Second Chances

Chapter 1

It was a bright, sunny day as Andie and Tim were riding their horses along the winding Russian River that went through their property. It was Andie's birthday and Tim was once again trying to convince her to do something for the occasion and to find a man.

     "Andie, it's been twenty years. Joel would want you to move on. And I understand why you don't like celebrating your birthday, but this is a big one," Tim had said.

     Andie had stopped her horse and turned around to glare at him.

    "I won't celebrate my birthday because it would've been Joel's birthday, too. He was the love of my life and it's hard to move on, even after all these years. You already know that the men around here only want my property, not me. Especially when the find out how old I am."

     Tim sighed, knowing she was right. Andie was still a very attractive woman that looked like she was still in her thirties instead of turning fifty. She had such a big heart and was sometimes too trusting. In his opinion, none of the men in the Alexander Valley region of California were good enough for his older sister. Joel had been ten years older than her and he truly loved her. The day he found Joel dead and Andie beaten, raped, and whipped will forever be etched into his memory. It took months for her to recover and she was still self conscious of the scars on her back. Their friend, Silverhawk, was with him when he came across the gruesome scene. Andie has sworn vengeance against Chris Rupp and has become an excellent shot with a .45 and a rifle. She also had become very proficient with knives. They continued their ride along the river.

      Out of the corner of her eye Andie saw two Indians. One on horseback and one leaning against a tree watching them. Without a word, she grabbed a knife off of her belt an threw it at the tree near the indian's head. The young brave started to draw an arrow only to be stopped by Tim cocking the hammer back on his gun.

     "Just in case your aim is better than your judgement," he warned.

     The young brave sat there watching as Andie crossed the river and jumped off her horse. He was surprised as this woman not more than five feet walk up to his companion, who was still leaning against the tree like nothing just happened. The two stared at each other for a minute before grinning at each other.

     "Silverhawk, how the hell are you?"

      "You've gotten better at throwing knives, little bird," he stated before pulling her in for a hug. "I want you to meet Adam. His tribe recently joined ours. Can we head up to the house? I have some news to tell you and I could use a drink of your whiskey."

     "Nice to meet you, Adam. Just let me get back onto my horse and we'll head up to the house."

     She gets back onto her horse and rides back over to Tim. They wait as the other two cross the river and head up the small hill that leads up to their ranch house. As they approach the house, two ranch hands, Austin and Chance come out of the barn with hay in their hair. 

     "What's been going on while we were gone? Where are Sami and Oleana?" Tim asks with a smirk. He sees the two girls trying to sneak around the other side of the barn also with hay in their hair.

      "I would say they were trying to feed the horses but wound up rolling around with their girls instead of working, Tim. What should we do about that?" Tim and Andie burst out laughing as the others start blushing at having been caught. "Next time make sure your pants are zipped up and your shirts are buttoned right."

     Andie and the others get off their horses and head into the house. She heads to the table near a wall and pours a few shots of whisky for everyone. She downs hers and pours another and beckons for everyone to sit down. Everyone sits down except for Adam.

     Adam was trying to figure out who this woman was and why Silverhawk felt it was important to tell their news to her. Just who was this tiny, feisty woman with dark blue eyes that went straight to her soul when you looked at them? She was different than any female he had come across. For one thing, she had short hair. Most women had long hair. Also, not many women could shoot whiskey and throw knives. He watched as she downed a third shot and poured another.

     "So what is the news you have for me, Silverhawk."

     Silverhawk takes a deep breath.  "A stranger has been seen in the area. He has been identified as Chris Rupp."

      The room falls silent watching as Andie downs her shot and throws her glass against the stone fireplace. She starts to shake slightly as tears start to form in her eyes. She blinks them away and when she turns around to face the men her eyes have turned to an ice cold blue.

      "Where is that son of a bitch? I hope he is prepared to die for what he took from me and what he did to me."

      "Come, sit down, little bird. You are not ready to face him yet. I brought Adam with me so that he could help you. You have a mutual enemy. When Adam was a child, his brother traded him to a Cherokee tribe. Later on, that brother raided the Indian village, killing Adam's wife. Adam, twenty years ago, your brother killed Andie's husband on their wedding day, raped her, whipped and beat her and left her for dead. Tim and I found them that afternoon."

       Gasps were heard from everyone as everybody looked at Adam. Tim was watching Silverhawk. He knew his friend was up to something by the look in his eye. He would have to pull him aside later.

      Adam spoke from his spot by the wall. "Before anyone gets angry, the man stopped being my brother the minute he traded me for some weapons. I was about twelve at the time. I am here to assess your abilities before you face him. I have agreed with Silverhawk to further your training, although I didn't know I was going to be training a woman when he approached me." He glared at Silverhawk for misleading him.

      "You didn't ask. Besides, Andie isn't like your ordinary woman. Now onto a happier subject. Andie, Tim, we are having a celebration in our village tonight and all of you are requested to come. My wife has something for you, Andie, and made me promise to bring you back. We will not take no for an answer. Tell everyone to get ready and we will head out together."

        "This had better not be about my birthday," she said as she shook her finger at him. Without sparing another glance at Adam, she walked upstairs to freshen up as Tim told the others the news. Adam silently went outside to wait.

        When Tim returned he found Silverhawk still sitting, deep in thought.

      "What are you up to?" He asked.

       "Well, I think Adam would be perfect for your sister. I know that she feels like she is too old, but I think she uses her age to protect herself from feeling anything for someone else. They have a common goal and could help heal each other."

       "That's very interesting and I do believe she sabotages herself also with her age. I'm in if you need my help with this. I'll try to get to know Adam tonight. I'm going to trust you on this because you have always been there for us."

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           Andie was feeling a little irritated while she got ready. Assess her abilities? She could probably out throw him with a knife. Silverhawk hadn't trained her on a bow and arrow, yet. Maybe this Adam could help her with that. He seemed a little arrogant. Did he have something against women? She faced that attitude from the people in town. She thought about what Chris had done to her. She felt tears of rage start to slide down her face. After a few minutes she recollected herself. Squaring her shoulders, she headed downstairs to join the others. She caught Tim's concerned gaze as he looked at her face. He had always been able to read her like a book. They were very close even though there was a ten year age difference between them. She gave him a smile to know that she was ok. Neither one noticed Adam watching the both of them.

              Adam watched her silently as she came outside. He caught a brief look off sorrow in her eyes before it was replaced with determination. Her body appeared to tense up when she saw him. The look she sent him was almost like a challenge. Like she was daring him to criticize her for something. Whatever that could be, he didn't know.

A/N  Hoped you liked the first chapter.