Chapter One: Everyday Country

~~Story Note~~

~Autumn: 22 Years Old~

~Miley: 17 Years Old~

~Y/n: 19 Years Old~

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Mrs. Harrison: Girls! Time to wake up! Hurry down here to eat breakfast!

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You roll yourself out of bed while Miley and Autumn got out of bed like nothing. You've been living with them for three months now and you still haven't gotten completely used to waking up early in the morning.

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Miley: You're okay Y/n?

Autumn: I know sleeping in would be a dream come true. But we don't want to keep Mom waiting.

Y/n: (Yawn) I think I'll be alright. Maybe (Yawn)... some coffee will help.

Autumn: (Laughs) It's gonna be a while for you to get used to waking up.

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After getting dressed for today, you three head downstairs. You could smell the delicious breakfast in the kitchen as soon as Miley opened the bedroom door, and that is something you'll never get too tired to wake up for.

Entering the kitchen, Mrs. Harrison, Miley's and Autumn's mom, is just finishing cooking pancakes while the rest of breakfast is sitting on the table.

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Mrs. Harrison: Ya'll go ahead and eat what's on the table. I'm almost done with the pancakes.

Autumn: Okay mom.

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You all grab a plate and help yourselves to the food already set on the table. While you were getting food, you changed your mind about getting coffee and decided to go with orange juice. You pour yourself a tall glass full of it and sit down just as Mrs. Harrison is putting a big plate of stacked pancakes on the table. She grabs a couple of them and places them on your plate as well as for her daughters.

Ever since you've been here, she's been treating you like one of her own daughters. You honestly still feel a little bashful since you still consider yourself a guest in their home. But everyone in this family makes you think otherwise. You also help yourself to a couple of hash browns, a biscuit, and turkey bacon. Mrs. Harrison sits down next to you at the rectangle table.

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Mrs. Harrison: We're gonna be real busy this mornin' girls.

Miley: When are not really busy?

Mrs. Harrison: Anyway, I hear even some of the city folk are gonna be at the rodeo. Good thing I got three beautiful girls who can reel them in to buy something.

Autumn: Way ahead of you ma.

Mrs. Harrison: Too bad your father had to retire from bull riding last year.

Miley: (Looks at you) He got too old.

Autumn: That too.

Mrs. Harrison: Yes, but don't let him hear you say that. He retired because he knew if he fell off the bull the wrong way again, then this time it would be bad.

Y/n: Jeez, I'm sorry to hear that.

Mrs. Harrison: Aw don't be honey. Besides, he gets to spend more time taking care of the cows and bulls here. He can't ride them, but he can definitely feed them.

Miley: And talk to them like they understand what he's saying.

Mrs. Harrison: There's going to be plenty of cowboys over there too. And I mean real Cowboys, not the ones you see on tv. Would you date a cowboy Y/n?

Y/n: I-I don't know.

Miley: I know I would.

Autumn: Well, with this year's rodeo being bigger than last year, there's bound to be more than fifteen riders.

Miley: What you say Y/n? You wanna look for a boyfriend with me?

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Upon hearing that, you get flustered and choke a little bit on your orange juice.

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Mrs. Harrison: Alright stop teasing her and eat. We're going to Susan's farm to get some supplies. So eat so we can get there early.

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You don't think you've ever had a boyfriend before. There have been a couple of times when you've had crushes on guys during your time here, but it never went anywhere other than casually talking. After breakfast, you and Miley climb onto the back of the truck, while Mrs. Harrison and Autumn sit in the front.

Now you're driving down the long driveway, making your way to the Bee Happy Bee Farm. That's a pretty creative name for a farm, isn't it? While you all are passing through the fields and dozens of cows, you and Miley have a chat.

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Miley: You're going to love it over there. They sell raw honey in different flavors. They got honey-based soaps, shampoos, and conditioners. All made from the same honey they get from the bees they take care of.

Y/n: That's pretty cool. Hey, do you ever want your own farm?

Miley: (Smiles) Hell yeah. I want a big farm, acres, and acres of open fields. What about you? If you had a farm, what would you farm?

Y/n: I don't know, but I do like gardening and horses.

Miley: Maybe you can own a horse sanctuary and have a pumpkin patch on the side.

Y/n: Oh I should right? Have a pumpkin patch and make dozens of jack-o-lanterns all set on the front porch and driveway.

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It's like you can see it now. There's no other place you'd rather be than here in the country. An abundance of land, plenty of opportunities to grow things, raise farm animals, and a friendly community. You two continue to talk for a good thirty minutes before the truck stops in front of the Bee Farm.

There Susan and her husband greet you all and while Mr. Harrison talks to them, you, Miley, and Autumn enter the store. After grabbing one of the woven baskets placed close to the door, you and Miley head to the handmade soap bars while Autumn talks to her friend at the front register.

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Miley: Check this out. This one is called Ocean Bliss.

Y/n: Try this one, it's called Cucumber Melon.

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Miley and you browse the handmade soap bars for a few minutes before heading over to the jars of raw honey.

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Y/n: Unfiltered raw honey.

Miley: You think the mango flavor honey tastes good?

Y/n: I think so, yeah. I think I'm going to get the Elderberry-flavored one.

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You put a couple of jars of honey in your basket that you're willing to try. There are over a dozen flavors to choose from, and they all sound delicious. You've only recently started drinking tea after Mrs. Harrison finally convinced you to give it a try. In the same way, she takes good care of her own daughters. She takes great care of you and ensures you're happy and healthy. In addition to drinking tea, there's eating fruits and vegetables grown on the farm or other farms, consuming meat from local sources, learning farming skills, and engaging in a variety of activities.

Then, while you're looking at the homemade candles, Miley takes your basket up to the register where Autumn is still there. In a casual manner, she places it in front of her before walking away and taking your wrist. The second she opens the door, a huge flower garden greets you outside the back of the store.

In this big beautiful garden, you see dozens of different types of flowers and plants.

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Miley: Race you all the way down the hill!

Y/n: Hey!

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She gets a good three-second head start before you quickly run after her. It's a sunny day, the weather is perfect, and you're in the most beautiful garden you've ever seen.

On your way down the hill, you pass through a lot of flowers and sneeze a couple of times before reaching the bottom.

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Miley: Hey you're alright?

Y/n: Yeah, I'm fine. Just allergies.

Miley: Oh, well come on. I wanna show you where they keep their bee hives.

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...Night Comes...

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After eating dinner with the family, you get ready for bed. Putting on your pajamas in the bathroom, you open the door and head to the room you share with Miley and Autumn. But Autumn stops you in the hallway by placing her hand on your shoulder.

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Autumn: Oh, Mom wants to talk to you for a moment. You're not in trouble or anything.

Y/n: Okay.

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You head downstairs and into the kitchen where you see Mrs. Harrison sitting at the kitchen table with a small old wooden box in front of her.

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Mrs. Harrison: Y/n, come sit. I want to show you something.

Y/n: Yes Mrs. Harrison?

Mrs. Harrison: ... You don't have to call me that, you can call me Mom. You see, this right here is all of my mother's recipes that she's written down.

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Her words surprise you when she said you can call her mom. You've technically been a guest at their home, but she and the others treat you like you are a member of the family. And hearing those words from her... just makes you completely believe that you do belong here.

As you sit down, she pulls out one of the recipe cards and shows it to you. It's a soup recipe.

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Mrs. Harrison: I wanna make sure my mother's recipes continue to live on and so I had Autumn and Miley choose a recipe from here they want to keep. And I want you to pick a recipe you'd like to keep.

Y/n: Really? But I'm not-

Mrs. Harrison: You are a part of this family. When I first saw you in the fields, I knew there was something special about you. And then there's the fact that you've stayed with us for a while, and your biological parents haven't come to claim you. It's a sure sign that you do belong here. Go on.

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She gently pushes the wooden box in your direction. You smile and look through the recipe cards one by one to see which one you like best.

There's one dessert recipe that catches your eye. You pick it up and read through it for a minute before you decide that this is the recipe you want to keep.

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Y/n: I like this one, can I keep this one?

Mrs. Harrison: (Smiles) It's now your signature recipe. After the rodeo, we can make this together.

Y/n: Thank you, Mom.

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When you say that last word, you almost choke up. Mrs. Harrison... Mom immediately leans over to hug you tight as she tears up. Now you really feel like you're part of a family, and now you are.

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...Later that Night...

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Mrs. Harrison gets ready for bed while her husband removes his work clothes and into his pajamas. She tells him about letting you have one of the recipes and being a part of this family. It's not that he doesn't want you here, he enjoys having you here with them. It's just that he's a little skeptical about letting you live here in case your real family does come and get you.

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Mr. Harrison: I'm just saying honey, what if her parents come knocking tomorrow or next week?

Mrs. Harrison: It doesn't take three months to get a child. The sheriff said no one called for her and there's still no missing report of her anywhere.

Mr. Harrison: That is still odd to me.

Mrs. Harrison: What if this is a sign?... What about Melody?

Mr. Harrison: Honey-

Mrs. Harrison: I'm serious... I don't believe that this was a coincidence. If there was something indicating that she has a home to go back to, then yes, I understand. But there's nothing. No missing posters, nothing on the news, and the police called every county and every state and nothing has come up. Now I do mean what I said to her... And I hope one day you can feel the same.

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Mr. Harrison then stands up and walks towards his wife. Taking both of her hands, he stares her straight in the eyes and says,

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Mr. Harrison: The same goes for me. And if for some reason her real parents do come here, they got to get through us before they could even think of getting her back.

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Mrs. Harrison smiles, happy to hear that not only does he agree with her, but also is more than willing to accept you as one of his daughters.