Genevieve's story

Chapter 1

"Bee!"

I turned quickly, so lost in thought I was startled by my own name.

Genevieve Bee Brown.

My mother named me herself, and long before she died she started having everyone call me Bee. She was a wild woman, making her the complete opposite of me. While her hair was curly, mine was straight. Her legs went on forever, mine barely had me at 5'3. She was loud- I was well, not. Not at all. Yet somehow I seemed to attract the loud, beautiful women in my life.

Speaking of...

"Bee!" Again my name was called, this time causing my cheeks to burn crimson as I twirled again, coming nose to nose with my best friend Josie Lee Walker.

"You want the whole dang town to know I'm back?" I scowled at her, although my grin told her I wasn't at all angry.

"Oh Beeeeee!" She rang again, rolling her eyes at me. Suddenly my friend of 20 years - we met in kindergarten-wrapped her slender arms around me and hugged me tight. "I missed you."

That time she whispered, and I didn't miss the slight hiccup of emotion as she said it.

Wrapping my arms even tighter around her, I gave her an extra squeeze before letting her go.

"I missed you more Josie." My throat clogged with emotion, and it took us both a few minutes to gather ourselves.

Briefly I took a moment to look around while I let myself relax. The bus I arrived on was long gone. It was only Josie and I standing by the bus stop bench. The bus ride from Denver airport felt just as long as the flight from Sacramento, CA. I certainly would miss a few things about the State University and it's town but I am more than ready to be back home. Despite everything.

Freedom, Colorado was just how I remembered it. Main street was well kept but small. Each block had many locally owned businesses, and the town square could be seen no matter what side of town you were in. When you looked up, you were blessed with the mountain views of Colorful Colorado.

I missed it here.

"Josie.." A deep voice drawled, taking my gaze away from what was all around me. A tall cowboy came prowling across the street. His stenson was low, almost covering his eyes. He wore a denim button up, rolled up his large arms. His jeans were just as dirty as his cowboy boots. "You know better than to run across the damn street without looking both ways."

If I didn't know the man walking towards me I would have said he was bossy. Maybe a little too alpha male. But I knew that he was just a teddy bear. A teddy bear who loved and cherished my best friend.

Laughing out loud, which was something I haven't done in a while, I realized that Josie must have recklessly ran towards the bus while I was getting off.

"You're in trouble." I told her, tongue in cheek.

Without looking back towards him, Josie winked and flung her blonde hair over her shoulder, showing her sass. "What ya gonna do, spank me?"

Biting my cheek to keep from laughing more at my friend, I watched as her big hunk of a man Mike slipped a well muscled arm around his wife. "You bet."

"You guys are gross." I teased, lifting my duffle back over my shoulder. Being with Josie already proved I made the right choice coming back to my hometown. She was always the one to make things better. She did when my dad passed. Then did it all again, helping me through my mom's sickness and eventually her death.

"Let's go girls." Mike's other arm wrapped around my waist and lifted me up on his other side.

"We can walk!" I squealed.

"Yeah-but I ain't gonna chance you guys gettin' run down by a damn truck!" Mike pointingly looked at Jose first and then at me.

"Law and Colt wouldn't be happy if I let you get hurt."

******

Sitting in the passenger seat of Mike's lifted farm truck, I let the wind hit my face as I tried to calm myself down.

After Mike mentioned their names I couldn't seem to settle my nerves. I hadn't seen or heard from the men since Josie's wedding over two years ago. Even then I refused to speak to them, I didn't dare look their way. I was too embarrassed. Too ashamed.

My father died when I was eighteen, he was older and suffered a stroke at only 67. We lived on a ranch, mom, dad and I. We owned a lot of cattle and a few trail horses. Dad made good money but didn't have a son to leave the ranch to. It wasn't a surprise that Lawrence and Colt Walker took over. They have worked for my father since they were young teens, nearly twenty years ago. They lived on the ranch too, they never had a mother and their father was our foreman.

And of course I loved them. They took good care of me growing up, making sure I never got hurt on the ranch. Scolding me when I got too rebellious and making sure all my ponies and horses were well taken care of.

A big part of me knew that they were just doing their job, and they were good, honest men. Yet, as I got older and into my twenties I swear I saw their eyes darken and smolder every time they looked at me. Mom would tease and say they've been waiting for the day I came of age but I would always brush her off and tell her she was crazy.

She hadn't been sick then. She didn't get sick until the summer I made a fool of myself. It was late June when she was diagnosed and by early September she had passed away in her sleep.

"You ok?" Josie's small hand squeezed my jean covered thigh. She could always tell when I was bothered.

I faked a smile and leaned my head against her shoulder. She was taller than me by a few inches so It became a habit of mine as we grew up together. We were attached to the hip since the first day of kindergarten. Her father and mother lived just a couple miles down the road from my parents ranch in a wonderful white farmhouse that now Josie and her three husbands lived in. Many times I rode my horse to her house or her horse to mine. And many times we snuck out late at night in her old red pick up truck to do normal rebellious teenage stuff.

Looking at her now, I knew her life was going well. She looked healthy, wearing long, tight wrangler jeans, and western boots. Her tight black tee showed her femine figure and her unruly hair was tangled on half top of her head.

And she was beautiful! She was loved by not just Mike, but two other men as well. It wasn't uncommon in the Town of Freedom for women to belong to more than one man. Freedom was very special, and so different than a lot of the rest of the world.

Ray and Dylan were Mike's younger brothers and worked on my family's ranch as well. The last I heard, the ranch had expanded and even dealt with a few large oil companies. My father would be proud.

Josie's three men who were now partial owners with Law and Colt, and also were their cousins. Their fathers were brothers and worked for my dad for many years. Originally the whole family was from Brick, Texas but both brothers had found themselves without wives and nothing tying them down. Packing up what little they had and five young men they ventured to Freedom, Colorado after seeing the ad my father put out looking for men to work the ranch. The men were older than Josie and I by seven to ten years, Law being the eldest at 35.

"We're just gonna stop at the ranch quick, we don't even have to get out of the truck." She whispered. "Mike just has to drop something off."

"Thanks Josie, but don't worry about me. I chose to come back and I'll have to face them eventually."

She squeezed my leg one more time before turning to Mike and listing off the yummy things she wanted to cook tonight for my "welcome home dinner".

As I partially listened to her, I sat up straighter as Mike turned into the drive and started down the all too familiar dirt road to my childhood home. Within a few minutes, the large white home with the wrap around porch came into view. I was shocked at how little had changed. They hadn't done anything other than keep it looking up to date. The wooden rocking chairs were still on the porch, the shutters were still red and It even looked like the inside curtains were the same. Only thing I could think was that it must have received a fresh coat of paint sometime in the four years I was gone.

I couldn't help but think they did it all for me. Before I fled, they promised me that this was still my home. Even though they had the ranch, they were adamant that it was just as much mine as it's always been. That was the night I came to them, giving them all I had. And they accepted..until the next night.

I felt the swell in my throat and tears filled my eyes. It took everything I could to swallow it down, it wasn't the time to cry. That can be done alone. I've cried too many times infront of Law and Colt. If I see them I don't want them to know that I still miss them. I wanted to save the tiny bit of pride I had left.

"Be quick!" Josie growled at her husband as he unfolded his large body out of his truck and went towards the office building behind the house.

"I kinda wanna get out Josie." I admitted, my eyes roaming around checking to see if anything else had changed.

And then I saw him.

Large, powerful and looking older than I remembered.

"Thunder."

I looked at Josie, a good size grin on her face. "He hasn't really been ridden since you left, Bee."

Shame hit me hard. I left my horse behind and it hurt every day I was away. "I gotta go see him."

I quickly jumped out, Josie following behind me. The summer sun felt good on my bare shoulders. I was happy I wore the tiny white cami tank and old jeans. They had enough holes in them that they didn't feel much like jeans anyway. My snip toe Ariats dug into the earth as I ran towards the pasture that housed my beloved horse.

"Hey boy!" I called out before jumping on to the wooden fence polls. Thunder snorted loudly before pushing his head into my chest. I all but melted as the old man recognized me. "I missed you too." I quietly cried.

Josie dug into her pocket and tossed me a horse treat. A true cowgirl didn't leave the house without a few dog and horse treats in her pocket. Grinning, I scratched Thunders ears as he happily took the treat.

"I'm gonna ride him to the end of the pasture and back, just over that hill." I told Josie.

"You can still ride?" She joked. "I figured you to be just a little city girl now."

"You shush." I blew her a kiss as I climbed onto the familiar mount. I could never forget how to ride, especially bareback on my beautiful Thoroughbred horse.

Giving him a command I started off towards the hill, eventually getting into a full gallop.

Finally! I thought to myself, this is freedom! I didn't care for anything at this moment other than the horse between my legs and the wind in my hair. Laughing I rubbed the side of my trusty steed as we neared the fence, slowing down to a rough stop.

I was lost in the hills in front of me, watching the wildlife in the sky and on the other side of the pasture fence. I missed this so much.

"Oh how I've missed you." I giggled as I said the words out loud, leaning down and squeezing him tight. "I promise to never leave you again."

"That goes for me too?" A deep voice drawled.