Thomas and Grace arrived at her house, making sure there was no one following them. She was shaken up and worried about him.
He parked in the driveway, stepping out of the car before he walked around and opened the door for her.
“Grace, are you okay?” He asked, concerned as he helped her out of the car. She looked at him, and he noticed a slight bruise on her forehead, probably from the dashboard or the car door.
“I’ll be fine. Just a bit of a headache, but it’s no big deal,” Grace replied, smiling at him to let him know she was okay. She was in great company, and he had shown he could protect her of anything.
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Grace was in the kitchen, brewing some coffee and making breakfast for Christopher and Thomas. The night before, she had the most amazing moment for the first time in years, and she didn’t hesitate in giving herself to the sheriff.“Good morning, Mom,” Christopher greeted her while taking a jug of orange juice and pouring it in a glass before taking a sip. He noticed Thomas was not on the couch and neatly laying across the armrest was the sheets and pillows.“Did Sheriff Fisher leave already?” He asked, but Grace stayed quiet. If she told him what happened between her and Thomas, he would probably freak out. The moment of silence didn’t last long when Thomas walked into the kitchen with the sweatpants Grace gave him and no shirt on. Christopher looked at both of them in disbelief.
Faith walked down the school hallway towards her next class when she heard Gunner call, trying to catch up to her on his crutches.“Fait, wait up!” He called again. This time she stopped and turned around to face him. He approached her and noticed her eyes swollen, making him think she had been crying all night.“Can we talk?”“I’m sorry, Gunner, but I have to go to class. I don’t want to be late and have the principal call my parents,” she said, trying so hard to keep the distance between them, because all she wanted was to hug him and kiss him right there.“Okay, can we at least talk during lunchtime then? Please, say yes,” he begged, giv
“So, would you come home with me? I would love to spend some time with Trigger, and it would be great if you kept me company. We can do our homework in the stall with him,” Palmer said as she walked out of the school by Christopher’s hand.“I would love to. Just gotta let mom know I’ll be late,” he replied, taking his phone out and calling Grace.After letting his mother know he'll be hanging out at Palmer's house, they both got on the bus and sat in the back. Neither one of them had seen Faith or Gunner today. They both hoped everything was okay. Palmer would call them later to check in on them.“So I was thinking, maybe one day we could have a date and just
“Call the sheriff, Mom,” Christopher repeated, pulling Grace out of the trance, and she headed towards the phone at the end of the counter.“You better not call anyone, Grace. I’m not here to cause problems. All I want is my family back,” he replied, making Christopher scoff as he walked closer to him.“What family? Did you think I wouldn’t know you used to beat mom every single night? How she would hide her bruises, but I could see them anyway? You are just a coward, and I want you out of my house.”Bill looked at Christopher up and down, and he smirked, leaning against the counter.“Since when have you bec
They were all waiting in the waiting area for any news about Grace. Christopher was getting impatient, fidgeting with his fingers as he looked at the door where the doctors would come in and out. Thomas had left to file more paperwork, James and Daisy had gone back home to tend the horses.Palmer was sitting in the chair, looking at Christopher’s pace back and forth, passing his hands through his hair in frustration.“Chris, please sit down. Try to calm down,” she said in a soft voice, but he was not listening to her. Faith and Gunner walked into the hospital after hearing what happened, and with a worried expression, she quickly pulled Christopher in a hug.“I’m sorry to hear about your mom,” Faith said when she pulled away.
“Are you going to offer me something to drink at least?” Bill asked as Thomas filled some paperwork. Letting out an annoyed sigh, he ordered Jay to get him some water while he finished doing his work.“You know? It was so nice to see my beautiful wife again.”“She’s not your wife anymore, so don’t you dare get near her again. You should be in prison for domestic violence and for assaulting a minor,” Thomas said, his back still facing the cell where he put Bill in.“A minor? He’s the one that punched me. In any case, he should be the one with charges.”Thomas was losing his patience, and he was cl
Faith stood in front of her door, trying to take deep breaths before turning around to face Gunner.“Are you sure you want to go through with this again?” She asked, fidgeting with her fingers nervously as she looked at him with a frown on her face. Gunner walked to her, not using his crutches this time, and took her hands in his, rubbing her knuckles.“I’m sure, pretty girl. This time he will have to hear me, and I have come with a plan,” he replied, and that plan was already scaring Faith. She nodded, taking another deep breath before opening the door.“Mom, Dad?” She called. The house was silent, and she looked around, but there was no one in there. Gunner stood
Christopher knocked on Palmer’s door and stood back to wait. He was going out on an official date with her, apart from the lake picnic and he was looking forward to it. He’d worn something that she might like; a white t-shirt with a blue flannel shirt on top, some faded, ripped jeans, and black converse.He stood in front of her door with his ruffled hair, giving himself a onceover on the glass before he knocked.He was casual and comfortable.Palmer opened the door and looked at him with a shy smile. She was wearing some short jeans and a red flannel shirt, tied up in the belly area. Christopher couldn’t help but look at where her skin showed and gulped nervously. He loved how beautiful
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