My Parents banished me to my Uncle's ranch:

After dinner Jack told me that since I hadn't gotten into trouble that I wouldn't need any of the guys watching after me. That night I slept like a baby. How I like to sleep. With no dreams and no boys watching over me. I was still 'grounded' according to Jack, I just didn't have one of the asses looking over my shoulder. Hallelujah!

But I was still bitter about the whole phone thing. I hadn't talked to Alex or Jason in what seemed like years. I needed them. I was going crazy...

Sunday apparently was everyone's day off. Rosie and Dona went into town. Joe and the other older men were also out--where? I didn't know. And the boys had mentioned to Jack that they would be home late. Whatever that means.

I got dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and instead of shoes I threw on my Uggs. I need to buy boots. Especially if I'm going to be riding Jupiter. I was missing my comfort jeans and then remembered I had left them at Chase's house. Oh well, I'll see him today so I can get them hopefully. I was excited for tonight. The boys would be gone and I would only have to sneak away from Jack.

I went down to the barn first thing--no one else seemed to be around--it looked like Joe had fed them all before he left. Even Jupiter was feed. Which was amazing to see because he wouldn't let anyone near him, even if they did have food in their hands.

"Hey buddy. How was your night?" I asked climbing on top of the railing. He just munched away after acknowledging me. "Silent treatment, eh?" I asked.

"How come you're such a good boy when I'm around? Can't you be nice to Joe? He's not one of the jackasses..." I mumbled on and then after I had ranted enough about them and explained to him how they took Chase's phone away I decided to just hum. He seemed to like that the best.

"He's bigger than I remembered."

I turned to see Jack standing behind me. Good thing I stopped talking and started humming. How is it that everyone sneaks up on me like that?

"You remember him then?" I asked, still watching Jupiter.

" 'Course I do. That was the highest spirited son of a--"

"Shhhh." I hissed. "He doesn't like those names." Jack just chuckled deeply. He had the same soft blue eyes my mother did. It must have run in the family because I had blue eyes too. Although, mine were more like Grey-Blue and they didn't shine like mom's or Jack's.

We sat there in silence a little while until he spoke again. "I thought if I just left him out on his own he'd be okay. But after your mother's death he was never the same. Always onrey. Bittin' and kicking. He sent half our trainers to the ER in a week. So I put him out in the pasture. I thought that if he had some time alone he'd forget what happen and settle down..." Jack's voice trailed off. I sort of understood what he meant. But didn't think it was right.

"He was lonely. I bet being in that pasture left to fend for himself was scary." I know how you feel buddy...I whispered in my own head.

Jack shrugged. "He always was a fighter. After what happen," He was referring to the accident with my mother, "he never let anyone on his back--or well, they never managed to stay on."

"It's not the same. No one can ever take the place of her." Like Veronica! Ewww...that plastic bimbo. She would never measure up to my mother. She wanted me to be fake, like her, and wear girlie clothes and go to all her fancy parties. She even said I looked like a boy one time! Just 'cause you skate doesn't mean you're a lesbian or a boy. It's just really fun...Mom would have thought it was cool.

"She was special." Jack's voice was soft. I hate seeing him. His hurt just reflects in my eyes.

"I'm going to go get some...er," I hopped off the railing. "...something." I mumbled. I had to get away from there before I cried.

I walked past Nate on my way to the house.

"Tiggie," He greeted me, tipping his hat.

I grunted and made my way past him. If he thinks that I've forgotten about everything he had another thing coming. I went back to my room.

*( Nate's POV )*

I was coming down from the bunk house to see if Tiggie was with that damn horse. I was half way there when I saw her rushing by.

"Tiggie," I greeted her. Well I tried.

"Mhhh." She grunted and went back to Jack's house. Great. Now when am I going to get to talk to her...I still need to tell her I'm sorry about the whole phone thing. But I needed that phone so I could tell the Farlander boy to stay the hell away from her.

I went back to the bunk house instead of wasting my time going to her room. Knowing Tiggie she would probably verbally assault me and then kick me out before I got a word in edge-wise. But she's so damn cute when she's mad...I mentally slapped myself. Stop thinking like that. She hates you, she'll never like you. You're just some guy who works for her Uncle. You're not rich. She's too good for you. That and the fact that she's already running around with another guy and she hates my guts. But sometimes I caught her looking at me, a little bit. That gave me some hope.

"Did you find her?" Ian asked when I got back to the bunk house. It was ten but he was the only one up. It had been a rough week for all of us. Staying up late, watching over Tiggie. We all needed the extra sleep.

"She blew me off. Went inside before I could talk to her." He tossed me that silver little phone.

"His brother called once and that same girl did about a million times." I grabbed the phone and silenced it. That thing had been ringing none stop with some 'Lindsay' girl.

"Are you still coming tonight?" I asked Ian as he sat up in bed. A devilish grin spread across his face.

"Would I miss a party and kicking the Farlander's asses?" It was a rhetorical question of course.

"Remember we're only going to tell him to stay away from Jack's property. After the last time you know how easy it is to get them riled up." I warned sternly.

"I still think it's a bad idea to take Danny." Steven was now awake. He really needed a hair cut. I wasn't normally one to worry about that stuff but his bedhead was something else.

"I know. But he's the biggest and who knows what kind of people will be at that party." We had been invited by a couple local girls to a big party they were holding. No doubt Chase would be there with his brothers. Talk about teenage alcoholics. Every party there was, you could find them there.

"Can we party first and then tell them off? I need to loosen up after this week." Isaac said. I guess once one wakes up the others will have to follow lead...

"Yeah, that stale beer we've been drinking hasn't done shit." Steven agreed.

I just shrugged.

"Maybe Ashly or Anna will be there..." Steven started thinking.

"The one with the huge tits?" Danny asked. Of course he would wake up at the mention of college sluts.

"Which one? Ashly or Anna?" Steven asked.

"I don't know, I think it's Ashly."

"No man, Anna's are way better. They bounce every time she walks."

"That's because she's too drunk too keep balance." I said flatly.

They talked about pretty much every girl's chest and then moved on to asses.

"Courtney." Steven said rolling his eyes.

"Tiggie." Danny argued.

"Courtney."

"Tiggie."

"Stop already!" Isaac and Ian shouted at the same time. Then in unison they said, "Tiggie."

"That's three to one, Tiggie has the nicest ass." Danny said triumphantly. I wanted so badly to hit them all over the head. She did have an extremely nice ass, but beauty was in the eye of the beholder...or something like that?

"Hold on Nate hasn't voted yet." Steven said. I grimaced.

"You still lose."
"Nate's vote counts as three." Steven argued.

"You still lose," Danny said shaking his head. "we all know he's going to say Tiggie. After seeing those two in bed together--"

"Piss off Danny." I said putting on my casual pair of shoes.

"Chill man. We're just kidding. We all know the story...'She got scarred and wouldn't let go.'" He mimicked my voice mockingly. I hit him over the head and he faked a sad face like he was truly hurt.

Lunch was interesting. Again Tiggie wasn't there. This time instead of eating with us she just grabbed the cereal box and went straight back to her room. She was wearing different clothes though. A nice red sweater like shirt that dipped down her chest, and a pair of jeans that didn't have holes in them. She didn't look like that cute tom-boy she normally dressed up to be.

"You take the truck and we'll take the jeep." I tossed Steven the keys. Danny was with me and I knew it would be better that way. I need to keep a close eye on him. He hot a hot temper when it came to the Farlander boys.

"Whose our drivers?" Isaac asked.

"That would be me and..uh..." I looked around. I didn't really have a huge stomach for alcohol so I was normally a driver. Let's see, I looked around. Steven needs a drink before he barfs up stale beer...Ian doesn't have that control. Isaac was last time..."And Danny." I said trying to hold back a laugh.

"What?" He looked around.

"Steven needs a drink and Isaac was driver last time. It's your turn. Besides we all know you get tried after you drink. We need you too look macho when we talk to the Farlander. Not like a sleepy little bear."

"Dammit..." Danny whined. I thought I heard him mutter something else about me 'knowing about bears' but I let it slide.

The directions Ian had were pretty easy. The party was at a lake house over on the South end of Dickie Lake. During the summer there were always parties going on. We made our way over there in the truck and Jeep. We had told Jack we were going into town to eat and then catch a movie. He was never one to pry into our personal business and we like him for that.

When we pulled up to the house it was early. Around eight thirty but the house was packed. It was absolutely huge. We got in and I reminded Danny that we were both driving. He grunted but found his way to a group of girls.

I looked around the room and immediately spotted the oldest of the Farlander boys. Then the younger one which I thought was Adam...

But I didn't see Chase anywhere. Of course he was known to be a player and he could always be found hooking up with hot girls in the locked rooms. I wanted to pull that phone out of my pocket and get this over with so I could go back to watching Tiggie--STOP THINKING ABOUT HER! She hates you anyway...But that probably wouldn't stop me from staying up at night and making sure she was safe.

She didn't hate me a couple nights ago...