Being Decisive - Part 1

Hello Faithful Friday Fiction Fans!
I am please to announce that my newest book Triple Creek Ranch--Rustlers is now published and ready for orders!

This is quite exciting as it feels like I've been working on this book for a long time. :) To those of you who have read books one and two, it probably feels long as well. But now your wait is over. You can order it from my Rebekah's Books page on this blog or go to Amazon. And yes, it is in ready for Kindle orders as well. :)

This week has not been a good one for writing TCR-4. I can't remember if I even tried to write anything Sunday night or not.
On Monday evening I was busy getting things together and then read and went to bed early because I had to get up at 4:15 the next morning.
Tuesday was spent all days as an election judge. It didn't feel as long as sometimes it has. I also sold 3 books. :) But, when I got home about 9:10 that evening, I wasn't about to try to write.
Wednesday I was tired. I worked on making all the corrections for TCR-3 and read and worked on TCR-3. (I was trying to find a missing font which wasn't on my new computer and my old one had messed up the fonts.)
Yesterday I was going to write, but took some things down to my best friend's house and ended up staying and talking and doing dishes with them. (Don't you wish I'd come do dishes with you? :) )
This evening we're babysitting the kiddos so no writing.

Thank you all for deciding on which story you wanted next. Noah, I'll probably do "Forget Not" after this one is done. I hope you enjoy this story. It wasn't planned out really. I just had an idea and wrote it. I wasn't even sure I liked it when I finished it. I hope you'll let me know what you think of it. Enjoy!

Being Decisive

Part 1

    Thirteen-year-old Melody laughed. She hadn’t been out to her uncle’s ranch for many days, but already she loved it. She loved the early morning breakfasts, the chores, the horses, everything. It was so different from the life she knew back in Chicago. Here the air was fresh and clean, the streams clear and cold. All the men she had met were gentlemen who at the least touched their hats to her or nodded. No longer did she have trouble getting to sleep at night, for the outdoor life she led brought on a feeling of tiredness quite new to her, and she dropped into slumber almost as soon as her head touched her pillow.
    There were a few things which bothered her, though they weren’t much and she hoped they would soon pass. One was her oldest cousins, Donald and Catherine, or Don and Cath as they were more commonly known. They were as polite and kind to her as the others were, but somehow Melody could sense that for some reason they weren’t sure they approved of her. “Perhaps it’s because they think I’m really a city girl at heart,” she thought. “But if I was, why would I do the things I do?”
    The other problem was her perpetual fault of indecisiveness. For as long as she could remember, Melody had never been able to make up her mind quickly about anything, whether it was a new dress, what to order at the ice cream shop, or even which pair of white socks to wear with her Sunday dress. So indecisive was she that her cousins had almost quit asking what she wanted to do and just told her what she was going to do. She didn’t really mind that. But just the other day her uncle had scolded her a little for not making a decision until the opportunity was past. “One day, Mel,” he had told her, “you are going to be faced with a grave decision which you will have to make at a moment’s notice. If you aren’t ready, it may be too late.” This has caused her a new concern. What would happen in a crises if she couldn’t be decisive?
    Other than those things, Melody was greatly enjoying her time at the ranch and was glad fall was so far away.
    “Mel, come on!” A voice called.
    With another laugh, Melody ran after her cousin. That was another thing she liked, the nickname she had at once been given by her country cousins. It sounded much more interesting and daring than Melody did.
    Dashing up the steps, Mel caught up with Lou and Dick. “Why are we in such a hurry?” she panted.
    “Come on,” Lou, who was ten, urged impatiently. “Inside.”
    Still puzzled, but willing to follow if someone was leading, Mel allowed herself to be pulled into the large ranch kitchen.
    “Here she is!” Dick shouted with all the lung power of a healthy seven-year-old.
    “Goodness, Dick, you don’t have to shout,” Liz scolded with a smile and a shake of her head. “We’re not deaf.”
    “Eh, what was that?” sixteen-year-old Tom asked, putting his hand to his ear.
    A burst of laughter filled the kitchen. Tom was always cracking a joke or doing something to make others laugh.
    After the laugh had died away, Melody looked from one face to another. “Well, what are we doing?”
    Every eye turned to Don. “Before Mom and Dad left, they said we could go out for a ride and,” he added quickly before Dick or Lou could speak, “Dad said that since you have improved so much in your riding, we can take you up to the promontory.”
    Loud squeals of delight came from the two youngest who had known of the coming picnic, but not the location.
    “Liz and I have the lunches packed,” Cath said. “So, Mel, Lou and Dick, get your boots and hats.”
    “And hurry,” Jim called.
    By the time the three had their hats and boots on, the boys had the horses saddled and everyone was ready. Just before they rode off, Don had a few words to say.
    “You all know the rules No goofing off when you are on your horse going up the mountain. Or down either. No riding off alone and no bringing home any live creatures.” Here he looked at Dick who was known for filling his pockets with grasshoppers, snakes or any other creatures he could find.
    “All right,” Dick sighed. “Then let me ride with Mel. She’ll make sure I don’t bring any home.”
    Melody enjoyed every moment of that ride up the mountain with her cousins. The views were breathtaking and by the time they reached the promontory, she was hungry and even sandwiches tasted like a feast. However, once the edge of hunger had been dulled, she forgot the rest of her food and sat staring out over the valley, completely lost in her own thoughts until someone shoved part of a sandwich in her mouth. That brought her back with a start and she nearly choked.
    “Tom,” Cath scolded with a smile, “be nice.”
    With a wink at Melody who was glaring at him with a half grin on her face, Tom replied, “I was. I could have dumped water on her head.”
    Hastily swallowing the bite thrust in her mouth, Melody said, “I’d rather eat than take a shower, thank you.”
    “Then hurry or we’ll have to leave you behind,” Jim told her. Jim was two years older than Mel and Liz and never said much.
    “The rest of us are finished,” Liz added.
    Instantly Melody was filled with remorse and ate the rest of her lunch as quickly as she could while Don explained that the boys had chores they had to get back to and Cath needed to start supper.
    At that a cry of dismay arose from Dick and Lou. “We don’t want to go back yet!

So, what do you think of the start?

Are you going to be back next Friday?

Any ideas of what happens?