A/N: written by EnchantedWriter3 and countrygirls86

Reba could feel her heart skip a beat. A sign, she had learned long ago, that the first crack in her breaking heart had occurred. The only difference this heartbreak would have compared to the others was the fact she was causing it and not some bad boy in disguise. She sighed, glancing back down at the ring still in his hands. She took one last look at the perfect item before closing the box, and shoving it towards Scott. "I'm so sorry, Scott, but…" She stood up, swallowing the lump in her throat. "I can't marry you." She ran into her house, slamming the door behind her just as Scott made it to the door. Reba quickly locked it, pressing her back against it as she listened to him call out her name.

"Reba, Baby, let's talk about this, okay?" She could hear the tears in his voice, and placed her hands over her ears to block out the horrible sound. She never wanted to hurt him, but she couldn't get past her fears. They were stronger than anything else she might have been feeling at that moment. Scott continued to knock on the door, his voice getting slightly louder. "Please, Reba, tell me what I did wrong. I'll fix it, I promise…just, please, talk to me." Scott studied the painted glass in her front door, focusing on her shadow. He frowned as it slowly started to slip out of sight, and he wished he could be inside to catch her as she fell. He sighed, pressing his forehead against the glass. "I love you so much, Reba."

Reba took a deep breath, her arms wrapping tightly around her legs and her chin lowering to rest on her knees. She blocked out his voice by focusing intently on her thoughts. The ones that told her that Scott would leave her, that she couldn't trust him. She had trusted men like Scott, sweet and perfect, before, and not one of them had stayed. Could she survive another heartbreak? With as much as she loved Scott, she knew it would hurt worse than any pain she had experienced before, and she found herself pushing a new fear up front. Fears were a good way to protect her heart, and she knew she had plenty of them to last her a lifetime.

Scott moved away from the door, taking a step back. He had to find a way inside not only to hold her as she cried but to erase all the negative thoughts he knew was running through her mind. He checked the window next to the door, sighing when it wouldn't budge. He tried the front door one last time, calling out to Reba in hopes he could get through to her. "Whatever you're thinking, Baby, stop it. I love you. I want to be with you…forever." His eyes darted around the door, his hopes for it to open shooting high. When it didn't, his worry and determination took control of his emotions and actions. He darted off the porch, and raced to the back door, praying the whole time that she had left it unlocked.

Reba closed her eyes, relieved that he had stopped talking and knocking on the door. Finally, he had left, and she was hurt to think he had done the very thing she was terrified of him doing. She took a deep breath, standing up and trying to stay balanced on her trembling legs. Her eyes jerked to the back door when she heard the doorknob shaking, and frowned even bigger when she saw Scott standing on the other side of it.

Scott let his forehead hit the glass of the back door when he couldn't open it. She would have it locked when he needed to get inside so badly. He took a deep breath, defeat tempting him to give up, but he looked through the kitchen into the living room in hopes of seeing her. When he did, his eyes met with hers, and he pointed to the doorknob, mouthing for her to open it.

Reba froze when her eyes met with his, and when he practically begged her to open the door, she felt her tears catch in her throat. She shook her head, mouthing that he 'go away', and when he shook his head in response, she turned to climb the stairs, leaving him more worried than he had ever been before.

He didn't know what to do. Should he stay and wait on her, or go upstairs and try to talk to her? Or should he just walk away for a little while? As much as he wanted to be there for her, he just didn't know how when she seemed so upset with him. He made his way around the house back to the front. As he headed for his car, his head hung down watching his feet as he walked.

"Hey, Scott! Did you ask her yet?" He heard a familiar voice greet him as he kept his head down, and he looked up to find Cheyenne standing on the front porch. She tried to open the door twice before he told her that it was locked. "What's up with this? I take it mom said yes!" she said with her girly voice.

"She said she couldn't, and then she ran in the house. I don't know what I did...I thought she was wanting me to propose for a while, but she just won't talk to me." Scott took a deep breath, his eyes travelling to the front door again. He wanted to go inside so badly, but at the same time, he had a feeling she needed space and time right now. Cheyenne frowned at Scott's sadness, wishing she could help him in some way.

"Well, let me unlock the door, and we can go inside to talk some sense into her." Her voice was cheery, and as she began to dig through her purse, Scott prayed she hadn't left her keys inside like so many times before. Cheyenne frowned as her hand began to move around faster inside her purse. "I could have sworn my keys were in here." Scott sighed, placing a gently hand on her lower arm.

"It's ok, Cheyenne. I'm just gonna go home for a while. Call me later to tell me how she's doing?" Cheyenne nodded her answer, hearing all the worry and fear he held. She sighed as she watched him walk away before pulling out her cell phone to call her mother in hopes she'd come downstairs to unlock the door.

Reba sat on her bed as she watched Scott's car pull out of the driveway through the window. She'd just made the biggest mistake of her life. The man she thought was everything was going to walk away, just like everyone else. Her thoughts were broken up by the sound of her phone going off. She would have completely ignored it if she had not realized the custom ringtone, which she had on for her daughter. "Hello," he faded voice asked her eldest child.

"Mom, can you let me in? I lost my key again."

"Yeah, I'll be right down," she replied as she threw her phone back down on the bed. Reba quickly wiped the tears from her eyes with her sleeves and ran downstairs to greet her daughter. Her face was a red-color, and obvious sign she was upset. She tried to make herself look somewhat presentable to the lie that she was fine, but Cheyenne already knew what had happened.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asked as she entered the living room, throwing down her purse on the stairs. "What happened with Scott?"

"Nothing, why?"

Cheyenne looked at her mother in the eyes, "Tell me what happened. I know I'm not exactly the smartest one here, but I know that something is wrong. I talked to Scott. Why didn't you tell him yes?"

"I just am not ready to get married, nor am I sure if I even want to." Reba looked away from Cheyenne, wanting to hide the truth she knew would be shining in her eyes. Cheyenne sighed, not believing her mother. She had been hinting for a marriage proposal for so long now, and Cheyenne couldn't understand how she could expect her to believe that she didn't want to get married.

"Really? Then why did you save a picture of a wedding dress to your phone? Why were you browsing magazines and websites for a ring, Mom? You want to get married...Something else is wrong." Cheyenne narrowed her eyes at her mother, studying her closely. She was going to figure out what it was before she had to call Scott later that night.

"How do you know I did those things?" Reba crossed her arms, glaring at her daughter. Cheyenne rolled her eyes, not intimidated in the least by her mother.

"Oh, please, I snoop through your stuff all the time, and you know it. Now, back to the more important subject...Why didn't you say yes, and I want a real answer this time." Cheyenne pointed a demanding finger towards Reba, keeping her eyes locked on her mother's.

Reba uncrossed her arms, letting them fall to her sides. She sighed, moving to the couch to sit down. Cheyenne followed her, ready to have their talk. "Scott was really hurt, wasn't he?" Cheyenne nodded her head, seeing the regret washing over her mother. "I just can't do it, Cheyenne. I can't marry him...for so many reasons." Reba glanced at her daughter, feeling slightly selfish. Scott had done nothing for her to be scared, but she had scars left by cuts that ran deep. She could only pray that with time Scott would understand why she had said no.

"Like what?" Cheyenne coaxed her mother, hoping she would tell her secrets so Cheyenne could make a game plan for Scott to get the answer they all wanted so badly.

Reba thought for a minute, finding her voice to be stuck in her throat. She shook her head, feeling more tears building in her eyes. She blinked quickly, pushing them away long enough for her to make it to the stairs. Cheyenne watched as her mother ran from the living room, up the stairs, and out of sight, and tried her hardest not to follow her. She needed some time, and hopefully, she would find on her own that Scott was a good man and one she could trust forever.