Page 37 of A Chance Fall

She looked out into the horizon, her gaze fixated on the endless expanse of greenery. It was the only thing that brought her peace lately, the only thing that kept her grounded amidst all the chaos in her life.

"I just hope that we can win this fight," she said softly.

Jackson began to sift around for the roots of the overgrown plants again. But quietly, he replied, "We will."

April's heart swelled with gratitude. She couldn't believe that she had found someone like Jackson, someone who believed in her cause as much as she did.

It was even more special because he stumbled upon her. She was so unsure of him at first, but he won her over with his expertise. April thought back to the moment he showed up on the property unannounced. Who knew he would become an ally in a fight as big as the one she was in now?

"I appreciate your help in all of this," April said. Jackson simply nodded in response.

He was still a mystery to her. "You said you grew up in Montana? What was that like?" she asked him as she started her own work beside him.

Jackson smiled softly at the question, his eyes glazing over with nostalgia. "It was something else, that's for sure. It was beautiful in its own way. I grew up on a small ranch with my family. We didn't have much, but we made do with what we had. We had a ranch, so I grew up around horses and livestock."

It was small details that she found charming, but still held him in the shadows. "What was your family like?"

"Well, I had one older brother, one younger. We were always getting into some sort of trouble, but we always had each other's backs."

"And your parents?" she asked, trying to dig deeper into him. She wanted to know him more than just the front he put on. This mysterious facade was attractive, but she wanted to hear something, anything about him.

Jackson wiped his sweaty brow as he shrugged. "They were my parents. A mother who worked hard at home raising us, and a father who worked with his hands on the ranch."

April listened intently, fascinated by him. "What kind of animals did you have on the ranch?"

"Mainly horses, but we had a few cattle as well. There were all kinds of little things running around. I used to spend hours just riding horses around the property. So majestic."

She was surprised by his use of the word majestic. It sounded foreign coming out of his mouth, like it didn't quite fit. April liked that he was sharing this new perspective. It was a side of him she hadn't seen yet.

As they worked in silence, April couldn't help but feel drawn to Jackson. There was something about the way he spoke of his past that made her heart flutter. She wanted to know more about him, to peel away the layers of his mysterious exterior.

"Why did you ever leave Montana?" she asked, breaking the silence.

"I knew I'd end up on a ranch again somewhere, but I wasn't sure where. I just wanted to get out of there. My brothers stayed to take care of the farm. I wanted to spread my own wings. I needed to explore before I ever settled down. And well... I ended up never settling down."

As they worked side by side, April snuck a look at Jackson. There was something about him that made her heart race and her cheeks flush. She knew she shouldn't be thinking like this, especially with everything going on, but she couldn't help herself.

"So, what about you, April? What was your childhood like?" Jackson asked, breaking her from her thoughts.

April hesitated for a moment, not sure if she wanted to delve into her past. But something about Jackson made her feel safe.

"I grew up in the city mainly, but we'd come out here for vacations. My parents weren't very happy, and they divorced when I was a teen. I'm an only child, so it wasn't very exciting," she replied, feeling like her story was much less interesting than his.

Jackson looked at her with a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry to hear that. It sounds like that was tough."

"Thanks," she replied with a smile. She was used to people pitying her, but Jackson seemed to see the strength in her.

As they continued to work, April couldn't help but steal glances at Jackson.

It was hard not to with his large muscles.

Though April was still hung up on Nigel, she felt attracted to Jackson. For a moment, she wondered if she should just let Nigel get back together with Lily. They were clearly still working some things out.

Lily was clearly still interested in Nigel. And she had no clue what he was thinking lately, except that 'it wasn't what it seemed'. Which April didn't believe for a single second.

She was angry with him for sure, but she did like him and was disappointed with how things were going. Being around Jackson felt easy, easier than being around Nigel lately. That seemed to always end in an absolute mess.

But here she was, surrounded by the whistling trees and green pastures where she could really relax. She could stare at Jackson and feel calm. It was different, new. It was something she wanted to consider.