Chapter One

"I dont understand why I have to go there, im sixteen years old now mom, im not a child!" the young red headed girl named natalie called out in a whine..

"cause I said so and while you still live under this roof you do as I say" her mother yelled at her..

"I hate you, your ruining my life!" Natalie cried out as she ran to her room and slammed the door shut. She hated that her mother was sending her off to Lanview again to see her Aunt and Uncle, she didnt want to go, she wanted to stay in AC, she wanted to stay with her friends, even if it was just for a summer. This was suppose to be her summer, a summer of fun not going to some hick town and living the country life.

It was the same thing every summer, her mother would ship her off to her aunt and uncles place so that she could go off and party and at a time Natalie use to love it, anything to escape the horrible conditions at home. Its not everyday that you go to see your wealthy family states away but Natalie was older now, she wasnt a kid anymore and going to lanview was like a nightmare to her.

By the morning Natalie was filled with nothing but bitterness and resentment as she sat in her room, she couldnt even shed another tear, this truly sucked..

"I cant believe she is making you go, we were suppose to be hanging out all summer" her best friend Gigi said..

"she is trying to ruin my life, god I cant wait to move out of this place and get the hell away from her" Natalie huffed..

"parents suck" Gigi sighed as she laid back in natalie's bed.."cant you try and get out of it, like say your sick or something"

"I wish, she would send me anyway" Natalie said as she put her head in her hands.."and the worse thing is now I have to sit around with my stuck up cousin, god it gets worse and worse" she wanted to cry again..

"Hey nat where is my football" her younger brother rex said as he barged in the room and Natalie jumped up now..

"Rex get out of here, I told you to always knock" natalie snapped at him..

He ignored her as he stood there.."why arent you packed, their gonna be here soon"

"does it look like I care" she rolled her eyes at him..

"But its a limo nat" Rex said with wide eyes. At the age of eleven he was more then siked to get out of this town and relax away from here but Natalie knew better, she knew this was her mothers way of getting them out of her hair so that she could go off and be reckless..

"But its a limo Nat" she mocked him as she stood there.."get out of my room dufus" she shook her head..

"aw nat dont be mean to Rexy" Gigi said as she leaned on her side and fluttered her fingers at the boy..

"eww Gigi stop it" natalie said quickly as Rex blushed.."and get out Rex, I mean it!" she snapped as she walked to him and pushed him out of the bedroom as she quickly shut the door, he could still be heard yelling on the other side..

"Your brother is gonna be a hottie one day" Gigi smirked..

"and you are a pediphile, ugh!" natalie huffed and before Gigi could say anything her mothers voice was heard..

"Natalie Marie you better be packed and ready to go in five minutes or so help me" she yelled from the other side of the door as Gigi jumped up now..

"I should go"Gigi said quickly as Natalie slumped over some.."You know it might not be so bad Nat, I mean hell maybe you will find a cute guy there"

"yeah like a redneck" Natalie said sarcastically..

"well either way" Gigi smirked as she walked over to Natalie and then gave her a big hug.."this summer is going to suck without you"

"Your telling me, its gonna be horrible, just horrible" Natalie said as she hugged her best friend harder..

Rex was in heaven as they got into the large stretch limo, it looked completely out of place in this part of town and Natalie was actually embarassed as neighbors came out to see what all the commotion was about, she hated this kind of attention more then anything..

"this is so cool" Rex said with a big cheesy smile.."Oh my god nat they have a tv in here" Rex was in seventh heaven as he moved around the limo and Natalie slumped lower in her seat.."theres soda, look theres soda" rex continued..

"Oh just give it a rest" Natalie sighed as the limo began down the street, she was on her way to hell, thats exactlly what this was, hell..

The drive from AC to Lanview was just under five hours and Natalie hated how the scenery changed from a busy city to farm land, this really was country and she was nothing like this, nothing at all. She was a city girl through and through..

She felt her stomach twist in knots as they passed the Welcome to Lanview sign and she couldnt help the groan that left her mouth, Rex on the other hand was sipping his sixth soda and eating chips and candy, he couldnt of been happier..

"You sure you dont want one" rex said with a mouthful of food as he held a bag of chips out to her and she rolled her eyes as she curled up on the long seat..."i think were almost there" he bounced in his seat some..

"god you are such a child sometimes" she huffed..

"I am a child!" he said defensively..

The limo came to a halt at a large iron gate, it was the entrance to Lanfair, the estate her aunt and uncle lived on..It looked different then she remembered, bigger almost as she stared out the window at the green grass and large oak trees that lined the curving driveway that had to be atleast a quarter mile long..

"wow" Rex said in astonishment as he looked out the window.."this place is awesome"

"More like hell" natalie said bitterly..

"Ohhhhh im gonna tell Aunt Vicki you cursed" Rex said to her with wide eyes..

"and then I will knock you out, you little brat" she snapped at him as he quickly shut up and the limo stopped. Natalie wanted to hide, or disappear, both Of them sounded like a good option..

She heard her aunts voice before the door even opened but once it did natalie wanted to die, absolutely die.."Oh my god there you are!" Vicki said with a loud and boutress voice as she stood outside the limo door..

"aunt vicki!" Rex said with a face full of chocolate and hands full of crumbs..

"Rexy look at how big you got" Vicki said as Rex quickly got out of the car.."and how messy" she laughed as natalie rolled her eyes and huffed as she began to get out..

"I ate candy and chips and oh cookies too" Rex said in a hyped up voice as their aunt hugged him hard..

"I see that little man, your covered from head to toe" she smiled at him as natalie stepped out into the hot Pennsylvania sun. It was muggy and humid and she immediately felt sick as she stood there and then her aunt looked at her as she fidgeted with her hands..

Her aunt vicki had aged a lot in that year, she looked completely different then natalie remembered but her voice was still the same even though her hair was more grey then before.."Natalie...oh sweetheart" Vicki said with a proud smile as she walked over to her and Natalie stood stiff.."Look at you, just as beautiful as ever" she took in the view of Natalie.."and your clothes are so...so...well interesting" she finished as she went in to hug Natalie but natalie didnt return the hug as she stood there.."weve missed you so much" vicki hugged her even tighter.."so how was the drive in?" she pulled back and looked at natalie..

"Long and im tired" Natalie huffed..

"Oh im sure you are sweetheart" Vicki said sweetly..

"the drive was awesome, we got to see some cows and horses" Rex cut in as Vicki looked at him..

"did you now, your gonna have to tell me all about it" Vicki smiled at him as she kept her arm around natalie.."what do you say we all head inside" she smiled at them.."Nigel can get your bags"

"Id like to get my own bag" natalie said quickly and a bit abruptly as Vicki looked at her..

"of course you would my independent niece" she grinned and Natalie fought the urge to roll her eyes, she wasnt use to this kind of treatment and she had forgotten how cheerful her aunt was, it was disgustingly sweet..

Natalie made her way around the limo where she was met with the families butler, an older man by the name of Nigel.."Nice to see you again Miss natalie" he smiled at her as he began to grab bags..

"I got my own bags" Natalie said as she began to grab her duffle bags from the back..

"whatever you like Miss" he began as Natalie looked at him..

"Just call me Natalie, ok Nigel?" she said quickly...

"as you wish Natalie" he smiled and she threw her backpack onto her back..

"well lets get inside, unfortunately your Uncle is still at the company and well Jessica is away at cheerleading camp, so its just the three of us for now" Vicki said softly as she put her arm around Natalie and Rex..

Natalie was more then happy to know that Jessica was out of the house, over the last few years they had grown apart drastically and every year it got more and more uncomfortable being around her..

Lanfair was situated on 15 acres of country land, the estate or better yet mansion of sorts was huge with atleast ten bedrooms, numerous bathrooms and an entire suite for the maid and butler. Any girl would have been thrilled to be there summer after summer but natalie was no longer a girl, she was a woman, or so she thought and coming there meant she had one less summer with her friends in AC and at the age of 16 that was completely unacceptable.

The place looked just the way Natalie remembered it inside, it looked like a damn museum with marble floors and huge paintings on the walls not to mention the décor was state of the art, so maybe this wouldnt be so bad, she thought to herself as she walked through the large foyer..

"Natalie sweetheart, do you remember where your room is, I left it just the way you liked it" Her aunt said as Natalie was snapped out of her own thoughts..

"Im gonna head up there now" she said quickly as Vicki brought her attention back to Rex..

"well dont be too long, your uncle will be back soon and I have a wonderful dinner planned" she smiled as natalie made the long walk up the stairs..

Her Aunt Vicki wasnt lying that she left the room just the way natalie had left it a year ago, the only thing that seemed to change was the curtains on the double door that lead to her own private balcony, in which she walked over to first and stepped out, inhaling the warm summer air as she over looked the acres and acres of farm land.. Ok so the view was breath taking, she had to admit that. She had access to the large stable and from here she could see the horses running free in the pasture, that was one of the things that she honestly did like about coming here, the horses, you couldnt get that in AC. She made her way back in the room and tossed her bookbag onto the large bed as she sighed, well she was here, like it or not, her summer would be spent in lanview yet again...

Natalie's Uncle Clint was a big oil tycoon in Pennsylvania, it had been a long running family tradition well except for the fact that his sister, natalie's mom Roxy had become the black sheep of the family and therefore was cut off from any of the perks of the lavish living. Roxy didnt seem to mind though, she was a free spirit of sorts and a bit of a gambler so it wasnt such a shock that Clint didnt want his sister anywhere near the families fortune but atleast he didnt take it out on natalie and rex, if anything he had been hinting about them coming to live with them permantently but that idea always stayed as such, an idea.

Vicki wasnt kidding about the lavish dinner either, the large dining room table that had atleast 15 chairs was filled with a large turkey, a ham and all the fixings, atleast natalie wouldnt starve there she thought to herself as she ate sparingly from her plate..

"and so I looked at him square in the eye and told him he had a deal and that Rex is how you barder and merge" Clint said with a proud smile..

"some would call that swindling and stealing from the less fortunate" natalie blurted out as her uncle looked at her a bit in shock..

"Now that sounds like your mother speaking" he said with a less then thrilled voice.."and its not stealing when you give back to the community Natalie, if you were around here more you would see that" he said a bit coldly..

"whats swindling?" Rex asked as he looked at his uncle..

"Can I be excused" Natalie said abruptly as she stood up and didnt wait for an answer as she left the room..

"Just give her some time, she is at that age" Vicki said quickly to her husband..

"Can I swindle?" Rex said quickly as Clint looked at him and shook his head..

Natalie huffed as she made her way through the large kitchen, sometimes her uncle got under her skin. At times Natalie hated that he refused to give her mother anything, even when he knew they were struggling all the time, and here he was living the high life, she quickly headed out the backdoor and outside..

It was nearly 6 pm now and the sun was still high in the sky as Natalie made her way over to the stables, if anything seeing the horses always made her feel at peace and right now she wanted nothing more then to see her favorite horse Blackie and take him for a ride..

Blackie had been in the family since natalie could remember, he was a gorgeous horse with silky jet black hair with just a pinch of white on his chin. When Clint had first gotten the horse he was ruled untamable but after weeks and weeks of practicing with him, natalie was actually able to ride him much to her uncles surprise.

She got to the huge stables and headed inside, her eyes searchng for her favorite horse but much to her surprise he was no where to be found, no where at all and then her heart began to race, maybe Blackie was gone..

Just before she had an all out freak out over her missing horse the sound of hooves on the ground and a male voice calling out to the horse made her spin around and she watched a a guy with long hair tied back into a pony tail dressed in a pair of ragged jeans and a white tank top came from across the pasture riding none other then Blackie himself..

Natalie couldnt help but stare at this man and he was a man, definitely older then her but gorgeous as hell as he rode on her Blackie. She had definitely not seen him before and she fidgeted with her hands as he rode over towards her..

"wooo Blackie, slow down boy" he said as they came to a halt just a few feet away from Natalie who was now blushing from head to toe.. She watched as he jumped off the horse and then grabbed the reigns as he walked over to natalie.."You must be the infamous natalie" he said as natalie's eyes got wide, he knew her name, this gorgeous man knew her name.."I have to say Blackie here told me a lot about you" he said as he wiped his hand onto his jeans and then put it out to her.."The names John...John Mcbain"

"thats my horse" was the only thing she could say as she shook his strong hand and swallowed the lump in her throat..He was even better looking up close and personal, his eyes were a bright blue, an amazing blue, hypnotizing really..

"So ive heard" he smiled some and she gulped.. She was truly speechless for the first time in her life..All she kept hearing was Gigi's voice in her head about how she may meet some cute guy and as guys went he had to be one of the cutest she had ever seen.."Youve trained him well" he smiled some more..

Natalie laughed a bit nervously as she stood there.."Excuse me?"

"Blackie" he turned to the horse and petted him.."You've trained him well" he said again..

"Oh ...yeah...i have" she mumbled her words some but before she could say anything else her Uncle came walking over..

"Ah there you are John, I see you took good care of our blackie" Clint said as he patted the horse.."and you met our Natalie" he said as natalie fidgeted with her hands..

"that I did" he smiled and then winked at her and she fidgeted some more..

"I told you that Blackie would be well taken care of and John here has done an amazing job" Clint said with a grin..

"well Sir he is a good horse" he nodded his head as he looked back at Blackie..

"John...John!" the sound of a womans voice made natalie spin her head around to see a tall leggy blonde walking over, she was dressed head to toe in what could of only cost more then their apartment in AC, she definitely didnt fit in around here..

"Caitlyn, looking wonderful as always" Clint said with a grin as he walked over to Cait and John began to move the horse into the stable as natalie stood there awkwardly..

"oh your such a charmer Mr Buchanan" Caitlyn smiled big.."you know if John keeps running off here were never going to get the wedding plans sorted out" Natalie felt her chest tighten at the words, was he getting married, and to that woman?

"This is a hard place to stay away from by the way I dont think you have met my neice natalie" Clint said as they walked over and Natalie looked this chick up and down, she was just a few years older then natalie, but right away she didnt like her, she didnt like her one bit..

"Oh isnt that cute, come down for the summer have you?" Caitlyn said in an overly sweet tone as she put her hand out..

"Forced really" natalie said dryly, her same old spunk coming back out as she shook this womans hand..

"Oh...well then" Caitlyn said with a bit of shock as john walked back out from the stables.."really John your filthy, did you forget that we have shopping to do today" Caitlyn said as she walked past natalie and Natalie couldnt help but roll her eyes, seriously how did this chick end up with him, they looked nothing alike..

"its not dirt, its called hard work" he forced a smile as Caitlyn now rolled her eyes..

"well either way we need to get out of here" she said quickly.."Your coming to the big galla even tonight, right Mr Buchanan, my father was downright glowing with the thought of sharing drinks with you" Caitlyn smiled as she dusted off Johns shirt and he backed up some uncomfortably..

"I wouldnt miss it for the world, i'll bring the family, it will be wonderful" He smiled big and natalie couldnt take it anymore, her dreams were officially shot, this gorgeous man was marrying some spoiled bitch, seriously both of them looked to be only about 20 years old, who gets married that young anyways and quickly she spun from them.."Natalie dear make sure you talk to your aunt, she has a special gift for you" Clint called out as Natalie kept walking, she was mumbling under breath as she did so..

"she's a gem" Caitlyn said with a tight fake smile..

"well I guess I better get cleaned up" John said quickly, he looked less then pleased..

"thats an understatement" Caitlyn laughed as he shook his head and then they headed away from the stables..

Natalie got inside and quickly made a bee line for her room, this day was just getting better and better, she thought sarcastically..

"Oh natalie sweetheart, I was looking for you" her aunt stopped her as she huffed..

"I was hoping to lay down" natalie said quickly as she went to walk past her aunt..

"Well you will have plenty of time for that, tonight there is a big event at the country club" Vicki began..

"yeah im gonna pass on that" natalie said quickly..

Her uncle came into the house and spoke before she could.."Like hell you are young lady, were all heading out tonight and you will be going" he said a bit abruptly and Natalie spun and looked at him.."No ifs ands or buts about it"

"But Uncle Clint" she hated that her voice came out more as a whine..

"What I say goes, end of story, you may have been able to get away with this disrespectful behaviour with your mother but it doesnt fly around here" he snapped at her..

"Clint lets not be so hard" Vicki said quickly.."its going to be fun and I even picked you out a dress" she said to natalie..

"Oh joy" natalie said sarcastically..

"Excuse me?" Clint barked at her as she spun around.."dont walk away from me young lady" he called out..

"I have to get ready, right!" natalie snapped and then stormed off, she was more then pissed as she left the room..

"that girl needs to learn manners, my sister has done an awful job with those kids" Clint snapped..

"she's sixteen Clint" Vicki said softly..

"I dont care what age she is, she wont be disrespectful in this house" he snapped as he too stormed away and Vicki stood there and sighed..

Natalie got to her room and slammed the door shut, she couldnt help the tears that had begun to fall, she hated it here, she hated her uncle, this place sucked and it was only getting worse, she wanted nothing more then to just run away, far far from here and with that she fell onto her bed and cried..