Chapter 4

Samantha felt like she just got slapped across her face, a face that was already raw and bleeding. She wasn't ready for this, not yet.

"Hi" Jake said again his face showing signs of worry, "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He added quickly.

"Oh, hi, uhm no, uhm its okay" Sam tripped over her words; she could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks.

Jake chuckled and Sam turned even redder. Instead of humiliating herself further she began mounting Ace. Before running off to Jen's or something, she turned in the general direction of Jake.

"Well, see you later or something, bye" She said abruptly and then began turning Ace to leave. She let Ace go on a steady lope and was just concentrating on getting somewhere, anywhere when she heard Jake following her.

"Brat, wait up" he called after her. Sam pretended not to here and made Ace go faster. But no matter how fast Ace went Sam could still hear Witch right behind her.

Maybe if he sees me head towards Jen's he'll stop following me. Sam thought.

She reached the Kenworthy ranch which thankfully had become a part theirs since Linc Slocum had gotten arrested and Ryan Slocum, Linc's son, decided to let them buy part and help him run the ranch. However she could still, sadly, hear Jake behind her.

"Sam?" Jake said her name like a question. Sam dismounted quickly and Jake did the same. Samantha was beginning to walk towards the front door, but she knew Jake's long strides would make it to her faster than she could to the door. Sam was praying for a miracle when Jen came out to greet her.

"Hello, Samantha" she smiled tentatively at Sam, "Ely, your back." She added as polite as she could handle.

"Kenworthy. Glad to be back." Jake replied as civilized as he could manage.

"So, what brings you both down these parts" Jen said in a joking manner. They both turned to Samantha. Samantha felt the blood rushing to her cheeks for the second time in less than an hour. Jake smiled and Jen's eyes started twinkling. She turned to give her back to Jake.

"I was gonna call too see if you wanted to go for a ride but Gram was on the phone so I decided to come in person." Sam told her best friend. Surprisingly, Jen was staring past Samantha, confusion all over her face. Samantha was about to turn when Jen spoke again.

"Uhm, no I haven't finished my chores and then my mom wanted me to help her with, uhm, something." Jen said casually, but confusion was leaking through her voice.

Samantha felt there was something weird going on but she no longer felt like riding anymore she just wanted to get home and read. Reading would take her into a new world where she didn't have to think about that one guy.

"Yea, okay then maybe another time." Sam said surprisingly calm.

"Okay then ill call you later," Jen said to Sam, "Bye Jake" she added then turned to walk back into her home trying to not look rushed.

"So, you going back to River Bend?" Jake asked Sam before mounting Witch.

"Yea, I guess so." Sam said while mounting Ace for the third time that morning.

"Good, cuz I was heading there." Jake said and flashed that lazy tomcat smile of his.

Sam's insides exploded into tiny little pieces when he said that, but the only reaction she showed to Jakes words was a stiff shrug. She stayed quiet afraid of falling apart on top of Ace. She let Jake follow her but tried to pretend he wasn't there. They reached River Bend and still Samantha hadn't acknowledged Jake. Jake kept eyeing Samantha curiously, tentatively. They dismounted their horses and brushed them down then led them to the corrals and still Samantha hadn't even glanced at Jake. Jake was never a man of many words so he didn't try to start a conversation.

Samantha headed straight to the ranch home without looking back. Inside she found her Gram beginning lunch. Samantha sat down on the kitchen table and watched her Gram.

"Back so soon?" she asked Samantha without looking at her.

"Yup, Jen couldn't ride with me." Sam answered. Her gram gave her a sidelong glance. Sam was always riding, she was even happier riding alone. Everyone knew that. Thankfully Gram's stare was the only thing that let Sam know Gram wasn't buying it. Sam kept watching Gram making lunch, when she noticed that she was making to much food.

"Gram? Why are you making so much food?" Sam asked puzzled.

"It's for Jake's dinner later tonight" Gram said chuckling, "That's why Maxine called earlier this morning." She finished.

"Oh." Sam answered. Why was the world forcing her to face her biggest fear when all she wanted to do was go and hide under her bad and forgot everything and everyone, or at least a certain one.

"Would you be nice enough to help me by making the lunch while I finish the dinner sweetie?" Gram asked politely though Sam knew it wasn't really a question so she got up and started making lunch. Samantha was so into making lunch she didn't hear the kitchen door open.

"Jake, welcome back." Gram said with a warm smile. "Lunch is almost ready; would you like to join us?"

"Glad to be back" Jake smiled back, "and thanks but I should be heading home about now to help." Jake finished.

"Okay then well tell your mom that I'm almost done with the food and I will probably need someone to come pick it up, so I'll just call in a little bit, okay." Gram said never once taking her attention of the food she was preparing.

"Okay, well then see you later," Jake said then hesitated a second and added, "Bye, Samantha."

"Bye." Sam said, but like her Gram, she never looked away from the food she was preparing. She heard the kitchen door open and close. Sam heard Gram chuckle but instead of asking what was so funny and earning a light scolding she began setting the table for lunch. Today seemed to be a long day.

Since the world was conspiring against Sam it was only obvious that not only would time pass, it would pass by with the speed of light. Before she knew it Gram was knocking on her bedroom door telling her to hurry up because it was time to head on over to the Ely ranch.

Samantha groaned audibly but didn't protest. As much as she hated to admit to herself, she wanted to see him. Her heart ached every second it wasn't near him. Thankfully Samantha listened to her brain more than her heart so she had managed to keep from seeing him for long periods of time so that she had been able to grow used to that pain in her heart. For the past three years, every waking moment had felt as if hundreds of needles had been pierced through her heart.

But now the pain was different. It was more intense. The hundreds of needles had turned into millions of knives stabbing her over and over and over. She had to see Jake.

"Samantha Anne Forster." her Dad's stern voice shook Sam out of her thoughts.

"Coming." She answered while she got up from her bed and looked into the mirror. Surprisingly, her effort from this morning was still visible. Samantha looked exactly how she had looked this morning as she left her room. She smiled at her reflection and then she looked up in the general direction of the sky.

"Please mom, be with me tonight. Help me be strong and help me do what's right. I really would like to fix whatever happened with Jake." She prayed to her mom and headed to the car.

The Ely's ranch was decorated with pretty lights and enough tables and chairs for all of their friends and family. The entire Ely family was there. All of the six Ely brothers were sitting together, talking and laughing. Samantha could see Mrs. Ely bursting with happiness at the sight. The Kenworthy's and Ryan where already there. Behind Sam and her family were a couple more cars. It seemed that the party was getting started.

Can you say full circle? Samantha thought. It seemed that the events that happened three years ago were happening in reverse order and in a matter of days. First, the river and now a party for Jake! What's next? Me crying in the barn and him coming to comfort me? Sam thought sarcastically, but her heart fluttered at the thought.

"Sam, over here." Sam heard her best friends' voice from across where she was standing. She looked over her shoulder at her dad and with a smile he waved her on. So Sam walked over to the table where Jen and Ryan where sitting at.

"Sam, I forgot to tell you that you look cute, today." Jennifer said with a mischievous twinkle in her voice.

"Well that makes one of us." Sam teased her best friend, but before Jen could give a comeback that would have probably burned Sam's, Darrell made his way over to the table and noticeably sat between Jen and Ryan. Ryan shifted uncomfortably and Jen flashed him a dirty look before turning to Sam with a confused one. Samantha just smiled.

"Hey, darlings" Darrell said hi to both girls but looked only at one, a blonde one. Sam's smile widened.

"Hi" Sam answered for both of them since Jen was obviously too confused to talk.

"I think I'm a go get something to drink. Anyone want anything?" Ryan said while standing up. Samantha could tell he felt uncomfortable and unwanted. She felt bad for Darrell's rudeness and was about to offer to go with him when she heard a voice from behind her. It seemed to be talking over its shoulder, but the voice was definitely getting louder, it was approaching them.

"No, thank you." Sam said a little shaken.

"Yea it's okay." Jen said with a warm smile, trying to say sorry with her eyes. Darrell ignored him.

"Okay then be right back." Ryan said and gave Jen an answering smile before heading off to 'get something to drink'.

"Hey guys." His voice came from directly behind Samantha making her heart drop and her breathing shake. Jennifer slid her hand into her best friends' quietly and began squeezing it reassuringly.

"Hey man, long time no see, glad your back, for good." Darrell said and shook Jake's hand.

"Yea, good to see you too and I am glad I'm back, for good" Jake answered back as they turned to the girls. Seeing Sam and Jen 'holding hands' clearly shocked them, even if just a little.

"Did I miss something?" Darrell said moving his eyebrows up and down, teasing.

"No, you missed nothing" Jen said coldly. They began going back and forth but Samantha couldn't hear a word they were saying. Everything had turned into a blur, a big silent blur. If her hand was still in Jen's she didn't know, she couldn't feel it.

Samantha was numb from head to toe, paralyzed in place like that time so long ago. She couldn't make her lips move. Her eyes had locked into his dark mustang eyes. Sam was finding it hard to remember how to breathe, let alone talk. Jake seemed to have forgotten everything and everyone. His eyes had locked into her emerald eyes.

The world around them melted and ceased to exist in that beautiful moment.