Heartbreak Town (COMPLETED)

Chapter Sixteen

     "Man, we really wore them out, huh?" Renne whispered up to Swayde. They were back at his place after getting ice cream and spending the day with Mallory's kids. Once they got back to Swayde's ranch, they had all watched a few movies before the kids started winding down for the night.
     "I guess so." Swayde whispered back. Susan was sleeping on his left shoulder, MJ was curled up in a ball with her feet resting against Swayde's legs to his right, and Taylor was sprawled out on the floor in front of the TV, lightly snoring. Hope had fallen asleep on the truck ride back to the ranch and was still sound asleep in her portable crib in Swayde's bedroom.
     Renne smiled as she stood up from where she sat on the floor, leaning back against the couch. She glanced at Swayde again before heading to the bedroom, trying hard to not think about how cute he looked surrounded by kids. Spending the day with him, her nieces, and her nephew had been very revealing. Sure, when they were younger and dating, Renne had seen Swayde with young kids, and he was always great with them, but now it really hit Renne just how much of a natural father Swayde is to kids. Ever since Renne had been back here in Alpine Ridge, there had been several moments when she thought that she was still in love with Swayde, but the conversation with Marjorie today was really the last conformation that she needed.
"Hey, Reagan..." Swayde whispered to Renne. When she turned back around, Swayde continued, "I meant what I said this morning. I understand that you may never forgive me, but if there ever comes a day when you do, and you're fixin' to stick around Alpine Ridge for a while...well...I just want it to be you who makes the first move."
Renne smiled at Swayde. "That day might not be too far off, Swayde McAllister." Renne whispered back. She had meant for the comment to stay a thought in her head, but once it slipped out, it was too late. Instead of taking it back, Renne smiled because it was true; it was getting harder and harder for her to deny her feelings for Swayde.

     The next morning, Renne felt wide awake, as if she had already drank a whole pot of coffee. Being around young kids wears most people out, but it's what Renne loves, so as a result, it gives her energy. Swayde, however, looked exhausted. "Good morning, sunshine." Renne greeted cheerfully as she practically bounced around the kitchen, cooking breakfast for the kids, Swayde, and herself. Hope sat in her high chair at the kitchen bar, MJ was taking a shower, and Susan was helping Renne in the kitchen.
      Taylor strolled in to the kitchen behind Swayde, looking just about as groggy as he. "Mornin'." Swayde drawled back. He barely looked at Renne as he walked over to the cupboard, pulling out a coffee mug. His hair was sticking up a little in the back; he definitely needed to get it cut soon. To resist the urge to flatten Swayde's hair, Renne turned back to the stove.
After he got a cup of coffee and took a gulp, Swayde leaned back against the kitchen
counter. "I told Doug we'd have the kids back by nine." He said, taking another sip of his straight black coffee. "So, I don't mind takin' them over if you wanted to stay here." Swayde offered. He looked at Renne for the first time that morning.
     "I'm fine either way. If you want to take them, that's fine, but I don't mind." Renne smiled. She was still buzzing her way around the kitchen. Almost the whole night last night, Renne had prayed that God would lead her in her decision making and in her relationships, both with Swayde and Matt.
After ten more minutes, Renne had all of the kids, Swayde, and herself seated at the table, eating their hot breakfast. Another thirty minutes later, and she had the kids all packed up and outside.
Renne watched from Swayde's porch as he helped the kids into her truck and threw their bags in the bed. At that moment, if Swayde was not surrounded by the kids, Renne would've marched herself right over there and made her move. She would have kissed Swayde like she had desperately wanted to for a while, but, since the kids were practically dripping off of him, Renne just watched him as he drove away, hoping he would come back soon so she could make her much awaited move.
     In an attempt to pass the time, Renne went back into the kitchen to clean the dirty breakfast dishes. Once that was done, she started a load of laundry, and even swept the whole house. Even after all of that, Swayde was still not back from dropping off the kids at Doug and Mallory's house.
     Taking a cup of coffee, her cell phone, Bible, and devotional book outside, Renne sat down on the porch swing. After about ten minutes into her devotions, Renne's cell phone rang. When she glanced at the caller ID, Renne saw that it was one of her good friends whose autistic daughter is one of Renne's students in her equine therapy program at Healing Hearts.
"Hello?" Renne answered the phone.
"Hi, Renne. It's Laurie. Grace's mom." The bubbly voice greeted.
"Laurie, hi. It's so good to hear from you!" Renne smiled. She missed all of her friends back in Montana.
"I know. I have missed you so much! I hope your sister is doing well?" Laurie asked, concerned. Before she left, Renne had sent out an email to all of her clients explaining that she had a family emergency and had to leave to go to Montana for a few weeks. Laurie and her husband were two of the very few people that Renne actually told what that family emergency was.
Renne felt the tears begin to form deep in her throat at the mention of her sister. Renne has never been a crier, but there was just so much happening right now. With her and Matt, her and Swayde, Mallory, the kids, her ranch; everything was just so overwhelming. Swallowing seemed to clear a pathway in Renne's throat. "Mallory's actually not doin' too good. She has been placed in hospice care, and the doctors said she has less than a month to live. She had breast cancer a few years back, and even though it wasn't super bad, she still needed chemo. The chemo weakened her immune system, so the chemo that she is receiving now isn't doing anything. There is nothing else the doctors can do." Renne explained. She looked out over Swayde's land, especially towards the driveway, hoping he would pull in at any minute and be here to comfort her.
"Oh, Renne, I'm so sorry to hear that. Jerry and I will certainly keep praying for her, and for you." Laurie said in a sympathetic voice. "And, um, how are you?"
Taking a deep breath before continuing, Renne thought of a way to put how she was really doing. "Every day is another day. God has a reason for everything. That being said, I try looking for the good in every situation, but some days it's harder than others." Tucking her legs under her, Renne took a sip of her coffee. Changing the subject away from herself, Renne asked, "How about y'all? I've been missin' little Miss Gracie and her adorable smile. I can't wait until I get back so I can get to work with her more. She has made such great progress."
Laurie sighed on her end of the line. "Well, that's actually what I needed to call you about..."
Renne's smile faded as she listened to Laurie tell her the news that she had called to relay. Jerry, Laurie's husband, had gotten a promotion in Colorado. Their family needs the money, so they are moving to Colorado. Laurie said that nothing was final with the job until just this week, and Jerry starts tomorrow, so they have been moving their stuff to the apartment they are temporarily renting in Colorado. This affects Renne because Laurie and her had become very close friends over the years, and Grace was like a daughter to Renne. Since they were having to move, Laurie called to tell Renne that Grace will no longer be taking lessons at Healing Hearts, unfortunately.
     Laurie and Jerry hated the fact that they have to move, but they just can't afford for him to not take this job. Being away from Healing Hearts, Laurie had said, is the thing that they will miss the most. Grace came in to Renne's program almost two years ago and she would not say a word. Now, it is almost impossible to get her to stop talking. She has really connected with the horses and even the people. Grace was, by far, one of Renne's biggest success stories.
     After several more minutes of talking to her good friend, and promises to keep in touch, Renne hung up the phone. Leaning back against the porch swing, Renne took a swig of her, now cold, coffee. So many things were running through her head at that moment that she almost didn't hear a truck pull into the driveway.
     Swayde walked up his porch steps, looking at Renne who was staring at her phone in her hand. "Hey, everything okay?" Swayde asked, concerned. He stopped in front of Renne on the swing.
     Renne looked up at Swayde. Holding up her phone, she replied, "Montana." She scooted her Bible and devotional book over so Swayde could sit next to her.
     "What happened?" Swayde accepted the invitation to sit.
     Leaning back against the porch swing, Renne replied, "One of our kids stopped taking lessons at the ranch because her parents are moving out of state, so they will be taking their daughter to another equine therapy ranch. Her husband starts his new job tomorrow, but they didn't find out about this promotion until late last week. They have already moved most of their stuff to their new place." Renne paused shortly. She glanced over at Swayde. "Her husband really needs this job because they really need the money." Renne crossed her legs and held her coffee mug, looking straight ahead. "Y'know, it's just hard. Matt and I train and rescue horses and something you will learn very quickly is that you cannot allow yourself to get too attached to the horses because you know in a few short months, his training will be complete and you'll sell him to a good home and probably never see him again. It's just different when it's a human. All of the students that come through the ranch program I consider my own children. Several of them have been at my ranch for the majority of their life, some even call me mom. It's just hard when one of the kids who I have gotten so attached to is suddenly gone and I won't even be there to say goodbye."
     Swayde seemed to be thinking of what to say, but he couldn't think of anything to help her feel better, so he just turned to Renne, wrapping his arms around her shoulders in a comforting way.
     Pulling away from the hug, Swayde asked, "Where are they moving to?"
     "A smaller town a little north of Walden. They found a good equine therapy ranch there so their daughter, Grace, can continue her therapy." Renne replied. She looked at Swayde. It looked like he was mulling something over in his head.
     "What was the name of the barn she's fixin' to take lessons at?" Swayde asked.
     "I think she said it was Whispering Meadows. I've heard lots of good things about it. I'm glad that Jerry is getting a promotion, but I'm just sad because I have grown very close to this family and now they're suddenly gone. And once I move back to Montana, I may never see them again because of the drive and such. But, Laurie and I promised to keep in touch, but still, it's just hard." Renne faked a smile to try to convince, not Swayde, but herself that she was going to be okay.
     Swayde nodded a little, then stood up. "I have something I have to do inside. Do you want to stay out here, or come in?"
     Renne was a little taken aback by Swayde's abruptness, but she didn't think about it too long. "I'm going to stay out here for a bit. I want to finish my devotions and pray and such." Renne replied.
     "Okay. I'll be right back." And with that, Swayde slipped inside his house. He wouldn't return for another fifteen minutes. When he did, however, he had a huge grin on his face.
"What?" Renne asked, looking at the exuberant, but silent Swayde.
"We are going on a little road trip. Come on, grab your stuff, let's go."  Swayde reached out and grabbed Renne's hand when she made no motion to stand up. He teasingly tugged on her arm, attempting to get her to follow him.
Renne chuckled at Swayde, but stayed glued to the porch swing, despite Swayde's playful tugs. "Where are we going?" Renne asked.
"It's a surprise, but trust me, you'll like it. Come on." 
"Okay. Just let me grab my purse and hat." Renne said in response. Only then did Swayde let go of Renne's hand. Standing up, Renne scrambled into the house, grabbing the things that she needed before meeting Swayde back outside in her truck.
Plopping her cowboy hat on her head, she hopped into the cab of her truck. Swayde was comfortably seated in the drivers seat. "Well, let's go, cowboy." Renne smiled.
Swayde just chuckled as he started Renne's truck, pulling out of the driveway.
A few minutes down the road, Renne looked over at Swayde. "I love the fact that you just hop right into my truck without askin' me first."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Now that we are thirty minutes from the ranch, you're gonna say you would rather me drive my truck? Would you like me to turn around?" Swayde said, sarcastically. He added a smile so Renne knew he was teasing.
"No, I don't mind you drivin' my truck, but you're payin' for the gas." Renne smiled. She reached up and pulled a piece of loose hair from the corner of her mouth. Her mane was impossible to tame since the windows were rolled down in her truck, allowing the summer breeze to flow freely through the cab.
Swayde let out a deep chuckle before replying to Renne. "That's fine. I'll fill up your tank for you. It gets better gas mileage than mine does. Besides, you and I both know that your truck runs much better than mine."
Renne didn't even try to deny that. Swayde's dad owned his truck before it was given to him at age 16; the truck was almost as old as Swayde, but, considering it's age, it runs pretty well. Granted, Swayde works on it nearly every day it seems because once he fixes something, something else breaks. But, that truck holds so many memories for Renne from when her and Swayde were dating. She was sure that once Swayde's truck eventually dies for good, he would put it up on blocks and keep it as a lawn ornament mainly because of the memories it holds.

"So, when are you goin' to tell me where we are goin'? We have been on the road for almost two hours now." Renne said, looking around at the gorgeous western scenery.
"We are almost there; we have about another fourty five minutes, to an hour. Just close your eyes, sit back, and relax." Swayde smiled.
"Okay. But you gotta tell me where we are goin' first." Renne replied. Swayde looked out the dashboard at a sign and Renne tried following his gaze to read it, but it was too late. She thought that the sign said, "welcome to Colorado," but Renne wasn't certain since Swayde switched lanes, driving away from the sign.
"Just trust me. Believe me, you're gonna like it. Just sit back and close your eyes. Enjoy the summer breeze." Swayde's smile was contagious. Renne found herself smiling as she obeyed Swayde, leaning her head back against the head rest. Her smile only grew when she felt Swayde reach over, caressing her shoulder, and making small circles as he softly rubbed it.
Exactly 45 minutes later, Swayde turned off the main road, turning down a dirt road. Renne lifted her head to look around. It looked fairly familiar to her, but then again, nearly all of Colorado's dirt roads look the same with the mountains in the background.
Swayde slowed down, pointing to a wooden sign on the side of the road as he turned right into a driveway.
Renne looked over at the sign. Once she read the words, she gasped, looking at Swayde. "Whispering Meadows?! You brought me to Whispering Meadows? In Colorado?" Renne looked like a little girl in a candy shop as she sat on the edge of her seat, as far as her seatbelt would allow her as she looked around outside. "You brought me to the same ranch that Grace is now taking lessons at...wait a minute..." Renne looked over at a content looking Swayde. All of the puzzle pieces were starting to fit together. "You brought me here to see Grace? To say goodbye?"
Swayde smiled at Renne. His eyes sparkled, looking like stars in the middle of the day. "Surprise."
Renne squealed as she lunged to the side, wrapping her arms around Swayde's neck. "Thank you so much, Swayde. You have no idea how much this means to me. Thank you!" Renne released the hold that she had on Swayde's neck to look around at the ranch. White picket fences lined the perimeter of the pastures where horses cheerfully grazed on the plush green grass. Beautiful flowering trees were spaced perfectly on either side of the dirt driveway. In the near distance, Renne saw multiple white barns, some metal, some wood; some old, a few new. The space around them was beautiful.
"Swayde, are we really here to see Grace, Laurie, and Jerry?" Renne asked, looking back over at Swayde.
Swayde nodded, casting a glance at Renne.
"How on earth did you set this up?" Renne asked, still not believing what Swayde did. This was by far one of the sweetest things anyone had ever done for her.
"Once you told me about Grace, and her family moving, I could see how much she means to you, so I did a little research based on the information you give me, and I made a few phone calls. The lady who owns this place, a Sharon Taylor I believe her name is, was very kind and helpful, and she informed me that Grace has a lesson today. I explained the situation, and Miss Taylor gave me Laurie's phone number, so I phoned her, asking if it was okay to come out and visit with Grace. Obviously, she said yes, and here we are." Just then, Swayde pulled into an empty space in front of the indoor arena where several other vehicles were parked.
Before he could get out of the truck, Renne leaned over and placed a soft kiss on Swayde's cheek. "Thank you." She whispered.
     Swayde stared at Renne for a second too long, his eyes flashing down to her soft red lips, but he didn't move forward. Instead, he turned, jumping down from the cab and walked over to Renne's side where he opened the door for her. The look in Swayde's eyes made it seem like he was regretting telling Renne to make the first move. Renne wondered if he was having as much trouble holding back as she was.
When Renne jumped down from her truck, she turned to Swayde. Placing a hand on his shoulder, she smiled a huge smile that didn't even begin to show how thankful she was that Swayde did this for her. "Thank you, Swayde." Renne said in a quiet voice. She leaned forward, lifting her face up, welcoming Swayde to finally kiss her. Right before their lips could meet, a high pitched squeal forced them apart, making them turn to the source of the disturbance.