The Rancher's Proposition

Chapter 5: Becoming Acquainted

Stepping out onto the heavily graveled road Arabella took in a deep breath. This ranch was more than she could have even imagined. The air alone seemed so much cleaner than that of the city and it felt so refreshing the more she inhaled it in. Then out of nowhere, a loud squeal was heard coming from the house and within a split second a young girl with a short brown bob came barreling out the front door, heading straight for them.

"Oh my goodness, it is so nice to finally meet you, Bella." Said the girl as she wrapped her up in a nice friendly hug.

Jon smirked and shrugged his shoulders while speaking "Sorry, Stacy here doesn't understand boundaries."

Stacy remembering her manners, finally took a step back. "It's fine, I just wasn't expecting such a warm welcome," Arabella answered with a smile. "Your home looks amazing."

"Thanks our mom was quite a homemaker and loved to decorate." She said and then began to tug on Bella's arm. "Come on we will give you the tour and show which room will be yours."

Arabella allowed herself to be dragged into the house giggling with her soon-to-be sister, while Jonathan followed them in a bit of a submission style. As they walked through the front door they immediately entered a chef's dream kitchen that had garnet countertops and white cabinets lined the walls and the stainless steel appliances. Bella never would have dreamed such a kitchen could exist, even when married to Neil they never had anything like this. The floors were a dark cherry wood that flowed throughout the rest of the house.

Once the first-floor tour was over they climbed up the stairs that were behind the kitchen and next to the downstairs powder room. At the top, four doors lined the hallway. Stacy glided forward and stopped in front of the door closest to the stairs.

"This humble abode is my room." She said as she opened up the door.It reflected her personality to a point. It was all white and bright looking with a bench seated window that overlooked the fields where the horses grazed. Then she showed her the bathroom that was across the hall from her room that had a double vanity and a shower and jetted tub combo. Next door was another big room with two large windows with bench seating and nearly the same decor as Stacy's.

"This is your room. It was originally Jon's room but he moved downstairs to the master bedroom that belonged to our grandparents. Unfortunately, you have to share the bathroom with me." She said hoping that it wasn't too much of an inconvenience.

Bella smiled and sat on the big full-sized bed. "Are you kidding this is amazing? Just this top floor alone was about the size of my apartment." She started smiling ear to ear.

Jonathan sighed with relief at the fact that she liked the home so far. It was one of his biggest concerns was that her being a city girl, that the country life would be uncomfortable for her. Placing her bags on the floor next to her bed he backed away.

"I am glad that you like the house and your room so far." He said with a smile on his face. Then turned and faced his overly excited sister "I think we should give Arabella some time to get comfortable and unpack her things. We don't need to hover."

Stacy had disappointment written all over her face but understood that no matter how excited she was to have another girl in the house that overwhelming Bella would not be a good thing. Therefore to pass the time she went down to the kitchen and started to make dinner.

Arabella was in awe of the place but ultimately grateful that Jonathan thought about giving her some space. As soon as she knew she was alone she grabbed her cell phone and called Kayla. Naturally, her friend picked up on the first ring and preferred to talk about her trip and the house then work. After about fifteen minutes of describing the place and the hot cowboy, they said goodbye and agreed to talk again soon. Bella found that while putting her clothes away that many of her boxes had been unpacked and placed around the room and was happy because it made it feel like home.

"Mmmm, it smells amazing in here," Bella said as she walked into the kitchen.

Stacy turned and smiled "Thanks, I hope you like chicken cordon blue. I figured we should make your first dinner here amazing." She said and a musical voice.

Bella laughed and sat down at the table. "Are you kidding I love anything that has the word chicken in it."

The first few days went by in a blur for Bella and Jonathan. They were not sure how to interact with each other and for comfort, Stacy usually was around them. Arabella couldn't get over how big the house and ranch were and was excited to always go outside and enjoy the sun. The second day John took her out to the barn and got to see the horse she was going to be riding."This girl here is a new one we bought just for your arrival." He said stopping in front of a stall near the front of the barn

There stood a sandy blonde horse that had a black mane and tail and was a buckskin horse named Beauty. Arabella was at a loss for words, she always wanted a horse to call her own and learn to ride.

"She is absolutely beautiful." She stated in pure shock "Please tell me you are going to teach me to ride her."

Jonathan shook his head with a burst of light laughter slipping through his lips. "Of course she is yours after all. Stacy helped pick her out." He quipped "It will take you a while to get the hang of her but she is sturdy. Plus with all the work we do here I figured if you ever want to tag along she would be able to make the journey no problem."Bella looked at Jonathan as he talked all the while she kept running her hand across the strong shoulder of the mare. "I would love that, thank you so much. This is such a thoughtful gift." She said as she let her had to leave her horse and hugged him.