Chapter 44.1

'Hey.'

'Hey.' Cindy replied as Jessie climbed up beside her on the corral fence. 'So, how'd whatever you were talking to Scott about go?'

'It was-' She paused for a moment, watching Amy trying to join up again with the client horse. 'Interesting.'

'Oh, tell me about it.'

'Maybe later.' She turned to Amy as the horse joined up with her. 'Good work Amy.'

'Thanks.' Amy smiled as she ran her hand down the gelding's neck. 'This guy is doing better but we've still got some ways to go.'

The girl nodded, Amy sending the gelding out again but this time he was on a lunge line. SHe looked at Cindy. 'You want to go for a ride?'

'Well, I still have my riding clothes on so is that a yes?'

Jessie chuckled, shaking her head. 'I guess so.'

'Brilliant.'

'Mallory!' She waved, spotting her heading towards the house. 'Cindy and I are going for a ride, want to come along?'

'I guess so. My homework can wait.'

'Awesome.' Cindy exclaimed. 'But what horse am I going to be able to ride? If Mallory is coming then what horse can I ride?'

'I thought maybe you'd like to ride on Warrior with me. We wouldn't be going far, just to the clearing maybe and I can show you some tricks with him.'

'Okay, sure. That'll work.'

'Right then, I'll go tack Copper up.' Mallory replied, heading towards the barn. 'Won't be long.'

'I'll go check on Pegasus before we head off.' Jessie slid down off the fence, Cindy right behind her. 'You can go get Warrior ready if you want.'

'I'll come with you, I want to see Pegasus too.' She followed her around to the pen out back that Pegasus had been put in to have some exercise. 'So, Jessie-'

'Cindy-'

'Please! I want to know what you found out.'

She sighed as she opened the gate, waiting for Mallory to come in and then she closed it behind them. 'Your not going to leave it, are you?'

'No.'

'I thought not.' Pegasus walked over to her, nudging her softly with his nose. She gave him a pat on the neck as Cindy stopped beside her to pat him, knowing that she wouldn't drop it unless she gave her something. 'Well, turns out that Scott-' Pegasus went to nibble on her hair and she paused to laugh and push him away. 'Could possibly be my half brother.'

Cindy looked at her in stunned silence, raising her eyebrows. She certainly hadn't been expecting that. 'Woah.'

'Yeah, that was my reaction too.'

'What do you think about that?'

'To be honest, I don't know what I think at the moment. I'm going to try and think about it later once I've digested the fact that I may have a sibling. Right now though, I just want to have a nice ride, clear my head and enjoy what's left of the day with you. I can deal with all that later.'

'Well, I think it's great.'

'You do?'

'Family is important.' Pegasus wandered away from them to his feed bucket again, finishing off the rest of the food they'd given him. 'And Scott is really nice. I like him.'

'I'm glad it's got your tick of approval.' She couldn't help but laugh at her, smiling as she saw Pegasus eating. 'Come on, we'll leave him to eat.' They walked out of his pen and she made sure the gate was secure before they headed towards the barn. She turned serious again as they walked through the door, heading to Warrior's stable. 'Can you please not say anything to anyone here just yet? Jack and Lisa know of course but I don't want anyone else to know, not until we know for sure if we are related.'

'Sure Jess.'

'Thanks Cindy.'

'You guys ready to go yet or what?' Mallory asked as she ducked down underneath Copper's crossties to swap sides. 'I'm ready.'

'I think I invited you Mallory, as I recall.' Jessie teased as she grabbed Warrior's bridle off the rack and headed into his stall. She glanced back over at Mallory who rolled her eyes at her and she chuckled. 'I trust Cindy has been annoying you.'

'Hey!' Cindy protested with a laugh. 'I'm not annoying.'

'She's only been mildly annoying.' Mallory replied then ducked as Cindy threw a handful of straw at her. 'Okay, I take it back.'

'Good.'

Jessie laughed, fastening Warrior's throatlatch then led the stallion out of his stall. 'You want to go bareback Cinds?'

'Sure, if you want to.'

'Well, I'm just feeling lazy today and don't want to struggle with his saddle.' She turned back to Mallory. 'Ready?'

'Yep.' Mallory untied Copper and led him out of the barn after her and Warrior. 'All ready to go.'

'It certainly was quite a shock.' Lisa admitted to Jack, wiping down a plate as he washed up from after dinner. 'I wasn't expecting it.'

'Jessier seems to be coping relatively well with the idea.' He replied, placing another plate on the drying rack for her to wipe over. 'I mean, she's been pretty good about the whole thing today, she's been laughing and mucking around with Cindy and Mallory.'

'I think she's just focusing on Cindy at the moment, she'll probably think about things later. I can understand that too, I mean, learning that you might have a brother after all these years is quite a shock for her. I thought that having Cindy here would have made for a relaxing weekend for Jessie but I think it's been anything but that.'

'I still think it's been good for her to have her here.'

'I'm not denying that, it just didn't turn out the way I had expected it too.' She placed the dry plate on the stack and grabbed another from the drying rack. 'Jessie's had this and Cindy's been struggling with what's been going on with her grandmother-' She sighed. 'Will there ever be a break? I mean, since Jessie's arrived it's been one thing after another.'

'I know what you mean.' Jack chuckled, rinsing the last plate off and placing it aside to work on the utensils. 'But it hasn't been all bad. That flour fight you got into with the girls still makes me laugh.'

Lisa blushed. Yes, she had been quite a sight that day. 'Or the time we had that snowball fight and Jessie and I ganged up on you.'

'Or the fishing trip.'

'And the cattle drive.'

They smiled, silence descending upon them as they were momentarily sidetracked by their thoughts for a moment. 'I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.' Lisa was the one who spoke first. 'I mean, Jessie has helped me more than she'll ever know the last few months. It hasn't always been easy but it's been worth it and I don't regret our decision the least little bit.'

'I couldn't agree with you more, even with her problems. We knew it wasn't going to be easy when we agreed to get guardianship of her.'

'No, we never said it was going to be easy, that's for sure.' She placed the dish cloth on the bench, waiting for Jack to finish rinsing the rest of the utensils. She thought of Jessie taking Cindy out riding so her and Jack could have a chance to get some alone time. It was quite funny, Jessie really was more thoughtful and considerate then most kids her age. She never complained about anything and she was always more than willing to help when she was needed. Now she couldn't even imagine life without her around. 'We're blessed to have her.'

'We are.' Jack emptied the sink, placing the utensils on the drying rack. Lisa went to wipe them up but he stopped her, placing his arms around her. 'I think that's enough for tonight. I can't expect you to come over just to dry dishes.'

'I don't mind-'

'I do.' He interrupted, placing a kiss on her lips. 'How about we grab some coffee and play a game of chess before you go? The girls are upstairs, Lou and Amy are off doing something, we've got the whole place to ourselves.'

Lisa smiled up at him mischievously. 'Jessie was telling me that you've lost three games to her in a row.'

'And I'm never going to live it down.'

'Alright, you're on.' She agreed. 'One game then I'll tuck the girls in and I'll have to go.'

'Good. I'll go grab the coffee and meet you in the living room.'

'I can help-'

'Go on Lis, you've done a lot today, chasing Cindy and Jessie around.'

'Alright, alright.' She placed her hands up in surrender with a laugh. 'I get your point.' She left the kitchen, heading into the living room to set up the chess board while Jack got their coffee. A smile was on her lips as she sat down and grabbed the chess set, Jack must have been watching her playing tag that afternoon with Cindy and Jessie. They'd done some cooking and while they were waiting for it to bake they'd gone outside to have some fun. She could still hear the girls happy laughter in her mind as she placed the chess pieces out on the board. Something so simple as running around playing tag with them had made them so happy. In that moment they could forget everything they were going through and be just kids for once.

'Ready?'

'Yep.' She glanced up as Jack walked in, handing her a mug. 'Thanks.'

'Your welcome.' He sat down across from her, placing his drink on the coffee table. 'Do you want to go first?'

'No, you can.' She offered and he took his move. 'I wonder what the girls are up to.' She remarked as she moved one of her pieces. 'It's been awfully quiet up there.'

'The girl knew she only had one chance to get it right as she lifted up her rifle-'

'And she missed?'

'Cindy.' Jessie laughed again as the spell of her story was interrupted yet another time by her. 'If you keep interrupting you'll never find out what happens.'

'Yeah yeah.' She sighed, hugging her pillow as she and Mallory lay on her bed, listening to her stories. 'I'll stop.'

'May I continue?' Cindy nodded and she started again. 'Where was I? Oh yes.' Cougar purred loudly as her fingers ran through the cat's fur, even her cat seemed to be enjoying the story. 'Carefully she lined up the sights, holding her breath. She had only one chance to make sure that the horse was freed, she couldn't miss. She pulled back the trigger- Bang! The horse leapt free from the trap, galloping off as the men came out to see what had happened. When they got to where the girl had been though, there was no sign of her. She'd disappeared without a trace-' She loved the look of awe and attention on each of their faces, she'd been sceptical when they'd asked her to tell them a story but now even she was enjoying it. 'The end.'

'Can we have another one?' Cindy asked as she flopped down on the bed in front of her. 'Please?'

Jessie chuckled, looking between the two of them. 'Aren't you tired of stories yet? I've already told you three.'

'No.'

'I'm all storied out I'm afraid.'

'Awe.'

'How about we have a game?' Mallory suggested, hopping down off her bed to grab a spare pillow. 'Pillow fight!'

'Yes!' Cindy exclaimed with excitement, jumping up. 'Let's!'

'Ssssh!' Jessie interrupted, hearing the sound of someone walking up the stairs. A devilish smile came across her face as she realised it was Lisa and she motioned towards the door. 'Let's give her a surprise.' The two girls nodded and she picked up a pillow, the three of them positioning themselves on either side of the door.

Lisa grabbed the door handle, pushing the door open and looked inside. She frowned. She'd thought the girls were upstairs but there was no one in there. 'Girls?'

'Boo!' Jessie shrieked with laughter, jumping out from her hiding place and the other two followed suit, playfully hitting Lisa with their pillows. 'Pillow fight!'

'Hey! Hey!' She protested as she tried to get away from them. 'Not fair! I'm unarmed!' The three girls stopped for a moment, letting her catch her breath as they laughed. 'Gees you girls. Always getting up to some kind of mischief. You took ten years off my life!'

'What's going on here?' Jack asked as he came into the room, chuckling as he saw the pillows in the girls hands.

'We ambushed Lisa.' Mallory spoke up with a grin. 'You want to be in on the pillow fight too?'

'No-'

'Awe, come on Jack!' Cindy begged, hitting him lightly with her pillow. 'I'm going home tomorrow, you can recover from it then.'

'Here.' Lisa offered, tossing him a pillow off Jessie's bed. 'You know they'll get you anyway, regardless.'

'Fine, fine.'

'Good.'

The room was filled with the sound of laughter as the girls got into an all out pillow fight, poor Jack stuck in the middle with them and Lisa. Cougar hissed slightly at the noise, stalking off towards the door as he participated for a bit then retreated to watch the girls muck around. Lisa was in on the pillow fight, her eyes sparkling as she and Jessie ganged up on Mallory and Cindy. He smiled, watching her play with the girls. They really brought out a side of Lisa that no one else got to see, a side that she kept hidden to only show around them. In reality, she was probably the biggest kid in the room, laughing like a teenage school girl as Jessie, Cindy and Mallory turned on her.

'Hey, okay, okay!' She covered her head with her arms as the three girls ganged up on her, raining down blow after blow with their pillows. 'That's enough.'

'I'm exhausted.' Jessie exclaimed as she dropped her pillow, flopping back onto her bed. Her arms felt like jelly and her sides ached from laughing so much. 'I'm out.'

Cindy jumped onto the bed beside her, throwing her pillow across the room onto her stretcher. 'Can Mallory sleep in our room tonight?'

'I think you girls will do more playing around then sleeping, what do you think Jack?'

He chuckled, walking back in now that it was safe. 'If Mallory wants to, that's ok.'

'Brilliant.'

'See, I told you he'd say yes.' Mallory replied triumphantly to Cindy. 'I'll go grab my stuff.'

'I think I'm going to sleep well tonight.' Jessie yawned after Mallory had headed back downstairs, placing her pillows back where they belonged. 'I'm exhausted.'

'I should think so, that was quite the pillow fight.' Jack exclaimed as he picked up a couple things that had been misplaced by the girls' fun. 'You enjoyed Cindy coming for the weekend?'

'Is that a question that even needs to be asked?'

Lisa shook her head in amusement. 'Obviously not.'

'I enjoyed my time.' Cindy agreed, climbing onto her bed. 'Thanks for having me over Jack.'

'That's alright Cindy, anytime.' He smiled.

'Can you tell me a story Lisa?'

'I was hoping you'd forget that promise.' She chuckled, turning back to Jessie. 'Come on, snuggle down under your blankets. This one wants a story.' The girl obliged with a smile, pulling the covers up under her chin and she took a seat on her bed. 'Once upon a time-'

Jack smiled, watching on as Lisa began to tell the girls a story. Mallory slipped past, making herself a bed on the floor near Cindy's cot then settled down to listen to Lisa's story. It was really cute to watch her with them, they had her wrapped around their finger, especially Jessie.

Lisa finished her story, giving Jessie and Cindy a kiss as she tucked them in and gave Mallory a hug then headed back towards the door. 'Sleep well girls, we've got a busy day of shopping tomorrow Jessie and Cindy.'

'Yes Lisa.'

'Night Lisa.'

'I'll make sure that Cindy and Jessie don't talk all night.' Mallory exclaimed, settling down to sleep.

'Just make sure you don't keep them up talking all night.' Jack cautioned, knowing full well what Mallory was like. 'If I hear a peep from up here your back to your room and Cindy's out in the living room.'

She rolled her eyes. 'Yes Jack. Night.'

Lisa turned the light off, closing the door behind her then they headed downstairs. 'Would you really send her back to her room?'

'No.' He chuckled. 'But she doesn't know that. Jessie needs her rest though.'

'Yeah, I know.'

'What Lisa?'

Lisa sighed, turning to him as they walked into the kitchen. 'I'm just worried about her Jack, even though she's laughing and playing you can still see she's hurting and upset. She tries to hide how she's feeling underneath that smile-'

'She'll be okay Lis.' He touched her cheek gently. 'She's been through worse before but she has us now.'

'I just hope she can catch a break soon.'

'I know, I hope she can too.' Jack agreed. 'But for just a bit she was able to forget everything and be a kid. She loved playing tag with you today, she loved that pillow fight. She had fun and you know why? Because she was playing with people that love her and that she loves. Being with people that you love is the best thing a person can have and regardless of what happens she knows that we are here for her and always will be.' He touched her cheek gently again then rested his hand on her shoulder. There was something else going on with Lisa that he could see yet she wasn't telling him. Maybe it was about Jessie, maybe it wasn't. 'And that doesn't go for just Jessie. You know I'll always be here for you Lis. We're in this together.'