TIMELESS

Chapter 1

Four year old Samantha Forster skipped down to the river. She loved the river and was happy that her mother let her go down to the river whenever she wanted to. Sam had promised never to go in alone and her mother trusted her not to do so.

It was a sunny June day and Sam had just turned four a week before. She was wearing a new pair of shorts and top that she had gotten for that birthday.

Sam stooped down, looking into the river and saw the little frogs as they jumped in to get away from her. She laughed and tried to catch one. She almost fell into the river as she did.

The young boy watched from the shadows. She was so pale compared to him. Her hair in the sun was the color of flames. No, not quite. It was the color of his mahogany bay horse. He looked back at his horse, grazing nearby and then looked back at the little girl. Their hair was almost the exact color. He knew his horse's hair looked brown in the shadows or when the sun wasn't shining. He wondered if the little girl's would be the same way.

He watched as she almost fell into the river. He wondered if she knew how to swim. Luckily, she regained her balance. He was wearing new boots and would have hated to get them wet for a little girl he didn't know.

He knew who she had to be, since he was on River Bend's property, but he had not met her before.

Sam took her shoes off and sat down on the bank to take off her socks. That's when she saw the boy watching her from the shadows.

"Hi," Sam waved.

The boy waved back, reluctantly. Sam tilted her head to look at him. He was a lot darker than she was, his hair looked black as he stood in the shadows. His eyes were large in his round face and he looked to be older than her.

"I'm Sam," she introduced herself.

"What kind of name is Sam for a girl?" he asked with a sniff.

Sam's eyes narrowed. "It's short for Samantha which is a girl's name." She crossed her arms over her chest.

"That's a mouthful," he concurred. "Maybe Sam is better."

"I'm glad you approve," Sam was sarcastic and he gave her a lopsided grin.

She raised her eyebrows at him and widened her eyes.

"I'm Jake Ely," he told her, prompted by her expression. "I live on the ranch next to yours."

Sam looked towards the distance as if she could see the ranch.

"What are you doing?" Jake asked, closing the distance between them. Sam saw that his hair was black under his black Stetson. He was quite a bit taller than she was.

"Looking at the frogs," Sam looked back at the river.

"You're not afraid of frogs?" Jake asked, surprised.

"No," Sam shook her head. "Should I be?"

"Most girls are," Jake shrugged. "Why don't you go in after them?"

"I'm not allowed in the river alone," Sam explained.

"You're not alone," Jake pointed out.

"I'm not, am I?" Sam smiled and with another look at him, stepped into the river.

Jake sat down and tugged off his new boots and then pulled off his socks. He stood up, took off his black Stetson and rolled up the legs of his jeans and went in next to her.