Her Cowboy

Chapter 2

When you wake up in San Francisco, the sounds that meet your ears are constant traffic, beeping horns, people yelling, ads explaining, and-yes, sometimes this happened-people screaming outside your door. Being a world-known actress, that happened a lot. It took quite a few security guards to get them away.

So when I woke up at the ranch, I instantly noticed something was different. It was silent. Almost no sound except for birds in the woods by the house and a horse whinnying. It was amazing, honestly. The streaks of sunlight streamed into the room in a hazy tone, making me want to lie in bed all day. The bed was cozy, the air was warm and fresh, the open window with the birds' songs outside—I felt like I was acting in a movie. It was picturesque.

I pulled myself into a sitting position, rubbing my eyes and looking around the room. My suitcases lay deserted by the foot of the bed, one mussed up from me searching for my PJs last night. I messed it up even more, looking for a pair of jeans and a t-shirt with a New York slogan. I yanked my hair back into a messy ponytail, then went out of my room.

When I reached the door, I opened it quietly, then peeked out. Nobody was in the hallway. Percy's door was shut. I slipped out, shut the door, then trudged down the stairs. Nobody here, either. But before I could wonder too much about where the people were, I caught sight of a plate sitting on the island counter in the kitchen. It was covered by a glass too, keeping the food warm. Under that, I saw, were scrambled eggs and sausage patties and a sliced apple. As the smell wafted over to me, my stomach rumbled, and my feet dragged me over to the counter. A neon green sticky note was attached to the surface beside the plate, held down by a fork.

Annabeth

I had to go to town. Percy's out doing chores. Enjoy breakfast! :)

Poseidon

I grinned at the smiley face, then grabbed the fork and dug in. It was delicious, way better than the fast-food restaurants I usually have breakfast at when I'm being rushed around the country for a movie. I glanced out the window while I was eating, looking for a glimpse of a person outside, but I couldn't see Percy.

After scrubbing the dishes until they sparkled, I grabbed some shoes and went outside, hoping to find something to do. I didn't want to stand around and do nothing. The sunlight greeted me like a warm embrace as I stepped out. It was around eight, so the dew had vanished already, the grass plush, like a blanket of green covering earth's rusty colors. Walking down the steps, I followed the concreted sidewalk over to a paved platform in front of the garage. Between the sidewalk and the house was a garden, vibrant flowers peeking up at me. I could see the woods, and I heard the birds singing from here.

It was scenic, absolutely beautiful. I never got to hear the birds, see the stars, or even smell that fresh of air in a big city. Here—it was like I was in a fairytale, any road so far away I couldn't hear anything but nature and the occasional horse from the stable on the hill.

"Good morning," I heard a voice say from behind me, breaking the moment. I spun around, seeing Percy standing there in work clothes. Mud splattered his boots and the cuffs of his jeans, which hung off his slim hips. A green-checkered flannel shirt was thrown hastily over a t-shirt, and a cowboy hat blocked his eyes from the sun. He looked like he should be in a movie. His sea green eyes watching me carefully.

"Hey," I said. "What're you doing?"

He shrugged, his glove-covered hands coming up slightly. "Chores. I need let out the horses, but dad also wanted me to weed the garden and—"

"I can help," I told him quickly, anxious to do something to make him like me better.

He looked dubious. "Can you, I don't know... weed?"