My Parents banished me to my Uncle's ranch:

I shot up out of my bed. Chase. I ran to the window and pealed back the curtain trying not to cause too much comotion.

"Shhhhh," I hushed him as he hopped into through the window. He pecked me on the lips and I shut the window behind him. I guess you could say this was a little like Romeo and Juliet, sneaking around, fighting families...yep. All accept my 'Romeo' was not depressed and me, 'Juliet'...we'll I'm nothing like that dumb bimbo.

"You better make this quick, I have 24 hour survaliance on me." I sat on the edge of my bed. He joined me.

"You said you would call..." He looked down at the ground agrily.

"I don't have a phone. Or TV, or a life for that matter. Jack locked it away in the Study." I whispered because I knew they could hear us.

"He locked away your life?" Chase teased.

I rolled my eyes and went for a playful slap, but he caught my hand and before I knew it he had me pinned on the bed. He wasn't as ripped as Danny, but he was strong. I could feel his hard chest against mine, his hands holding mine at my side--lightly, not too firm.

"I missed you." He said kissing my neck and working his way up around my jaw line. Have I mentioned I'm extremely tickilish? Well I am. I couldn't help but laugh. He continued to kiss along my neck, obviously enjoying my stifled squeels.

"Stop that, they're going to hear--" His lips crashed down on mine before I could get a sentence out. That works. He let go of my hands and placed his on the bed, on each side near my head. I grabbed onto his hair and pulled him closer. He traced my lips with his toungue. My body shivered. I felt an urgency in his lips that I didn't expect.

"Tiggie, are you still in there?"

I gasped and pushed Chase off of me. He looked equally as horrified as I was.

"Tiggie...?" Steven's voice was at my door. He jiggled it a little. "Tiggie, unlock the door if you're in there." He ordered.

I looked to the closet. Too small. The bathroom, too obvious. "Hurry," I whispered shoving him of the bed. "Get under!" I hissed. Like no one has ever done that before.

"Tiggie who are you talking to?" Steven demanded. "Open the door right now!"

Chase crawled under the giant bed and I ran to the door. Alright, turn on those acting skills Tiggie, I think I'll go for, innocently talking in my sleep...no, pissed off is more fun. I got in character as I opened the door. Nate hurried in and looked around the room suspiciously.

"Who were you talking to?" He demmanded. He looked like he had just woke up. His sandy brown hair was ruffled up and I assumed he had been sleeping on the couch near my room. Dang, were we that loud?...Think pissed off.

"Get the hell out of my room, you woke me up you jackass." I whispered. Waking up Jack was not going to help. Good thing he seemed like a heavy sleeper.

"No. who were you talking to?" He stated firmly. He flipped on the light and I cringed at the brightness.

I squinted up at him, "No one. Now get the hell out of my room."

He ignored me completely and walked over to the window. I had shut it, but the curtain was pealed back a little. Hopefully he didn't notice that. He looked out side and then back to me.

"Are you done?" I asked curtly.

He ignored me again and looked in my closet. Then in the bathroom. I quietly made my way over to my bed and sat on it.

"What's going on?" Danny asked coming into the doorway followed by Nate. Oh my god, they'll kill Chase if they find him. Freshman year of drama better help me right now!

"Steven was having having a wet dream and imagining voices." I said, like it was a simple fact.

"I was not, I heard a voice. Where is that little bastard? Is he outside?" Steven ran to the window and opened it.

"We didn't see anything from the bunk house." Danny said, not really believing Steven. Nate looked skeptical also. Good.

"I thought I heard a voice," Steven said slowing down a little. Looking at me. It was a good thing I could lie with a straight face.

"No one is here you idiots. Now get out of my room so I can sleep in peace." I said pushing at them to file out. Steven looked over my shoulder until I slammed the door in his face and locked it. I breathed out a sigh of relief.

After a couple minutes of listening and hearing the boys argue a little, the bunk house lights went off and Steven went back to the couch.

I ran to the bed and looked under. Chase smiled wryly. How can he be smiling? My heart is going to explode.

"You're a good liar." He said coming up to his feet. Speaking in a soft whisper.

"Thanks. But you need to go, they'll be getting up in a couple hours."

He nodded and made his way to the window. "Can you be ready Sunday?" He asked.

"For what?"

"Party. I have to show off my girlfriend to all my friends of course." He said smirking.

"When did you get a girlfriend?" I teased.

He kissed me on the cheek and then hopped out the window. I held my breath as he dissapeared into the the forrest. I looked to the bunk. No one heard. I sighed in relief. Boyfriend...Hmmm I need to get used to that.

I didn't dream the rest of that night. I was waken from my sleep by someone shaking me. It was Steven.

"Tiggie wake up!" He was holding onto my shoulders and shaking me violently.

"Go away!" I curled into the blankets even tighter.

"We're late Tiggie! We need to go, NOW!" He shouted and grabbed my legs. I threw my arms around the posts of the bed. Today I was not going to play nice. I was going to make them suffer for that stupid joke about my ass.

"Will you stop being a child and just get up!" He pulled me off my bed and I fell onto the floor.
"I'm not going anywhere. Someone woke me up last night!" I shouted in his face. He ignored me and threw me over his shoulder.

"What the hell is it with all you men and dragging me off like you're some cave man!"

He didn't answer, he just carried me to my dresser and started opening drawers.

"Get dressed or I'm dressing you. Be ready in two minutes or I'll be helping."

"I'd have to be passed out or unconcious for you to ever see me naked."

He slammed the door behind me. I threw on my jeans with holes and looked around my drawer. Nothing. I went to the hamper. Gross. I forgot the maids here don't really do things a maid would normally do. In fact, all they did was cook food. Gosh I have nothing to wear accept a spaghetti strap--which was super small and totally revealing--or my Hooter's T-shirt. What'll it be today? Skank or logo for Skanks? LOGO. I threw on the shirt that Alex had given me a while ago. I really only kept it because she had told me that one day she should would do it just for fun.

"I'm ready." I said slamming the door behind me. Steven took one look at my shirt and shook his head.

"I don't have time for this," He grumbled and dragged me outside. His horse was waiting and Rosie was there holding his reins waiting.

"Oh my..." She averted her eyes from my shirt like I was standing there topless. Sure it was a little small, and if I raised my arms too high a small mid-drift would show, but it wasn't my fault. The maids were lazy here.

He was going way too fast for me. By the time we had made it to the corral, I swear I wasn't going to be able to walk. There in the fenced off area was a already sweating group of boys, and a clearly distressed black horse. I felt pitty for him the instant I watched him gallop frantically around the acreaged being chased by Ian and Isaac on horseback. Of course he was much to fast for them. And he ducked and zig-zagged away from their ropes.

"Why can't you just leave him out there?" I asked Steven. He just rolled his eyes and spoke to me like I was a baby.

"He'd die after awhile." Whatever, how am I supposed to know these things? I knew about horses but not about how a ranch worked.

"Well your scarring him. He doesn't like those ropes, can't you see!"

"We need to get him off to the auction." Steven slid me off the horse and then joined the others in the corral. I ran to the fence side and watched as the frantic horse ran around dragging more rope around his neck. Poor baby.

I need to help him. They can't sell him. I may not have ridden a horse in a while but I could tell this particular one wasn't the kind you just throw away. He was special. I looked him over. A beautiful horse, great color. A square chest. Strong, long legs. A balaced head. His neck wasn't too long, or too heavy. He was truely beautiful. I felt my heart fall to the bottom of my stomach. All the memories were coming back in a rush...The riding lessons my mom used to give me. The hours we used to spend in the barn. I had tried so hard to push those memories away. They just hurt to remember. This had to be my mom's horse. Possibly the only one she had left. He's just like me. He's been torn apart from my mother. Tossed into a different home with no family to care for him. Left to fend for himself. I guess I can't hide from her for long...

I have to stop them. So I whistled. I whistled as loud as I could and held out my hand. He galloped over and was at my side in seconds. I threw off the tangled ropes and used only one to make a very makeshift halter. My mom had taught me that. Although, mine didn't look exactly like hers, but it worked all the same. The boys were close behind, riding in on their horses.

"Tiggie, give us the rope and the horse this time." Steven said.

"No."

"I swear Tiggie--"

"No." I said firmly grasping the lead to the horse. He nickered and nibbled at my hair. I don't know what I'm doing but I have to help him. We need eachother.

"This isn't a game. We have to leave for the auction in two hours and I've had it with your antics." Nate said holding out his hand.

"He's mine." I said grasping the rope until my nails dug into my palm. I wasn't letting go of him. Too many people in my life had just passed me by. Particularly my father. He had let me run wild and then sent me off. He practically sold me--I know he had to be paying Jack to keep me--and I wasn't about to just abandon this guy. No way.

"What do you mean he's yours? Stop being stupid." Steven said getting off his horse and approaching. I instinctively backed up and the black horse followed me in our retreat.

"He's mine. You're not selling him." Steven stopped dead in his tracks and shook his head.

I thought about it for a second, Even if he wasn't one of my mother's horses and he was just a look-a-like, he still needs me. But I just have this feeling...in my gut. He's the horse from my dream. He has to be. He acts like he knows me. He responds to my song too!

"What are you talking about, 'he's yours'?" Danny asked from astride his big brown horse.

"I own him." Okay maybe he's legally Jack's, but he used to be my mother's and since she's dead he's mine. "Jack said I could pick a horse and I pick him." I stated confidently.

"Jack said that before you were grounded. I'm sure he's changed his mind by now." Steven scoughed.

"I don't care. He's mine and I'm keeping him." I patted his sweaty neck and he responded by leaning into my touch. Normally I would have been repulsed by the feel of a damp horse covered in mud, but the poor guy looked exhausted and I couldn't help it. I'm a sucker for an animal in need(I'm a vegetarian for Pete's sake!).

"Fine." Steven said making his way back to his horse. "But you're talking to Jack about this."

"You hear that big guy, Steven likes you." I said cooing to him.

"This is just perfect. She's just doing this to piss us off." Nate said to Steven. They were talking like I wasn't there.

"She wants the horse..." Steven shrugged. For some reason I got the feeling he answered to Nate. But that had never directly been said before. Although Nate looked younger than Danny and Steven. Huh, I just noticed that.

"She 'wants'? Since when did we start getting paid to give her what she wants?" Nate growled back, in a quieter tone that I could still hear.

Nate shook his head. "She doesn't even ride!"

"Or so that's what you think." I said smugly. They all looked at me, wide-eyed. "Shut your gaping mouths and help me get him into the trailer."

To my suprise they did. Of course I didn't trust them so I road in the truck with Ian and Isaac just to make sure they weren't going to try and pull something funny.

"What's his name?" Isaac asked when we pulled up to the drive of the ranch.

"I haven't thought about it yet." Which was true. I hadn't given it much thought. But I wasn't going to name him something stupid like Flicka or Black Beauty(Side note, I love that movie). Those names didn't him at all. He was different.

We unloaded my new friend and when we had gotten him into the stall I started cleaning emmediately. The other boys were busy loading the horses into the big trailer. Steven hung around me, but after about an hour of me just cleaning the stall and bringing in new bedding he finally relaxed a little and went out of sight. I worked through lunch brushing Big Boy--but normally I just called him 'Boy' because I hadn't found a name yet--and cleaned him up. He looked even shinier than before. He was much calmer now. And he seemed to relax when I hummed our song for him. I really loved that song too. I didn't mind being out in the barn. It was peaceful.

"Let's go," Steven waved for me to follow. I followed after him as he headed over to the big truck pulling a trailer behind him. The truck was a six seater, but one of those seats didn't really cout since it was that dinky thing that a toddler could only fit in.

"Where are we going?" I asked. I didn't wan to leave Big Boy alone for too long. He tended to get nervous.

"Auction. We'll be gone until tomorrow." He said still not looking back at me. I stopped dead in my tracks.

"Um, no." He turned around and looked at me. By now the other boys were gathered up by the truck listening to our conversation also.

"Yes, I'm not leaving you alone here." He said firmly.

"And I'm not leaving him," I nodded to the barn indicating Big Boy, "either."

"Joe feeds the horses when we're gone. He's fine." Steven said.

"No he's not. He needs me. He gets nervous if I'm gone for too long. And he hates Joe. He tried to bite him when he walked by." I had to admitt it had been hillarious. That horse was onrey. Not towards me, but everyone else. I liked him even more once I noticed that.

"It's just a horse. And I'm still in charge of you for another...seven hours. And I say no."

"I'm not going anywhere." Not yet at least.

"Tiggie get in--"

"I'll stay behind." Nate said walking from the truck. I looked around at the others, Okay good I'm not the only one who is suprised. Ian and Isaac shook their heads and Danny just rolled his eyes.

"Really man," He said patting Steven's shoulder. "I'll watch her for today and tomorrow. There'll be more leg space anyway."

"Are you sure man? She might run again?" Again, talking like I'm not even here. I scoughed. I guess I shouldn't blame them if they didn't trust me.

"She won't." Nate said confidently. He seemed so sure. At that, I rolled my eyes and just went back to the barn.

He's right though. I'm not leaving....

'Til Sunday. I cracked a smile.

*SIDE NOTE: RATE PLEASE! ...and you know the next chapter is going to be about Nate ;)