All I Can Promise

Ashlee’s response threw Eric for yet another loop. What young girl wouldn’t jump at the chance for an adventurous midnight horseback ride? Let alone one who was as horse crazy as Ashlee?

“Oh. Okay.” He shrugged, not sure what else he could say. He wasn’t going to push it if she didn’t want to ride. Maybe she really wasn’t feeling well. Or maybe he really had done something unintentional to put her on edge around him. He shot Stacy another glance though, questioning the strangeness of it all. He wanted to believe nothing was wrong, but his gut said otherwise.

“I’ve got a couple days before I hit the road again…but if you change your mind about tonight, you’ve got til midnight. ‘Course, if you wait that long, you’ll prolly hafta wake me up. These old bones ain’t gonna last much longer than that.” He smiled, but it felt rather pointless. It was a strange sensation – suddenly not knowing if he’d done something wrong, or if there was another reason for Ashlee’s distance.

He turned his focus back to finishing his meal, and engaging in conversation with a few others, including Stacy. It was good to be home, despite Ashlee’s odd behavior.


Clint shrugged on his jacket and let the shop door fall shut behind him before he trudged across the driveway. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to go grab something to eat or just go home. He knew Wendy and Chase were with everyone else for supper tonight, but as of late, it wasn’t unusual for Clint to just go his own way and connect with them at home later.

Passing by the main house though, a lone figure on the porch swing caught his eye. He wasn’t one to interfere – if someone wanted to be left alone, he had no problem with that. And yet… Caring more than he might admit, he stepped up on the porch before sinking down next to his sister. Neither spoke for what seemed a very long time, until Rosalyn finally broke the silence. “How ya doing?”

“I’m alright. You?”

“I’m fine.” She tucked her hands in her jacket pockets and kept her eyes on the darkness surrounding the ranch. She’d eventually come back from the orchard and retrieved her jacket from inside, but no one had seemed to notice, and she was okay with that.

It was quiet again except for the soft creaking of the swing as Clint’s foot gently maneuvered it back and forth. A slow sigh eventually seeped out though. “You happy?”

“No. …You?”

“No.”

There was another long stretch of silence.

“What are we gonna do about it?” Perhaps Rosalyn really didn’t expect an answer, but it was a question that felt heavy tonight.

“I dunno.” Clint shrugged. “Keep on living, I suppose.”

Rosalyn  pursed her lips as she thought. “At least you’ve got a family.”

“Yeah.” He nodded slowly. “If not for them, I’d be long gone.”

“If Dad wasn’t such a jerk, would you say the same thing?”

Clint thought for a long moment. “Yeah.”

“What changed?”

“Me.”

It was quiet again. Rosalyn leaned over to rest her head on her brother’s shoulder. “I’m sorry things aren’t turning out like you wanted.”

“They’re sure not. Can’t change it now, though.”

“Aren’t you and Wendy okay?”

“Yeah.” Clint kept the swing’s gentle pace. “Some days I feel too tied down. But I wouldn’t give her or my kid up…I love them more than life…which is why I’m still here.”

Rosalyn fell silent as a tear trickled down her cheek to soak into Clint’s jacket. Once more, the darkness provided the hushed atmosphere until Clint decided to speak again. “You miss him?”

“Yeah.” Rosalyn sniffed. She didn’t have to ask who her brother meant. Chad was on her mind every day. “I thought I could ignore it…but I can’t. And I don’t even know if it’s real. But I can’t even find out because I’m stuck here.”

Clint’s heart ached with a mix of sadness and anger. “Are you really?” 


Jared’s lips curled into a somewhat sly grin as Grace came and joined him. With his one leg now resting on her lap, he moved his bare foot to nudge her arm playfully. “Goofing off is always more appealing than work – you should know that by now.”

He scrunched up his nose a little bit though. “But yeah, I guess I sorta maybe did more than I was supposed to.” He waved a hand in the air. “But I couldn’t stand it any longer. I am so….so….SO tired of seeing the insides of those walls, I think I might be starting to go just slightly insane.” His eyes widened. “Or maybe more than slightly. Maybe a lot. Who’s to tell? A crazy person doesn’t usually know how crazy they really are, do they?”

He let his eyes fall on hers. “They say ignorance is bliss though, so if you really think I’m losing it, don’t tell me. Unless I’m like annoying crazy. Then you can tell me. But let me down easy when you do.”

He bit his lip to stop his ramble. “Sorry. Too much coffee. All I want is to get –” He cut his sentence short, as another wave of his arm was too much, causing a sharp spasm in his back. His whole body tensed, and he cringed, holding his breath until it had passed. “…out of here…” He let the air out of his lungs slowly before giving her a sheepish grin. “Or not. Can I just…not move for a minute or two?”


Bree’s question sent a pang to Gunner’s heart. She wasn’t out of line. It was a perfectly appropriate thing for her to ask after what he’d done. The pain came from his own guilt – guilt that he’d messed up badly enough for her to worry about it happening again. He couldn’t blame her for this hurt he felt.

A deep breath preceded a sigh just as deep before he tightened his hold on Bree. Pulling her as close as he could, he let her head rest on his shoulder, and closed his eyes as he drank in this feeling…this feeling of holding in his arms the only one he’d ever cared for like this.

Though silence reigned for several minutes, his voice did finally surface. “I can’t promise I won’t make mistakes,” he answered quietly. “I can’t promise that I won’t want to run away, or that I’ll never fail you.” A tear made its way to the surface, and he closed his eyes, fighting these mixed emotions.

“I can’t promise I won’t mess up, or even that I won’t do anything stupid to hurt your feelings,” he continued shakily.  

“All I can promise is that I’ll try. I’ll try to be the man you deserve. I’ll try to focus on what’s really important. I’ll try to do all that’s humanly possible never to lose your love.”

He drew back a little and kissed her forehead. “You are the most important person in my life, and I don’t know what I’d do without you. I…know I ran away…but nothing made sense again til I started thinking of you. I just…need to remember that more quickly when I hit rough spots.”

Finally in a little more control over his feelings, he tilted his head so he could see Bree’s face again. “I’m…ready…to admit I’ve got a problem. I want my life back. I want to go back to work…and I want things to be okay between us.” 


“Eh…I dunno.” Jason shrugged. He was leaned back in his office chair with his feet up on his desk, surrounded by work, but allowing a break to talk to his friend. Besides, it was almost time to go home anyway.

Con hadn’t been seen much at all at the Elite office lately, but with Reese having left him at least ten phone messages, he’d finally relented and come in to see what he wanted – not that he didn’t already know, but so far he’d stood firm in his decision not to return to his job here. “So you haven’t talked to her since?”

“Oh…yeah. Some. I mean, we’re getting along okay I guess. She said she’s not mad at me – just hurt, and I can’t blame her for that. It’s still kinda awkward, but I guess I’m hoping we can end up being good friends again. I miss having her to talk to.”

“Give it time,” Con assured. He stretched out his legs as he sat in the extra chair. “Misty’s going through more than just you breaking up with her.”

“Yeah. She’s on a major warpath with Carson, especially since he’s the reason for my decision. All that just makes me feel worse, though.”

“Do you still feel you made the right choice?”

“Yeah.”

“Then don’t take on extra guilt. You can’t control what happens to her or what decisions she will make.”

“I just want to help. So I walked away. Makes a whole heap of sense.”

“You walked away from a deeper relationship, not from being a friend. Right now, it’s in her hands. You’re doing all you can.”

Jason slowly nodded. He was grateful for Con’s council, as always. “Thanks. At least Alec doesn’t seem too upset with me. We’ve been texting, and while I don’t think he understands, he respects my decision, so we’re cool. I hadn’t expected that, so I’m glad for it.”

“I haven’t been to Mom and Pop’s in ages. How’s Carson?”

“Not good, but that’s all I know. You’re not the only one who hasn’t been there in ages. After everything went down, most of his friends walked away – understandably so.”

Con sighed. “Yeah. It’s sad though. How close are they to getting the divorce?”

Jason scoffed. “Who knows? Carson still hasn’t signed the papers. Unless something changes, Misty may never be free. Even after seeing how alone she is now without me, he hasn’t relented.”

“Think Carson is being mean or just stubborn in his efforts?”

“I really don’t know.” Jason’s eyes dropped. “But…as much as part of me would like to say he’s just being mean…my gut says he’s sincere. I think he’s fighting tooth and toenail to keep Misty in his life.”

“Well…can’t blame him for that.” Con cocked his head. “And you and Katie?”

“What?” Jason’s gaze flew up. “What do you mean?”

Con chuckled. “Nothing. Just wondered if you were getting along, that’s all.”

“Oh. Yeah…yeah, I think we are. I think maybe…she and I can be friends again.” Jason nodded. “And…I’m looking forward to that.”

“Good. Well, if you –”

“Jason?” Reese’s voice over the intercom interrupted Con. “Is Con still in your office?”

Jason threw his friend a grin. “Yeah.”

“Conrad, are you ever going to come see me like your promised? I gotta get going in twenty minutes.”

Con lifted an eyebrow. “Did he just tell me to come see him?”

Jason nodded. “Yeah. You’ve got twenty minutes before you can get out of here.”


Alec crumpled up his napkin and finished off his Pepsi before looking to the other end of the couch at Misty. He’d brought subs home for supper after work for a treat, but now that the meal was over, it was his routine to go to his own place out back. He sighed, his eyes remaining on Misty. “Well…I guess I’m gonna go hit the sack early.” It had been a long day, and as of late, there had been little to discuss between them. Every day, he wished he could help more, but there was simply nothing he could do. He hated the tension. He hated how things had gotten so messed up with Carson, and then Jason, too. Though a little time had passed, the pain lingered, and all Alec could do was watch Misty try to find her way through it all.

He reached over and set a hand on her shoulder. Things felt...strange tonight, and he wasn't sure what it was. It was almost as if a storm was coming, but he couldn't put his finger on it. “If you need anything…let me know, alright?”