Kristi Vincent
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It'd been years since she'd been back, she missed this place. She missed everyone. The cafe, Luke... Luke... I haven't seen or heard from him in years.. I don't even know if he's alright... hm.. maybe he's around, if not, I hope he's alright. She was just pulling up in her new chevy silvarado truck, thinking, when she parked and just sat there. She sat there just staring, staring at complete nothing. She'd been everywhere and anyone since the last time she was here, which was a really long time ago. It made her sad, how could she have left this place? Damn it, stop doing this to yourself. You made your choice to leave, you left the people you cared about and you can't change that. All you can do is hope they're here and hope they won't hate you for it. She'd matured up, been with a few guys since, but none of them felt like love. She just wanted to fit in. So before coming back she completely bleached out her hair and got fit again.
Now as she turned the keys to the ignition to off, she noticed the cafe was a bit busy. Grabbing her keys out of the ignition, opening her door and grabbing her wallet and phone, she slid out of the truck, which was taller than her.... by a lot. She walked up to the door in her black cowboy boots and her jeans with a hole in the knee on one leg and a hole on the thigh and knee in the other and her hoodie that said Nothing like the cowboy way on the back of it and was a pastel pink, perfect for winter weather or spring, either one. As she walked in, she went up to the bar, looking at two seats, she had a saddened look on her face as she turned and went a few seats down away from those two particular seats.
While feeling bad she knew she'd be able to explain to her siblings, to her friends, to Luke if he was around especially. The first year her dad died, now while he was horrible to her, she went to his funeral. And then she ended up in the town her mother was buried and stayed there in their old house for a while. Then she'd just wondered and lived in her truck; which she still did. Getting showers at bus stations and in hotel showers when she could. Having enough money for food and gas but that was it. Wouldn't they understand? She hoped. She missed everybody. She sat there and ordered a diet coke, cookies and a sandwhich as it was the middle of the afternoon and she couldn't understand as to how she go here. Or why she was back.
Patiently waiting she scrolled through her book on her phone, reading up on a lot of things, including intuition for possibly going to a vet school or cosmetology school. Who knew, maybe she wouldn't even go, maybe she'd finally try and settle.
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Walk Like This
Talk Like This
Think Like This
Luke Anderson
Very few days had gone by that he hadn't thought of Kristi and wondered where she was and if she was alright. He had known from the beginning that she wasn't someone who was exactly ready to settle down. The girl was a tumbleweed on the plains, always on the move. Though, that didn’t stop him from hoping that she might have stuck around instead of leaving. He had begun to have feelings for her back when she had been spending a lot of time at Clover Fields and such. But he would have never tried to get her to stay if her heart was in moving around. So, he had let her go without giving her any hassle. He didn’t feel that it was his place to do so. They had just been friends, officially. Whether he had begun to have stronger feelings or not was beside the point.
The man had just been moving on with life, though. He had kept up with his normal schedule the best that he could and had begun to spend more time working with the horses. Luckily, the stable had had a number of foals that had need working with at the time so that he was able to keep busy. By now he had given up any hope that he would ever see Kristi again. He had gone out on a couple of dates since she had left. His sisters had insisted that he 'get back in the saddle' after she had left. But he had never really felt any sort of connection with any of them and most of the time the relationships ended with a single date.
Today he had promised the girls that he would run into town and get them all lunch from the Cafe. They had all been working hard all morning rounding up the cattle to brand the new calves and such. And by midafternoon like it was now they were all starving. Which is what led him to the cafe now. It was just the same as it always was as he pulled the old truck up into the parking spot. When he got out and walked in he didn't pay much attention to the people who were gathered there until he had ordered the meals that his family had requested and paid for them. Then he just had to wait for everything to be ready to go. He glanced around as he waited. After a moment his eyes landed on a familiar face.
Her hair was different, but he would recognize her anywhere. She hadn't noticed him yet. That or she was just hoping that he didn't notice her. He wasn't sure which was the case but either way he moved down to where she was sitting at the counter. The seat beside her was empty and he sat down on it. "Kristi?" There was a grin on his lips as he spoke, hoping that she might be as happy to see him as he was to see her. "It's been a while... I didn't know you were back in town." There was no judgment in his voice, though he had hoped that if she ever came back to town that she would stop by the stables or something but he had no idea of knowing how long she had been here or anything so he didn't judge or worry about it too much.
Kristi Vincent
As she'd been scrolling through her phone reading a book, she'd felt somebody come close to her, as this person did, a certain smell wafted over her, a home smell. Looking up as the man sat down, her smile increased as she looked at him. When he spoke, she was speechless, she didn't know what to say. "It has, hasn't it? I'm sorry I was gone for so long; I've been living in my truck and here and there. I even have new piercings and a few hidden tattoos" she started talking away, pointing to her nose and smiling as she looked at him. She was happy he was here. It'd been way too long and she always thought about coming back, always thought about Luke and how she'd just left out of the blue. Officially they'd just been friends but she'd felt so much more than that. "How's everything? How are your sisters? How are you? I should've kept in contact or better yet, I should have never left." there she went again, talking away. She kept smiling and was super excited that he was here, that she was back.
Her eyes focused on him, so much excitement; she sipped on her diet coke, took one of the cookies and offered him it "Cookie, for old times sake?" she smiled holding the cookie in front of him and remembering when they'd first met and she'd offered him a cookie at that time. She remembered so much from years ago, she picked up her sandwhich in the other hand; the cookie in the other if he hadn't taken it by now, and took a bite. After swallowing the bite of sandwhich, she looked at Luke still smiling and her eyes as bright as ever. She considered him her best friend and couldn't believe he was here still. She thought he would've moved on, gone somewhere, done things, maybe even had started a family. But as far as she knew, he didn't and maybe they could rekindle what they had, or at least what she thought they had; smiling she let it slip from her lips "So did you miss me?"
Luke Anderson
Luke took the seat beside her at the counter without really stopping to think that she might not want him to sit there. That was one thing about Luke, he didn't always stop to think that maybe he wasn't welcome. When he saw the smile that seemed to light up her face he was glad that he had approached her. There had been many ways that things could have gone, it had been quite a while. He was just glad that she seemed happy to see him. She began speaking then, agreeing that it had been a long time and then apologizing and rambling on a bit more. A grin remained on his lips as he let her ramble. It was cute, really. Then she finally stopped and his own deep but smooth voice rang out. "No need to apologize, darlin'. You don't have to explain yourself. Sounds like a lot has happened while you were away." He commented with a chuckle about the things that she had mentioned were different about her since she had left.
He was glad to see that she was back, though he found himself wondering how long she would stick around this time. You can't blame the guy, though. It wasn't like he wouldn't be happy to see her even if she was only here for a short time because he would still be. He just hoped that maybe she would stick around for a bit longer this time. "Everything has been good, the girls are staying busy with the stable. We have gotten quite a few more horses since you were here and we kept most of the foals we had before... Volt is still at the stable whenever you want to come see him too. He has grown up quite well. And it's fine. Life sometimes leads us all down different paths." He remembered the little foal that she had first come to the stable to look at, he wasn’t exactly a little foal anymore and Luke had cared for him ever since she had left. He wouldn't let the girls sell him just in case she ever did come back.
His grin only grew when she took a cookie and held it out to him, offering it to him for old time's sake. He took it without hesitation. He remembered the day they had met and she had also offered him a cookie. It was a good time for him and he was perfectly happy to relive the memory. He took a bite from the cookie as she began to speak once again. She was asking if he had missed her and he swallowed the cookie in his mouth as he nodded. "Of course, things weren't the same around here without ya." It was true, though he tried to say it in a light enough manner that she would know that he did indeed miss her but so that he also wouldn’t make her feel bad any more than she already did. He was super happy that she was back, but he just couldn’t help but ask the question weighing on his mind now. "You staying around for a while, or just stopping through?" Once again, he wasn’t wanting to put her on the spot but his curiosity was winning over.
Kristi
No need to apologize darlin' the words came from Luke's mouth after she'd rambled on some about her piercings and tattoos she had hidden, her cheeks turning a deep red when he called her darlin' and offering a grin. When he continued, she looked at him as he spoke, eating her sandwhich as she listened. When he spoke of Volt; the foal she'd visited before and was interested in him. She still wanted him and was excited about that as well. She kept eating her sandwhich, getting to about half way she put it down on the wrapping it came in; she took a drink and stopped at his last question. How long was she here for? She was in her early 20's now and was ready to settle. She'd been ready to settle when she first came to this place. Kristi had traveled, she had seen what she wanted, experienced what she wanted, kept up with her physical features, and had relived some past memories she didn't want to with her biological dad, who had passed when she was away. She'd visited her mothers grave and stayed in a childhood home. She looked over at Luke; those were all things she could've done with him.
"I'm glad you missed me, I missed being here and you. I also would love to see Volt." she reached up to Luke's shoulder and nudged him with her hand. "And... I was thinking of hopefully sticking around for good. Maybe find a place here and get a job... Ooooh! I could become a vet!" she got off track before looking back at Luke, taking a drink of her diet coke. "No but I do plan on sticking around. I'm planning on possibly getting an apartment but for the time being I've been staying in my truck since I left." she smiled real big, finishing off her sandwhich and scrunching up her wrapping it was on and holing it in one of her hands and finishing off her drink as well. "So what's brought you here today and if its your sisters; are you going back to the stable after being here?" She realized as she was saying that, that she might be able to ride Volt for the first time ever; last time she saw Volt he was a foal. Obviously he wouldn't be one now. Her mind jumped to Luke's family, there's no way that his sisters could like her now that she'd just up and left Luke hanging. She really felt like their friendship was going somewhere at the time, maybe it would now that she was back? But after leaving, she was afraid Luke's family would oppose to her being back in his life and back in town.
Luke Anderson
The blush that crept over her pale cheeks wasn't lost on him as he had spoken to her, though he wasn't exactly sure what had caused it. It was just natural for him to speak in such a manner, so he hadn't even given the fact that he had called her darlin' much thought. He continued to munch on the cookie that she had given him as she began to speak once more, she mentioned missing him and being here as well and he grinned at that. It was nice to know that he had made some sort of impression on her so that she missed him. Though, he reminded himself that maybe he was reading too much into it and maybe she just missed him as a friend. He couldn’t know right now. For now he was just happy to get to know her again. It had been a long while and he knew that a lot could change in so much time.
She mentioned wanting to see Volt as well and he nodded. She then pushed against his shoulder in what he took to be a playful manner and he was glad that she didn't seem to take any sort of offence to the fact that he had asked how long she had planned on sticking around. He poked her side gently in a playful manner as he responded. "Ah, sticking around for good, huh? I think I know a place you could get a job and a place to stay until you get that dream job as a vet if you wanted?" With the growing number of horses and such at the stable, he knew that they definitely could use a bit more help. And there was an extra small cabin on the property for just the occasion that they would hire another hand. Kristi always seemed to enjoy the horses, so maybe it could work out? If not then at least he made the offer.
He grinned still when she asked what had brought him there. Almost as if on cue, a waitress brought the bags of food that he had ordered over to him. He thanked her then turned back to Kristi. "Yeah, I plan on heading back. I just promised to head into town and bring back lunch. You're welcome to come too? I’m sure the girls will be happy to see that you're back as well. And I don't think you ever did get the chance to meet my baby sister Leila?" They had spoken about his little sister, he remembered but she had left before the younger girl had actually moved in with Kayla and Bethany. He knew that the girls wouldn't hold a grudge against her, and even if they did they wouldn't show it. But he was betting that they would probably just be glad to see that she was back as well.
Kristi
His finger poked her side, making her jerk a bit and giggle as his words rung out. He knew of a place to stay and a job; a smile stretched out across her face when he mentioned those two things. She wouldn't mind working at the stable, she also wouldn't mind sticking close to Luke; and maybe he felt the same way? Yeah she'd been away for years, she was 19 when she left and now she was 23, being away for those four years, barely making it on her own gave her a whole new understanding of keeping the people and things you care about closer than going out on your own. "Of course I'd wanna stick around though, I mean who wouldn't want to; with such a sweet man, right?" her obvious flirting towards him wasn't very hidden. Of course she didn't want to hide it it seemed. "And tell me more about this place to stay and work?" a little bit of excitement in her voice.
"The one that got the border collie from the pound? I don't think I did meet her but we did talk about her." her face scrunched up in thought for a moment before looking over at him. "I wouldn't mind tagging along. I wouldn't mind seeing your sisters again. You guys are all so nice." and she'd met her fair share of people that didn't want her around or were just plain mean, she remembered the one time when she was closer to one of the bigger cities, they were all mean and loud, something she definitely wasn't used to. She liked the peace and quiet, she liked the country and the smells. Big cities just smelled horrid and the first time she was near one she'd gotten sick to her stomach and couldn't understand how anybody could live there or be around it.
"But do you mind if I ride back with you? My truck is kind of... low on gas." sounding a bit sheepish, she gave a small grin, looking a bit shy after that. In the four years she'd been away, she had no doubt that they both had probably changed, at least a little bit, if not at all. Physically she had changed and personality wise she got a bit more shy than when she first got here and soft spoken, she let her voice be softer than before and her look on the world was different.
Luke Anderson
Luke had always liked the fact that Kristi wasn't someone who was afraid to laugh and to have a little bit of fun. Which was why the sound of her giggle brought another grin to his lips. He had always enjoyed the sound of her laughter and he had missed it in the time she had been away. When she responded in her flirty manner, he continued to grin as he responded. "Well, darlin', I guess you're in luck then. Or maybe I'm the lucky one?" He spoke as his way of stating that he wasn’t going anywhere either and that he was more than happy to have her stick around. Then she had gone on to ask about this place to stay and work and he went on to reply. "It's this nice little ranch not far from town... There are plenty of cattle and horses that always need tending and a little house available to whatever farmhand is hired on. Oh, but the only catch is that you have to deal with the dogs and my siblings..."
Of course, he was pretty sure that she would know that he meant that he could offer her a job at Clover Fields, the ranch that his family owned and ran. And he was pretty sure that she wouldn't mind the dogs or his siblings, she hadn't when she had been here before at least. Then with the mentioning of his youngest sister he nodded. "That would be the one." He confirmed that his youngest sister was indeed the girl they had spoken about who had picked up the dog from the pound before she had left.
"I guess our momma raised us right like she had hoped then." He spoke with a chuckle. His mother had always aspired to raise himself and his siblings to be kind hardworking individuals and he did hope that they made her proud. "Sure, whenever you're ready." He noticed how she seemed a bit more shy now, but he wasn't sure why that was. He decided that was a question best left for another time. For now he was just content to wait until she was ready to go before grabbing his to-go bags and heading out to his truck. He had upgraded from his old beat down truck since she had left and gotten a newer bigger one, though he still kept his old one for memory's sake, so he pointed it out to her as he led her over, opening her door for her as they reached it.