Waiting For Love (Wild Creek Ranch Book 2)

Chapter One

10 Years Back (Continues)

The next day Rex was too busy to do anything else. He had a big match against Great Falls High and drove to the school grounds in Great Falls. The whole morning he was busy being the quarterback and captain of his team, first with the warm up, then with the opening ceremony and national anthem. The match was about to start and he could see his school friends in the bleachers. His family, Rhett, Rihanna, Russell, Rowland and Sawyer too sat with his dad, Keith Wilson. He waved at all of them and they waved back at him. Rihanna shouted out a "Best of luck, " to him. 

As the game started, Rex was unaware of a young girl with emerald eyes sitting in the bleachers with her grandfather, watching his game with utmost concentration. Ember. She couldn't sleep last night as she realized that she liked Rex right at their first meeting. She had heard that he would be playing today and wanted to go to Great Falls to see him in action but since she didn't have any friends at school, she couldn't go. However, when her grandfather Zoe Fischer, an avid football fan, announced his plans to watch this match with his buddy Andy Davis, Blake's grandfather, she too offered to accompany him. Granny Stacey chuckled and felt glad that she was starting to behave normally. So here she was staring at Rex looking hot as ever in a red and white team jersey displaying the number 5 and shorts displaying his muscular thick legs. 5 instantly became Ember's lucky number too. 

She didn't remove her eyes from him throughout the match as he led his school to a 20 point victory over Great Falls High School. After the match as Rex and his friends celebrated their victory, to Ember's horror one of the cheer leaders of the opponent team rushed to him and kissed him on his lips. She was themost gorgeous girl Ember had ever seen and it was obvious that Rex made no attempt to stop her. He seemed to enjoy her attention. 

"Can we go home gramps?" She said feeling dejected. She was just fourteen and not at all beautiful like her. Why would Rex even look at her? He didn't remember her at all. She couldn't crush on him only to get her heart broken. 

The next day at school, Ember's hopes were all the more dashed when she heard the girls in her class whisper about how Rex met the girl of his dreams yesterday after the match. Ember's heart was crushed and she swore never to look in his direction again. He was way out of her league. She crept in the background and avoided him at all cost. It wasn't at all a difficult thing to do since he didn't remember her nor did he recognize her even if she were right in front of him. She heard that he went out many times with the girl, Lauren Samuelson who was the head cheer leader of Great Falls High School. Time to forget her crush and move on. She made a few friends in her class and settled down in her new school. 

"Hey dude! Are you still going strong with that bi*ch?" Asked a pissed off Blake. 

"Who? Lauren?" Asked Rex as they sat at the school cafeteria during lunchbreak. 

"Yep, who else," Blake rolled his eyes.

"Nah, she played me and I did the same to her. Nothing serious," shrugged Rex. He had no idea why everyone made a big news out of it. Lauren wanted to get into his pants to score a point against her own team quarterback. He just obliged. After all, he didn't have anything to lose. She wanted a good f*ck and she got what she wanted. It was a no strings attached one time affair. 

"But I thought you didn't do such casual stuff," mumbled Blake. 

"I don't make it a habit but once in a while is okay. What the f*ck! What's with you? You ain't no saint," said Rex, giving Blake a look who just grinned back and winked at him before heading off to his car. 

Rex walked over to his car with a smile on his face when his eyes fell upon a thin, young girl with emerald eyes. She stood at a corner, far from him, her eyes fixed upon him. When she realized that he was looking at her, she just started walking away as if to avoid him. Rex went after her as he tried to remember her name. He remembered her. She was Zoe Fischer's grand daughter whom he had dropped home. What was her name? Then he remembered her. Ember. 

"Wait Ember, " he called after her but she just disappeared somewhere. Rex found it odd but she was gone so he just trudged back to his car and sped away. Ember released the breath that she was holding and emerged from behind the truck where she was hiding. What a narrow escape that was! She remembered him call out her name. So he did remember her name, after all. 

Rex and Rhett studied hard for their final year at school. Sawyer was a year younger to them and followed their footsteps. Russell and Rowland got a chance to study Hotel Management at a premier college in Helena and they shifted to a dorm room there. They came home for weekends and helped with the business. Rex exceled in football and won accolades for his school making him the most popular student. Ember however tried to avoid him at all cost. She didn't want to be treated as a kid. Soon a year came to an end and Rex and Rhett graduated out of school. Ember heard how Lauren accompanied him as his prom date. So they were together for life, she realized. She gave up on Rex and continued with her studies. 

As time flew by, Ember slowly started recovering from her loss and started bonding well with her grandparents. She had no wish to return to Chicago although her mom's family summoned her many times. She was happy in the small town of Fordsville. Her cheerful and happy nature made her a hot favorite in her class too and she won many friends. After Rex passed out from  her school, she never saw him or met him. Slowly, she forgot about him. However granny Stacey didn't forget anything!

Rhett and Rex helped with the business as well as pursued their college simultaneously. While Rhett pursued the undergraduate degree in Dairy Farm Management from Montana State University, Rex pursued his graduation in Ranching Systems from the same university. Rex was also in the football team of his college and as such the busiest amongst them all. He was still friends with Blake who was studying J.D. program to become a lawyer and as such he too was too busy with his life. 

Four years back 

Six years flew by and Russell and Rowland who had completed their studies three years back had shifted to Las Vegas to handle their hotel there. Rhett and Rex graduated and soon joined their business full time. Sawyer too graduated from the same undergraduate program as Rex. Ruan and Ryder had graduated from school and started helping with their business too. While Ryder was studying finance, Ryan was into the graduate program in Animal Nutrition. Rihanna however was different from all her siblings and cousins. She wanted to be an elementary school teacher and therefore had just completed her graduation in Early Childhood Education and Child Services. She was on the lookout for a job at the nearby school. River left Fordsville and went to aunt Katherine's parents in Huntsville, Alabama. 

While Rex found a girl who he started having feelings for, Rex failed to find anyone who would make his heart beat. He stopped playing football after a knee injury and all his dreams of playing for NFL were dashed. His life now only concentrated upon his work and more work. However, he and Blake still remained the best of friends and met every weekend but recently with Blake's wedding coming up, those meetings too had stopped. Rex was more lonely than ever before. After graduating his college, Rex stopped the once in a while hookups with random girls. He wanted love. He wanted a steady relationship with a girl whom he could love. No one measured up to his standards and after a point he stopped looking and stopped hoping too. Maybe, no was made for him. Maybe he was destined to be lonely.

Ember had completed her nursing degree and found work at Fordsville Public Hospital and she was nicely settled. Three months back a new nurse had joined in, Adelaide McCarthy who had come from New York to live in Fordsville at her granny's house. They bonded nicely as friends and life at the hospital had become worth living. Everyday, Ember and Adelaide learnt new things and dealt with different patients. They both loved nursing the sick to life. It was a passion that they shared and were good at it. The nursing station with it's huge bay window was the place where they caught up with one another.