Has it really been a month? Wow, I fail. Aha. My bad, guys. Here's a non-filler update! And I actually know what's going to happen next chapter, too, so all I need is time to write it. Which, frustratingly enough, seems to be in short supply at the end of the school year. Oh, and, just to be random: I am now fifteen. This is my birthday gift to you guys, even though my birthday was the sixth. xD

My good friend, Gyllbane, drew some amazing fanart for this fic--check it out, I put links in the top of my profile. She got those scenes spot-on, especially the one from the end of chapter 5. Be sure to tell her how EPIC she is for drawing those beautiful pictures :3

Now, on with the story! xP

"Why don't you go out and feed the animals, Vaughn?" Mirabelle asked from behind the counter of the small shop. She was always concerned about her new employee. She'd never thought someone so cold could exist. Sure, she'd heard of people like him, but she'd never imagined that they'd really be so antisocial. How could they function like that? Why would he want to even try?

She watched as he silently opened the door and slinked outside, a cool, early-autumn breeze blowing in before the door shut. Sighing, she went back to work, wondering if he would ever open up to anyone.

Chelsea ambled down the road from her ranch, covered head to toe in damp dirt and sweat. She'd finally finished planting her first round of fall crops: a few plots of sweet potatoes and several plots of carrots. She didn't really care much for carrots. She greatly preferred the taste of sweet potatoes, but they were just too expensive to grow a lot of, so she bought the cheap carrot seeds. She was feeling a bit more optimistic about this new season as she breathed in the brisk, cooling air and found the warm scent of autumn—like cinnamon apples, or pumpkin pie. The rich smell of sun-baked leaves wafted through the air, riding the breeze through the island. Chelsea felt that autumn brought the colors out of the earth. If summer was her favorite season, autumn was a close second. But she also like spring… and winter, now that she thought about it. She shook her head, smiling at herself.

As she passed by the animal shop, she noticed a few new calves and a tiny lamb laying out front, basking in the golden sunset and chewing lazily on grass. Her smile widened. She'd always loved taking care of the farm animals—in fact, they were something she missed the most from Mineral Town…

Chelsea slowed down to a stop next to the lamb and knelt down, lifting the small sheep onto her lap like she'd seen her mother do at home so many times. She stroked the soft wool, coaxing a soft baa out of the little lamb. She wished she'd had enough money for a barn. She suddenly wanted nothing more than a few animals and a little patch of crops—If she could have that, maybe she wouldn't be so lonely anymore. She nodded slowly, considering it. She'd save up enough money for a barn and some livestock. After that, everything would be okay.

She jumped when the door opened, a stony-faced cowboy headed her way.

Vaughn headed out, his head down to block the bright sunset's light from his eyes. He held the tip of his Stetson as a gust of wind blew by, his grip making sure it stayed on his head. He saw a flash of red in the corner of his eye and held back a sigh of annoyance. Then he noticed the new lamb in her lap and the two calves nuzzling their noses into her shoulders. He froze for just a second, surprised. She was really good with animals… They seemed to sense that she was safe to be around—how interesting.

"Oh! Vaughn," Chelsea said, noticing him as he walked over. Her cheeks reddened as she shifted the lamb off her lap—she was obviously struggling to ignore its cries of protest—and stood, wobbling unsteadily as she pulled herself up. Vaughn rose an eyebrow at her. He hated himself as he realized it, but she'd earned some serious respect from him now that he knew that the animals trusted her. He was the kind of guy that trusted an animal's sense over a person's. Animals had better instincts.

"So… Vaughn," Chelsea started, her eyes fixed on Vaughn's face, "Why are you here?"

He frowned at her question. What did she mean, 'why are you here?' He was there because he had to be. His job called for it, so there he was—it was simple, but he wasn't about to explain that to her. It wasn't any of her business.

When he didn't answer, Chelsea spoke up again, saying, "Oh, that was a kind of weird question. I meant, why are you on the island? I know it's for your job—but, what I'm wondering is, why are you a livestock dealer? It seems like such a hard job to have, with all the traveling you do. Is that why? Do you like to travel? Or is it something else? Do you—"

"Shut up," Vaughn muttered, bringing his hand up to rub his forehead. "You're givin' me a headache."

"Oh." Chelsea said, her face heating up. She directed her gaze down at her boots, suddenly wishing that the ground might swallow her up right there so she wouldn't be able to annoy anybody anymore. Of course, Vaughn seemed to be the only person she annoyed, so she could easily fix that problem by ignoring him… But that was simply out of the question.

She looked back up at him, a new determination burning in her blue eyes. "Vaughn, I'm sorry I seem to annoy you so much, but listen. I'm trying to be your friend here. I don't want you to get headaches whenever I come around, and I don't want you to end up hating me, so if I'm really that unbearable, just tell me—but I really don't think I'm that bad. Granted, I am me, but still. I try to be nice. What's your problem, anyway? Why don't you… I don't know, talk? Smile? Have fun?"

"Why should I do any of that? I see no reason to—none at all." He replied quietly, his eyes locked on her face. He seemed to be seeing something else, something far away; something… sad. Something Chelsea could only guess at. She furrowed her brow at him, confused. She was about to open her mouth to ask him something—anything, really—but he snapped out of it immediately and walked hastily away, around the animal shop. Chelsea sighed, staring after him. He was one tough cookie. Now she knew that he had a reason for being so distant, so detached—the question now was what it was. What had happened to that tall, dark, quiet cowboy that made him so… so Vaughn?

Chelsea was going to find out, that was for sure. But she wouldn't pry it out of him—this was something that needed time and his own free will.

Vaughn sighed as he finished putting feed in the animals' bins. She was trying to be his friend. When was the last time someone had wanted to be his friend? He shook his head. That girl was an odd one. She was odd, but she was right—about one thing, at least. She wasn't really that bad. Vaughn knew that she was only trying to be nice… but he was so unused to being shown kindness that, quite frankly, he didn't know how to respond. He didn't know how he should feel about it. Should he try to be her friend, or not? He sat down, sighing once more. The sky had darkened to a deep purple and the thin moon was barely visible over the trees of the forest. An owl's call disturbed the silence of the night. He took off his hat and ran a gloved hand through his hair.

He wasn't sure he was ready for this.

Oh, Vaughn. You silly, mysterious boy. What happened to him? Stay tuned--I might just let you know in future chapters.

Just a warning: the update times for this fic are going to be a bit spaced out until I get out of school at the end of May. I hope you lovely readers will stick around--I hate not being able to write, but I can't let my grades slip now! I'm so close to the finish line! Haha, yeah, right. Anyways, I can't wait to read what you thought of this chapter :3