Our Story

Chapter 1
You know that feeling of being completely, utterly captivated? Or I guess I should say captive.
...
This is how 15 year old Cait felt when she left the only place that she had lived that felt like home.
"Cait, your being so dramatic, you'll make new friends in Salmon I promise", Mom said, glaring across the car. " Mom, you just pulled me from all my friend and boyfriend of a year, how would you feel?" Cait turned her body away from her mother and 3 siblings to stare out the window. On that drive she watched as the flat lands of Eastern Montana turned into the Rocky's of Idaho "Land of the Potato's", she rolled her eyes at that thought, she couldn't believe that this was her life now. The only reason she didn't kick back like a bat out of hell was because 9 months earlier before she was 15 and a raging jerk. Her Father was diagnosed with cancer that had spread to every lymph node in his body. One of the rarest cases of cancer Montana had ever seen. He went through 5 months of kemo treatments. Every night she watched as the strongest person she had ever known turn the color of printer paper, with a dark sadness in his eyes where there used to be the brightest light.
...
As they crept closer to their final destination, Cait began to get nervous. Not only was the whole family being moved and uprooted to a newish place, they were moving on to her Grandparents's property. Where she had many Christmas's and Thanksgivings, also her dad had been there for 4 1/2 months previously. After his treatments he decided to move "home" to rehabilitate himself, and start his new dream of being a horse trainer. Now this wasn't a new dream, it was known that her father had a way with the intimidating beasts and he had always wanted to make training his only job.
*
As they approached the driveway Mom turned and looked at Cait, she said, "Dad was telling me that he's had a boy working with him on putting up the jack leg fence that is, close to your age, maybe you'll make a new fiend?"
"New friend?", Cait huffed out a heavy breathe, she thought how can I even make new friends if I don't even want to be here in the first place? Before she could even finish her thought the car came to a jolting stand still.
There it was the tiny cabin in all its glory, that 6 people were supposed to live in. Cait wasn't nervous anymore for the reason earlier but, when she looked out the front window there stood her Father, looking dirty from a days work. A bundle of anxiety twisted in her stomach. She didn't want to leave the car. Since the last time she saw her dad, they had barely spoken and the last thing he said was, " Next time I see you I'd like you to be at least 20 pounds lighter", if anything's she had put on like 10 pounds, had cut her hair to mid neck, and loved the color black.
With all the courage she could muster, she stepped out of the car and with her eyes down walked up to her father.
"Hey CaityBug, how are you?"
She replied surprised,"Good, happy to see you.."
"Glad to hear it, definitely missed all of you so much!", He wrapped us all in a tight embrace.
...
The next couple of days were spent unpacking and moving into the new reality. After the dust settled literally, it was time to jump right back into work...which meant, up before dawn and to bed after dark. That first morning Cait woke with a start and took a few good deep breathes and ventured down to the kitchen. She found a cup of coffee, black of course and took some time to read her book. Now most teenage girls loved a good caramel frap and teen flick movie to decompress, but for Cait that couldn't be further from the truth. She loved a book where the Heroine saved the day, was strong, and could kick some ass. Blood, gore and all.
After well needed chill time she went to go put on some wranglers and a tee-shirt. Dad was downstairs making breakfast for everyone when she came down from the loft.
"Hey sweetheart, I'm glad to see your ready to put in some hard work!" He exclaimed.
"I hear there is fence that needs built, and you probably haven't found a ton of help out here in "BFE?", she eyed him curiously.
"Oh no, we definitely have some help, you and I wouldn't be able to do it on our own.", he chuckled. Cait paused, "So...who's coming?"
He eyed her and eventually turned away.
Cait bent down to tie her shoes and soon enough her father responds with, "Well this is James.", Cait stopped breathing, she slowly moved her gaze from her shoes to look at the boy in front of her. James, a tall dark headed boy looked to be about her age, maybe a year younger. He had these determined dark brown eyes, a turn up nose, thick eyebrows, but these strong shoulders that just told you he had already put his time in.
"James, meet Cait", her father stood over Cait, giving her the "get the hell up look".
She scrambled to her feet, God I look like such an idiot she thought!
"Hi.....I'm..mm...Cait", she stuttered.
"James", he shook her hand, she had expected him to let go right away like any nervous teen would, but he lingered. They made eye contact, and something stirred in Cait that she had never felt before...
***