Chapter 19

It's been a couple four weeks going further Marie was in the middle of placing her now finished chocolate covered strawberries on to the cupcakes. She had finished both cakes. Including all the finger foods while bear and Adam cooking meat on the huge ass grill they pulled out for big occasions. They had all the hands around the area come set up the tents tables and chairs. She had set the meat up seasoned to perfection the bbq sauce in bowls all made up. The whole town pretty much was coming we were celebrating two birthdays today and her heart couldn't be happier. Tank and Ricki who are as close as brothers share the same birthday so they have vowed to celebrate every year as the twins they claimed to be. Marie couldn't help but smirk remembering that moment when everyone groaned saying we were just all jealous. Marie had been up for two days and early this morning making all the food because she didn't want her boys to have to lift any more fingers than they needed to on their special day. Adam and Keith came in a little huffy asking where Bear was the grill was ready. I thought he was outside. They went out to look again, Marie heard something making noise in the guest room room upstairs. Catching her off guard considering she thought she was the only in the house. Knowing how many people come in and out she figured Ricki popped up it was coming from his chosen room after all. She came up hearing something as some what of a dresser being forced a loud grunt like a struggle. She took a deep knocked once on the door and opened. She stood their for one brief second "Ughh damn you're so deep daddy." "You take it so good for me baby." Bear growled back in his ear. Both of them stared up to the side as Ricki had hold of the dresser and Bear had loosened his hold an dRickis neck to look at Marie who stood in the door. Both men started to smirk Marie looked down and covered her eyes turning beat red. "I'm so sorry I heard strange banging noises and thought someone was hurt I'm so sorry. She said shutting the door running back down stares as the banging continued this time a little quieter. Anyone just walking in would have missed it she made her way down back to the kitchen red as a tomato and started to clean up putting away ingredients she no longer needed. The door opened again showing Tommy, Adam, Keith, and Leo another trusted hand. "Well hell I can't find him, and he aint answering his phone can you hand us the meat and we'll get it going people are going to start showing up soon. The others well be coming in to take the rest of this stuff to the food tables outside." Adam said. "Don't worry we put the ziplocks bags of water and some pennies in it the flies are gone already." Leo added smiling at her. "Well thank you go ahead and help yourselfs take it all the cakes are heavy though the trays are all set. Oh and um Bear is a little busy he's buried in another project right now she said still red." They all laughed. "You mean being balls deep in the birthday boy." Adam said taking the meat trays. "Sorry for the language Angel." "It's fine it's not like you're wrong." They all laughed. "These smells and looks amazing Angel you are truly to good to all of us." Tommy said with a tray of meat in one hand and a kiss on the cheek to his way out the door Leo followed. "You know I gotta say everything looks great outside and smells amazing. You really are an incredible person there Angel." Keith said being the only two in the room. Something about the way he says Angel makes her skin crawl. Ptting on a smile. "Well what can I say these boys are more than just my best friends they're my family." She said proudfully. Keith smiled back at her. "It's not just you're friends the boys heder you know it's the people you work with and the people here. You threw Liam and Tommy both a birthday party together two weeks ago. It's refreshing actually to see someone actually be this big hearted and humble. Most woman you meet today are I don't know scary, crazy, selfish. Always looking for the next best thing but you, you take everything around you and just do what ever you can to make things better for others. I don't know how you do it. People you don't even know you can just open your house too. You take chances on people blindly it's remarkable." Keith said trying to figure her out. "everyone deserves a chance I can't judge someone I don't know on information I neither have or have seen for myself. Yes I know woman today are a scary crazy breed especially after what you and half these men here have gone through and told me. I just don't have the heart to do something so hurtful because I don't want it done to me. Not all us girls are like that though there are great women in town so don't rule us all out just yet. That would be like us saying all you men are the same when someone screws us over and I know damn well that that's not true." She said thinking of her boys and Kane and how they changed her completely in the amount of three years. "Huh, so that must be it than." Keith said looking right through her." "What?" She asked curiously. "You've already gone through such a way out of hell, that now you make sure anyone you open to or care for never does either. Let me tell you something I've learned in all my years roaming this Earth. Only someone who has truly suffered would go out of their to make sure no one else suffers because they know what it truly feels like that and most of the time they would never even wish it on their enemy. Only those who have gone through a great depression can see hurt so clearly that they go do what they can to keep it out of their eyes view. You're big heart is so strong because it has already overcome what was meant to break you but didn't. You really are the strongest person I have ever met." Keith said just amazed by her. "That is quiete theory you worked up there new boy. How did you come to that?" "It shows with everything you do. The love you show everyone, the small things you do for all of us. It's written in everything you do. So on behalf of all of us. Thank you. Thank you for making sure we all know how much we are actually worth. Yes I believe everyone deserves a chance. Being human though we're bound to make mistakes so do you believe in second chances?" "Yes I do we all make mistakes nothing in this life is perfect. It's the people who abuse the fact that we are all capable of mistakes and repeat those mistakes as an excuse. When you keep repeating a mistake it's no longer a mistake it is in fact a life choice. There is only so far one can go in life until enough is just enough." Keith nodded his head. Bear and Ricki looking great standing in the kitchen now. "Keith boys need help getting the food to where it needs to go." Kane said as he popped out of nowhere wrapping his hands around Maires waist letting her relax into them." "Yes sir Boss. Bear can you gove me a hand Adam still looking for you." "Unless you have anything else to give the birthday boy." Kane said smirking. "Nope I think he's good for awhile." Bear said smacking Ricki ass with a wink as he grabbed some tray sand made his way out with Keith. "Are you ok baby girl? That was quite a conversation to have." "I thought it was a little weird a little heavy of a topic than I thought I would have had with someone I don't know all that well. If were going to be honest he's given me the creeps. Only reason I asked you to let him stay here is because I believe him to be a Private Investigator that has been looking for me for Jason. I figured keep your enemy closer besides I figured with all the cameras over the property and I never let myself be alone with anyone. So I figured whatever they got going on is just fine because no matter I still need them to make sure they bring whatever fight they have planned here to me or else it'll all be for nothing." Marie said kissing Kanes cheek working here way to grab another tray. "You knew the whole time?" Kane said mouth dropped eyebrows raised. "Well ya. Wait oh geez Kane how stupid do you think I am? Did you really think I am that stupid?" Marie asked getting a little offensive. "No, babe that's not what I was getting at all. We all just thought that." She cut him off. "ALL!! YOU ALL thought that I couldn't see passed someone whose clearly lying to my face? Do you all seriously think I don't know when you hold things back from or lie to me. You guys seriously think that I don't see through you? Like I am some naïve, clueless little child?" Marie snapped. "No. No, that's not what I meant. I'm just we, we thought maybe you just. Well you see you always try so hard to see the good in everyone and we just thought that maybe once in a while that; that hope might I don't know blind you a little." "So you're saying that I try to hard to find and see good in people; that I would just ignore common sense and my own gut reaction to someone who's clearly got something to hide. Oh and not only you but ALL of you think I'm this weak mind and hearted." Marie asked getting angry. "No. I didn't mean anything like that I didn't mean any of that in a bad way. It's really not how I meant any of that to come out. You know how much we love how kind hearted you are. Baby girl that is not weakness that is strength. I mean I damn sure don't have any of that kind of strength." Kane said scratching the back of his head trying but failing miserably to try not turn this into a fight because of his words making him sound like the ass he truly felt he was at the moment. "Nice try, tyring to cover your sorry ass right now Kane but go sell that bullshit to someone else. It was bad saying you felt this way but saying that all of you guys feel this way that is the knife right in the heart. Screw you guys." Marie said as she walked out slamming the door behind her. Kane felt his heart drop. Until the slam across his head brought pain ushing him forward. "YOU DUMB ASS!! You had to make My best friend fell like crap dragging US ALL down with your ass ON TANK and I BIRTHDAY! SERIOUSLY Bro like what the fuck have I done to you?" Ricki barked at Kane. "I'm sorry ok. I messed up I know man the guys are going to jump my ass in the barn as soon as Dylan, Ace, and Colt get here. Just tell me how to fix it." "I DON'T KNOW HOW TO FIX THAT. You hit her in so many places I wouldn't know where to start. You hurt her feelings, and basically called her stupid so stupid it was obvious to everyone. What the hell dude? Have you never met women before?" Ricki asked. SLAM! "What is wrong with my Angel?" Tank growled lowly. "SHE hugged me told me happy birthday and she loved me, while not being able to look me in the eye. Than when I asked her if she was ok. All she said was she was just tired. Than walked away from. I asked her why was she lying to me, only to get the response of I should be used to little white lies since we all do them so well? What the fuck is that suppose to me mean? Kane what's going on?" Tank asked confused and upset. "Marie basically knew the whole time Keith is most likely a rat and when she told Kane that she knew that from the start he asked her oh you knew. So she was like well ya. Than took it to mean that Kane thought she was so naïve and used to seeing good in people that she may get blinded once in awhile but peoples true intent. Than being the graceful man Kane is he said oh no we all just wanted to look out for her and threw us all under the bus so now since she told us she knew every time we with held anything from her or every time we have lied to her, we have no insulted her intelligence by basically saying none of us would think she would be smart enough to figure out if someone way lying straight to her face." Ricki said to Tank. Both glaring at Kane. "It's best if we all apologize later she won't like being put on the spot infront of all the people that are arriving. She needs time to be mad." Tank said. "ON OUR BIRTHDAY LIKE SERIOUSLY BRO WHAT DID I DO TO YOU." Tank sai smacking Kane up the back side of the head. "STOP doing that. You two fucks could have easily been twins." "WEARE TWINS!" They both said walking out mumbling to each other. "Well. Crap." Kane whispered to himself. Walking outside. The night carried out with out a hitch other than her not being around none of the guys. KAnes ear got a good lashing from Ace, Colt, Bear,but most of all Dylan. Caleb seem to be the only one to show sympathy because he knows what it's like to be on Kanes end of the fence, however he didn't know how to help either. "I think you forget Kane it was YOU who helped me with her." Caleb laughed. "I can't help you son, she just needs to be mad for awhile." Papa Neil said laughing. "She's… she's going to be even more pist that you all talking about her right now." HE said laughing hitting his knee "Come on Callie come show me what you got on that dance floor." They both laughed at all those boys whose guilt was eating them up for everything that did with hold from her because they didn't want to worry her about it. Worrying that the news may cause her to go into panic attacks she use to have even though she hasn't had one in so long. Not as big as they used to be. The DJ had everyone dancing. "Will you honor me?" Kane asked Marie holding his hand out. "I guess, but is there any honor actually left?" She snarked back ignoring his hand walking to the make shift dance floor they made. "I deserve that I know, but you know as well as I do that I am more honorable than that. That was just mean. Look I'm sorry for what I said and how I said it. We did keep things from you when you were still effected to panic attacks and we didn't want to worry you. Even though that is still no excuse. You have gotten so much better and stronger everyday and we have noticed and we are proud. We will always do whatever we need to do or feel we need to do to protect you we all love you so much it would deeply wound us if something were to happen to you. I'm truly sorry please forgive me for being dumb. The other guys they don't think all those things honestly You know I would never do anything to hurt you and it kills me knowing that I did. Forgive me?" "Fine. I forgive you; next time you will sleep n the not only every guest room but every couch in the house before you get to lay anywhere near me." "Ok baby. You know I've been very bad. Maybe you should spank me." He said smirking down at her with a wink. "Oh yes, I'll go run and grab the paddle now." She rolled her eyes. "See now were getting somewhere. Alright let's get on up to that room and you can get started." He playfully said pulling her towards the house. "I'm sorry I made today hard on you but I need you to understand I think your incredible smart and strong and I trust you more than anything in my life." He said pulling her closer taking his hand to hold her cheek and jawline looking into her eyes to make sure she understands him." "I know babe. "She answered staring back at him. He smashed his lips to hers and they got lost in their moment until Tank tapped his shoulder. "Back up dude it's my sister and my birthday therefore it's my turn. Move along boy." Tank said playfully taking Marie into his arms spinning her around. "You know Kane was full of shit earlier and I love you right. I'm sorry for anything wrong I've done to you. Or anything else I've ever done to cause you any type of offense." "I know Tank we're good. Happy Birthday my brother I'm sorry for being bitchy earlier I love ya bunches." He place a kiss on her forehead. "We're good Angel." Tank gave her over to Dylan and all the other guys who apologized to her and getting their dances. Some of the Ranch hands got in on it to right after Tommy he handed her over to Keith. "Will you grace me with a dance there Angel?" Keith said smiling. "Sure." She said taking his hand getting in step with the two step. "SO how are you enjoying you're night lots of single ladies out here tonight hell even single men if you're feeling adventurous." Marie asked causing him to let out a huge laugh. "No I don't think I'll ever be feeling that adventurous Angel. Damn." He said with laughing deeply. "No, I don't think I'm there just yet there are lots of single ladies here but some of those nurse friends of yours they umm are very open in what they expect no? Some are just damn right scary, and some won't waste their time on us lowly ranch hands. Some are really great. I just don't think I'm ready for all that yet." "I'm sorry for the circumstances that brought you here, you'll get there when you get there. I believe there's a plan for us. Trying to figure it out that's the hard and fun part I guess." "I think you're right. That actually makes me feel tons better what a great theory." Keith said. "So you came all the way straight here from near Canada huh. I've been up that way." "Ya did you like it?" "No I was actually escaping from someone from my past. See he put me through hell, and for some reason thought I would stay forever with a demon of a man forever by my side. I won't ever willingly go back to that. I am not the same person I was than. It's crazy how much we can change how strong we can be when being strong is the only option left. Everyone deserves a chance and even third or fourth like we said earlier but the thing is you must be worthy of it. You must earn it. So Keith is there anything else you would like to tell me about the real reason why you came here while it's just us two?" Marie looking deep at Keith. "I don't think I understand your question Angel?" "This would be your first chance to actually be honest with me on why you're actually here Keith no one especially me believes you but again we all believe in chances." "I'm here for work. I needed to get far away from where I was." "See that I believe I know that is the truth. You did need to leave. I do believe you're here for work but I don't think you came all the way out here to be a ranch hand. I think you need to pick up that phone and send or call him back and tell him I'm not going anywhere, and he needs to let go. You need to make sure nothing good will come of this, and how much he will lose going down this path there will be nothing here waiting for him the way he needs it too. There is nothing for him here. You need to let him know that because I do believe in second and third chances and I do have a feeling that certain allegiance change. If you for some reason decide to leave at any point we will give you a great recommendation. If you choose to stay maybe you need to rethink some things. Thank you for the dance have a great night Keith." Marie said placing a kiss to his cheek and walking off to Kanes arm who went wide opened when she got near. Keith went to an open spot not a lot people were around staring at here lost in thought. "So how much did Jason pay you to come out here and spy on my baby girl?" Caleb asked with Papa Neil on the other side. " I'm not sure I understand just what you're getting at seems everyone thinks I have alterative motives for being here." "Well son that's because you do. You city folk don't fool us." Neil said all of them still looking on at the happy couple. "My little girl is finally where she belongs finally having the peace she deserves the happiness she has made and earned for herself. If I ever feel that any of that is changed do to any certain people or certain surprises and our baby girl ends up with less than what we deem she deserves that may be he day certain wonders just may come up missing. But of course that can't come to light right because you have no one else and anyone else in certain cities can't help out or they lose everything. What a shame that night could be for some. I know who you are we know exactly who you work for. It would do you well son to remember exactly where you are." Caleb said looking him dead in the eye. "It would do you well to remember everyone can change. You know you could have a great future out here or in the other states if you choose to we got ranches everywhere. You don't have to do whatever it is you feel you owe obligation to. Loyalty to those who earned it is the same as respect. You are valued here for more than what we can get off of or from you can you say that from others back home? Look at what she has done for you so far. Does she deserve what could happen? Think about it deeply." Neil said walking away. "Don't let Jason be the hill you die one." Caleb said walking away. Keith looked at them, feeling like he was over staying his nightly welcome decided to head back to the bunker with some of the other hands.

Throwing the phone at the wall watching it shatter all over the place. "Trouble?" Tristan said as he was signing and going through paper work. You know how I got three eyes and ears out there on Marie?" "Ya well none of them are answering their phone no one has checked in except for two of them sent an email they got called back in to work they backed out. SO the only one left hasn't checked in for awhile I'm starting to wonder if he forgot who he works for." "Maybe he can't get to the phone think about it. Don't want to give him away do you?" "I know I'm just getting a little worked up with the big day coming and all. I guess I'm a little nervous." "Well take it easy and relax everything will be alright. Everything will work out. That being said are you all set?" "Yes everything set. I just… I just need her." Jason said sitting down running his hand through his face. "I know man and we are this close. We are at that finish line close in view." "Now the bigger question is; is Eric ready?" They looked at each other knowing the next couple weeks were going to be difficult and needing to be ready for anything that may go wrong.