9/30/12

Maybe

Feeling the tap to the foot it surprised but that didn't stop the smile that spread across his lips anyways. Even if this wasn't much affection it was a different kind that what he was use to and he was starting to like it. Moving his foot a little bit Trey returns the nudge.

   "Yeah, having someone come with me would be nice. I have a price range I have to stay in for TJY to pay it but they gave me a list of some places. So if you could come and look with me..that would be great."

Having Clint come into the room Chad gives a little smile but seeing the look on Clint's face it soon fades. Hearing about Rosalyn's father not being to happy he was here Chad could feel his stomach churn a little bit. He's really hoped everyone would respond to him well but it now seemed like at least one person wasn't going too.

Once Clint was gone Chad turns a little to Rosalyn. Listing to hear and hearing her explanation Chad could feel his heart break. She really had been conflicted between doing what she family asked, and happiness. It must have been truly hard for her and he couldn't blame her at all for how she had been feeling.

   "Oh Rosalyn!"

Taking a few short steps twords her Chad puts his arms around her and just holds her for several long moments. One hand rubbing her back and the other running his fingers through her hair. He offered her all the comfort she could.

   "Never be scared to tell me something...ok? We can face the challenges together, we don't have to do it alone as long as we have each other."

Pulling away and putting a finger under her chin Chad tilts her head up so he could look her in the eye before giving her a soft kiss on the lips and pulling away again. Maybe he if talked with Jim, and showed him that he meant no hard they could build a friendship, it was worth a try anyways.

   "Maybe I could try talking to your dad? Do you think that would help?"

Worse than I thought

Rosalyn giggles and looks up to give Chad a sly grin as they walk. "I don't remember being attacked..." 

Helping him get his stuff into the bunkhouse wasn't hard and it didn't take too long. They met a few others along the way that seemed a little curious as to why Chad was back again and why Rosalyn was sticking so closely to him, but nobody asked. 

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Rosalyn sighs and glances at the clock. She'd left some kitchen work unfinished when BJ had brought her the cryptic note. She really just wanted to sit and spend time with Chad, but she also knew she had responsibilities. Watching Chad unpack some of his things, she stands and goes to him, slipping her arms around his waist from behind and leaning her head on his back. "I gotta go finish cleaning the kitchen... Do you want to-"

Her words are stopped short as someone knocks at the door, followed by, "Rosalyn? You in there?" 

She quickly withdraws from Chad as she answers, wondering why her brother was bothering her. "Yeah. What?" 

Clint opens the door and pokes his head inside. Seeing Chad, he nods. "Hey. Long time no see." His eyes go back to his sister, with a look of concern. He hadn't known there was anything going on between her and Chad... until a few minutes ago. But at this point, he really didn't have an opinion yet. "Look, unless you want to make things worse, I suggest you hang out together somewhere other than a bedroom. Dad's furious." 

Rosalyn's face pales as her pulse quickens. "How did he find out?" 

"I dunno. He probably noticed the jeep and asked about it. I was just walking past the barn when he blew up. Mick's trying to cool him off but he's only gonna be in there as long as it takes him to unsaddle and wipe down a couple horses."

Rosalyn swallows hard as her stomach starts to churn. "Okay. Thank you, Clint." 

"Yeah..." Clint looks between the two of them again, the wheels in his mind turning as he tries to figure out just what had been going on here, but right now there just wasn't time. "See ya later." 

Once he was gone, Rosalyn can feel the hot tears pooling behind her eyes. She knew she owed Chad an explanation... now. Before he got in the middle of a fight. Turning around slowly, she looks up at him hesitantly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner." Her voice quivers. "I just couldn't. When you left last time, my dad confronted me - he'd seen us... seen us kissing, and he wasn't happy. Because I knew he didn't approve, I kept our letters a secret. Mick was the only one who knew and he always made sure I got my mail before anybody else saw it." 

Putting a hand to her forehead, she paces in a small circle, feeling sick. "When you sent the flowers, my dad found out they were from you and he was very upset that I'd ignored his previous warnings about getting involved with you. I let him believe I would let it all go." She shrugs lamely. "But I didn't want to." 

Turning back to Chad, her eyes were full of the fear she felt - fear that her father was going to say regrettable things to her and/or Chad, and fear that Chad wouldn't want anything to do with her after this. "I should have told you. If I would have known you were coming, I could have warned you not to. I guess I thought maybe my dad would just be a little upset was all but..." Clint never overreacted about anything. So if he found it that vital to warn her their dad was upset, then he must have been quite angry. "...if my brother said Dad's mad then... it's gotta be worse than I thought it would be." 


Hunter smiles and gives Katie's hand an extra squeeze. "Feels good to have my head on straight again. It's... been quite a while since it was." 

Interrupted by their waiter, Hunter withdraws his hand to sit up straight again as they receive their food. Glancing back over at Katie, he cocks his head. He'd always let her do the praying when they'd had meals together. He'd never wanted to do it, but hadn't ever been offended or stopped her. Tonight though, things were different. 

Taking her hand once again, he gives her a little nod. "I'd like to do the honors tonight... if that's okay with you." It felt a little awkward, but... it was something he wanted to do. 

"God... I just want to thank you for this evening. For getting me back to Nevada in one piece and for keeping me in Texas for as long as it took to knock some sense into me. For putting a friend like Katie in my life and friends like the people back at the ranch. Thank you for new starts... forgiveness... and really good food that we're gonna eat right now before we starve. Amen." 


Ariel laughs and shakes her head. "Don't thank me yet. You might still get that slap and I'll definitely make sure it hurts." 

Giving him a teasing smirk, she nudges his leg with her foot under the table. "So... you want any help looking for a place?"