Wild Horses

After what seemed like years, Treva and her family had finally made it into Montana, and once they had reached the border, it would only take a day's worth of travel to reach the ranch.

Though the summer was toiling away Treva was at least grateful that they had moved north, out of the prairie and into hillier, wooded areas. Granted it took longer to travel with such obstacles, but at least there was ample shade from the sun, and the temperature had cooled a little.

It was odd, though - out in the heat, Treva wanted nothing more than to get to the ranch, but now that the Dawns were nearly there and had reached a climate they could stand, she wanted to turn around and go back home. And once they hit a beaten down path that moved steadily from grass to a coarse, packed dirt-and-rock trail, the wheels of the wagon kicking up a fine dust behind it, Treva knew that they were too close now to go home. The dirt road they had found was one that had been beaten down from the wilderness up to the ranch, or so she had been told, and when they started to go uphill, Treva looked down at the dirt beneath her feet, kicking at loose rocks as she caught the state her leather dress boots were in.

She wondered what life would really be like on the ranch. Would Mr. and Mrs. Baker feel like family to her - even though they weren't - or would they feel like complete strangers? And what of their son? Would he be accepting of a new teenager living in his house? Was he going to be some sort of bratty only child? Treva couldn't help but wonder.

And then she remembered all the hard work that went into building and maintaining a ranch, and felt a sudden, worse dread settle over her. Would the Bakers put her to work on the ranch? She could handle inside chores and helping with the meals, but anything beyond that, she certainly couldn't do. Especially if any large animals were involved.

Coming up over the crest of the hill, Treva brought her gaze up, seeing the large expanse of mostly flat land before them. And there was the ranch, gazing back at her in an almost daunting way that set Treva's nerves at unease. The house was near sprawling, standing with two stories, and a large porch with a roof that stretched around the entire side of the house, maybe even around the house completely. It was made entirely of wood, and looked slightly worn from the years of weather changes since it had been built.

Set off to the side and a little farther back from the ranch house was a large barn with a huge sliding front door, and a pasture was fenced in on the far side. Treva couldn't see what sorts of creatures made their home in the pasture, but once they had come up closer to the house a woman stepped onto the porch from inside, and her attention was now taken away.

Treva watched as her mother smiled, tethering the horse's lead to the handrail on the porch before stepping up to greet her old friend with a hug.

"Oh it is so good to see you," Clarisse said in the embrace, and then pulled away. "You look terrific."

"Thank you, the same could be said of yourself," Maria answered, and Treva could hear a slight twang of an accent in her voice. "John!" she said, a smile on her face as Treva's father stepped down from the front of the wagon. The two hugged as well, while Treva was left to stand there, awkwardly.

"Treva, darling, come here," Clarisse beckoned, and Treva stepped forward hesitantly, her mother taking her under the arm as she stood under Maria Baker's gaze. "Maria, this is our daughter, Treva."

"Well, it is very lovely to meet you, Treva," Maria said, her eyes shining with the smile displayed on her lips, and Treva let out a solitary nod. "James!" Maria called back into the house over her shoulder. "They're here!"

In a matter of moments, James Baker had appeared, stepping out on the porch to join them. Treva endured another awkward introduction, and then busied herself with looking out at the expanse of rolling hills all around her, the lush green grass bowing as a breeze passed over them, reaching Treva and ruffling her golden blonde hair.

"Well, you all arrived just in time for dinner, so why don't you come in and get settled in the dining room, and you can bring all your things inside later," Maria suggested, and the Dawn family followed her inside. Treva realized that the dining room wasn't a dining room at all, but simply just a kitchen with a long table in it, made of deep, rich brown wood and matching chairs all around it.

The food was already laid out on the table, steam still rising from the dishes as the food waited to be eaten. Once her eyes were set on the meal that had been prepared and her nose had smelt the aromas, Treva wanted nothing more than to dig in at that very moment

After entering in behind Treva, Clarisse, and John, Maria crossed the kitchen and entered a small back room, where another door to the outside world was placed. Opening it, she stood on the porch that extended around to the front. From there, she could see the two teenaged boys near the barn, looking completely filthy from their day's work and romping through the fields.

"Boys! It's time to eat!" she called out, and upon hearing the words the two young men stopped what they were doing and raced each other to the barn, tripping themselves up as they reached the porch.

"Wash up before you come inside. You're filthy, and our guests have arrived," Maria ordered kindly, pointing to the outdoor water pump just a few feet away before turning back inside.

Treva had heard Maria call for the boys from inside the kitchen, and wondered if the Bakers had had a second child after moving out to the Montana wilderness. She didn't know if she should feel delighted or worried - she'd have another person possibly around her age to keep her company, but on the other hand, they were both boys. She'd have no female company apart from her own mother and Maria.

"The boys will be inside in just a moment," Maria said, coming to stand at a chair like the others had, waiting for the boys to join them before being seated.

Suddenly Treva could hear a playful shout from outside, followed by fast, heavy footfalls on wood, before the back door was thrown open and the two boys ran inside, one running from the other. The one doing the chasing looked thoroughly wet, but was laughing anyway as he chased the other one around the table, the rest of them watching the display of playfulness.

"Boys, that's enough. Please calm down and come to the table," James said through his stifled laughs, and the boys stopped, the one who wasn't wet coming to sit in the chair across from Treva's, and the other sitting next to him. Once they were settled and quiet, Treva was able to get a good look at them.

She could already tell they were older, despite their horseplay, and to her surprise they were both equally as handsome as the other. But they didn't look like brothers at all, which also surprised her.

The one sitting directly across from Treva had very dark, slightly shaggy and unkempt hair. The features of his face were strong, from his square-set jaw to his high cheekbones. His nose was small and his lips thin, and as Treva looked him over his eyes caught her own, revealing a deep, rich brown that nearly matched the wood of the table they were all stood at. Blushing slightly, Treva looked down, barely glancing up to see the muscles that defined his shoulders and arms, pressing against the white buttoned and collared shirt he was wearing.

"Let's say Grace, and then we'll eat," Maria said, bowing her head and closing her eyes.

"Grace," the two boys said at the same time, and Treva couldn't help but let a grin slip by as her head was bowed as well.

"Boys..." Maria said in a warning tone, but Treva could hear the smile and laughter in her voice. Once everyone settled, Maria cleared her throat. "Lord, thank you for the food we are about to eat, for the clothes on our backs, and for the roof over our head. Also, we thank you for our family's new addition arriving in good health, and for allowing us to all be together in this beautiful land you have made for us. Amen."

Mutters of 'Amen' were heard around the table, followed by the scraping of chairs as everyone took their seat and began to get food on their plates. Once everyone was settled and had gotten into their food, Treva looked up and over at the boy sitting diagonally from her. He had the same dark hair of the boy sitting beside him, but his face held softer features. His cheeks were slightly rounder, the angle of his jaw not as harsh. He had very plump lips and a larger nose, but it suited his features quite well. Gaze traveling up to his eyes, Treva almost gasped at the color held in them. Depending on which way the light hit them, they were either a very vibrant green, or a faceted shade of light aqua, traces of blue being mixed in. Admittedly, Treva had never seen eyes so hypnotizing before, and she had a hard time looking away.

"Oh!" Maria said, suddenly looking up, and Treva's attention was immediately switched to her. "Silly me, I've forgotten introductions. Clarisse, John, Treva...those two rowdy boys are Zach, and Brian," she said, and the two boys looked up and nodded in greeting as they both had their mouths full. Treva looked at the both of them again, the two looking at her as well, and when she looked at Zach, the boy with the vibrant eyes, he held his gaze steady with hers, not looking away. He was quite intrigued with this new girl, wondering what it would be like to have one in his own age range living with him on the ranch.

Treva didn't talk throughout dinner, leaving the conversation to the parents, Zach, and Brian. Hearing them talk, she marveled in their voices. Neither of them had very gruff, manly voices, but rather ones that sounded smooth. Granted, they still sounded manly. She wondered while silently watching the two boys how old they were. They looked to be nearly the same age as each other, and Treva figured that if they were brothers, they must have been born very close together.

Once the meal had been finished and the table cleared away, Maria beckoned Zach to her. "Zachary, why don't you show Treva to her room, so she has a place to put her things when they unpack?" she asked her son, and Zach nodded, looking at Treva who was listening to the conversation nearby.

"Come this way," he said, his hands dipping into the pockets of the brown, worn trousers he was wearing. Following Zach, Treva took in the rest of his ensemble. His shirt was near identical to that of Brian's, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and the material thinning out from years of wear. She also noticed that he had suspenders on, though they were hanging down from where they were hooked into his trousers, as Zach didn't have his arms through them. Zach and Brian, along with the rest of the Bakers, were dressed in a typical country fashion, and looking down at the dress she was wearing, with corset tightly bound underneath, Treva couldn't feel any more out of place.

He led her up a wooden staircase in the hall by the front door to the ranch, and once they reached the top, Zach led her down a narrow hall to the right, pushing open a slightly ajar door on the left.

"Well, this is your room," Zach said, stepping in and standing to one side, allowing Treva to follow. She noticed that he, too, spoke with a slight accent, but shrugged it off as she took in the room. There was a handcrafted bed facing her against the opposite wall, with a lumpy looking mattress and pillow and a patterned quilt draped over it. A small wooden table with a drawer sat next to the bed with a small oil lamp sat atop it. An armchair sat in one corner of the room, and it was made with such fine wood detailing and had such plush looking cushions along the bottom and back of the seat that Treva knew it must have been brought with the Bakers from Manhattan when they'd moved. Eyes circling around the room, they stopped at the chest of drawers before landing on Zach again, who stood waiting patiently.

"My mother is very excited that you've come to live with us, so I hope you enjoy it here..." he said quietly, and Treva nodded before he ducked out of the room, letting her have it to herself.

Glancing back at the lumpy mattress on the bed, Treva nearly grimaced, wondering if it would be comfortable to sleep on. Gingerly, she stepped toward it, slowly sitting down and her entire body sinking into the mattress. Surprised, Treva smiled at the fact that it must have been filled with goose feathers and down, which gave it the lumpy look due to the uneven distribution.

Laying back into the comfortable bed, Treva let a smile slip past her lips, wondering if maybe living on the ranch would be so bad after all.