Molli 's Story: Chapter 4

The next morning I woke up to bright sunlight streaming through green and white curtains. The cabin was very rustic, with flannel sheets and western print comforters on the bed, and worn leather furniture in the small living room. I reached for my phone on the bedside table and remembered that I had left it in the kitchen the night before so it could charge. Only one electrical outlet in the bedroom, and Lexi claimed it for her phone the minute we walked in. You would think she was going to die if she spent more than one second away from it! I gently pushed her head off of my shoulder and reached across her for her phone so I could check the time. She mumbled as she shifted on the bed and went back to sleep. I laughed to myself, thinking of all the mornings I had experienced that were just like this one.

The first sleepover we ever had was when we were eleven, and we had probably stayed together hundreds of times since then. We had many talks about life, boys, and anything else you could imagine in her waterbed back home. I grabbed her phone and scanned through the two unread messages. One was from her mom and the other was from the calf roper that was still in love with her back home. I laughed as I thought about all of the boys who had been in love with Lex throughout our friendship. She didn’t intend to be a heartbreaker, but that was usually how it turned out. Not that she didn’t have feelings for any of them—it was just that those feelings never lasted very long.

Her phone read 7:35am. I sighed and pushed the blanket off of me, shivering at the sudden burst of cool air. I pulled off my shorts and slipped into a pair of dark blue jeans that I had tugged out of my suitcase. I put on my favorite long sleeved t-shirt and made my way to the bathroom. I peeked into the room that Claire and Brooke were sharing and laughed at the difference between the two sides.

Brooke had obviously made the bed, complete with all of the matching pillows sitting precisely where they should. Her suitcase was neatly stacked with folded clothes, and her makeup was arranged meticulously on the dresser. Claire’s side of the bed was strewn with her pajamas and the clothes that she had worn yesterday. Her makeup and toiletries were piled haphazardly on the nightstand. It wasn’t that Claire was overly messy…it was just that Brooke was very neat. We always teased her about being obsessively organized.

In the bathroom I took my time brushing my teeth and washing my face. I pulled the front half of my long brown hair up and pinned it back, deciding not to waste much time on it—chances were we would be outside most of the day on the horses anyway. I applied my powder and silver eye shadow quickly, and finished the look with black eyeliner and mascara. I shuffled my way back to our room and dug my brown Anderson Bean boots out of my bag. They were not the cutest boots that I owned, but definitely the most comfortable, and I was clueless as to what the day might bring, so I decided to play it safe.

After I was dressed I jumped on the bed and pulled the covers back. Lexi glared at me with fierce green eyes and said, “Molli, I will hurt you. Don’t you know how to sleep in anymore?”

I laughed. “Old habits, I guess. Brooke and Claire are still gone…doesn’t look like anyone is up and moving yet. I’m gonna go to the main house and see if I can figure out something to make for breakfast.”

She closed her eyes. “Good. Call me when it’s ready.”

I rolled my eyes and slid off the bed. I grabbed my cell phone off of the narrow kitchen counter and walked out into the crisp morning air. I was greeted almost immediately by Trigg, who jumped on me until I knelt down to give him a hug.

“Hi, honey,” I whispered.

I gave him a kiss on top of the head and watched as he leapt off the porch and went to join Mira and Max who were chasing a barn cat along one of the fence lines. As I walked toward Britt’s house, I couldn’t help but notice the breathtaking scenery that surrounded me.

The sun was fully up just above the horizon and was surrounded by streaks of pink and orange. The peaks of the mountains to the north were almost completely covered by low, full clouds. A cedar post fence lined the pasture that was to the east, and just behind our guesthouse was the barn and stable area, along with the roping arena. The main house was a two-story beauty, with dark grey brick, white shutters, and a porch that wrapped all the way around.