Hunter cringed as Neil threw numerous items off his desk onto the floor in a blind rage, "What do you mean she's gone?!"
"I checked both Skytree Village and Westtown. I don't know where she is," he answered simply. He added, "She wasn't even at the costume contest that all the towns in the surrounding area gather for."
Before Neil could lose it, Marlena suggested, "She may have moved elsewhere, but I doubt it. Holly's smart, she probably has changed her appearance, possibly even her name. If I were you, I would go back and look closer."
Neil let out a huff, "She's right, get out there and find my fiancé. I won't tell you again."
…
Holly worked daily on gaining the horse's faith. It was reluctant to trust her, but it was growing healthier by the day. Ford had stopped by on several occasions to check in on Holly and the horse, and today was no different. Holly was milking the cow when she heard Ford enter the barn. "Good morning Ford…Achoo" she shook her head surprised by the sneeze but continued her work without looking up. They were officially dating now and made great efforts to see each other daily. "Bless you," he said as he walked up to her, "How did you know it was me?"
Holly smiled and said, "You are the only person I know who wakes up this early." She noticed he was holding flowers and asked, "Are those for me?"
Ford nodded and said, "I was going to give them to you right away, but you kind of have your hands full." It was at that moment the horse walked up to Ford and took a bite out of the bouquet startling him into dropping it. Holly tried her best not to laugh as Ford grumbled something about unintentionally giving it breakfast.
"I've decided to name her Amelia," Holly said to redirect his attention.
Despite the now shredded bouquet, Ford could tell she was happy, so he let it go and asked, "Why Amelia?"
Holly smiled and said, "I imagine when she's healthy she will fly like the wind. She has strong legs, even in this condition." Holly finished milking the cow and asked, "Would you have time to join me for breakfast?"
Ford shook his head no and replied, "No, I have a patient coming in for a prostate exam in about 30 minutes. I need to go back and set up, but we can meet for dinner tonight if you're free."
Holly stood up and walked over to him. She gave him a peck on the cheek and said, "Sounds great. By the way, the flowers were beautiful."
A slight shade of pink covered Ford's cheeks and he nodded, "See you tonight."
…
With her chores finally finished Holly walked to the general store to check out their latest display. While Wayne was doing his rounds that morning, he mentioned that Ford's birthday was tomorrow. Holly wanted to pick out a suitable gift for him. As she browsed through the store, she came across a button-down baby blue shirt. She knew Ford preferred to wear the same shirt over and over, but this would be a nice option for a special occasion. She picked up the shirt and carried it over to Miranda asking, "Do you happen to have Ford's size on file?"
Miranda shook her head no and replied, "No, but I am sure he would tell you if you asked."
Holly frowned, she wanted it to be a surprise. She sat the shirt down and said, "I know how I can find out. Miranda, can you hold this for me for a couple of hours."
"Certainly sweetie, it'll be here," Miranda replied.
Holly then walked over to the post office and waited for Wayne to finish with a customer before she asked, "Wayne, do you happen to know Ford's size?"
Wayne scratched the back of his head and replied, "Uhhh… I am not sure exactly. I'm a size large, so I would guess somewhere between small and medium…" Holly let out an annoyed groan and he asked, "Why? What are you trying to buy him?"
"I saw a nice blue shirt in Miranda's store, and it looks like it would fit, but I don't know for sure," Holly explained.
Wayne nodded and replied, "Well unless you could get a hand on one of his shirts, I don't think you will be able to find out without him knowing what you're going to get him."
Holly's eyes lit up and she said, "Wayne, you're a genius!" She then rushed out of the door and over to the clinic.
Wayne scratched the back of his head curiously and thought, 'what did I say.'
…
Holly approached the clinic and saw through the front window that Ford was in a room talking to a patient. To avoid being noticed, Holly went to the back entrance of the clinic and quietly opened the door. She could hear him talking to the patient as she quietly crept through the hall and up the stairs to Ford's apartment. She smiled when she made it all the way upstairs without being detected.
Holly then walked over to his closet and grabbed one of his shirts. She looked in the shirt and saw the tag had been cut off. Knowing Ford was a creature of habit, she silently prayed that this was a freak thing. She pulled another shirt down and looked and the same thing. "Shoot," holly said irritably. Of all the people in the world, Ford had to be one of those who were bothered by shirt tags on the back of the neck. She let out an irritated sigh and stuffed one of his shirts in her purse.
Holly started to go downstairs when she sneezed and caught his attention. He raised his eyebrows curiously and said, "Holly, I didn't see you come in… Did you come for lunch?"
Holly shook her head no and quickly came up with a lie, "No thank you, Ford, I just realized I forgot my hat here last night."
Ford remembered her wearing it when he gave her flowers this morning and said, "But, you've been wearing it all day?"
"Right, and that's why when I got here, I couldn't find it," she clumsily explained as she walked past him.
Ford caught her arm and said, "Holly what day is today?"
"Thursday," she answered looking confused.
Ford placed his hand on her head and mentioned, "You're not running fever… Why don't you let me give you a check-up? Your complexion is a bit off, and your actions are rather peculiar today."
Holly rolled her eyes and said, "Ugh, what's with the interrogation?! Ford, I appreciate it, but I am helping Uncle hector chop down that tree by his house. I will see you later." She took off running out of the hospital, leaving Ford wondering, 'what just happened?'
…
Miranda saw Holly run into the store out of breath. "What's wrong," she asked Holly wondering if she should lock the store up.
Holly shook her head and said, "Nothing's wrong… I was just almost caught borrowing one of Ford's shirts. She pulled out the shirt and placed it on the counter for Miranda to compare.
Miranda started laughing as she saw the missing tag. 'That poor girl,' she thought to herself. Luckily when she placed the shirts on top of each other, they were a perfect match. Holly smiled and said, "I'll take it…and a bottle of water please."
Miranda nodded and rang her up before asking, "So how are you going to return his shirt?"
"I'll figure it out when I get there," Holly answered cluelessly. Before she left, Miranda stopped her, "Holly, one more thing, if Ford doesn't react in the way you hope tomorrow, don't feel bad."
"Wait, are you saying he won't like the shirt?" Holly asked.
Miranda shook her head, "Not at all… It's just Ford…is Ford. It's not my place to say anything… Just don't be upset if he's in a mood tomorrow," she concluded before going to work.
…
The next day, Ford didn't come over early in the morning like he had done in days prior. Holly didn't mind, she had plenty of chores around the farm, and she still had to help Hector finish trimming the tree by his house. She noticed she was extra sneezy this morning, but didn't pay any mind to it, figuring it was just allergies. When she was done with her duties on the farm, she passed the clinic and noticed the closed sign on the door.
Holly smiled thinking maybe he finally decided to take a break. She picked up two plates of food and a small cake from the Garden Grill before she stopped by his clinic. Holly knocked on the door, and when no one responded, she found the spare key hidden under the welcome mat. "Ford," she called out.
She heard the shower running and said, "I've brought you some lunch." Holly climbed the stairs and placed the food on the coffee table. While he was in the shower, she went to the kitchen to get plates, bowls, and silverware. As she waited, she looked at the cake and thought, I wonder if Ford has some kind of decorative platter I could place this on. She walked over to search the cabinets and found one with an ocean scene on it. 'Interesting,' she thought, 'this doesn't look like Ford's style at all.'
She heard the bathroom door open and turned around to find Ford standing there wrapped in a towel. The shock caused Holly to drop the platter on the ground, startling Ford simultaneously. Ford quickly grabbed his towel to prevent it from falling as he yelled, "What the hell, Holly?!"
Holly shrunk to the floor as old memories from Neil came to the surface. Holly had improved overall since being with Ford, but she still had moments of PTSD from time to time. "I…I'm sorry…I'll clean it," she said as tears flooded her vision. Seeing Holly revert to her anxious habits, Ford inwardly cursed.
Ford was about to apologize when he heard her gasp. He looked up and saw she accidentally cut herself on a piece of glass. He secured his towel before he walked over and checked her hand. It was just a scratch, so he handed her a clean kitchen rag he said, "It's fine, that platter was from an ex-girlfriend anyway. Now, hold this on it while I go put on a pair of pants."
When he returned, he was still shirtless, but covered in the place that mattered. He placed a small first aid kit on the table and that's when he noticed a wrapped gift sitting on the coffee table with a cake. His eyes softened and he turned his attention back to her. She swallowed hard still looking scared and whispered, "Happy Birthday Ford."
Unable to resist her further, he pulled her into a deep hug and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you." When he let her go, he started to clean and wrap the cut on her hand.
Holly closed her eyes trying to calm her nerves. She knew Ford wasn't going to hurt her, but old habits die hard. As he finished, she reached for the gift bag and handed it to him, silently hoping it would make things less tense. Ford felt guilty as he accepted. He knew she just wanted to celebrate his birthday, but she didn't know why he hated that day with a passion. He opened it and found a formal shirt. It was blue like a robin's eggs. Ford smiled and said, "It's perfect. Thank you, Holly."
To her surprise, he took the shirt and started to put it on. She blushed as she saw how handsome he looked in blue. "Well, what do you think?" he asked.
"I think I preferred you without the shirt at all," she said with a blush.
Ford put his head in his hands and groaned, "Holly, you can't say that kind of thing to me."
Holly giggled and said, "Let's go ahead and eat. I still have to help Uncle Frank with that tree."
"How much longer do you think it's going to take?" Ford asked curiously.
"Probably a day or two," she answered, "We are trying to cut the branches off first, so it is easier to move the debris into a burn pile. So we're working from the top of the tree to the bottom of the tree."
Ford nodded and said, "After you finish tonight, would you like to go out to eat?"
She giggled slightly, "I've already made reservations at a new restaurant I discovered in Lulukoko. It even has a live band. Meet me at Franks at 7:00?"
"I'll be there," he agreed.
I hope to have the next update up by Sunday. Thanks for reading.
