Beyond Appearances

Rise and Shine

A/N: In case y'all were wondering, I don't have anyone in mind for Veronica. She's a picture in my head, and no actress does it justice. Johnny on the other hand is based off of Young Manny Montana. Google him for pics.

Sarah calls me inside. I follow her into that massive space. Beautiful hardwood floors in every room, decorated like something you'd see in magazines or on HGTV.

She gives me the tour of the beautiful huge kitchen, the living room, and then takes me upstairs. She shows me where all of their bedrooms are, and then leads me to my room. She smiles before unveiling my new safe haven.

I gasp when the white door opens. The walls are a pale blue, white curtains hang from the windows, and in the middle of the room is a king sized bed with a paisley bed set. It's breathtaking.

"Sare! You nailed it. I'm speechless." I run and hug her.

She gets teary eyed and hugs me back before pulling away. "Well, I'm glad you like it. It's getting late. I'll let you unpack and settle in." With that, she leaves.

I unpack all my clothes and set them in my white dresser, and unload some into my huge closet. I'm living the dream. I open what I assume to be my own bathroom, to be shocked. It's not so much a bathroom, but more of a spa. A separate walk in shower, and a separate claw foot tub.

I get out of my clothes and hop in the tub. The scalding water soothing my muscles. My stresses just wash away. I slowly lose consciousness as the long day washes away.

0o0o0

I wake to knocking at the door. The sun shining in my face but my body's cold. I realize I fell asleep in the tub. My finger tattoo wrinkles up like a prune. I hurry and climb out, wrapping a towel around me before running to answer the bedroom door.

I was not expecting to meet Johnny's eyes. He smiles and checks me out. "Rise and shine!" I roll my eyes and go to slam the door on him. He puts his timberland in the door stopping it.
"Not a morning person. Got it." He walks in and flops down onto my bed. I give him a quizzical look. "What the hell? Why are you here?" He laughs and sits up. "Get dressed. Sarah has breakfast downstairs." With that sentiment he walks away.

I hurry and rush to brush my hair, perform daily hygiene, and get dressed. The Louisiana heat is forcing me to wear my itty bitty cut off shorts, with my green tank top. Not that I mind. I can finally show off my pride and joy, my thigh tattoo. It's of a chick boxer and says "roll with the punches" done in American traditional stylings. I hurry and rush down to the kitchen.

"Morning RJ. I made pancakes. OJ's in the fridge." I make my plate, and go sit down next to the kids at the breakfast bar. Their little syrup covered faces smile up at me. I could get used to seeing this every morning.

I dive into the delicious fluffy pancakes, only to be interrupted by my phone ringing. I look down in frustration. Can't a girl eat her damn hot cakes in peace? My frustration turns to complete and utter joy when I see it's Hunter. I answer and run out onto the porch

"Hunter!" I scream into the phone with excitement.

I hear a laugh. "Hey Ron."

"I miss you already. Tell me, are you lonely yet?"

"I miss you too, but it's only been a day. I finally have my peace and quiet back." He says it jokingly.

I start to cry. "Veronica, don't you dare cry on me now. What happened to my strong girl? I've seen you cry more in the past month, than ever before. I want to hear you laugh and see you smile."

"I'm sorry Hunt. I just miss you, and it's not all sad. This place is amazing. Sarah, the kids, the whole entirety of everything. It's great!"

"I'm glad. I just wanted to check on ya, but I gotta get back to work. Text me later. I love you Ronnie."

"I love you too." The line goes dead.

I pick myself up off the stairs and head back inside to finish my delicious breakfast.

When I go to put my plate and cup in the sink, Sarah calls for me from the laundry room. I dash down the hall, to find her folding clothes.

"You called?" I stand with my hand on my hip, but lose confidence when I realize she'll probably chastise me for my tattoo. She eyes me before speaking. "Would you mind helping Johnny over at the stables? Our other ranch hand quit the other day." My mind is reeling. This place really does have everything.

"Wait! You mean to tell me this place has a ranch on it too?"

Sarah just smiles and laughs. "Yes. It's down the road, but still our property. Johnny lives in an apartment that's near the barn. He's the head ranch hand, and fixes everything and anything. He's a part of the family. Don't be a total bitch."

"Yeah. I'll help him. And ouch!" I grab my heart for emphasis.

She smiles. "You can borrow a pair of boots from downstairs. They should fit." I turn on my heel ready to go, when she stops me again.

"Johnny is a good guy, he's just a bit of an ass. Don't take it to heart." I nod. "And Ronnie, don't get any ideas. He has a past, and things that he keeps to himself." She winks at me. I immediately start high tailing it out of that house before she sees me blush.

My hard exterior is starting to crumble, and I need to get a grip. I promised myself a long time ago that I wouldn't let anyone catch me while I was down.

I'm sorry if any of my chapters have grammar errors, get confusing, or just plain suck. Please tell me about it in the comments. And please please please feel free to vote if you love this story as much as I do!!!