Hey y'all I am so sorry that I didn't put a note on the last chapter to let you know that it wasn't the end of the story. This story is far from over and Jax is coming back for people who will probably be wondering by the end of this chapter. This is a Sons of Anarchy fanfic of course haha. I hope y'all like it. God Bless and thank you for reading.
Christine had been on Interstate forty for what seemed like forever. Looking at her phone to check the time she saw that she had been on the road for exactly eighteen hours and thirty nine minutes. She could have made it sooner if she hadn't taken her time or stopped to sleep. She had made it all the way to the good state of Texas. Amarillo Texas to be exact. She had gotten another hotel room and was bringing some stuff inside so she could get cleaned up and get some rest for the drive tomorrow. Locking her car doors and then struggling with her usual bag she carried with her, her keys, a bag of food from a fast food joint, and her army duffel bag that had clothes, bath stuff, and other junk in it. Unlocking the door she pushed her way inside and threw everything down on the tiny circular dining table next to the window and walked back to close and lock the door. Pulling off her black hoodie she sat down in one of the chairs and ate her food. Christine had spent the whole trip so far going over a game plan for when she got home so she wouldn't have time to think about Jax. Her thoughts always went there though. He had called her at least eight times since she left. She'd let it go to voicemail every time. He had left voicemails five out of eight times but she still hadn't checked them. Out of sight out of mind seemed to be her motto at the moment and it was helping her to keep going. Throwing all her trash in the trash can next to the dresser with the TV on it she plugged up her cell phone and headed for the bathroom to take a shower. Getting in she turned the hot water all the way up and stepped into the steamy water letting it take the tenseness in her muscles away. It was hell driving a car for that long and being in the same position. Getting done with her shower she stepped out wrapping her towel around her and brushed her teeth. Plugging up her hair dryer she ran another towel through the ends of her hair before drying it.
Fifteen minutes later she had finished in the bathroom and came walking out with all her stuff. Pulling on a pair of night shorts and a t-shirt she walked over to her bag pulling out her gun and putting it on the bedside table next to her cell phone. She noticed that the light on it was blinking meaning she had a missed call. Hitting the buttons she saw that she had a new voicemail and it had come from Jimmy. She'd called him about an hour after she first got on the road. He was probably just calling to check on her. Knowing that she would have to go through all the old messages to get to Jimmy's she didn't want to. But it could be important. Sitting down with a sigh she called her voicemail and put in the passwords. After the automated voice told her her options and she pressed the right button the voicemails started playing.
"Hey it's me. I can't believe you fucking hit me like that and then took off. I really hope you didn't leave tow. Call me back."
Christine saved it and went to the next message but just the sound of his voice brought up the recent hurt and sadness.
"Hey it's me again and I still haven't heard from you. The least you could do is call me back."
Saving this message too she the next one started.
"Christine…" she heard him sigh. "I'm really sorry okay? I can be a asshole. Please just call me."
Christine felt like she was going to cry as she saved this message too. The rest of the voicemails said basically the same thing. Jimmy's message was last and he had just called to make sure she was okay like she had thought. Lying back on the bed she debated whether or not calling Jax would be a good idea. She didn't want to hurt him or lead him on. The truth of the matter was she probably wasn't coming back and drawing the inevitable out would hurt worse. Not letting him know she was okay though would piss her off if someone did it to her. She lifted her phone up and stared at it deciding that texting him would be the best thing to do.
I got your messages. Everything's fine. You don't have to keep calling.
Christine crawled underneath the covers and sat her charging phone back onto the bedside table and turned off the lamp cloaking the room in darkness.
Christine woke up and the sun was shining bright. She knew that she had over slept and when she looked at the clock on the bedside table it said it was four in the afternoon. There was an eleven hour drive ahead of her so she figured she'd make it home at about three in the morning if she left now. Getting up she showered and got dressed pulling on a pair of boot cut jeans a white tank top and her cowboy boots. Packing up all the rest of her stuff she headed out. She hadn't had but five hours of sleep but it would do. Checking her phone once she got in the car she saw that there hadn't been any reply texts or calls from Jax last night and she was glad for it. Having her full concentration on the drive was what was important. Christine pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards the gas station that was over by the interstate 40 exit. She filled the gas tank up all the way and walked inside to pay. There was a boy behind the counter who looked to be sixteen with a big cowboy hat on. Christine smiled as she walked back to the drink cooler in the back. Grabbing a Styrofoam cooler that was on a shelf at the end of the isle she grabbed a bunch of water bottles and bottles of apple juice out of the big coolers putting them down in it. On her way back up front she grabbed a bag of ice and started up the snack isle. Christine picked up a bag of beef jerky and stared at it a minute and then grabbed all the other ones that were on the shelf and a few packs of M&M's and walked with her arms full up to the counter. After sitting everything down the boy at the counter smiled at her.
"Hey ma'am. How are you today?"
"I'm doing good. Can you just hold this right here for me? I'll be right back."
Christine didn't wait for a reply and headed down another isle grabbing a bag of Doritos, a jar of pickles, and two cans of spray cheese and carried them back up to the counter. The boy raised his eyes at her like he thought she was crazy.
"I'm on a road trip back home," She explained.
"Don't see too many girls coming in here getting this much food though," he said with a goofy grin.
Christine started thinking about Jax and her at the diner.
"Miss, uh hello."
Christine looked up at him.
"I'm sorry, what did you say?"
"I said that'll be a hundred and seventeen dollars and nine cent for everything including the gas."
"Damn that is a lot of food ain't it?" she said pulling out some money.
She got done paying for everything and the boy behind the counter helped her carry it out to the cutlass.
"Dang this is a nice car," he said as she got the last of her stuff put in the floor board of the passenger seat.
"Thanks and thanks for helping me with this."
"Ah you're welcome ma'am. You be safe now ya hear?"
"Alright. You too."
Christine got in her car and then got back on interstate and started the last leg of the journey home.
It was five thirty in the morning and Christine was about two miles from home. There had been a horrible wreck back near little rock that had held her up for a few hours. She was getting closer and she was getting excited. Coming back she didn't figure she would have missed it this much. Pulling up she stopped the car at the gate that was shut. It was connected to the wooden fence that surrounded the whole property. Her grandpa and his daddy had put it up by hand back when he was a kid. Putting the car in park leaving it running she stepped out to walk over to the mailbox. Jimmy didn't check it but once a week if that and there was a stack of stuff inside of it just as she suspected. Walking back across the dirt road she got back in the car and put the stack of letters in the seat beside her and headed down the long dirt driveway. It was about a mile long before you came up on everything. Off on the right was the barn and past that the pasture. The barn was huge and it was red with white trim. Christine knew that the five horses she'd helped raise plus all the other animals were inside for the night and that it smelled like hay. A little ways to left of the barn was the house. It looked just the same as last time. Everything was dark and wooden and it was pretty big too. It wasn't as big as the barn but it was quite a spread. The house had a metal roof and looked kind of like a log cabin although it wasn't. It was crazy for her to think that her family had built everything out here by hand. The house had that big ol' front porch with the wooden rockers on it. Then to her left was the big pond she'd almost drowned in when she was six. Her grandpa had put out some of those plastic ducks and told her they were real. When it started getting to be fall Christine had walked out on the dock and watched them. She remembered that it was freezing outside and she had had on a red sweater, her jeans, and her boots. Always having a soft spot for animals she felt sorry for those poor ducks that seemed to always swim. Climbing in her grandpa's little wooden fishing boat she untied it from the hook on the dock and paddled her way out to the middle. When she reached over to grab the duck to pull it in the boat she had lost her footing. Christine knew how to swim at that age but the water had gotten so cold that it took her breath as soon as she hit it which made her panic. She would have drowned if Jimmy wouldn't have been close by and heard her screaming. Her grandpa gave her a hard time later that night when he asked her how in the world she could have thought those ducks were real because they'd been swimming for months. They laughed it off though and drank hot chocolate by the fire.
A trucks lights coming down from Jimmy's house brought her out of her thoughts. The driveway kept going on up to the left of the house up the hill to Jimmy's. She knew he'd have his shotgun with him when he got here so Christine cut off the engine and climbed out shutting the door behind her. When Jimmy's truck pulled up beside her he didn't look mad.
"Hey Uncle Jimmy. Sorry to get here so late there was an accident out near Little Rock. Took me two damn hours to get around it."
"Girl you had me worried and I didn't know who was pulling up down here at five in the morning," he was smiling though as he got out of the truck and wrapped her in a hug.
Jimmy smelled like a woodstove and Copenhagen. That was his smell for as long as she had known him. It was comforting. He looked and sounded just like Sam Elliot but his hair and mustache were a little darker and he stood at around six two. Christine pulled back and saw Jimmy's chocolate lab Waylon jumping around in the back of his truck wanting some attention. Walking around to the tailgate she let it down wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Hey boy, what you been doing since I been gone huh? Oh don't lick me in the face," she said giggling.
She pulled back and Waylon jumped out and walked around the truck out of site. Christine turned back to Jimmy and put her hands on her hips.
"Care to help a tired young lady carry all her stuff in the house? It would be greatly appreciated."
He laughed his deep bear laugh. "Do you even have to ask?"
They carried all of Christine's stuff into the house and put it near the door in the living room. Piling it into a big pile out of the way. When they got finished she gave Jimmy a hug and told him she'd talk to him later. Coming back inside and closing the door she flipped on the light and took a minute to really just take in her home. It looked the same as when she had left it except maybe a little dustier. Everything was rustic. The big overstuffed brown couches were in from of the stone fireplace off to the right that had been built by her family too. The high ceilings and the wood floors throughout the entire house were a medium brown color. The whole area was one big open room. To the left was the kitchen with its black marble topped counters and the bar that stuck out. The bar stools at it looked like pieces of logs and were older than dirt. They had been twenty years old and used when her grandpa had bought them thirty five years ago. Closer to her was the big rectangular chestnut colored table. It had the fall table settings at it that she had put out before she left. Behind it against the wall was her grandma's china cabinet with all the fancy dishes on display in it. Nobody used them except for on the Holidays. Her grandpa had installed lights in the cabinet when she was a baby and it made everything inside sparkle. Especially the antique pure silver silverware set that had been passed down through the generations on her grandma's side. Separating the two halves of the rooms were wooden posts that came down from the wood beams that went across the ceiling. Looking up she saw the stuffed black bear her grandpa had killed on a hunting trip a few years back. It had stood at six five when it was alive. Her grandpa had got it stuffed to where it looked like it was laying down on and stuck it on the beams right when you come in the door. When Christine had first saw it she'd almost had a heart attack. Now it was just a funny joke her and her grandpa had shared. There were a few deer heads on the wall around the room too. Her grandpa and her great grandpa had killed them on hunting trips over the years along with the stuffed bobcat sitting on the mantel of the fireplace. Christine walked past everything running her finger over the wooden table, which had picture frames on it and a tray that had been painted in Native American markings which was for your keys, behind the couch realizing that there was lots of cleaning to do tomorrow. Throwing her own keys into it she headed down the hallway on the other side of the room passing the main bathroom on the left before stopping in front of her door on the right. Her grandpa's room was the last door on the left and the guest bedroom was the last door on the right. Turning the knob and pushing open the dark brown door she reached over to her right and flicked on the light switch. The same familiar hot pink walls were staring back at her. With her dark brown antique desk that had been her grandma's over in the left corner covered in stuff that she hadn't picked up before leaving on the opposite wall next to her window. On the wall above it was a horse calendar and a dry erase board that she wrote feeding schedules on. Her bed was in the middle of the wall to her right. Her walk in closet and the door to her own bathroom were on the wall on her left. Her dresser was on the wall at the door next to the light switch. Her bedspread was a flannel pattern that was red, brown, and green. All of her furniture was a dark mahogany. There was a pair of huge steer horns on the wall over her bed. Looking at them she smiled. Her grandpa had brought those home from one of his cattle drives he'd went on with Jimmy. He'd went on and on about where they had come from. Christine walked in and stood in front of her dresser looking at all the ribbons she had won when she was younger. Some were for barrel racing and others were for jumping but that seemed like a lifetime ago. Her eyes fell on the picture of her and Whiskey. Her horse she had had since she was twelve. He was so dark brown that he looked black but when he was in the sun he shone a true whiskey color. All Christine wanted to do was breathe in his scent and ride him. Making up her mind she turned off the light as she rushed out of the room and jogged out of the house. Christine ran all the way from the house over to the barn and pulled open the door. She heard all the horses start awake. She walked to the very first stall and looked inside and saw a female horse named Nova. A paint that her, her grandpa, and Jimmy had rescued a few years ago. She had been wild and had been roaming up in the mountains going through other ranchers land to get there. The ranchers were going to end up killing her so they went and got her. It took Christine a little over three months to break her. Now she was a big softy. Christine stopped and leaned over the stall door to rub her hand over the top of Nova's head.
"Hey girl. You wanna go out?"
Nova neighed butting Christine's hand with her nose. Laughing Christine walked back over to the door she had come in at and closed it securely. Walking to the opposite wall and passing all the other stalls where the door to the pasture was she opened it and walked back to Nova's stall. Opening the door she led the horse out to the pasture and let her walk out. Nova trotted over to a pile of Hay that was lying in the middle of the pasture. Christine walked back to the second stall where Duke was sticking his head out. Duke had been her grandpa's horse. He was the biggest horse they had. He towered over Christine and was and old horse, but he was smart. He was about sixteen now. Her grandpa loved John Wayne so he had named him Duke. Duke had been around since she was a toddler. Duke was a solid chestnut colored horse with white from his forehead down to his nose. He had always had the silkiest mane. Christine brushed her fingers through it and then touched her forehead to his own. Duke had taken it hard when her grandpa died. He stopped eating and if you let him out in the pasture he would just stand in the same place all day. Christine had hung one of her grandpa's cowboy hats on a nail in his stall after the vet told them they might have to put him down if he didn't start eating. The hat smelled like him and Duke had started eating after that. Christine was running her hand up and down his neck when he backed up and turned walking over to the cowboy hat. He touched his nose to it and neighed then turned his head back to Christine walking closer. She felt tears well up in her eyes.
"I know boy. I miss him too," she said wrapping her arms around his neck. Pulling back she opened the stall door.
"Come on now let's get you out to the pasture."
Duke walked out and took off towards the pasture on his own without having to be led. Christine's grandpa had always told her that horses could sense what you were feeling and they could understand you. It had sort of freaked her out the way horses could always pick up on what she was feeling but now it was just something she loved about them. Closing his stall door back she walked to the next stall. A solid white horse was looking timidly back at her.
"Hey Ghost," she said opening the stall door and walking inside.
Ghost was another rescue. He was really skittish of people he didn't know. His previous owner had beaten him really bad. When he had been brought to their farm he was in pretty bad shape with bruises and cuts all over him and wouldn't let anyone but Christine near him. Everybody had been baffled by how quick he had taken to her but her grandpa had said it was because every man just wants to be loved by a good hearted woman. Walking over to him she rubbed her hand down his neck and over his back. She felt him physically relax beneath her hand.
"Easy now don't be scared. I'm not going to hurt you. Come on lets go outside."
She led him over to the door and let him go and then closed the door behind him. Walking over to the next stall she let out Cheyenne. A pregnant horse that was a dark grey with a black mane and tail. Cheyenne went and joined the other horses at the hay pile. On her way back to Whiskey's stall she saw another horse in the extra stall at the end that she hadn't seen before. It was a cream colored foal with a brown mane and tail that couldn't have been more than a year old. Christine was shocked but it wasn't because there was a little pony here it was because this pony had scars from burns all over his right side. The wounds were healed but they were still visible. Christine felt sick. She could hear Whiskey putting up a fuss because he knew she was there but she had to know more about this horse. Walking over to the office she opened the door and turned on the light making her way to the desk. Looking through the paper work on the desk she came up on the ponies papers. His name was Apache and he was a little over a year old like she had thought. He was another rescue who belonged to them now but he had gotten the burns from his previous owner who had thrown gasoline on him and then sat him on fire. Christine winced in pain at the thought of the cruelty and the hurt this animal had gone through. Reading more of the papers she saw that the pony was skittish, wouldn't let anyone ride him, and got aggressive if you got too close. Knowing that she would have to work with him she walked out of the office cutting off the light and shutting the door heading across the hall to the food storage room. Pulling out a few carrots she shut the door behind her and headed for the ponies stall. He eyed her warily backing up to the corner. Opening the stall she walked inside closing it behind her. She could see that the pony was getting agitated. He really didn't like being pinned into a corner. He didn't trust her and he was going to get defensive.
"Easy boy, easy," she said in a soothing tone.
She walked slowly towards him so she wouldn't scare him and held a carrot out to him. He eyed it warily and then took a step closer.
"It's alright. It's just a carrot. See there."
He took another step towards her and craned his neck to pull the carrot out of her hand. She held on tight so that he would have to get a little closer. When he did she waited until he had eaten all of the carrot before she got another one from her other hand and gave it to him. This time she took a step closer. She could see he was still nervous but after tucking the other two carrots in the pocket of her jeans she slowly reached out and ran her hand down his neck. He tensed up and neighed pulling back a bit at first but then relaxed.
"Good boy. I'll have you fixed in no time."
Christine decided against trying to get him out into the pasture with the other horses tonight and left to go see Whiskey. Whiskey was craning his neck out of the stall neighing up a storm. Christine laughed at him shaking her head.
"Boy you sure don't change do you? Still as jealous as ever."
Christine opened his stall door and led him over to the area where they saddled the horses latching him up so he couldn't run off. Hurrying into the tack room she got all of his saddle stuff and brought it over sitting it down on a stool. She reached up and scratched behind his ear.
"I missed you the most. Sorry for leaving you like that boy."
Christine threw on his saddle and got him all set then walked him over to the closed barn door on the side where the driveway was and led him out closing it behind them. Christine could see that the sky was turning a pink color. It wouldn't be long before the sun came up. Putting her boot in the stirrup she pulled herself up and onto the saddle and got the reins in her hands.
"You ready?" she asked him.
He neighed and Christine gave him the signal to go and they took off up and around the pond passing Jimmy's house and heading for the trail. After they had rode up the steepness of the mountain they came to the stream and Christine navigated Whiskey across it. She could tell Whiskey really wanted to run so when they got to the straight away of the field she let him take over and in an instant they were flying. She had missed this so much. Being on a horse was one of the most freeing things in life. It was almost like being on a motorcycle she thought just less scary. Images of Jax flooded her mind. Pulling back on the reins she slowed Whiskey down to a trot and turned him around so they could head back. They had gotten at least eight miles away and the sun was peaking up over the trees. All she could think about was Jax now though. Christine felt in her pockets for her phone and realized she had left it back in the house. Getting lost in her thoughts she hadn't noticed how far they had gotten back until they came to the stream. Christine was halfway across when she saw something move out of the corner of her eye off to the right up the hill. Looking up she saw a guy on a horse coming down the trail that led to a few other neighboring farms. Squinting against the sun she saw that it was the man from next door. She lifted her hand in a wave and he waved back. She finished crossing the river and headed the rest of the way home.
On her way back down towards the pond she saw that Jimmy's truck wasn't at his house which meant that he was already down at the barn. Christine hopped off of her horse when she got a little ways from the barn and walked Whiskey back in and over to the wash room and cleaned him off. After putting him back in his stall where all the other horses now were she went and put all Whiskey's stuff back in the tack room and headed for the other end of the barn where the other animals were. She could hear Jimmy in there. There was a hallway that went off down past where the office and storage room were. Opening the door she walked in. Jimmy was feeding the eight milk cows and the four other cows along with the bull.
"Hey" she said.
"Girl, I bet you haven't even unpacked yet and you've already been out on that horse."
With a smile she said "Ah, Uncle Jimmy you know me all too well."
Walking over to the oldest cow they had named Maggie she patted her head and then walked over beside Jimmy.
"You need any help?"
"You look like hell. Go on in there and get some sleep. I can manage and I hired that kid Tyler from over at Johnny's. The one who rides bulls. He needed some extra work while he ain't on the circuit so he's been picking up the slack."
It was like speaking of him had conjured him up because in walked a through and through cowboy. He had on a tight pair of wranglers, a red plaid button up with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a black cowboy hat with a pair of wore in cowboy boots. He had shorter dark brown hair and sky blue eyes. He was muscular but he wasn't massive. She knew he was strong though like guys who worked on farms and rode bulls were. He also had to stand at least six foot five. Christine couldn't get over how attractive he was. Jimmy cleared his throat and Christine snapped her mouth shut which she hadn't notice was open. Jimmy was the first to speak.
"Christine this is Tyler Blackwood, and Tyler this is Christine Lancer. Your boss."
Tyler flashed a big white smile. Christine reached over and stuck out her hand. Tyler took it in his and shook it.
"Howdy miss. It's nice to finally meet the lady in charge I've heard so much about."
Tyler had an accent straight out of Georgia and Christine was melting.
"Well it's nice to meet you too Tyler although I haven't heard anything about you until about a minute and a half ago. You from Georgia?"
"Yeah how'd you know?"
"You got the accent. I'll leave you boys to get this done. I gotta get unpacked and washed up before I take a nap." Turning around to look at Jimmy she said "Oh yeah I saw that foal in there this morning. When did it get here?"
"Fella brought it over from western Tennessee day before yesterday. Just dropped it off so if we can't do nothing with it we'll have to find somewhere for it."
"Now Uncle Jimmy you know we ain't gonna turn that poor horse out. I'll be working with him starting tomorrow."
Tyler snorted a laugh "Why the hell are you worrying about a lost cause like that?"
Christine turned and walked right up until she was standing so close to him she could feel the heat coming off his body and she was seething. There was one thing that really ticked her off and it was when people talked about horses like that. Christine reached up and grabbed the collar of his shirt so fast he didn't have time to react and pulled him down to eye level.
"No horse is a lost cause." She shoved him backwards and he fell on his ass. "If you want to keep your job I suggest you remember that."
Christine didn't wait for a reply and took off back to the house.
Once she got inside she immediately hopped in the shower and washed up. When she got done she walked out in her towel into her bedroom just in time to hear somebody knock on the door. Christine smiled because she knew it was Mary. Hurrying to the door she opened it and the smile left her lips. There stood Tyler the new ranch hand.