Chapter 6

The months passed by quicker than they had ever passed by in Samantha's life. Senior year came and with it a whole lot of stuff to do. She had managed to stay so busy that she hardly had time to see her family let alone Jake. Normally she would have been ecstatic at the fact that she was avoiding Jake but this time it was different. She missed him. A lot.

"I hardly even see him." She complained to her horse Ace as she was brushing him. Ace snorted as if to say 'so'.

"Well, I don't know." Sam answered confused. She wished she could understand what was going on with her heart.

She finished her chores and went back inside to wait for dinner. There was no one inside yet so Sam felt safe enough to call Jen without having to go upstairs to her room so she sat on a sofa and took out her cell phone, her best friend would talk some sense to her.

"Hey Sam. What's up?" her best friend answered cheerfully.

"Hey, uhm you're not busy right?" Sam asked a little tense.

"No. Why? What's wrong?" Jen asked cautiously, noticing hr friends odd tone.

"Nothing serious. Just, well," Sam hesitated. She really hated admitting her true feelings about Jake, especially after she had denied them for three full years.

"Samantha spit it out!" Jen scolded her.

"Okay, okay," Sam said then took a deep breath, "It's just I kinda miss Jake." She finished a little relieved to have it out in the open.

"Kinda?" Jen asked patiently.

"Well, its cause since school started I've seen him very little and talked to him even less, I mean he works for my dad and all but since I'm hardly here and when I am I'm either doing chores or it's too late and he went home already and the whole thanksgiving break he went with his brothers to that trip they were planning and then I mean thanksgiving day I saw him but I mean that was it because then I was too busy doing schoolwork and stuff and now it's going to be winter break and like four months have passed and ugh! I don't even know!" Sam said exasperated. She had finally let all her frustration out and she felt a little relieved. Of course hearing it said aloud made her heart ache but it also made her lungs breathe a little better because she didn't feel so alone anymore, Jen would help her.

"Okay. Calm down." Jen instructed her. Sam took some deep cleansing breaths and felt her body relax. "Okay now maybe you didn't get to see him much or talk to him much so far but like you said Christmas break is coming up and well that's a whole two weeks and well he's not going anywhere right?" Jen continued.

"Ahuh." Sam responded without words because she was still recovering from the last time she spoke.

"Okay well and like you said he works for your dad so during the summer your chores and his chores will probably be the same the majority of the time, right?" Jen said the words with determination.

"Yea." Sam answered with a word this time because she could see where Jen was going and she could feel a little bit of hope forming in her heart.

"Okay well see you guys can talk there, oh poop." Jen said annoyed, though the actual word she used was a bit more colorful.

"What?" Sam asked, the little bit of the hope in her heart disappearing.

"We have rehearsals and all of that good stuff for the school's Christmas play, remember?" Jen said a little defeated.

Sam repeated Jen's colorful word.

"Okay, okay don't worry." Jen stopped as if thinking of a plan, "Okay, look rehearsals won't take all night and," Jen stopped and Sam could almost feel the excitement in her voice leaking through the phone. "And during one of the many chores you have with Jake, because trust me you'll still have time to do some chores before rehearsal you can ask Jake for rides you know too and from rehearsal and that would give you plenty of alone, non working, time with Jake." Jen finished and Sam knew that Jen had that huge smile she got when she got an A+ on her calculus test.

Sam wanted to jump and down and yell "Yupee!" but at the same time she wasn't going to allow herself to soar up too high because then the fall would be longer and hell of a lot more painful. Sam had not just grown up but matured. She was one of the few lucky girls who learned how to be a women and a cowboy. Women by nature are strong they can put up a happy front and keep a smile on their face when they would rather just break down and die. Cowboys are known for their hard to read faces and keeping their emotions so hidden that hardly anyone could know what they are thinking. Sam was both and so tapping into both she had managed for the past four months to fool everyone from her family to her friends to even herself that she was perfectly happy.

So instead of jumping up and down she went upstairs to shower before dinner. She let the warm water massage her body until her muscles unknotted. She let the warm water drip down her hair to wash away the smell of hay. She let the warm water cleanse her face to wash away all the unshed tears. She let the warm water take her back to warm summer days of her childhood where she and Jake were nothing more than two friends playing and jumping and hiding and running.

Voices from downstairs brought her back to reality. She quickly shut off the water and wrapped herself in a towel. Sam opened the bathroom door to run the short distance from the bathroom to her room. But as soon as she stepped out into the cold hallway, which she believed to be empty, she met a certain pair of mustang eyes.