Disclaimer: All characters depicted in this work of fiction are property of Stephanie Meyer. No copyright infringement intended. Some of the ideas in this story come from an Australian TV series called McLeod's Daughters, again no copyright infringement intended. If you haven't already seen McLeod's Daughters watch it, it's no longer running but went for eight seasons and was a delight to watch.

AN – Sorry. I know I said a week, but it didn't happen. Might do better this week if I get a little encouragement..

Rated M for foul language and eventual lemons.

Chapter 2

Alice POV

I groaned and rolled over to smash the life preserving snooze button on my alarm clock. The little green digits read 5:30am. I sat up turned and slipped my feet into my set of fuzzy pink slippers. The small amount of light that streamed through my window was enough to see the details of my room. Dirty clothes were strewn over every bit of furniture I could see, it was amazing how quickly things got dirty here. In the city I could wear the same pair of jeans three times before I would have to wash them. Out here I could have a pair of jeans on for twenty minutes and have sheep shit or some other kind of shit on them.

I stumbled over to the window and looked out, there, walking through the yard towards the shearing shed, was none other than my sister Bella. She was fully dressed and ready to work with her Kelpie, Rusty, trailing behind. How the hell she got up so early was beyond me, I had been trying to beat her to breakfast for a week. It was like the woman never slept!

It was my job this morning to feed the horses but from my window I could see them standing at their feeding boxes munching away happily. Bella had already done my chores.

I stomped downstairs, I was angry. I couldn't believe Bella had done my chores.

Still in my rubber ducky pj's and a pair of boots I stormed across the yard with a purpose. At the rear of the shearing shed was a small yard containing several sheep and my sister herding them towards the shed.

"I can't believe you did my chores Bella! Do you think I'm not capable or something?" I exclaimed.

Bella looked shocked. "I think you're perfectly capable Alice. I told you last night, the shearers are coming this morning and we need to go round up more sheep this afternoon. The horses needed to be fed earlier this morning."

"Oh! You did tell me that sorry." I said apologetically. "You could have woken me up."

"It was quicker if I did it myself. The shearers should be here any minute. Can you go wake Rose and get her to make a bucket load of eggs and bacon?" Bella asked.

"Sure, no problem." I said.

Bella looked stressed. The sheep had to be shorn in two days to deliver on our contract, and even with the hired help we would just have them ready by then. "What else can I do? Seriously, I want to help."

"Maybe you could start by getting dressed." She replied with a pointed look towards my rubber ducky pj's.

...

Bella POV

The four shearers we hired arrived separately during the early morning. One of them, Jacob Black, had been a worker for Charlie in the past and had been surprised to get my call last week.

"I would have thought you'd have sold all your stock and put this place on the market," he told me in conversation while he got started on the shearing.

"Well as you can clearly see I haven't," I told him with I smirk as he was currently wrestling with a noisy sheep.

"But surely you can't run this place on your own?" he asks.

"I'm not on my own Jacob. I have my sisters." I reply despondently.

"Yeah but you don't have a man around," Straight after he said it he realised he had put his foot in it.

"How about you just worry about shearing all these sheep by 5pm tomorrow and let me worry about how I run my farm."

I stormed off to help the girls saddle the horses. I rode out to collect the remaining sheep with Jacob's words ringing in my head. This community were all very like minded when it came to women who worked the land. Even now in today's society where women were police officers and CEO's, the rugged terrain, long days in the saddle and often back breaking work, were considered a woman free zone. Even me, who had been doing work on this farm since I could walk, was expected to sell up without a man running the place.

Since Charlie passed away I'd had countless offers for the place. Some I had even considered, before I realised that selling meant that I would have to leave. Leaving this place would be like leaving a piece of my heart behind.

When Rose and Alice got here they tried to convince me to sell at first before they realised that Kispers and I were one in the same. They wanted me to move to the city and live with them. However, once they watched our fathers casket lowered into this very ground, they changed their tune.

Kispers wasn't just a farm; it was where my father and mother rest, where I had my first steps and where I rode a horse for the first time. These paddocks were where I learnt to drive, where I had my first kiss and the loft above the barn was where I'd lost my virginity. It didn't take Rose and Alice long to form their own attachments to this place.

We brought the sheep in with no problems, I was really starting to get used to having the girls around. Sometimes all they did was get in the way and other times it was kind of nice to have light conversation with them as we worked. Not to mention they were always good for a laugh. They were currently arguing about the shower roster. Rose was complaining about having to shower in the mornings.

"Alice, I can't go to bed with dirty hair! It gets all greasy, and Jocelyn Petroni says that if you go to bed with dirty hair it can block your hair follicles and make your hair fall out! Can you imagine me bald?" Rose's argument makes me snort.

"Are you serious!" Alice exclaims, "Well then I am definitely not taking the morning shower."

They were arguing because the house's water was fed off quite a small tank that was filled by the big tank. Two showers could just about empty the small tank and it usually took about 3 hours to refill. I had always been an evening shower person and when the girls got here I told them they would have to decide who took the morning shower and who took the evening.

"Rose your hair is not going to fall out, that's just dumb! People tell you this crap to get you to buy their product," I say in exasperation.

"You girls are going to have to work this out; I am tired of hearing the same argument."

"I don't see why we can't just invest in a bigger tank," Alice mutters petulantly.

"Because to invest in something you have to have a small thing we have got none of, and that's money," I retort. "How about you swap the morning shower every week, that way you have a week to clean your hair follicles by having night showers," I sarcastically suggest.

"That's a great idea! Thanks Bella!" Alice says excitedly.

"Bella Swan; farmer, sister and problem solver, at your service."

...

We returned to the homestead and drove the sheep to the shearing shed. There were a lot more unshorn sheep in the yard than what should be by this hour. We had a contract and these boys needed to deliver.

"Rose can you take Tucker and unsaddle him, make sure he's cooled off," I asked.

"What wrong?" Alice questioned worried.

"These shearers think they can take me for a ride now that Charlie is gone," I told them. "It's not going to fly with me."

"Jacob!"I call into the shed, loud enough to ring over the noise of the shearing plants.

He looks up from the sheep he is currently working on and smirks, "there a problem Bella?"

"Yes, there is a problem. You guys are gun shearers, that means you shear fast... as in a lot faster that you're currently shearing!" I said my frustration leaking through.

"We can only go as fast as we can go beautiful," he said with a wink.

"As fast as you can? Hell, I could shear faster than this," I said.

"You wanna have a bit of a competition sweetheart?" Sam, one of the other shearers commented.

"Absolutely! Go on Jakey, put your money where your mouth is," I taunt.

"Fine, whoever can shear the most sheep before lunch wins, and when I win you put a couple of dollars on per head for me and the boys," he smirks, he knows he has it won.

It's a bad bet on my part, I can't afford the extra money per head but I also can't afford to not deliver on my contract. I take the gamble.

"Okay, and if you lose ill pay you the agreed price but you boys will be staying here till the work is done and maybe step it up a notch," I agree shaking his hand.

The competition begins only a few minutes later. Jake takes his time at first and I can feel his eyes on my backside as I am bent over the sheep. We are keeping score with a small chalk board hung on the wall. Jake realises pretty soon that I am not a bad shearer and steps up his game easily passing my total. Lunch is at 12pm and at 11:45 he notices that he is a good way in front. I know I would be lucky to reach his current total before lunch.

"Maybe I have got time for a smoke before lunch," he says as he puts his clipper down. He goes to walk outside, but not before giving my ass a firm smack on the way out.

God I hate guys like him. Jacob Black is the kind of man who thinks women should be in the kitchen and standing on the porch nursing a baby, waiting impatiently for their men to come home after a long day in the saddle to wait on them hand and foot. Jake had another thing coming if he thought I was going to submit to him without a good bloody fight.

Rose walked in to ask the shearers what they wanted on their sandwiches and to offer water. I pulled her over to the corner.

"Rose, go outside and distract Jacob. I need to win this bet and I am not afraid to play dirty," I said with confidence.

Jacob was gone for a good 10 minutes; I was one sheep away from Jacobs total when he sauntered back through the door. I smirked as he eyed the chalkboard with a worried look. He quickly got back to work. It was nearing 12 and I was still behind. I wasn't going to win.

Sure enough Rose called time and Jacob had beaten me by only two sheep.

"Congratulations Jacob," I said with a smile. I might have hated losing but a wasn't a sore loser.

"Consider yourselves a couple of dollars richer," I said.

"Lunch is ready," Alice called through the door.

...

I was at the tap down the side of the house washing up when Jacob caught up with me. I stood up after wetting my hair and chest to let him have the tap.

"We make a good team, you and I," he tells me as he leans down to cup water in his hands.

"Yeah well, we did get more work done in half an hour than you boys combined did this morning," I commented as I towelled off.

"Bella we should go into business together," he said.

I snorted. "I don't have time for another business, Jake. Kispers is a 24/7 job."

"That's what I mean Bella. You and me, running this place together. Charlie wouldn't want to see you run this place into the ground, and I'll be here to help you, as overseer, I'll make sure you barely have to lift a finger around this place," he smiles at me like he has solved all my problems.

"Jake, first of all, this isn't just my place. Alice and Rose combined own more of this place than I do. I can't make any decisions without them and they don't know you. Plus, I have basically been working here for my entire life. I can handle this. I don't need you to be my knight in shining armour. I am no damsel in distress," I tell him as gently as possible.

He doesn't take it well. He storms off towards the area where lunch is being served.

I suddenly don't feel so hungry.

I am worried about this place. I am not sure if I can run it on my own.

...

After lunch is over I slowly walk back towards the shearing shed. I am kind of dreading seeing Jacob again.

As I near the shed I feel my anger bubbling. Lunch ended almost 30 minutes ago and the shed was silent. The buzzing of clippers was not to be heard. I entered the shed and sure enough there was not a shearer in sight.

Alice came jogging in behind me.

"The shearers are all packing up, I thought they were supposed to be here until tomorrow," she informed me.

I stormed across the yard towards the shearer's quarters and sure enough all four shearers were loading their bags into the trays of their utes.

"What is going on here?" I fumed.

Jacob turned at the sound of my voice.

"You want to do it all yourself Bella, then do it," he said impassively.

"We have a contract Jacob," I said in a warning tone.

"I'll bill you for the sheep we got done hey," he said as he got in his ute and sped off.

I scrubbed my face with my hands. We were so screwed.

...

Rose POV

Bella looked worried as Jacob Black and his cronies drove off. I watched her stand and look over the nearest paddocks of Kispers. After standing there for a few minutes she quickly walked off in the direction of the shearing shed.

When Alice and I entered the shed only a few minutes later, Bella was working like a crazy person.

"Bella, stop this. I know nothing about shearing and even I know you're not going to get this done by yourself," I said as I approached her.

"I have no other option Rose, we don't deliver this wool, we can say goodbye to Kispers Ridge," Bella replied.

"Yes Bella, you do have another option, to ask for help," Alice said. "You don't have to do everything on your own."

"I can't just ask someone for help. People in this town already think I can't run this place on my own. What are they going to think when I go around asking for shearers? Everybody knows I hired Black, they are going to think I couldn't afford to pay him or something," Bella said.

Bella's concerns were real, I knew that. There were plenty of buyers around here that would refuse to work with her if they thought she couldn't stick to a contract.

I suddenly had a great idea. "I'll be back in a few, I need to make some phone calls," I said with a smile.

I broke into a jog towards the house, I knew someone who would do just about anything for me right now.

...

The phone rang twice before someone picked up.

"Am I dreaming," the voice said, "or is Rosalie Swan actually calling me?"

"Yes, when I saw you had put your number in my phone the other day, I kept it in case it came in handy," I replied.

"Oh babe, everything about me is handy. Even my phone number," I can practically hear the dimples in his cheeks as he talks.

"Well, what would you say if I said you could put those hands to use?"

...

AN – Let me know what you think. xo d