"I have a new philosophy. I'm only going to dread one day at a time."

Charles M. Schulz

Chapter Five

"What is that?"

Bella stared in dismay at the poorly painted red four-cylinder truck that Charlie was grinning at so proudly from beside her. Only one thought ran through her mind as she forced herself not to panic.

Was he kidding?

"That right there Bella is one fine beauty. Hey, that's what you can name it! Beauty. So, what do ya think?"

She thought that she was going to die, right there in front of her exhaustively exuberant father who would not stop goddamn smiling. Honestly, who did Charlie think she was? Some down home country chick? Think again, Dad. I'm nothing of the kind.

No, she had been born and raised in Forks, Washington, which was less than a three hour drive to Seattle. She had made several trips there with her mother and had enjoyed the perpetual energy and hustle bustle of everyday city life. She was definitely a true city girl at heart…who funnily enough now owned a red pick-up truck.

Screw the world – and all the freaking pick-up trucks in it.

"Bella?" Charlie repeated, beginning to get worried by his daughter's close-mouthed demeanor. Lowering his hand from the door of the truck, he raised an eyebrow and questioned, "What do you think?"

"Um, what happened to that small Toyota that you were going to get me?" Bella managed to spit out in the midst of all her repugnance. She hid it well though, her expression a perfect facade of bemusement and complaisance.

Charlie frowned. "Well, I was going to get you that one, but then a friend of a friend called me up and gave me a great offer. This used to be his father's truck, but since the man retired he didn't have much use for it anymore and decided to sell it dirt cheap. There might be a few things we'll need to fix, but other than that it's in perfect condition. So, do you love it or what?"

I'm going to be driving some old man's decrepit truck, which probably smells as bad as it looks. What's not to love?

Bella resisted the urge to scream and instead flashed her father a darling smile. "It's great, Dad. Perfect. A fine beauty, just like you said. Thank you so much."

And just to give him payback for not giving her the Toyota she had so desperately wanted, Bella threw her arms around Charlie and gave him a great big squeeze. Grunting in surprise and discomfort, Charlie patted her awkwardly on the back and mumbled, "Er, you're very welcome, Bells."

Still smiling, Bella finally released him from her death grip and took a liberating step away from her father. "So, now that I have a car – er, truck, Jasper is free from his obligating duty of driving me to school. Correct?"

"Yep. And oh, speaking of Jasper, it's about time for you to meet my loyal cowhands."

All healthy color drained from Bella's face. "Great!" she exclaimed with fake enthusiasm.

Hate. Hate, hate, hate.

"They're all in the house taking a break, so come on in," Charlie said with a grin. "Oh, and before you do, let me warn you, they're a little…well, they're boys. That should pretty much explain it."

Explain what? Bella thought, a little frightened as she climbed the porch steps cautiously, just in case there were any cat tails lying around.

She didn't need an answer to that lingering question, because as soon as she stepped inside Bella discovered it quite quickly. A quick gasp escaped her lips as a flying banana soared over her head, and she immediately became alert. Pursing her lips, Bella turned her head to look at who had thrown the tortured discolored fruit, and her eyes widened.

All six of them were lined up inside the kitchen, including Jasper who was leaning lazily against the refrigerator door, his arms leisurely crossed. His thick, tousled blond hair was gorgeous as usual, and if that wasn't as heart-stopping as it gets five other pairs of flat-out stunning eyes were staring right back at her with matching grins on every one of their faces.

What was it with guys and their obnoxious grins? Was it so hard for them to smile normally?

Already Bella was regretting her decision to move in with her father. If she had known that she would have the company of his six tall, overly-gorgeous cowhands she would've stayed to endure her step-father's harsh betrayal. Shockingly, she would prefer that over this.

"You must be Bella Swan, Charlie's daughter," one of the cowhands finally spoke up – a handsome, dark-haired man who looked to be in his mid-to-late twenties with the most startling brown eyes she had ever seen. Bella's breath hitched as he announced, "I'm Sam Uley. Pleasure to meet your acquaintance, ma'am."

Bella's soft brown eyes settled on the next cowhand as he took a step forward from the counter, his gleaming white teeth flashing in a brilliant smile. But what Bella noticed first about this cowboy was his long, shaggy black hair, and the way his pitch black gaze pinned hers as he spoke.

"I'm Jacob Black, but you can call me Jake. Oh, and don't feel intimidated by this guy here," he gave Sam a playful punch on the shoulder, "he's just a big old teddy bear."

"Cool it, Jake," Sam grumbled, rolling his eyes.

Smirking, Jake leaned back against the counter and glanced towards the tall and slender cowhand standing beside him, who looked to be only about sixteen years of age. With short, black cropped hair and reddish brown skin he appeared to be the perfect replica of an Indian.

Offering Bella a slow, deliberate smile, he dipped his head and said quietly, "Hello Bella, I'm Embry… Embry Call."

"Who more often than not mistakes himself as James Bond," Jake joked, followed by a snort of laughter from Sam.

"Shut up, you guys. You sound like a horde of squealing monkeys," the cowhand beside Sam sneered, lifting his cowboy hat to reveal dimpled cheeks and curly dark hair. As Bella's eyes roamed down she caught sight of his well-built biceps and her mouth ran dry. Damn.

"Emmett McCarty." The name rolled off his tongue perfectly as he flashed Bella a huge, handsome grin. "Nice to finally have a pretty little thing like you around here."

"Quit flirting with her Emmett, she doesn't want you," the next cowhand admonished with a soft chuckle. Glancing over at Bella with his light, dreamy hazel eyes, he tipped his cowboy hat to her and said politely, "Name's Stacy Martin, ma'am."

"And you already know me," came the deep, mesmerizing voice that had her heart beating over-time. While looking at Jasper it was hard to distinguish all the other cowhands hanging around the room, and for the first time since she entered the house her cheeks flushed wildly with color.

"It's um, nice to meet you all," Bella stammered, her eyes wandering around the kitchen aimlessly, having no idea where to look. There were so many, and all of them were staring directly at her. If there was one thing Bella did not like, it was attention.

And when Bella did not like something, she ran from it; which is exactly what she decided to do.

Giving them all a nervous smile, Bella took a step backwards towards the door. "Right. So, I'm gonna go and…visit the horses. Yeah. You all just continue to…frolic with fruit, or whatever you were doing. Good-bye!"

Like the wind she was out the door and making a beeline for her truck. Wrenching the door open, she climbed inside and turned on the ignition, breathing a sigh of relief when it sputtered to life.

Please, just get me the hell out of here, Bella thought as she clamped her foot down hard on the gas pedal. The truck jerked forward, tires squealing and gravel flying as she made her way down the driveway and towards the open road.

She had no idea where she was headed, but there was one thing that she was certain of.

Thank fuck for trucks.

A/N: Yeah, this chapter is a bit shorter than the others, sorry about that. But the good news is you'll only have to wait till Wednesday! Also...what is it with Bella and running? I mean, I don't know about you but if I was in a kitchen with six gorgeous cowhands I'd be salivating, not skedaddling. Sheesh Bella, get a hold of yourself, woman! Haha. Anyways, let me know your thoughts. Thanks!