It was a normal day in Silver Falls and Jackie Howard didn't know what to expect when she arrived at the Walter Ranch. She had lived her whole life in New York, but since her parents and older sister died recently she was sent to Silver Falls, Colorado to live with one of her mom's best friend, Katherine Walter and her husband George Walter. She knew they had a big family, but she didn't realize how big until she got to the ranch.

It was a beautiful place. It was surrounded by trees, with a few hills. It was peaceful. It was a warm, sunny day, and the breeze was gentle. It was a bit chaotic at the Walter house, as it always is with nine kids running around, but she didn't mind. It was a bit overwhelming though, since it was all so new to her. Katherine and George had started bringing her suitcases inside the house with her, showing her around. She had met two of the boys outside, Danny had been sitting on the porch and Lee had skateboarded by her. Katherine and George introduced her to Alex and Isaac, who had been in the living room playing video games. Alex had also got up to help bring in the rest of her things after George had asked him to.

When she got to the kitchen, Katherine introduced her to the oldest, Will, and had Will finish showing Jackie around since she got called in to the vet clinic. She had apologized and reassured Jackie she would be back as soon as she could. George reassured Jackie if she needed him he would always be around there somewhere, but he had left as well, needing to get out to the orchid and Lee had went with him. Will introduced her to Nathan, who had been playing his guitar in his room. Then Will took Jackie outside to meet the rest of the kids. Cole was out in the pool, the dog Albert had been in the pool too. The youngest ones of the family, Parker and Benny, were playing by the pool as Jordan filmed them. 

But Jackie noticed the blonde-haired boy who had just gotten out of the pool was running towards a girl who was on a horse. The horse was a gorgeous chestnut with a blonde mane and tail. "That's Hollyn," Will spoke up, noticing who she was looking at. He couldn't help the excitement in his voice or the way his eyes lit up either at seeing Hollyn. She had been gone the past year studying abroad and he was happy to see her again, he knew the others will be too so he wasn't surprised to see the interaction with his brother and Hollyn. 

"She lives next door, she's great. She's Cole's best friend, we've all known her for years. I think you'll like her. But anyway, she's been gone studying abroad so if you see us all being happy and loud later, that's why. It's cause we're all glad she's back home."

"That's really cool. Where did she go study abroad?" Jackie asked curiously, watching the interaction with Cole and Hollyn. Laughter filled the air as Cole picked her up and spun her around. They seemed close, and it made her smile a little.

"France. She got this art scholarship thing she signed up for awhile ago. Got to go study and learn at a art school in France. We're all proud of her, she's a really talented artist." Will explains with a soft smile. "And she loves art so it had been her dream to go."

"She sounds great." Jackie admitted, smiling a little. She continued watching the scene, seeing the way Cole and Hollyn interacted. It was easy to see how close they were.

"Yeah, she is. Anyway, let me introduce you to everyone." Will said. He pause the music on the speaker, glancing at his younger siblings with a smile. "Hey, everyone, this is Jackie."

Jackie smiles a little at everyone and waves. "Hello."

"Hey." Parker smiled and she laughed when Jordan started filming Will and Jackie.

"That's Parker over there and that's Benny." Will explained.

Meanwhile, Hollyn had been hugging onto Cole tightly as soon as they had gotten closer. Her heart was beating fast and her stomach was doing somersaults. She hadn't realized how much she had missed him. She didn't even care that he was soaking wet, she missed him and she missed his hugs so much. 

After her parents had picked her up from the airport and got back to the ranch, she didn't even bother to unpack, she immediately changed into some clothes that were more suitable for riding a horse and headed next door to see the Walters. She had promised her parents she would spend time with them and they understood why she wanted to see the others quickly so they weren't offended. She had missed them all.

"I missed you," Cole mumbles quietly, rubbing her back and pressing a kiss to her head. "I'm so glad you're home. I missed you a lot."

"I missed you too, Cole. I missed you all so much." Hollyn admits softly, sighing softly. "I can't believe I'm back home, it feels so surreal. I can't wait to hear about all the things I've missed, I can't wait to catch up."

Cole chuckles. "Not much has happened here in this boring town. I'm sure you had much more of an exciting year than we did."

"You say boring, I say peaceful. It's a nice change." Hollyn grins, pulling back and smiling. She laughs softly when he ruffled her hair. "Hey, quit that. My hair was perfectly fine." She pouted, swatting his hand away which earned a laugh from him.

"Was it?" He teased.

She huffs. "It was, jerk." She laughed, shaking her head.

"Hollyn!" An excited voice yelled. Suddenly she was tackled by Benny and Parker. She stumbled back a bit from the sudden impact, laughing a little and wrapping her arms around them tightly.

Cole chuckles lightly and rolls his eyes. "Guys, calm down. She literally just got back, don't scare her away." He teased.

"Cole!" She laughs and rolls her eyes. "You are not funny, shut up."

"I'm hilarious." Cole smirked, his gaze softening as he watched her interact with Benny and Parker. He loved watching her with his younger siblings, she was amazing with them. He knew his younger siblings had missed her a lot, he knew his entire family had. Even Will and his fiancé, Hayley, had been sad when Hollyn left. He was sure she was happy to be back, and he was happy too.

Hollyn glances at Cole and she can't help the warm, fuzzy feeling she gets. Her heart flutters a bit, the same way it always did whenever she saw him. She felt so much love, and she wondered if he felt the same way. She brings her gaze back to the young girl and the young boy in front of her as they pull away from the hug. "What is up with the swords, guys?" She chuckled a bit at seeing them and wondered why they had swords.

"We were pretending to be knights and Jordan was filming us!" Parker smiles at her. "Hey, do you want to go play with us?" She asked curiously, a hopeful glint was in her eyes as well. 

"Guys, maybe later?" Cole chimes in, not wanting Hollyn to get bombarded right away. "She just got home, I'm sure she wants to rest and catch up with everyone."

"I promise I'll play with you guys later. I'll be back for good so we got plenty of time to catch up." Hollyn reassures the two kids, who seemed pleased by her answer and smiled wide at her before running back to the pool area. She didn't even realize Jordan had joined them until she noticed him and the camera he had. He was an inspiring film director and always filming everything. "Hey, Jordan. Long time no see."

"Hollyn, welcome back! How was France?" Jordan asks, his eyes shining with curiosity. "Did you have a good time? Was it an amazing experience? I wanna record you telling us all about it. But try to make it not sound like a boring speech, please."

Cole chuckles and rolls his eyes, putting his hand on Jordan's shoulder and pushing him away from Hollyn since he had been standing a bit too close. He knew the kid meant well, he always was passionate and eager about what he was interested in and his passion came off strong. It was a good trait, but it could be a bit much sometimes. "Calm down, Jordan. Let her breathe."

"Hey, don't push me." Jordan laughs, but steps back from Hollyn. "Sorry." He apologized, sending her an apologetic look.

"No worries." Hollyn laughs, watching the brothers with a smile. "But yes, France was amazing and it was a great experience. I learned a lot and met so many amazing people. I loved my classes, I loved everything about the whole trip. There were a few rough spots, but overall it was amazing. And I took a lot of pictures, pretty sure my camera roll is full of photos."

"Cool." Jordan smiles and nods, satisfied with her answers. "I'm glad you're home. The ranch isn't the same without you. Cole's been moping around a lot, so that was fun to deal with." He teased, chuckling a little when Cole glared at him.

"Ha ha, very funny." Cole sarcastically said, playfully shoving Jordan and pushing him back to the pool. "Get out of here, you little weirdo." He jokes, watching as Jordan laughed and ran back over to the pool area. He then glanced at Hollyn, a small smirk forming on his face. "I didn't mope around. Don't believe a word he says."

"Of course, whatever you say, Cole." Hollyn laughs a little and rolled her eyes. An excited bark was heard, followed by footsteps running across the grass. Albert, the Walters family dog, was now there running at Hollyn. He was soaking wet too so Cole had tried to stop him from tackling Hollyn, but he was too late. Albert jumped up on her and she didn't expect it so she had lost her balance. She let out a surprised squeal when Albert jumped up on her, trying to stay upright and failing. She fell back with a laugh, Albert licking her face happily. "Hey, Albert." She smiles, petting his fur. "I missed you too, boy."

Cole watches the interaction, smiling a little. Albert had definitely missed her, the dog hadn't seen her in a year. Albert had been a bit down and upset the first couple months she was gone. Sometimes Albert went next door, laying on the front porch and looking for Hollyn. The poor dog missed her a lot, they all did. "Looks like someone is happy to see you."

"I'm glad he's not mad at me. I thought he might hate me for leaving." Hollyn confessed, smiling as she continued to pet Albert. 

"Nah, I'm pretty sure he could never hate you. I think he was just upset that you were gone. I mean, I understand, I was too. But, hey, you're home now. And that's what matters." Cole reassured her, smiling. "Alright, Albert, get off her. She needs to breathe." He lightly pushed the dog off her, holding out his hand to her. She takes his hand and he helps her stand back up. She was now a bit more wet because of Albert (she had gotten a bit wet earlier from when Cole hugged her), but she could care less about that. "Hey, how about you and I hang out tonight? Meet up at our spot after dinner? I know it's your first day back but I'd love to catch up with you. You know, just us."

Hollyn smiles and nods, knowing what he meant by that. Their spot was a tree house they had built when they were younger. No one else but them and their parents knew about it. It was a little off into the woods and it was hidden pretty well. They used to meet there and talk a lot, and it was their special place. It was just something for the two of them, a safe space they could always go to. "Sure, sounds perfect. I'd love to."

Her gaze went over to Will and noticed a dark-skinned girl standing by him. She remembered her mom explaining that there would be a new girl staying with the Walter's, the daughter of her close friend who recently died along with her husband and oldest daughter. She felt so bad for the girl, she couldn't imagine going through that. She went over to Will and the girl, a soft smile on her face. "Will, it's great to see you." She hugged the taller man tightly.

"Hollyn, nice to see you. We missed you." Will grins, hugging her back. He pulls back and glances at the dark-skinned girl, smiling. "Hollyn, this is Jackie. She's the one mom was talking about. She's staying with us now."

"Hi, I'm Hollyn. I live next door and if you ever need to get away from all this craziness, I would love to hang out with you and get to know you more. I know they can all be a bit chaotic sometimes." Hollyn chuckles as Will pretended to look offended. "You know it's true."

Jackie laughs and nods. "Nice to meet you, and that sounds great. I might take you up on your offer sometime. It is a bit crazy here."

"Oh trust me, it's always been chaotic here. These kids will drive you crazy. But you'll get used to it." Hollyn grinned.

"Thanks." Jackie smiled. She appreciated the girl's kindness and she was definitely planning on getting to know her better. She seemed like a sweet girl.

"So how was your flight, Hollyn?" Will asks curiously, wondering how her flight went. "Are you still afraid of heights?" He added softly. They all knew of her fear of heights and they were always trying to find ways to help her work through it, but there was only so much they could do.

"It was okay. There were a few scary turbulence moments but it was alright. I had some earbuds with music and I tried to focus on that instead. It was a pretty long flight though. And yeah, I'm still afraid of heights but I'm getting better at working through it." Hollyn answered truthfully, sending him a reassuring smile.

"Good." Will nods, sending her a smile in return. "Alright, Jackie, let's get back inside and I'll show you your room. Hollyn, the others are scattered around if you wanna go find them and see them. Mom got called in to the vet clinic, she'll be back later, dad went to the orchid along with Lee and they'll be back sometime later as well. Alex and Isaac were playing video games and Nathan was in his room."

"Gotcha." Hollyn nods. She was planning on going and seeing everyone, she had missed them all. "Okay, it was nice meeting you, Jackie. Hope you like it here, and if you need anything, let me know. I'm just next door." She reassures the dark-skinned girl. She glances at Will. "Before I go in, I think I'm gonna put Apollo in the stables real quick."

"Yeah, that's fine, I assume you don't, but do you need any help?" Will offered.

"Nah, I'm okay, thanks." Hollyn responded, smiling reassuringly at him. She waved and turned around, making her way back over to her horse. Jackie had to admit she was surprised how well behaved the horse was. The horse had stood there the whole time after Hollyn got off of him. He waited patiently. She followed Will back into the house while Hollyn got on Apollo and headed over to the stables. She put him in one of the free stables, giving him some food and water and making sure he had everything he needed.

Once she made sure Apollo was all good, she got out of the stable and locked it. Then she went back to the house, meeting Cole and Will along the way. Cole now had a shirt on and slides on as well and the brothers were heading to the barn. "Hey, guys." Hollyn greets with a smile. "What are you up to?"

"We're going to start bring Jackie's stuff up, it's in the barn." Will explains. "Apollo all settled in?"

"Yep." Hollyn nods. "I'm gonna head inside."

"Or you could help us bring this stuff in." Cole suggests, sending her a puppy dog eyed look. "Please?"

Hollyn had to look away, ignoring her heart skipping a beat. She knew if she looked any longer at him she would cave in. "Don't give me that face. I just rode Apollo home, my legs are tired. Plus I've been on a plane for hours, so cut me some slack." Hollyn laughed, rolling her eyes.

"Fine." Cole dramatically sighed, but he couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips. He had missed her so much and it felt good having her back home. Hollyn smiled a little and continued to walk to the house.

She got reunited with Danny, who had been on the porch, and when she got to the living room she got reunited with Isaac, who was playing video games. He explained Alex was helping bring Jackie's stuff in as well and she knew she would see him later. She hadn't seen Nathan or Lee yet, but Isaac said Lee went with George to the orchid and Nathan was in his room. So she had went up to Nathan's room, smiling at seeing him playing guitar. He was the musician of the family, well, trying to be and he had gotten pretty good over the years.

"Hey, Nate." She greeted him softly.

Nathan looks up and his eyes widen. "Hollyn? Wait, when did you get home?" He grinned, setting his guitar down to get up and hug her.

"I've been home for a few hours, just been trying to settle in." Hollyn smiles, hugging him tightly. She really had missed all of them, it was so nice to see them. "How are you?"

"I'm great, happy you're back. How was France?" Nathan asks. He then cringes. "I'm sorry, I'm sure you're tired of answering that, you don't have to answer." He rambled nervously, causing Hollyn to laugh a little and smile.

"It's fine. France was awesome, amazing. I loved it there. It was so nice, and the people were lovely. I made a lot of friends there and met some amazing people. I even managed to learn some French. I mean, I had to so I understood some things. The classes were so great and it was such an amazing experience." Hollyn tells him, sitting on the edge of his bed. "I have a bunch of pictures and videos," She chuckles. "I said this earlier but it's true, my camera roll is so full of stuff from France."

"Can I see them?" Nathan questioned, sounding hopeful as he sat by her.

"Of course." Hollyn chuckled. She pulled out her phone and started showing him all the photos. She showed him all the pictures and told him all about France. He listened intently, he was curious and intrigued about it all and enjoyed listening to her talk. She had airways been close with every Walter sibling, her bond with each one was different but she still loved them all, for sure loves Cole differently than the others. After a while of her talking, she was interrupted by someone clearing their throat. They looked over and saw Will standing in the doorway.

"Sorry, didn't realize I was interrupting. But, uh, mom said it's time for dinner. And Hollyn, you're more than welcomed to stay." Will offered with a smile.

"Thanks, I appreciate it. But I should head home and see my parents. I'll stay another time though." Hollyn replied with a smile, sending him a grateful look.

"Yeah, no problem. You're always welcomed here." Will reassured her, waving goodbye to the two before walking back downstairs. Hollyn said goodbye to Nathan, thanking him for listening and told him she would come back another time and see him again.

She went down the stairs and walked over to the front door. The others were all out back, the kids were playing while George was grilling burgers and hotdogs for dinner. The scent was filling the air, and it was nice. It smelled delicious and reminded her of the summer days she used to spend there, barbeques and cookouts. She loved them and they were so much fun. She smiled a little, walking outside and walking towards the stables.

"Hollyn, you're leaving already?" Katherine asked softly, noticing her about to head over to the stables.

"Yep, gotta head home. I probably need to unpack and I feel a little bit bad of rushing over here and not spending much time with my parents since I got home." Hollyn explains, smiling apologetically. "And now I feel really bad for not playing with Benny and Parker today, I bet they were looking forward to that." She added, biting her lower lip. She did want to play with them, she always enjoyed hanging out with them, but she was sure they would understand. At least she hoped they would. 

"I'm sure they'll understand, sweetheart. You'll have plenty of time to spend with them later." Katherine reassures her, giving her a comforting smile. "But we're always here if you need anything or if you just want to hang out. Don't hesitate to come over, okay? You're welcomed to stay anytime, we're glad to have you back."

"Glad to be back." Hollyn smiles back at her, glancing around the familiar yard. She tilts her head to the side, confused at not seeing Jackie. "Where's Jackie?"

"She must be feeling overwhelmed about everything, rightfully so. She's in her room." Katherine explained and Hollyn nodded in understanding.

"Got it. Well, I'll see you guys later." Hollyn waved goodbye and headed back over to the stables. Cole, who had been tossing a football with Danny, stopped as he listened to this conversation. He had been a bit disappointed she wasn't staying, but he understood. He knew she wanted to spend time with her parents. He excused himself and jogged over to her.

"I'll walk you to the stables." He offers, smiling at her. "Unless you don't want me too."

"No, I'd love the company." Hollyn smiles. He returns the smile and the two headed to the stables, Cole opening the gate for her when they got there. "Such a gentleman." She teased, earning a chuckle from him.

"I try." He smiles, watching her walk over to Apollo. "So, I'll see you tonight?" He asked hopefully.

"Yeah, definitely." Hollyn nods, opening the door to the stall Apollo was in and saddling him up. Once she was done she gets on him, looking down at Cole. "Meet me at our spot around eight. If that's okay?"

"Sounds perfect." Cole grins. "See you then." He waved goodbye and opened the gate for her again, watching her ride away on Apollo. She had glanced over her shoulder at him, smiling and waving at him as she did. He smiled a little and watched her, waving back at her. Once she was gone, he made his way back over to the rest of the group.

A/N first chapter is up!! hollyn & cole are such cuties