Weekend Fun
"Now Barney you remember what we talked about? These girls aren't a threat, they've come to spend time here with us while Troy and Zeus are at work, you remember when they came yesterday? You loved playing with Zeus in the end, so no barking okay, let's not scare them off before they've even made it inside the house." Barney tilted his head from side to side seemingly thinking over what Gabriella had said before wandering off to play in the flower beds.
"I don't think he was listening to a single word I said Luna," she told her other dog as they both sat on the front porch steps waiting for their young charges to arrive.
Troy had called her from work earlier in the day to say that while Summer and Amelia were now looking forward to meeting her and seeing The Ranch, Maddie was still being stubborn and he apologised in advance for any attitude she might give. The plan for the girls to get from school to The Ranch was that they would all stay on their buses for an extra stop and then meet up and walk from the corner of the street up to The Ranch which was at the very end of the row of houses.
It was exactly three o'clock when the three girls arrived through the front gate, each with very different emotions on their faces. Amelia looked excited, Summer looked nervous and Maddie looked like she'd rather be any where else but here but it was clear they were sisters; all with straight mousey brown hair and bright green eyes.
"Hi girls," she greeted them with a smile as she got up and made her way towards them, one dog on either side of her, apparently Barney had been listening when she'd spoken to him earlier. "I'm Gabriella but you can call me Gabi or any variation of Gabriella you can think of to be honest...Welcome to The Ranch."
"I'm Amelia." The little girl stepped forward and offered her hand for Gabriella to shake.
"Hi Amelia, it's lovely to meet you, did you have a good day at school?"
"Yep, in my free time this afternoon I drew Uncle Troy a picture."
"That's a very nice thing for you to have done, you can give it to him when he picks you up tonight, I'm sure it'll make him smile. Summer, Maddie, how were your days?" Gabriella turned her attention to the older girls, Maddie was looking intently at her phone but Summer had gained the attention of Luna and so was down at her level giving out tickles.
"My day was good, I got an A in my science test I took on Tuesday." Summer answered quietly as she continued to give Luna attention.
"That's amazing, nice job Summer. Maddie? Can I at least get some kind of greeting?" If the teenager was going to give her sass, Gabriella was more than happy to give it back.
"Hi." Gabriella shook her head as Maddie barely lifted her eyes from her phone to greet her.
"Thank you, much appreciated...now how about we head inside and I'll give you the grand tour and you can get settled in."
TGTGTGTG
Stepping into the house you couldn't help but feel welcome, it had a really homely feel to it, Gabriella clearly put a lot of effort into making her home inviting to anyone who stepped inside.
On the right side of the hallway was a big wooden stair case, Gabriella said they didn't need to go up there today but did tell them that when they were here overnight there were enough bedrooms for them to have one each.
On the opposite side of the hallway was the living room, there was a massive television in one corner and a huge corner sofa along the wall opposite, it looked perfect for cosy movie nights. One side of the huge brown sofa wasn't against a wall and Gabriella was quick to tell the girls that jumping over the back of it was not permitted although they were all allowed to each do that once, she understood it was too tempting for them to try it without her there if not.
Out of the living room and giggling from their chance at sofa jumping the girls arrived in the open plan kitchen/dining/activities area. Maddie was still to utter a full sentence but her phone had been put into her pocket after her forced participation in the sofa jumping by her sisters and it had yet to be pulled back out; something Gabriella considered progress.
"So down that hall way is a toilet, a pantry style supplies cupboard and also my utilities room. When your here feel free to help yourselves to food or drink, I've got a big double fridge freezer for a reason, there's always plenty to choose from. Maddie you're old enough to cut and cook things by yourself if you so wish but Summer and Amelia I need you to come and get me if you want to do either of those things. I'm not saying you aren't capable," she said looking more at Summer than Amelia. "But just while you're getting used to how things work and how sharp things are come and get me so I can at least be here in case you need help."
"Any questions so far?"
"What's over there?" Amelia's eyes had been drawn to the colourful area opposite the kitchen and the memory of her Uncle mentioning something about arts and crafts.
"That's the activities area, I've got pretty much every arts and crafts supply you could need and if I haven't I'm sure I could get hold of it for you. The only rule over there is that once you pull something out and start using it you put it away before moving onto something else and if you make a mess you clean it up. Now is an after school snack something you guys usually do?" The three sisters all nodded and so Gabriella motioned back over to the kitchen. "There's a fruit bowl on the island there with apples, bananas and oranges in. In the fridge there's a variety of berries and grapes and in the pantry there's various dried fruits and cereal bars, take your pick...if you can keep it healthy for now then we can probably find something a bit more naughty for dessert later." Five minutes later and the girls all sat around the table with their snacks; Maddie had an apple, Summer had some strawberries and grapes and Amelia had a banana and raisins, all three girls had opted to finish the drink they'd had with them at school but had been shown were the glasses and choices of drinks were when they were ready for them.
"I've got to head back outside and sort things out in the stables for the horses before it's time for dinner but you girls make yourselves at home, feel free to come outside and play or stay inside and find something to do in here. I don't usually allow the telly to go on before dinner but it is Friday and it's your guys first day here so I'm willing to make an exception for today. Any questions before I leave you guys to settle in?"
"What's the Wi-Fi password?...I've got homework to do." Maddie knew she wasn't exactly being pleasant to Gabriella and knowing her Uncle would likely ask about her attitude she took a deep breath and rephrased her sentence. "Sorry...I didn't mean to sound rude, please can I have the Wi-Fi password? I really do have homework to do and I need to access the online school portal to do it." Gabriella smiled at the teenager as she pointed to a small table in the hallway.
"The router is on that table over there, the password is next to it, did you need access to the computer or printer at all?"
"No thank you, I've got my laptop with me and everything I need to do is online."
"Okay well that sounds like you'll be busy for a while, Summer you're quite quiet? Are you okay?" Gabriella was quickly sussing out the girls personalities and Summer was most definitely the quietest.
"I'm okay thank you...what will be for dinner?"
"Well usually around five half five-ish I round up everyone who's here and between us we decide what to have but because it's Friday that means it's pizza day and so I've already got some dough made and I figured we could all make our own pizzas for dinner, something fun for your first meal here, does that sound good to you all?" Receiving eager nods in return she pushed up out of her seat and made her way over to the back door. "I'll head out to the stables now and leave you girls to it, if you need anything just shout and in the mean time remember to make yourselves at home."
TGTGTGTG
Climbing out of his car at seven thirty that evening Troy was met with the full force of his youngest niece as she barrelled into him for a hug.
"Hello to you too Amelia, how's your day been?" Amelia giggled as Troy swung her up onto his back and carried her over to the front porch where the others were waiting for them on the swing seat.
"It was really good, at school I drew you a picture, it's of Zeus, see!" Troy put Amelia down next to her backpack where her picture was sat waiting for him to see.
"That's a great drawing 'Lia, thank you. How about you girls? How were your days?" Troy looked over to the swing seat where Gabriella sat sandwiched between Maddie and Summer.
"It was okay, nothing special." Maddie answered as she got up and made her way over to Troy's car where Zeus sat with his head hanging out of one of the back windows. Troy shock his head at her as she went, he wasn't surprised at her attitude; just hopeful that it wasn't the one she'd used towards Gabriella all afternoon.
"Summer, how about you? You seem to have made yourself a new friend at least." Summer smiled up at her Uncle as she continued to give Luna scratches behind the ear.
"She kinda chose me when we first arrived and I'm pretty okay with that."
"I think it's because you're so calm." Gabriella told the young girl next to her. "Luna is quite a calm dog and I think she could just sense that in you...that and maybe she knew you'd give out good scratches and cuddles. Tell your Uncle Troy what happened at school today."
"Oh yeah, I got an A on my science test I took on Tuesday."
"Sum that's amazing, nice work, I'm really proud of you. Maddie can you come back over here please, we need to talk about how you're all going to get here tomorrow." Reluctantly Maddie got out from her place in the passenger seat of the car and came back over to sit on the swing seat, pulling Amelia into her lap as she did.
"So you all know I start work at seven again tomorrow and I was thinking today how early you guys would have to get up on a Saturday if I was to bring you before I start, how does five thirty suit you all?" All three girls started to protest but Troy brought his hand up to stop them. "So I came to the conclusion that I couldn't be so mean as to make you get up so early on a weekend and so I've come up with a plan but it requires myself and Gabi to trust you guys big time, can we do that?" He received three nods and so he continued. "I'm thinking I could trust you girls to get up and sorted and walk yourselves here by ten o'clock, does that sound reasonable?"
"We'd have to get up about eight thirty, which isn't great but it's a whole lot more manageable then five thirty, you can trust us Uncle Troy, I promise." Maddie knew that a lot of the responsibility for them getting here by ten would be down to her and she wanted Troy to know that she was completely on board with his plan.
"I'm going to give you Gabi's number and her yours, you are to text her as you leave the house so she knows you'll be here roughly half an hour after that, if you are as much as a second late Maddie the trust will be gone and it'll be a five thirty start on Sunday, understood?" The teenager nodded and so phone numbers were quickly swapped and the girls gathered their belongings and started heading towards the car, Troy meanwhile turned his attention to their host. "So be honest with me, how bad was Maddie's attitude?"
"Honestly? She pretty much gave me the silent treatment to begin with along with a bit of sass but overall she really wasn't that bad, no one cried so I'd say their first day here was a success. I may have told them they could have a go at horse riding tomorrow, I hope that's okay?"
"Of course it is, the younger two will love that, do they need to bring anything special with them?"
"Just some spare clothes that it doesn't matter if they get dirty, I've got everything else they'll need. Do you really think they'll get themselves here by ten? I can always swing by and pick them up." The pair had been texting on and off throughout the day, trying to figure out a plan that would keep everyone happy. Troy hadn't been sure about leaving the girls on their own and trusting them to get up on time to get to The Ranch but as Gabriella and some of his colleagues had pointed out they'd be asleep for most of that time anyway and Maddie got up to her own alarm for school every day, it was at least worth giving it a try.
"No, you've got enough to get on with here in the morning as it is, I think they'll get here just fine, the idea of getting up at five thirty on Sunday is enough to motivate them to do it, plus they need to start being independent again and this seems like the right place to start."
"So long as you're sure, hey girls?!" Gabriella called over to the car, making them all stick their heads out of the open windows to look at her. "Get here on time tomorrow and there's a yummy breakfast in it for you." The smiles on the girls faces confirmed to Troy that giving this a try was the right thing to do.
"Alright ladies, let's get ourselves home" Troy said as he climbed into the drivers seat and started the engine. "Some of us have work tomorrow, say thank you and goodbye to Gabriella."
"Bye Gabi, thank you."
"Thanks Gabi, see you tomorrow."
"Bye Gabi, thank you for the yummy pizza."
"Wait a second, you guys had pizza?" Gabriella chuckled at Troy as he put the car into gear and headed towards the gate, she could hear the girls laughter as they gave him more detail about their dinner, all three of them intentionally trying to make him more jealous.
TGTGTGTG
Gabriella wasn't really a morning person, saying that she wasn't exactly a night owl either but since moving permanently to Albuquerque and taking over the running of The Ranch early mornings had quickly become part of her routine. Getting all of the animals fed and out into their fields for the day could be a lengthy process; depending on their willingness to co-operate with her. Today they'd all been fairly wiling and she was back in the house just after nine, giving her time to clean herself up and prepare the various ingredients required for the yummy breakfast she'd promised the girls. She'd received a text from Maddie just before nine thirty and sure enough as she stepped out onto the front porch at nine fifty eight the girls were walking through the front gate, all still looking slightly sleepy but they were here and not only were they here but technically they were early.
"Good morning ladies." She greeted them with a smile as Barney and Luna ran past her to greet the girls themselves, Luna settling herself straight at Summer's side.
"Morning."
"Good morning."
"Morning Gabi, how are you today?"
"I'm good thank you Amelia, I've got breakfast all set up and ready to go inside, how do you feel about pancakes?" She received smiles in response and so they all headed inside and it was then that Gabriella noticed exactly what Amelia was wearing. "Is that a bunny onesie?" The little girl nodded with a giggle and wiggled her bottom at them, causing her bunny tail to shake.
"She didn't want to get dressed," Maddie supplied. "So I told her she could wear that and then she's got her spare clothes for the horse riding in her bag and when they get dirty she can just change back into a bunny."
"Sounds pretty logical to me...now do you want to text your Uncle telling him your here or should I?"
"You do it, he'll believe you." Gabriella let out a small laugh but realised that Maddison was very right and so sent off a quick text to Troy before heading through to the kitchen to give the girls a yummy start to their day.
They're here, in fact they were early, see you tonight.
TGTGTGTG
"I'm stuffed!" Amelia announced loudly as she pushed her plate away from her and then slumped back into her chair.
Breakfast had consisted of chocolate chip pancakes, fruit and various fruit juices and the girls were all a lot more awake than they had been when they'd first arrived. During breakfast Amelia had started a game of twenty questions, in a bid to know her host better and in return Gabriella now knew the girls favourite colours, school subjects and animals; amongst other things.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it young lady, now plans for today. I need to go and clean out the stables ready for when the horses go back in tonight, would you girls be able to tidy away the breakfast things between you? All you need to do is rinse off the plates and put those and the glasses in the dishwasher and then the fruit just needs to go back in the fridge, is that okay?"
"That's fine Gabi, we can manage that." Maddie answered as she got up and set about the task at hand.
"Perfect, when that's done you're free to do what you like really."
"When can we ride the horses?" Amelia asked clearly very excited about the activity ahead.
"Well it takes me about two hours to clean out the stables but if I was to get some help it would be much quicker and then we could start riding, so maybe once you've tidied up breakfast you can get changed and come and join me?" Amelia and Summer nodded with smiles as they started to help their big sister tidy up.
"I'm gonna pass on the horse riding." Maddie said looking at Gabriella from the sink. "I've got more homework to do."
"That's okay, just try not to let it consume your whole day, it is the weekend after all."
"I know, I won't, it's just finishing a few bits off to be honest."
"Awesome, in that case does anyone have any last questions?"
"I do, I do." Amelia answered as she jumped up and down with her hand in the air. "What's your full name?"
"Amelia!" Summer said with a laugh. "I think Gabi meant to do with the plans for the day."
"Oh..."
"It's okay Amelia, my full name is Gabriella Anne Montez. What's yours?" She asked looking round at all three girls.
"Amelia Mae Thompson."
"Summer Louise Thompson."
"Maddison Lucille Thompson, my middle name is the same as Mum's, it was her Mum's name." Gabriella smiled at the older girl, so far today she was being a lot more open with her answers to things.
"Uncle Troy's last name is Bolton, isn't it?"
"Yeah, Mum's was too before she married Dad."
"Well now that we know each others names I am going to get on with mucking out those stables...Maddie if you need any help give me a shout, Summer and Amelia I'll see you outside in a little while."
TGTGTGTG
Three hours later and Gabriella led a smiling Amelia around the arena on one of her most trusted horses, Skye. Summer and Amelia had indeed come out to help with the cleaning out of the stables, this in turn allowed the fun of horse riding to start a lot sooner. Gabriella had gotten them sorted with riding boots, hats and vests and had then taught the girls how to get Skye kitted up and ready to be ridden.
"You're doing so well Amelia, I'm super impressed by how quickly you've picked it up." She brought Skye to a stop next to the fence where Summer stood waiting and high fived Amelia when she successfully managed to dismount Skye on her own. "Alright Summer, your turn; climb up the steps, put your left foot in the stirrup and swing your right leg over." Summer took a deep breath but did as she was told and soon found herself safely on top of Skye. "Nice job, now let's just adjust these stirrups to your height and then we're good to go." Skye stood still as Gabriella adjusted the stirrups and got Summer comfy and soon enough they were back to walking around the arena, Skye didn't mind though, she knew there'd likely be some treats in it for her for being so well behaved.
"Looking good Sum." Came Maddie's voice five minutes later as she arrived next to Amelia outside of the arena; Summer simply smiled at her sister as she concentrated on sitting up straight and holding onto the reins correctly.
"They're both absolute pros Maddie, I'm super impressed with how easily they've taken to it. Are you sure you don't want a go?" Gabriella chuckled as Maddie vigorously shook her head. "Okay then, I won't force you but the offer's always there if you change your mind." It was at that moment that Barney started to bark and took off in a run towards the gate, indicating that they were no longer alone.
"Only me," came the voice that they all recognised as that of Sharpay Evans. Gabriella had been friends with Sharpay for almost four years after being introduced to each other by Taylor, not long after she'd first arrived in Albuquerque. Sharpay and her fiancé Zeke, along with Chad and Taylor had all been friends with Troy for most of their school careers, their friendship now lasting over twenty years. The Bolton family had always been famous for their BBQ's and this was how the three Thompson girls became familiar with their Uncle's friends, something Troy had become eternally grateful for when it came to them needing somewhere to go on his initial part time return to work.
"Hey Shar, we weren't expecting to see you today." Gabriella greeted her friend as she brought Skye to a stop and Summer climbed down.
"Yeah well, I only had morning appointments booked in at the salon so I thought I'd come and make sure these three weren't causing you too much trouble like their Uncle has been worried they would." The three Thompson girls automatically smiled; in that moment looking like complete angels.
"When you say you only had morning appointments what you actually mean is you went in for long enough to say you'd shown your face and then left your girls to it, am I right?" Gabriella laughed as Sharpay simply shrugged, owning a business had to have some perks.
"Shut it Montez, I work very hard thank you very much." Gabriella stuck her tongue out at Sharpay as she helped Amelia get herself adjusted to being back on Skye. "Seriously though, these three aren't causing too much trouble are they?"
"What's she means Gabi is 'Maddie hasn't given you too much sass has she?'" Maddie spoke up looking between Sharpay and Gabriella as she did.
"The girls have all been very well behaved thank you Shar, Maddie has been inside doing homework and these two helped me muck out the stables in return for starting to ride sooner. Why don't you get some pictures of the girls riding Maddie that you can send to your Uncle and then we can take Skye into her stable for a rest and we can all go inside for some lunch."
Sharpay watched as Maddie took pictures of each of her sisters on Skye and then laughed as the teenager warily stood next to the horse so Gabriella could take a picture of all three of them together. Over the last few months the blonde had watched as the three young girls in front of her tried to rebuild their lives without their Mum. With their Uncle by their sides they'd slowly started to venture out into the world again but always with him by their side or never more than a phone call away. This weekend with Gabriella was a big deal for the Thompson sisters and even though they didn't know it yet, the woman who was helping them learn to trust the world again was all to familiar with how it felt to do just that.
TGTGTGTG
"Hello." Troy called as he let himself and Zeus through the colourful gate at The Ranch. As soon as he'd stepped out of his car that evening he could hear laughter coming from round the back of the house and so had let Zeus out of the car before leading them in that direction.
"Uncle Troy!" As usual it was Amelia who ran over to great him and so he picked her up and swung her around, earning him her infectious giggle in return.
"You guys sound like you're having fun, what's going on?"
"Me and Summer were trying to play catch but Barney kept stealing the ball." Troy looked over to where Amelia was pointing and found Zeus now wrestling with Barney for possession of said ball.
"Sounds like you've had a good day and you guys looked like total pros on the horse earlier, thank you for sending me pictures. How about you Mads, good day?"
"Yeah, I finished all of my homework and we had spaghetti and meatballs for dinner so I'm pretty happy to be honest."
"Good, I'm glad." Troy answered with a smile. "Thank you for getting here on time this morning, I really appreciate it." Maddie simply smiled in response and then started to laugh at Amelia who was pulling insistently on Troy's hand.
"Come and see Skye Uncle Troy, that's the horse we rode. Please can I show him Gabi?" The little girl looked over to the brunette who was sat on the back porch steps next to her biggest sister.
"You can show him but remember that Uncle Troy has been at work all day and has to get up early again for it tomorrow, maybe you should at least ask him if he wants to see her, what if he just wants to get you guys home so he can eat and sleep." Amelia stopped her pulling at Troy's hand and considered what Gabriella had just said.
"Uncle Troy? Would you like to meet Skye?" The little girl looked up at him with her big green eyes and he knew that despite what Gabriella had said being somewhat true, he couldn't deny any of his nieces when they used those eyes on him.
"I would love to 'Lia, five minutes won't hurt. You coming too Summer? You rode her as well." Maddie and Gabriella watched as Summer took Troy's offered hand and the three of them headed towards the stables. Suddenly Troy stopped and turned to his left to properly look at his youngest niece. "Wait, why on earth are you dressed as a bunny?!"
TGTGTGTG
Sunday evening saw Troy following the same path as the day before, only this time as he let himself and Zeus through the gate he could hear a lot more voices than yesterday and from the cars he'd seen out front he wasn't surprised to see that not only the girls and Gabriella were here but Sharpay and Zeke too, along with Chad and Taylor and their twins; Abigail and Aiden.
"What's all this then?" He asked, making himself known. "Having a party without me?" He smiled as Amelia came over for a hug and today he returned it without picking her up, after three long days at work, he was sore and tired and looking forward to a couple of days off.
"Hoops!" Chad greeted Troy with his high school nickname. "How was work?"
"Long," Troy answered as he took a seat on the porch steps. "But thankfully rather uneventful. You okay there Gabi? You look confused?"
"Hoops?" She questioned having picked up on Chad's nickname for Troy.
"These three played basketball back in school, Bolton over here was team captain in Junior and Senior year and not just because his Dad was coach." Sharpay filled in for her friend, the nickname now making sense to Gabriella. "He still holds the record for highest points scored in a season doesn't he?"
"Yep," Maddie answered. "Your jersey is still on display in the gym as well." Troy shook his head and pulled Abigail into his lap as she came over to give him a sloppy kiss on the cheek.
"When the season starts up again you'll have to bring your Uncle to a game Maddie, I'm sure he'd love the attention." Chad was now East High's head coach and often used Troy's record as an incentive for the current team. Troy was aware that this made him somewhat of an idol to not only the boys on the team but a good proportion of the student body too.
"If I ever go back to a ball game at East it will only be if you give me some kind of security, I don't fancy getting mobbed by a bunch of teenagers." Everyone laughed at Troy while he simply cuddled Abigail closer; she wasn't laughing at him.
"Alright girls," Gabriella spoke up as the laughter died down. "I think you should gather your things together so you guys can head home before your Uncle falls asleep on my back porch." The girls did as they were told while Troy handed Abigail off to her Mum and allowed Zeke to pull him to his feet.
"Thank you for having us Gabi, dinner was really nice." Maddie didn't go as far to hug her host but she did offer her a genuine smile.
"You're welcome Maddie, thank you for not giving me total sass all weekend." Maddie ducked her head to avoid Troy's gaze as she made her way past him towards the gate. "Summer, thank you for being Luna's cuddle giver all weekend, she's going to be so excited when she realises you're coming back on Tuesday." Summer thanked and hugged Gabriella before heading off to give Luna her last scratches for a couple of days.
The girls would be coming back to The Ranch on Tuesday to stay for three nights and although Troy knew they were all very apprehensive about spending that long away from home and him, he had faced no resistance when he'd told them the plan the previous evening.
"Thank you for letting me ride Skye Gabi and for all the yummy food, I can't wait to come back on Tuesday." Amelia wrapped herself round Gabriella in a hug and the other adults couldn't help but smile at the interaction.
"Don't know what you were so worried about dude, the girls were always going to fall in love with this place." Zeke was right, Troy hadn't needed to be so worried. Maddie was still being slightly, well Maddie but she had softened a lot and he knew that as long as her sisters were happy ultimately she would be too. But Troy was very aware that it wasn't just the place that was putting the smiles on his nieces faces it was also the person because while it was clear that she was completely oblivious to the fact, it was obvious to everyone around her that Gabriella Montez was a very special person and Troy was increasingly thankful that she had come into their lives.
TGTGTGTG
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