Homestead

Chapter 1

Chelsea wiped the sweat from her brow and stood up from the cucumber plant she was inspecting. It was unseasonably cool this spring, very rainy and chilly, and she worried the weather might adversely affect her vegetables. So far there were no visible deformities, but she would have to keep a close watch on her crops for the next few days to monitor their health.

Her dog, Cooper, barking from the entrance to Moon Farm caught her attention. When she turned around, she couldn't deny the surprise she felt at seeing who her visitor was.

"Vaughn, hello!" she called, wiping the dirt from her knees. "What can I do for you?"

The animal rancher shifted stiffly and tilted his hat to her in his customary greeting. Chelsea wondered if something was wrong – she hadn't seen Vaughn so uncomfortable in her presence since the first few months of their acquaintance. Over the years, they had slowly but surely bonded over her animals and the fondness they felt for the islands. Their work relationship had long since matured into an easygoing friendship.

"Chelsea – I was wondering if I could talk to you… I have a proposition for you, actually," Vaughn muttered, glancing down with a small smile. Cooper yapped at his feet, pawing at his shins and butting his head against his boots. Chelsea grabbed him firmly and hoisted the small dog up in her arms, chuckling – Vaughn had endeared himself to all of the animals on Moon Farm, having checked in on them over the years and having occasionally helped out when Chelsea was otherwise indisposed.

"A proposition, huh? Sounds interesting! Lay it on me, Cowboy," she prompted.

"Well," he started, "These days, I've been thinking… it might be nice to settle down on Sunshine Islands. For good."

Chelsea hugged Cooper a little tighter to her chest and couldn't help but let loose a giant smile. Once he had opened up to more people, it had quickly become clear to everyone that Vaughn was well suited to the stable, peaceful life on the islands, no matter how abrasive his exterior seemed. Most thought it a shame that he persisted in staying in the city for so long. In fact, she could barely believe this day had actually come, where Vaughn would bring up the idea on his own!

She couldn't deny that she was curious about what had changed his mind.

"This is wonderful," she told him earnestly. "I'm so glad you think so!"

He ducked under the rim of his hat, hiding a tiny, sheepish smile. "… Thank you. I appreciate the enthusiasm. The reason I had to talk to you though – well, it comes down to certain living arrangements."

"Okay, let me know what I can do to help."

Pursing his lips, he said, "I know I can always stay at Mirabelle's home, or kip at Carol's Inn, but I also know that Elliot is planning to move in with Julia once he finally finds the cojones to propose, and they barely have space for me there as it is. As for living full-time at the inn, well, money is always tight."

"And Gannon's houses, while wonderful, don't really come so cheaply these days," Chelsea added understandingly. He nodded jerkily in agreement.

"Now, don't get me wrong, those options are still doable – it's just, when I really thought about it, my best bet to both continue the work I love and to stay here is to ask you to become my business partner."

Cocking her head, Chelsea lowered her dog to the ground and gently shooed him away. "Business partner?"

He nodded. "Right. Since I won't be commuting regularly to the city after the move, I can't really do the same job for Mirabelle as I used to, so she'll be looking to hire somebody else. But then I realized I could still do a lot of the same duties, so long as I had the animals to work with and a suitable space to do it in."

She hoisted her rucksack over her shoulder and gestured that they should go into her house. "And that's where Moon Ranch comes in?"

He shot her a rare grin. "Exactly. I can work with you, help you build up the animal aspect of your ranch. That would leave you with more energy to tend to the farming aspect of Moon Ranch." He quickly flushed at his own words and continued harshly, "Not that I think any part needs more attention, or that your ranch is lacking. Just. I could help – look, you've got a couple of cows and five or so chickens right now, but with my assistance, I could bring in even more livestock for product and breeding purposes. Ultimately means better reputation and better income, right?"

He ended abruptly, snapping his mouth shut, looking for all the world like he was trapping the rest of his argument behind closed lips. Chelsea was frankly amazed that he had spoken as much as he did. Looking a bit disgruntled, he took a seat at her table and leaned back in the chair, real uncertainty coloring his usual unflappable demeanor.

"So you're asking to move in here and work on the ranch?" she asked slowly, still trying to figure out the logistics in her head. She had never even thought of expanding her ranch in this way – hadn't ever thought of hiring extra hands, even when the starting rancher Mark had moved to town. But this –

This could be something good if they worked hard enough.

"I'd work for my room and board, of course," he was quick to add. "This is just until I get my financial situation figured out, when I can ask Gannon to build me my own home – I was thinking Animal Island might be a good location. Then I'd just make the commute from Animal to Sprout, simple as that." He removed his hat and placed it on the table. "What do you think?"

She stood and pulled a metal bottle of milk from her fridge, pouring some into two glasses. Her silence was making him even more uncomfortable, she could tell, but this was a huge proposition to consider and deserved real thought. Vaughn quietly accepted the offered glass and simply let her think.

It didn't seem like a bad idea at all. Chelsea's dream was to become the best rancher she could possibly be – and to her, that meant doing the best she could, on her own merits. The idea of a large ranch, filled with impersonal machines milking her cows and huge rotations of employees tending to her crops really did not appeal to her in the slightest.

But Vaughn's idea was pretty solid and kept her ranch operation intimate and personal. She could expand without losing sight of her dream and the life she loved. It didn't hurt either that she knew firsthand how wonderful he was with animals, how much he cared for them, and how hardworking he was. He would be an asset to any ranch or business.

Of course, on a more personal note, Vaughn wasn't always the easiest guy to get along with, and so might not make the best roommate; but they were already good friends and she figured that had to count for something. From the beginning, she had been good at reading his disposition, and knowing exactly how to approach him without raising his hackles. She could just use that to her advantage if they started living together.

It would be interesting to see how the rest of Sunshine Islands would react, too. Shacking up with a young man would definitely get the tongues wagging, but Chelsea knew that it would end up mostly as harmless gossip. Everyone was such a huge family here that she doubted anyone would actually believe that something unsavory was going on between her and straight-laced Vaughn.

Glancing back up at the man in question, Chelsea realized just how long she had been deliberating. Vaughn was clearly now off in his own thoughts, solemn and narrow-eyed as usual. He took a long swig of milk from his untouched glass, and the taste seemingly attracted his attention as he glanced down at the beverage in surprise. A tiny smile appeared on his face, disappearing immediately when he saw how much focus Chelsea was currently giving him.

He colored a little at his own involuntary reaction. "Best milk I've tasted in a long time," he admitted.

"It's S-Rank," she said. "Betsy just started producing it a few months ago."

"You've done a great job of raising her, I remember thinking that when she won last year's festival," he said with a slight smile. She blushed a bit herself at his straight-forward praise, a bit happy that he remembered the exact cow she was talking about.

And, well, that pretty much cinched it. Even just spending a mere two days a week on the islands, Vaughn was already personally invested in her livestock and her dream – she knew without a doubt that her animals, and any future animals he might bring up, would only be led by his skilled hands and kind heart.

She could now give her answer with full confidence. "Vaughn, frankly speaking, I love your idea," she said, grinning. "So, when can you move in?"

"I-" He stared at her with his amethyst eyes, intense and wide, trying to digest her words. "Seriously?"

She laughed, excited. "Seriously!"

"Well then, I, um, I can move in by next Wednesday." His broad shoulders relaxed and his entire face seemed to transform into a gigantic grin she never even knew he had. "You won't regret this, Chelsea," he promised seriously.

"I know I won't," she replied steadily, helpless to do anything but match his wide smile.

I have no idea what I am doing here, lalala... But I am so in love with this pairing, it's not even funny. I do not own Harvest Moon IoH or Sunshine Islands, or any of the games, for that matter (though I do own copies... ahaha... ha). If any are worried that Chelsea will be a self-insert character, please don't be. I am, in part, modeling her off of her character in Sunshine Islands if you play as Mark, and also, in part, from my own head cannon that I've made up for her. But I will not give her my own exact personality, and will do my hardest to avoid making her into a sickening Mary-Sue, I promise.

Also, for those of you thinking that she and Vaughn are already secretly in love? Nope! Trying something a little different, a story more about life and slow building relationships. Let's give it a whirl!

Thanks for your time and hope you enjoyed,

evergreenlove