•Back Home•

Chapter Four "Long Time No See"

Asher stood frozen, he didn't know what to say.
Annie held her things tightly and stared at him.
"Hello Asher." Annie said quietly.
Asher placed his hand on the back of his neck.
"Howdy Annie." Asher said, his southern accent made her skin tingle.
"So your still working for my dad?" Annie asked. Asher nodded.
Annie wished that he would have quite after everything had happened.
"How long are you here for?" Asher asked.
Annie shrugged.
"Just for a few days, maybe shorter." Annie said. Asher nodded.
"Oh, okay." Asher said. The awkwardness was unbearable.
She could take it, she quickly walked passed him and headed to the house.
When she walked in her mom immediately called her into the kitchen.
"Come help me with supper darlin. Tell me all bout the city life." Her mother said.
"Can't Hayley help you with that?" Annie said.
Her mother gave her a stern look.
"She helping your father birth a horse, now hush your mouth and help your mother." Her mother said.
Annie walked over to the tiny kitchen and her mother handed her a potato peeler.
"We've got a mess of food to cook up, do you remember all the ranch hands?" Her mother asked her.
Annie nodded and started peeling potatoes. She was extra careful not to mess up her freshly pedicured fingers nails.
"Honey, you're slow! We got to get this all done by five. No time to be careful." He mother said.
Annie sighed.
She speeded you the process like her mother taught her when she was little.
"You look much better in that overall dress then that skimpy dress you had on." Her mother said she got a lot of water on the stove.
"Mom, the dress I had on was a Chanel dress. It was over ten thousand dollars." Annie said.
Her mother gasped at her.
"Ten thousand dollars?! You paid that much, for that little of dress?!" Her mother asked.
Annie sighed and began peeling again.
"Mom, I don't need a sermon." Annie said.
"Speaking of sermon-" Her mother tried to say.
"Carson already spilled the beans." Annie said.
Her mother looked at her.
"Well, it would mean a lot if you would come to the services while your hear." Her mother said.
"What else am I going to do, chuck corn?" Annie said with a attitude.
"Speaking of which, you can start doing that after your done with the taters." Her moms said.
                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As Annie and her mom placed the food on the table and set the plates. And bunch of ranch hands started filing in and sitting at the table.
When her dad walked in, his face lit up. He walked to his daughter and kissed her forehead.
"I've missed you sweetheart." Her dad said. He hugged her tightly. And she hugged him back. He dad had a special way of handling Annie. He was gentle with her, and made her feel wanted no matter what she did.
Annie always loved that about him.
And that's why she was always a daddy's girl growing up.
Annie ran back to the kitchen to get two peach cobblers that she had made and set them in the middle of the table.
The last to farm hands came in as Annie sat down.
Asher and Johnny.
The only seats left were right next to Annie. When Johnny sat down beside her he immediately greeted her.
"Ann's!" Johnny said hugging her. She didn't hug back, but she did return the greeting.
"Hello." Annie said.
"How are you doing? How's LA working for you?" Johnny asked.
"It's going great, I just got a gig for next week, it will make a very good profit for me." Annie said.
"Awe, so you won't be here long?" Johnny said, as her mother and Hayley started scooping out the food.
"No, only a few days." Annie said.
Annies dad let out a cough, everyone looked at him.
"That may have to change, we're are under major tornado warning for the next two weeks." Her father said.
Annie face drained of all it a colour.
"Are you joking?" Annie asked, she knew her father wouldn't joke about something like that. But she hoped he was this time.
"No, so I doubt any flights will be going out." Her father said.
One of the ranch hands spoke up.
"Usually when we have these they close down the whole airport anyways. No one every Flies out." The ranch hand said.
"What about for the people who actually have to get places?!" Annie said loudly.
"Well, they either wait it out. Or they have to road trip." Annies mother said.
Hayley tried to scoop out a pile of potatoes on Annie plate.
"No, I don't want anything." Annie said.
Her mother pierced her with a look.
"Annie, you look sick." Her mother said.
"This body doesn't come with eating whatever you want." Annie said. Most of the people at the table laughed.
Annie got up from the table and went to the porch. She heard her mother calling after her, but she didn't really care.
She was too upset to care what anyone wanted.
Annie sat on the steps and looked at the sky, it was a unusual greenish color. But that didn't give them the right to close down the whole entire airport. What was wrong with them! She heard the sound have horse hooves and looked up.
Kenzie, Jayden, Anna and Lilia all rode up.
"Hey!" Lilia said getting off her horse. She grabbed Annie up and hugged her tightly.
The other girls ran up and group hugged her.
"It's been so long!" Anna said.
Annie smiled at her old friends. All the memories of their crazy shenanigans flooded In her brain.
"We've come take you away for a bit." Kenzie said.
Annie eyebrows furrowed.
"What are you talking about?" Annie said.
The girls filled her in about how every Friday their "gang" got together and hung out.
"You guys are all still in touch?" Annie asked.
"Of course!" Anna said.
"Wow, I didn't think high school friendships lasted." Annie said.
"Of course they do! And relationships." Kenzie smiled widely. She lifted up her left hand revealing a small ring.
Annie gasped.
"You and Johnny?!" Annie asked.
She nodded and cheesed.
"Wow, I didn't think you guys would last." Annie said. Thinking of how they all moved on without her made her a little sad. But she has a amazing life. She didn't need them.
"So let's go! We're going to get ready at my house." Anna said.
"What will I ride?" Annie said.
"What about midnight?" Lilia asked.
Annie thought of midnight. Her childhood horse, she got her when she was sixteen.
"Hold on." Annie said. She went to the barn and looked through the stalls. She had seen the babies that Hayley and her dad had said they were birthing.
And then she saw midnight. Her silky black horse. She was still beautiful as ever. She slowly walked into the stall and petted her. She immediately started giving her horsey kisses. Annie petted her and hugged her neck.
"Shes a momma." She heard behind her.
Annie spun around and saw her dad.
"You scared me." Annie said.
"Sorry." He said.
Annie looked around. "Your said she had a baby?" Annie asked.
Her dad nodded. He walked over to another stall, Annie saw a young horse, black and white.
Annie petted her.
"Wow." Annie said.
"Pretty, ain't she?" Her father asked her.
"Yeah..... She really is." Annie said.
Annie felt her chest squeeze. She tied her best to get the love for her home out of her mind. She worked so hard. And it was coming back, the home sickness. The feeling of not wanting to leave.
But she couldn't let that happen.
"Can I go out? Take midnight out?" Annie asked.
"I don't care sweetie." Her dad said. Annie stood on her tippy toes and kissed his cheek.
"Thank you dad." Annie said.
She ran to the stall and slowly led midnight of the barn. She saddled her up and then got on her.
It was so hard to ride in a skirt, she hated that growing up.
She rode over to her friends.
"Wow, you still got it." Lilia said.
Annie didn't smile.
"How do you guys ride in skirts?" Annie said trying to situate herself.
"You get used to it." Kenzie said.
"Yeah I guess. Let's go before I change my mind." Annie said.