Chapter 1.4: Blind Love

Scarlett prepared for this. She figured out a strong argument and practiced a convincing speech. She perfected her best puppy dog eyes and readied herself for tears. She knew Elijah would hate the idea of borrowing money from his father, but Scarlett  was determined. She wanted to buy her own horse and start her own ranch. She wouldn't go back to working for Mr. Johnson. She couldn't.

Elijah stares at her incredulously. "You can't be serious. Borrow money from Ryder? No. Absolutely not. No way."

Her big blue eyes fill with tears. "Please Elijah?" she begs.

"Scarlett, you know how much I hate that man! The last thing I want is to be in debt to him!"

"You don't understand!" Scarlett bites her lip, fighting the urge to tell him about her encounter with Mr. Johnson. "Eli, I can't go back there. Please? Please?!"

Elijah frowns. "What's wrong with Mr. Johnson's ranch? I thought you liked having him as your boss."

Scar sighs. She knew it would come down to this. "Elijah, he... He kissed me."

"He WHAT?!"

"I tried to stop him," she explains quickly. "Honestly I did. He just wouldn't leave me alone." She feels the tears begin again, the shame of the whole event still fresh in her mind.

Elijah pulls her into a hug. "Oh Scarlett. I'm so sorry."

She rests her head on his shoulder, relaxing in his arms. "Now you understand why I want this so bad. Ryder was more than happy to help. Please Elijah?"

"Okay," he relents.

The next day, Scarlett adopts her first horse, a stallion named Spirit.

After they get acquainted...

She attempts to mount her faithful steed.

Eventually she succeeds, but riding proves to be another matter entirely.

Spirit shows her where he got his name from.

Ouch.

Meanwhile, Elijah pays a visit to the now gray-haired Johnny Johnson, Scarlett's old boss.

"Stay away from my girlfriend, Johnny," he snarls. "If you ever bother her again, I'll break your face."

Johnny laughs, his mouth twisted in an ugly smirk. "Yeah? You and what army?" he sneers. "I'll go after whoever I want, whenever I want, and right now I want Scarlett. If you think you're going to stop me, kid, then you've got another thing coming."

Elijah feels his temper snap. Blinded by rage, he leaps at Johnny and begins pummeling the older man, his hands becoming bruised and bloody from the beating.

The early morning sun beats down on his back as Elijah stands up and wipes the sweat off his face. Johnny falls to ground and lays still, his breathing slow and labored. Eli glances around quickly, and, not seeing anyone, he hurries away.

A neighbor will find Johnny soon, Elijah tells himself. The asshole got what he deserved, he reasons. As he runs home, his body aching from the altercation, Eli tries his best to convince himself that he did the right thing, that he doesn't feel guilty about what happened. He's not worried about jail. He knows that his boss Kanoa will help keep him out of the slammer. Elijah just hopes that Mr. Johnson is indeed okay.

That night, Eli wants nothing more than to be with Scarlett. As they lie together, their bodies pressed firmly against each other, Elijah finally manages to push the haunting images of Johnny out of his mind.

"I love you Scar," he whispers.

She smiles, her bright eyes full of happiness. "I love you too Elijah," she whispers back. They make love, deep and gentle, before falling asleep in each others arms.

The following day, Elijah runs into his father outside the grocery store.

"I decided to divorce Carmen," Ryder tells him.

Eli stares back at him, his face impassive. He doesn't really know what to say.

"I- I want to stay here in Appaloosa Plains," Ryder says. "I never realized how exhausting it was to be famous. I'm tired of being treated differently. Around here people don't really know who I am, or if they do, they don't seem to care. And I- I miss you."

"Okay," Elijah replies simply.

"You- You mean that?" Ryder asks, surprised.

Elijah smiles hesitantly. "Yes. Scarlett likes you Dad. And, well, I like Scarlett. We talked about it yesterday, and she said that she thought you might end up wanting to make your home here. She seemed to think it was a great idea, and as long as she's fine with it then so am I."

Ryder grins. "Does this mean we're cool now?"

"Yeah."

Ryder hugs Elijah, patting him on the back awkwardly. "I missed you son."

"I missed you too Dad."


Challenge Notes:

I downloaded Spirit from Mod The Sims. Here is the link, in case you want to download him. He's so beautiful, the creator did a wonderful job with his coat. <3

There will be kids soon, I promise. Also, more drama next chapter. =)

Chapter 1.3: Hit Me... Or Hit On Me?

Elijah cautiously enters Kanoa's brightly colored suburban house and wonders why the criminal mastermind chose to live here. Maybe the flamboyant tropical color scheme reminds him of his homeland in Hawaii or something.

"Aloha!" Kanoa greets him at the front door. "Welcome! Come, join me in my office. We have much to discuss."

They walk into his study, and Kanoa jumps right into the heart of the matter. "You'll start low, as all my employees do, and work your way up the ladder," he tells him. "But," he adds, "I have high hopes for you. You seem much more adept than the other members of my gang. I have been looking for a partner, and, if you prove to be as talented as I hope, then we may just be able to help each other out."

Elijah frowns. "Fine," he answers. "I have one condition though."

"This is not a negotiation Elijah. Take it or leave it."

Eli clenches his teeth. He doesn't like taking orders, so working as a low-level thug is definitely going to be an adjustment for him. "Mr. Parrott, I have but one small request," he says. "I don't want anyone outside the gang to know that I work for you. Especially not my girlfriend."

Kanoa hesitates. Elijah can't read his expression through his darkly tinted sunglasses. "Agreed," the criminal says at last.

Eli gets home and finds Scarlett waiting up for him. "I got a job," he whispers, smiling.

"Really?" Scarlett's whole face lights up. "Where?" she asks excitedly.

"It's not the best hours," he tells her. "But it's a steady income that will pay the bills. I'm going to work the night shift as a security guard at the bank in the next town over."

Scarlett kisses him. "I'm so proud of you," she says, a huge grin on her face.

The following morning, Carmen drops by for a visit.

"Um, hi Carmen," Elijah sounds more than a little surprised to see her.

"Why hello Elijah," Carmen smiles and glides into the living room. "Is Scarlett home?"

Elijah vaguely wonders why she's acting so friendly today. "Not right now. She's at work this morning. Is there something I can help you with?"

Carmen ignores his question. "I saw you out running yesterday. I never realized you were so attractive." She coughs. "I mean active."

"Um, okay." Elijah shifts nervously. Why is she standing so close?

"Do you enjoy all kinds of exercise?" she asks huskily.

"Sure..."

"I love dancing. Particularly the horizontal hokey pokey."

Elijah takes a step backwards. She seems to be getting awfully close. "That's great Carmen..."

"I've always been quite fond of our relationship. I hope you feel the same."

Eli frowns. "Okay," he replies uncertainly.

"Oh Elijah!" Carmen steps in and tries to throw her arms around him, poising herself for a kiss.

"Whoa! Carmen!" Eli yells as he dodges her advances. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"There's no need to act coy," Carmen says after a minute. "I won't tell anyone, I promise."

Eli opens his mouth in shock. "Carmen!" he sounds furious. "Get away from me!"

Carmen's eyes glimmer dangerously. "You'll regret this Elijah," she tells him coldly. "I could've been your ally, helped you in ways you could only dream about. Instead, you want to make me an enemy? Fine. But I'll prove just how dangerous an adversary I can be."

Finishing her speech, she turns and flounces out of the house, leaving Elijah to wonder if that really just happened.

By lunch time, Elijah's decided to confront Ryder about Carmen's behavior. He finds his father at the local bar.

"God I love this town!" Ryder proclaims as Elijah sits down next to him. "Who would have thought about putting a bar inside an old barn? How resourceful is that?!"

Eli can't help but smile a little bit. However much he resents his father, he finds his comments amusing.

"Ryder, I need to talk to you about Carmen," Eli says, the smile fading from his face.

"What about her?" Ryder sounds irritated at even the mention of his wife.

"She hit on me," Eli replies bluntly.

"She hit you?" Ryder asks with a confused frown.

"No. She hit on me. She tried to flirt with me." Elijah decides not to mention her awkward attempt at a kiss.

Ryder laughs. He actually laughs. "Yeah, right. Whatever Elijah."

Eli's cheeks burn with embarrassment. It was hard enough to come here and admit it to him, but to be laughed at? The indignity stings.

"I'm not lying," he replies angrily.

"Look. I know you're pissed that we came to Appaloosa Plains to visit you. I understand that the whole jail incident still bothers you. But seriously? Making up some bullshit about my wife? That's just shameful."

Eli bites his lip, fighting the urge to hit him. The fact that his own father would side with that wicked, repulsive woman over him feels like a kick in the stomach.

"You're a lost cause Ryder," he says, getting up to leave. "I wish you and her all the best. You two deserve each other." Then he walks away, vowing never to speak to his father again.

 

Ryder shakes his head and pays for his drink, watching his son storm out of the bar. Elijah's story bothers him more than he would like to admit. He decides to go visit his old friend Jedidiah, to get his mind off the encounter.

It's been years since they've seen each other, but Jedidiah hasn't changed one bit. Ryder wonder what he think his hand is trying to tell him.

Jedidiah and Ryder catch up for a while. Jed can't stop gushing about his daughter Brittany, but after countless potty training stories (none of which Ryder particularly cared to hear), Jed's face grows serious. "What's bothering you, dude?" he asks, genuinely concerned.

Ryder attempts to smile. "Oh, nothing terrible. Elijah thinks Carmen tried to flirt with him."

"Did she?"

"No, Jed. Of course not! We're married after all."

"That's never stopped her before," Jed replies.

"Perhaps not, but Elijah is my son! He's just looking for some way to get even with me."

Jedidiah frowns. "That doesn't sound like the Elijah I know. He's not a bad kid, Ryder."

Ryder sighs and shakes his head. "He's always been rebellious, but I never thought he could be so malicious. People do stupid things when they're angry."

"He didn't seem angry to me," Jed says. "In fact, he seemed very much at peace with his past. He kept talking about how he wanted to start over with a clean slate." Jedidiah watches as Ryder face softens. "Think about it dude. Your son tells you that Carmen, who has a history of cheating and lying, tried to make a move on him, and you're going to discount his word? That doesn't seem right to me."

Ryder hangs his head. "I think I need to go," he declares after a minute. "I need to go talk to my son."

Meanwhile, Scarlett is busy as ever on the ranch. Bottle feeding Bella the foal is her favorite part of the job.

Johnny Johnson, her boss, makes a rare appearance out at the stables today.

"How is little Bella doing?" he asks.

"Fine, Mr. Johnson. She is settling into the routine quite well."

"Great. And how are you, doll?"

Scarlett pauses. He's never called her that before. "I'm fine Mr. Johnson. Just fine."

"Excellent. Would you like to come inside and take a break from all this farm work?"

Scar fidgets uncomfortably. "Um, I'm fine out here Mr. Johnson. Really, I enjoy being with the horses."

He chuckles and steps closer. "Do you enjoy being with a man to?" he asks, quirking an eyebrow.

"Mr. Johnson," Scarlett begins. "I-"

"Come here, doll, and show me just how much you like a man's company," he interrupts, pulling her into his arms and kissing her. Scarlett screams and ducks, pushing him away. She runs until she can't see the ranch any more, leaving Mr. Johnson and his horses far behind.

Once home, she goes into the bathroom and cries, her fragile world turned upside down. A knock on the door startles her out of her tearful state.

 
"Mr. McKinley? Elijah didn't tell me you were stopping by tonight."

Ryder smiles amicably. "He didn't know. Is he home?"

"He's at work right now. It's his first night on the job." Scarlett tries to smile, but her eyes fill up with tears instead.

Ryder gazes at her with worried eyes. "What's the matter Scarlett?"

They sit down on the couch, and Scarlett tells him everything. "I- I trusted him," she sobs. "He t-took advantage of me."

Ryder wrinkles his nose in disgust. "You can't go back there Scarlett. If he tried once, he'll try it again."

"I have to, Mr. McKinley. I love the horses, and Eli and I just aren't making enough money right now for me to quit."

"Buy your own horse," Ryder declares. "Start your own ranch. I know that's what you've wanted all along."

Scarlett shakes her head sadly. "I can't afford it right now. We're barely scraping by as it is."

Ryder's face brightens. "I can help," he says, smiling. "I can give you and Eli a loan, to cover the start up costs and help pay the bills until you start making money."

"You'd do that?" Scarlett asks skeptically. "But when we left Anne Arbor you said you wouldn't give us any support."

"Think of it as a temporary investment. I want to help, Scarlett."

Scar grins enthusiastically. The idea of finally owning her very own horse excites her.

"I've got to go now," Ryder says as he stands up. "I need to talk to Carmen about something. But you and I can sit down tomorrow and discuss the details."

Scarlett jumps up. "Thank you Mr. McKinley," she replies, pulling him into a hug. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

Ryder smiles, feeling good about himself for the first time in a long time. "Please, call me Ryder," he tells her happily.


Challenge Notes:

Lots of unwanted advances in this chapter, hah. I really didn't intend to do that; it just worked out that way. Carmen totally flirted with Elijah autonomously. I wanted something to happen between them (like a fight or an argument or whatever), but I really wasn't expecting that. She and Ryder are not *actually* married in the game or else she wouldn't be allowed to flirt with Ryder's son. I had intended to marry them before moving to Appaloosa Plains, but I just forgot. So, when I invited her over, she started flirting with Eli, and I thought, hmm. That's an interesting idea. I already had the pictures and plot line figured out for Scarlett's encounter with Mr. Johnson, and I didn't want to cut it out. So I went ahead and wrote both of the events into the chapter.

Also, Ryder is not actually giving money to Elijah and Scarlett, fyi. That was just part of the story, in case you were wondering.

You might have noticed last chapter (or maybe not), but there is one photo with a food bowl in it. I went ahead and adopted Scarlett and Elijah a cat, because I really, really wanted to. His name is Milo. Here's a picture of their kitty hissing at Carmen (which he did completely autonomously, btw). Apparently, cats really do know pure evil when they see it, lol.

Chapter 1.2: Can't Forget The Past

Ryder, Carmen, and Zane arrive in Appaloosa Plains today, so Scarlett decides to work an extra long shift at the ranch. Her old boss, Chuck Hobble, recently married Oriole Bird after word got out about her... condition. Although Mr. Hobble was publicly dating the famous country music star Honey Darnell, Oriole wound up pregnant with his child. Needless to say, he left the ranch and moved in with his mistress, letting his partner Johnny Johnson run the stables.

Scarlett quite likes having Mr. Johnson as her boss. Unlike his partner, Mr. Johnson takes a very hands-off approach to teaching. He often leaves Scarlett alone to tend the horses while he entertains his lady friends in the house. Scarlett pretends not to notice, but it seems as though every single woman in Appaloosa Plains has visited the ranch at some point or another. She doesn't really mind though because it allows her uninterrupted access to the horses.

As expected, Ryder drops by Elijah's house that afternoon.

"Nice to see you Ryder," Elijah greets his father gruffly. His words sound flat and hollow.

"That's the best you can do?" Ryder laughs. "A handshake?"

Elijah glares at the older man, his eyes hard. "Where's Carmen and Zane?"

Ryder looks away, trying to hide the disappointed expression on his face. "They're paying the taxi driver. Apparently the man doesn't know how to make change for a twenty."

Seconds later, the door swings open and Carmen sweeps into the house. "GODDAMN HILLBILLIES!" she yells, charging past them. "I had no idea that math was only taught in city schools!"

Ryder shoots her a withering glare, trying his best to get her to shut up, but it doesn't work.

"...I mean I know that our education system is in shambles," she rants. "But SERIOUSLY! He kept claiming that four Simoleons was the correct change for a twenty, when the fare was clearly sixteen Simoleons. I may not understand calculus, but even I know that he owed us five Simoleons. Damn hillbillies. Stupid crooks, all of them!"

Elijah bites his tongue, trying his best to avoid a fight. Carmen has only just arrived, but she's already testing his patience.

"So," Ryder jumps in, trying to ease the tension. "How is the job hunt going?"

"Fine," Elijah replies shortly.

Ryder raises an eyebrow. "Fine?" he repeats. "So you've found something?"

Eli grits his teeth, his temper wearing thin. "No," he answers slowly. "Not yet."

Carmen snorts. "That's a shocker," she mumbles.

"Right, and how long did you guys say you were staying?" Elijah asks, his eyes flashing with anger.

Carmen fiddles with her nail polish, a sour look of disinterest on her face. "Too long, if you ask me," she says before Ryder can stop her.

"Carmen, darling, why don't you go check on Zane?" Ryder glares at her and forces a smile, his tone just a little too sweet.

Carmen flounces off, leaving Ryder and Elijah alone to chat.

"About that job," Ryder begins, lowering his voice so only Eli can hear him. "I know it must be difficult to find an employer willing to hire someone with a criminal background like yours. I won't give you financial support; we had that discussion before you left Anne Arbor. But, if you want, I can maybe pull a few strings and open a few doors. I can't promise that you'd get the job, but if you'd like I can line up a couple of interviews for you."

Elijah narrows his eyes dangerously. "You don't think I can find a job on my own," he states, his voice matter-of-fact.

Ryder shakes his head. "Elijah, I didn't say that."

"No, but that's what you meant. You don't think I'm capable of making it without your help."

"Elijah!" Ryder's speaks sharply, a warning tone in his voice. "I didn't come here to argue with you."

"Hah!" Elijah laughs. "Then why are you here? To keep tabs on me? To make sure I'm not further destroying your perfect reputation? Or, was it merely because I asked you not to? Do you enjoy torturing me, father?"

Ryder stares at him sadly. "That is what you think? That I'm just some sort of sadistic monster who likes to watch his son struggle?"

"Have you ever given me reason to think otherwise?" he asks bitterly.

"If you want me to leave, I'll be gone in the morning."

Eli clenches his jaw, fighting the temptation to say yes. "I'm going to go say hi to Zane," he says at last.

Zane McKinley is Elijah's half-brother and Carmen and Ryder's only child together. He looks a lot like Ryder did at that age, but personality-wise he takes after Carmen.

"Did you know EVIL.com has a great selection of do-it-yourself guides for building short-range ballistic missiles? Pretty killer, if you ask me."

Elijah worries about about the future of Sim-kind.

Scarlett gets home late that night after Ryder and his family have already left for the hotel. Elijah sweeps her into the bedroom, eager to take his mind off their visit.

"How were they?" Scarlett asks between kisses.

"Scar," Elijah says, pushing her onto the bed. "Do we have to talk about my family at a time like this?"

That night, Ryder sleeps restlessly, dreaming about his and Scarlett's financial issues.

He wakes up early and sneaks out of the house for a jog. It's a beautiful, clear morning, but all he can think about is Kanoa Parrott's job proposal.

As a teenager, Ryder often found himself in trouble with the law, but usually it was for relatively minor offenses like breaking curfew or drinking underage. However, on his eighteenth birthday, he and Carmen got into a huge fight, and as a result he decided to steal his father's Berratti sports car, sell it for parts, and use the cash to move out of town. It was a stupid, impulsive decision, and he immediately got caught and tried for grand theft auto. He ended up spending two years in jail but was released after his father's lawyers convinced the judge to let him out on parole.

Scarlett was his high school girlfriend, and she stayed faithful to him throughout his entire stint in prison. As soon as he got out though, she made him promise that he would never break the law again.

He loves Scarlett dearly, but he desperately wants to start providing for them. If he joins Kanoa's gang, he will be breaking his word to her. He doesn't want to betray her, but he can't stand sitting around the house waiting for the phone to ring. Besides, who is going to hire a guy with a felony on his record?

When he gets home, Scarlett is still asleep. Elijah dials Kanoa's number, memorized from the business card he tried to give him.

"Mr. Parrott?" he says. "It's Elijah McKinley. I'll do it."


Challenge Notes:

I plotted out Elijah's back story before I realized that Anne Arbor was unplayable and I would have to move my family right away. So I decided to use a shortened, summarized version of the plot instead. It sets up the future story very nicely, I think.

Also, I used Twallan's porter mod to move Ryder and Carmen and Zane to Appaloosa Plains along with Elijah and Scarlett and Jed and his family. I put Ryder and Carmen in a house, because (obviously) they can't actually stay in a hotel. I didn't want any surprises, at least not yet, so I set their story progression settings to disallow pregnancy and divorce. When I checked on them, they're relationship bar was completely red. They absolutely hate each other. Furthermore, I attempted to have some scenes with Elijah and Carmen talking together, but every time they interacted, Carmen ended up screaming at him. Seriously, I have never met such a cranky, unfriendly Sim before.

Chapter 1.1: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Elijah McKinley stands in the living room of his new house and grins. It is so different than his childhood home back in Anne Arbor, so much more modest.

"What do you think babe?" Scarlett sounds slightly nervous, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

Elijah turns around and pulls her toward him, sweeping her into his arms. "I love it," he tells her. "It's perfect."

"You really like it?" she asks, frowning. "You're not just saying that to make me happy?"

"Scarlett, the house is beautiful," he whispers, leaning in for a kiss. "I don't care where we live, as long as I can be with you."

Scarlett blushes. "How did I get so lucky? You could have had any girl in Anne Arbor, yet you chose me. And I thank you by dragging you out to the middle-of-nowhere." She brushes a strand of hair out of his face. "You didn't have to follow me out here, you know."

"Oh Scar. I wish you would realize just how wonderful you really are. I love you, and I would follow you to the moon if I had to."

Scarlett shakes her head. "I don't deserve you," she whispers.

"No. You deserve better than me," he says, his face growing hard. "After all, I'm just a poor, unemployed criminal."

Scarlett's eyes widen with concern. "Sweetheart, I didn't mean that," Elijah pacifies. "Please don't cry. I'm just frustrated, that's all. I'll find a job. Don't worry."

She nods her head, her tender disposition soothed for now. "We need to go say hi to Aunt Selina and Uncle Jed," Scarlett reminds him. "They sounded very eager to see us."

Scarlett and Elijah arrive at the Boyson household just before sunset. As Jedidiah ushers them into the living room, Selina leaps up from her chair. "Scarlett!" she shrieks excitedly as she pulls her into a hug.

Scarlett grins. She loves how enthusiastic and friendly her Aunt Selina is, so different than her own mother. "It's so good to see you again!" Scarlett tells her. "Where is little Brittany?" she asks.

Selina grins dotingly. "The little monkey is down for her nap, thank God. You can meet her later. How is my sister Sharla these days?"

Scarlett freezes, panic in her eyes. Even with someone as sympathetic and understanding as Aunt Selina, she hates talking about her mother.

Selina doesn't miss a beat. "That bad? Good thing you're two thousand miles away from her then, eh? Come, come. Sit down and tell me about the trip. Did you catch the express train like I suggested?"

Meanwhile, Elijah pulls Jedidiah aside, away from the girls. He clears his throat, not really sure where to begin. "I just, uh, wanted to say thank you for setting me up with that loan Jed. I know the bank wouldn't ordinarily lend money to someone with my background, but with your name on the papers Scarlett and I were able to afford that little house by the river."

"Dude, relax. Your father and I go way back. Besides," he adds, lowering his voice, "Selina doesn't allow video games in the house anymore ever since that unfortunate bladder incident. I expect an open door policy and total access to first player privileges whenever I come over."

Eli laughs. "Bladder incident?"

"Oh, you didn't hear about that? Right. Yes. How was your trip?" he asks, quickly changing the subject.

While the boys chat about God only knows what, Scarlett and Selina catch up. Jedidiah and Selina moved to Appaloosa Plains years ago when Scarlett was still a child after Selina decided to test out an experimental cure for vampirism. The miracle potion made her human, but it cost her the friendship of her family. Scarlett's mother Sharla was particularly furious with Selina's "betrayal" and effectively cut all ties with her.

Scarlett never forgot her "cool Aunt Selina" and secretly managed to keep in contact with her. As the only other human in the Starr family, Selina and Scarlett remained friends despite the distance. So when one day Scarlett mentioned in passing her dream of owning a horse ranch, Selina immediately made arrangements for her to apprentice at a local stables. Scarlett never felt at home in the big city of Anne Arbor, and she leaped at the opportunity to work on a ranch. Within the week, she and Elijah packed their bags and boarded the train to the small Midwestern town of Appaloosa Plains.

Brittany, Jedidiah and Selina's daughter, wakes up a few hours later and Selina brings her out to meet Scarlett. Scarlett absolutely adores children and immediately makes friends with her little cousin.

"I want some," she tells Elijah.

"Some what?" he asks, frowning.

"Kids of course. Actually I want several."

"Scar, isn't it a bit early to be thinking about children? We aren't even married. Hell, I don't even have a job yet."

Scarlett just smiles at him happily. "I'm not worried about it," she replies.

Scarlett wakes up early the next morning and heads to the ranch for her first day on the job. Her boss, Chuck Hobble, used to be quite well-known around the rodeo circuit until he took one too many tumbles off his horse and decided to retire. Now he lives with his good friend Johnny Johnson, an old country music singer. Together they run a small stable operation just outside their home. Scarlett was hired on as their apprentice, and she hopes to learn everything she can about horses.

"Scarlett Starr?" Mr. Hobble greets her with a firm handshake and a large smile. "Good to meet you, my dear. Good to meet you. Welcome to The Country Cowpokes Ranch!" he says, gesturing around him.

"Thank you, Mr. Hobble. I'm thrilled to be here," Scarlett replies shyly.

"Well, we are glad you're with us Scarlett. There's three things you need to know to work here," he tells her, jumping right into her duties. "One: Respect the horses. If you show the horses respect, the horses will show you respect. Two: Respect the job. Be prompt and courteous and don't take advantage of our lax rules. Third, and most important: Respect the boss." He grins, his eyes slowly tracing the curves of her figure. Scarlett fidgets uncomfortably, but Mr. Hobble doesn't seem to notice. "Respect the boss," he repeats. "And the boss will show you just how much he can respect you." He winks and then turns and walks toward the stables, motioning for her to follow.

The rest of the day goes off without a hitch. She meets their three mares Annie (pictured), Shadow, and Freebird.

Her favorite of their horses however is the adopted foal Bella. She belonged to the Fox family that lives down the street, but for whatever reason they had to find her a new home. Bella combines two of Scarlett's favorite things: Babies and horses.

While Scarlett's at work, Elijah gets an unpleasant surprise in the mailbox. Their first mortgage payment is due, and he still hasn't been able to find a job.

Instead of laying around the house worrying about money, Elijah decides to head into town to see if anyone is hiring. After he wanders around historic downtown Appaloosa Plains for a while, Eli stumbles across an old saloon. As he sips on his drink, he can't help but notice the colorful figure sitting silently beside him.

"How do our drinks compare to those in the big city?" the man asks after a minute.

Eli frowns. "They're decent," he replies. "Is it that obvious that I'm not from around here?"

The man laughs. "Yes. Appaloosa is a small town. I know everyone, and everyone knows me. I don't, however, recognize you."

"Elijah McKinley," he says extending his hand. "I just moved here from Anne Arbor."

"Nice to meet you Elijah. I'm Kanoa Parrott. I moved here many years ago from the island of Hawaii. May I ask what brings you to this part of the world?"

"My girlfriend's aunt lives here, Selina Boyson. She found her an apprenticeship at a local ranch."

"And what do you do, my friend?"

"Nothing, yet," Elijah replies crossly.

"I see. Jobs are scarce around here right now," Kanoa tells him.

"Yes. So I've heard."

Kanoa chuckles. "You sound so bitter for such a young man. But perhaps I have some news that may interest you. My company is hiring."

Elijah perks up. "Really? What do you do?"

"I'm employed in one of the oldest industries in town. The pay is good, even at the bottom levels, and the hours are manageable. However," he adds, "society tends to... frown upon people in my line of work."

Elijah glances at him sharply. "I don't understand," he says.

"He's a thief, kid," the bartender shouts down the counter.

Kanoa rolls his eyes. "Thank you, Li. I'm sure everyone in the saloon needed to hear that."

"No problem, boss," she replies with a devilish grin.

"A thief?" Elijah frowns. "No thank you. I'm not a criminal. Not anymore."

Kanoa raises an eyebrow. "Anymore?" he asks curiously.

Eli shakes his head. "I've been on the wrong side of the law before, when I was younger. And I swore I'd never end up there again."

With a quick flick of his wrist, Kanoa passes him a business card. The only writing on it is a phone number. "In case you change your mind, my friend."

Eli picks it up and turns it over before setting it back down on the counter. "No thank you," he repeats, his voice full of grim determination. He tosses Li a few Simoleons before getting up and walking out of the bar.

"I like him," Li says as she watches him walk away. "He's cute. Too bad he won't be joining our gang."

Kanoa smirks. "I wouldn't be so sure about that if I were you."

Elijah gets home late that afternoon, but Scarlett isn't back yet from her first day at the ranch. He decides to surprise her by cooking dinner, but just as he is about to head to the grocery store his phone rings.

"Hello?"

"Eli? Is that you?"

"Ryder?" Elijah hasn't called his father "Dad" since he was a little kid. "What's going on? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything is fine. Guess what?! Carmen and Zane and I are flying out to Appaloosa Plains next week to visit you! Isn't that great?!"

Elijah freezes. "Ryder," he begins after a minute. "That's not necessary. Really, I-"

"Of course it's not necessary," he snaps. "But I want to. I mean, we want to. It'll be great!"

Eli hears a door slam and the familiar whine of his stepmother Carmen calling to Ryder.

"I've got to go," Ryder whispers hurriedly. "But I'll see you next week! Don't worry about picking us up or anything. The hotel is going to send a car."

Click. The line goes dead, leaving Elijah to wonder how he's going to break the news to Scarlett.


Challenge Notes:

So, obviously there have been some major changes since I last updated. After I installed the Pets expansion pack, Anne Arbor became virtually unplayable because of lag. I already knew that I wanted to move my family to Appaloosa Plains, but I couldn't quite figure out how to make the story work. I just couldn't imagine Ryder (a famous movie star) and his then girlfriend/now wife Carmen (a famous pop star) moving to a rural country town like AP. So I decided to skip ahead in my legacy and only move my generation 3 heir, Elijah, and his girlfriend, Scarlett Starr. I also decided to play them as a founding family, instead of starting them with boatloads of money and all their skills and everything. Eli will keep his hidden traits though (because I worked hard for the "Immune to Fire" one, lol).

Furthermore, I decided that because my last attempt at a legacy was incomplete (I couldn't/wouldn't finish Ryder's generation) Elijah will be a "true" generation 1, meaning there will (hopefully) be 9 more generations to come. I am lazy and don't want to start another blog, so I just put "Anne Arbor" in front of the old chapters.

So, here is my generation 1 (previously my generation 3) roll:

Generation 1 Information:

Marital Status- Couple
Number of Children- 3
Primary Income- Criminal (Thief)
Secondary Income- Equestrian
Generation Goal- Property Mogul
Miscellaneous Fun- Fashion Diva

I decided to use the expansion gift and change my secondary income from job hopper to equestrian. I know some of y'all don't like horses, so I'll try to keep the horse picture spam to a minimum. However, I must warn you: I will make no attempt to crop out kitten and/or puppy spam. <3

Even though this is completely irrelevant since she never got a real photograph in my actual story, Scarlett was, in fact, born a vampire. There is one picture of her in the Challenge Notes section a few chapters ago that show her as a vampire toddler. I'm not sure that I'm going to have many (if any) vampires in Appaloosa Plains, so I master controller-ed the disease away. And for those of you who care, Selina is actually Scarlett's aunt. She was Scarlett's mother's (Sharla's) younger sister.

(And to Becky and Melissa: I decided to add Jedidiah to AP because of y'all. And because I love him. Thank you for guilting me into it. <3)