[open] It's a Love Story

[Sydney Montgomery]

Monty I swear to God if you throw me off one more time I will sell you to the glue factory, and don't you dare even for one second think that I'm not serious. Little Sydney Montgomery stood pointedly in the center of the arena, the dust flying around her in a fury as the chestnut stallion pranced around the arena, seeming to mock the sixteen year old who was quite well battered and bruised by now. I don't care how big you think you are, I'm the best thing that's ever happened to you, so get your fat ass back over here. The horse stopped and looked at her, turning this into a stare down. A few snickers from behind Sydney came from the ranch hands watching her as she fought with the young horse who seemed more interested in humiliating her than learning anything. Sydney's head whipped around towards the men on the fence, a death glare burning in her eyes. Don't you go forgetting who writes up your pay checks every two weeks she snapped, the only word to describe her tone being "bitch," You never know when I might accidentally forget a zero or two. The laughter ceased, and the men dispersed.

She turned around towards the horse again. I mean it Monty. She growled, now getting legitimately frustrated with the horse. Seeming to sense the actual anger, Monty picked up his feet and ambled over to her, taking his own sweet time. When he reached her, Sydney snatched up the reins, pulled herself into the saddle, and loped him around the arena a few times, just to get her point across, before going back up to the barn.

It was only two hours after she had finished untacking him that she returned to his stall, fear and pain causing her to shake uncontrollably, and tears rolling down her cheeks. For hours she stayed there, arms wrapped around the chestnut horse's neck, sobbing into his smooth coat. After that day, the horse never intentionally threw her again, and any man that tried to approach her that seemed even slightly shady was met with sharp teeth and heavy hooves. After that one single moment, Monty seemed to have an understanding of Sydney and a protective instinct over her. That horse loved her in a way that only a horse could, and so long as he could help it, he would be the only male in her life.

Things had changed a lot since then. Sydney Montgomery and Runaway Money had become practically infamous among local rodeo circuits. She was the little girl who would stand up to a guy twice her age and say with an almost thingyy confidence, "anything you can do I can do better." and she always proved it. From her snappy come backs, to what went on behind closed doors, to riding, Sydney seemed to have something to prove, and in fact she did. She was trying to prove to herself that she was better than the woman that she shared her DNA with, that she was better than the incident that had happened on that day. She would never allow herself to be taken advantage of again, and she would never allow herself to be not good enough to get away, Sydney Montgomery would never ever be out done again. She wouldn't allow it, and if there was ever a situation where she might be, she would find a way out of it. She was never going to let that happen again.

Her big black pickup rolled into Pinewood's drive, and out stepped that girl that was always turning heads... only things were a bit different this time. Though most everything was the same, her ever slender waistline had begun to diminish, and in its place was the slightest, yet unmistakable rounding that indicated the tiny person growing within her. Don't get me wrong, the entire sex appeal of Sydney was still extremely prominent... a guy would have to have been castrated as a baby and not be attracted to women, or else be Anthony Lovasz, to not have a thought lingering in the back of their mind somewhere that they would "tap that." She was hot, and no little baby bump was going to change that. She still walked with that over-confident swagger, and absolutely no sign of the "pregnant waddle" people were rumored to get when they started showing.

As she walked down the aisle of the stable, a chestnut head popped out of the stall, and the deep brown eyes followed her every movement. There was no nicker of greeting though, just silent watching. Hey baby. she crooned softly upon reaching him, but instead of being greeted by the horse, Monty simply pinned his ears and turned around in his stall so he was facing away from her. Aw Monty, I'm sorry I haven't been around the past few days... she said with a slight laugh, this little one's giving me hell these days. I wanted to come see you I promise. This apology solicited no response from the horse, so Sydney slipped into his stall, and put her hands on either side of his face. Monty I promise the baby isn't going to replace you... You're my boy, no one could ever replace you. She said, that smile that only Monty ever got out of her lighting up her face as she leaned in and kissed him on the nose, then reached up and traced the star on his forehead, finally earning the horse's ears moving forward again.

Come on baby... lets go before I get sick again. She hooked her finger in the ring in his halter, not caring that most horse people would say that was dangerous. Monty wouldn't hurt her. As she stepped out, she grabbed the lead rope and hooked it onto his halter, leading him down the aisle to the cross ties. She hadn't ridden in nearly three days and it was killing her. Normally she rode every day, but with the morning sickness she'd been getting, she'd been bed ridden a lot. It was nice to finally have a day where she felt well enough to get out of bed and actually go see her horse. She loved Monty, and knew that no matter how many people tried to take advantage of her, Monty never would. He was her guardian, and she trusted him.

[Andrew Lovasz]

Sleep really wasn’t all that necessary to your survival was it? Andrew Lovasz asked found himself asking himself that question every morning… and every night… and practically every hour he was fighting to stay awake. Let’s just say sleep didn’t come easily any more these days. Between work, work, work, the barn, school, and Sydney there just wasn’t a whole lot of down time, especially when you added in the driving from place to place. Not to say he wasn’t happy, oh no, he was definitely happy. He just looked like the ghost from Christmas past while he did everything… it was no wonder people had to do a double take when they looked at him… it wasn’t because he was extremely attractive in every way… well that may have had a tiny part in it. But my guess was it was because he was now not so tan and more so pale. That was partially because of the lack of sun, and partially from being sucked dry of any hint of energy. Then you add in the black circles from not getting a wink of sleep in days, and you got yourself one heck of a good looking ghost. Even those of you out there who didn’t believe in ghosts would have to think twice when you saw him.

Don’t get me wrong Andrew cared very much for Sydney not that he’d scream it out to the world that he was completely whipped. Oh no, could you imagine the hit that would cause his ego to take? She was why he was doing all this in the first place; she was why he was still here too. Well her… and the baby, the baby kind of played a big part in it too. He’d do anything for the two of them… in fact he was doing anything for them. He worked as many shifts at the diner that he could manage, worked at the barn with the horses whenever he possibly could get there, he spent every waking hour (which was every hour) anticipating a phone call from Sydney, and then there was still that gardening work that he used to do before school… which he still tried to do but had to cut back. Then of course we couldn’t forget about actually going to school… which rarely happened… You try working three jobs and taking care of a pregnant woman who was either vomiting or eating you out of house and home.

He didn’t complain though, I mean how could he? He didn’t have to care a child around for 9 months and for years after that. Andrew knew he wasn’t the only one who had to give up their life… Sydney had to give up everything… the rodeo, riding, fitting into that size 1 pair of jeans that she owned, or being a young woman free of life altering responsibilities. All that and more went out the window when she found out she was pregnant… At first he was devastated, furious even, when he found out. His whole life was gone his freedom went out the window. But then he thought about her… and what she had to give up no matter what. He had a choice to stay or just walk away, but she was stuck no matter what he decided. Hence why he didn’t complain… how inconsiderate would it be if he whined about working 3 jobs and taking care of her when she had absolutely no choice in whether or not she threw up or what she craved. So the coc*ky ass did have a heart.

After the huge disaster at the barn, the day he found out the baby could possibly not be his, everything changed. It was like one of those points in your life where you could actually look back and think “that’s when it all changed.” It was like his whole world was crumbling around him… he was no longer a free man. He sunk down onto the edge of his bed and buried his face into his hands. No he wasn’t crying… he was just releasing it all. His whole life was now gone and all he had left were the memories and dreams of being free. There was still a packed bag sitting at the foot of the bed near the door just waiting for him to pick it up and run. It was too late… there was no turning back now… this was it. He let out a heavy sigh and not 10 seconds later there was a feminine tap on the open door. It was Alex… figures… you try to get time alone to figure out the pieces of your life and there was someone at the door to interrupt.

It wasn’t as if he didn’t appreciate all that Alex had done for him… I mean she was letting him live in her house and she gave him a job, of which she paid him rather well for, how could he be rude to her… even if she was married to his older brother whom he practically hated. That wasn’t true. He didn’t hate Anthony… he was just holding a major grudge against him… Andrew was only human; he couldn’t help but be angry for being left behind… just to be forgotten. Now here he was living with Anthony and Alex, if you could call it that. He was rarely around between picking fights, work, and school he never really had time to come home and relax, not anymore anyways. To Andrew it just seemed like the whole world was out to stop him and he was just fighting back as hard as he could, refusing to go in the direction that everyone seemed to want him to go in. He didn’t want to settle down and grow up… what was so great about it anyway… sure it worked for Alex and Anthony and they seemed happy. But he just couldn’t imagine himself as a dad… or a husband… or anything remotely close to the two. He was the player, the jock, the independent bastard, the jerk who slept with you and left you high and dry, the gypsy guy who came and went as he pleased never staying in the same place for too long. Here he was Andrew Lovasz face to face with the one thing he had been trying to avoid for all these years.

"You okay?"

[/b][/color] Her light voice graced his ears as she leaned against the door frame… not that he would know, he refused to look up at her. But before he could response she spoke again. "Anthony told me about what happened with that girl…"[/b][/color] If his eyes had been opened they would have been rolling. Of course Anthony told her… I guess it should be no surprised… That was precisely one of the reasons he didn’t want to get married… who would trust him with anything… apparently when you got married you told your spouse everything… including someone’s secrets which they didn’t exactly want to be headline news to everyone else. He sighed again before finally raising his head and letting his dead eyes look up at her. "Her name is Sydney." Shockingly he found himself protective over her. Last thing he wanted was for her to be known as “that girl.” It sounded so degrading, as if she was just some random person her picked up off the street… even though that’s practically what she was… a random girl… a complete stranger. What had he gotten himself into?

"And-" he went to continue, but before he could Alex was cutting him off… she tended to do that a lot… but usually when she did it was because she already knew what you were going to say and she was saving your breath for you… It could be annoying at time to constantly be cut off… but sometimes nice to know that she already knew and you didn’t have to explain everything. She offered him a light smile before interrupting him. "Anthony and I are willing to help the two of you in any way you need it… So if you need some place to stay… we’ve got plenty of space. She’s more than welcome." This was one of those times when it probably would have been nice, if he wasn’t already in a crappy mood. He just stared up at her blankly… mostly because he didn’t really know how to respond. He wasn’t exactly expecting her to say that… Actually he was expecting a scolding… or a question overload of how he was planning on handling this… followed by a scolding. That’s how it typically would have gone… but he had forgotten Alex wasn’t typical… nor did she do the typical adult thing.

After a few awkward minutes in silence he finally opened his mouth. "Just until I can save enough to get us our own place." He tried to make it sound confident and as if he didn’t really need their help… but it came out more so of convincing to himself. He hated it when he had to depend on people, even if it was offered up in a polite generous way. Andrew liked doing things on his own… but even he knew that there was no way he could do this without their help. She just smiled softly giving him a warmer look than he was probably returning. After a moment or so he offered her a sheepish smile. "Thanks Alex…" Even Andrew wasn’t a big enough ass not to be grateful of her help. Especially considering she wouldn’t make him pay her back… or even let the thought cross her mind. "Don’t worry about it…"[/b][/color] He really did appreciate all that she was doing for him… even if he didn’t show it very well. "and Andrew… you’re doing the right thing…I’m very proud of you… we both are."[/b][/color] She added with a loving smile before she walked out and down the hall. If only she knew how much that meant to him… but she probably never would.[/i]

It had been a while since that day… Sydney was now very pregnant, and they were both living with Alex and Anthony. If you could call it that… Andrew felt like he was hardly there, unless, of course, he was taking care of Sydney. His days usually consisted of running to the store to get whatever she wanted at the time, off to the gardening job (if that’s what you called what he did), then it was off to school (after he of course called Sydney to see if she was alright or if she needed anything), then after school it was home to check on her, another run to the store, then to the barn till about 5, then run home check on Sydney, shower, then off to the diner till Oh-dark-thirty, then home to take care of Sydney, and then start over a few hours later. It was a miracle he was still alive. This had been going on for… as long as he could remember and he was on the verge of crashing.

Today was no different… minus the fact that it was Saturday and he didn’t have school… though he forgot so he drove to the school only to find out that it in fact was Saturday and he didn’t have any school that day. Course he didn’t figure that out till after he had ran into the door to his class room. Poor guy was exhausted and barely trucking along but he didn’t say anything. Especially not in front of Sydney. She was so emotional these days that the slightest hint that he wasn’t happy and she’d start bawling and that just added an extra hour to him convincing her that he was happy and everything was okay. Sadly this was one of the reasons Andrew never stayed in the same place for too long. He hated routines… they were so… boring. He didn’t like knowing that his life just went in a circle day after day… week after week. He liked thrill… surprises and waking up and just deciding to move three states over was exciting it was spontaneous and he loved life like that, never knowing where you were going to end up next.

So after leaving the school he went straight to the barn, for once not checking in on Sydney. He figured she’d be okay; she was a grown woman… girl… whatever and could manage on her own for a little bit. Besides he had just been at the house before making the mistake of driving to school instead of the barn. He made it to the barn alive… stepped out of the mustang running shaking his head to help wake himself up. It was too dangerous to work with the horses if your mind wasn’t totally in it and awake, especially Loco. Running his hand through his hair he stepped into the tack room glancing around for a moment before grabbing Loco’s tack and stepping back into the hall. Three steps away from Loco’s stall he paused tilting his head to the sound of a familiar voice. A smirk graced his features as his whole face light up erasing any and all of what used to be the ghost that was there before. He swung the English saddle onto his shoulder and walked down the aisle, just to be looked after by a very confused Loco.

He peered around the corner at the cross tie just to see the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his life. Sydney. She was glowing, he wasn’t sure if that was because of the baby, because of the fact that she was with Monty, or because whenever he saw her he couldn’t tear his eyes off of her… making it appear as if she was glowing. In his eyes she never looked bad. He was pretty sure his favorite look of hers was when she was in sweats with her up in a messy pony tail and no makeup. There was no doubt about it… he had completely fallen for her, though he might still deny it. But he secretly smiled when she wasn’t looking while he was watching her. Not in a stalker way but in that cute head over heels type of way. He just leaned against the wall watching her smiling sweetly at how gorgeous she was. All what had already been said about lack of sleep and exhaustion and hatred for staying in the same place disappeared whenever he saw her. Whenever she was around it was all perfectly clear why he chose to stay and why he was doing everything he was doing. She meant to the world to him, more than the world actually, and being here with her made everything else that much more bearable. He may not have told her how he felt yet… but to any outsider… it was perfectly obvious by how he looked at her. [/size][/color][/center]

[Sydney Montgomery]

Sydney honestly never imagined herself ever actually liking a guy just for who he was. She had always been the kind of girl who was shallow and didn't give a damn about what someone was like on the inside. She had made it a habit to refuse to even so much as acknowledge a man she didn't find attractive, and if she found them attractive but would never sleep with them she just wouldn't talk to them, and if she found them attractive and would like nothing better than to get in their pants... they would find her attention nearly completely undivided on them. She knew how to seduce a man. If she wanted him, you had better believe that she would get them. She didn't care if they had nothing to their name or if they were millionaires, she didn't care if they were complete jerks or the nicest man on the planet. When she went in for the kill, there was no escaping her... it had been proven may times.

But now, her world was turned upside down and backwards. That night with Andrew was supposed to be just another notch in the bed post... he was just supposed to be another guy... one more stranger tangled up in her... he wasn't ever supposed to be anything other than that. But things changed... a lot... in a matter of hours. Andrew had the honor of being the first man to see her cry since she was a baby, the first man to see her in her weakness, the first man to see that she really did have a heart and really did care... the first man to see her for what she really was... just a scared little girl with a burden much too heavy for her to carry on her own. Andrew was the first guy to call her his girlfriend and not be completely shut out. Andrew was the first guy, aside from her dad, who she wasn't constantly afraid of. Andrew was the first guy she had sex with and then wanted him to stick around. Andrew was a lot of firsts in Sydney's life... but the most important was probably that he was the first one who Sydney found herself saying in her mind that she couldn't live without.

She'd been having a hard time with her pregnancy... with the morning sickness and the cravings and the mood swings... she felt like she was on a roller coaster in hell most of the time. There was quite a bit of guilt floating around her too. She felt awful for doing this to Andrew. He promised her he was going to be there for her, and probably had no idea how much it meant to her to finally have someone there when she needed him. She wanted him to be happy, she really did... and so always felt like such a horrible person whenever she could see that he wasn't. She knew he was giving up a lot for her, and she knew it was because of her that he was always so exhausted. Even though it probably seemed a little silly... she looked forward to the half a million times in a day that he called or came home to check on her. The more she was around him the more she didn't want to be away from him. It was a strange feeling for her, but she couldn't help it. She felt safe when she was with him, and even though he hadn't ever said anything to indicate that he maybe even liked her a little bit... she felt like she was with someone who cared when she was with him, and there was only one other human on the planet who she could say that about as well, and he didn't count, because he was her dad.

Moving in with Andrew's brother and his wife was a little awkward for Sydney, and she sort of tried to avoid any unnecessary encounters with them. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate what they had done for her and Andrew... she just felt so... well... out of place with them. They were always kind to her and she never felt like they were judging her... but even so... they were such good people, and she was so... the extreme opposite of good... she just didn't feel like she really belonged. Not that it was a problem or anything. Alex and Anthony were at the barn about 20 hours of the day, and even when they were home, Sydney was usually either sleeping or in the bathroom getting sick... again. On top of that, Andrew had warned Sydney before she moved in that Alex knew everything... so she had a feeling that Alex knew she wasn't really all that comfortable around them at this point and probably intentionally just sort of let her be.

Monty was definitely Sydney's baby. The ornery chestnut who was well known for driving the stable hands up the wall and not really being very nice to the other horses was so perfect for her it was like he was a totally different horse. He would give everyone who tried to handle him hell, and if you tried to ride him you'd be in for a taste of a real bucking horse... but if it was Sydney... he would walk quietly along side her with his head down at her level, he would move through the paces like a saint, he would stand perfectly still when she was getting up on him, and he had all sorts of quirky little things he did when he was with her that most horses would never do on their own accord. The best part though, in Sydney's mind, was that he was always protecting her. He didn't mind women... but any man that tried to get to Sydney would have to go through 1200 pounds of angry horse first. That was why, as Sydney got closer to Andrew, she was so relieved to see Monty's hate of him slowly disappearing. The day that horse accepted a man and let him approach without even so much as pinning his ears was the day Sydney was certain she had found the one.

As she stood beside the horse, meticulously brushing every particle of dust from his sleek coat and whispering sweet nothings to him, she noticed the slightest tightening of his muscles and his ears temporarily flicked back in that way that seemed to warn passers by to stand back or die, and an instant later got that all too familiar feeling of eyes watching her from behind... but it wasn't the "creeper checking me out" feeling... it was more than that. Sydney turned around and looked over at him, biting the inside of her cheek to keep herself from breaking out with a full smile and keep it restrained to her signature smirk. At least try not to look so mesmerized... she said holding back a laugh, I can't have everyone thinking I'm a guy that completely pathetic. Of course she wasn't serious... Andrew was anything but pathetic and she knew it... but there was nothing wrong with a little friendly banter, right?