A/N: I do not own Glee or any of their nonsense...just some hijacking of characters.
This is my first fanfic, so please be gentle or you can be rough, depends on the mood. And how many cocktails I've had….lol
TENDER MERCY
Chapter 1: New Beginnings
"Fuck, fuck" Mercedes hissed while bringing her index finger to her mouth to ease the pain. "Stupid" she thought to herself. What the hell was she doing? She looked around at the nearly empty stables and at the door hinge she nearly lost an appendage to, "I can't do this" she thought looking at her uninjured hand holding a Phillips head screwdriver. Mercedes was trying to fix the hinge on a broken stall door, when she leaned against it and gotten her finger caught.
"What are you doing?" she said out loud to herself, " This is what you are gonna hire a staff for", she mused. Actually that's one of the reasons she was in the stables, waiting on the new ranch manager that was hired by her assistant. He was local and came with great references. He was going to meet with her to go over preliminaries and soon start on hiring the rest of the ranch hands. They were to get this place up and operating in a few months' time. Which is why fixing of stall doors did not need to fall to her. Logically she knew this, but being who she was she couldn't just sit around and have things done for her all the time. You think that she would have gotten used to it after all the years being in L.A. With a staff of over thirty people under her and managers and agents, Mercedes never fully adjusted to that lifestyle. That's the main reason why she is here, in Deer Lodge, Tennessee.
"You couldn't have picked a place with a sexier name, huh?" The diva chuckled to herself.
Although the name wasn't sexy the place was beautiful, and she fell in love with it the minute she stepped foot on the land. Mercedes was the proud owner of 327 acres. The land bordered a National wildlife preserve so most of the land she wasn't allowed to alter, it had to remain in its natural state. This was fine by all means because that meant nature trails, for hiking, biking, four wheelers or horseback riding. There were also streams for kayaking, a waterfall and a pond with the biggest weeping willow tree Mercedes ever saw residing beside it. She had her own wilderness retreat, with rock climbing to boot. Even though most of these things she had yet to have the pleasure to partake. She was happy and content with her choice, but not everyone in her life shared her outlook.
"Why on earth do you want to live on a farm, baby?" her mother asked for what seemed like the thousandth time since she informed of her purchase.
"Again mom it's not a farm, it's a ranch" Mercedes said while rolling her eyes, as she talked to her mother over the phone.
"Well it has pigs, goats, chickens, cows, horses and all their shit that comes with them, so I say it's a farm" Jackie Jones scoffed
Her youngest could be so pigheaded, now she decided to take it to another level and actually live with pigs. "Where did I go wrong?" she huffed. "You went from an 8 bedroom 10 1/2 bath 6 car garage, pool, and Jacuzzi and tennis courts in Beverly Hills. Gave that all up to be a pig farmer in Moose Neck, Oregon"
Mercedes palmed her face in her hand totally exhausted; she still owned her house in California. Which she was going to rent out, but now she was also a ranch owner. "Mom it's a ranch, a ranch on which I intend on breeding horses. Yes, it will eventually have all those animals, but I repeat I am and never will be a pig farmer and I live in Deer Lodge, Tennessee. Not Moose Neck, Oregon or Buffalo Chin, Nebraska or Elk Balls, Mississippi. Or any other random ass names you decide to come up with."
"But Baby, I..." her mother began
"But, nothing mom" Mercedes interrupted. "Please respect my choices. I'm not a child and this wasn't done in haste." Her shoulders slumped and she pinched the bridge of her nose trying to ward off a headache.
"It just seems to me that you're runnin..." Jackie Jones tried to get out before her daughter interrupted again.
"MOM! I swear if you say to me that I'm running away from my problems again..."
"But..."
"But, nothing mom. I'm not running settling or giving up. I'm starting a new chapter and I'm excited about it. Why can't you be happy for me? No it's not a McMansion in Beverly Hills or a double platinum album with two Grammy's as confirmation. I did that already and now I'm doing this." Mercedes squeezed her eyes tight realizing that her attempts to ward off a migraine were futile. That after this round with her mother she would be swallowing a couple of Motrin and resting with a cold compress to her temple.
Hearing the stress and tension in her child's voice softened Mercedes' mom attitude a bit. She was proud of her daughter, immensely proud. She just couldn't understand. One minute she was on a US tour promoting her third album the next she shouting into the phone "Mom, guess what? I bought a pig farm." ok ranch, but still.
"Baby, if you are happy then I'm happy. That's all a mother can really hope for..." Jackie Jones smiled into the phone.
"Thanks mom" Mercedes sighed
"But, don't expect me to come and visit and have to kill my own dinner by choking a chicken or shovel shit from the walk, or use an outhouse or..."
"What the fuck?" Mercedes groaned to herself. "Where does she think I live and why does she think it's the 1800's or something? "This woman" she yelled internally, totally fed up, this has to stop.
"Mom, my phone is dying it's gonna cut off any min..." With that Mercedes hit the end button on her cell disconnecting herself from another. "I hope you don't try and turn me hillbilly" rant from her mother.
Mercedes sighed looking at the still broken hinge on the stall door. "Handywoman I am not" she shrugged, oh well. Just then Mercedes heard the neighing of her horse. It was the only horse in the stable and her first investment into her new business. She set the screwdriver down on a stool and went over two stalls.
There stood a 2 year old chestnut mare with a jet black mane and tail. She stood majestic and strong. Mercedes beamed at her.
"Hey, girl? How ya doing?" Mercedes cooed as she open the stall door stepping inside. Picking up a brush she began grooming the mare. The horse snorted.
"I know girl, it's lonely right now. But, I promise it won't be for long." she said as she continued brushing.
Mercedes had mucked out the stall earlier and fed and watered her mare. She laughed to herself at the sight she made. If some of her old friends from L.A. could see her now, shit if some of them from her hometown in Lima, Ohio could see her. Diva, extraordinaire in jeans, rubber boots and flannel shirt grooming a horse. They would probably get on board with her mother and deem her insane. Mercedes had only camped outdoors once in her life when she was a girl scout. And after being accosted by nature she swore never again. She was 10 at the time. That was then and this now.
"We have to figure out a name for you girl." Mercedes said as she continued stroking the gorgeous mane. The previous breeders she had purchased her from never bothered to name any of their horses. They were all numbered thorough breeds with pristine pedigrees and lengthy documentation. She found it so impersonal; they were well taken care of but not well loved.
"What do you think your name should be, huh?" she paused mid stroke thinking. "How about Ella or Aretha or ooooh Whitney." Mercedes smiled while rambling off names of some of her all-time favorite divas. The mare whinnied and snorted "Is that a no, girl?" she laughed "I guess we have to think some more then." She resumed her brushing going to the other side while humming a tune. Before she knew it the RnB/Pop diva was humming a country tune. She started humming "Amazed" by Lonestar. She guessed it fit because she was truly amazed and captivated by this animal's beauty. When Mercedes got to a certain part in the chorus, she was startled when she heard a voice join in with her humming. It was deep, rich, melodic and definitely male.
"Every little thing that you do, baby I'm amazed by you." He sang
Mercedes came around the horse to the opening of the stall. There stood a man around 6 feet wearing cowboy boots, black jeans. White buttoned down shirt and black cowboy hat. He looked like he just stepped down from a billboard." Advertising what?" she thought. How to be a sexy ass cowboy? Oh boy it's been a long time.
"That's one of my favorite songs," he said smiling with a lopsided grin.
Mercedes just stood there in awe watching him as his jade green eyes twinkled with his statement.
"Oh, how rude of me "he said chastising himself. "That's not the way I was raised." Taking off his hat and revealing a short crop of brown hair with blonde highlights. He held the hat in his left hand and extended his right to Mercedes.
"Hi ma'am, I'm Sam, Sam Evans your new ranch manager and you must Ms. Jones?" he said with the widest smile outstretched on his face.