To Love A Cowboy

Chapter 1

"Boys, it's time to head out! It's a two and a half hour drive to your grandparents!" mama hollers from somewhere near the front door of the house we have been living in on the Army base here in Casper, Wyoming.

"We're here," Kolton says as he and I step off the steps to join her in the living room as we carry our book bags on our back and a daffle bag in our hand.

"Let's go then," she says with a sad smile as she looks around the house.

Mama has recieved her new orders, and she is being transfered to Souel, South Korea. She is going to be there for at least twelve months, and since Kolton and I are only 17-years-old, we are going to live with our grandparents for the time she is away. We can't stay with our dad since we don't know who he is since he left mama when she told him she was four month pregnant with us.

Mama is Lyndsy Marie Brooks, she is 43-years-old, bisexual, a Sergeant in the US Army, and has been in the Army for the last twenty years. Our grandparents are Emily and Andrew Brooks, and they are sixty-three and sixty-years old respectivly, and are the owners of a horse ranch called 'The Brooks Ranch' in Cheyene, Wyoming for the last thirty years. They board four horses for other people, own six horses of their own that they use in rodeos and horse shows, and therapy horses.

"Do you have all of Wynter's stuff in the truck?" mama asks before we leave the house.

Wynter is my 2-year-old chocolate lab, who is my service dog becuase of my hearing difficulty and occassional siezures. I use hearing aids which I find uncomfortable, but use them most of the time.

"Yes, everything is in the truck," I reply as I change my hold on her pink camo leash that is attached to her pink camo harness that has her service dog credientals on the harness.

Mama nods as the three of us exit the house, and mama has to drop off the keys to the main office of the base before we leave for our grandparents ranch. Mama has a week vacation to spend with us, and then she is shipping out. Her belongings are being shipped to her new base in South Korea while the rest of her belongings are being stored at our grandparents until she comes home.

We settle in mama's black 2018 Chevy Silverado which is staying with us for Kolton and I to use with Kolton driving it since I don't have my driver's license. Kolton is in the front with mama for the first half of the drive, and then we will switch locations with Wynter still in the back seat.

"So, we're stopping for breakfast once we drop the house keys off," mama informs us as she pulls away from the house we have lived in for the last three years.

"Can we eat at Mary's?" Kolton asks with a hopeful smile at mama.

"Is that okay with you, Kalen?" she asks briefly looking at me through the rearview mirror.

"Yes," I answer with a bright smile at her and my twin - we love eating at Mary's Cafe.

"Mary's it is then," she says as she pulls into a parking spot at the main office of the base, and parks. "I'll be right back."

She climbs out with the house keys in her left hand after grabbing them from the cup holder, she shuts the truck door before heading inside quickly.

"Are you ready for mama to be gone for a while?" Kolton sadly asks with a pout as he turns to face me.

"No, I'm not ready, but there is nothing we can do about it," I mumble with a frown as I gently pet Wynter.

Kolton and I are mama's boys, but him more so which is fine. I am fifteen minutes younger than Kolton, and we are identical in appearance with a few differences. He is right handed, I'm left handed, Kolton dyes his hair black while I leave mine our natural light brown color. We have bright blue eyes, plae skin, we are both 5'8", and slim build.

"Alright boys, we are off," mama says opening the door to climb back into her seat, and place her seatbelt on.

She drives us to Mary's Cafe, and once she has parked, and turned the engine off, we head inside. The woman behind the counter smiles at us until she sees Wynter on her leash that is in my left hand.

"Um, the dog isn't allowed in here," she says with a frown as she gestures toward Wynter.

"She is a service dog, so you can't deny us your services," mama calmly states as she gestures toward Wynter's harness. "If you talk to Mary, you will know this is true, and that we have been here before with my son's service dog with us."

"Karen, Sergeant Brooks is correct," Mary, the owner states while walking over to us with a bright smile . "How are all of you?"

"We're good," mama answers with a thankful smile at Mary. "After we leave here, we won't be here for a while since I'm being stationed over in South Korea for at least a year."

Mary instantly frowns at us; "I'm going to miss all of you. Breakfast is on the house then."

"Thank you, Mary, but that isnt' nesseccary," mama replies as Mary leads us to a table for four with three menues in her hand.

Kolton and mama sit across from me as Wynter lies across my feet once I'm sitting down, and her leash is tucked under my left thigh. Mary gives us the menus before leaving with an insistance that our meals are on the house.

"Kalen, what are you ordering?" mama asks after a moment of reading over the menu.

"Um, the biscuits and gravey," I reply while closing the menu, placing it on the edge of the table as I look at her and Kolton. "What are you two getting?"

"The belgin waffle with bluerries," mama answers, and then Kolton replies with; "Pancakes with bacon."

Rayanne, the server, approaches with a smile as she stops at our table to take our orders a few seconds later. We spend the next hour eating and talking before we head out to the ranch. I'm nervous and excited at the same time - nervous becuase mama is going to be gone for a long time yet excited to spend the time with our grandparents.