Double Life

                                          Chapter One



Kristen Taylor has always been a rebel, a wild child. She wasn't bad she just knew what she wanted and she never wanted to be a frilly, barbie doll type girl. She had fences to bend, fields to plow and this years colt to break. She didn't have time to be worrying about getting her clothes dirty. This ranch, her ranch, depended on her. She refused to let her down. Cross Creek Ranch was her legacy know. She couldn't fail. As she picked up yet another bale of hay off the truck and carried it to the feed room she thought about how her life had ended up at this point.



At 22 I'm far from old but I wasn't getting any younger.  The last real relationship I had was Bryan Kennedy back in her junior year of high school. The last year my life seemed perfect. The last time I was ever really happy. Who would have known that summer my Dad and Mom would have been killed in a freak car accident. I shook my head, I tried not to think about it. It just brought back the guilt. But the fact remains if I han't snuck out with Bryan to go to that party I wouldn't have gotten hauled into jail for underage drinking and they wouldn't have had to come out in that storm that night to come get me.



As I walked back out of the barn to the truck to get another bale I remember how they told me I was close enough to 18 they considered me an adult and considering what happened they let me go with warning and the laywer showing up and informed me everything would be left to me since I was the only child. And going over the anual expense reports and not knowing if I was gonna be able to keep the ranch running.



But I've come a long way with it and I hoped my parents were proud but I knew I was never gonna make up for how I let them down that night almost 5 years ago. The ranch was running smoothly now and this years foal crop was bigger and better than ever. With they're confirmations they were gonna bring in some high dollar prices. I said a quiet, heart felt "Yes!" for the risk I took with buying the ranch's newest Quater Horse Stud, Tequila Nights, he turned out to be well worth his price and by looking at his offspring he was already gonna pay for himself two-fold.



As I finished the things I had to for the day I got excited. There was still enough light out "Yes, I can get a couple rides in tonight" I said speaking to myself. When you live by yourself and have enough work to do to keep three people busy you only get to see poeple once or twice a week you tend to speak your thoughts out loud so you don't go crazy from the silence. It gets very loney.



I went to the barn where I park the 4-wheeler and hopped on. I drove down the winding trail that I carved out, into the woods. I came to a clearing and sighed. My secret dream. No one knew it was here. Yes, it was dangerous them not knowing but I didn't care. They wouldn't understand if they did. Before me was the intricate maze of panels, chutes and pens that I knew so well. There were four pens, inside each was a ton of hell bent fury that made my sport of choice so damn exciting, bulls. They all looked up at me with that knowing look in theres eyes, they knew what was coming, and they loved it. I loaded them into the chutes and got my gear on. I decided I'd get on Toro first today. It was always difficult pulling my own rope but I loved it out here anyway. There was no one to watch and judge me here. It was just me and the bull. My free hand hit the button I had rigged to open the gate for me and we were off. Toro sprung out like a coil being release. Matching him move for more we settled into a rthyme that held steady til the buzzer sounded. Reaching for my rope I pulled it turned into my hand and jumped. Landing on the ground I looked over my shoulder, this was Toro favorite part, the chase. Digging my heels into the ground i sprinted towrd the fence with Toro right behind me. Feeling my foot slip in the dirt, I stumbled. CRAP!! I dug in harder and launched myself onto the fence. I felt Toro's horn hit my boot I knew I made it to the top just in time. Looking down at the beast below me I felt the way I had always felt. If I was ever hurt or killed by one of them I would never blame them. It would be my fault.





                                                Chapter Two