Remember me? (gxg)

Chapter 1

“Alanna, not so far,” Holly yelled after her eleven year old niece.

Madison, Alanna’s younger sister followed closely and loyally after her.

Heeding her aunt’s words, Alanna turned and started slowly walking back.

Holly looked out to sea. It felt like a lifetime had passed since she’d last been on the white sandy beach. The azure sky still remarkably resembled the blue in the sea and the deep rich scent of the breeze still tasted as deliciously as she remembered.

She had thoroughly enjoyed the simple pleasures of taking long walks on that beautiful beach and she found herself nostalgic as the feel of the sand gently massaged her feet.

“We should have brought Chip along with us,” Maddy said.

“Chip shouldn’t exhaust himself, remember?” Holly said, recalling the condition the poor pug was in.

“It’s your fault he’s sick,” Alanna accused.

“It is not!” Maddy retorted.

“It’s no one’s fault that he eats everything he gets his paws on,” Holly said, settling the sibling argument before it heated up.

Watching Alanna and Maddy fight over something so trivial reminded her of countless childhood fights with her own siblings, Michael and Cassie.

Having been the last born in the family, she’d been picked on the most by the two older siblings. But despite their differences, their bond had always been strong even after her fruitless attempts to disassociate herself from her family.

“Do you want to keep on walking or do you want to go back?” Holly asked the two beautiful sisters who had taken after their mother, Cassandra.

“Keep on walking,” Alanna answered.

“Keep on walking,” Maddy mimicked.

Holly admired the way Maddy looked up to Alanna. They were in a close-knit family and Holly hoped the innocence of their relationship would never fade away.

Holly considered herself the black sheep of the family. She was so different from Cassie that sometimes she wondered if one of them had been adopted, but their family resemblance convinced her otherwise.

While growing up, she’d often gotten more into trouble than either one of her siblings. The fact that she’d grown up in a ranch had not helped, that was partly why she’d been happy to leave when the opportunity or rather, the circumstance had presented itself.

The Mackenzie Ranch was one of the largest in the small, developed but old fashioned town of Reedsdale, Texas and was conveniently located along the coastline.

Holly had always thought it was the worst place to grow up, but after having disappeared for half a decade, occasionally but briefly visiting her family, she‘d come to realize how much she’d taken that life for granted.

As a cool breeze blew past her, making the tendrils of hair dance across her face, she inhaled the rich scent of the sea and walked towards the sturdy rocks deeply rooted near the shoreline.

She took a look at the girls to make sure they were safe and turned her attention back to the sea. Apart from the soothing hum of the waves, the beach was clear with no form of life or movement in sight.

She’d always wanted to live in the big city and had therefore moved to New York. Despite her long stay, she’d managed to communicate with her nieces and had managed to stay close to them.

It was just a couple of weeks now since her return to Reedsdale. Not the presence of her family or the solitude of her home could make her forget why she’d left and worse, why she’d come back. Since her return, she’d taken up countless duties at the ranch and had learned to bury herself and her thoughts in her daily duties.