Knocking on the door, Mac was met with silence.

MacArthur had left Joanna to get settled and unpack. That was two hours ago, and he hadn't heard a single noise from her room since.

Wanting to make sure she was alright, Mac had gone to check on her.

"Joanna?" He called gently, continuing to knock on the door.

Nothing.

"Joanna, I need to know you are okay."

Still nothing.

"I'm coming in!" He raised his voice, not wanting to disrespect her privacy.

Opening the door slowly, his heart sank at the sight.

Sitting in the middle of the floor, her suitcase open, still full of clothes yet to be out in a drawer. He guessed she had been like that for quite some time.

"I have been calling for you. Why didn't you answer?" He said lightly, crossing his arms as he waited for an answer.

Her lips trembled as she tried to answer with words too quiet for Mac to hear.

"Joanna, I'm sorry, but I cannot understand what you are saying."

Looking up with tear-streaked cheeks, she muttered loudly enough for him to hear, "They're gone. Everything is gone and I can't go back and they are never coming back."

Mac eased himself onto the hardwood floor with a groan, he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder; Joanna reacted to the touch by crying more. With little thought, he opened his arm, and she curled into the embrace. Mac held her while listening to the heartbroken sobs that fell off her lips. He held her close as he felt a protective instinct take hold of him. No one here knew her side of the story. All they knew was what they had read on paper and the rest was assumptions made on the broken fragments they could gather of the life she had once lived.

"I can't do this, I… can't do it…" She sobbed.

"You can. I promise you, you will get through this and you will heal."

"It hurts so much," He squeezed her tighter at her words.

Her breaths came in shallow pants as the tears kept falling.

Truth be told, this was the first time Joanna had cried since losing her parents. That horrible night, she had cried in the arms of the firefighter responsible for saving her life. He held her tightly as she struggled in his grip, fighting to pull away and go back towards her burning house. After that night, she had held a tight lid on her emotions. Even at her parents' funeral, only a single tear slipped down her cheek.

It was as though she had been building up to this moment. The lead-up to today had been filled with uncertainty and she had been scared. Today, Joanna felt like she had dropped from the sky, fearing that she would never feel the ground again.

Mac stayed sitting on the floor, despite the protest from his aching joints, not wanting to let go of her. Shifting carefully, he was able to lean back against her bed and keep rubbing circles on her back. He was doing what he could to allow her the space to cry or do whatever she needed to do. For all he cared, Joanna could be yelling at him if he thought it would help her, because, by the way she cried, Mac knew she had been bottling this emotion inside for some time. As hard as it was to listen to her cry, it would have been harder to be in her position. To have been feeling this way inside, pushing the emotions deeper and letting them fester, only causing more pain when they finally erupt.

"I don't know how I am supposed to live my life without them. Lexington was my home and even that's gone."

"You need to listen closely to me." He said, gently pulling her away from him, "First, you do not have to do this alone. If you trust me enough, I will walk every step with you. This is hard and you have every right to be scared, but you are not alone. We will take this one day at a time. I understand I am only a stranger to you and it feels the same for me, but communication is going to be our best way to build a relationship."

"Please, I can't talk about it." Her breath hitched, shaking her head as fresh tears fell.

"You can talk about that when you are ready. What I am saying is, if we are going to get along well, communication would be nice."

"What do you mean?" She asked, lifting her eyes with a sniffle.

He gave a soft smile as he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, wiping the tears from her cheeks before handing her the item. It was a habit he'd been doing for as long as he could remember. Carrying a handkerchief in his shirt pocket, so if a lady ever cried, he could offer a courteous gesture.

Mac waited until she blew her nose before he answered her question.

"I believe communication would be nice because I don't know what makes you, Joanna. You told me you like horses and I take it you like pink," He said, gesturing to what she wore and the bright suitcase on the floor, "But I would like to know you better. You can ask me anything. I want you to see me as the man I try to be, honest and worthy of your trust."

"Okay," she replied in a quiet voice.

When she moved back into his arms, he felt surprised.

"Don't make me do this alone." Her voice was barely above a horse whisper.

"Keep trusting me and I am with you the whole way." He promised her, "Are you feeling well enough for me to sort out some dinner for the two of us? Maybe you could try to put away your things in the drawers."

"There isn't much to put away."

"Well, if you want to come out to the kitchen after you are done unpacking, you could come and keep me company while I cook?" He suggested, watching her face fall, "Before I start cooking, do you have any allergies I should know? And do you have foods you dislike eating?"

She gave a shake of her head. "I eat almost everything but I don't like caviar or truffles. Though I doubt I'll be offered those anytime soon."

Deciding not to draw attention to her sudden change of mood, Mac slowly rose from the floor with an audible groan. He would be a fool to deny that he was not getting any younger. Especially as his back cracked when he stood up taller. Making his way into the kitchen, trying to figure out what to make, he thought about Joanna.

To prepare for her arrival, Mac had gotten a hold of a few books he thought would help. One had been about raising a daughter and although he was only her grandfather, he was playing a fathering role in her life and as time passed, he would play a mothering role too. Joanna was young, but she was growing up and as she became a teenager, Mac would need to prepare himself for the challenges that arise with that. It was difficult because he was trying to understand what could be female emotion or emotion caused by drama. For now, it would be safe to assume both without him causing distress to her.

Dinner was a quiet affair.

Mac had tried his best to keep a conversation between himself and the young girl, though it seemed she was not interested. Giving short and quiet replies, he decided not to push it when silence filled the air. The times he caught her looking at him, she turned her gaze awkwardly away, not feeling able to catch his eyes.

"Thank you for dinner." She said, getting up from her seat and walking away.

Noticing how she left her plate, Mac opened his mouth to scold her when he stopped. With a sigh, he watched her disappear down the hallway and heard her bedroom door close. Tonight he would ignore the rudeness and would bring it up another time. It was her first night here and he couldn't reprimand her like did his grandsons, at least not yet.

After cleaning up his cook's dishes and those used for eating dinner, he allowed himself the time to think about why Joanna had a sudden change of mood. Mac had wanted to knock on her door and check in on her. He left her be, not wanting to push her. Instead, he settled down in the small space designated as the living room. A couch sat across a log burner, and a bookcase to one side of the room. Stepping across the space was the kitchen with a small table and chairs that served as a dining table, and of course, as you stepped through the front door, you could see all of this. It was plenty big enough for two people to live comfortably in, and Mac couldn't imagine someone needing more than what the cabin provided. A place to sit by a warm fire on cold winter nights, somewhere to cook full meals and a place to enjoy them, each person had their own room with a bed to rest their head, a bathroom that was fully plumbed including having a bathtub, and the cabin had electricity. The only thing it didn't have was the internet, but out here, you were lucky to get cell service, and even then, that could be patchy.

Putting down his book, Mac realized that he had stopped reading a long time ago and had been lost in thought. Looking around the room, he was happy about the cabin, but she may not be. This could be another obstacle she was trying to face, and maybe she needed some reassurance. Getting up slowly, he placed the book back on the bookshelf and walked toward the hallway.

Joanna had put her clothes away in the drawers and sat on the bed, knees drawn up to her chest, her eyes downcast.

A knock on the door made her look up.

"Come in." She said, uncurling her arms from around her knees as she sat up straighter. Watching her grandfather walk into the room.

"You went quiet over dinner and I can only assume you are feeling embarrassed over what happened, but I see no need to dwell over that. We are human and we all feel emotion and it is alright and…"

"Please." She cut him off, shaking her head.

She noticed how her grandfather stood in the doorway, not stepping into the room. His face held a gentle kindness and his eyes seemed to hold concern over her. It left Joanna wondering if he was always like this?

"Before dinner, I had spoken to you about trusting me and communication. What I had failed to tell you was things would work around here." He said.

"What do you mean?" She asked, feeling her brow furrow in confusion.

Mac ducked his head slightly as a small smile appeared on his face before he looked at her.

"You need to know how I plan to live with my granddaughter."

"Oh." Joanna's voice fell flat. "I hadn't thought about that. To be honest, I had freaked out about all of my cousins and I have been trying not to think about everything else, but yeah, I'll add this to the list." She replied honestly, feeling panic rise with each breath she took.

"I did not intend to distress you."

"I know that."

"Alright."

"Why are you standing in the doorway?"

He looked taken aback at her question.

"I felt I had violated your privacy by stepping into your space without permission. Every space in the cabin is shared, except your room, and I will always respect that space. You will quickly learn I will always knock and wait for permission to enter a room. I will only enter if I fear for someone's well-being. There is a working lock on your bedroom door and I don't have any way to unlock it, so I am trusting you to use it with good intentions because my only entry will be breaking down the door. Of course, there is a lock on the bathroom door and it will be the same outcome if I need to get in." He paused for a moment, allowing her to process what had been said, "It must be difficult to think about sharing a space with a man you barely know, except I want to respect you and this place because this is your home as much as it is mine."

Swallowing thickly, Joanna felt tears spring in her eyes. The tone he used was sincere, and she was learning how much thought had been put into her life and well-being. A man was making sacrifices for her when he barely knew her.

"The only embarrassing thing you have to deal with is how you react to things. Joanna, I will be here for you in every possible way. You let me know where the line is." He added.

"And for that to work, I need to communicate with you." She said, feeling her breath catch as her mind raced and he noticed this.

"You need to be logical about this, Joanna. Whatever I do will be done by taking very cautious steps and with every obstacle, we come across, we will overcome it together."

Joanna felt words were beyond her and only managed a vigorous nod.

"Good. Thank you for letting me talk. Now, it has been a big day and I'm sure you are tired, so may I suggest turning in early for the night? I'll let you use the bathroom first. If you need anything, your aunt Maxine made sure you had everything you may need. There's a fresh towel hanging up and if you need more, you will find them in the hallway closet. Thankfully, you like pink because we bought you new towels to avoid any mishaps.

The thought of a shower sounded like heaven. Hopefully, she could wash away a part of the stress she had felt these past days.

Although Joanna had packed everything she needed. It was nice to see her aunt Maxine had wanted to ensure she was going to be comfortable. She smiled at the fruity-scented shampoo and conditioner; the lavender-scented body wash and the pink towel she saw hanging up and a smaller version used as a hand towel. It was something someone else may have overlooked, but Joanna found herself being grateful for the simplest of things. Saying this cabin was now her new home was too hard for her to think about just yet, so for the time being. Three Ponies ranch was going to be treated like a weird pony camp away from her parents.

Oh, who was she kidding?

As the water ran down her face, so did her tears. Washing away the emotion of today and the past weeks before like water down the drain, Joanna knew she couldn't stay in here crying, allowing the water to wash away her tears. Shutting off the water, she stepped out and caught the image of her face in the mirror as she brushed her teeth. The girl in the mirror looked like her, but she didn't feel like her. She felt lost and without a home.