rocky mountain high

Matt’s grin only widened when she pulled him into a hug, giving her one back. He gave her a quick once-over after, like he was checking she was really here and not just a memory he’d bumped into by accident which made him gently laugh. ❝ Sorry I didn't catch that. I think you mean to say oh hey Matt! Love running into you. ❞ He playfully teased.

"runnin' into you again." she clarified, slipping easily back into the same old banter that came to them. everything was light, a worn t-shirt that made its appearances around the same time of year. "hey este, love runnin' into you again." though, he was missing his coworkers, having replaced them with the band of brothers at one table.

After work, there was no second thought about not being there for Birch. Keeping his change bag in the truck as he got out of his uniform into something more casual. He was proud of her and even if the aesthetic wasn't his usual scene, it was very much Birch's which meant he loved it. Matt looked up at the familiar voice and immediately broke into a grin, the kind that arrived a second before the joke did. He shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. ❝ Wow, okay. Not even a hello. Just you again. ❞ His eyes sparkled with amusement as he nodded toward the crowd. ❝ Uh, boyfriend actually. ❞ He said it casually, but the smug little smile tugging at the corner of his mouth gave him away. It was still very fresh saying it.

"just you again." she took in his expression before hugging him briefly, the kind of greeting she couldn't keep herself from. everyone was a hug, a handshake, a kiss on the cheek. something warm and tactile to to keep her in the moment. because that's what carroll was, all presence. the restaurant was starting to come alive around them as the other invitees filtered in to chat and grab drinks. she'd lost track of so many faces, it felt like the room was just her and matt. at least until saffron wanted to chat.

"Tha' wind was somethin' fierce," he confirmed of the damage to the bar. It had been one of the worst storms he'd ever been in. "M'actually surprised there wasn't more done to tha place," he told her honestly, fully believing the lot of them had been thisclose to being blown away like Dorothy off to the land of OZ. "But it made for one helluva nigh'," he added with a small chuckle.

she was used to a yearly amount of damage that could be attributed to the weather. that was the wind, dust, whipping up tornados and their chasers across plenty of acres of the c-r farm. still, it was a shock for these folks. who could predict a hurricane on the west coast of all things. "you were at the bullet, then?" if she had to pick a place in town to camp out for the night, it wasn't a bad option. given the smile, she doubted her new friend thought so either considering the new agenda for the evening.

Matt let out a surprised laugh the second she all but crashed into him, arms automatically wrapping around her waist to hug her back. ❝ Jesus, Este— ❞ he grinned against the side of her hair before pulling back enough to look at her properly. ❝ It's like you're seein' a ghost.❞ There was that same bright, golden retriever warmth about him even after all these years, like no time had passed at all while he chuckled. ❝ Thought you looked familiar but I wasn’t sure if you’d remember me or just pretend not to. ❞

"i was lettin' you choose." she laughed, soft and easy at the idea of not remembering mattie after the few years she'd skipped a carroll summer. that wasn't the game that she played. he looked just about the same as she'd always remembered. it took no time at all to slip back in to the comfort of the social life around here. everyone was always walking off to do something. you just had to remember to open up and ask.

LOCATION: Pizza Place WHO: @estereynolds

"hey pa." the invitation to dinner had been more than welcome. she didn't know what was going on with her uncles, but it all felt a little too big to leave town just yet. they didn't ask much of her, she just cleaned up around the ranch, doing the odd chore it looked like someone had missed. something was wrong in carroll, and she wanted to figure it out before leaving. send back a gold star report to her mom, sleep easier.

Staring up at Holden's place, Estes was the last face he expected to see when her voice rang out, turning his attention from the apartment at the top of the stairs he stood in front of. First, his father. Now his niece. Hell, even he had somehow known he was needed back on the ranch. The Reynolds family was coming out of the fucking woodwork with Holden gone, his absence now the clear unseen pull that was bringing them all together.

"the fair?" she couldn't tone the disbelief out of her voice. it didn't fit anything she knew of her uncle. maybe men changed, but she didn't really think that were the case. "she don't need me hanging around now that the fields are clear." spending fourteen hours a day working on top of each other was plenty of mother daughter time for the next few months.

“Este?…is that really you?!” Saffron was stunned, asking like it was a difficult question. “I haven’t seen you in…like forever.” It was like she trembled not believing she was actually here at Reynolds farm. “I need some sugar. I made some chocolate chip cookies. Oh and yes Bullet is still around.”

"no strangers around here." she went to hug her cousin, but stopped short seeing the distress in her expression. whatever was wrong with saffy she sure couldn't fix, but she could offer plenty of bandaids for it. "i'm only a plane ride away." it worked both ways, but she was making the best of it now, reversing the wrong in time. they had the ocean, that was enough for her.

Nathan was still trying to think of an answer other than the beach when she asked about the Bullet. “Oh yeah,” he answered with a nod, losing his train of thought. “It’s still around. Not even a hurricane managed to close that place down. I think it’ll outlive us all.”

"that's the spirit." she greeted, though seeing who she was talking to she doubted a drink at the bullet was in her future. "you're still hangin' around town, beam?" her uncle's town. the more things changed, the more they all stayed the same. hell, she wasn't sure this many people stuck around her home. "don't tell me— that damn grocery store needs ya."

He leaned against the counter, tapping his room key against it as he waited for the manager to return with his checked valuables, when a woman's voice pulled him from his wandering thoughts. She was cute. Had a humbleness about her that reminded him of home. He smirked gently when she asked of the Bullet and his date with Naomi suddenly wasn't so important. She could wait a little while longer for him to get there.

"broken windows?" she knew there'd been a hurricane, half the reason she'd decided to finally make her trip. and even though the damage was there, it sounded like the place was still runnin'. "they really fixed the ol' place up." she watched him sign for the gun, her own hunting knife concealed against her ankle. if it was supposed to cause any type of reaction, her expression was smooth. she was the type that was used to handling that paperwork over and over.

"week four." she repeated, amused by the business tactic that was on display for her. surfing didn't often cross her mind, in her landlocked state, but he sure made a pitch for its appeal. "you got a real sound advertising strategy here." even if it almost made her laugh with the obviousness. she enjoyed the easy parts of life, who wouldn't. "too bad you're not open."

"when it rains." she tried to laugh, though aspen's words did little to clarify the original confusion that had made her consider a trip over to visit california. she knew there were some decisions that she left up to her ma, but she'd heard they were down a hand out here and it was easy enough now that she was done in the fields. "why would i be helpin' holden?"

“este?” valentina’s whole face lit up the second she recognized her. “oh my god, it’s been forever.” she stepped closer, already smiling like she couldn’t quite believe it. valentina had only popped in hoping to find a few new things for the party. there was no chance she was showing up to an abernathy event without at least a new piece of jewelry, but now she’d found something much more interesting. “what are you doing in carroll?” she asked, her tone warm and curious.

seeing val was the assurance that she was in the right place, even after all this time. there were familiar faces, and then there was the group that had always been around the ranch with beaming faces and wildflowers in their hair. "i could say the same for you." she returned the words, affection coloring each syllable. she'd skipped a few of her longer trips in recent years, leaving plenty to catch up on in terms of what was going on around here. "i thought you were some hotshot now?"

❝ Hey, I know I can be horrible with names but it's.. Este right? ❞ It had been a long time since Matt had seen her. Hell she looked great. ❝ I mean personally the best place is the bar with a couple lads or fire station, but that's my biased opinion when you work there 36 hours straight sometimes. ❞ He laughed about it with an easy shrug of his shoulder.

"only thing left to do after a shift." she turned to see who had called her name, the face pulling a vague familiarity until he continued with his job. realization sparked into a smile, pulling him into a hard embrace. "mattie whitlock, of all the people." she didn't know who she'd expected to see in town, but this was a good way to begin her trip.

"secret?" she hadn't exactly asked permission before coming to town. but she was a grown woman and had all the right to see her family. they had the same right to turn her away, but that wasn't the reynolds way. "shoot, only if your aunt sounds angry on the phone."