Mine

Chapter 14 "Dreams"

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my made up characters!

Thursday, March 15th

Molly POV

"A date?" I repeated as Kit stood in front of me, dressed in nice jeans and a button down shirt, in his best boots.

"Yeah, you know where the guy takes his girl to get a meal, they talk some, maybe there's a kiss at the end of the night?" Kit teased, holding a bag out to me. "Nate's hanging with Grandpa Mac until we get home and I've got fresh clothes in here for you, so I'm taking you out. I haven't gotten to do it much since we've been together."

I took the bag from his hands. "Isn't there some big rodeo in Texas this weekend?"

Kit sighed and slid his arms around my waist. "Why yes, there is. But I told you, I'm taking a break for a while. I want to spend some time with you." Kit kissed me gently. "Plus, how could I leave when it's your first show as a coach this weekend?"

His words about the show sent butterflies through my stomach. "I'm so nervous for the girls. They all can't win but I wish they could."

"The girls will be fine no matter where they place. I heard your speech earlier this week, they took it all in. This is their first show. It's about the experience." I smiled when he used my words.

"I know. For all of us. Doesn't mean I still can't be nervous. I'm their coach." I stepped back. "Let me go beg Katie to use her shower so I don't smell like manure on our real date."

Kit smiled and I headed towards Katie's house. As I left the barn, I bumped into someone. "Joe! Hey there. Back from your trip already?"

Joe chuckled. "Hey there Clumsy, yeah I'm back. Short trip."

"And how was the east coast?" I moved the bag back onto my shoulder from where it had slipped.

"New York was okay. Too crowded for my tastes." Joe glanced around at the stables, the mountains. "This is more like it."

"Totally agree. Though they do have really great pizza."

"Agreed." Joe eyed the bag. "Moving in?"

I laughed. "No, I'm going to try to hi-jack Katie's shower for a bit. I'm a mess and Kit's taking me on a 'real' date."

Joe's face changed at my words. "He isn't back to rodeoing yet?"

"Nope. He says he wants to spend time together, which is kind of nice since I think we've been more apart than in person since we started dating." I let out a small laugh. "I'm kind of surprised."

"Well he should put you first. You should be priority." Joe said stiffly and I sighed. He held his hands up. "I'm saying no more, just here to visit my horse."

I started to walk away when Joe spoke again. "Molly?" I turned around and his expression was cautious. "Have you spoken to Kit anymore about that girl in the picture?"

I frowned. Why was he bringing this up? "Yeah, we talked about it weeks ago. It was just the picture. He apologized for letting her take the picture and kiss his cheek. That's all."

Joe started to speak but then closed his mouth. "Okay."

My stomach tightened. "Why do you ask?"

Joe stuck his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "Just wanted to know."

"Okay, well, have a good evening."

….…..

"Joe was acting super weird." I said to Katie as she walked me up the stairs to her bathroom. "It's like he wanted to say something but he chose not to."

Katie frowned. "What do you think he'd have to say?"

I sighed as we reached the bathroom. "Oh I don't know, probably something about how I deserve better or something else about my relationship with Kit." I rolled my eyes. "Joe's been pretty good about boundaries lately but he was so snotty about Kit staying and not going to rodeos. Like it was a crazy thing."

"Well do you think it's crazy that Kit's missing all of these rodeos to hang out here?" Katie asked softly, her eyes meeting mine.

I thought about her question before speaking. "I mean, a little but he really does seem genuine in wanting to spend more time together and how could I not be grateful for that? But also he's made it clear how important rodeo is…but he loves me. And I'm just going to take advantage of all this time he wants to spend here." I stepped into the bathroom. "Starting with going on this date with him."

Katie smiled but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Well enjoy. I'll leave you to your shower."

Freshly showered and dressed, I went out to meet Kit. He was leaning against his truck and his face lit up when he saw me. "How did I get so lucky to find someone so beautiful?" He said, taking my face into his hands and pressing his lips onto mine.

Warmth filled me and I linked my hands around his waist. He deepened the kiss, moving his hands into my hair.

"Mmm, okay, as much as I'd like to continue this, we have to go or we'll never get our date." Kit pulled back with a grin.

….

Joe POV

I ran the brush over Major's back and sighed. Ever since I had overheard the conversation between Kit and Katie, it had been burning inside me, telling me to tell Molly. Kit had cheated on her—he had been unfaithful.

I figured it was the girl from the picture, the one that Kit had said nothing had happened with. He was lying to Molly.

But how could I tell her? She's been so happy lately. Everything seemed to be falling into place for her lately. I didn't want to hurt her…but she deserved the truth.

"Thinking hard?" I jumped at Katie's voice and turned to see her standing there in her Sterling Stables jacket.

I smiled at her. "Too much thinking. " I chuckled. "I came here to relax but it seems I can't."

"He's doing really good on the jumps." Katie said, coming forward to stroke Major's neck. "You made a good purchase. I think he'll take you to the top quickly."

I patted his dappled grey neck. "I've really enjoyed having my own horse again. You forget how nice it is to have a bond between you and the horse you're riding."

Katie smiled. "It is nice. Especially because you don't have to give the horse back at the end of each lesson."

I chuckled. "Yep. That too." I tossed the brush back into the tack box and looked up at Katie. "I overheard you and Kit talking about his…mistake."

Katie's face froze. She looked at me with wide eyes. "You…heard us?"

I nodded, leaning against the wall. "Every part of it. Why haven't you told Molly?"

Katie sighed and sat down on the hay bale across from me. "I want to. I've wanted to ever since I found out. Kit kept insisting that he would tell her, that he just wanted more time with her before he said anything." Katie shrugged. "He hasn't and now they've said the L word. She's in love with him…and something else has happened that's turned her life upside down so how fair would it be to tell her now?"

"You mean the thing with her meeting the mother she never knew?" I asked and Katie threw me a questioning look. "You were talking about it with Kit that day. I haven't said anything to Molly or anything."

Katie nodded. "So yeah there's a lot going on right now. I want to tell her. I do. Because the deeper she gets into this, the more it will hurt. But how can I hurt her like that?"

I sat down next to Katie and sighed. "You didn't do it. While yes, telling her will hurt her, it wasn't your actions that caused it. You'll be helping her in the long run. As you said, the longer it goes, the more hurt she'll be."

"You're not wanting me to tell her so you can move in on her, are you?" Katie asked, raising her eyebrows.

I shook my head quickly. "No. I want her to know because she deserves better. I've been in her shoes before, being in love with someone who's been unfaithful. I wish I had known earlier than I found out. That's all."

Katie seemed to accept that. "Well as soon as the dust settles with everything currently, he's going to tell her. And if he doesn't, I will. Promise." With a smile, Katie held out her pinky finger. I laughed and we locked our pinky's together—sealing the promise.

…..…..

Molly POV

I held Kit's hand as we walked along the streets of Reno. We had went to a nice restaurant—though I would have been fine with Clara's or the pizza place in town—and it had been fun. It made me think of our first "date" at Chili's in Arizona.

While my life was a bit crazy at the moment, I was glad I had this, that I had Kit to give me some happy. Of course, I had plenty of other things to make me happy as well. A good horse that I was riding again, my lessons, Katie, Kit's family, and my quickly made friends in Sam and Jen as well.

I couldn't remember a time when I was this happy. This content.

Kit pulled me out of my thoughts by pulling me into a store. It was a jewelry store and I gave him a questioning look. "Picking up something for Mom. She had to get one of her rings re-set so I told her I'd pick it up. Hope you don't mind."

I smiled. "Not at all, I love your mom."

As Kit spoke with someone about getting his mother's ring, I walked along the glass cases, looking at the beautiful jewelry.

I noticed a couple looking at rings together and smiled as the woman tried on a ring and she turned up to smile at the man. There was such happiness in her expression, such joy. It had to be an engagement ring.

Glancing down, I noticed all the beautiful rings in front of me. There were diamonds, gemstones, and plain bands. The only ring I had ever had was the one Mac gave me and one of my grandmother's. It held her birthstone in it. My grandfather had given it to her when she had my father.

"Can I help you with something?" I looked up to see a girl a little older than me with long blonde hair. She was smiling and then she winked at me. "If there's something you like, let me know and I can always point it out to your boyfriend when he comes in to look."

I let out a surprised laugh. "Oh no, I'm just looking as I wait on him. We're not—well we're definitely not there yet."

The woman smiled and pulled out something. "Ah, it can always come unexpectedly and it's always fun to try on some jewelry. Which one do you like?"

I looked down at the set of rings she had pulled out and glanced over at Kit. He was still talking with the person helping him. I laughed at myself but pointed out an oval diamond ring. It had a small diamond in the middle with little diamonds surrounding it.

"Good choice. I think this is a size six. Go ahead and try it."

Feeling a bit foolish, I slide the ring onto my ring finger—on my left hand. It fit—sliding on nicely.

"It looks beautiful on you!" She gushed and I blushed, feeling embarrassed that I was trying on rings.

"Well I agree with that." I jumped at Kit's voice and looked up at him. There was an expression on his face that I couldn't read. He reached out and held my hand up. "I think it suites you very well."

The woman grinned at me excitedly and I was lost for words. "I—I was just—I." I took a deep breath but the woman rescued me.

"I pressured your girlfriend here into trying on some rings. It's always fun—even if you're not buying one."

I sent her a thank you look and gave the ring back. "All set?" I asked Kit and he held up a bag with a nod. I turned back to the woman. "Have a good evening."

"You too." She was still smiling as Kit and I walked out the door. I was still embarrassed. I can't believe I let myself get caught up in looking at the rings and trying them on.

It was a quiet walk back to Kit's truck and I worried that maybe it was the ring that had did it. I needed to say something but what?

…..…..

Kit POV

"Thank you." I said to the man as he handed me the bag with my mother's ring in it. We had both checked it out to make sure it looked good and I was sure Mom would be happy to have it back.

I turned to see where Molly was and I saw her talking with a woman a little farther down. They were doing something.

I realized as I got closer, Molly was sliding a ring on her finger—her left ring finger. The woman glanced up at me with a wink and I couldn't help but smile.

Molly's expression as she looked down at the ring—it was a bit of wonder, a little bit of doubt, but I saw the little flicker of happiness.

"It looks beautiful on you!" The woman gushed to Molly and I saw Molly's expression change. She had gotten caught up in it.

"Well I agree with that." Molly jumped at my voice and looked up at me. Seeing a ring on Molly's finger stirred something inside of me. Longing, sadness, a range of emotions ran through me. I couldn't say anything else because it felt as if the words were stuck in my throat.

I didn't notice the grin the woman shot at Molly. Molly was stumbling with her words though. "I—I was just—I." I could tell she was embarrassed. Probably thinking something bad.

"I pressured your girlfriend here into trying on some rings. It's always fun—even if you're not buying one." The girl behind the counter smiled.

Molly gave the ring back "All set?" She asked me and I held up a bag with a nod. Molly wished the woman a good evening and we left.

Molly was quiet as we walked and I guess I was too. I couldn't help but think about her wearing a ring. More specifically, a ring I gave to her.

Maybe it was all too soon but I wanted that. I wanted her to say yes to me, to be mine. I wanted to talk about our future—I wanted a future with her. I knew that it was quite possible I wouldn't get one with her.

Thinking of that, I slid my hand into hers and squeezed. "You're awfully quiet." I said as I opened the truck door for her. I went around and got in on my side. Molly was looking at me.

"Look, I'm sorry that I was looking at rings. I wasn't really trying to or anything—it just happened. You've been so quiet since then. And I'm so embarrassed…."Molly trailed off as I smiled at her. "Why are you smiling?"

I took her hand in mine. "Molly, don't apologize. The reason that I've been quiet, is well, I was thinking about us, our future."

Molly looked shocked. "Really?"

I laughed. "Yes, really. Maybe it's too soon but I was thinking of our future and what it holds."

Molly looked emotional – was she going to cry? "You think about our future?"

"All the time, babe." I kissed her hand before sliding it over my cheek. "I hope you do too. Cause the only future I want, is one with you in it."

"I love you." She whispered, leaning over to kiss me and I took in the moment.

….…

Molly POV

"So kids?" I asked Kit as we sat in front of the fire in the living room. Mac had went to bed a while ago but we were still up, talking. The topic of our discussion? Our future.

Kit grinned and slid closer to me. "I definitely want kids. Maybe four? I don't think I want more than that. Though I could be persuaded…" Kit leaned in and kissed my neck. Looking at the ceiling, I bit my lip, his kiss bringing up feelings I was trying to shove down. "How about you?"

"I could be agreeable to four. That way, they always have someone to play with." I couldn't believe we were really talking about this—making plans for our future. "Five is my cut-off."

"Don't want to have seven like my parents?" Kit chuckled and I laughed, shaking my head at the thought.

"Nope. Five is the max."

"What about your dream house? What do you imagine?" Kit asked softly and I closed my eyes, thinking.

"It doesn't have to be big—enough room for us and the kids. I want them to have a playroom. Maybe a nice porch or deck like Mac's so we can have people over when it's nice and have cookouts." I glanced at the fireplace. "Definitely want a fireplace. In our huge living room and maybe the bedroom. There should be a bay window in our living room where the Christmas tree always goes. Our kitchen and dining area has to be big because you have a big family already. I want to be able to have family dinners and holidays—switch off with your mom. I want big windows in our bedroom. I want to see the mountains, see our ranch."

Kit moved back a piece of my hair and nodded. "I like the sound of this house."

I put my arms around him. "Well a house is just a house. It's the people that make it a home." I looked up at him. "What about your future once you're out of rodeo? I mean do you want to help your dad out on the farm?"

Kit smiled. "Do you remember when we first met? You told me that you wanted to teach kids about rodeo and horse care?"

I nodded. "And now I'm teaching kids to jump."

Kit chuckled but then grew serious. "I want that with you. I saw this place in Texas once. It's a school but it has a rodeo program. What if we opened up our own rodeo school? We teach kids—young and older—to barrel race, rope, ride broncs and while we're doing that, we teach them good horsemanship. And I can sell livestock too to the rodeo, train horses. Broncs and bulls."

"I love it." I answered truthfully, knowing it was exactly what I wanted. "Especially since we'd get to do it together."

"We can teach our kids all about it. Teach 'em how to ride and take care of their horses."

I could see it all—our future kids running around our place. Two boys, two little girls. Dark haired and long legs—just like their dad. Kit and I teaching them how to groom their first pony, to put a saddle on, teaching them to ride.

It felt as if my heart would burst at the happiness I was feeling. I met Kit's eyes and I just couldn't believe how lucky I was—at twenty to find the love of my life. The one who I would spend the rest of my life with. And I knew it would be him, it would always be him.

Kit leaned down and kissed my lips. I slid my arms around his neck and he moved me so that I was on his lap, straddling him. One hand moved to grip my waist while the other slid around my neck, into my hair.

A slow burn made its way through my body as our kiss deepened. I pulled him closer to him so that our bodies had no space between them.

"Mol." Kit whispered as he moved his lips to my jaw, my neck, my collarbone. I let my head fall back as the burn intensified inside me. His hands moved underneath my shirt and I pulled back. Kit looked concerned. "I'm sorry—too much?" He whispered breathily.

Instead of answering him, I pulled the shirt over my head and his eyes widened. "Molly—" I cut him off by kissing him, pressing my body against his. He hesitated a moment before giving in.

Suddenly, I was on my back in the glow of the fireplace. Kit looked as if he was mesmerized as his fingers trailed over my shoulders down to my bra, over my belly. "God, you're beautiful." He whispered before he moved down to kiss my collarbone. His lips went down and somehow my body grew hotter.

"Yours too." I gasped out and yanked at his shirt. He pulled it over his head and tossed it on the floor before I jerked him back down to me. His chest felt warm against mine and I enjoyed the feeling.

I really enjoyed the feeling.

….

Kit POV

Half-crazed with lust and desire for Molly, I grabbed her up and we went to the bedroom. We fell into the bed, grabbing at each other.

I watched in surprise as Molly kicked off her sweats she was wearing. My eyes took in all of her. Her beautiful hair spilled out around her, her dark eyes staring up at me, her hands reaching for me.

Everywhere she touched me, it was fire. I loved her hands touching me, sliding over my chest, my shoulders.

I felt as if I was fighting a war inside me. Part of me had control and knew we should stop. Soon. The other part wanted to keep going, to go as far as Molly would let me. Persuade her to let me go farther. Pulling on that little bit of self-control, I pulled myself back.

Molly frowned. "Why are you stopping?"

I rolled over so I was on my back beside her. "We gotta stop, Molly. If we keep going…I'm going to lose it. You're making me lose control."

She pushed herself up, leaning on her elbow. "What do you mean?"

I sighed, running my hands through my hair, letting my breath out in a rush. "Molly, I want to do so much more to you. More than you want to do. I respect your decision to wait for marriage but my self-control was hanging on by a thread. Much longer of you touching me like that—and if anymore clothes come off…"

Molly touched my chest and put my hand over hers. "What if we didn't…stop?" She asked softly, looking at me from under her lashes.

Her words ran through me like an electric shock—both good and bad. "Molly, we can't. You want to save yourself for marriage. It's important to you."

She slowly nodded and glanced down at the bed. "But you told me I'm the one. The one you want to be with for the rest of your life. We're going to be married someday, so why not?"

The part of me that wanted to go further was rejoicing—she wanted to! But I knew she truly didn't—or she did right now as hormones were running high—and she'd regret it if we took it further once the high of it all wore off.

Not to mention, she still doesn't know about your betrayal. A little voice popped into my head.

I slid her hand off my chest and grabbed her sweatpants off the floor. "And that's so true. But I've come to get to know you and while at this moment it feels right, it feels good and you don't think you'd regret it, come morning—or even once it's over and the high has wore off, you'd be regretful. We're gonna wait, Molly."

After I handed Molly her pants, I went to retrieve our shirts from the living room and threw another log onto the fire. When I came back in, Molly was in an old t-shirt of mine waiting for me.

To be on the safe side, I left my sweats on instead of taking them off like usual. No need to give either of us any more reason to get carried away.

As I got into bed, Molly wrapped her arms around me. "Thank you." She said softly, kissing my cheek. "While it was hard to stop it, you're right and you knowing that I would regret it later, making us stop even though you want nothing more to keep going, is one of the reasons I love you. You want to see that through with me—no matter how much it sucks."

I leaned back against the pillow, cuddling her to my side. "I love you." I kissed her forehead. "When we do take that next step and we make love, I want you to not regret it. I want it to be our wedding night, when you're finally mine."

Molly's eyes were closed but she smiled. "I'm pretty sure I'm the luckiest girl in the world."

"Nah, babe, I'm the luckiest man in the world." I replied, knowing it was 100% true.

….….

Katie POV

"You what?!" I hissed at Molly after she told me about the end to her and Kit's date the night before. "But you want to wait for marriage!"

Molly laughed and tossed another pile of manure into the wheelbarrow. We were mucking out stalls together. "Yes and we are. I just…sometimes I wish we didn't have to wait. It's just so hard."

On one hand, I could understand where she was coming from. If Glen and I couldn't be together…it would be hard. But I wasn't saving myself like Molly. But also, knowing what I did….if Kit and Molly had done it, Molly would be more devastated about everything.

"We just got carried away. It'll be fine, I promise. Kit was the one who stopped it." I watched as Molly smiled happily. "Our future, Katie. I mean, I feel like I've been blessed to find Kit so early on in my life. Who gets to meet the one right out of the gate?"

The conversation with Joe and the secret weighed heavily on my mind as the day went on. I told myself to shake it off as Glen came over to have dinner with me. It would be just me and him as Dad was visiting with a friend in Utah.

"Hey you." Glen walked into the kitchen and gave me a kiss. "I had a call over at the Williamson's today. Parker is settling in well at his new home. I think it's a really great fit." Glen was referencing to a Morgan colt I had sold a few weeks ago to a nice family near town. Their youngest girl was looking for a young horse to train herself and do endurance rides with her. I thought it would be a good fit.

"That's great to hear." I smiled at him and handed him a salad to take into the dining room. "Marianne was just saying yesterday on the phone how she was going to send me some pictures."

"How'd today go? Tia had a lesson right?" Glen asked, scooping some food onto his plate.

I nodded. "Yep. She's doing good…and I might have overheard her inviting Molly over for dinner tonight and Molly accepting the invitation. I think they may be taking the next step in their new relationship."

Glen smiled. "That's great! I'm so glad Molly's giving her a chance. Tia seems like a really nice woman and Molly deserves to know her mother."

"Yeah, it's really nice. I wonder when they'll tell Hope." I mused, taking a drink of my water.

"Hopefully soon. The sooner, the better. She'll need to work through her feelings too, just like Molly." Glen said, grabbing a piece of the garlic bread.

"I guess we'll find out how it went soon enough. I'm sure Molly will text me." I sighed and Glen glanced up from his plate.

"Something wrong, Katie?"

I went to say no but then changed my mind. I told him about my conversation earlier with Molly and about my conversation with Joe. "It's just…it's weighing on me so much, Glen. The deeper she falls, the harder it'll be."

"So what are you going to do?" Glen asked quietly.

I groaned. "I don't know. I need to do something though."

Giving me a sympathetic look, Glen gave my hand a squeeze.

….….

Molly POV

"I can't believe I agreed to this." I hissed at Kit as we walked up to Tia's house. "What was I thinking?"

Kit chuckled. "You were thinking you wanted to get to know Tia more, meet her husband. It's a good thing Molly."

Taking a deep breath, I rang the doorbell. The door opened and a man was standing there. Tia's husband I presumed. He was almost as tall as Kit I noticed as they shook hands but that was the only similarity. Tia's husband had sandy blonde hair and blue eyes. I could see Hope shared some of his looks. Their smile was almost exactly the same.

"It's so nice to meet you both." He smiled at both of us. "Molly, I'm so excited to finally meet you."

"Thank you. It's good to meet you as well. Paul, right?"

He nodded. "Yep, come on in, Tia's finishing up dinner."

We stepped into their house and I couldn't help but look around. The living room was painted a calming gray and pictures covered the walls. "May I?" I asked, pointing towards the pictures.

"Of course! Here, let me take your coats." I gave my coat to Paul and Kit did the same. Paul put them on the coat rack and walked over to the frames hanging on the wall. He pointed to a picture of a young couple—Tia and Paul I assumed. "This is from the day of our wedding. It wasn't much, my parents, some of our friends. We were young and broke at the time. But it was still one of the best days of my life."

I smiled thinking how sweet that was. Paul pointed out a few of him and Tia as a young couple then showed me a picture of the day Hope was born. Tia looked so young in this picture and I felt surprised to see that I saw myself in her. Her expression was one of love as she looked at Hope—but I saw the underlying anxiety in her expression. I thought about how young she was and what she had went through with my birth and all of it afterwards.

Paul moved onto Hope's school pictures and he talked about her growing up—about how horses was love at first sight for Hope. My smile widened thinking we really related there.

"Oh my God, Dad, why are you showing them all the embarrassing pictures?!" Hope came into the living room. "Dad, stoppppp."

I laughed as Paul rolled his eyes. "Hope, they're not embarrassing. You look good in your school pictures. I especially love this one." I pointed out her kindergarten photo where she was missing her two front teeth. "I'm kind of envious that you have school pictures. I never got them as I was homeschooled."

"You weren't missing much." Kit said and Hope nodded.

"What he said."

"Are you excited about tomorrow?" I asked her, thinking about the show.

Hope's expression changed and she bit her lip. "I'm more nervous."

"Dinner's ready!" Tia called out and I threw my arm around Hope's shoulders.

"I know you're nervous but it's going to be okay. It's a small show. You and the girls make up almost half the attendees. And besides that, you're ready. You are doing so well." I smiled at Hope.

"Molly's right, honey, you've been great in your lessons lately. You're ready." Tia gave Hope's shoulder a squeeze before sitting down. Tia glanced up at me. "Molly, we're so glad to have you over. You too, Kit. Thanks for coming."

"Thanks for having us." Kit said to Tia as she handed him the salad bowl.

It should have been at least a little bit awkward but somehow it wasn't. Paul and Kit talked about Kit's career, Hope talked to me and Tia just listened mostly.

"Okay, but what was it like traveling all the time? I mean it sounds so fun!" Hope asked leaning closer. I had to smile at her enthusiasm.

"Well it had its moments." I started, thinking of how often we were on the move when I was younger. "I enjoyed seeing the country and the new places. I'll always enjoy that but it gets tiring after a while. You miss out on things that other kids your age didn't. Like I never got to go to a dance or go to a physical school. If I made friends, most likely we didn't see each other after the first time. I shared an RV with my dad. An RV." I laughed.

"I'm not a super girly or anything by a long shot but the bedrooms, the bathroom? Super small and almost no privacy. I used to wish for a regular house with no wheels and an actual bedroom. A space that was mine."

"That would be rough." Hope said, throwing a look towards her parents then looked back at me. "Is there somewhere you didn't go that you wished you had?"

I had to think about it. We had practically been in every state in the U.S. There had only been two states that we hadn't traveled to. "Hawaii. I'd really love to go to Hawaii for the sun and the beaches. I've never really been to the beach and it looks gorgeous there."

"Oh. Absolutely beautiful there." Tia interjected with a smile. " Paul and I went there for our tenth wedding anniversary. Gorgeous."

"I have a buddy from there—Pani. Used to work on a 2, 000 acre Quarter Horse Ranch on an island called Wild Horse Island. He's tried to get me to go there a few times, never been able to."

"Oh my God." Hope and I said in unison, then we looked at each other and laughed.

"A 2,000 acre ranch with horses." I said half-dreamily. Hope nodded.

"And an island called Wild Horse Island."

"Kit, you may have just started something there." Paul joked, giving him a poke with his elbow.

Kit chuckled and grabbed my hand. "We can go sometime, we'll save up and I'll talk to Pani about where to stay."

Dinner went by quick and then Tia had us come into the living room for dessert.

"My mom makes the best cheesecake." Hope said as Tia handed me a slice. "Her grandma taught her."

The bite I had taken seemed to get stuck in my throat as Hope said that. I realized that this meant my great grandma had taught her to do this. Kit put his hand on my knee and squeezed.

"It's really good." I managed to get out finally.

Later, as Kit and I drove back to Mac's, he reached over and grabbed my hand. "You've been quiet for a while."

I shrugged and leaned my head against the window. "I'm fine."

"I know it was kinda hard tonight but they both seem nice and I think it was a good evening. I really liked Paul. He's not in love with horses like Tia or Hope, but you can see they're important to him because of Tia and Hope. He seems like a good man. You already know how I feel about Tia and Hope."

I nodded, thinking of my Dad. "I bet he wouldn't kick Hope out for pursuing her dreams or lie to her about her mother."

Kit gave my hand a squeeze again. I sighed. "Okay, no more negativity from me. You're right, it was a good evening. I just wonder when they'll tell her."

"Paul actually said something to me about that when you went to look at Hope's room." Kit said, turning into Mac's driveway. He parked the truck and turned it off before turning to me. "He said that they want to do it sooner than later. They know it'll come as a shock to her and they can't hide it forever from her. They want her to get through tomorrow's show without finding out then they figure they'll tell her this week or next."

I took a deep breath. "That really will change everything. She'll know I'm her sister."

Suddenly, I was nervous for it to happen.

….….

Kit POV

I grabbed two saddles and loaded them into Katie's trailer. I passed Drew bringing some more. "Two more right?" He asked and I nodded.

"If you grab them, I'll grab the hay nets and the fly spray. I think the only thing left after that is the actual horses." I heard Drew's chuckle as he stepped into the tack area in the trailer. Molly was a nervous wreck and that nervousness made her into a militant organizer. She had been up early this morning making a list of what we needed and a timeline of the day.

As I went into the barn to grab the hay nets and spray, I ran into Joe. I managed to muster up a polite smile for him. "Hey there, bud."

He smiled back but it was about as forced as mine. "Hey there, Kit. How's Molly this morning?"

Irritation spread through me. Of course he'd ask about Molly. "Nervous but fine. She and Katie are getting the girl's paperwork together for the show."

"Anything I can do to help?"

I gritted my teeth as I picked up the hay nets but told myself I had to be polite. Molly had asked me to be. "No, I think we're good. We're just gonna load up the horses and that's it."

"Great, I'll just poke my head into the office to wish Molly good luck before she leaves." I rolled my eyes at that but didn't say anything. I turned to leave and his next words stopped me. "Secrets are never a good thing, you know?"

I stopped in my tracks and turned to look back at him. "I'd say not but I'm not sure what you mean by telling me that."

Joe's face was entirely too smug. "It means I know. I know about your little mistake, your little slip-up. And while I don't intend to tell Molly—that's on you, bud—secrets never stay secret for long."

My veins felt as if ice had ran through them. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Joe smirked. "Yes you do. But I'll let you deny it." And he turned to walk towards the office as I stood there frozen to the spot.

He knew. How did he of all people know? There were only three people who knew what happened. Two of us were here.

Making myself move, I carried the hay nets towards the trailer. I couldn't get behind on Molly's schedule. She needed this day to go perfect.

…..

Molly POV

I clapped my hands. "Alright girls, let's go walk the course."

Katie went with us and we walked the girls through the jumps on foot, talking about strides and turns, the best way to approach them. On their faces I could see the same nerves that ran through me.

Though I didn't think I was very successful, I had been trying to keep my nerves under wraps so maybe they would feel better.

"Remember Piper that Spirit might need some encouragement before the jumps. Don't let him hesitate. And Hope, remember how Dancer tried to rush the jumps at your last lesson? Don't let him do that. Make him listen to you or you could end up knocking a few poles." I gave the girls some individual advice and some general. The course was pretty easy, being as it was a small show for beginners.

Going back to the trailer, Katie, Kit and I helped the girls tack up. I watched amusedly, as Kit helped Piper with Spirit. He had watched me many times tack up English but he still looked so lost whenever he did it or tried to assist.

"Hey look, it's the Coach of the Year!" I turned at the shout and saw Nate walking towards me with Maxine who was pushing Mac. Nate was grinning at me.

I rolled my eyes and laughed. "You must be looking for someone else, I'm sorry."

"Nah, you're the best coach here." Nate said, slinging his arm around my shoulders. "Sam told me to wish you good luck. Her and Jen are finding seats with a very quiet Jake, who was dragged her against his will."

I couldn't help but grin. "Perks of having a girlfriend, I guess." I glanced around Nate. "Hey Maxine, thanks for coming and bringing Mac."

"We wouldn't miss this for anything." Maxine gave me a quick hug and Mac gave me a thumbs-up. "We're going to take off and find Sam and them. Hopefully they found a place near the bottom."

"I told you, just park me somewhere I can see the competition and I'll be fine." Mac said to Maxine with a wink towards me and I chuckled. He turned towards the girls. "Good luck girls, I know you'll all do great out there."

"Thanks Mac!" Nicole said, followed by the other girls.

Nate watched as his mother and Mac went towards the stands before looking down at me. "You need my help with anything?"

I smiled and shook my head. "I think I'm covered but thanks for asking."

"Anytime." Nate pulled me close and kissed my head. "See you afterwards."

…..

"You all did so good! I am so proud of you and we made it through your first show. Our first show." I hugged my girls as we stood by the trailers after the show. "Congratulations to Hope and Destiny for getting first and second. I know the rest of you were hoping to win, but don't forget, this is just the beginning."

"And to celebrate how wonderful you all did, we're going to go for pizza tonight—my treat. Go home, get a shower, get some rest and I'll see you all tonight around six. I've already cleared it with your parents."

"I'll let you slide this time, but next time, you'll all be coming home with us to put your horses away. See you tonight." I told the girls and watched as they left one by one.

Back at Sterling Stables, I breathed in relief. "I survived the day. I really wasn't sure I would." I groaned to Katie as I put a cooled down Dancer into his stall.

Katie closed Spirit's door and laughed. "I know what you mean. God I remember my first show. I was a wreck. Thank God my dad was the coach. That's the only thing that got me through." Katie patted the hay bale as she sat down and I dropped down beside her. "You did so good today, Molly. Those girls adore you and you're a really good coach. If Samson hadn't spooked at that bag, Nicole would have snagged third place and that means the top three spots would have been your girls."

I smiled. "Thank you Katie. They've been working so hard for this and they all have the determination to succeed in the jumping world I think." I sighed. "It was too bad about the bag. I wanted to scream when it came flying across the course. I was thinking of maybe working with Samson on some de-sensitizing exercises. That way if anything like that happens again, it won't be an issue."

"Sounds like a good plan." Katie said and I went to get up but Katie grabbed my arm. I sat back down. "Molly, I wanted to talk to you about something before you go home to shower."

I frowned. "What is it Katie?"

Katie smiled. "Nothing bad so wipe that frown off your face."

I laughed. "Okay…"

"My dad and I have been talking about your internship and how it's about to end." My heart started racing at her words and I could feel nerves shoot through me. "We—I—know that your internship was only for six months and you were doing it to finish your degree. We've been so happy to have you here with us and you've become a real part of not only the Sterling Stables family, but our family."

My view of Katie blurred and I tried to blink back the tears that were threatening to spill. Katie grabbed my hand. "Molly, we want you to stay on once your internship ends. We'd like to make your position permanent here at Sterling Stables. We hope you'll say yes and stay."

Nothing could have made me happier than hearing Katie's words. "Yes! Of course I'll stay!" I hugged her tightly. "There's no place I'd rather be and no family I'd rather be a part of. Thank you guys!"

Katie squeezed me tightly. "Thank God. Because I don't know what I'd have done if you decided to leave. You've become my best friend."

I pulled back from the hug and wiped the tears off my face. "You're my best friend too and I can't imagine being anywhere else. Darton has become home in the last few months and I enjoy being here, working here every day."

"Well it's settled. Dad's will have our lawyer draw up a real employment contract, with a new salary quote for you—we're going to give you a raise too."

I was shocked. "Katie, oh you don't have to do that!"

She smiled. "I know we don't but we want to. What you're making now is intern pay, you're going to be a full-time employee and you'll have six months experience under your belt. You deserve more."

We hugged again and I tried not to cry. This day had been so great, so amazing. I couldn't imagine life getting any better than this.

I had the perfect guy, the best friend, and a job I loved. What else could I ask for?

"Whoa, what's with all the hugging?" I pulled back at Nate's voice. I turned to see him, Kit, and Glen standing there.

"I offered Molly a permanent position here at Sterling Stables and she's accepted, so we're happy." Katie answered Nate, putting her arm around my shoulders.

"That's great!" Nate exclaimed, coming closer to high five me. "You're staying!"

I laughed as he hugged me. "Yeah, I'm staying."

"Congratulations, Molly. I'm so glad." Glen gave me a quick hug before Katie said she had "something to show him and Nate". I got the idea that she wanted to give Kit and I a moment.

"So I guess this means you're putting down some roots." Kit grabbed my hand and smiled. I returned his smile and nodded.

"I guess so. I can't think of a better place to put some roots down—or anyone to put them down with." I said reaching up to kiss him.

"I'm so lucky." Kit whispered, pulling me close to him.

Me too, I thought to myself. Me too.

…..…..

A/N: Hi Readers! Sorry it's been like…five months since the last update! I've been trying to update other stories but can't seem to get into them. I've hit a bit of a writers block lately and I've been working on this chapter for a while now. I have a feeling you'll see an update on this again soon.

For readers of this story and are fans of the others. I will try to get some other stories updated for you! I just have to make myself put in the time.

Jessica: So glad to know I didn't lose you! Glad you're still reading! I too am interested to see how their relationship (Hope, Molly and Tia's grows). Soon enough, Molly's gonna find out about Kit. Secrets don't stay secret as someone once said…and we're getting closer. I think Molly's relationship with her dad….well we'll see as things progress. I will try to update Savannah's Journey for you soon! Thanks for being a loyal reader!

Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed, and kept going with this story! Hope you enjoy!

Quinnandsethsgirl15