Because of Fate (Book 1 of Because of Series)

Chapter 2- Bryson

I wiped my hands on a towel as I saw my brother's truck pulled into the drive, followed by another truck. This truck had dogs in it, and my heart quickened up a bit when I spotted a Pit. "Mom!" I called out, walking outside. "Outside."

"What is it, Dear?" Mom said, walking to the kitchen. She looked outside to see the truck that pulled up with my brother and hummed. "Not all Pits are as bad as that one," she said, glancing at me. "Maybe this one is different."

I shook my head, no. "That one almost killed Jace. I do not like Pit Bulls."

She patted my shoulder sympathetically. She had no idea the fear that I had faced when I pulled that dog off of my nephew and the fear that I thought I would die when it started to attack me. "Come on, let's see why they are here." She shook her head and clicked her tongue. "I have no idea why Blake would bring someone with that breed of dog, and I hope that it is not like him."

I bet it is, I thought bitterly, keeping silent. I followed my mother out of the house just as the door to the unknown truck opened. Another door was opened, but it closed as soon as the other person said something.

"Hey, Mom," Blake said, coming out of his truck. He smiled at her and walked over to her. His whole body was relaxed, and I couldn't help but feel slightly jealous that he didn't care about the Pit Bull. "How are you?"

"I am good," Mom said, jutting out her hip. She scowled, and Blake cleared his throat and shifted on his feet. "What is this?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Blake looked back at the truck and watched as a female came out. He gestured for her to come over to her, and she scowled and looked at us warily. "This is Margaret," he said, and I looked at him. "She needed a place to stay with her animals, daughter, and s-"

"-brother," the female, Margaret, said, interrupting him. "He is my brother, not my son." She scowled and jutted out her hip, and I could see the sass that she held. "I might have given birth to someone at a young age, but that doesn't mean that I gave birth to two people."

"Well... by law..." He gave her a pointed look.

Margaret shook her head and looked at both my mother and me. She gave me a glance over, and I didn't feel uncomfortable for some reason. "It's nice to meet you two," she said, looking at my mother and giving her a small smile. "I am sorry for the intrusion... I was on my way to somewhere..."

"Where?" I asked, and she looked at me. "What place would let you have a Pit?"

She shrugged and grimaced. Understanding filled her eyes, and I could tell that she knew that I was afraid of Pits. "I guess find someplace that does. Donovan, my Pitbull, is a good dog. It's surprising because of his past. He's really good with my brother, daughter, horses, other dogs, and a cat."

Mom snorted. "It sounds like you have a zoo," she said, and she nodded. "My name is Leslie, Leslie Green," she said, holding out her hand. "And the man back there is Bryson."

The female, Margaret, took my mother's hand and shook it. "Margaret as Blake has said," she replied. "Margaret Prince."

Mom smiled and nodded, realization filling her eyes. "I am guessing you are this famous rodeo cowgirl from up in Washington?" she asked, and Margaret nodded. She patted her hand and let go. "My granddaughter is your biggest fan."

"So I have heard," she replied. She cleared her throat and looked at me. "Your brother said that you might need help with three little ones, is that correct?" she asked.

I hesitated, staying silent. I didn't want the Pitbull to stay on the property, but I knew that I needed help. I had no idea what I was doing, and if I was doing it all right. Bruce, my older brother, had always been the father type when I was growing up. I knew that he would have made a great father, and I was trying, but my head was barely hanging above the water.

"Yes," Mom replied. She grimaced and cleared her throat, trying to come up with a way to say what she was feeling. "However..." She gestured towards the truck, and Margaret looked towards the truck.

"You are nervous about Donovan," she said, glancing at me before looking at her. "You don't want whatever had happened before to happen again."

Mom smiled sadly and nodded. "We haven't had that good of an experience with them," she said. "I know that we shouldn't judge the whole breed on one dog, but..."

Margaret nodded. "Understandable," she replied. "Not a lot of people are fans of them, but they are such a good breed if they have the proper training and the person knows what is going on with them."

"I take it that he is well behaved," she said, and Margaret smiled and nodded.

Excitement filled her eyes, and I could tell that she was proud of what she had done. "Oh, yes, Ma'am," she said. "He is such a wonderful dog. He was really protective of Maybelle, my daughter, when she was born; he even snapped at the other dogs. He didn't bite them, but he did warn them to back off."

Mom looked at me and then looked at Blake. She cleared her throat and again looked at me. Silent questions filled her eyes, and I knew that she was wondering if I would face my greatest fear.

"If you want, I can make sure that he doesn't go towards you," Margaret said, looking at me. "I know that I don't have a job yet, or do I have a resume to be read or anything, but if you need help... I do need a place to stay."

I hesitated but nodded my head. "Only if my nephew is ok with it," I said. "He..." I cleared my throat and looked away.

"Understood."