Cowboy Love

Chapter 1

"The GPS has the address already programmed in it in case I fall asleep before we get there," I tell my best friend as he pulls away from the gas station. 

"Okay," he replies merging onto the highway. "You should nap before we get there, Echo."

"Sure, I'm sore and tired anyway," I reply on a yawn.

Settling the seat and myself in a reclining position, I'm asleep in a second, and the next thing I'm aware of is Carson waking me, by telling me we're going to be at my granpa's in five minutes. Sitting up, I straighten the seat back into the correct position. Stretching my arms out in front of me with a loud yawn. 

"Thanks for driving the last couple of hours," I softy say as I blink the sleep from my eyes. 

"Not a problem," he replies, driving up the long driveway of the ranch. 

Carson parks the truck in front of the 2-story ranch home, and turns the engine off as paw-paw and papa exit the house with worried eyes and forced smiles gracing their lips. Stepping from the truck, paw-paw instantly pulls me into a bone-crushing hug, and that is what snaps the dame of tears free that I had been holding in since leaving mum's.

Clutching fistfuls of his black and red checkered flannel shirt at his sides, I bury my face into his neck as my body violently shakes with the force of my sobs. Papa wraps himself around my backside as he and paw-paw rock us side-to-side silently. Several minutes later I'm reduced to sniffles and hiccups, and they pull slightly back to take scan my face for something. 

Papa asks me gently; "What exactly happened? Your mama didn't tell us anything more than you were coming to live with us permanently." 

Wiping my face clean with the sleeves of my long-sleeve white shirt, I answer him; "It's not just me that's come to live here, I have Emery with me. I have legal paperwork that mum signed. Kyle beat the piss out of me, and last night wasn't the first time either."

I step out of their arms to lift my shirt up while avoiding their eyes; "He always avoided leaving bruises on me from the neck up or on my hands. This is why I always wear long-sleeve shirts and pants."

Papa and paw-paw gasp before paw-paw lets out a long string of curses at Kyle while I pull my shirt back down. Before anyone can say anything, the back door of my truck opens, and Emery sleepily stumbles out, and he's completely confused. 

"Echo, why are we here?" he sleepily asks, stumbling into my body and hits a particularly painful bruise on my thigh.

Picking him up, I gently rub his small back as I softly say; "We're gonna live with paw-paw and papa for a while, okay?"

Emery tucks his face into my neck with a wide yawn, while draping his arms around my shoulders; "So Kyle won't hurt you anymore?"

"Yeah," I murmur, blinking away the tears since I didn't know he knew about that. "How'd you know Kyle did that?"

"I saw him beating on you after I heard you scream, and I got up from bed to see what was happening," he innocently replies, picking his face up from my neck to seriously look at me. 

A couple of tears slip from my eyes that he instantly wipes away with his own eyes teary eyes; "We'll be loved here."

"You certainly are," paw-paw says with a thick voice as he and papa hug us tightly. 

I should tell you a little more about myself and them. My name is Echo James MacIntyre, I'm 17-years-old, 5'6" tall, and lean body with a small 4-pack abs. Let's see, four piercings - snake bites in my lower lip, tongue, belly button, and both my nipples. My hair is black, and is 'Emo' style with it falling over my left eye, and my eyes are sky blue in color. 

My best friend Carson is 19-years-old, he graduated from high school last year, is 6' tall, muscular, curly chocolate brown hair, and mossy green eyes. Oh, did I mention he has dimples to die for when he smiles? Well, he does. Emery is like I said earlier is 8-years-old, 4'3" tall with dirty-blond hair and brown eyes. Emery and I have different dad's if that matters to you, cuz it doesn't to me. Mum had me at 14-years-old, and she had Emery at 23-years-old. 

Paw-paw's name is Quinn MacIntyre, he's 51-years-old, 6' tall, muscular build with light brown hair, light blue eyes, and light brown colored beard. Papa's name is Ethan MacIntyre, he's 51-years-old, lean build with brown hair, and green eyes. Papa is mum's biological dad as he and paw-paw went through a surrogate with their children. They have five children including mum. There's Quinton, he's the oldest, then mum, then Quincy, then Emmett, and then Evan.