hush” she says and Pops walks up to us
“Merry Christmas” he says with a huge smile on his face
“Morning Pops” I say with a knowing look
“Dawn dear” Lou says and she turns to her
“Yup?”
“I brought you something” she says turning to the horses. She unties the one’s reigns from her horse and holds it out to Rory
“Oh I’ll put them in the stables for you” Rory says and Pops and Lou chuckles
“No dear, she’s yours” she says and Rory’s eyes go wide
“What?” she breathes out
“We reckoned you need your own, since I need Nellie back” Pops says, his eyes glimmering
“Oh god, you bought me a horse” she says, her voice sounding breathless
“No dear, just a gift. She’s strong and reliable, kind and gentle. She’s always made me think of you” Lou says and I smile
“I couldn’t agree more” I say and she just stands there, hands clasped over her mouth and I can see she’s fighting the tears so I wrap my arm around her shoulders, giving her a squeeze
“So, what do we say?” I joke and she shoves me, letting the tears go. There she is, there’s my sister
“Oh Lou, Pops I have no words… thank you” she says wrapping them up in a hug. I take out my phone and snap a picture, this is one to remember because even the old man has tears in his eyes
“Oh goodness” mom speaks up as she makes her way to us
“Merry Christmas” she says greeting all of us and we return the greeting
“Oh she’s gorgeous. It’s a pure bred Morgan right?” mom asks and Pops puffs out his chest
“Yup, and it’s all Dawn’s” Lou says and my mom walks around the horse, inspecting her
“Hey beautiful” she coos rubbing the horse’s cheeks
“So, does she have a name?” mom asks and we look at Lou
“We called her Starlight, but you can-“
“It’s perfect!” Dawn squeals hugging the horse. She looks like a little girl right now, innocent and very happy. He almost destroyed her. I. Hate. Him
“Oh and we have this too” Pops says and walks over to the truck, producing a saddle
“Oh my god, you… this is… Pops” she looks up at him, tears running down her face
“Those are the only tears I ever wanna see pickle” he says softly but I heard him. I couldn’t agree more old man
“Now, let’s get these lovelies into the barn and have some coffee shall we?” mom says and they lead the horses back to the stables, leaving Pops and I standing there alone
“Always knew she was the favorite” I joke and he turns to me
“No, I love you both equally. I got you something too” he says and walks back to the truck, taking out a box, it’s big but light
“What is it?” I ask and he scoffs
“Not one to ruin surprises” he says and I nod chuckling
“Thanks Pops” I say and he nods smiling. The ladies come back, all smiling from ear to ear and we head inside. Dad is sitting in the living room when we enter and greetings are shared before we take our seats, coffee and cocoa steaming and we start handing out presents. I place the box Pops gave me behind me, while opening my other presents.
“What’s that?” Rory asks pointing to the box behind me and I place it in front of me
“It’s from Pops” I say and she settles in next to me
“So, open it” she urges and I chuckle
“I don’t know, maybe I-“
“Now Jake!” she commands and we all laugh
“Patience dear sister” but she tears a corner
“Start there” she says excitedly and we laugh while I tear the paper off, agonizing slow
“Jake” she whines
“My present, my time” I say and she lets out a fake cry
“You’re killing me” she whines again and I laugh harder
“Okay, calm down movie star” I say nudging her with my shoulder but my laughter dies when I look at the contents
“Oh wow!” she says and I look at Pops
“Seriously?” I ask and he nods proudly. I take out the Stetson, looking at it in awe. She reaches in and takes out a pair of gloves, also initialed like my hat
“This is amazing” I say and she takes the hat placing it on my head
“Perfect” she says and I pull on the gloves
“Ladies and gentleman, may I present, Jake the cowboy!” she announces and everyone cheers
“Figured you could help around here since you’ll be staying for a while” Pops says, but his eyes give away his pride
“Thanks old man” I say hugging him and walking over to the mirror in the foyer. Damn I do look like a cowboy.
“Oh!” I hear a squeal coming from the door and I turn, my world coming to a grinding halt when I look at the girl in front of me. She has soft dark brown eyes, light brown hair, tied up in a high ponytail, pink plump lips, a small button nose and fine freckles covering her little nose. How can I describe her face? She looks like an angel
“Millie!” Rory exclaims hugging her, and her eyes break away from mine focusing on my sister
“Hey Dawn” she says and I gulp. Her voice, oh lord her voice could melt ice. It makes you think of a soft breeze on a summers day
“So glad you’re here” Rory says and takes the girl’s coat. My eyes dart up and down her small figure, petite, a little shorter than Rory, but goodness she’s beautiful. They turn to me
“This is Jake, my dearest, smartest and most handsome brother” Rory says and I chuckle holding out my hand. I quickly pull it back, removing the glove and my hat and give her a smile
“Nice to meet you Millie” I say, my voice a little shaky. But then she smiles and I feel as if my legs will give out. She places her soft hand in mine and I suck in a breath
“Hi, nice to meet you too” she says and I have to keep myself from sighing
“Jake”
“Jakey!” I snap out of my trance and pull my hand back, looking at Rory. Her face says she knows exactly what just happened and I frown at her
“Would you be so kind as to introduce Millie to mom and dad?” she asks sweetly and I nod
“S-sure” I say and straighten up, holding out my arm to Millie
“Ma’am” I say, giving her a soft smile and the blush spreads across her face. My heart picks up its pace, hammering in my chest when she takes my arm
“Thank you” she says shyly. I want her to look like this as often as possible. Hell I want her to look at me, permanently, what the hell is happening? We walk into the living room and I introduce her to my parents. Rory seems to have disappeared, sneaky b***h. My mom has a look on her face, and I know I’m going to be interrogated about this later. Dammit
- Writer
