FAGE 1. Are You In…?
Title: Winds of Change
Written for: EternallyCullen
Written By: CiaraShayee
Rating: M
Beta'd By: annaharding
Summary/Prompt used: Modern day western/cowboy/rodeo setting (think TV's Heartland)
If you would like to see all the stories that are a part of this exchange visit the facebook group: Fanficaholics Anon: Where Obsession Never Sleeps, or add the C2 to get all the stories direct to your inbox.
Summary: A horse ranch in the Canada wilderness, a single mother of two rambunctious teenagers, and a green-eyed, stethoscope-wielding blast from the past. Life rarely cooperates with even your best-laid plans, so sometimes all you can do is adapt and adjust. Did you feel that? It's the winds of change. Written for FAGE 11 as a gift for EternallyCullen.
Winds Of Change
Part One
As the sun rises over the mountains, the crisp dawn air sweeps across the valley and creates a shifting, swirling ocean out of the tall grass. A lone eagle swoops overhead and the winding Bow River hurries along like a commuter during rush hour.
Down in the prairie, all is calm and quiet—until it's not.
Bark-bark-bark—
"Chase! Simmer down!"
The large black and tan mutt grumbles low under his breath before plopping himself down in the grass, flattening it in the process, long pink tongue lolling as he eyeballs his mistress. She catches up to him on her horse, grinning down as he releases a long sigh.
"I know you like chasing, boy, but you can't."
Chase's dark eyes almost seem to glower, but he remains on the ground even when the mustangs in the distance tentatively move a little closer, curiosity getting the better of them.
Sucking in a deep lungful of fresh, early-morning air, Bella smiles and reaches down to pat her gelding's shoulder. Nothing soothes the soul like a brisk ride before anyone else has even left their beds; or, they hadn't when she set off, anyway. Chester whinnies softly, shifting underneath her. Storms tore through overnight, leaving him unsettled and restless. Bella knows he'll calm after a good run, but the opportunity to stop and watch the beautiful wild horses maneuver the ridge was too good to squander. Her caramel eyes follow them for a few more moments.
Finally, Chase's eager paws prove too much for him to ignore. He huffs and leaps up, his shiny black nose to the ground as he sniffs invisible trails.
A quick glance at her watch makes Bella curse. "Shit, I'm late."
With a quick click of her tongue and a gentle flick of the reins, she urges Chester to turn and head for home. "C'mon, boy. If we're quick we might just make it."
Only too happy to oblige, Chester takes off at a graceful canter; Chase barks gaily as he tears after them with all the floppy-eared, long-legged enthusiasm of an adolescent dog who'd happily spend his entire life running if he could. Luckily for him, he lives on the sprawling six-hundred acres belonging to the Swan family, so he has plenty of room to spread his legs.
Fields make way for forests which eventually open out into a semi-circular meadow as Bella, Chester, and Chase approach the ranch. The barn is half nestled in the treeline, the tall doors thrown open and the sun streaming down on the cladding to make it shine a beautiful cherry red. A large log cabin sits at its side, the windows reflecting the rays of morning light.
As expected, the rumbling school bus approaches the end of the track when Chester skids to a stop in front of the porch, Bella throwing her leg over to slide off his back. The front door flies open and hits the wall with a clack just as her boots hit the ground.
"Morning, Ma."
The kid who strolls outside is tall like a man but soft-voiced and baby-faced like a boy. He flashes Bella a grin and flips his mop of dark hair. After planting a loud kiss on her cheek, he gives Chester a pat on the rump and pauses to scratch Chase behind the ear. The dog pants but sits his butt down and leans against the boy's legs.
"Good morning, baby. Have you got—"
"Everythin'," he chuckles. "Yeah, Ma, I'm good."
A booming voice from inside cuts off Bella's gentle, teasing reprimand for her son's sass. "Fred, my boy! You outside?"
The door swings open again, this time allowing a middle-aged man to roll himself out onto the porch. The wheels of his chair glide over the worn wood. His dark eyes gleam as he sucks in a deep breath, weathered hands clenching on his thighs. As the sunlight sneaks through the slatted awning, it catches the gold band around his ring finger.
He's never taken it off since his wife died over thirty years ago.
Spotting Bella, he huffs a laugh. "You're back, then. I wondered where you'd gotten to." A thick mustache dances above his grin.
"I said I'd be back in time to see the boys off to school, Dad," she reminds him as the door flies open once more.
"C'mon, dude. We need to go." Pausing, Bella's eldest removes his grandfather's worn hat to kiss his graying head. "See you later, Grampa Charlie."
Charlie harrumphs as he teasingly snatches back the hat and replaces it on his head. "See you later, Davey. Don't forget—"
Chortling, Dave steps lithely off the edge of the porch, his boots hitting the ground with a dusty thud. "I haven't forgotten, Grampa. You, me, and the chess set. The Rematch Part Two."
After kissing his mom and clapping his brother on the shoulder, Dave tugs Freddie along just as the bus at the top of the track impatiently toots. "Now, c'mon Fred. We need to get goin' or we've got a long-ass walk."
The boys wave as they jog toward the bus, roughhousing as they go. Bella watches with a fond smile until they've both climbed aboard and disappeared into the woods. Raising two boys by herself has been hard at times. They're both stubborn and loud like their father, but they're also sweet kids. Dave was just two when his brother Freddie was born, but he took to his new role like a duck to water. Of course, there'd been times over the years when they fought like hell and had Bella threatening to move them into the stables, but for the most part, they got on famously and were the best of friends.
Only once the bus was out of sight does Bella turn back to her dad. "All right, old man. What's the plan for today?"
Humming, he strokes his mustache. "We've got that delivery to pick up from Sam."
"The feed," Bella remembers. "Okay, what else?"
"That's it, I reckon."
"Well, okay, then. I'll go put this big guy in his paddock, then we can go."
After stripping Chester of everything but his halter and lead rope, Bella leads him back out of the barn and turns him loose in his usual field. She can't help but smile as he trots off in a wide lap, jet black tail streaming behind him. He really is a beaut—and the very best birthday present she's ever received. Waking up on her twenty-first birthday to her stunning new boy standing right outside the front door with her chuffed-to-bits Dad...it's something she'll never forget.
Bella's almost back at the house when she hears a sharp, short whistle. Knowing exactly who it is, she's trying to smother her grimace when she spins to face the barn, slowly walking backward.
"Hey, Jake. Everything okay?"
The tall, tan, dark-haired guy wears a grin as he jogs over, brushing straw from his jeans. "All good, B. How was your ride earlier? I got here just as you were leaving."
Stifling a wince, Bella forces herself to look surprised. "Oh, really? I didn't hear your truck."
"Aw, that's okay. I didn't want to disturb you, anyways."
Saying she hadn't heard him was a big fat lie. In truth, she'd heard Jake's behemoth truck bouncing down the track. She'd have to be deaf not to. Bella had chosen to speed up instead of slow down though, and now felt awful for doing it—just as she expected she would.
Jake has been around for as long as she can remember. His family own the diner in town, but Jake has always been more of a horse guy. Charlie hired him straight out of high school and he's been here ever since, much to Bella's consternation. He's a good guy, a good friend, but it's no secret that he wants more from Bella than simple friendship. Bella doesn't, and won't ever, want that, but he doesn't seem to be getting the picture.
"So, Dad's got your favorite cobbler on the menu this week. Maybe we could go out later...see a movie, grab a bite?"
Chewing her lip as they walk together toward the porch steps, Bella swallows a sigh. "I'm sorry, Jake, I don't think that's a good idea. And I promised I'd spend time with the boys tonight. It's the last day of their first week back at school, and all..."
"Sure, sure. Another time, then."
Leaving Jake outside, Bella takes the steps in one big stride before slamming the door shut and leaning back against it with a closed-eyed groan.
A bark of laughter has her eyes snapping back open and narrowing.
Charlie twirls the end of his mustache as he chuckles, "You're gonna end up married to that boy, I can just see it now."
With a roll of her eyes, Bella stalks away from the door. "I'd sooner marry Chase than Jake, Dad." Chase briefly lifts his head from his bowl when he hears his name, but goes right back to eating when he realises they weren't speaking to him. Twisting her lips into a wry smile, Bella adds, "You and Billy will have to quit planning that big wedding and get back to fishing, or whatever it is you two do when you disappear off gossipping all day."
Her dad's guffaws follow her all the way down the hall to her room.
.
.
"Bella, hey!"
A smile curls Bella's lips as she steps into the diner. Her best friend of too many years to count rounds the counter—or, waddles around the counter—to pull her into an awkward side-hug. "Hey, Ang. Hey, JC."
Angela's bell-like laughter brings smiles to the familiar faces around them as Bella gives her large belly a gentle, affectionate pat. "Ben told you?"
"Sure did," Bella admits with a silly smile, sliding onto a stool at the bar while her friend returns to her post, lifting a coffee pot in question. "Yes, please."
When Angela sets the steaming cup of coffee in front of her, Bella says, "He came out to look at Jo and we got to talking...I like 'Jamie'. It's cute. Jamie Cheney has a great ring to it."
For the past four months, ever since Ben and Angela discovered that the bouncing baby she's carrying is a boy, they've been backward and forward with names. Eric, Logan, William, Matthew...The most recent, Jamie, has landed him with the nickname 'JC', combining his initials, and so far seems to be the winner.
"We think so, too. Dad's livid that we might not be naming the baby after him, but I want him to have his own name, you know?"
Bella nods. She said the same thing when people asked why she opted to name her firstborn 'Dave' instead of 'Charlie'. It was even worse when she gave birth to Freddie and again chose a different moniker.
"So. What brings you by today?"
After blowing out a long breath, Bella sips her hot drink. "We had some stuff to collect from Sam's. Dad bumped into Billy and decided to stop for a game of gin, so I thought I'd pop in and see you while I waited for him."
Angela's dark eyes twinkle. "You mean you're delaying thinking of ways to turn Jake down and this seemed like the best option because Billy's his dad and he's just as keen for you two to date as his son?"
Smiling wryly, Bella asks, "Is it that obvious? I mean, come on. The guy just doesn't get it, does he?"
"It's been...what? Ten years? Fifteen? If he hasn't gotten it by now, he's never going to."
As Angela waddles along the counter to serve another customer, Bella twists on her stool, her coffee safe in her hands, and gazes out of the window overlooking the main road. As she watches, a big, black truck rolls to a stop on the other side of the street. There are too many passing cars and people to get a good look at the guy who climbs out of the cab, but Bella knows he's an out-of-towner. It's a relatively small town; she knows ninety-nine percent of the vehicles around here, nevermind the fact that this truck is shiny and new compared to everyone else's faded and worn.
New Guy strolls into the single motel in town just as Angela returns. The sound of a plate hitting the distressed counter makes Bella smile as she turns back to face her friend. A slab of Angela's much-loved carrot cake sits in front of her, a generous dollop of ice cream on the side. Her carrot cake competes as town favorite with Billy's cobbler.
"On the house, to help you recover from Jakey boy's incessant pestering," Angela tells her with a smirk.
Bella takes the first bite before admitting, "If I keep getting free carrot cake he can keep pestering as long as he likes. Mm-mm."
While Bella eats, Angela sips her tea and begrudgingly admits that standing all day isn't something she can do at this point in her pregnancy. She grins and thanks one of the regulars when he drags a stool around the counter for her. "Oh, I meant to ask you! Did you manage to find a new vet yet? Mom has a friend of a friend looking for a job. I don't know if he'd be up for moving or anything, just thought I'd mention it. I have his details written down somewhere."
"Dad has it in hand," Bella grumbles, licking crumbs from the corner of her mouth. Angela snorts a laugh, clearly seeing that the open veterinarian position in town is still a sore subject with her friend—not that Bella ever tries to hide it. "I don't know why he won't just let me help. He just keeps saying 'don't worry, Bells, it's all in hand'."
"Then I'm sure it is," Angela tells her softly, looking far too much like she's enjoying her friend's grouchiness when it comes to this particular subject. "Besides, Quil's still around for emergencies, isn't he?"
Nodding, Bella admits, "We've had to call him out a few times since he announced he's retiring." Until someone takes over full-time, though, they're stuck. The nearest equine veterinarians are hours away. Quil, though getting on at almost seventy-six, is the best they have right now.
.
.
When Bella walks into Sam's a little while later, she snorts and shakes her head. Her dad is parked exactly where she left him in the back room, a selection of cards fanned out in one hand, an espresso in the other. His best friend, Billy Black—also Jake's dad—is opposite him, and they've been joined by Quil Ateara and Harry Clearwater. They all have dark hair sprinkled with gray and lines that tell stories etched into their faces; they could almost be brothers.
"That's bullshit, Harry," Charlie grumbles. "They can't do that."
Harry shrugs and hides his grimace behind the rim of his ceramic mug. "It is what it is, Charlie. We lost half our cattle to the ranchers, you know how it goes. No cattle, no money. The bank will foreclose if we don't figure somethin' out."
As Bella feels her stomach knotting, she watches Billy slam his fist on the table-top. "I told them this'd happen. The RCMP...they need to get their finger out."
"All right, break it up," Bella finally sighs, knowing the discussion will quickly turn heated if it continues. She steps further into the room so they see her, laughing lightly when they all grumble lightheartedly.
"I s'pose you've come to spoil our fun," Charlie harrumphs, drinking the last of his espresso in one gulp before setting the glass down with a thunk.
"I have," she admits, squeezing his shoulders. "We've got mouths to feed and an office to organize."
All four men groan. "Good luck, Charlie," Quil tells his friend with a gleeful grin. "And that's why I pay my granddaughter to keep the books in order, so I don't have to."
Charlie dumps his cards down on the table and sticks his hat back on his head. "Yeah, yeah. I'll see you fellas tomorrow."
"Bye, Bella," Quil, Harry, and Billy chime like the well-behaved boys, er, men, they haven't been in...well, ever.
"Bye, guys."
Fighting the impulse to grab the handles of her dad's chair, Bella follows him out into the store, shooting Sam a smile and a wave as they pass him helping a customer choose a new set of chaps.
"Out-of-towners," he mouths over the customer's head with a wink.
After hovering close enough to help Charlie pull himself into the truck should he need her, but not close enough to start him bitching about how his legs don't work but his arms are just fine, Bella hefts his chair into the truck bed beside the feed they collected earlier, slamming the tailgate and hurrying around to the driver's side to join him in the cab. "Okay, let's get back."
"Yes, let's," Charlie mumbles absentmindedly, reading something on his cell. A few minutes into the drive home, his phone pings and he barks a laugh as he reads the incoming message.
Flicking her eyes sideways at him for a moment, Bella asks, "Who's got you cracking up?"
"The new vet."
Bella brightens up. "Really? You found somebody?"
"I did."
Waiting for a moment, Bella asks, "Soooo? Where's he coming from? When does he start? Who is he? Does he like horses? Is he qualif—"
"Dammit, Bells," Charlie chuckles, stowing his cell in his plaid shirt pocket. "D'you think I'm dumb or somethin'? Of course he's qualified. He'll be starting soon, and you'll find out the rest when he gets here."
Chastened—but also more than a little relieved—Bella sighs and relaxes into the worn leather seat at her back. "All right, all right, old man."
Nodding happily to himself, Charlie reaches over to switch on the radio so they can drive home in listening to something other than the truck sputtering and rattling.
.
.
When Dave and Freddie's hoots and hollers herald their arrival home later that day, Bella grins and drops her brush in the bucket at her feet.
Chester's dark eyes watch her as she gives his coat an appraising glance, deciding he's looking pretty perfect. Dave's low whistle as he steps into the barn confirms her opinion.
"Lookin' good, bud." Tossing his backpack toward the food bins, he runs his hand along Chester's haunches and back before giving him a pat on the shoulder and twisting his fingers through his mane.
"He sure is," Bella sighs proudly. After closing Chester safely back into his stall, she turns and rests her folded arms on top of the door. "So, first week of school...how was it?"
With a mumbled "eh", Dave lopes over to the snack fridge and yanks open the door, returning with a carrot for himself and one for Chester, too. "It was okay, I guess. Same old stuff, different grade."
A flush tints his ears as he bites the end of his carrot and holds out the other so Chester can take it; Bella opts not to mention her son's red ears but there's no hiding the smile playing on her lips. Clearly something different happened. It's not often her usually outgoing eldest suffers with the blushing that drove her crazy as a teenager.
"Mom," he groans, fighting a laugh himself. "What's with that look?"
"What look?" Feigning innocence is always the way to go. "I'm not doing anything...there's no look!"
"There so is. C'mon, what are you not saying?"
"Nothing, I swear!" she laughs, letting herself out of the stall. Mock-punching her son on the arm as she passes, Bella picks up her brush bucket and motions for him to follow her. "Come on, let's get back to the house. Grampa'll be bitching that he's hungry."
"He's always bitching that he's hungry," Dave points out.
"That's true."
"Well if people spent more time cookin' than gossipin' out in the barn, Grampa wouldn't have to bitch…"
Dave and Bella erupt with laughter at the raised-eyebrow, yeah-I-heard-you look on Charlie's face as he meets them at the barn doors.
"Oh yeah, I heard you two," he tells them haughtily, turning to lead them back toward the house with a squeak of his wheels. "You better be prepared to make me a slap-up dinner as penance, that's all I'm sayin' on the subject."
"You got it, old man," Dave promises, stealing Charlie's hat and placing it on his head. "But you'll have to catch me, first." He takes off with a whoop, jogging backward with his grandfather in hot pursuit. "S'that as fast as you can go? Where's the sports mode button on that thing?"
"Why, you little…" Charlie growls, dust and dirt flying around his wheels as he speeds up to chase Dave.
Shaking her head at their antics, Bella follows them all the way to the house and trails behind them as Charlie zooms up the ramp after his grandson, the boards creaking under their weight. "It's like I have three kids, I swear," she murmurs, but her smile as she watches Dave give his grandfather's hat back is a fond one.
.
.
"Mornin', baby."
"Mornin', Ma," Dave mumbles, scratching his bare stomach as he shuffles into the kitchen.
Bella smiles into her coffee as he pours himself a cup and adds an unhealthy amount of sugar before falling into a seat opposite her, resting his forehead on his folded arms. "Late night?"
"Kinda," comes his muffled reply. Tipping his head so he can look at her with his bleary blue eyes, he adds, "You know I was back late. I saw your light on."
There isn't even a hint of embarrassment at being caught in Bella's expression as she shrugs lightly and reminds him, "I'm your mom, Davey. I worry."
"I was with Lucy, Mom. World's biggest goody two shoes."
Despite calling her a goody two shoes, Dave wears a wide—if sleepy—grin at the mention of his girlfriend. They've been joined at the hip since they were eleven-year-old middle schoolers.
"Hmm, well…" Always excited by opportunities to embarrass her sons, Bella's eyes crinkle with her smile as she says, "I'm too young to be a nana, so of course I worry when you're out late."
Dave blanches. "Mom! Why would you...I'm too...man, you're hard work in the morning," he finally huffs, glowering at her across the table.
"Yeah, yeah. You love me."
"I love you, Mom!" Freddie mumbles, joining his mom and brother with Chase hot on his heels.
Bella's goofy grin widens as her youngest plants a loud kiss on her cheek before plopping himself down at the table. "I love you, too, Fred." Clapping her hands quietly, very aware of her dad sleeping just down the hall off the kitchen, Bella eyes her sons. "All right, shall we get going?"
Only one of the boys jumps up from his seat. Dave groans and bitches for a few moments, decants his coffee into a travel mug, then gets up to fetch a t-shirt and hoodie before following Bella and Freddie toward the door. They wait for him on the porch with amusement coloring their features. They're the early risers of the family, while Dave gets his love of sleeping in from the boys' dad. If Charlie hadn't been up until well past midnight playing cards with Billy, Quil, and Harry last night, he'd have been up and raring to go, too.
As it is, Bella doesn't expect to see him before ten, if experience is anything to go by.
The sweet scent of straw and aged wood fills Bella's lungs as she steps into the barn. The horses shuffle in their stalls; at the end of the aisle, Chester sticks his head over his stall door and flares his nostrils at her with a soft whinny.
"I'm coming with your breakfast, big guy. Be patient," she laughs, heading straight for the feed bins as the boys consult the chalkboard on the wall to see who can go out into the pens and who needs attention first. They're a well-oiled machine, Bella, Dave, and Freddie. The boys were born and raised here; they've grown up living the ranch life just like she did, just like Charlie, and the four generations of Swan ranchers before him.
.
.
"Come on, Winter," Freddie cajoles, tugging the lead rope attached to a stunning, barn-sour warmblood. His owners asked Bella to work on his confidence but as yet, he's been resistant to everybody but Freddie—and even he hasn't always been successful at getting the gleaming white gelding to leave the safety of the barn. Today, however, his gentle coaxing eventually does the trick.
Bella watches with pride as her son reassuringly strokes Winter's neck, leading him out into the sunshine toward the round pen. Crossing over to lean in the doorway, her eyes follow Freddie as he releases the horse, his laughter bright and sunny as Winter sticks close even with no restraints, butting his shoulder with his soft nose. Freddie shakes his head and pulls a handful of carrot sticks from his pocket, encouraging Winter to follow him around the pen.
"He's a soft touch, huh?" he calls, spotting his mom spying on him.
Laughing, Bella heads out into the sun, taking her hat off with one hand to run the other through her short, dark hair. "He's a sweetheart," she agrees. "Did Mr. Newton tell you that Grampa Charlie bred Winter's father?"
Freddie's dark blue eyes widen. "No way! That's so cool." The boy reaches up to stroke soothing circles around the gray smudge on Winter's forehead, amusement coloring his tone as he asks, "So Winter is like...my cousin? Grampa's son's son…"
"I don't know, Fred, I guess so?" Bella laughs, trailing off at the sound of a car. They both watch as a black truck swings onto the track and meanders toward the house; the tinted windows give nothing away but Bella remembers a tall man heading into the motel when she saw the same truck yesterday.
"Who's this?" Freddie calls, upending a bucket of feed into the trough for Winter before slipping between the wooden log fence posts to join Bella as she walks toward their visitor with a slight frown knotting her eyebrows.
Just as they near the truck, the door of the house flies open. Charlie rolls himself out onto the porch with Dave close behind him, Chase launching himself over the steps to bark at their guest.
As she watches the tall, broad-shouldered form climb from the truck, Bella's stomach flips and she's thrown back into the past—to a time when she was the age her eldest son is now.
To a time when 'love' meant the same as 'forever' and thoughts of spending her life on the ranch would have made Bella hysterical.
That year, as summer came to a close, everything changed.
And now…
"You're back!" Charlie crows, letting himself roll down the ramp with a wide grin on his face. Bella watches with her heart thumping in her ears as New Guy, who isn't really new at all, pulls her dad into a man-hug complete with back slaps and Charlie's laughter-infused curse when his hat gets knocked off his head.
Butterflies the size of eagles flap in Bella's stomach. Her eyes remain riveted to the man's broad shoulders and back as he catches up with Charlie, Chase circling his legs with his curious nose working and his tail whipping side-to-side.
I can't believe it's him.
Before he can turn and spot her, she edges backward and hides in the barn behind the heavy wood doors; close enough to still hear their conversation, but out of sight.
"Bella's around here, somewhere, but let me introduce you to Freddie."
"Hey, dude. Freddie McCarty."
Despite the maelstrom of emotions making her heart pound and her pulse race, Bella can't help but smile at her son's cheerful introduction.
"Nice to meet you, Freddie. I'm Edward Cullen."
There's a long pause before anyone says anything. Bella leans forward, peeking through the door jamb. Freddie's head is cocked, but she can't see his face to try and read his expression.
"Cool. So, uh...are you here to stay at the dude ranch? 'Cause if you are, you missed the turning."
Charlie barks a laugh and twists his chair side to side by messing with the wheels. "No, Fred, he's not here to stay at the dude ranch. Edward here's our new vet."
.
.
What started as a gentle breeze early this morning has strengthened into a consistent wave of cool, fast-moving gales. Bella rubs her chilly hands together, gazing out at the valley below. Their neighbor's horses graze happily on the long grass, their coats gleaming in the late afternoon sunshine. Her lips curl up into a tiny smile as her eyes follow a small russet colt. He prances between the other members of his herd, his short mane and tail jet black, his coat a dark, burnished copper.
Deliberate, loud footsteps behind Bella give her a heads up that she and Chester are no longer alone. Chester shifts underneath her; he turns his head, wide, dark eyes assessing the threat.
Bella calms him with a gentle neck scratch. She knows the only threat here is to her. Chester is just fine. It's not his heart that stands to be broken.
"He's a cutie. The colt."
That voice...before today, two decades had passed since she last heard it, but she'd be able to recognize it anywhere.
"He sure is." Sighing, Bella hangs her head for a moment before twisting slightly in her saddle. Her eyes sting as she lets herself take in a face that's familiar, yet also oddly unfamiliar.
Twenty years changes a person. There's a huge difference between seventeen and thirty-seven and it's sheepishly staring her in the face.
"You ran off," Edward accuses, twisting a blade of grass between his fingers.
Bella snorts before she can stop herself. "Really? You came all the way out here to compliment a horse and be a total hypocrite?"
"Ouch." Edward blows out a breath, rubbing his jaw. "I guess I deserve that."
"You guess?"
Edward edges closer, carefully running his hand along Chester's side until he's in line with his shoulder. Close enough to touch, if Bella were so inclined—which she isn't, at all. "Bella, I'm sorry. Showing up like this...I guess I didn't think it through."
"This is what you didn't think through?" Shaking her head, Bella clicks her tongue and lightly flicks the reins. As Chester turns in a wide circle, she eyes Edward. He looks good. Annoyingly good. The past two decades have treated him well. He's filled out; no longer the lean, swimmer-shape teenager she remembers, he's a broad-shouldered man. The windbreaker he's wearing clings to muscles he didn't have twenty years ago, but she's almost amused to see that his love of Chuck Taylors never died. The pair on his feet are worn and obviously loved.
Now closer to forty than thirty, Bella is generally pretty sure of herself and her looks. Her pregnancies gave her curves and a healthy lifestyle keeps her fit. Her skin is clear and she's often told that she doesn't look a day over twenty-five, let alone thirty-six.
But looking at Edward, she suddenly feels unsure of herself. It's not something she's used to.
"And the vet job? Seriously? I mean, you were never even interested in being a vet."
"Not until that year I spent here, no. My time here changed a lot of things for me, Bella."
Bella chews her cheek for a moment before gritting out, "Yeah, it changed an awful lot for me, too." Her hands tremble around the reins as she squeezes her legs slightly, urging Chester on.
Edward doesn't say anything, but Bella feels his eyes on her back until she's out of sight and hidden by the trees.
.
.
Knives and forks clinking against plates is the only sound around the dinner table that evening. Bella sits between her boys, Edward opposite her and Charlie at the head of the table.
Rolling peas around her plate, she's startled from her thoughts by her dad loudly clearing his throat.
"So, Edward. Where are you staying?"
"I've got a room at the motel in town on a day-to-day basis. I'm hoping they'll keep me around long enough to find somewhere decent and within my price range."
A heavy rock lands in the pit of Bella's stomach. Before Charlie even opens his mouth again, she knows where he's going with this line of conversation.
"Well, we've got room—"
"Where, exactly, do we have room, Dad?" she asks too loudly; the boys peer at her with wide eyes, Edward purses his lips, and Charlie raises an eyebrow as his mustache twitches and he sets down his knife and fork.
"I'm sure the boys wouldn't mind bunking together for a little while, Bells. Right, boys?"
"Sure, Grampa, that's fine," Freddie shrugs, nonplussed.
Gritting her teeth, Bella makes her cutlery squeak against the plate as she cuts her steak. "No, boys. You shouldn't have to do that."
Fiery caramel eyes meet narrowed dark brown. A battle of wills.
"Well, what do you expect me to do? Put him in the barn?"
The why does he have to stay at all? is on the top of her tongue, but Bella is very aware of her sons watching her and Charlie like a fascinating tennis match. Then there's Edward remaining silent though his eyes dart between her and her dad, too. "I just think," she grits out, "that Edward might be more comfortable at the motel until he finds his own place."
"I, uh…" Edward clears his throat, avoiding Bella's narrowed eyes when they land on him. "I'd actually be really happy to accept your offer and stay in the barn, Charlie, if that's all right. There's barely enough space in my motel room to swing a cat, let alone keep all my stuff. Plus I can start getting acquainted with everything, meet the horses..."
Charlie grins. "See, Bells? It makes sense to have Edward nearby."
"We don't mind sharing Dave's room, Mom," Freddie pipes up softly, his eyes flicking over to Dave's barely stifled smile. She knows exactly what that's all about, too. It's a pure coincidence, she's sure, that they're happy to share Dave's room—which also happens to be the only room in the house other than the living room with a working TV.
"I appreciate the offers, guys, but the barn is fine," Edward tells them with a smile, turning to Charlie as he starts to argue. "Honestly, Charlie, it's a million times better than the motel. I have to fold myself in half to fit in the bed and the shower's about five feet tall."
"Well, all right, then. The barn it is...right, Bells?" Charlie's dark eyes widen just enough that Bella knows it wasn't really a question, and even if it were, she doesn't really have a choice here with all four guys ganging up on her.
Sensing that she's going to lose this battle, Bella caves. At least he'll be out in the barn, and hopefully he'll be busy running around town soon anyway. She won't have to see him that much.
Bella shakes her head and stands abruptly, taking her plate and turning to dump it on the counter. "Do whatever you want, Edward. I don't care."
But they all know she does—and that's the problem. She cares too much.
"I'll be outside," she finally sighs, the screen door slamming shut behind her.
It isn't long before she has company.
Dave lopes out, climbing up to stand with her on the log fence around the round pen.
"What was all that about? Do you guys know each other, or somethin'?"
"Or somethin'," Bella breathes. Her eyes follow the mare and her adopted foal in front of her. They're ready to go home now they've bonded properly; she makes a mental note to call their owner in the morning about picking them up.
"So, look...we really don't mind bunking up so Edward can stay, Mom. It's not a big deal. I mean, it won't be for long anyway."
"It's up to you, then."
Hopping lightly down from the fence, Bella heads for the barn. Her lips twist into a small smile when she hears Dave following.
"This is awkward as hell, but, ah...did you and this Edward guy...ya know, hook up?"
Bella's always prided herself on having an open and honest relationship with her boys. They've always been great about coming to her with things, and in turn, she always endeavours to be straight with them.
Talking about past relationships though? Not happening.
"Dave…" she warns quietly, grabbing Chester's lightweight blanket before letting herself into his stall. It's getting cold at night and her boy's a sensitive soul when it comes to the weather.
Dave comes to lean on the door. "What? I think it's a fair question. You obviously know each other."
"We're...old friends, I guess you could say."
Over Chester's back and out of the corner of her eye, Bella sees Dave's arched eyebrows and rueful smirk. "That didn't much seem like a reunion between old friends to me, Ma. You couldn't even look at the guy."
The whatever is on the tip of her tongue, but when did she regress into a teenager?
About the time a certain green-eyed, asshole ex-friend rolled up and destroyed my weekend, Bella thinks.
"Do I have to explain my entire life's history to you?"
Rather than be annoyed by her slightly exasperated tone, Dave seems amused. He chuckles and adjusts his hat. "Nah, that's okay. I haven't got all night."
"Why, you…" Laughing, Bella grabs a handful of pellets from Chester's trough and tosses them at her son, who simply guffaws at her lame effort.
"Nice shot, Mom. One or two of those actually got close."
The light atmosphere evaporates quicker than lightning as Edward steps into the barn, lightly clearing his throat to announce his arrival. Bella eyes the duffel in one of his hands and the roll-along suitcase in the other.
"I uh, I hope this is okay?"
Bella can feel her son's eyes bouncing between Edward's cautiously hopeful expression and her own, less-than-impressed scowl. "It's fine. Right up...uh, you know where you're going," she cuts herself off halfway through giving him directions. He knows where the loft is.
"Thanks, Bella."
Dave and Bella watch him trudge up the wooden steps into the loft. Only once the door has clicked shut behind him does Dave let out a long, low whistle.
"Aight, I'm gonna hit the hay. You need me to do anything before I go?"
"No, you're fine. I've just got to bring Carlie and Jack in, it'll only take me a little bit. You get some sleep. You've got school tomorrow." Managing a weak smile, she blows him a kiss over the stall door. "Sweet dreams, Davey."
The lights haphazardly fixed to the side wall of the barn illuminate Bella's path as she heads out to the round pen to fetch the mom and baby. She can't resist pausing to give baby Jack a little attention, though. The sweet foal nuzzles her hands as she loosely loops a rope around his neck, knowing he'll follow his mama inside anyway, before clipping a lead role to Carlie's halter and leading them both out of the pen toward the barn.
As they step inside, Carlie's hooves loud on the cobble floor, Bella misses a step and stumbles slightly before righting herself. Edward is leaning against the wall of the stall at the other end of the aisle, opposite Chester. "I can't believe this guy is still here. How old is he now?"
Closing Carlie and Jack in for the night, Bella forces herself not to look at Edward as she hangs up the ropes. "Twenty-six."
Harley is the only horse still here, the only one he'll remember from '97 and '98 when he was last at the ranch. He's a stunning paint gelding with the most beautiful hazel eyes Bella's ever seen.
That year, that summer...he was Edward's, just like she was.
When he left, it wasn't just Bella who missed him.
"Hey, fella," Edward says softly, looking at Bella when Harley keeps his back to him. "Is he okay?"
Hesitating, Bella debates her words. "Did you honestly expect everyone you abandoned to welcome you back like you never left?"
When Edward doesn't say a word, she shakes her head with a humorless smile and turns to return to the house.
The next three parts will be coming over the course of the day! I hope you're enjoying it so far...xo