"William!" She shook him. "William, wake up." She slapped his face lightly. "It's just a dream. Look at me. It's just a dream."

He looked around then up at her with widened eyes. He only said, "You're still here."

"I am." Lily cupped his face. "And it was just a bad dream."

He held the back of her hands, thinking about her. "It was more like a nightmare."

"well, it's over." She stood up straight with her hands held behind her back. She went to the door with a soft smile. "I've set your bath. Be sure to come down for breakfast, there's someone who is very eager to meet you."

William got ready and when he got to the stair, he stopped to see who it was. From the moment he laid eyes on her, he knew it was Isobel. From the way she dressed, to how she curled up next to Lily. It had to be her, she was Lily's friend. He felt accomplished, she was alive and well. He sat on the stair for a while, just for a minute to watch them both.

"I wonder if his eyes are as blue as I last saw them." She squeezed Lily's hand, picked up a picture, and stared in amazement. "Look how precious he is." She closed her eyes.

"Glad, to see you haven't changed." Lily folded her arms. "How are you feeling?"

"Like a damsel in distress."

"I mean physically."

"Better than I ever could be, Lily. Juniper doesn't even have to know I was sick." She picked the picture before putting it back. "I feel alive, I'm ready to get back to work at the pub, I am." She nodded. She felt her lips tremble as soon as she saw William on the stair, just smiling at her. He got to their side within an instant.

"You must be~" She felt her voice crack as he took her hand and kiss it. She looked as if she was a vampire, the way she stared. "William." He ended her sentence.

"My." She smiled. "You're more handsome in person." She rubbed the hand he kissed.

Lily rubbed her friend's back. "This here's Isobel."

"You're as beautiful as your name." He grinned, and they looked at each other for a hot second before.

They all got seated at the table, it was set for Isobel too. Lily told her she could join them and William happily agreed. Jodi was having her morning caffeine as usual, when she met Isobel she was skeptical of her persona. She took a tissue, wiped her lips, and placed them down.

"So Isobelle, is it?" She started. "You talk about work a lot. It must be an interesting job. So where do you work?"

"I'm a bartender at the ole' brewery, ma'am." She smiled.

"Oh." Jodi sat up. "That explains it."

"Is there a problem, ma'am?"

"Oh no, I just have a problem with you calling me ma'am. I told you my name, feel free to use it."

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Lily and William stared at the two, Lily looked down picking her food. William cleared his throat, trying to change the topic.

"So girls, do you ride horses?"

Isobel answered. "Lily's scared of horses. When we were children my sister tried to make her go on one but she just wouldn't budge."

"Is that so?" William pegged for an explanation from Lily.

"It's just unbearable when you lose control of them," Lily said like a little girl confessing her love for the first time.

"It's not always like that, Lily. I told you." Bella tapped her hand lightly. "And I ride horses." She turned to William with a wink. "But those aren't the only things I know how to ride."

William did not answer, mostly because he didn't need to. He just looked at her with a smile then turned to his mother who had a scowl on her face. "So Mother, I was thinking of clearing my schedule today and taking the girls down to the ranch, would you like to join us?"

Jodi still had her eyes on Isobel, she drew out her chair and excused herself. "I'd rather not, dear but have fun."

They did go to the ranch to see all the horses. Then William convinced Lily to get out on the horse.

"There's nothing to worry about." He said, buckling the tack. "You remember how to ride a horse right?

"I, I don't know." She nodded, staring as the brown horse capered towards her. She felt its cold nose just on the palm of her hands and she started to premeditate her next move if he ran off with her on his back

"What's her name?" Isobel interrupted, calmly running her hand down the side of the mare's stomach.

"Eliza." William stuck his shirt into his pocket, prestigiously before grabbing Lily's hand, she felt his grip and felt her heart sink, she looked at him and he was smiling. "Are you ready?"

"No." She let out as he led her on the horse.

"You'll have to be." Isobel smiled too.

They both were excited to see Lily ride the horse and even the horse itself neighed at William and Isobel's laughter. She had no idea she was already seated until she felt it move a bit, she closed her eyes really tight and waited until it settled down.

"Hey." His voice was deep now, she felt his grip on her leg now. "What ever you were afraid of before, you must remember, Lily, it's different now. You don't have to be scared, I know you can do it." He winked then grinned letting her go, she adjust her helmet up a bit, so she could see in front of her then Dill, the care taker, took her into the fenced area. She nodded to his instruction and before she knew it she was off riding a horse again. And the equestrian life seemed to come into her line of sight, she felt like a rider in a horse show giving the performance of a lifetime. It felt just the same as the first time she rode Betsy, the first and only horse her father ever got her. She remembered he had to sell in after a week because she was so scared that it gave her nightmares.

Lily thought William was trying to impress her friend, he didn't respond to her flirtatious comments but he still talked to her. When ever Isobel blurted out a mouth-opening sentence, Lily would nod and William would just smile. And when William finally got Lily over her fear of horses, it gave Isobel the perfect opportunity to be alone with William, She sat on the rails with him beside her leaning over it. He was staring at Lily and she was staring at him, he finally gave her his attention.

"It's good to see you're back to your old self, I suppose."

"It's been hard but I always land on my feet."

"So you have a sister, how interesting."

"Yes, I do. Too bad she's in another country and she has already found the man of her dreams. So keep it moving, Prince Charming." They both laughed for a while before Isobel too stared out at Lily, waving to her as she passed. She then took a deep breath. "I should thank you for what you did. I'm really appreciative. I hope you'll be okay with me repaying you soon." She stretched her hand out for a shake and he took it.

"I'll accept what ever you have to offer, Isobel."

The way he said her name, Isobel knew it was the beginning of a love story. Little did she know it would be a tragic one.