Home is where the heart is

[Lexus]

Levi's best friend Brett came out of the trees at the sound of this laughter. He looked at the fuel fondues and walked towards the lake. "How's jt feel?" He asks the girl. She peaked his interest he had never seen her before.

 

[isax]

Ryan became startled at this and looked over at him. "Great." She said and laughed as se sighed and went over to get out. She looked at Brett and thought he was cute but Levi was the only one she liked. She should go apologize to him.


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[Lexus]

"Ahhh you're the city girl." Brett says with a snap of his fingers when he recognizes her. "I don't know how you convinced Levi to bring you here he hasn't been here in two years m." Brett wasn't sure what his best friend would see in a girl he he just key to take her to the place where he lost what felt like everything.

 

[isax]

Ryan looked at Brett a bit confused. "What do you mean? Why'd he stop coming?" She asked him. She didn't know Levi stopped coming here. She was curious now. When they came he seemed perfectly fine and content.


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[Lexus]

"I suppose he didn't tell you." Brett let out a sigh. It was hard for everyone because of how upset Levi got. "There was a girl, her name was Stella. Everyone around here thought they would eventually get married, the way they looked at each other it wasn't hard to tell he loved her. He always used to flash this bright white smile whenever he saw her. Then one day Stella was out riding with him and Jax threw her from the saddle, I suppose something frightened him." He had to pause before he could keep going. "She flew from the horse and never made it home." Brett decided not to tell her the details if Levi trusted her he would tell her what actually happened. "Anyway this was there place and for the longest time he neither came here or rode and now he refuses to let anyone but himself mount Jax." When Stella died it hit the town hard because everyone knew Levi would forever blame himself for something that was a freak accident.

 

[isax]

Ryan didn't know what to say. She was at a loss for words and now well, she felt terrible for the way she acted. She sighed and looked at Brett then nodded. "Well I um should get going." She said then walked back to her uncles shop. This wasn't what she wanted to hear. Now this bugged her. She went back to the ranch and knocked before walking in and smiled at Bella. Bella helped her carry her things to her room and then, Ryan went up to Levis and knocked on the door. "Hey, can we talk?" She asked him.


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[Lexus]

Levi looked up curiously from his book, shocked to see Ryan standing in the doorway. "Well look who found her way back, did you forget something?" Setting the book on the table beside the mattress he had dragged up to the loft. Why was she here? She was more than desperate to lave hours before.

 

[isax]

"No I just.... I wanted to say I was sorry." She said with a sigh as she looked at him. "I wasn't in any position to talk to you like that so I'm sorry." She said as she thought back to what Brett had told her. She really was in no position to act the way she did with him.


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[Lexus]

Levi blinked a bit confused at her sudden change of heart. Though she did upset him in the slightest he wasn't going to hold it against her. It was a totally different world out here and maybe he pushed it s little too hard on her. "I accept your apology." He replied gently with yet another bright smile, the one that was rare these days but it was just out of friendliness. Levi learned long ago there was no point in boiling in one's bitterness.

 

[isax]

"You don't have to. I just needed to tell you. I didn't know you went through what you did." She whispered with a sigh and stared at her feet. "I talked to your mom and while I may not be country, I plan on taking your spot at work. I know they could use someone who is young so I offered and your father accepted along with your mom." She said as she continued to stare at her feet.


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[Lexus]

Levi looked at her confused yet again. "Well that's rather generous of anyone let alone a city girl but what I meant through wasn't much it's just some broken bones is all." He replied with a light laugh. He really didn't know what it was that turned her around but it intrigued the young man.

 

[isax]

"It's fine really. I really just want to help. You need your bed rest so I'll bring your breakfast and dinner up. I'll help you with anything you need when I'm done working with your dad. I'm just going to be here to help." She said again as she didn't look up at him. She couldn't. She kept thinking about Stella and Levi. They could have been the perfect couple.


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[Lexus]

Levi laughed. "I'm not dying I promise just fell from a horse." When she didn't talk to him he lighten the mood. "Do you think you could bring ms sons tea?" He was simply doing it to make her feel needed sometimes it wasn't all that bad to depend on someone

 

[isax]

"Yeah." She said and left as she went down the stairs and then poured him a mason jar of sweet tea then walked back up and handed it to him. She smiled and looked away again. "I'll um, be in my room. Call me if you need me." She said and walked off. She felt terrible for Levi. She thought her break up with the one she "loved" was bad. Levi actually physically lost his. She could never know what that felt like.


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[Lexus]

Levi smiled and thanked her before he went back to his book. Even though he wasn't much help around here with his new injury he still went to bed rather early as a forced habit. Setting the book aside he open the dresser stand and ran his fingers across this favorite picture of the two of them and quickly put it back in its hiding spot before going to bed. He still missed Stella like crazy.

 

[isax]

The next day, Ryan was up early with Levis dad. She wore her boots and jeans and a tank top. This was the day her country would start to come out. She went out with him after breakfast and as morning turned to afternoon, she was sweating up a storm. "For Levi." She whispered as she worked with all the others and shared some laughs with them. It wasn't as bad as she thought it would be.


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[Lexus]

Brett being one of these people she worked with smiled at the sight of her taking his best friend's place. He knew the reason she was doing it but didn't mention it. Instead he helped her and whispered a thank you before Bella came to retrieve Ryan to take dinner to Levi.

 

[isax]

She smiled and nodded at Brett and she walked back with Bella and talked with the little one. She walked in and made him his serving and went up the stairs and knocked before entering. "Here ya go." She said, noticing he was looking at a picture and she had a feeling she knew who it was of. She placed the tray on the stand next to his mattress and smiled. She was actually dirty for once and actually just letting her accent show. She was tired of hiding it.


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[Lexus]

"You couldn't have dressed a little nicer." Levi asked with a laugh setting the picture back in the night stand. "Thank you." He says with a smile taking the tray. "You can use the shower up here if you want."

 

[isax]

"No it's fine. I'll be in the shower but I'll come back to check on you." Ryan said as she smiled and the noticed Stella was a beautiful girl. "She was really beautiful." She whispered and then took her leave. What was she feeling? It couldn't be jealousy. She didn't even know Levi. If she was falling for him, she needed to stop. She didn't deserve his heart. Not even that, she still saw the love he had for her.


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[Lexus]

"Yeah she was." He whispers more to himself then to her . He was disappointed when she had to leave to shower. When she came back he smiled and was actually looking at the photo book Shelly made for him of pictures of him and Stella. He wasn't sure why he suddenly had the want and the courage to talk about her to some stranger but he did.

 

[isax]

When Ryan walked back in, she walked over and smiled as she saw the photo book. She sat next to Levi and smiled as she looked at the pictures with him. "She was a really beautiful girl Levi. Brett told me what had happened." She whispered but looked at him and smiled. "I know you must miss her."


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[Lexus]

Levi sighed and pushed the book aside leaving it open. "Yes she was beautiful and yes I do miss her but she's gone, as much as I would like for her to find her way home she isn't going to." He looked at his hands and spoke again. "I'm not surprised Brett told you he will for we thinks I deserve major sal for that but don't believe him, I'm fine now."

 

[isax]

"Are ya really?" Ryan asked as she stared into her lap. She didn't believe Levi when he said he was fine. She knew he wasn't. "I'm sure she was happy to have ya Levi. I'm sure she loved you dearly." She added, trying to sound positive for him. She smiled but slowly fell asleep from how exhausted she was from work. Her head finding comfort against Levi shoulder. She looked so peaceful while she slept. Something that she hadn't looked like since being here.


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[Lexus]

Levi smiled faintly at her commentary and when she fell asleep on his shoulder from exhaustion he simply laughed. It was something she would get used to as time went by. The truth was though Levi was fine. There was a part of him that was always going to miss Stella, of course because he loved her. As time passed though he learned you have to make the best of every situation and he knew Stella would want what was best for him and that would be to move on. It wasn't his fault, he told himself over and over again as the years passed to get himself to believe it but all he could think about was watching her last moments of life. It was horrifying. Shaking the image from his head he didn't I dare move to wake Ryan but he didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea. Covering her with the blanket he gently pushed her to the other side of the bed. Turning back to the book he put it away and went to bed himself.!