All Chapters of The Lansing House Part 3 & 4: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The summer sun beat down on him, the sky a cerulean blue with white, puffy clouds that did nothing to shield him from the heat. The cattle bellowed in the meadow. His horse, Black Moon, twitched his ears and Blair glanced over his shoulder. He narrowed his eyes as he spotted movement in the tree line a few yards to the left.A girl emerged, holding her hand over her eyes as she looked around. Her light blue dress reached her knees and her hair hung down to her shoulders, a cascade of blonde waves that stood out against the dark shadows from the woods behind her.He turned his horse and walked toward her. “Are you lost?”Her head snapped up to him and the smile that greeted him made his stomach clench. She had dimples in both cheeks, a few strands of hair sticking to her temples where sweat dotted her skin.“Hi, sorry, I guess I am a little lost,” she said.He got off his horse and adjusted his hat. “Blair Fitzgerald. Where are you headed?”“Madeline,” she said and looked down briefly.

They stood on the porch as their father hugged Finn. His duffel bag had been packed for the last week, and he'd been waiting for this day anxiously. He was attending a 5-day rodeo clinic in Colorado, and he’d been bouncing with energy for the last few days.“Come on, we need to get going or you’ll miss your ride,” Blair said.Their father let go of Finn reluctantly. “Listen to your instructors and do what they tell you to do. I don’t need a half-broken son coming back to us.”“I will, Dad,” Finn said, his grin so big, his cheeks had to be hurting.“We’ll miss you,” Eden said, as she hugged him next. “Go show them what you’re made of.”Colt and Dylan patted him on the back. “Show them how a Fitzgerald does it.”Ten minutes later, Blair finally drove down the dirt road toward town and shook his head. “Don’t go acting like you’ve done this before. Bull riding is dangerous.”“I know, Blair, that’s why I’m going to the training camp. They teach us technique and safety tips, and all these g

He left his horse with one of the ranch hands and headed back to the house. He stepped onto the porch and took a deep breath. His heart was hammering in his chest, knowing that his father was waiting for him beyond that front door. The disappointment he’d seen earlier was eating him up on the inside. He’d never seen that look on his father’s face before, not even when they’d almost burned down the church two years earlier.He pulled the screen door open and stepped into the foyer. The living room was empty, so he headed to his father’s office. It made sense that his father would be in there. The rest of the house was still quiet, but he knew it wouldn’t be long before Eden was up and starting breakfast in the kitchen.He knocked on the open door of the office and stepped in, closing the door behind him. His father was standing with his back to him, his hands on his hips. He lowered his gaze to the carpeted floor, feeling like a little boy about to be scolded.“Dad–”“You’re on the bri

Blair waited in the waiting room with Colt and Dylan while Eden went in first to see their father. He hadn't wanted to go first, too afraid that his father would look at him with accusing eyes. He felt like a failure, not just with the way he'd disrespected his father with his words, but for how he'd felt too.He could picture his father going to his room and finding his bed made up with no sign of him. His father would've been worried and set out to find him, probably with the idea in his head that his son had been hurt, only to find him asleep on the grass with a girl. Of course, he'd been mad, Blair couldn't blame him for his initial anger.They'd been raised to do the right thing, not sneak out and spend the night with girls. He could taste his father's disappointment in the air, and he hated himself for his father's heart attack. He'd always been a little daring, the first one to agree when one of his siblings suggested they steal a tractor or 'borrow' a horse from a neighbor. He

The sun was just starting to set when he pulled the truck to a stop in front of old man Lansing's house. He took his hat off on the porch and knocked on the door. The door was pulled open and shock filled Madeline's eyes."What are you doing here?""I want to speak to your grandfather. I need to tell him about my intentions with you. I want to do this right, Mads. I see a future with you, one where we can be happy.""Blair…" Her voice was soft and filled with sadness. "It won't help. He doesn't like you. Even if you do this the right way, he won't let me see you.""Who's at the door?" His voice was loud."Let me try," Blair said, his eyes begging her. "At least then we can say we tried to do it the right way."Old man Lansing appeared behind Madeline, a frown appearing on his face instantly. "What do you want, boy?""Mr. Lansing, I'm here to tell you that I'd like to take Madeline out," Blair said.He shook his head and swore under his breath. "No! I know exactly what boys like you wa