Just in a few short weeks Spencer Hasting will be sitting in a lecture hall at U Penn. At the moment she was sitting on the back of a horse named Bucky. Her cousin, Charlotte, was trying to break in a horse. The wild black filly had turned up on the property a couple of weeks ago. It was giving Charlotte fits. She throw her hat on the dusty ground cursing under her breath and kicked the hat high into the air. It shocked Spencer that the same girl, who use to run around in old fade band tees and chucks, had traded it all in for pearl snaps, Levi's, and cowboy boots. It was strange to not see a Hastings not wearing Ralph Lauren or Chanel.
Charlotte was the oldest cousin on the Hastings side. She was the family wild child. Charlotte's father a PA congressman wanted her to be a lawyer and follow in his foot steps. She on the other hand wanted and joined the U.S. Army the day after graduating high school. Charlotte made a career out of being a military police officer. In 10 short years of duty, she was a first sergeant. That was half the time anyone else had risen through the ranks. Her time was cut short when she was discharged for some unknown reason.
" Hey you ready to eat? Gala made some lunch and Henry just got back with it." Charlotte asked.
" Hell yes! I am starving. Who knew all this work would make you so hungry." Spencer said as she slide off the back of Bucky. She landed on the dehydrated ground.
" Yeah all this hard work you do." Charlotte said as her nudged her shoulder.
"Hey this is way more labor than I am use to. It's not like, you and the guys around here take it slow either." Spencer retorted back as they walked.
Charlotte let out a quiet chuckle ,"Anyways, when are your friends coming in again?" Charlotte asked as they got to Henry, who was already digging through the ice chest on that was sitting on the back of the beat up tail gate.
" Next week, they will be here for two whole weeks."
"Here you go Charlie, Spencer. It seems to be just ham and cheese with potato salad." He said as he handed the sandwiches to them.
"Thanks." Spencer said as he took a bite of her sandwich. " Mmm... I don't know if it's because I am hungry or the sandwich is really good."
"Gala is just that good. That woman could make liver and onions taste out of this world." Henry said devoured the other half of his second sandwich.
Charlie chuckled,"Jesus, Williams slow down so the rest of us can eat. I mean shit you can't just be eating all of a woman's food like that."
She slugged him in the shoulder.
As the war buddies went back and forth , she thought it was weird how these two got together. She figured it had to do with some bond you get when you go through two tours in Iraq and a two years in Korea together. They acted nothing alike but alike at the same time. Charlie was loud and overtop. She was the trouble maker of the two. Henry was so quiet most day, she would forget that he was even there some times. He could also get as intense as Charlotte on some days.
Appearance wise well that was easier to tell apart. Charlie, one was a girl very similar to herself, but years in the Army and on the ranch had made her more rugged. Her hair was in a shaggy surfer cut that stayed in her eyes. She stood about 3 inches taller than Spencer. Henry on the other hand was blonde haired blue eye. He was the same height as Charlie and made The Rock look small. Spencer was brought back to reality when she heard Charlie screaming uncle. Henry had pinned her to the ground with her twisted behind her back.
" Damn, I was just joking about your sister. I really didn't do anything to her." Charlie grunted as he let go of her arm.
" I don't care what you two have done or haven't done. I just don't want to hear it. Now lets go and get these fences done so I can go to the house."
Charlotte got up dusted off her ratted plaid shirt and made her way toward the fence . She was going to let him off this time, but just this time.
The three of them pulled up to the large log cabin, that looked like it had fallen straight out of "Legends of the Falls". Spencer was in awe of this place every time. They came back to the place she had called home for the last three weeks. Henry pulled into the dirt driveway and rolled to a stop. Charlie jumped out of the back of the truck as the other two were shutting the doors to the cab.
"Home sweet home." Charlotte yawned.
"I call first shower suckers! Have fun with a cold shower!" Spencer screamed as she took off towards the door. She was cut off by a strong arm around the waist. She whipped around to only see the blurs of a blonde haired boy leaving her in the dust.
"I think you had him, until you said cold shower." Charlotte said as she walked up to Spencer and put her arm around her shoulders.
"One of these days, I will beat him you know."
"Yeh, I know you will. We as Hastings do not like to lose, but we all need to learn we win some we lose some. Now why don't we go talk about why Aunt Roni really called me asking for you to come here. I know you have been putting off."
Spencer gulped and felt a knot forming in her stomach as she thought of her life the last four years.
I don't own anything but the story.