So I had an idea for a story that fits into this universe that I've been hinting at in a few fics, but I couldn't find a song for it. So, I created an extension fic, called Kidnapped and the first 3 chapters are posted. It takes place within this universe, but without the music. Let me know how you like it!
And now we shall find out how Keith ended up on a ranch in Montana...
As always, I like feedback. It makes me happy. It makes me want to write more, or at least get my ideas out if I've been sitting on them too long trying to make the square peg fit in the round hole...
Still own nothing.
I don't know why I act the way I do,
Like I ain't got a single thing to lose.
Sometimes I'm my own worst enemy;
I guess that's just the cowboy in me.
I got a life that most would love to have,
But sometimes I still wake up fightin' mad
At where this road I'm heading down might lead;
I guess that's just the cowboy in me.
The urge to run, the restlessness,
The heart of stone I sometimes get;
The things I've done for foolish pride;
To me, that's never satisfied
The face that's in the mirror when I don't like what I see;
I guess that's just the cowboy in me.
It all started with a horseback riding lesson on vacation when the twins were 7. Monroe and Rosalee had decided that the kids were old enough to attempt a cross-country road trip to see Monroe's parents, and they stopped at a ranch in Wyoming for a few days. The twins begged for a horseback riding lesson, which Sophia refused because she was deathly afraid of horses. Monroe instead took his eldest fishing while Rosalee, Keith, and Kelly had a lesson. The horses were very skittish around Rosalee, but soon she sat stiffly in a saddle holding on for dear life, wondering if Sophia was onto something. Kelly wasn't faring much better, almost getting stepped on by the horse she was trying to mount, a mare named Cookie. Keith, on the other hand, was seated neatly and comfortably astride a large stallion named Davy like it was the most natural thing in the world. He even dismounted and offered to ride Cookie. As soon as Kelly attempted to mount Davy, he bolted, while Keith was now once again seated on a saddle as if he had been there since birth. Eventually Kelly was saddled up on Cookie, but the mare refused to follow any commands. Davy seemed to almost instinctively know what Keith wanted him to do. The instructor, a kind, blonde teenage girl named Emma, assured Rosalee that some people just communicate better with horses. Rosalee didn't think she had ever seen her son as confident as he was on that horse.
The urge to run, the restlessness,
The heart of stone I sometimes get;
The things I've done for foolish pride;
To me, that's never satisfied
The face that's in the mirror when I don't like what I see;
I guess that's just the cowboy in me.
From then on, it was an obsession. Keith was signed up for riding lessons as soon as they got home, and, as they say, never looked back. When the twins earned their driver's licenses, Monroe asked what kind of cars they wanted. He bought Sophia a brand new VW Bug when she got her license, so it was only fair; Keith asked if he could have a horse instead. The twins and their father had a very intense weekend of negotiations, researching, and comparing costs, resulting in the promise of a new Prius for Kelly (plus a new amp for her guitar), and a used Jeep and a horse (plus the funds to keep it at a stable for a few years) for Keith. Neither twin felt slighted by the deal. Father and son researched together to find the right stable, and then set out to find a horse. Keith said he found the love of his life in an Appaloosa mare called Pepper, a stock horse, and soon he learned the tricks and skills that would lead him to the ranch in Montana... and to Ashton.
Girl, I know there's times you must have thought
There ain't a line you've drawn I haven't crossed;
But you set your mind to see this love on through…
I guess that's just the cowboy in you.
We ride and never worry about the fall;
I guess that's just the cowboy in us all.
Song: The Cowboy in Me by Tim McGraw. From the album Set This Circus Down, copyright 2001, Curb Records.
