Hello everyone, welcome to chapter 3. This will be the last one with both Edward and Bella talking about what happens in the same time frame. All chapters will probably have both pov's though.

The usual disclaimer, I do not own any of the characters from Twilight etc, they belong to Stephenie Meyer. I do own a laptop with a shirtless pic of Rob Pattinson as my wallpaper though.....yummy.

Chapter 3

BPOV

My cell phone alarm went off entirely too early, but was still an improvement over yesterdays wake up call. I rubbed my eyes and then I remembered what was happening today. My meeting with Edward Cullen. Butterflies instantly made their presence known in my stomach. I rolled off the couch and went to turn on the coffee pot. While the coffee brewed I pulled on a clean pair of jeans, a plain blue t-shirt and my barn boots. I figured I might as well look like I belonged in a professional stable. I had even cleaned my boots off the night before. I sincerely doubted that anything would happen from our meeting today, except I would get practice on keeping my temper.

While I brushed my teeth I thought about what I really hoped would happen today. I wondered if Edward had ever had a working student. Ideally I would love to trade barn and groom work for room and board. From the ground up was the best way to learn anything sometimes. But could I stand his ego enough to tolerate being there? I would just have to remember the positives. Being around horses all day, taking care of them, and maybe getting a chance to ride and learn from one of the best. I finished putting my hair in a braid and looked again in the mirror. I guess I would do. I looked like I always did, plain, simple, average. Not that it would matter to Edward, Mr. Adonis of the barn.

I hit the road an hour before I had to be there. Being late wasn't something I was going to even come close to risking. I sipped my coffee as I joined the morning traffic. I had grabbed a breakfast bar on the way out the door, but the butterflies were still bouncing around a bit too much to consider eating. The morning showed the promise of a nice day ahead. The drive wasn't too bad all things considered. Alice's directions were easy to follow, and at 6:50 am I found myself pulling up in front of large indoor arena with a stable crossing one end like a T. I could see a few horses looking out the Dutch doors at the backs of their stalls. There was a gate in the middle of the arenas long side. A garage door was open above it to let fresh air into the arena. I got out of the car and walked up to the gate and looked in. It had to be one of the nicest arenas I had ever seen. Mirrors were present on those walls for a rider to be able to watch themselves. There was an observation lounge at one end where people could watch the arena action without being in the cold in the winter. (Link to pic of barn on my bio page)

A long rubber brick aisle ran down the center of the stable. Stalls ran down the right side. The side that adjoined the arena had grooming areas, tack rooms and a wash rack. I took a deep breath in through my nose. The scent of alfalfa hay, shavings, leather, and horses filled my senses. I instantly felt calmer. The smell of a barn always did wonders for my mood. Just then an orange cat came wandering around the corner and over to me. He instantly began rubbing around my legs. I reached down and scratched his ears.

"I see you've met Newton." I jumped and turned around. I hadn't heard Edward approach. "Good morning, I'm impressed you're early. What time did you leave Seattle?"

I tried to gather my thoughts and slow my heart. "Good morning Edward. I left about 6 am." Newton rubbed up against my leg again, and then plopped down in between the two of us and began licking, well, his penis I guess. Edward snickered, and then tapped the cat with the toe of his boot.

"Newton, take it elsewhere. We really don't want to watch you do that." Newton glared at Edward, and then stalked off towards the hay barn. Edward watched Newton leave and then turned to me. "My help quit yesterday, and I have to feed and clean stalls. Our conversation will have to be brief."

"Would you like some help?" I offered. "You can question me later and that way you can get to whatever riding you have to do today faster." The sooner I proved I was capable, the better chance I had of maybe earning the right to stay.

The corner of Edwards's mouth curved up a little. "I'll make you a deal. You help me out with barn chores and whatever else I come up with today. If it works out well we can discuss some sort of exchange maybe. I have to see if you meet my standards you see."

I broke my gaze away from the corner of his mouth. Damn, he caught me staring again too. "That sounds fair. I have to see if you meet my standards too you know. Are you talking about a working student sort of situation?" I put my hands in my pockets to fight their desire to fidget.

"Working student? Perhaps. We will have to see if you have the ability to both work and learn to qualify for that title." He smirked at me. I smirked back and replied "Well let's get going then. I'm sure the horses would like their breakfast. Lead the way." That may have been the smartest things I had ever said, as I watched Edward walk towards the hay barn in front of me. Men being visually appealing in riding breeches was a hit or miss thing. Edward Cullen was a home run. The beige fabric clung nicely to curve of his tight ass, down his muscular thighs, and then disappeared into his tall boots. Oh and a man in boots almost as good as a man in breeches in my mind. I think I might have started hyperventilating if we hadn't reached the hay barn when we did. I mentally smacked myself. Now was not the time to lust after a man in breeches, especially if I was trying to earn a job.

I quickly tore my eyes up as Edward turned. We loaded the hay cart. He showed me the grain room, which was meticulous and organized. I grabbed one of each horses packaged grain and added it to the cart. I could hear the horses beginning to nicker, anticipating breakfast. We walked down the aisle. Each horse had specific instruction and information on their stall, so feeding was pretty self explanatory. Edward distributed the hay and I followed behind with the grain. At each stall he looked in and looked over the stall and the horse. He saw me watching and stopped to explain. "Each horse has set habits. I can tell by what their stall looks like what kind of night they had. I also look to see if anything looks off about the horse itself." I nodded.

We reached the last stall whose inhabitant was probably the best looking horse I had ever seen. He was tall, at least 17 hands. He was a dark steel gray with dapples, and a white star. Edward tossed in the hay and reached towards me for the grain. "Aston is suspicious of strangers, and he can be a little aggressive. I will have to feed him. If you are here long enough, you might earn his trust." I narrowed my eyes at him but handed him the grain.

"Is Aston yours? He is very handsome." So is his owner, I thought to myself.

Edward nodded. "Yes, he was the first horse I took to the Grand Prix level. He is retired now, but I still ride him." (Link to info on the equestrian sport of dressage also on my bio page)

Between the two of us the stalls were cleaned in record time. Edward told me how he wanted them cleaned, and then left me alone. He was finishing Aston's stall when I finished my last. I grabbed the hose and began to fill water buckets. When I got to Aston's stall I found Edward standing there watching me. His green eyes were intense, and I blushed. I wasn't used to anyone, especially a man as gorgeous as Edward, looking at me like that. I offered him the hose, but he shook his head. "Aston is busy eating, you can fill his buckets. I'll be standing here just in case. " I stepped into the stall. Aston raised his head and gave me quite the haughty look. Apparently I wasn't worth the bother because he went back to eating. Ha, even the horse saw that I was nothing significant.

After I was done Edward motioned for me to follow him. We ended up in what must have been his office. One wall was adorned with numerous show ribbons. The other wall held pictures that ranged from Edward as a boy on a horse, to a grown man in top hat and tails showing Aston. On his desk was a picture of him and Alice when they were in their early teens I guessed. Alice was clinging on Edward piggy back. They both had huge grins on their faces. Edward was sitting and waited for me to do the same.

"Bella, what are you hoping to gain from me? What do you want from this? You've shown me you are capable of following direction, being punctual, and observing attention to detail. That puts you ahead of a lot of people I have met. What are your goals?" He folded his arms and waited for my response.

I paused for a moment to gather my thoughts. "As long as I could remember, I have wanted a life with horses. I worked for every opportunity I have had up until college. Every lesson, every ride, every moment I was allowed to spend with horses I worked for. Those opportunities were few and far between, but I found that I never felt more comfortable in my skin when I was working with horses. I've ridden enough dressage to know that is the style I prefer. I found I can pull scared or shy horses out of their shells. I want a chance to work more with that. I want to learn from the ground up what it takes to be a respected dressage rider and trainer. This is the life I want, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to achieve it."

Edward leaned forward and tilted his head. It was almost like he was sizing me up. I sat up a little straighter and tried to keep my face neutral, but my heart was pounding. This was the moment of truth. I bit my lower lip. Finally he leaned back and spoke. "Here is my offer. I will take you on as a working student on my conditions. You will be responsible for feeding, watering, stall cleaning six days a week. I will take care of it on Sundays. You will assist me in turning horses out, grooming, tacking and untacking the horses I'm working with. I will also expect you to keep the barn presentable, aisles swept, equipment put away etc. Basically, you will do what I ask of you. In return I will teach you everything I can. I haven't seen you ride, so I'm going to start you as a beginner. I will start you with two lessons a week, and they will be the last thing of the day. There will be times your lessons may be cancelled due to other higher priorities. I will also need your help at horse shows. If you work all weekend at a show, I will give you an alternative day off during the week. Paying you a wage will depend on the quality of your work, but is something that can be added on." He looked at me and continued. "I have told you I have high standards, and I expect a lot. I do not tolerate tardiness, laziness, whining, or excuses. I will let you go if you cannot follow those basic requirements." Edward leaned forward and the sun coming through the window caught the highlights in his bronze hair. "Well?" I think he was expecting me to run screaming, at least the look on his face told me that.

"Edward, you will find that I also cannot tolerate those same things. I will extend you the same respect you extend me. Your offer sounds fair, and is exactly what I'm looking for. Do I start now?" I waited anxiously. I couldn't believe it. Was I finally getting what I wanted out of life?

"It depends." Edward stood up and I followed. "You are living with your brother in Seattle right now?" I nodded. "Well in that case, and with the work you will be doing, I think it may work better for both of us if you live here. There is a small apartment above the garage. Since its Friday, I can give you the weekend to move and get settled, and you can start Monday at 7 am. Unless you want to continue to stay with your brother?"

I shook my head quickly. "No I really don't want to stay with him any longer then I have to. That sounds fine." Edward nodded, offered me his hand and we shook on it. His fingers were really long, and his hand completely surrounded mine.

"We have a deal Bella. I think I can make something out of you in due course. The raw material looks promising at least." He smirked at me and I felt my temper try to rear its ugly head. Wow, I made it almost half a day without Edward pissing me off.

We parted in the aisle, Edward heading down towards Aston's stall. I couldn't help but call after him. "I'll let you help me make something of myself. I know the raw material is of the finest quality." He looked over his shoulder at me and grinned, and then kept walking. I went to go get in my car. I looked back over my shoulder as I walked away, in time to see Edward put his forehead to Aston's nose and give him a pet on the neck. I felt my heart swell. Edward Cullen might be an egotistical ass, but he loved his horse. That quality made me admire him even more.

EPOV

My eyes jolted open with my alarm. I groaned and smacked it off, covering my eyes with my arm. A few more minutes would be nice, but I had things to get done today. And Bella was coming today. I grinned to myself. That brought on the promise of, at the minimum, an interesting day.

I quickly dressed and got ready. As I drank my coffee and had some breakfast I pondered what I wanted to ask Bella today. I would have limited time to talk with her given the additional chores I had to do. But it wouldn't take me long to determine what I needed to know. I actually found myself hoping that her answers would be what I was looking for. She fascinated me. I shook my head. I had to get a grip. Whether Bella was fascinating or not was not the point of today.

I heard a car pull up the drive. The clock read 6:50 am. Amazing, Bella had arrived early. I looked out the kitchen window to see what she was doing. She had parked and was out looking at the arena. I headed out the door to go meet her. As I walked out I focused on how she was dressed. Bella had a nice figure, I had to admit it. I usually didn't pay that much attention to how women were dressed, but the way Bella fit into her jeans was, diverting to say the least. Her long hair was in a braid, and she looked very put together. Quite the change from Victoria and her torn sweats. As I approached I watched her close her eyes and inhale deeply. A small smile came over her face. I recognized the familiar action. It was something I did at least once a day myself.

She was petting Newton, our male slut of a barn cat. Even neutering him hadn't stopped some of his bizarre behavior. Apparently she still was unaware I was now right behind her. "I see you've met Newton." Bella startled a little and spun around. "Good morning, I'm impressed you're early. What time did you leave Seattle?"

Bella replied with a nervous smile, "Good morning Edward. I left about 6 am." Newton was rubbing on Bella's legs. Then he decided lay down in between us and take up his favorite activity, grooming his groin. Damn cat. I couldn't help the small laugh that escaped me as I pushed him with my toe.

"Newton, take it elsewhere. We really don't want to watch you do that." After Newton strolled off grumpily, I turned back to Bella. "My help quit yesterday, and I have to feed and clean stalls. Our conversation will have to be brief."

"Would you like some help?" Bella asked. "You can question me later and that way you can get to whatever riding you have to do today faster." This was perfect. I was grateful that Bella appeared to be the helpful sort. This would give me a good opportunity to observe her. Ugh, that made me sound like a stalker. But her helping me out with the chores would show me a great deal about her. I couldn't help the small smile that crossed my lips. Bella stared at me anxiously, awaiting my answer.

"I'll make you a deal," I told her. "You help me out with barn chores and whatever else I come up with today. If it works out well we can discuss some sort of exchange maybe. I have to see if you meet my standards you see."

Bella appeared to be transfixed looking at my mouth. She caught herself and quickly replied. "That sounds fair. I have to see if you meet my standards too you know. Are you talking about a working student sort of situation?" Her standards? Bella appeared bold, but the quick hiding of her twitching hands betrayed her uncertainty.

"Working student? Perhaps. We will have to see if you have the ability to both work and learn to qualify for that title." I gave her a smirk which she quickly returned and asked me to lead the way. I led her to the hay barn. We loaded the hay and I was happy to see she had no trouble moving a bale of hay. For being so petite, Bella was pretty strong it seemed. I motioned for her to get the grain from the grain room. Her first assigned task and it was pretty easy since everything was organized and labeled. However others had made it seem as complicated as calculus. Not an issue with Bella. She came out with every horse's grain package.

I lead the way down the aisle, distributing hay. Bella followed and fed everyone their grain. Good, she could read instructions, another plus in her corner. As I peered into a horses stall intently, I saw her looking at me quizzically. I explained my actions and why I did it. Bella nodded and I noticed her also begin looking in stalls.

I tossed hay into Aston's stall and turned to get his grain from Bella. As I held out my hand for the package I told her why I had to feed him. Taking Bella to the ER was not on my task list today. I wasn't surprised when a little bit of resistance showed in Bella's eyes, but she handed me the grain without comment. Her brown eyes turned and took in Aston munching in his stall. I could see the awe radiating from her as she watched him. Quietly she asked, "Is Aston yours? He is very handsome."

I had to agree he was a good looking horse, but I was a bit biased. "Yes, he was the first horse I took to the Grand Prix level. He is retired from showing now, but I still ride him."

I gave her what she need to clean stalls and instructed her on how I wanted them cleaned. Bella listened quietly and then quickly got to work. I moved a few stalls down and started cleaning as well. Watching Bella work in between my stalls, she impressed me. She moved purposefully around the horses, not showing any uncertainty at all. The horses instantly recognized that she wasn't a beginner and listened to her. Her cleaning was efficient, but thorough. The stalls Bella cleaned looked as good as the ones I had done. I finished up in Aston's stall and discovered Bella was filling water buckets. The fact that Bella had initiative pleased me to no end. This could spoil me permanently. I watched her as she made her way down the aisle, unaware of my observation. A few hairs had escaped her braid and fell softly around her face. As she moved I could see the hint of muscle in her arms and shoulders. I noticed she quietly talked to each horse at each stall.

Bella turned and caught me watching her, and instantly blushed. She offered me the hose for Aston's buckets, but I told her to proceed. I watched Aston as Bella filled his buckets. He gave her a cursory look, and then went back to eating. Looking back at Bella, she had an odd look on her face. She almost looked resigned, a little sad. The look vanished as quickly as it had come. I wanted to understand that change in her expression. That would have to be later. The time had come for a talk; I led Bella to my office.

As I sat down I watched Bella gaze around the office and take in everything on the walls. Her eyes fell on the picture I had of me and Alice when I was 16 and she was 10. A small smile came to her face. She turned and sat herself across from me.

"Bella, what are you hoping to gain from me? What do you want from this? You've shown me you are capable of following direction, being punctual, and observing attention to detail. That puts you ahead of a lot of people I have met. What are your goals?" I watched Bella as she paused to think before answering.

The passion in her voice as she answered was entrancing. Much of what Bella said resonated with me. She clearly had a lot to learn still, but as I had suspected, her potential was limitless. I kept my expression serious as I looked at her for several moments following her answer, considering my options. She sat up a little straighter under my study. When she started worrying her lower lip with her teeth, I decided it was time to fill her in on my plan.

As I laid out my requirements for a working student I watched Bella's expression. She was outwardly calm, listening to every word, but the excited light in her eyes told me another story. Bella's emotions were very easy to read in her eyes I was discovering.

I ended my speech by listing out the pet peeves I cannot stand in an employee. "I have told you I have high standards, and I expect a lot. I do not tolerate tardiness, laziness, whining, or excuses. I will let you go if you cannot follow those basic requirements." I leaned towards her. "Well?" This was where most people decided working for me would be too hard and decided to go work for for an espresso stand. Bella surprised me yet again. (No offense meant towards all baristas etc that keep me caffinated)

"Edward, you will find that I also cannot tolerate those same things. I will extend you the same respect you extend me. Your offer sounds fair, and is exactly what I'm looking for. Do I start now?" She awaited my answer eagerly.

"It depends." I replied. I stated my recommendation for her to begin living here. Maybe she would rather stay with Emmett. Somehow I doubted she did, but Bella often did what I didn't expect it seemed.

Bella answered almost too quickly. Clearly life with brother was not her cup of tea. "No I really don't want to stay with him any longer then I have to. That sounds fine." We shook hands on it and I marveled at how small her hands were.

"We have a deal Bella. I think I can make something out of you in due course. The raw material looks promising at least." I watched as her eyes narrowed and betrayed the irritation she felt at my comment.

I headed for Aston's stall as Bella went to leave. All of a sudden I heard her call after me down the aisle. "I'll let you help me make something of myself. I know the raw material is of the finest quality." I couldn't help looking over my shoulder at her and acknowledging her comment with a grin. Bella turned on her heel and left. Aston put his head out as he heard me approach his stall. I petted his neck and leaned my forehead to his. "Aston, I think I may be getting in over my head with this one." Aston snorted, apparently he agreed.

Hope you enjoyed it! Please, please review. I've only gotten a few for the many people who have read so far. I am very thankful for everyone who has favorited etc.