Mine
Chapter Two "Getting To Know You"
Disclaimer: I own only my made up characters!
Wednesday, September 21st, 7am.
Molly POV
I picked up my phone as beeped, telling me to wake up. I groaned but jumped out of bed and got dressed. I had to still bathe Honor, then dry her off, groom her, and clean my tack then come back to our RV and take a shower and dress in my competition clothes. It was going to be a busy day.
I threw on an old pair of jeans and t-shirt since I would be getting dirty anyway. I noticed as I walked out the door that my father was already gone since his competition would be before mine.
Walking into the barn, I could see there weren't many barrel racers in there, it was mainly ropers and bronc riders. All the smart barrel racers had probably bathed their horses last night and only had to groom them. Those smart people got to stay in bed later. I sighed as I pulled Honor out of her stall, she didn't honestly look that dirty except for her white stockings but still I wanted her to look her best in the competition. I took her to a wash stall and hooked her up.
It only took twenty minutes and a very soaked me but Honor was good and clean. Now was time to walk her out so she could dry off. I had only started walking her when Kit appeared beside me.
"Up and at 'em early, aren't you?" Kit asked with a smile.
I smiled back. "Well, I was lazy last night and didn't bathe Honor and I have so much to do today...so had to get up this early..."
"Oh, I understand." Kit said with a chuckle.
"What are you doing out here so early?" I inquired.
Kit shrugged. "Never been much of a sleep-in kind of person. Grew up on a ranch where you got up at five and worked all day. So I couldn't sit around in the room, thought I'd come here."
I nodded. "Guess you're used to it then..." I looked around hoping my father wouldn't see us. Kit smiled knowingly.
"If you're looking out for your father, you don't have to be worried. He's in the kitchen having breakfast with some of the other guys." I gaped at him in surprise. How did he know? "Jason may have warned me that your father is not happy with you talking to guys."
Of course Jason did. Jason knew about my father's crazy protectiveness and thought it was ridiculous, he knew I could handle myself with all the guys. And it's not like I was just going to jump into bed with the first guy who paid me some attention. I wanted to wait until marriage for that special man.
"Molly?" Kit's voice pulled me out of my thoughts and I smiled sheepishly.
"Sorry, just thinking about stuff. I get lost in my thoughts a lot." I apologized.
"No need to apologize. I do it all the time." Kit reached out and gave Honor a pat. "Beautiful horse by the way and so well trained."
"Thanks, we bought her a few years ago from a man in Wyoming when we were there for a rodeo when I was fourteen. She was an up and coming three-year-old, she had speed and was well behaved already. It was love at first sight." I rubbed Honor's neck. "We bonded right away and have been a great team ever since."
"I remember my first horse. Old quarter horse cross my dad used to ride. Was the most stubborn, hot-headed animal I think I've ever rode. Was like riding a bronc every damn day, but I loved that horse. Jones was his name, he died when I was nineteen." Kit shook his head, probably at some memory. "Think it was the saddest day of my life."
"You always have that one horse that you'll never forget." I smiled at him. Kit nodded in agreement. "My first horse I ever rode was a horse my dad used to have. Yankee was an old Arabian gelding; he was so sweet with me and was the best babysitter for a young child. Really, I've been on a horse since before I could walk." I kicked at the gravel as we walked along. I didn't say anything about my mother, she was a sore spot and a stranger to me. My dad never wanted to talk about her, so I didn't ask. Doesn't mean I wasn't curious.
"I know I asked you yesterday, but I mean do you think you'll ever want to settle down once you finish college? Try to get a 'regular job'?" Kit asked. I shrugged.
"I guess I kind of do want to. I know when I have kids, I want them to have a stable, consistent home. I didn't love the on the road life so I don't want it for my kids. I want my own house and someone who is home with me. I refuse to date anyone who is still traveling in the rodeo when I get to that stage where I want to settle down. If someone isn't ready to settle down with me, then they're not for me. I want a big family too; I hate being an only child."
"That's very good you know what you want when you're so young." Kit smiled at me. I smiled back.
"What about you?" I was truly curious. I wanted to know more about Kit Ely. Did he ever want to settle down?
"Well, I guess when I was younger, I always dreamed I'd either take over my parent's farm or have my own, find a girl, settle down, have a couple of kids, that kind of thing. But then rodeo took over. I guess I still want that future but it'd have to be a really special girl to make me settle down within the next ten years. I can agree with the big family thing because I'm the oldest of seven boys. It was great having all those brothers."
"Wow, seven boys. Your mother must of have her hands full. That poor woman." I teased him. He grinned.
"Oh, we put her some through hell, we still do. That's the way us men are. But I make sure every Mother's Day, I go all out for her. We all do, to show her our appreciation." Point one for Kit. A man who loved his mother could clearly treat a woman good. First rule.
"Well, that's good. I'm sure she loves it. I know it wasn't easy for my dad raising me all by myself and especially once I became a teenager. He didn't know what to do." I laughed. "I've never really acted out or anything. He's just so worried because in his words "You're such a beautiful young women and men are dogs. Especially rodeo men, trust me, I was one of them.""
Kit chuckled. "Well, he's got it partly right. You are a beautiful young woman and there are many men out there that are dogs, some in rodeo. But we're all not so bad."
I bit my lip. "I don't think that. Jason is really nice and I've met some really great guys over the years on the road. That's the one good thing about being on the road. You meet so many different people."
"Yeah, you definitely meet some interesting ones." Kit looked around and I swear I heard him curse. "I guess I should get going, your father is coming out. I better leave before you get in trouble. It was good talking to you Molly."
"You too." I said watching him as he walked away. I liked him. Oh man, did I like him. Of course, there was nothing I could do about it. Not with my father around. Sighing I turned as he called my name. "Hey Dad."
"Honor looks good today, Sweetheart." I smiled at him as he kissed my cheek.
"She should since it took so long to bathe her." I replied, giving my horse a look. My dad laughed and led me towards the barn, talking about the competition. I wasn't even paying attention to him, my mind set on Kit. What was I getting myself into?
…...
I smiled as I entered the barn with my dad later that night after the competition was over. I had placed won in barrel racing and I was on cloud nine. I had been up against a lot of great riders. After my competition, I watched Jason ride with Lynn. Jason placed second in bronc riding...to Kit Ely. I was torn about who to cheer for. Silently I cheered for Kit. Lynn had begged my dad to let Jason and her take me out to celebrate with them. I couldn't believe it but my dad said yes. I was so excited to go out with them, we were going to dinner and possibly a movie. We weren't sure yet. I was just so happy to get out of our RV, away from Dad for a little bit. To be normal.
"You be good for Jason and Lynn tonight. They're being real nice including you in their celebration." Dad said as we checked the horses.
"I will Dad. I'm always good." I patted Honor's neck. She had done so good today as always. Dad was going to play a little poker with some friends while I went out. I know he was happy to have a little time to himself too and catch up with friends he didn't always see. "Do you think I look okay?"
Dad looked down at my outfit. I wore a nicely fitting pair of blue jeans, a v neck light purple shirt and my boots as always, my jeans tucked over them. My hair was French braided thanks to Lynn, I had even put on a little makeup. It felt nice. "You look beautiful as always. You remind me so much of your grandmother, you look just like her when she was young." Dad was talking about his mother. She had died a few years ago after having a stroke. I squeezed Dad, knowing he still grieved over her. I saw Jason and Lynn waiting by our RV talking to one another. "Be careful while you're out. Stay with Lynn and Jason."
"I will. See you later Dad!" I waved as I walked up to Jason and Lynn. "Let's go lovebirds!"
They both rolled their eyes at me but we headed towards Lynn's car. "So where are we going if you don't mind me asking." I said as we got into the car.
"We're thinking about Chili's. We haven't been there in a while." Jason looked back at me to confirm it was okay.
"That's totally fine with me, I'm starving." As the words came out of my mouth, my stomach growled. I pointed. "See? Starving. I don't think I've ate all day."
Lynn looked at me disapprovingly from the front seat. "You shouldn't do that Molly."
"I know I shouldn't but I get so nervous on competition days. I just forget. Don't worry I'll make up for it when we get to Chili's." I laughed.
When we arrived, I saw we weren't eating alone. "What's he doing here?" I gestured towards Kit, who was standing at the entrance waiting for us, holding a bouquet of wildflowers.
"He wanted to come out with us." Lynn said all too innocently. "Especially when he heard you were coming along." She bumped her shoulder into mine. I blushed.
"Stop it!" I hissed at her. My cheeks were so red. No way he was here for me. Kit smiled as we walked up to him. "Hey, I didn't know you were going to be here."
"I know, I wanted to surprise you." He handed me the flowers. "These are for you. If I knew your favorite flower, I would have gotten whatever they are but I don't. The lady at the store said roses were too common."
I let out a laugh. "I love these, they're beautiful. I would have loved roses too." I had never gotten flowers before. I couldn't stop smiling. They smelled good too. Point two for Kit. He opened the door for me and when the hostess asked how many were in our party, he said two. I looked between him and Jason.
"Well this is a date." Jason clarified. "You two have your personal time, so will Lynn and me. No kissing or touching, okay children?"
I shook my head as the hostess led us through the tables and sat us down in a booth. Jason and Lynn weren't too far away from us. I can't believe I got rounded up into a date with Kit. Not that I was complaining 'cause I wanted to get to know him more without people around.
"Well I'm glad." I heard Kit's voice and saw the grin on his face. I blushed beet red.
"Did I say that out loud?" I put my hands over my face in embarrassment. Kit reached over and pulled them down.
"You did. But it's cute." Kit was still grinning. "It's your first date, you're nervous."
"Just a little." I admitted. "I didn't really have time to prepare."
"Well you look beautiful." Kit kissed the top of my hand. "You always do though."
My heart raced at his words. "Well aren't you quite the charmer?"
"Not a charmer, just an honest man." Kit winked. I smiled at him and then looked down at my menu as our waiter arrived.
After taking our order of two Pepsi's with an order of chips and salsa, our waiter walked off to put that in. "So hot and spicy is how you like your salsa?" Kit asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes! I love spicy stuff, that's why I love when we're in southern California and around New Mexico. Always spicy Mexican dishes. I always find new recipes to try."
"You cook?" Kit asked as he looked over his menu. I already knew what I was getting.
"Yeah, Dad kind of sucks at it. Burns stuff too much. I took over when I was twelve." Kit laughed and closed his menu.
"I can't say I cook that well either but I can manage frozen stuff and hot dogs." I laughed at him. "Oh and I make a decent Nevada Chili."
"Every bachelor's main dishes." I said as the waiter brought back our stuff. I ordered their new Margarita Fresh Mex Bowl and Kit ordered a steak with a baked potato and a side salad. "Don't want to try nothing new?"
"No, I'm a simple kind of man." Kit took a drink of his Pepsi. I took a chip and dipped it in the salsa, then took a bite. Spicy it was! I immediately took a drink of Pepsi. "Hot?"
"Oh yeah, but so good." I dipped it again.
"You double dipper, you!" Kit gasped and I giggled.
"Sorry, the only ones I'm usually ever out with is my Dad or Jason and Lynn. They don't care about my germs."
"I don't care either, I was joking." Kit paused. "Now if you were Jason, I'd have to mind."
I smiled. "You and Jason have been friends for years, right?"
"Coming up on about six years now. We met a few years after we both started up in rodeo, got through some rough stuff together."
" It's always good to have friends." I took another chip. "Tell me about your family."
"My Mom is a history teacher at the local high school, Dad runs the ranch, works as a miner, and is also a volunteer fire-fighter. Then there's Nate, he currently manages a feed/convenience store in my hometown, Adam is working for a kayak outfitting store, Bryan and Jake are starting their first year at Great Basin College, and Quinn is helping Dad out around the ranch. He isn't sure what he wants to do. My grandfather lives on a reservation not too far from Darton, my hometown, he refuses to move although Mom and Dad really want him too. He's been having some problems and they'd rather he be close."
I made a sound of sympathy. "I bet he's really struggling with that. Someone who is used to their independence all their life and then their children just want what's best for them but I'm sure he doesn't see it the way your parents do."
"He doesn't." Kit agreed. "He sees it as he may as well die if he can't live alone and be independent." Kit rolled his eyes. "I love the man but he can be so frustrating sometimes."
"Still, it's understandable at least to me." I said sympathetically.
"I mean, I get it but I still worry about him being all alone. And he would just be at our ranch, not in a nursing home." Kit pointed out with a sigh.
"Sounds like he's stubborn."
"That he is." Kit sighed. The waiter came back with our food and we dug in.
"This is so good. You should try it." I held out a bite on a fork to him and he took it. His chewed slowly.
"It is kind of good. It's got a lot of flavors to it." Kit said, pulling back. We ate and talked about each other's lives, it was so interesting to hear about his bronc riding and his rodeo traveling. After we finished and met back up with Jason and Lynn, we decided to drive down to the manmade lake beach that was close by. Kit took me in his truck and Lynn drove her and Jason in her car.
As we got to the beach, I smiled and took off my boots and socks, rolling up my pants. "Excited, are we?" Kit asked, chuckling as he watched.
"I love water. I've never been to a real beach so this man made one is as close as I can get to one so yes, I'm excited." I smiled as he came around and opened my door for me, helping me out of his truck, taking my hand. He didn't let go of my hand as we met up with Jason and Lynn. It kept the smile on my face.
As we went our separate ways along the water, Kit and I talked some more. "How much more of your degree do you have to go?"
"Well, it's complicated. To complete my degree, I have to do a six-month internship with a barn that is approved by my college. They don't just want us to have that online degree. They need us to have the real experience too." I explained. "That's complicated because my dad is still traveling and he doesn't want to stay anywhere for that long."
"Doesn't he want you to finish your degree?" Kit asked sounding confused.
"Yes, but he says it can wait. 'Just wait a little longer, Molly.'" I rolled my eyes. "I've been waiting for maybe a few months now."
Kit stopped and turned me towards him. "Have you thought about just finding a place to do the internship? I mean I'm sure you have the money from your competing to find a place til you start getting paid."
"I've thought about it. My dad would be so angry though." I sighed and looked down. "I don't want to upset him."
"Molly, you shouldn't give up on your dreams to please your dad. If you know what you want, you need to go for it." Kit encouraged me. "If you don't follow your dreams, you're going to regret it."
"Easier said than done." I said as I stepped into the water at ankle level. "First, I'd have to pick where I wanted to do the internship, I've never stayed in one place so it'd be a random choice. Then I'd have no one I know there, I'd be completely on my own."
"It doesn't have to be that way." Kit argued. "I have a friend in Darton who would take you on as a riding instructor, I'm sure. Her name is Katie Sterling, she runs a plaace named Sterling Stables with her dad, Drew. They breed Morgan horses. If you're interested, I could talk to her about it."
I hesitated but I didn't want to. I wanted to take the offer; I could complete my degree. "My family would be there and while they're not your family, they could become a familiar face for you to see while you're there. And Katie herself is great, I've known her all my life. It's only six months."
"Well talk to her, see if it's okay, we'd need to have someone from one of the colleges to approve her too, then we can go from there." Kit smiled at me.
"I'll call her tomorrow." Kit squeezed my hand. "If you do it, it'll be the experience of a lifetime."
I nodded. "It's just a big step and an inevitable fight with my dad. He'll be so angry at me."
"You can't let that stop you. Trust me, my parents were so unhappy when I started doing rodeo all the time. They were angry too when I left. But they let it go because they realized it was my dream." We started walking again, this time back to where we were parked.
"How long did it take them?" I knew he could probably hear the worry in my voice. Kit shrugged.
"A while. But they still talked to me all the time and were happy when I won. What I'm trying to say is even though they were unhappy with my decision and a bit angry, they still loved me. It couldn't overcome their love for me, their son. Your Dad might be unhappy but he'll get over it, I promise."
That was the last that we talked about it since he could see it was getting me worried. He opened the truck door for me but I shook my head. "I have to go back with Jason and Lynn, my dad is under the pretense I've been with them, remember?"
Kit grinned. "Oh yeah, I forgot we were a secret." We? I thought happily to myself.
"Well yeah, I'm sorry, my dad is just so overprotective. He shelters me so much." I sighed.
Kit laughed. "I kind of get it. You're an interesting and beautiful girl Molly. You obviously don't see the looks you get from all the other cowboys around." I blushed at his words and he smiled brushing my hair from my face. "And I want another date."
" I do too." I wondered if he'd kiss me. I wanted him to. Kit leaned against the truck as we waited for Jason and Lynn. We looked at each other and he scooted closer to me.
"I really want to kiss you right now. BUT," Kit stopped talking to grab my hand. "I won't. I want to take things slow with you, really get to know you. I want you to be different than anyone else like you already are."
I looked into his brown eyes and I saw he was sincere. "Well...I'm glad to know that. I don't want to be just another girl on the circuit to you."
Before he could say anything, Jason and Lynn walked up. Jason looked at me very closely. "What?" I asked, half-irritated.
"I'm just checking you over for any signs of inappropriate acts." I rolled my eyes at Jason's comment. He was being so dumb.
"Nothing happened." I gave Kit's hand one last squeeze and followed Jason and Lynn towards Lynn's car. It had been a great night and it had made me so happy. It had also given me a lot to think about for my future. Kit was offering me a great chance to finish my degree and settle down for at least for a little while, but yet I would have to go against my dad's wishes. But I could take it or leave it if Miss Sterling's farm was approved.
I saw the RV was dark when I came back and figured my dad wasn't home yet, still out playing. That was perfectly fine with me. I got to keep my excitement for a little bit more and search information about Sterling Stables a bit before bed to see what Kit was talking about. I thanked Jason and Lynn for the night out and I went inside. After I checked to make sure my dad wasn't home, I did a little dance in the small RV hallway then flopped down on my bed. Tonight, had been amazing.
…...
A/N: Hey readers! Sorry it's been so long since an update, but here is one finally! I'm going back into updating regularly, trying to get one chapter at least up for one story. I'll try to get another update here soon for you readers that are still reading! So thanks for reading! Review and tell me what you think..did you like the date, should Molly take the offer?
From: QuinnandSeth'sgirl15