The Wild West

Getting off the plane from new York city I make my way outside into the blistering cold its 4°C outside and you would never know cause the damn heaters are working so well in here as I step out the doors my chest feels as if it's been crushed, oh my word why does no one worn you about how cold it's going to be I try to look around but I can't see my grandfather any wear, great now I'm stuck at the airport with no sign of my granddad any wear thanks a lot old man. And it's stinking cold!

I turn around and head back in to get a glass of hot chocolate and try to get the feeling back into my fingers. Ok I know what you're thinking my god what a whinny little girl honestly I'm not whinny really I'm just scared I'm normally a typical teenager I hanging out with my friends, go on dates get into trouble for not doing homework you know the normal teenager stuff but, as of 3 weeks ago my life turn upside down and honestly I did not know how to turn it around.

Ok so maybe getting ahead of myself but I promised myself that I would not think about it and I was not I would not be one of those people who dwell on the past and sit around and cry all day long for things that were long lost. I was here to make a semi fresh start and damn it to hell I was going to have my fresh start well semi fresh.

I'm 16 turning 17 in 7 months and of my 16 years of being alive I probably saw my granddad when I was 10 years old, ok I'm not a crappy grandchild but we use to live in Dallas and I saw my granddad almost every weekend but then dad got a promotion and we were off to New York City, do not get me wrong I love New York but well Dallas was home. For a while granddad use to come up every couple of months but I'm not really sure but him and my dad got into some argument and he stopped coming so for almost 6 years he would just call me and sent letters that was really the extent.

Sitting on one of the benches I wait for him to appear so I open my massive bag and dig around for my cell.

Please, please, please, have battery life, I mentally chant to myself.

"Ding, ding" we have a winner, I grab my phone and pull it out, ok my poor damaged phone turn on show me how much you love me, Yes you beauty I wait for it to load up and there 4 missed calls and 10 messages ah I love knowing that I'm loved by so many people and get a happy grin on my face and start going through my missed calls.
'Hello Darling, it's your father just letting you know that Silver and Jaz are on the truck safe and sound and will be in Dallas in 2 weeks, the driver said he would keep you posted. Love you and hope the flight was good'

That was good I was really worried about Silver he was a bit of a head case but I loved that animal. Alright let me explain another thing that is massive about my life, huge, astronomical, gigantic ok you probably get it by now but I'm a horse freak ok not so much that I don't have a life I do but my horses are one of the main things in my life I'm planning to one day riding in the Olympics that's my big dream.
It really helps when your mom and granddad are just as nuts about horses as you are since they were the ones who got me into it. Oh and by the way my names Bailey Alice Walton.

"Bailey girl is that you?"

I look up from my phone and there he is my granddad in his old Levi jeans and green check shirt and very old very dirty cowboy boots. He really was a funny character his beard was gray with a head of white hair.

"Yes Granddad it's me"

I jump up and run to him, he picks me up and gives me a giant bear hug, giving me a kiss on the top of my head.

"My god child your skin and bones with hardly any muscle how do plan on making it on a ranch looking like that"

"Granddad I'm a girl, besides I would look weird all beefed up"

"Well ill need to fatten you up a bit don't want people thinking I don't feed yeah"

"Once again telling me to get fat not helping my self-esteem"
He put me down with a wicked grin and I knew he was

messing with me, since I've only ever spoken to him on the phone it was really weird standing here now talking to him but I was feeling a lot better now that he was here, I loved my granddad more than anyone else.

"Well give your bags and lets head off, got a few errands to run before we head home"

"Ok fine by me"

Granddad takes one bag and drops it.

"Good lord child you carrying weights in that thing, what on earth you packed that could possibly be that heavy"

"Well since I am moving here I packed pretty much everything"

He gives me a funny look

"Hey don't look at me like that I left 4 other bags back home these were the essentials"

"Dead bodies that's what you call essential"

He laughs at his joke and grabs the bags and starts to head out, his truck is parked out the front with a horse trailer hitched to the back one of the big ones meant to take four horses at a time.

"We picking up horses?" I ask with a excited tone (see told you horse freak)

"Yeah got 2 from the mustang round up and another 1 from a friend a pretty little quarter mare"

"What you need the mustangs for?"

"well if I don't take em they going to be put down and you know I can't let a perfectly fine horse go to waste, beside I need some new riding mounts for the ranch hands"

Got to love him for that, was always taking in animals when other people where having problems with them, but his real passion were the mustangs he loved them if he could he would get all of them and let them loose on his ranch but well yeah not all things are possible. So he would just settle for a few at a time.

I sat back and got my phone out again.

"hey B, want to know I miss you and I love you and hopefully my parents let me come visit you for the summer holidays, love you forever Alex"

Great another thing I thought I could leave behind I obsessive clingy ex-boyfriend Alexandria Michaels Thornton, yeah mouthful try dating the guy, ok great looking imagine um what's his name? The dude from gossip girl ooo Chuck Bass otherwise his normal name Ed Westwick but Alex more curly hair and dressed more casual but you know the outfit cost over $500. I distinctly remember dumping him before I left he obviously didn't quite understand.

And I got about a dozen messages from Kelly my BBFFE (Best Bud For Freaking Ever) I give a snort trying to laugh and my granddad glances sideways at me with a quizzical look, well I thought it was funny. Most of the messages are like I hate you why would you leave me know, you suck, then oh my gosh you will never believe what happened to Lexi or O girl Justin just asked me out, many funny messages but that was my Kelly loved that child.

About half hour into the drive I look up and start to take in the scenery well you got to believe what they say when they say everything bigger in Texas cause damn right everything's bigger. The cars the shops the houses, then he takes right and another left and pulls into a driveway .

"Granddad who we picking up here"

"Bellefire the quarter mare"

He parked the truck and got out I followed, he went around back behind the barn and there was a very large man wearing denims with chaps and a overly large white shirt with sweat steins all over ew.

"Afternoon, Duncan"

The guy spun around and gave my Granddad a big grin and strode towards us.

"Henry you old coot how you been?"

They shook hands and then the guy my Granddad called Duncan looked at me with a frown.

"Ain't she a bit young for you Henry?"

"Duncan this is my Granddaughter Bailey, Bailey this is Duncan Lynchan"

Duncan took my hand and left a sloppy wet kiss on it, ok this guy was really gross!

"Duncan she's defiantly to young for you, now where's my mare?"

They both walk off and start laughing, right old men are creepy and just plain weird, my phone buzzes again and I check the message, you have got to be kidding me.
'he beautiful jst checking on u, just bought a stunning pair of diamond earrings 4 u they jst had ur name written all ovr thm'
Yeah right 16 moron no diamond is screaming my name right now. I put my phone back in my pocket and run to catch up to the two old foggies. As I come up to them they are standing by a paddock with 2 horses in one a very striking buckskin and the other a white and chestnut paint. They looked good together.

"So which ones Bellefire?"

I ask looking up at my Granddad. And look out at the horses again.

"She's the bucksin
"
"Oh and the paint?"

"That little lady is Simply Exclusive, one of the finest mares in Dallas at the moment some of the best breeding right there"

I look back at them and smile she was really pretty, couldn't keep my eyes away as if they knew we were talking about them Bellefire and Simply Exclusive came running up to the gate they looked like they were have fun kicking up the feet and making a racket. Simply stuck her nose at me a sniffed me out and she tried to nibble my fingers, man up close she was even more breathtaking.

"Here give her a carrot"

Duncan handed me carrot and I broke it into bits and placed it on the palm of my hand she gobbled it up and Bellefire come over obviously could not ignore her I really liked these two.

"What do you think of Simply Exclusive Bailey?"

Granddad walks next to me and strokes Bellefires neck.
"She's really pretty but Bellefire nice to"

"Hey Duncan!"

Duncan comes over and smile at me and then my granddad, what are they conspiring? They look like naughty little kids.

"yeah"

"I'll take both of them"

"Wait what? Both of them"

"Yeah well the first sale Duncan had for her fell through, and she has to go so why not we are here anyway, and your gonna need a ranch horse and you could do a few rodeos with her if you planning on staying"

I could not believe it Simply was going to be mine, ah hang on I got two horses coming can't expect a third didn't do anything to deserve her.

"No it's ok granddad I got Silver and Jaz coming in 2 weeks"

"Nonsense child those to pansy horse aren't made for ranch work, besides there jumpers not herders"

"He does have a point young lady"

"Beside I can breed her later, so let's load them up"

"Ah there you are Nathan, thought you got lost on the farm"

I turn around and there he is the most gorgeous looking guy I have ever seen dark brown almost black eyes, light brown curly hair not too long and very tan from working outside with a body of someone who defiantly did a lot of hard ranch work thick arms and broad chest with thick legs.

"Sorry Henry, was admiring Duncan's new colts"

"Alright then you wanna get a halter for the two mares and Bailey help Nathan load the girls"

"You got it boss"

Wait really my granddad was Nathans boss that means he works on the ranch sweet, id get to see more of him , and seeing more of him is something I defiantly would like to do. He walks back through the barn and few minutes later comes back with a pair of halters, he walks to the gate and opens it up Bellefire and Simply Exclusive look up from there grazing and watch him.

"you coming Bailey?"

Oh say my name again, I got chills down my spine and rushed over to him.

"Alright you grab exclusive and ill get Belle"
"sure thing"

Ok this living with Granddad was just getting better and better.