It turns out that I can pack almost my entire existence in three duffel bags plus one athletic bag that contained my cleats, pads, and workout gear. I can't say that is exactly shocking, since the majority of my wardrobe is jeans, tee shirts, flannels and a pair of boots. Yes, I was the typical tomboy lesbian.

Just after Christmas, I fit everything neatly into my ancient pickup truck that my grandfather left me, and after a lengthy goodbye with Mckenna, and assurances from Ray and Blake that the ranch would be fine, I was on my way. The ranch was in good hands with the guys, who loved the idea of moving there, but leaving Mckenna behind had silent tears coursing down my face for the first few hours of the drive. Hell, she was sobbing when I left too, so I knew I wasn't alone. She was the first real friend I'd ever had, and I felt extremely guilty for leaving when I knew she'd need me if her grandparents got worse.

"Where are you?" she asked when I called her after stopping for the night.

"I have no idea. Somewhere between Birmingham and Atlanta. It was getting dark, and I just pulled into the first motel with a vacancy I saw!" I grumbled.

"Well, go hit that hotel bar and find a lady that might be lonely and on the road!" Mckenna suggested with a giggle. "You could be her mysterious stranger pounding her all night story!"

"Mckenna, this dump has no bar. I think if I'm lucky it might have a vending machine, but I don't even trust it enough to get in between the sheets. I just want a nap on top of the bed, and I'll get back on the road." I wish I were exaggerating, but I was pretty sure this place had roaches bigger than the calf that had been born on the ranch last summer. But I needed rest, the drive was almost 20 hours long with stops and traffic, and I wasn't doing that straight through.

"You still have to send me the address of the place you're moving to!" she reminded me.

"Oh! Sorry!" I copied the address from the GPS and pasted it into the text message before I sent it on its way. "You're getting it now." Since I was a late register, all the dorms were already full, so I was on my own. I could have stayed in any of the apartments adjacent to the campus, but that would have meant roommates. I wasn't a big fan of strangers, and it usually took me time to warm up to anyone. Yeah, people mean eww. Unless I had a chance to stay with Mckenna, I didn't want a roommate. Luckily, I'd found a small farm nearby that rented their horses out to people who wanted to ride the adjacent trails. There was a small apartment over the garage there, and I happily snapped it up. I'd take four legged roommates over human ones any time.

"Excellent, every college kid needs a care package!" I had little doubt that she'd do just that too. "I'll send some good stuff!"

"Mckenna, don't spend any money on me. Save it, please!"

She snorted on the other end of the line, and I knew it was a losing battle. "Frankie, you're my best friend, and I'm absolutely sending you something!"

"Well send me some good dreams for now, I need some rest."

The following morning, I got back on the road after a big breakfast at a nearby Waffle House, a staple of southern breakfasts, and kept heading northeast. When my GPS said I was within an hour of my destination, I texted the owner of the ranch to let them know I was close, and to make sure I would be able to get in. I got a quick reply that it was great timing, and a little bit later I was pulling up in front of a little building complex. There was a small stable for the horses, the garage for the cars and equipment, and a charming little ranch style home for the owner. Between it all was a little fenced in area for the horses to get exercise in. It was a great setup.

I parked the pickup in front of the garage next to a nice looking black Ford Mustang, and then threw on my brown leather jacket before I got out into the chilly air and walked across the yard to the front door of the ranch. I rang the doorbell, and then waited patiently. I heard footprints rapidly approaching the door before the door was opened by a beautiful woman with long dirty blonde hair and warm chocolate eyes. She looked up at me in shock before a smile graced her face.

"You're Frankie?" Her voice was very nice, like a soft melody, and I was surprised that I was thinking things like that. She looked to be a bit older than I was, late 20s or early 30s maybe, and dressed in nothing but a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt to combat the cold of the December air.

"Yeah, that would be me," I confirmed. All our contact had been via email and text so I could understand her confusion.

"I'd expected a guy." Her eyes ran up and down my body, and I shivered a little at her gaze. "But you're a nice surprise. I'm Jodie Walker."

"Nice to meet you, Jodie. With a name like Frankie, I can understand the confusion. But it's just a family name." That was true, it was my dad's great grandfather's name. Franklin. I guess dad couldn't deal with giving a family name to his freak, since he had refused to let me be a part of the family. But he obviously regretted it, because when he and my mom had more kids after my grandpa Joe took me in, he gave his new son the name Franklin too. I wasn't a part of his family anymore, so to him I didn't exist. I actually liked going by Frankie though, it fit me.

"Well, let me grab my jacket and we'll get you settled in up in the apartment." She disappeared for a moment and came back with a jean jacket slung over her slim torso and then led the way towards the garage. I was pretty sure she was swinging her hips for my viewing pleasure, because if not she'd need a hip replacement early in life if she walked like that all the time.

She unlocked a side door on the garage that led upstairs to the loft and opened the door to a very cozy little place. It was a simple studio apartment, but it had a nice fireplace, a manageable kitchen, and a comfortable looking queen sized bed. I wasn't going to be entertaining anyone, but there was a small loveseat and TV too.

"It isn't much, but there's an attached bathroom too." She pointed out a door off the kitchen, and I looked inside to see a standard bathroom with a walk in shower. I was hoping for a tub, as I liked to soak after practices and games, but I guessed this would work.

"No tub?" I had to ask.

"I'm afraid not," she replied, biting her lip. "But if you need to soak, I can let you borrow mine in the main house. I have a lot of room in there."

Well, she was pretty damned bold. I wasn't used to being flirted with, and I was caught a little off guard. "I might do that, thanks." That seemed safe.

"Did you have a long drive?" she wondered.

"Yeah, almost 20 hours from Dallas. That was long enough." Honestly, I was ready for a nap, and I wasn't good with small talk. I just wanted some sleep!

"If you're hungry, I have some meatloaf and mashed potatoes that I can let you have. I'm not good at leftovers, so you're welcome to it." She had a hopeful look on her face, but I didn't think that I should be getting involved in that way with the landlady.

I was going to turn her down when my stomach growled, deciding that homemade meatloaf sounded pretty damned good. "I'd like that, thanks." Betrayed!

"Well why don't you unpack, and I'll bring up the food," she suggested.

"Thanks, that would be great." I followed her down the stairs, and she went back to the house while I made a couple of trips up to the apartment with my bags. It wasn't too hard, and I had a chance to look around the place before she came back carrying more than I expected.

She handed me a warm plate covered in foil, and then three Tupperware containers. "The plate is the meatloaf, but there is also some shepherd's pie, chicken and dumplings, and some roast chicken. If you don't eat it, then it'll just go to waste, so you might as well enjoy it. It's hard cooking for one, so I always end up with extra. Feel free to come down for meals whenever you like."

"I'll do that, thanks. Thank you for everything, really. This is a very gracious welcome." I really couldn't have asked for much more. I didn't have an ass for a landlady, but a very beautiful woman who seemed like she had her life in order. Okay, and she had a nice ass too. Yes, she was flirting, but I didn't mind that too much as long as she didn't expect anything in return. And maybe Mckenna was right, I could find a girl, or a woman. It was my first day here, and Jodie was already chipping away at my walls with her kindness. Maybe I could see how things went for a bit before I decided anything?

Either way, I wasn't rushing, there was no point in that. I had a lot to accomplish here and finding a friend or a girlfriend would either happen or not. I wasn't in a rush. I didn't need a distraction on the first day of my stay. I needed to get used to the new campus, my classes and meet my teammates. After that, maybe things could fall into place.

But Jodie was hard not to look at and flirting or not she had been very kind.

"It was my pleasure. I'm glad you turned out to be you. I think you're going to be a much better addition to the farm than a guy named Frank would be," she said with a shy smile.

Yeah, there went a little more of the wall.