Moving was always hard. Temperance hated the fuss up picking everything up and going to a new place. It seemed to happen to her too often.
Temperance had been through countless homes since she joined the foster system. Each home she was kicked out of had a different reason. Her social worker said he was about at his wits end with her and that she better stop her childish antics.
They could never understand. The homes they put her into were horrible. Some worse than other. They never listened to her complaints, figuring it was just a cry for attention. Now here she was moving onto another home, another name to add to the bottom of her shoe.
Temperance stared out the window of the social workers vehicle. The scenery all blurred together. Mountains passed as did trees but Temperance didn't pay them much attention. She was supposedly headed to live with a couple by the name of Jerry and Lisa who live in an incredibly small town in the Rocky Mountains.
Tempe wasn't too enthused about the small town thing. She'd lived in small towns before and everybody knew your business even if you didn't want them to. Word just travels too fast.
"Temperance?" Tempe looked up at the sound of her name and noticed John her social worker was staring at her in the rear view mirror. Temperance responded with a dismissive glare.
"Temperance if your not going to talk will you please at least listen?" he said it with that even tone that made her think he thought she was crazy. "This town your going to, I think this is finally the place. This family, they're really nice. No please just stop trying to be difficult. I know you've had a few tough times but can't you just move on?" That comment there had Temperance scowling up at John. Who did the bastard think he was? What did he think, that she could just forget her family, or everything that has happened to her in the foster system?
"Now as you already know your new foster parents names are Jerry and Lisa. Jerry owns a motel/cafe/gas station in town. I presume he will probably put you to work there for the remainder of the summer so just prepare your self."
"How many people did you say this town had anyway?" Temperance inquired with a slight hint of disgust in her voice.
"Ummm... I believe the population is near 100. But don't you worry there may not be many people but the school there is quite modern." John said the last point in hopes Temperance wouldn't bash the town without even seeing it first.
"How the hell can you have a school in a town with a population of only 100 people?" Temperance asked mouthing her disapproval of the situation.
"You know that kind of language is probably one of the reasons you get kicked out of so many homes." Oh if only he knew the truth. "Anyway, the school is supposedly very nice. I haven't checked it out myself yet but I hear its very hands on. There is two teachers, one for the younger grades and one for the high school students. I think in all there's something like 21 kids."
"Twenty one kids is hardly a functioning school." Tempe kept the rest of her thoughts to herself and returned to staring out the window.
The remainder of the trip was spent in agreeable silence.
"Temperance, come on, wake up Temperance were here." John reached over to shake Temperance lightly. At the first touch Temperance bolted up in her seat, hands formed into fists.
"Geez, Temperance, didn't mean to startle you just wanted to let you know were here."
Temperance slowly relaxed after realizing that she was in no trouble. Wiping the sleep from her eyes she looked around taking in her surroundings. They were indeed parked in a parking lot of a motel. She looked across the road only to find a maintenance camp, a row of trailers and what she guessed was the school. Returning her gaze to the side of the road they were on she looked around for familiar sidewalks or streetlamps. She found neither.
The hotel itself seemed to be sitting next to a few homes and some more trailer and what looked like a campground.
"Is this Mr. Kovac's motel?" Temperance mumbled voice still heavy from sleep.
"That it is, one of the only in the area. So what do you think?? John was grinning actually thinking this may be Temperance's final home, and quite proud of himself for finding it.
"Does my opinion really matter?" Tempe grumbled. She surveyed the area once more. "Wait, is there even a grocery store here?"
"Erm... I guess I forgot to tell you that part. The closest grocery store is about 140 miles away. But don't you worry. The towns people here are all very close and someone goes into town at least once a week and they'll most likely be more than happy do pick you up a few things."
"Lovely, so your just going to leave me here in the middle of no where forever away from civilization?"
"What are you talking about Temperance there are tons of vehicles in this parking lot! This is hardly the middle of no where."
"Hmmm guess you haven't noticed their plates are all from out of state leading me to believe their all tourists." she said the last part with a dry tone.
"Never know, they could be from around here. Now lets get this show on the road, though leave your bags in the truck until we find out which house your going to live in. Jerry is most likely at work but Lisa should be at home." With that John hopped out of the car and headed towards the lodge. Temperance followed in step.
Once inside the first thing Temperance noticed was the smell. Temperance couldn't quite tell one from the other but the most distinct smell was of cinnamon rolls. The smell wafted from a door which she assumed led to the kitchen. John walked toward the cash register which was being manned by a slim girl with dark hair and a very stylish outfit on. After John exchanged a few words with the girl she smiled and disappeared into the kitchen.
Moments later she returned with a man tall man in his late 30's. The man walked towards John and they talked, though Tempe couldn't hear the conversation she knew they were talking about her. The man looked over at Temperance, smiled, and walked towards her.
"So your Temperance Brennan eh? Well it's a pleasure to finally meet you." Jerry was clearly excited to meet Tempe despite the rush of tourists around them.
"Yes sir, its nice to meet you as well." Temperance replied remembering her manners, she couldn't screw this up. At least this one didn't look mean, or creepy for that matter.
Jerry chuckled loudly.
"Sir eh? Well that's pretty official don't you think? Makes me sound old, why don't you just stick to Jerry? Now as much as I'd like to stay and talk, I've got fourteen loaves of bread climbing over the counter in the kitchen that really must be tended too. Lisa's at home so she'll get you all settled in. I'll be back in the evening, so you can spend the day exploring or meeting people. See you later Temperance"
And just as fast as he showed up, he was gone, having disappeared back into the kitchen. John walked up to Tempe ushering her outside where they could talk without the noise of the restaurant. The whole time she was in there Tempe could feel the cashier girls eyes watching her.
Shit she thought to herself, already locals are curious.
Turns out Tempe's new home wasn't far from the lodge. In fact, it was right next door to it. The cabin its self seemed quite peaceful. The yard was large, actually more like a field than a yard. The cabin seemed quite small from the outside but once inside she discovered it was quite large. John didn't stay long, just enough to introduce Tempe to Lisa and to lug in her bags. Though this wasn't unusual John never did stay long.
Lisa gave Tempe the grand tour of the house. Tempe's room seemed like it was maybe a guest room at one point in time. It had a small bookcase, a futon for a bed and an oak desk in the corner. The room itself was actually quite nice in Tempe's opinion. Much better than some homes. As spacious as it was the room seemed small because of the deep brown paint that colored the walls. The color complemented the dark stain of the cabin walls well though.
Temperance also found out Lisa had taken the liberty of buying her new clothes. Obviously someone from the system had told them her preferred style and clothing size because they all fit and Temperance actually liked the color choices. Though Temperance was not one to go gaga over clothes like some girls, she still thought it was a nice gesture. And a very much needed one she thought to herself thinking of the ratty clothes she had.
Once Temperance unpacked she walked back out towards the kitchen where Lisa was watering her large abundance of house plants. Lisa turned towards her with a smile as she walked in. Temperance couldn't help but smile back she was already starting to like this family.
"Have you eaten already Temperance?" Lisa asked politely.
"Actually John and I stopped on the way here for diner but thanks for asking Mrs. Kovac." It was a lie, but Tempe didn't much feel like eating.
"Now that is a habit your going to have to break, calling me Mrs. Kovac is much to formal. You'll find that everyone in this town is on a first name basis. So please, call me Lisa." Lisa smiled gently at Tempe and then reached into a cupboard and pulled out two glasses and proceeded to fill them with Iced tea.
Temperance and Lisa over the two glasses of iced tea. Already Temperance started to feel at ease with the woman. It sort of seemed that they had known each other for quite a while. Once they finished their tea Lisa stood up facing Tempe with a proposition.
"Temperance, since you don't quite know the town yet why don't you and I go run the dogs while I show you around?"
"Run the dogs? What dogs?" Tempe asked, her interest piqued.
"Ah I take it you missed the dogs when you came in. Here follow me." Lisa led Temperance out the back door and around the house near Temperance's room. Right there outside her window were two beautiful Siberian huskies on runs protected by the shade from the trees.
Temperance gasped at the beauty of the creatures.
"They're wonderful. How come I didn't hear them barking?" Temperance approached one of the huskies tentatively letting it sniff her hand.
"There not much for barking, we had to break that habit earlier I'm afraid having neighbors and all. I'd like to introduce you to Aurora and Tank."
As if on cue Tank came up to Temperance sniffed her hand, then shoved his head under her hand as if wanting pets.
"Careful, once you start giving Tank pets he never leaves you alone," Lisa said with a laugh.
Temperance laughed and continued to pet the dogs while Lisa switched them over from their run chain to their leashes. Lisa then walked the dogs over to an ATV that was parked in the driveway and continued on to tie one dog to each side of the rack on the back of the ATV. Once she was done she looked up and saw Tempe's confused look and laughed.
"Oh in case your wondering were not actually going to run with them, that's just what we call taking them out on the ATV. We have to keep them in good shape throughout the summer because they pull the sled in the winter." Lisa hopped on the ATV and motioned for Tempe to sit on the back.
"Umm... Do I have to hold the leashes or anything?" Temperance asked. Slightly nervous from having the two dogs strapped to the back of a soon to be moving ATV.
"Oh no, they've done this millions of times before. You ever drove an ATV before Temperance?" When Tempe shook her head she continued. "Well I'll have to teach you because you'll most likely end up with the chore of running the dogs." With that Lisa started up the ATV and they left the yard with Aurora and Tank running beside them.
Lisa gave Tempe a narrative speech as she showed her each part of town. On their way back from the lot road they passed a rather attractive guy who smiled and waved at them. Lisa returned the wave then turned to Temperance.
"That there was Seeley Booth he's seventeen and just got his new license where he can drive without an experienced driver in the vehicle. I swear that pickup there is all I ever see him in these days." Temperance joined in on Lisa's laughter but at the same time making a mental note of Seeley Booth's name.
As they pulled into the driveway Tempe saw Jerry waking home from the lodge. Funny she already thought of this place as home.
After sitting down and socializing with Jerry and Lisa for an hour or so Tempe began to yawn. Glancing at the clock she noted it was already past 11pm. Noticing her change in demeanor Jerry was the first to stand up.
"Well Temperance I can see your getting pretty tired. I know you've had a long day so its probably best we all be heading off to bed eh? If you wouldn't mind I'd like for you to come to the lodge tomorrow and I can show you some of the basics to baking. You can do that as a side job for the last two weeks before school starts along with waitressing."
"That sounds good to me." Temperance agreed. "Though I must warn you I've never cooked anything before in my life"
This made Lisa laugh. "Don't worry Temperance, Jerry is a very good teacher. Now about your bed. I'm not sure whether you prefer soft or hard beds but the futons rather hard, so I put a memory foam foamy on it along with a feather tick. If that's to soft for your likings feel free to take them off. If you get cold extra blankets and duvets are in your closet. I also laid out a new pair of your PJ's on your bed if you wish to wear them." Lisa smiled at Temperance.
"Thank you guys, both, for giving me a new home and for welcoming me so well. Goodnight." And with that Tempe turned and left for her room.
Sitting on the edge of her bed Tempe examined her room once more. She smiled to herself. Tempe thinks to her self. 'Odd I'm already calling this my room, my home, usually it takes quite a bit longer for me to get attached, but Jerry and Lisa seem like nice people. Who knows? Maybe this one will be different.'
With that thought Tempe turned and looked at the PJ's laying on her bed. The Camisole was grey and blue and had a dog silhouette on the front. Underneath the dog it said "Rare Breed" Temperance had to laugh. As she pulled on the PJ's she examined the tag that said Cabellas. Weird how all her new clothes were from either Caballes or Victoria's Secret. She made a mental note to ask Lisa about that in the morning.
Tempe pulled back the light duvet on her bed and climbed under the sheets. Temperance's last though before drifting into a deep sleep was how comfortable the bed was.
The next morning Temperance awoke feeling oddly refreshed. She laid awake in bed for a few moments just listening to the birds sing outside.
When she heard the door to the house slam and then a voice talking to Lisa, curiosity got the best of her and she pulled on a bathrobe and headed out to see who it was.
The last face she expected to see when she rounded the corner to the kitchen was the one of Seeley Booth.
"Ah Temperance your awake. Temperance, I'd like you to meet Seeley Booth." Booth stepped forward and shook Temperance's outstretched hand.
"Ummm nice to meet you Mr. Booth." Temperance murmured rather nervously. The way his eyes were roaming over her were quite unnerving.
Booth studied Temperance from top to bottom, taking in her sleep tangled hair, her PJ's and her dangerously long legs left uncovered from her shorts. Booth decided on one word for this look of her; adorable.
"It's nice to meet you as well Temperance," Booth said grinning at her nervousness. "Though please don't call me Mr. Booth, Seeley or Booth will do just fine." He watched as Lisa began to laugh.
"See Temperance I told you about the first name basis thing." Lisa remarked still smiling to her self.
"Erm yes well I'll leave you two to whatever you were doing, I got to go get dressed." Temperance said the last of the sentence rather quickly, turned, and left the room.
Once Tempe had left Seeley and Lisa resumed their conversation.
"Well Seeley, tell your mother thank you very much for the recipes for me. I'm sure Jerry will be really happy to be able to add some new items to the menu at the lodge."
"I'll do that for you Lisa. So what are your and Jerry's plans for Temperance?" Booth asked trying to sound only mildly interested.
"Well we figure we'll get her to work at the lodge with Angela as a waitress or bake over there for the rest of the summer. Then once school starts she'll most likely spend her time studying I guess." Lisa said eaisly, not quite in on Booths ploy to get information out of her.
"Oh yea well that's cool, well I better be going Lisa, I'll see you around." And with that Booth left the house making a mental note to stop in at the lodge later if Temperance is going to be there.
Temperance left the house shortly after 8 and began the walk over to the lodge. Once there Temperance sat down at a booth to wait for Jerry to come out of the kitchen. She noted that there weren't as many people in restaurant today as there were the previous day.
"Wow your up quite early Temperance," at the sound of her name Tempe jumped slightly and turned to see Jerry standing in the door way of the kitchen. "Come on in the back, I've got the dough ready for cinnamon buns."
Temperance followed Jerry into the baking area in the back. In between food orders Jerry showed Tempe how to chunk up the dough, roll it out, add the filling then re-roll it.
After all the cinnamon rolls were cut up, and placed in the oven to rise, Jerry taught Tempe to work the cash register.
"I though that other girl, I think you called her Angela was in charge of the register and waitressing?" Temperance asked, fairly wary of working the register, terrified of screwing up.
"She does, but Angela works evening shift so she'll be in around 1:30. Don't worry about it, you'll do fine. Plus we won't be overly busy for the next few hours." Jerry added in trying to keep Temperance at ease.
Well Jerry was half right, she did fine, but towards lunchtime the lodge was buzzing with people.
By the time Angela showed up Temperance was relieved to see her. Though the traffic had died down in the last few hours, Tempe's feet still screamed in protest from having to run from table to table taking and delivering orders.
"Sweetie you look exhausted," Angela said as she walked in. "Sit down for a minute really your shift is over now." Angela took a seat as well seeing as though all the customers were happily eating.
"So you must be Angela," Temperance stated. "I've never said this before but I couldn't be happier that your here."
Angela laughed. "Well its nice to meet you too. Sorry about your first day of work being so busy. Morning shift usually isn't too bad but it usually picks up around lunch."
"Yea don't I know," Temperance muttered to herself.
"You and I are going to need to get together and get to know each other better. How about this weekend?" Angela smiled at Temperance.
Before Temperance could answer Angela had to jump up and help some one out at the register.
Temperance went back to hang up her apron and quietly left the lodge.
After heading home to shower and change into fresh clothes Temerance decided she'd take a walk and explore a bit. Temperance was enjoying the peacefulness and solitude of no people. That was until she heard footsteps behind her. She sighed in annoyance when she noticed who it was.
"Hey Temperance!" Seeley Booth walked up beside Temperance who had turned and continued walking.
"What do you wan't." Temperance grumbled.
"Whoa, no need to get snippy. I was just headed home and saw you walking, figured you might want some company." Booth said with a grin.
"Well you figured wrong." Tempe replied without even looking Booths way.
"Geez and everyone says your so nice, do you not like me or something, I didn't say anything to make you mad allready have I?" Booth looked at Tempe with a mock pouty face.
Temperance smiled inspite of herself. "Your right I'm sorry, I guess I'm just tired from work."
"Ah yes your first day working at the lodge how did it go?" Booth asked trying to make small talk.
"Fine I guess, I sure was relieved to see Angela come in though."
"Oh you've met Ange? She's been waiting all summer for you to show up. She says there's not near enough females here. By the way, I ate one of the cinnamon buns you made, they were excellent."
"Umm thanks I guess, I really didn't do anything except follow Jerry's instructions."
Booth looked over at Temperance. She really was pretty, even under the oversized hooded sweater and jeans. Come hunting season, she'll have all the young guides and hunters going after her.
"How old are you?" Booth asked when curiosity got the better of him.
"I'm sixteen, well just turned sixteen. Why?" Temperance asked figuring the question was a little out of the blue.
"No reason, just wondering." She looks a lot older than 16. "Well here's my turn," Booth announced when they reached the road to his house. "Would you like to come in, have something to drink maybe?" Booth asked, secretly hoping that she would.
"Uh, no I'm fine thanks I guess I'll see you later." Temperance turned, and started the walk back into town.