#life is peaks and valleys my friends and sometimes you gotta live through the lows and true friends will be there

[propheciesanddreams]

I’m so tired lately. Mentally recovering from so much. Feeling like a shit friend. If you’re one of my mutuals or friends and I haven’t been texting you lately, know that I love you greatly, I just don’t have the energy to text much. xx kisses my lovelies.

[chooseywoozy]

Big Sky Country, Chapter One - Country Roads

(NOW PLAYING AS MOSSY)

You’re driving an old sedan down a two-lane highway through the vast expanse of rural Montana. On the horizon, snow-peaked mountains… Behind you, everything you’ve left behind. You glance at the rear-view mirror, catching sight of yourself.

Mossy: I gotta say, for a week on the road, I’m looking pretty good.

You peek over at the passenger seat, where your precious potted cactus is held securely in place by the seatbelt.

Mossy: You’ve been so quiet on this trip, Spike. Everything okay over there?

Spike gives his usual answer… total silence.

Mossy: Okay good. I wouldn’t want you to get car sick.

Suddenly, the gas pedal goes soft under your foot! You press down harder, but the car continues to slow.

Mossy: What the…?

Your car jerks back and forth as steam billows out of the engine!

Mossy: No no no!

You pull over to the side of the road. The car shudders one last time before the engine quits altogether.

Mossy: Oh, crap.

You get out of the car, and everything is quiet. There are no cars on the road in either direction.

Mossy: Okay, this is officially the middle of freakin’ nowhere. AKA, the worst place in the world to break down.

You check your phone hopefully.

Mossy: No service. Now what?

You sit down on the rear bumper and look out over the horizon… Off in the distance, a small figure catches your eye… You eagerly lean forward to get a better glimpse.

Mossy: Is that a man… on a horse? Maybe there’s hope for a rescue, yet.

The figure draws closer and closer, until…

Cowboy: Howdy, there.

You get a good look at the cowboy as he stops his horse in front of you. He’s got a grin as wide as the horizon and dusky brown eyes.

Mossy: Uh… Hi! My name’s Mossy! You wouldn’t happen to know anything about cars, would you?

Cowboy: Just that I prefer Dolly here to them.

He pats his horse affectionately, and she nickers in response.

Dolly: Nnnghh!

Mossy: Dolly, as in… Dolly Parton?

Cowboy: The one and only. The name’s Sawyer, by the way.

Sawyer rides up to the front of your car and bumps it with his boot. The hood pops open with a hiss of steam.

Sawyer: Looks like you’ve got a blown head gasket. You’ll have to call Larry’s repair shop in town for a replacement.

Mossy: I was worried it might be something like that. Do you have a cell phone I could borrow?

Sawyer: Naw, I don’t bother with cell phones. Signal’s terrible out here. But I’m happy to give you a ride to the nearest landline.

Mossy: You can take me anywhere, cowboy.

You eye him appreciatively, and he chuckles.

Sawyer: Why do I feel like I just rode into some sort of cheesy romance novel?

Mossy: Would that be so bad? I’m pretty sure that would make you the handsome hero.

Sawyer: I was always more of a spies and shootouts kinda guy, but I suppose i could get used to a romance novel.

Sawyer offers you his hand. You take it, and he easily pulls you up onto his horse behind him. He spurs Dolly on, and you pitch forward as the horse starts to walk.

Dolly: Neeeiigh.

Mossy: (Whoa…)

You lean forward and wrap your arms around his toned stomach, appreciating the way his muscles ripple beneath his shirt…

Sawyer: You settled back there?

Mossy: Yup! I’m all good.

The two of you ride in silence for a minute, swaying together with the motion of the horse…

Mossy: So, uh, where exactly are you taking me?

Sawyer: To the ole homestead. Luckily, you broke down right on the edge of our ranch.

Mossy: So all this land is yours?

Sawyer: My family’s, yeah.

You look around the landscape as Dolly rides across a vast meadow.

Sawyer: It’s beautiful out here, isn’t it?

Mossy: Yeah… it really is.

Sawyer shifts in his saddle before looking at you over his shoulder.

Sawyer: So tell me, Mossy, what do you do? Besides, you know, breaking down on the side of the road.

Mossy: Recently, I’ve mostly just been trying to figure my life out.

Sawyer: Any luck?

Mossy: Not even close. So far, all I’ve got is moving from Boston to California. Montana is just one of many stops along the scenic route.

Sawyer: What prompted the big move?

Mossy: The last six months in Boston… weren’t the greatest. This relationship I’d been in for two years ended badly. My apartment got infested with rats, and my landlord jacked up the rent. And this job I really wanted, my dream job, totally fell apart at the last minute.

Sawyer: Sorry to hear it. What was the job, if you don’t mind me asking?

Mossy: I was going to be a programmer.

Sawyer: Oh yeah?

Mossy: Yeah. I ha a gig lined up at this really big tech company. A place I’d wanted to work at ever since I was a kid. And then the week before I was supposed to start, their shareholders made them fire half the staff. Including me.

Sawyer: Ouch.

Mossy: Yeah. Ouch is putting it mildly. More like three weeks lying around in my apartment, drinking wine and feeling sorry for myself.

Sawyer: Lying around your apartment… that was infested with rats.

Mossy: Yup.

Sawyer: Well… I see why you’re going to California then. Probably a lot of coding gigs there. You could live that Silicon Valley life. Make a startup, drive a Tesla, launch a rocket to Mars.

Mossy: I really don’t think that’s the typical Silicon Valley life.

Sawyer: So that’s what this is about? Getting a new job?

Mossy: Sort of. I guess I wanted to start a new life. California seems like as good a place as anywhere for a new start, but…

Sawyer: But what?

Mossy: I don’t know. Maybe I could just as easily start somewhere else. Sorry, I’m sure that sounds silly.

Sawyer: No, it doesn’t. Not to me.

You lean forward, and notice a long scar on the back of his right arm, and a small tattoo on the back of his neck that says ‘Lindy’.

Mossy: Sawyer, can I ask you something personal?

Sawyer: Hmmm… awful forward, aren’t you?

Mossy: I just told you, like, three super personal details!

Sawyer: Fine, fine. What do you wanna know?

Mossy: Where’s that scar from?

Sawyer: This? Oh, it’s just a birthday present from a bull named Thunder Road.

Mossy: Something tells me that scar wasn’t on your wishlist.

Sawyer: Definitely not. But I deserved it for being such a little brat. I was a Youth Rodeo champion as a kid, convinced I had the magic touch despite having only ridden baby calves and the like. The day I turned fifteen, I signed up for a full-on rodeo event. I didn’t even bother to practice!

Mossy: Oh, no…

Sawyer: Oh, yes. Thunder Road slammed me into the gate before we even got into the ring. Taught me a lesson right quick. But it was the best thing that could’ve happened, you know? I had no business riding that bull. And he let me know it.

Mossy: Do you still ride in rodeos?

Sawyer: … Naw. Not so much.

Smiling, you lean back, and that’s when you notice a young woman on a horse in the distance, watching you curiously.

Mossy: Who’s that?

Sawyer: Juliette Mendoza. Her family owns our neighbouring ranch. There’s a whole complicated… thing.

Mossy: Complicated like… she’s your ex?

Sawyer: Ha, no! Juliette’s great, but we’re just friends. Naw, it’s our families that’re the issues.

Mossy: Oh?

Sawyer: Would you believe me if I told you it was a feud going back 150 years?

Mossy: … Wow.

Sawyer: That’s Montana for you.

You glance back the the girl. She waves and smiles.

Mossy: She seems okay…

Sawyer: Yeah. She’s the nice one. Now hang on tight. It gets a little bumpy here.

The two of you ride on, and a little while later, you reach a wooden gate framing a long driveway. There’s a hanging sign that reads…

Mossy: ‘Oakley Ranch.’

Dolly perks up her ears and walks a little quicker as you turn up the road.

Sawyer: Here it is. Home, sweet home.

Dolly leads you up a grand entrance lined with tall trees and a wooden three-rail fence… On either side is green pastureland dotted with cows. To the left, a big red barn. Aead on the right, the ranch house. It’s a beautiful spread, although clearly past its prime. The fence needs mending, and the red paint on the barn is peeling… But Sawyer surveys the place like it’s heaven on earth.

Sawyer: What do you think?

Mossy: It’s charming. You never see anything like this back home.

Sawyer: Maybe you need to get out to the country more often.

Mossy: Yeah, maybe I do….

You cast a sidelong glance at Sawyer…

Mossy: I can tell this place is really special to you.

Sawyer: It is… Although sometimes it seems like my dad and I are the only ones who appreciate it.

Mossy: What about the rest of your family?

Sawyer: It’s just my older brother, but he’s not around much anymore. He sorta… comes and goes.

Mossy: Oh, I’m sorry…

Sawyer: It’s a good thing, trust me. There’s some bad blood and… well, it doesn’t matter. He’s out of town now, thankfully, and will be for a while.

The two of you fall quiet as Sawyer guides Dolly up to the front of the ranch house. He hops down and reaches up to help you off the horse.

Sawyer: Sorry, I didn’t mean to be such a downer back there. It’s just…

Mossy: It’s fine. I get it. There’s nothing to explain.

Sawyer smiles, grateful for the out.

Sawyer: I gotta put Dolly away. You can go on in and use the phone to call Larry, the town mechanic.

Mossy: Thanks.

As Sawyer leads the horse into the barn, you hear a rustling sound from around the side of the yard…

Mossy: Hello? Is someone there?

Calf: mmmoooo?

Mossy: Oh, you’re adorable…

You reach out to scratch behind the calf’s shaggy ears, and it looks up at you with huge, molten brown eyes.

Calf: Mmmmmoooo…

The calf hums with appreciation as you keep scratching its head.

Mossy: I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship…

Suddenly, you hear a loud, low moooooo behind you… You turn around to see a large mama cow coming right for you!

Mossy: Aaah!

You back away from the calf, but the mama cow doesn’t stop!

Mossy: Sorry! I’m not trying to take your baby, I swear!

The cow barrels toward you until…

Cowboy: Whoa there, mama!

A rugged cowboy dives forward, tackling you out of the way just as the cow rushes past!

Mossy: Th-thank you…

Without a word, the guy pulls himself up and dusts himself off.

Cowboy: You okay, girl?

Mossy: I think so…

Cowboy: Wasn’t talking to you.

He leans down to gently pet the calf. The mama cow nudges her baby with her nose.

Cowboy: Go on now, mama, go home…

The man calmly herd the cows back through the gate, then closes it behind them. The calf snorts as if to say goodbye. Finally, the cowboy turns to look at you.

Mossy: So, are you a cow whisperer or something? That was seriously impressive. I swear, I saw my life flash before my eyes!

The cowboy shrugs.

Cowboy: You just gotta know how to handle them.

Mossy: Still. I’m very impressed. I’m Mossy, by the way.

You hold out your hand. He looks at it, but makes no move to shake it.

Dallas: I’m Dallas. You visiting?

Mossy: Not exactly. I just came to use the phone. My car broke down not far from here.

Dallas: The house is that way. Stay clear of the livestock, you hear?

With that, Dallas disappears into the barn.

Mossy: I guess I’d better head inside to call the mechanic.

You make your way toward the main house… You’re almost to the porch when the door flies open and an old man bursts out, brandishing a shotgun!

Old Man: Who the hell are you, and what the hell are you doing on my property?!

Mossy: Aaah!

Old Man: You’re not from the bank, are you?

Mossy: The… bank?

Old Man: Well, are you? Or ain’t you?

Mossy: No!

Old Man: I don’t believe you!

Mossy: Please! Hear me out! My name’s Mossy. I’m not from the bank! Sawyer just said I could use the phone?

The old man narrows his eyes at you.

Old Man: How do I know this isn’t some newfangled banker trick?!

Mossy: Because that’s not a thing!

Just then, Sawyer returns from the barn. He jumps in between the two of you, forcing the old man to lower his gun.

Sawyer: Dad, we’ve talked about this! You can’t go around pointing your shotgun at people.

Old Man: She’s on my property!

Sawyer: Mossy’s car broke down on the highway, and I said it was okay to use our phone to call Larry. Remember that good old-fashioned hospitality you instilled in me at a young age?

Sawyer’s dad grumbles, but finally looks at you.

Old Man: I’m sorry. I s’pose I overreacted a touch.

Mossy: I’ll say!

Sawyer: Mossy, this is my dad, Cliff. He’s got a mean bark, but he’s mostly harmless.

Sawyer drops his voice to a whisper…

Sawyer: He won’t admit it, but those shells are full of rock salt. Stings like the devil, but won’t do you real harm. My old man just wants to seem tough.

Cliff: Eh? What was that? You talkin’ about me, boy?

Sawyer: No, sir!

Cliff heads inside, and you and Sawyer take a seat on the front steps of the porch.

Sawyer: Sorry, I should’ve warned you ‘bout my dad.

Mossy: Between shotguns and angry cows, this place is more dangerous than it looks!

Sawyer: Then we’d better make sure you get outta here in one piece. I’ll call up larry and see when he can get here with his tow truck.

Mossy: I’d better wait outside, give your dad some time to cool off.

Sawyer: Good thinkin’.

Ten minutes later… Sawyer comes back outside and offers you a glass of iced tea.

Sawyer: So, the good news is, Larry said he’ll come get your car and take a look at it.

Mossy: That’s great!

Sawyer: yeah… ‘cept it’ll be at least a couple hours before he can get out to the ranch. But you’re welcome to wait here as long as you need. In fact… I was planning to go to the orchard to do some apple pickin’ this afternoon. Seeing as you’ve gotta wait to hear about the car anyway, do you wanna come with?

Mossy: Apple-picking, huh? Is that what you do with all the girls who stop by your ranch?

Sawyer: Just the ones I like.

Mossy: I can’t so ‘no’ to some good old-fashioned apple pickin’! Let’s go.

Sawyer drives you out in a tractor to an orchard full of top-heavy apple trees.

Mossy: What happened to all the other apples?

Sawyer: We let some kids pick ‘em the other day, and they pretty much took everything below six feet.

Mossy: So how do we reach the top apples? Slingshots? Stilts? Magic?

Sawyer: If only. We can either climb the trees…

Mossy: Or…?

Sawyer: Or you can sit on my shoulders.

You eye his strong muscles flexing beneath his shirt… then look back at the tall apple trees.

Mossy: I’ll sit on your shoulders.

Sawyer: The hands-on approach. I like it.

He crouches next to a tree stump and holds a hand out to you.

Sawyer: Hop on up.

You take his hand and carefully climb onto his shoulders.

Sawyer: Hang on now!

Sawyer slowly stands up…

Mossy: Whoa! Why didn’t I notice how tall you are before?

Sawyer: Mmm, you must’ve been distracted by my handsome face.

Mossy: No, I don’t think that’s it…

Sawyer: Oh yeah? Bold words for someone whose life is in my hands.

Sawyer dips and sways precariously…

Mossy: Stop, stop, you’re going to drop me!

Sawyer steadies you with his strong hands.

Sawyer: I’d never drop such precious cargo. Now, let’s pick some apples.

He maneuvers you under a tree, but as you reach for the fruit, he steps back and you grab a handful of air!

Mossy: Hey!

Sawyer: Oh, sorry. Were you trying to get that?

You poke him, and he laughs.

Mossy: Ha ha. Now, be a good ladder and don’t move.

With Sawyer stable beneath you, you pick up all the apples from the tree before moving on to the next… Five trees and ten baskets later… you and Sawyer step back to admire your handiwork.

Mossy: Do you think we got enough?

Sawyer: Definitely. We’ll be able to make enough cider for the whole town with this haul.

You take a deep breath, reveling in the feeling of accomplishment.

Sawyer: What’s that look for?

Mossy: Nothing. It’s just… this is the most fun I’ve had in ages.

Sawyer: You’re welcome to pick our apples any time. We never turn down free labor.

Mossy: Ha ha.

Sawyer: I’m serious. It gets boring doing this all alone!

Mossy: Don’t you have someone special in your life?

Sawyer: Nope. I’m currently very single.

Mossy: Very?

Sawyer: Let’s just say the dating pool out here is pretty shallow.

You look around at the empty orchard.

Mossy: Yeah. I can see that.

Sawyer: I love the solitude and peace that comes with living out on the ranch… but I can’t deny that it’d be nice to share it with someone.

Mossy: Oh?

Sawyer: not that I have much time to date. With my dad getting older, I’ve pretty much taken over most of the duties around the property.

Mossy: So you’re all about the hashtag-ranch life?

Sawyer laughs.

Sawyer: Yeah, something like that. But I don’t mind. I love it here.

Mossy: Would you ever want to do anything else?

Sawyer: Naw. It’s all ranching and riding for me. Oh! And cooking.

Mossy: Cooking? Really?

Sawyer: Yeah. I’m all about those cooking shows.

Mossy: Do you just watch, or do you cook too?

Sawyer: Hell yeah, I cook! But I can’t get too fancy, or my dad gets cranky.

Mossy: I’ve only known him for a few minutes, but I can already tell that’s extremely on brand.

After a moment, Sawyer bends down to pick up a basket.

Sawyer: We’d better load up these apples and get back to the ranch. But first…

He plucks an apple out of the basket and holds it up to you.

Sawyer: Trust me. Everything tastes better in the country.

Grinning, you lean forward and take a bite. It’s juicy and sweet, the best damn apple you’ve ever had.

Mossy: Mmm. You’re not kidding.

Sawyer: And you’ve got some apple on your chin.

Sawyer leans forward, his hand gently grazing your chin. He smiles, his eyes crinkling ever so slightly in the corners… You feel yourself drawn to him… Sawyer leans in, until his lips are just a breath away from yours… And then you pull away, suddenly shy.

Mossy: We… should probably head back.

Sawyer: Yeah. Of course. Hang on now, and don’t let those apples spill!

Mossy: I won’t!

He revs the engine, and soon the two of you are flying over the grassy meadows and rolling hills toward the ranch. Back at the house, the two of you are unloading baskets… when your stomach rumbles loudly.

Sawyer: Hungry?

You blush slightly…

Mossy: Sorry. I guess picking apples worked up more of an appetite than I expected.

Sawyer: You know, you are welcome to stay for dinner. I’m making Hunter’s Stew and fresh apple cider. Maybe a pie too, if I have enough time.

Mossy: That sounds delicious, but I don’t want to impose…

Suddenly, a sleek blue Mustang comes roaring up the long driveway! The two of you spring apart as Cliff hurries out of the house.

Cliff: Hot damn! They’re here early!

Sawyer: Oh, you have got to be kidding me…

The car door swings open, and a husky man gets out, glowering.

Sawyer: Dammit.

Mossy: Sawyer? What’s going on? Who is that?

Sawyer: The one person guaranteed to ruin my day… My brother.

Thoughts on the episode:

So far I’m not that impressed. It’s the first episode, I know, so it’s more about setting the scene. But uh… nothing’s really happening and Sawyer is neither extraordinarily hot or extraordinarily interesting. I know it’s supposed to be a cheesy romance book, but it’s hard to pull me in with a book in this format without some sort of plot.

I was seriously hoping that Sawyer’s brother would be a love interest and that would be a part of the plot - pick between two brothers, ooooooh. But one look at the brother tells me that is definitely not the case. He did not win the genetic lottery, that one was purely for Sawyer.

Juliette is hot - I hope we get to see more of her very soon. Not that fussed about Dallas. I assume Pixelberry were going for the strong, brooding, mysterious type with him but he just came across like a dick. Maybe he’ll win me over in future chapters, but for now, not a winner.

Fave Character of the Chapter: Spike

Least Fave Character of the Chapter: Dallas