TIMELESS 5

Chapter 1

Sam looked across the ranch yard towards Jake. Since the night she had scared the Phantom away from him, their relationship had been stormy at best.

Neither of them ever discussed the almost kiss, how Sam had backed away from him to run the other way. How she had left Jake standing there looking after her, wondering what had happened and why she would rather run away from him rather than tolerate a kiss from him.

Still, Jake held onto the thought that when it had come down to him or the stallion, Sam had chosen him. She hadn't allowed the horse to savage him. She had chosen to scare off her precious Phantom rather then let the horse harm him.

It had all been very confusing to Jake.

Since then, they argued a lot over little things. Neither seemed to be able nor willing to talk about what had happened.

Everyone around them had seen the difference, but only the two of them knew what had happened. Or rather what hadn't happened.

Sam wasn't sure why she had run from Jake that night. She knew she had a crush on him, that she had now for awhile. She wondered sometimes if she had always had a crush on him, even when they were kids.

Why was she so afraid of it now? Maybe because she knew now what happened between a man and a woman?

Sam's gaze drifted to her father and stepmother. Dad had ended up marrying Brynna Olson this past winter. At first Sam had been surprised, but upon thinking about it, she should have known it was coming.

Dad and Brynna had been dating since they had met. It had been quite obvious that the two found each other attractive.

Now Brynna was her stepmother and expecting her first child this winter. Sam blushed remembering her reaction to the news.

Oh gosh, nothing like reminding a hormonal teenage girl what adults did together! Sam had immediately thought of Jake. Why had she thought of sex and then thought immediately of Jake Ely?

Sam knew why even though she didn't want to face it. She was falling for Jake. Oh heck, she had already fallen and when she had a chance to do something about it by letting him kiss her, she had run away like a fool. Now it seemed he barely spoke to her.

Sam sighed.

"What's wrong, Sammy?" Bryan came up behind her and put an arm around her shoulder.

"Nothing," Sam lied, not wanting to ruin his and Quinn's graduation party.

Bryan quirked an eyebrow at her but Sam shook her head.

"I'm an idiot sometimes," was all she would say. Then she looked to where Bryan's new Yukon sat next to Quinn's new Tahoe.

"I love the SUVs," Sam looked up at him.

"I'll take you out to dinner soon," Bryan promised. "Maybe I'll let you drive it."

Sam laughed. The last time she had drove anything she had almost taken out a fence and had been tackled off the tractor. She frowned. By Jake. Her eyes slid to where he was standing across the yard talking to his grandfather.

Jake's eyes lifted and met hers briefly. She could see the confusion in his eyes before he looked down at the ground.

"So what's going on between you and Jakey?" Bryan asked.

"Nothing," Sam shook her head again. "I guess we've just kinda outgrew each other." She shrugged.

"After all these years?" Bryan scoffed. "Sammy, you two have been friends for eleven years. Why now?"

Sam shrugged again. How could she explain it? She hadn't really been able to explain it to Jen who she could tell anything to. There was no way she could explain it to Jake's brother.

He tried to kiss me and I ran away from him and now I'm regretting it? That about summed it up, but she couldn't admit it to anyone, especially to one of Jake's brothers.