Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, Stephanie Meyers does. However, I do own this plot and storyline. I also own my own original characters.

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Chapter 5: Meetin' of the Minds

EPOV

I wake at five to my alarm going off and hot little puffs of what can only be puppy breath in my face. I'm gonna have to find a way to get him to sleep in his bed, I think to myself as I leave him to sleep a little longer while I head to take a shower. Once I'm clean, I dressed in my new jeans, henley, and boots. I gently scoop up a still sleeping Lleu and head downstairs.

I quietly make my way into the kitchen and flip the on switch for the coffee pot before I even turn the lights on. I sit Lleu on the floor and crack the back door open so he can go out when he is fully awake.

I pull out eggs, bacon, and cheese so that I can whip up a quick breakfast for everyone. Cassie needs a hot breakfast before school anyway. I wrap a stack of corn tortillas I found in the freezer with foil and toss them in the oven then pour some salsa in a bowl so that we can have breakfast tacos.

By the time everyone makes it downstairs, I'm plating the eggs and bacon and set them on the table.

"Um," Bella stutters out. "What time did ya start cookin'?" she asks, eyeing the huge plate of eggs.

"Twenty minutes ago," I answer, pulling the tortillas out of the oven. "Breakfast tacos alright?"

"It's perfect," she whispers. "Let's go sit, sassy girl, so you can eat."

It is just before six in the morning when everyone else shows up and makes their way into the dining room. The tacos are a big hit apparently because no one is saying a word, just shoving food in their mouths.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Billy and Bella push back their breakfast plates and stand. I turn my full attention to them and watch as they make their way over to the stools that surround the bar against the wall.

"Mornin' y'all. We want to thank everyone for being here," Bella starts, getting a little choked up. "I consider everyone in this room to be family. I learned a long time ago that there is more to being a family then the blood that runs through your veins."

"Bella and I sat down the other day," Billy takes over, giving her time to get her emotions in check. "And, we decided to make some changes in the staff structure."

"Guys," Bella jumps back in. "If you want to try your hand at something new, now is the time to speak up. Everyone still helps with the daily chores no matter what, but we want to better utilize your skills."

"That being said," Billy interrupts, looking at the paper in his hand. "The ranch owner is of course Bella, or Boss, as some of ya like to call her," he laughs out.

"Give me that," Bella laughs, taking the paper from him. "Funny guy over here-," she states, pointing at Billy, "-is now known as the Ranch Director."

"Awesome, Dad," Jake blurts out.

"Jessica's the Ranch Administrator," Bella continues. "So all those requests you bring to me, take 'em to her now."

"Boss," Tyler interrupts, and we all laugh at Bella's pout. They only call her that because they know it irritates her. "You 'member what we talked 'bout last week?"

"We took that into consideration when makin' these changes, and I think you'll be pleased," she answers, smiling at him.

"Now, aside from Billy, there're five other directors," she asserts, "Lemme explain the new structure, and then, if anyone has questions, we'll answer them, all right?"

"Sure, sweetheart," my dad confirms. "Whatever's easiest for you."

"So, Billy's the Ranch Director," she expounds. "Reporting directly to Billy is Jake as the Barn Manager and Alice as the Livestock Manager. Eric is the Barn Assistant and will report to Jake while Seth is the Livestock Assistant and reports to Alice. Does that make sense?"

"After Bella lays out the structure," Billy interjects, "she will have a meeting with all the directors. Then, each manager will hold a meetin' with their respective group to further explain job descriptions and duties."

"Moving on," Bella commands. "Sarah's the Facility's Director and under her is Jasper, the Building and Maintenance Manager. Tyler is movin' from the barns to be Jasper's assistant."

"YES!" Tyler belts out. "Thank you both for givin' me this chance."

"You're welcome, Son," Billy answers. "You were born to build."

"Next we have Carlisle as the Health and Safety Director," she continues. "Angela will be the Safety Assistant while Leah and Emmett are Therapy assistants.

"Continuing on, Esme's the Events and Charity Director. Edward will work closely with her as the Food Services Manager. Of course, Sarah will still help out with any functions as will we all.

"Rose is the Education Director and Ben will work with her as the Program's Coordinator," she finishes, taking a deep breath.

"Now, for today, do what you normally would while Billy and I get everyone brought up to speed," she adds, turning to Billy and nodding for him to take over.

"Couple things we're gonna require for a few of y'all," he informs. "We need Carlisle, Emmett, and Angela to get CDL's. Jessica will help to get that set up for ya. Everyone who works at the ranch has to be added as a driver on the insurance, but we need you three to be able to drive a bus in case of emergency.

"Alice, dear," he calls, getting her attention. "We'd really like for you to get a Class B license and make sure you're comfortable hauling a livestock trailer."

"Yes, Sir," she agrees. "That won't be a problem."

"I'll get y'all the information you'll need to get you licenses switched over," Jessica cuts in. "There's a DPS office in Bryan, which is less than an hour away."

"OK, I need to get goin'," Billy states as he stands and makes his way over to Cassie. "Come on, baby girl, it's time for school."

Cassie, who has been sitting quietly next to Jessica, gets up to follow him out of the dining room, but her mother's voice halts her. "And where's my lovin'?"

She smiles, running to her mother, and loudly smooches her cheek.

"That's better," Bella praises. "You have a good day and don't give Ms. Kate a hard time."

Cassie runs off to find Billy and Bella turns back to us, "Y'all got any questions?"

"No, ma'am," echoes around the room.

"Well then, let's talk vehicles," she announces. "Jasper, the truck you drove from Washington is now your work truck. Jessica will have the ranch logo put on it sometime soon."

"What?" Jasper exclaims. "You're just handing me keys to a brand new truck?" he asks in disbelief.

"Well, how else you gonna get materials and stuff?" she counters, smirking at him.

"Movin' on," she continues as Jasper just shakes his head. "Anyone that needs a vehicle, I'll take ya this week to a dealership I do business with. He's fair and won't jack you around.

"Any business or financial issues y'all need taken care of, either let Jessica or I know and we'll help or direct ya to the right place.

"Guys, there're plenty of cars and trucks on the ranch for ya to use for work or personal. So, my suggestion is to purchase something as a couple. Meanin' Emmett and Rose shouldn't purchase two vehicles. Save your money, invest it or whatever.

"Like I told Edward before, Dr. Gerandy will be here today. I want y'all to meet him and for Lleu and Gracie to get checked out. They are gonna both need to be on a flea and tick preventative.

"Alice, you'll need to get with him on your CE hours, and Rose? Kate said you could volunteer in her class, too, for any hours ya need.

"Angela," she states gently. "Emily can direct you to the right place to get your nursing license for Texas."

"Thanks, Bella," Angela says gratefully. "For everything."

"And lastly, we can all work to get all of your rooms done this week, too," she finishes. "Now, go do somethin'," she laughs out, getting up to help start cleaning up from breakfast.

Tyler walks over and hugs her, whispering in her ear. She nods and smiles at him as he goes to leave.

As we walk to the kitchen, I hear Alice ask Jasper, "So, that means I get to pick out what kind of car we get?"

"Within reason, babe," he answers. "I wanna make sure it's a safe vehicle and no sports cars."

"I don't wanna car," she affirms. "I want a crossover or small SUV."

Walking into the kitchen, I notice Lleu sniffing around the utility room where his food is kept so I pour some into his bowl and fill his water dish.

"Oh, Alice," I say, interrupting her and Jasper. "Your nephew refuses to sleep in his bed. He insisted on waking me up at midnight to snuggle with me."

"Put one of your dirty shirts in his bed," Bella interjects.

"Yeah," Alice confirms. "What she said. He's comfortable with your smell. Put a shirt you already wore in the bed and he'll get used to it."

I just look at them both like they're crazy, but I'm game for trying it tonight. I finish cleaning up and then let the little monster outside.

"Let's head to the office, Jasper, and get ready for your interview," Bella states. "Jessica already has the paperwork ready for you."

"Um, Emmett," Angela asks quietly. "Do you know how to drive a bus?"

"Yeah," he answers. "It's not hard, you just have to make sure you use your mirrors and watch out for the curbs and the people walking on them."

"Would you mind teaching me?" she hesitates. "I've never driven anything but our old truck."

"Sure," he agrees. "Let's go find the keys and we'll practice. I could use a refresher, too."

"I'm coming with y'all," my father states. "I've never driven one either."

"Come on, Ben," Rose directs. "I'll show you the activities center. You're gonna love the setup."

My mother, Alice, Sarah, and I all just look at each other, then burst out laughing.

"Tell us what you need help with, Sarah," my mother comments after calming down. "Put us to work so we're not just standing around."

"I need to get the fall garden cleaned out so Billy can plow it up later," she states. "I also need to gather all the horse blankets to wash and store for the summer."

"So, could you come show Edward and I what needs to be done in the garden," my mother suggests. "Then, you and Alice can do the horse blankets. Sound good?"

"Sounds good," we agree. My mother has never been one to sit around when there is work to be done. She is the take charge and get it done type, she raised us to be hard workers like her and my father.

I pick up Lleu and grab his leash. I'm want to work on teaching him to follow directions and not run off. Sarah leads us up to the utility building and attaches a dump trailer to one of the carts. We get in and she drives to the gardens, explaining the growing process they use.

"There're four gardens. One is year-round, so we just tend it and replace the plants as necessary. The other three are rotated through the seasons.

"The one we're gonna clear today is the fall garden, but it'll be the summer garden when we're done. We planted the spring garden in February and that is the garden y'all picked the greens from.

"Anything that's still edible, we pick and either can or freeze it," she finishes.

"What do you use for fertilizer?" my mother asks. "I know Bella said everything is organic."

"You're gonna shit," she starts laughing. "But, we use the dirty shavings from the stalls and compostin'. There's a few compost bins on the ranch."

"That is just ..." Alice comments. "I don't even have words. Wow...just wow."

"Oh and, Edward," she states. "You're gonna just love the greenhouse. Herbs galore! Plus, there's a bunch of other vegetables that we grow in there year-round."

"That I gotta see," I reply excitedly. "I always loved going to the farmer's market and picking out fresh herbs and vegetables." Arriving at the gardens, Sarah parks the cart next to the one we are strippin', as she calls it.

"So what's considered waste, you put in the dump trailer. If it's still good, put it in the baskets to be dealt with later," she reiterates. "Imma show Alice what to do with the horse blankets and be back to help y'all."

She and Alice take the cart after unhooking the dump trailer and head toward the barns.

"I've always loved gardening," my mother remarks. "It's rewarding to watch your hard work grow and then to get to enjoy it."

"It is," I reply. "And to get to prepare meals with fresh herbs and vegetables is just as rewarding. They make the dish taste so much better."

We work in companionable silence, commenting about something every once in a while. By the time we have each finished a row, Sarah is back and jumps right in to help.

Hearing an engine, we look up as Rose and Ben pull up on another cart.

"Tell us what to do," Rose pleads. Sarah gives them the run down, and they both start on the next rows.

Lleu has apparently found something that interests him because he is running in circles then pawing at the ground.

"It's probably a grasshopper," Sarah informs. "It won't hurt 'em to explore a little."

I go back to pulling my row, keeping an eye on him. I'm almost to the end when I hear my mother start screeching.

"Oh fuck!" she screams, running out of the garden. "Snake! There's a fucking snake in there."

Esme Cullen dropping the f-bomb is always a bad thing. When she adds the word snake to the sentence, I'm moving pretty quickly to get the hell out of the garden, too. I scoop up Lleu and head over to my mom, where she is shaking uncontrollably.

Sarah runs to the cart, pulling out a rifle. She heads to where my mother had been, slowly moving the plants with the muzzle of the gun. She jumps back, takes aim, and shoots twice. Taking the hoe that my mother dropped, she drags out what has to be at least a four-foot snake.

Shortly after she pulls it completely out, we hear racing engines and they are moving fast.

Bella and Seth fly up on four wheelers, Jake not far behind. "What's wrong?" Bella burst out as she skids to a stop.

"Snake," Sarah states nonchalantly pointing at the monstrosity on the ground.

"Damn, Momma," Jake exclaims, stopping to catch his breath. "Scared the hell outta us."

"Well, whatcha wanna do?" she replies sarcastically. "Make friends with it? 'Bout gave Es a heart attack."

Bella walks over to my still-shaking mother, and hugs her while rubbing her back. "You're done out here," Bella whispers to her. "I need to run some ideas by ya anyway. Come on, you can ride back with me."

"Okay," she replies, walking toward Bella's four wheeler.

"Jake," Bella calls. "Hook the rakes up and pull this shit; it's all waste anyway."

"Ma'am," he calls back. "Get y'all's baskets and tools up, I'll be back in a few. And, Momma, put the Winchester away."

"Well now I feel like a real rancher," Ben comments, shaking his head in amazement. "That is one ugly ass snake."

"Hell yeah!" Rose busts out laughing and we join her. "Did hear your mom, she was all over the f-bomb."

"I don't blame her." I cut in. "I'd done the same thing."

"Let's get this stuff up," Sarah directs. "Jake will be here soon. We don't want nothin' in his way."

Ben and I grab the baskets as Sarah and Rose start picking up the garden tools. I sit Lleu in the back of the cart so he can't get into anything. By the time we have everything out of the way, Jake is pulling up on the tractor.

He starts at one end of the garden, raking everything to the other, whether it's good or not. We use the hand rakes to separate the waste plants from the dirt and scoop them into the dump trailer. We work quietly and efficiently and are done in less than an hour.

We dump the refuse in the trailer on a compost pile near the barn on our way back to the utility building. After washing up, I head to the office. Inside, Jasper and Sam are sitting at the table that Jessica and I had used to sort registration forms during the camp. I walk over to see what they are doing and Jasper takes Lleu from me, giving him some snuggles.

"Hey, Sam," I greet. "Good to see you again."

"You too, man," he returns, shaking my hand. "Who is this li'l thing?"

"Edward's son, Lleu," Jasper cuts in. "He got him in Vegas."

"Cute li'l shit," Sam states, petting him. "Welcome to the family, dude."

"Whatcha working on?" I ask.

"Bella's chicken house," Jasper explains. "Just drawing the plan out so that we can get it done tomorrow."

"Let me know if you need an extra hand," I tell them. "I'm gonna find Sarah and see if she needs anything else before I head in to start lunch."

"Check on your mom, too," Jasper affirms. "She was still upset when she and Bella left for the house a little bit ago."

"OK," I answer, taking Lleu from him. "Can we go ahead and order chickens or do we need to wait."

"Naw," Sam states. "Go ahead; this ain't gonna take long."

I nod in acknowledgment and head for the house. Tonight Rose, Angela, and I are cooking pork chops, grilled root veggies and Cuban black beans and rice. I stop off to grab the pork chops and beans from the utility building to take up to the house.

Walking into the house, I notice Bella and my mother are in the kitchen talking. They jump up to help me since I'm juggling Lleu and the food.

"Goodness, Edward," Bella chides. "There's reusable grocery bags out there to carry this stuff with."

"I will remember that for next time," I smirk at her. Handing Lleu to my mother, I state, "Your grand-fur baby is probably thirsty."

I wash my hands and start pulling the ingredients out of the fridge for lunch.

"Whatcha makin'?" Bella inquires.

"Grilled chicken salad and potato cakes," I reply, playfully smacking her hand away from the lettuce I just washed. "And you can't help," I joke, smiling at her.

"Whatever," she retorts with a smile of her own. "I'll just sit here and watch you work, then."

I season the chicken and toss it on the range top grill then start preparing the salad. I take some of the tortillas left over from this morning and cut 'em in thin strips, lay them out on a sheet, and put them in the oven to crisp up, all under the playful stare of Bella.

I peel the potatoes as the chicken continues to cook. I shred them up finely and mix them together with some cheese, rice flour, and an egg. Shaping them into balls and place them on the flat grill, using a spatula to flatten them.

By the time I'm plating everything, the others are making their way in to eat.

"It smells good in here," Emmett boasts. "Potato cakes, my favorite."

"Go wash up," I demand. "It's ready."

We enjoy lunch, most of the conversation is centered on the infamous Esme versus the snake incident. My father is comforting my mother, making sure she is really all right. Angela is telling Ben about learning to drive the bus.

"Bella," I say, breaking my silence. "Jasper and Sam said you could go ahead and order chickens. I did some research on the different breeds, so whenever you're ready, you can look at it."

"That's great," she states excitedly. "Tell me what you suggest."

"Well, Jasper said twenty chickens," I explain. "So you could do ten white egg layers and ten brown egg layers. I think two different breeds of each to see which does better."

"Oh, yeah," she agrees. "That sounds perfect. We'll check with James to see if he can order them or if we should order direct from a hatchery."

"Ya should probably order direct from the hatchery," Billy cuts in. "That way you know you're gettin' good birds."

"I actually found a poultry breeder in Cameron," I chime in. "I'm not sure how far that is from here but they ship overnight in Texas and are certified by the NPIP as Avian Influenza and Pullorum-Typhoid free."

"Damn, son," Billy exclaims. "You have done your research. I say you two sit down after lunch and decide what you want and order from this place."

"I agree," Bella states. "There's a wood crate in the storage building that we can use for a brooder. We have to spray the pen with natural insecticide and iodine before they can go in it."

"I'll pull the crate out and put some shavings in it," Billy confirms. "Who's pickin' baby girl up today?"

"Me and Es are," Sarah announces, but is cut off by a horn honking.

"Damn it," Bella bursts out.

Jake and Seth get up, heading for the door, as Billy turns to Bella, "What's wrong, sweetheart?"

"I forgot to call James this mornin' and change our weekly order," she sighs in frustration. "I needed to add additional feed for Smoke, Lleu, and Grace. Not to mention that I will need to get some chick starter."

"Lleu has to have special food," I cut in. "I have enough for a week or more."

"Yeah," Bella sighs. "Alice told me. That's why I wanna make sure he orders it. It's not somethin' they carry in stock."

"I'll pick up some chick starter after I get Cassie," Sarah comforts. "I know they'll have some. I can talk to James 'bout changing the order for next week. What does Smoke need?"

"I wanna start him on Triple Crown Complete," Bella explains. "Condition him to breed next season."

"I'll check on it," Sarah states. "Nothin' to get upset about, dear."

"Come on, Alice," Billy calls, getting up. "I'll show you how to check the delivery while the guys unload."

Sarah, my mother, and I clean up the lunch mess, while the others go back outside, leaving Bella and me to our plans.

I put Lleu in m y room so that he can nap. I grab my iPad and head into the office so that Bella and I can order us some chicks.

I walk into the office and stop short as all the breath rushes out of me. Bella is bent over the small conference table, setting up her laptop while unknowingly displaying her jean-clad ass like a work of art. Beautiful is the only thing running through my mind at this moment. I have to adjust myself quickly to avoid embarrassment.

I clear my throat as to not startle her, and walk over to the table, set my iPad down and take the seat next to her.

"OK," she addresses me. "What is the name of the breeder?"

Opening my favorite's folder and find the website I found, showing it to her. We spend over an hour reading the information and deciding on the four breeds. Bella places the order which should arrive either tomorrow or Wednesday.

She grabs the directions we printed on how to build a brooder and turns to me, "Let's go make sure we have everything to set this up right."

By the time we are done setting up the crate, Rose comes looking for me so that we can start dinner. I walk with her and Angela back to the house just thinking of how exciting this day has been. More than that though, how rewarding it feels to be so productive.

We walk in to barking and high-pitched squeals. I stop short to see Cassie running laps around the living-room as Lleu chases her. It's the cutest sight. I scoop him up on the next pass and then her as soon as she's within my reach.

"What are you two doing?" I ask her, smiling.

"Be," she replies sweetly. "Get me."

"Is Lleu trying to get you?"

"Yeah," she giggles out.

"Did you get a snack when you got home?" I ask, carrying her into the kitchen.

"Bites," she whispers out.

"Do you want some bites?" I confirm, sitting her in the chair at the counter.

"Yeah," she answers.

I peel and cut up an apple, sliding it in front of her. Then I cube some cheese and place it on her plate. This was my favorite snack as a kid, and if I'm honest, it's still my favorite.

After I'm done cleaning up the mess from preparing the snack, I turn to see four sets of wide eyes staring at me. "What?"

"You're really good with her, Edward," Sarah whispers. "And, she doesn't let many people close to her. She is really bonding well with you."

"She's amazing," I comment, shrugging my shoulders. "Just like her mother," I whisper.

"Yes, they are," Sarah replies. "And you're a good man, Edward. Don't forget that."

Rose, Angela, and I get started on dinner as my mother and Sarah set the table. Bella walks in, going straight for her daughter and kissing her on the temple.

"Look at that yummy snack," she comments. "Is it good?"

"Bites," Cassie replies, holding a piece out to her mother, who bites it out of her fingers. "Da."

"Who's Da?" Bella asks confused.

"Da," she answers, pointing at me.

"Edward made you a snack," Bella asks with tears in her eyes.

"Yeah," Cassie whispers.

"That was sweet of him," Bella states, looking straight at me. "Thanks."

"No problem," I state. "She and Lleu were running around like banshees, so I figured t that hey worked up an appetite."

"Actually, that's why I came in," Bella announces. "Dr. Gerandy's here. I want to take Lleu and Gracie out so he can check them."

My mother goes to get Gracie from Alice's room while I hook Lleu's leash to his collar, handing it to Bella. She takes both animals and heads out the door with Cassie hot on her heels.

After a clean bill of health and some monthly preventive pills for Lleu and Gracie, I'm finally able to get dinner ready for everyone.

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner, filled with family, laughs, and most of all love.

Emmett and Jasper along with my dad, cleaned the kitchen under the supervision of Alice. We all had to laugh at her. She perched herself on the counter, telling them where things went. We could hear her chastising them if something wasn't done correctly.

Finally, Emmett picks her up, throws her over his shoulder, and takes her outside to the back patio. "You stay there," he commands, turning and walking back into the kitchen. Alice's face is priceless.

Once everything is cleaned up, we set up chairs outside. Bella passes around several bottles of wine along with a simple cheese and cracker tray. Everyone is sitting around chatting while watching as the dogs and Cassie run around.

Today was a very gratifying day indeed.

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