EPOV
Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to SM.
AN: This is a revamped version of a story that I started writing many years ago under a different penname, but had no direction to take it in. I believe I've gotten all of the kinks worked out and so here we have it.
Dust flies everywhere as the tires of Emmett's truck leave the main roadway and turn on an old dirt road in the middle of nowhere. The headlights shine brightly into the black of night. There are no landmarks, no trees in sight; no nothing for miles.
"You live way out here?" I ask, staring out the passenger side window.
"I do. Well, I did. We've still got a couple of miles to go before we make it to the ranch."
Ah, the ranch. Fuck if I know how Emmett had talked me into joining him and his family for Thanksgiving in the middle of BFE. Well, that's not necessarily true. Being British, I didn't celebrate the holiday and since production of the movie I was working on had been closed down for two weeks to give the production crew and all of the other Americans on set time to be with their families, it just kind of made sense when Emmett suggested it to me. I could use a couple of weeks away from the Hollywood way of life anyways. Surely the paparazzi wouldn't be able to find me way out here. Where were we anyways?
"What did you say the name of this town is?" I ask over the dull hum of the engine.
"Garrett, Texas. Town of 550 people. A big difference from LA and London huh?" he snickers. I nod my head. Yeah, you could say that for sure.
A few minutes later, Emmett took a right through a pair of rod iron gates. It was the first place we'd seen since we left the main road at least twenty minutes ago. The truck shakes violently as it crosses over a couple of metal rods imbedded in the driveway. Up in the distance I can make out the shape of a house; a bright porch light shining out into the darkness like a beacon.
We pass wooden fences full of horses of all colors, shapes, and sizes, a herd of cattle, and a few bulls. There was an arena of sorts set up just off to the left of a metal barn. As we make our way up to the house, I can't help but to feel out of my element. Way out of my element. This was cowboy country and a cowboy I was not.
Emmett's truck comes to a stop right in front of the house, in between a newer white SUV and an old farm truck. We make quick work of grabbing our bags from the backseat and bound up the stairs that lead to a huge wrap around porch. Forgoing knocking, Emmett turns the knob and barges right in, dropping his bags at his feet. The house was warm and had a very homey feel to it. It was an open floor plan and from where we are standing, I can see a beautiful brunette standing behind the island in the kitchen. She looks up when she hears us come in and a big smile breaks across her face. Wiping her hands on a kitchen towel, she heads towards us.
"Emmett, you made it!" she exclaims, enveloping him in a big hug. I stand there awkwardly, still holding my bags.
"This must be Edward," she says as she pulls away from Em. She reaches out and offers me a hug too. I oblige. She smells like a mix of cinnamon and coffee.
"Edward, this is my mom Renee Swan. Mom, this is Edward Cullen." This lady was Emmett's mum? She looked way too young!
"Nice to meet you Mrs. Swan," I say. She smiles and motions for me to follow her. Em collects his bags and follows behind.
"You'll be staying in Bell's room since she won't be able to make it this year." We follow her up a set of stairs and down a hallway until we reach the end.
"You sure she won't mind me staying in her room?" I ask as Mrs. Swan opens the door and flicks on the light.
"Nah, Bells is cool. As long as you don't break any of her shit, she'll be fine with it. Sucks she won't be here though. At least Alice will be around to give me some one to make fun of," Emmett jokes..
Alice. Emmett had warned me about her. She was a huge fan of mine and supposedly when he told her that I'd be tagging along, she nearly blew a head gasket. He assured me that in giving her a warning a head of time, it'd give her some time to cool off and I wouldn't have to worry about some teenage girl following me around the whole time I was here. Hopefully he was right.
"Oh okay, great." I say as I step into the light yellow painted room.
"We'll give you some time to get settled in. Emmett's room is straight across the hall and the door right next to his is the bathroom. You, Em, and Alice will all have to share. Hope you don't mind. Feel free to make yourself comfortable. We're glad you could join us Edward." Emmett's mom says with a small smile before turning her back towards us and heading back down the hallway."
"Well man, I'm going to go put all of my shit up and then grab a shower. If you need anything, just holler. Breakfast is usually around 7, but if you would prefer to sleep in, that's up to you." And on that note, Emmett heads across the hall. I throw my duffel bag down on the quilted bedspread and quickly grab out some pajama pants. Usually I slept in my underwear or sometimes even less, but I didn't quite think that would be appropriate here. I quickly grab all of my toiletries and head for the bathroom to brush my teeth and get ready for bed, hoping to beat Emmett in there. For a guy, he takes long fucking showers; showers that I remember taking as a teenage boy when I had other business to attend to than just washing my hair. No, I didn't think Emmett was choking one out, but what the fuck else could he be doing in there that took so fucking long?
As I'm brushing my teeth, fourteen year old Alice herself bops into the room and grabs her toothbrush and begins to brush her teeth in the sink next to where I'm standing, shirtless might I add. I'm immediately in defense mode. I quickly begin to brush my teeth, trying to spend as little time as possible in such a small space with this girl...just in case.
Alice spits and then laughs, grabbing my arm in the process.
"Chill out. I'm not one of those girls. Yeah, I got a bit excited when I found out you were going to be staying here, but the shock factor has warn off. I'll do my best to treat you just like any other one of Emmett's friends that he could've brought home with him…on two conditions." I cock an eyebrow at her. Great, here it goes.
"Do tell." I say and she smiles.
"Condition numero uno: I get a picture with you before you go. Don't worry; I won't share it until you're good and gone so you don't have to worry about anyone finding out you are here." I nod, telling her that I could handle that and wanting her to continue.
"Condition numero dos: Will you autograph my guitar? It's nothing fancy or anything, just a hand-me-down, but it'd be so cool if you'd sign it." I smile and tell her sure, that won't be any problem.
"Alright then, have a good night Edward!" she says as she literally dances out of the bathroom and goes to what I assume is her bedroom. I'm a bit stunned by how calmly she had just handled herself. I shake my head and finish up in the bathroom before heading back to the room I was staying in.
I'm not quite exhausted yet so after checking my phone and sending a couple of texts to my manager and friends back in LA, I take a couple of moments to take in my surroundings. Emmett's sister's room is girly, but not over-the-top. There is a bookshelf that contains quite a number of ribbons and trophies. I take a closer look at a few of them. Most of them look like they were won in something called barrel racing. I think I've seen something like that on TV before when I was flipping through the channels, but I wouldn't bet money on it.
There is a collage of photos taped on one wall. There are pictures of a few horses and many pictures of who I assume to be Emmett's sister and a bunch of friends. I pull one of the pictures off the wall and take a seat on the bed. It's a picture of a young girl, probably seventeen or so, standing beside a cream colored horse. The horse had a large blue ribbon dangling from a strap that went across its head. The girl was smiling from ear to ear and her excitement was evident. There was just something about her that made me want to know her. She was incredibly beautiful; she had definitely gotten her looks from her mum. A little plain compared to some of the women I'd been known to date, but there was definitely something about her that caught my attention.
"I guess it's too bad that Emmett's sister couldn't make it after all." I say softly as I place the picture back where it belongs in the collage.
Turning off the light, I settle into bed. After replying to a few emails, I put my phone to the side and settle onto my right side to look out the large bay window. The stars were so bright out here, no city lights to block the view. The peacefulness of the night stills my mind and I'm asleep before I even have a chance to realize it.