Love Finds You

Farm? It was the only thing that I could think about as I stared at Gabe. Out of all of the stories my mother had told me about her days living with grandma she had never once mentioned that she had lived on a farm. Living on a farm for the foreseeable future with my grandma and this perverted hick had not been part of the deal.

“You’re joking right?” I yelled at the man.

His frown grew even more intense as he stared at me. “’bout what?”

“About the farm.” I took a few steps forward, desperately hoping that this was all some kind of prank and that the bus was going to come back and take me to a more civilized place. “My grandmother doesn’t really live one…right?”

Amusement flickered behind his green eyes before he tossed his head back and let out another laugh. I felt my face grow red with both embarrassment and anger, I was trying to ask this country bumpkin a simple question and all he did was laugh at me. Personally I was on the verge of running over to him and strangling him.

“Do ya’ have any idea where ya’ are Doll Face?” His green eyes found mine once again and I could still see the hint of enjoyment left in them. “This is Kentucky it’d be strange if she didn’t live on a farm.”

My eyes crinkled together in horror more than annoyance. “You’re lying.”

“’fraid not.” He scoffed and notched my bag up a little higher on the back of his broad shoulders. “If ya’d stop yapping I’d be more than happy to show ya’ it. It’s just a forty minute walk from here-

“Forty minutes!” I yelled astounded that it was going to take an hour to get to the house. “Through that!” I jerked a finger up at the creepy forest.

Gabe looked upward for a split second and mumbled something that I hadn’t been able to catch. “Yes, through the forest.”

“Walking?” I ended up sounded more outraged than shocked and the country man frowned at me.

“Yes we walk back,” He curtly responded. “Unless ya’ want me to toss ya’ over my shoulder too.”

I flinched at the mere thought of his grimy smelly clothing touching my well moisturized and flawless skin. “I’ll walk.”

“Good.” He nodded at me and turned back towards the dark woods. “Well then let’s head back. Grans is dying to meet ya’.”

I didn’t bother to contradict the man because he had just told me that he was a farm hand. Obviously he didn’t know that my grandmother was more likely spit in my face than great me with a smile, and she had every right to after the things that I had done. A cold hand seemed to phase passed my skin and grab ahold of my heart, squeezing it as tight until it was just about to break. I held a shaky hand to my chest as all of the pain and horror that I had been holding at bay surged forward. My protective shell was cracking.

The sounds of Gabe’s footsteps as he wondered deeper into the forest snapped me out of my trance. With a quick breath I composed myself back into place and lifted my head up in a dignified manner. I hadn’t broken down since the night that it had all happened and I’d be damned if I let my emotions run so rampant again. With my façade back in place I traveled down the small slope from the road to the woods.

My legs shook ungracefully as I made my way down the hill. I had never walked on anything that wasn’t level and for the ground to be so deformed and gouged made it extremely difficult. When I had finally managed to get down from the hill I smiled triumphantly and looked ahead of me to see that the farmer’s hand was a good quarter of a mile away. My mouth hung open at how quickly the man had moved and suddenly I felt my face heat up with anger.

It wasn’t that I was mad at him for not waiting for me or anything it was just that I was kind of aggravated that he was so far ahead. With a frown etched on my face I quickly chased after him…well maybe not chase because a dignified lady doesn’t go prancing around in some god forbidden forest so I merely hastened my pace. By the time I finally caught up with him there were cool sweat droplet clinging to my temple and side of my face. My breathing was heavier but I made sure to breathe through my nose so that he wouldn’t notice it.

I glanced over at him from the corner of my eye to see if he was having any difficulties with this walk. His face had light smudges of dirt on his cheeks and a part of his chin but not a single trance of perspiration despite how ungodly hot out it was. The dirt on his flawless sun-kissed skin sent a warm feeling rolling through my stomach. In the city I would see some poor man with grease and dirt smeared all over his body and I had pitied him but this country boy held no resemblance to that. His green eyes were vibrant against his dirty skin and hard features, his thick brows and long lashes framed those cool eyes as if they had been created just to show case them, and the few strands of his shaggy brown hair that blew against his cheek made my hand twitch.

Completely and inexpertly captivated by this strange appearance my eyes slowly trailed down from his chin. His thick neck was just as tanned as his face but lacked the dirt that seemed to be everywhere else. The ‘V’ opening on his button up grey shirt exposed the curves of his collarbone and the toned muscle leading from neck to shoulder. The warm feeling in my stomach rolled even more as it because even hotter. I placed a hand on my uneasy stomach but couldn’t manage to tear my eyes away from Gabe.

I didn’t know why I was suddenly so enchanted by him, maybe it was because of the heat or because I had never seen a country man before but either way I couldn’t look away. When his hard chapped lips lifted slightly in the corner I couldn’t help by be drawn to them.

“If ya’ keep gawking at me like that Doll face I might just steal a kiss.” His voice held a bit of amusement in it making my face heat up.

“If you kiss me, you’ll regret it.” I briskly snapped and quickened my pace so that I was ahead of him. My face was so flushed that I could practically feel it spreading down my neck and chest.

“Is that a challenge?” He asked in a wicked tone.

Slowly I felt the heat fade away as my meaning changed in my head. “Just a fact.” I spoke no higher than a whisper. He let the conversation drop after that and I was grateful for small lapse of silence.

“So,” He said as he lengthened his stride until he was next to me again, his bicep brushed against my shoulder and sent a warm tremor through me. “What brings ya’ to the country?”

“It’s none of your business.” I answered coldly keeping my eyes trained on some unseen object in front of me.

“No reason to get so guarded about it. Everyone here has a story, that’s why they come out here.”

“Oh?” I felt my left eyebrow lift up in curiosity and I turned my attention over to him, staring directly into his eyes. “And what’s yours?”

I watched carefully looking for a hint that of regret of anger to pass in his eyes but nothing. Instead of working up any sort of hidden feelings his eyes sparkled like jades and his face stayed in the same calm expression. “I think that’s a topic for our second date.”

I crinkled my nose at him. “That’s laughable seeing as how I never agreed to a first one.”

His smiled widened flashing his pearly white teeth. “Don’t ya’ know Doll face? We’re on it right now.”

My mouth formed a solid line. “This isn’t a date.”

“Sure it is.” He shrugged. “A girl and an attractive man strolling through the shaded forest on a nice summer day seems like a pretty normal date to me.”

“You’re taking me to my grandmother’s house.” I reminded him.

He gave another nonchalant shrug. “A destination is always required.”

“Arg!” I cried and threw my hands up in the air. “Why did I have to get stuck with someone like you?”

“Just lucky I guess.” He sung in a light southern voice. “Now then Doll face are ya’ going to tell me about yourself or am I just going to have to find a different way to get what I want?”

I glared over my shoulder at him. “You touch me and I’ll kill you.”

“Snippy.”He said with a hint of laughter. “Aren’t city girls supposed to be laid back and loose?”

Being called loose made my blood boil, I had never even flirted with a guy let alone got with one so being call a floosy really irked me. My teeth snapped together in a fit of rage as I spun around to give the hick a piece of my mind. His greens eyes however were a lot closer than they had been a moment ago.

He leaned slightly closer and I felt my throat grow dry and tight. His warm breath tickled my cheeks like a sweet touch. His voice was low but hard making my lower stomach pinch. “I guess ya’ have a little bit more country in ya’ then I thought.”

I watched the corner of his lips twitch into a smirk as his eyes warmly took me in. It was a slow hot feeling that coursed through my body all because of the way he was looking at me. For the first time I was unsure of what my feeling were. His smooth country style was both enchanting and strange to me.

After his back was towards me again he continued to walk down the trail and what he had said finally sunk in. At first I had thought that he was being insulting but I think he just paid me a compliment. If being country could be a good thing.

I blew a stray hair away from my face and continued to trail behind the farm hand. I didn’t know what he was trying to get at but I most certainty wasn’t country. Despite his talk about getting to know me it slowly started to become a kind of rouse because for the rest of the walk to my grandmother’s farm he was quiet.

The forest slowly started to thin and tall grass grew along the side of the dirt path. After a few more steps the dark creepy was behind us and gave was to golden. My eyes grew wide as I stared at the wide fields of golden wheat. The stalks swayed lightly in the breeze of the summer air and even though the sight was breathtaking I couldn’t pull my gaze away from the two story white farm house that stood in the middle of it all.

Grey shutters and smalls hills of green grass for a yard wasn’t the only that had caught my attention though. Standing on the front porch with a white blouse and blue jeans was the one person I had been absolutely terrified to meet. Even from this distance I could feel her hard blue eyes glaring at me and a slow tremor emerged from my stomach.

My fingers twinned together once again in a nervous habit as I gazed at the woman who hated me. Even though I had never met the woman before I knew that she hated me because I had been the one that had caused what my mother referred to as ‘The incident’. It was all my fault that Monica, my younger sister was dead.

Gabe looked over his shoulder at me with a dazzling smile but I couldn’t tear my attention away from the bitter woman on the porch. “Welcome home.”