Friday arrived, and Palmer took time off from classes to rehearse some dance moves. Sarah, a classmate, had accompanied her. She was an expert at playing the piano, and Palmer wanted her to play the musical instrument for her. “Are you sure they gave us permission to skip class and do this?” She asked skeptically.“Yes, Sarah. For the tenth time, I asked for permission. I’ll collect all my schoolwork as soon as classes are over, and you can do the same. The principal called every single teacher and let them know, so no need to worry,” Palmer replied, putting her bag on the stage and getting in position as Sarah did the same behind the piano.She ordered her to play something lively, no matter what it was, since all she wanted was to dance.“What’s this for?” Sarah asked while Palmer did pirouettes on the stage. “I just wanted to dance, besides the barn party is coming up soon, so I have to practice my moves. You’re going, right?” Sarah looked at her with an apologetic smile and shook
Palmer pulled away from Christopher, seeing his face had turned much paler than before. She looked at him with her eyes wide open as she covered her mouth, realizing what she had just done. “Oops,” she said before looking at her quiet friends, but Faith had a smirk on her face. Her friend had been bold, and she couldn’t be any prouder.“Wow, you really have poor taste in boys, Palmer. You should have stuck with me. We would have been a good power couple at school,” Hunter said, shaking his head before he walked away with his friends, but not before murmuring something about Christopher. They all knew he was being childish. “Let’s go before any more drama unfolds,” Gunner said, taking Faith’s hand and walking out of the store as she laughed at Hunter. Palmer smiled shyly at Christopher as she headed to the truck with him following right behind. They got in and drove off, deciding to stop at the diner to get something to eat. Palmer and Christopher didn’t say a single word on the enti
James parked his truck near the crash site, and the firetrucks and ambulance were already there, trying to take Palmer’s friends out of the vehicle. She wanted to run towards them, but her father stopped her and ordered her to wait by the truck while he checked on them.She prayed that they were okay. Her anxiety was getting stronger when she couldn’t see them emerge from Gunner’s truck. The cool summer night made her shiver as she waited and waited until she saw any signs of life. “Please, let them be okay,” she whispered sadly. James walked back to his daughter and hugged her, knowing how she felt, and he needed to comfort her. Palmer knew it was late, but she needed someone to talk to, so she called Christopher again. She knew he wouldn’t speak to her, but if his mom told him what happened, he might take the call. “Hello?” This time it was him. He was still awake, something she was thankful for.“Christopher, please don’t hang up. I needed someone to talk to, and you were the fir
“Sweetheart, come down and eat. Your breakfast is going to get cold!” Palmer heard her mom. She groaned, covering herself with her soft blanket, not in the mood for anything. Knowing her friends were in the hospital made her want to stay in bed, sulking all day. Palmer looked at the ceiling, thinking about them when she heard a knock on the door. “Come on, sweet pea. It’s time to come out of the room. You have to eat and then do chores before we go visit your friends,” James called. With a long sigh, she got out of bed. Dragging her feet to the bathroom, she took a warm shower before getting ready. Palmer put on some jeans, a red flannel shirt, and grabbed her sneakers. She walked down the stairs with only her socks on. Her hair was up in a high ponytail, and her freckles were pronounced as she didn’t wear any makeup. Her eagerness to join her family for breakfast was more prominent than her sadness, especially knowing that she would see her friends. “So, how are they, Dad?” She as
Palmer sat by her friend’s bed, making sure she was eating well. There was a bowl of chicken noodle soup on her tray and some ginger ale. “I wish there was a nice burger and some shakes from Dino’s. This food here is bland and always cold,” Faith complained, pushing the tray away from her. Palmer laughed, shaking her head while taking a spoonful of the soup to feed her. “You can’t eat anything else. This is what’s best for you at the moment, so eat it. If you behave, I promise to take you out for some burgers as soon as you leave this hospital,” she mentioned, bringing a smile on her friend’s face.Christopher admired Palmer from the other side of the room. How she valued those she loved. He wanted to tell her so many things, but he was afraid of screwing up. As he was about to head out, Faith called him back inside.“Don’t go anywhere. I want you both here. While you’re at it, I want to know what’s going on between you two,” Faith asked, pointing at them. Palmer looked at her with h
“Chris, come on, honey! We have to get to the party!” Grace shouted from the bottom of the stairs as Christopher was nervously putting his clothes on. He was wearing faded jeans and black converse with a black flannel shirt, hoping he was presentable enough for his date.His first official date. It felt weird for him to talk about it when Palmer was just his friend. He ruffled his hair, letting some strands fall on his forehead, and put on some light perfume and deodorant. Christopher walked out and joined Grace at her car, getting in before they drove off. They arrived at the farm, and he was already feeling anxious. His hands were sweating, and a blush of pink crept up his cheeks. Grace took his hand, trying to get him to take deep breaths.“Calm down, sweetheart. It will be fun, and I’m sure Palmer will be cute to look at,” she said, smiling at him. Those last words made him even more nervous. He looked down at his outfit once more, taking a deep breath to calm himself.“Mom, plea
Palmer headed the next day to the hospital to check on her friends. She was still thinking about the kiss she stole from Chris.“Oh, my God! Tell me everything!” Faith said, not waiting for Palmer to walk into the room. “Good morning to you too, crazy one,” she replied, laughing as she hugged her before she sat down. Her friend was very impatient.“Oh, hush. I want to know the deets of the party. Did you dance? Did you confess your attraction or did you kiss him?” Palmer laughed, but she couldn’t lie to her friend. Faith knew her too much already. She took a deep breath and nodded, giving the confirmation to all her questions. Faith squealed, asking for every single detail she could give her. “It was such a fun night, and Christopher is the sweetest. We talked and danced for a while, but Hunter wanted to ruin our moment. Good thing I taught his friends a lesson. I regret not teaching him one. They left us alone for the rest of the night.”Faith smiled and waved her hand, urging her
After the visit to the hospital, Palmer went back home. She was heading straight to the stables to check on Misty and Jackal. The smell of ammonia was something that beckoned her. Palmer loved the smell since she was a little girl.“Hello, precious,” she said as she walked inside the stall. Misty approached her and nuzzled her, tugging on her hair while tickling her neck.“Stop it! You’re tickling me!” Palmer laughed, kissing Misty’s forehead while rubbing her beautiful brown mane. She opened the stall and let them out to the pen where they galloped around until they got tired.Leaning against the fence, she let them have their fun as she observed them closely, especially Jackal since he needed to stretch his little legs. He was one active little creature.
Four Years Later “Everything good, son?” James asked Christopher as he approached him with his horse. He’s been working for James as his ranch manager since Palmer left, and Hammer has become his best friend and working partner. “Everything is great. The cattle are already grazing on the hills, and we just need to bring them in at night,” Christopher replied, looking at the horizon.“That’s okay. We can bring the dogs with us. They will make the work faster, and it looks like it’s going to rain tonight, so we have to move,” James replied, and they both rode their horses back to the ranch. Christopher took the saddle off Hammer and put it on the saddle rack before letting the horse out on the pen to relax. He leaned against the wooden fence, and the most beautiful face had come to his mind. Wondering how Palmer was doing, he asked himself if she was still thinking about him. If she’s happy with someone else or if she's enjoying her dancing academy. “Thinking about her, son?” James s
It was time for the Thanksgiving event in town, and Palmer was getting ready for her group’s performance. Since she left the hospital, she hasn’t talked to Christopher despite stealing glances with each other.It was painful for her not to hug or kiss him or even be able to tell him how much she loved him. She tried to focus on preparing for the performance and her schoolwork instead. There was no time to think about him.Palmer shook her head out of her thoughts for Christopher and prepared the group to start the dance.“Okay, everyone. It’s time to show the people what we’re made of and make them proud to have us representing the town and our school. For some of us, this is
“Dude, wait up!” Gunner called, trying to stop Christopher from walking any further. He stopped and turned around, looking ashamed and guilty. Gunner caught up to him in the parking lot before he tried to make him talk.“Please, dude! Whatever happened there, go back and fix it! Don’t let Hunter ruin what you and Palmer have! He was just talking nonsense, and you know it!”“He’s right, though. I don’t even know what Palmer sees in me, Gunner. Look at me! I’m paler than a glass of milk, and I’m not good enough for her. She’s smart, funny, and beautiful. I’m none of those things!” Christopher replied, feeling like his heart was squeezing inside his chest.
“Hello, Chris!” Faith greeted as she stood behind him in line to pick up their lunch. He picked up a tray and grabbed an orange and a piece of lasagna. The line kept moving, but Christopher was silent, and Faith tried again.“Don’t ignore me.”“I’m not ignoring you. I’m trying to get my lunch and eat in peace.”Christopher walked away and sat at the table, getting his book out to study for his science exam. Faith sat down in front of him and crossed her arms on the table, staring straight at him.“Are you mad at me?” She asked, worrying her lip. She didn’t want her friend to be mad at her f
Grace walked down the stairs to join Thomas in the kitchen. He took the cake out of the oven and put it on the counter to cool for her.“Turning into quite the domestic man, huh?” She asked, leaning against the doorway. She had put a pink flowered apron on him, just for fun, and he had felt emasculated, but in the end, he was having a good time with her.“Well, if I want to belong to my lady and her son’s life, I have to learn to do things for them. I remembered not having as much time for Lauren as I’m doing for you. I just want to make up for it,” he replied, taking his apron off and hanging it on the rack. “How is he?”Grace took a deep breath, shaki
Gunner was running around the tracks after class when Faith arrived and sat on the steel benches to admire him. With well-built muscles, he looked taller from afar. His fast legs made him run effortlessly. She couldn’t contain her smile just at the sight of him.As soon as Gunner saw her, he waved at her excitedly and ran faster to get to where she was.“Hello, beautiful,” he said, taking her hand and kissing the ring on her finger. Faith couldn’t help but blush and gave him a shy smile. Why was she feeling that way with him suddenly?“Hi, my superstar,” she said, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek, bringing a smile to his face. He sat down next to her and b
Christopher took his cell phone out and tried to call 911. “Yes, my name is Christopher Melbourne. I am one mile east of the Wright ranch. We were riding the horses, and my girlfriend fell off hers. Please, send someone! She’s unconscious,” he said to the emergency operator.The operator told him they’ll be there in no time, and as soon as he hung up, he called Palmer’s home and explained to them what happened. Daisy was worried, and she quickly put her sweater and boots on and ran to her truck.“James!” She yelled, making James come out of the stables, “It’s Palmer! Goliath knocked her off!”He stopped what he was doing and got in her truck before they drove off to the teens' location.The ambulance
“Don’t tell me you lost it to him,” Faith mentioned, making Palmer admit it once again.“I don’t want to talk about it, but all I can say is that he was amazing,” she replied, walking towards her classroom.Faith followed, wanting details about what went down between her and Christopher, but Palmer zipped her mouth shut with her finger, walking in and leaving her friend standing in the hallway, still curious.Faith thought she might get the information out of Christopher. Eagerly, she made her way to the homeroom. Not a minute later, Faith was already sitting in the chair in front of Christopher, her arms folded on the desk and a smirk on her face.
“Are you sure you’re ready to go back to the clinic? You can stay here a few more days,” Thomas asked Grace while she was getting dressed for her first day back with her patients. He spent some nights with her, trying to keep her company and make sure she would be okay.“I’ll be fine. There’s no point in me staying here all day, every day. My patients need me,” she replied, putting her hair up in a bun. Thomas approached her and put his arms around her waist, kissing her shoulder.“It’s just that I worry about you.”“Are you sure it’s not because of that new doctor?” She asked with a smile, surprising him, “Oh, don’t