Copyright © 2013 misscowgirlup22
Chapter 12
It'd been a little under a month since Clint had left Cassie. Every day her broken heart healed a little more. Cassie was still completely shattered on the inside.
Brent felt helpless as he watched his sister try to heal her broken heart. The first week they couldn't get her out of her room. You would have thought she was mourning Clint's death, and she might as well have been. Her love was gone and they had no clue when he would come back, or if he even would after the talking to Cassie had given him.
Everyday Cassie had trouble understanding why Clint had wanted to leave. Nothing made sense to her anymore. She walked around in a fog trying to fight her way through it, but she just kept getting pushed farther and farther back. The only thing that seemed to help her was when she would ride Murphy for hours on end. No one knew where she went and Cassie was okay with that, she wanted to spend as much time as she could at her and Clint's tree.
Anna had hope that in time Cassie's heart would completely heal. Although, she honestly didn't believe her heart would be fully healed until she had Clint back. Brent had tried to figure out where Clint had gone, but each time he'd find something it would lead him to a dead end. Every time he heard Cassie crying he looked like someone had physically punched him in the stomach.
While Cassie had been broken apart, Brent and Anna had been getting closer. Every free moment they'd had they spent together. Just the other night they'd been snuggled up on the couch watching a movie while they shared a bowl of popcorn. Brent at heart was a complete and utter teddy bear. He still had that this-is-my-woman-and-I-will-protect-her attitude, but when you really got to know him that was just one of the many things that made Brent, Brent.
Since it was a week before Thanksgiving Brent's parents would be arriving the next day to spend the holiday with them.
Anna was extremely nervous to meet his parents. They didn't exactly have a normal relationship, especially not if you think about how they met. From everything she'd heard from Cassie told her that they were amazing people. Anna just hoped that they liked her.
"What are you thinking about, Anna Banana." She loved it when Brent called her that.
She smiled over at him from the top of Cupid. "Nothing really, well, actually I'm a bit nervous about meeting your parents tomorrow."
"Don't worry about it they'll love you," Brent reached out to hold her hand in his.
"But how do you know they will, they've never met me before." Anna wasn't as convinced as Brent was at the situation.
"Anna there are something's I just know, okay?" He asked her while she stared off into the setting sun.
"Okay, I trust you."
That one statement meant the world to him. Brent knew about what her parents had done to her, and knowing that she could trust him after all she been through made him like her all the more.
"Thank you for trusting me," he squeezed her hand lightly with his. "Let's get back to the ranch. I don't want to leave Cassie there alone for too long."
Anna gripped Cupid's reigns a little tighter. "I'll race you," she said as she worked as she shot off on Cupid. Brent could hear her laughing as he realized she'd cheated. With a quick yank on his reigns he got Mav up to a gallop. Cupid was fast, but Mav was just a faster and it took him no time to catch up with Anna.
"Nice try Anna Banana," He smirked over at her while they galloped. "I'll see you back at the ranch." With that he made Maverick go a little faster, but he still kept Anna about five yards behind him the whole way back to the ranch.
*****
"I can't believe you beat me," Anna said as she dismounted Cupid in front of the barn.
"What else was I supposed to do, you cheated?"
With Cupid's reign in her had she playfully smacked him on the shoulder with her hand that was free. "Of course I had to cheat, or else I never would have gotten in front of you."
"Well, that is definitely true." Brent looked at her with a sly grin on his face.
"Ouch, that was mean," she elbowed him in the ribs and he broke into a fit of laughter coming from deep within his belly. She loved the way he laughed; it was quite sexy if you asked her.
"Okay let's get Cupid and Mav inside before I elbow you again for laughing at me." Anna grabbed Mav's reigns as well as she walked into the barn leaving Brent to control his laughter on his own.
Anna put Mav in his stall first, and then she took Cupid to his own. She didn't worry about rubbing Mav down because she knew Brent would do it once he was done laughing at her.
Cupid happily ate his apple after he'd been rubbed down. Anna was waiting at Mav's stall, finished with rubbing Cupid down when Brent came in to get Mav situated.
"Did you have a nice laugh?" She asked him.
"I'm not gonna lie, it was pretty nice. I haven't laughed like that in a long time."
"Well, I'm glad I could make your life a little better." Her arms were crossed over her chest as she smile at him.
"Oh, you've made it way better in the past month," he smiled at her and grabbed her by the waist.
Anna couldn't help the blush that spread over her cheeks from his words, and his touch. "I'm glad you think so." She smiled coyly up at him. "Now why don't you kiss me?"
"I thought you'd never ask."
With a smile on his lips Brent bent his head down to kiss Anna good and proper. Brent had never felt anything as right as kissing Anna. That though scared him just a little on the inside. He wasn't ready to commit, or settle down. He needed more time to wrap his head around everything.
When they broke apart their eyes were a little glazed over with the passion from the kiss they'd shared. Their lips were swollen from the kiss as well. Anna brought a hand to her lips and smiled shyly at Brent.
Brent cleared his throat. "I think that we should probably rub Mav down, he doesn't look like he's too happy with me right now."
"I think your right. I wouldn't want Mav to be angry." She looked over at Mav. "Huh, boy you don't want to be angry, you just want to be rubbed down after your long ride?"
With a lift of his head Mav nodded, yes at Anna. "I think we have our answer, Brent. Why don't you rub him down while I get all the horses each an apple?" Mav's ears perked up when he heard the word, apple. Anna couldn't help but giggle at him. Mav and Brent were the same, each tough on the outside, but big teddy bears on the inside.
"Sounds good." Mav neighed making Brent move his attention away from Anna. "Okay, don't be cranky; I'm coming to rub you down right now."
There was a small area in the barn where they kept the feed for the horses, and it included multiple deep sinks where they refilled the buckets for the horses water. There was even a small fridge where they kept carrots and apples for the horses.
Anna grabbed one of the bags of apples, and then shut the door to the fridge. She went down the rows patting each of the horses and giving them an apple. She spent a little more time with Cupid because he was her horse, and she wanted to give him a little extra love.
It took a little over fifteen minutes to get the horses their apples. She made it back over to Mav's stall with the last apple in her hand. She couldn't help but smile at the sight she found. Brent had his head bent towards Mav's as he whispered soothingly to the horse while he brushed him.
There was truly nothing like a man and his horse, Brent and Mav were the perfect example of that.
Mav noticed her first, and he raised his head to look at her. The apple in Anna's hand immediately gained his attention, and he started to move away from Brent and towards the apple. That was when Brent caught on, he looked up and when he saw her, he smiled.
"Look there," he said to Mav. "Someone's got a treat for you." Mav looked at Brent for his approval to go and get the apple. "Well go and get it," he told Mav.
Anna moved into the stall and held out her palm with the apple on it. Mav ate the apple greedily. You'd have thought he'd never had an apple before or a treat for that matter.
"Do you ever give this horse treats?" Anna asked as she gave Brent an accusing look.
"I do, but at the site of a treat he'll throw me under the bus any day." He shot Mav a glare and the horse glared back at him and went on chomping the last of his apple. "See I told you so. Did you see that glare?"
She couldn't help the laugh that came out. "I did. You two are so alike and you don't even realize it."
Brent looked at her funny. "Did you just call me a horse?"
"Nope. I just said that you two are very alike." Anna shot him a sheepish smile.
"Uh, huh." He grabbed her by the waist. "I don't believe you.
"Oh, you don't, do you?" She put her hands over his, which were situated on her waist. "Well what are you going to do about it?"
"I haven't decided yet. I'm going between tickling," he ran his fingertips lightly up her sides making her giggle slightly.
"No don't do that," Anna begged him. "I hate being tickled."
"That's good to know," he stated. "Or I could kiss you senseless here in the barn with all the horses watching us." He brought her face towards his.
"I think I like the second option better," she whispered over his lips.
"I think I do, too."
Very tentatively at first he ran his lips over hers, just tasting her slightly. Anna didn't want a slow and sweet kiss. She wanted a hot, fast and steamy one. She pressed her lips harder against his eliciting a moan from both of them. Brent was okay with the change in pace as long as it was what Anna wanted.
They stood their kissing each other for a while, until someone standing feet away from them cleared their throat.
Anna broke her lips away from Brent's and then she looked up. She found two people standing near them. The woman looked a lot like Cassie, and then it hit her.
Oh God! His parents had just found them sharing a very, and she meant very, passionate kiss.
Brent kept one arm protectively round Anna's waist. "Hi, mom and dad."
Now Anna wasn't one to faint, but she couldn't help it when everything went black and she slumped against Brent.
*****
So someone got to meet the parents... I'm not gonna lie if the first time I met the guy I was involved with's parents like that I probably would have fainted too. I think that the song on the side fits how Cassie is feeling right now perfectly. It's, Can't Shake You by Gloriana, please give it a listen, I hope you like it! I know that I love it!
Sorry it took so long for me to update. I'm still really busy right now so updates will still be irregular and stretched far apart. I'll try for at least one update a month, but that might not happen.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter!!!!! Please comment and vote!!!