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Chapter One - Daybreak
Josephine walked out of the house, onto the deck, a hot cup of coffee in hand as the sun rose over the back side of the house. She watched as the waves crashed against the beach, the sound would be calming to most but Josephine loved the sound of horses in the morning. The ranch hands getting to a long day's work.
It was something about the sun peaking over the tops of the mountains that just made waking up at the crack of dawn that much easier.
And yet she hated it all at the same time. Which was why she was hiding out in California. She couldn't make up her mind, especially not with her father breathing down her neck for a decision.
She had hit a breaking point a few months ago with her father. Leaving in the middle of the night, not looking back.
"You back for good?" the friend she had been staying with asked her, lighting a cigarette. It reminded her of Beth and the horrible smoking habit she had collected the moment it became legal for her. Josephine smiled, shaking her head no as she inhaled the salty air.
"Not sure. I appreciate you doing me this favor." Josephine responded back as she sipped her cup of coffee. She had gotten in a fight with the situationship she had fooling around with these last couple of months.
He had told her dad, being a close acquaintance with him, that she was with him. Josephine didn't like that. The two had argued all night that she decided to seek a friend's couch.
"It's not a problem. Plus I owed you for those few times you saved my ass. Uh, you know I have creamer in the fridge." he responded, noticing the cup of black coffee.
"I like it like this. Ain't had time to add cream in the morning on the ranch or while working at the hospital for that matter." Josephine responded, turning her attention back to the ocean.
"The bar could use a dancer like you. Permanently you know. You bring customers in." the man explained, trying to get her to agree to stay. "It was quite impressive how you handled the men last night."
"I don't bring customers in, I attract attention, it's different - I'm not a dancer. It was stripping." Jo countered, looking down into her now empty mug.
"But you ain't a rancher anymore either, are you?" he asked, trying to keep the conversation going. He puffed on his cigarette once more. Josephine could tell he was slowly trying to warm up to a flirt with her. Josephine, however, would only truly ever have eyes on only one cowboy. And it surely wasn't him.
And yet her being with him was robbed when she left that cold night.
Josephine was about to open her mouth to say something when her phone began to ring. She went to silence the call when she noticed the caller id.
"Everything okay?" the friend asked, noticing her facial expression. She hesitated to take it. For one it could be her father. Sticking his nose into her business but ever since she left, something nagged her that bad news was to come.
