Cowboy, Take Me Away

{11. Their Home}

"Anna," Beau looks toward the young girl, who's even more beautiful up close. Her blue eyes shine brightly, and her raven colored spirals look to be the product of perfectly tied curling rags. Hearing Beau's nickname for Abigail's cousin, my uneasiness grows.

I terrible vine wraps itself around my heart, squeezing tightly for a moment before letting go.

It's a shark feeling that I've never felt before and for a moment my feet freeze in confusion.

What was that odd feeling?

It happens again when I look at Beau, still smiling at the beautiful girl.

Oh, why did he agree to bring me when his heart clearly beats for her?

A gasp pulls my attention from Beau's fading smile and to Abigail's cousin, Annalise.

"W-wife?" She asks with a frown covering her delicate features. "You
- you married?" My heart hurts as the girl, who clearly cares for Beau, desperately scrambles to fix her smile as she looks at me, her eyes assessing me from the top of my head to the tips on my toes.

"I'm Brianna." My voice comes out steady, the complete opposite of how I feel. I notice the way Abigail stands behind her cousin, her finger nervously twisting in her brown work gown. "I grew up with Owen and Beau."

"Brianna." Annalise echoes before a wide, painfully forced smile takes over her face. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Annalise, Abigail's cousin."

"Annalise has lived with my family for the past two years, since her parents passed." Abigail says clearly speaking to me, releasing the right grip on the apron, before she speaks in a rush. "But anyway, I'm sure you both would like to go to your home."

"Oh, yes," Annalise suddenly claps her hands together. "I have been waiting an agonizingly long time to see the beautiful house you bought, Beau." She grips Beau's arm tightly, tugging lightly.

"Annalise," Abigail interjects her youthful cousin. "Perhaps Beau would like to take his wife home first, before having company." Abigail tells her cousin but Beau shakes his head with a grin.

"Nonsense! We'll all go." I watch as he hold his arm out for the young girl to take, which she is happy to do and allows him to lead her to his wagon. Owen offers me his arm, which I take gently before grabbing his wife's hand.

The vine around my heart suddenly squeezes again.

Flashes of Wyatt and Annie cross my mind and I squeeze my eyes shut to rid the images from my mind.

Beau is not Wyatt. He would never.. maybe unless her loves her.

"No, there's no one in South Dakota."

With Abigail and I at each side, Owen silently walks to the wagon after his brother who is currently helping Annalise into the back of the wagon. As she settles Beau turns to me. His large grin turning into a small smile as he offers me his hand.

Heat grown from my fingertips and up my arm once I take it, Beau though seems un-phased as he helps me into wagon.

Owen helps his own wife, giving her hand a quick kiss once she's settled. I watch as his hand moves from hers, tightly tapping her stomach three times before tipping his hat at me and going to sit at the front of the wagon with Beau, while walked away the moment my feet settled on the wagon.

The wagon moves I silently listen as Annalise tells Beau what she's done in the few weeks he's been away and Beau responds with more eager interest than I've seen in a long time.

"Can you believe it? Me, a school Marm?" Annalise asks with a large smile.

"The children will be very lucky to have you, Anna."

And so the mile long wagon ride to Beau's farm is filled with similar conversation.

Then, suddenly, the wagon rolls to a stop right in front of a house and I can't help but gasp at the beauty of it. It's actually much bigger that I thought it would be considering Beau called it small. The one story farmhouse is gorgeous and screams of the familiar simplicity of Beau. It's a pristine white, pure just like Beau's heart.

It's beautiful.

"Oh, it's beautiful." Annalise voices my exact thought.

"The roof.." Beau mumbles, jumping from the wagon and I remember him saying that the roof need fixed but I can't seem to find which part.

"Welcome home, little brother." Owen slaps Beau's back lightly. "It's not much but." I glance over at Abigail and see her smiling at her husband.

"Thank you." I tell her with my true sincerity. While Owen fixed the roof to Beau's home, I can clearly picture her supporting him.

"You are welcome." I turn back and watch as Beau approaches the wagon, holding up a hand, Annalise jumps up and takes it causing Abigail to huff and roll her eyes.

"Always the center of the attention."

The vine reminds me of its presence yet again.

Quietly, Owen offers his hand to his wife to help her down from the wagon. And then he offers me a hand.

My eyes find Beau who stands on the side of the house, looking at the small garden with Annalise.

"Thank you." I mutter, taking Owen's hand, reminding myself that Beau owes me nothing.

As Owen and his wife join Beau, I quietly walk up the porch that wraps around the front of the house. The brass knob feels cold when I touch it and it turns easily, a light cream rings out as I open the door.

"I know it's small." A voice quietly speaks, making me jump. Beau stares down at me, an emotion I've never seen before glimmers in his eyes. "Will you help me build a home?" Everything seems to fade as I find myself falling into his gaze, how have I never noticed just how the green and brown swirl together to make the most beautiful color I have ever seen? Maybe it's just that I've never been this close, close enough not only to see the details of his eye color, but to also feel the heat of his breath fan my cheek.

"I think," I whisper and pray that he can hear, and terrified that if I speak any louder I'll stop whatever this moment is. "We could be happy here."

"Welcome home."