Silence. That was the only thing that passed between us after five years apart. Not a typical fatherly question like 'how's school these days?' or even a warm welcome home. Nothing.

It was weird. I mean, we were father and daughter after all. But I guess ever since Mom, the accident... things had changed. 

I'd been sent to New York to live with my Grandmother. Dad had stayed firmly at Osprey Point. 

I couldn't deny I'd had a happy five years in NYC. I'd started at a new school and made some firm friends, Maddy and Alexa. I was going to miss them so much... They were two of the only people I trusted completely.

I'd always been more of an introvert. While some kids went out and hung around at shopping centres, I much preferred to stay inside our tiny apartment and read (Little Women being one of my all-time favourites) with Grandma close by so I look after her. Horseback riding had been a passion of mine, but that was before I'd moved to New York.

Grandma had always shown signs of medical problems, Alzheimer's specifically. She frequently had memory issues, sometimes even forgetting who I was. I'd always have to say 'It's Ariel, Grandma, your granddaughter.' It was frustrating, but I never got angry with her. Instead, I'd settle her back down in her favourite chair beside the window overlooking the city, and reassure her everything was okay, just like she had done five years ago when my mother had died. 

But now she was in a care home and I was here, trapped in a deafening silence. She must be so scared... I thought. I knew they wouldn't look after her properly. They wouldn't make her favourite tea, or buy the right type of cookies, or say the same things I did to tell her everything was okay and that I was right here beside her. 

I finally turned my attention to my father. His eyes were glued to the road, his face never moving to meet my gaze. Not once.

"So..." I decided to break into the depressing atmosphere. "How's the ranch? The horses? Diesel?" Diesel had been more or less my horse when I'd lived at the ranch. Dad had rescued the pony when I was six from an abusive home. With lots of love, care and attention, Diesel had turned into a cracking family pony, and later had taught me how to ride. I'd loved that little appaloosa so much...

Finally, Dad turned to look at me, his hazel brown eyes meeting mine for the first time in five years. 

"Long gone, I'm afraid," he said. I felt tears prick my eyes, but I hastily wiped them away. "Sold at the Miller Lake Horse Auction. We have plenty of other horses at the ranch now, though. I mean, your fourteen now, Ariel- you would've outgrown that pony anyway."

I suppose I couldn't expect anything less of my Dad. Thomas Fletcher was a hard working man, but always in for the money. Every horse rescued and brought to Osprey Point had to be sold. "It's what keeps us going," I recalled Dad's all-too-familiar saying from five years ago.

I sighed and leaned back against my seat, my head resting against the cracked leather. New York was long gone now. The city skyscrapers had been replaced with small farms and houses, and stretching palm trees to stubby stalks of corn. 

"Welcome to Wyoming," I muttered.

Heyooo! So that was the first chapter of Only You! I'm actually feeling pretty good about this book so far. 

Sorry if you thought it lacked in horses a bit, but I promise there's gonna be more soon.

Lemme know what you thought in the comments :)