Country Kind of Love

I wanna feel your heart go Tick-Tock

Rolling out of bed Bailey hit snooze on her alarm clock. Every morning the aspiring vet would wake up early, walk two miles down the road to her neighbor’s farm and pet his horses, play with his dog and pet the cows. It was a routine for her, while she lived on an old wheat farm her family didn’t ever plant any crops, have any animals or do anything with it. They just wanted the home for its space. Bailey was the youngest of 6 kids. She was also the smartest (in her opinion) of the 6. She was only 3 when the family moved from their home in the big city to this farm in the middle of nowhere. She didn’t mind it because she was too little but her older siblings hated the farm. They didn’t see the potential Bailey saw. They also didn’t know the boy down the road like Bailey did.

His name was Clayton. He was funny and charming they were two years apart in age. Bailey had met Clayton when she was 11 and he was 13. His family had moved back in with his grandpa who was sick. They moved in to help him take care of the Farm. When Bailey had walked with Clayton t0 their house she instantly fell in love with all the animals they had on their farm. It was a different feeling there vs her home. Clayton’s farm had beautiful crops and animals that were all happy and healthy. She tried so hard to get her family to want to plant new crops and actually work the farm but they just wanted the space and the peace.

As the years went on Bailey’s older siblings moved out. Slowly one after another they were gone until it was Just Jake and Bailey left at home. Jake was 23 and Bailey was now 18. Jake said he wanted to stay behind to make sure his parents didn’t need anything but Bailey thought it was just because he was a lazy slob who didn’t want to get a job. Over those 7 years Bailey had become fond of Clayton even more so when they both hit puberty.

She never did tell him how she felt because he always called her Skip or Sis. So in her mind he only saw her as a friend or a sibling in a strange sort of way. More years past, boyfriends came and went and then College happened. Bailey left the farm and went back to the city to study and become a vet. The little farm town she grew up in was in her past. The first summer harvest of her final year in vet school was upon her the now 23 year old veterinarian pulled up the driveway of the family farm parking her blue pickup truck under the tree that used to be home to a tire swing now just a piece of broken rope.

“Bailey!” Her aging parents exclaimed as they walked down the steps from the front porch of the little home.

“Mom! Dad!” She smiled then heard a bark from her brother’s dog. “Duke!” The golden lab was nearly 10 years old now.

“Oh it’s so good to see you guys!” She said almost excitedly as she hugged them and rubbed her father’s arm. Her parents were up there in age. Her brother was working on Clayton’s farm now.

“Well you know the Henderson’s bought the farm, they’ve been kind enough to let us live here, and gave Jake a job.” Her father said as they sat in the living room; Bailey looked amazed.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t help more with saving this place. I’m glad Clayton and his family were so willing to help.”

“Yeah, they’ve been a real big help.” Her mother said though within her voice you could hear something strange. Sadness in a way.

“Anyways pumpkin tell us, how’s being a vet treating you?”

“Well I’m working for a practice in the City. It’s nice my partner is amazing she’s like my, well my best friend I guess you could say.” Bailey beamed and looked at her parents. They both looked so miserable. It broke Bailey’s heart.

“Is Jake over at the Henderson’s now?” Bailey asked her parents.

“Oh yeah he is pumpkin. I’ll call him over.” Her dad said but Bailey was quick to protest.

“No I’ll just go pop on over to the Henderson’s.” Bailey smiled.

This was her chance to go see Clayton and their old farm and see if anything had changed since she spent most of her summer days there with him and his animals. Bailey walked the two mile distance between the houses with Duke following close beside her. She smiled taking in a nice deep breath of fresh air. Only she would find the scent of freshly planted crops pleasing and inviting.

As she rounded the corner into the farm boy’s house she smiled seeing her brother out on a tractor working his way through a harvest of corn. Her eyes glanced around and lingered as she saw a man she hadn’t seen since she was love sick little puppy for him.

“Bailey Cooper, as I live and breathe is that you?” Clayton said hopping off his horse. Bailey instantly got this doe like look in her eyes all naive and happy.

“Clayton Henderson, you look fantastic!” She offered a wide smile and a warm hug. Nothing like that country girl hospitality striking back up in her life.

“What brings you out this way, miss fancy city vet?” Clayton asked as he pat his horse’s side lightly, Bailey smiled at him and lightly pet the horse’s long snout.

“Well I just wanted to come on by see how my favorite farm was doing and to check on my parents, and Jake.” She said as her annoying older brother rushed over wiping sweat from his forehead and engulfing her into a hug.

“Oh god!” She grunted lightly. “Jake you stink!” She said as she shrugged her brother off her before laughing.

“It’s good to see you too Goober!” Jake pet Dukes head and went back to work.

“Your brother sure is a mighty big help around these parts, it’s been tough since my mom passed away and dad started showing signs of dementia.” Clayton said a serious tone in his voice.

“Yeah, I heard about that, I am so sorry your mom was always such a wonderful kind hearted woman Clayton.” Bailey gently put her hand upon his arms. “If there is anything I can do for you Clay let me know okay?”

“Thanks Skip.” Clayton gave her a smile.

God how in the world is it possible for one man to age as fine as Clayton Henderson has? His body looked like it was sculpted out of a magazine. Bailey pulled herself from her thoughts as Clayton was talking about money issues now.

“Wait—what was that you were saying?” She asked him almost pink in the face from embarrassment.

“Oh, well I said I don’t know if your parents told you or not but I may have to sell off their home. My father bought it when your mom got sick and couldn’t work anymore but now with my dad being sick and the money just not coming in, I’m afraid I don’t have the money to keep both places up and running you know?”

Bailey’s heart sunk. “Oh, they didn’t tell me.” She said weakly that must’ve been what her mother was so upset about. “Well, how much money did you need to come up with?” She asked curiously.

“450 thousand.” Clayton said quietly. Jesus you could buy a whole new home for that amount of money.

“Dear lord,” She said as she played nervously with her necklace. “I’ll see what I can do to help out okay?” Bailey said sweetly.

“Oh no I couldn’t ask you to do th—“ Bailey held her hand up to cut off Clayton as he spoke.

“I want my parents to be able to live in the home they love, and I don’t want you to stretch yourself thin, I will think of something okay?” She said smiling at him. “Besides, you got to try even if you fail.” She smiled sweetly.

“So, where’s your boyfriend?” Clayton asked her suddenly.

“Boyfriend? Well I don’t have one of those.” Bailey laughed then looked around. “What about you farm boy you seeing yourself a pretty gal?”

“Actually yeah, her name is Gloria Ingland. She’s not really like us you know, country she’s more like the people you’d see from the city.”

“You, Clayton Henderson are seeing a city girl? Well now I’ve heard just about everything.” Bailey said not trying to offend him. She just didn’t see him loving someone who didn’t love farming and animals like he did.

“C’mon give her a chance Skip, in fact she should be here tomorrow.”

“She don’t live here now?”

“Oh god no! She lives in New York.”

“New York, like New York City? She’s never seen a farm in her life New York?” Bailey asked.

“Yes new York city.”

“Have ya’ll even met in person? “

“Well, No I met her online, she seems like a nice Gal and she’s coming down to meet me in person and spend a week here on the farm with me.”

Bailey wanted to laugh in his face and tell him he’d make a huge mistake, but there was also a part of her that was jealous and slightly upset that he picked a city girl over her. “Well Bean I hope things work out for you.”

Skip and Bean, their stupid nicknames form when they were kids.

“Oh god! Skip nobody has called me bean since you left for college what was that…four years ago?”

“Something like that.” She smiled and looked at him. “I just came by to see you and Jake make sure you both know I’m here, but now I’m going to go sit down with my parents and have a nice strong talk with them about finances.” She said and gave Clayton a side hug.

“It was so nice seeing you. We will have to get together again before I leave alright?” Bailey asked him then smiled sweetly. “And Good luck with that new girlfriend of yours.” She waved as she turned to walk back down the driveway and towards her home. She whistled for duke to come with her. As she got home to the house she sighed and closed the door huffing out. All these old feeling were already being stirred up within her. She hadn’t even been back on the farm for a day and already she felt like she’d never left, and to hear he had a girlfriend from the city made her want to vomit.

“Did you know?” She asked her mother who peered out of the kitchen to her.

“About the girlfriend from new York?” Her mother asked all she got was a nod from bailey. “Yeah I knew, I was going to tell you before you went over but you were already halfway out the door.”

“And about Clayton having to sell your home?” Bailey asked folding her arms and raising a brow as she walked into the kitchen leaning against the kitchen counter.

“Oh that, well. Your father seems to think it will be a good thing for us Bailey, I mean it’s just three of us in the house and Duke now. Your older siblings don’t really come to see us unless it’s Christmas and anymore they’re all busy with their families.” Her mother said as she unloaded the dishwasher.

“But this is your home mom, you and dad rebuilt this place and made it what it is today. Even though I still think if you guys had made this a working producing farm you wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“Bailey..” Her mother sighed out. Bailey had been barking up that tree since she first met Clayton and got to see what a real farm was all about.

“I know I know, we aren’t farmers we just like the privacy and space.” Bailey quoted the thing her parents always used to tell her at least fourteen times a day when she was growing up. “I’m still going to try and fix things around here.” Bailey said as she grabbed and apple and kissed her mother’s cheek. She walked herself upstairs and sat in her old bed, pulling her laptop onto her lap she sighed and turned it on.

She was going to save the farm…
Even if it meant having to do something drastic.

The next morning the sun rose quickly and Bailey was up extra early in the morning which wasn’t her new normal by any means there was just something about being on this farm that kept her head high and her energy high. She smiled as she walked into the kitchen deciding to be that daughter and cook a huge family breakfast for her mother, father and brother before he’d have to go to work. She made a hearty breakfast of pancakes, fresh fruit, eggs, sausage and toast for her family. As they started coming into the Dinning room she smiled seeing her mother rubbing her eyes.

“Bailey… This looks fantastic, you didn’t have to cook baby, I would have cooked for you baby.” Her mother smiled but gently hugged her and whispered a weak thank you to her daughter for this. Bailey smiled and winked at her mom. “You got it.” Bailey said.

Right now at this point in time Bailey didn’t want to think about finances, feelings, or the scare of possibly losing her family home. So she went for a walk, this town was the safest town in the Midwest. There was never any crime because nobody knew this place really existed. As Bailey walked along the dirt roads and in through the trees towards the river she heard clopping of horse feet. Her eyes darted up as she say Clayton.

“I forgot! This is your favorite area to ride in.” Bailey said as Clayton stopped by her.

“What brings you out this way?” Clayton asked and looked at her.

“Oh you know, walking, talking to myself, thinking about things I could possibly do to save the farm.” She said her voice sounded almost troubled as she spoke to him. The turned to look at the horse petting his face. “How about you? Don’t you only ride this far out when you’re troubled?”

“Troubled, I’m not... Okay I am but its nothing I can’t handle right?” He said rubbing his neck lightly.

“You’re asking me if you can handle something.” Bailey laughed and shook her head looking up at Clayton. “Why don’t you talk to me Bean?” She asked looking at him. There was a funny story to that when Clayton Henderson had been a young man he stuck a bean up his nose. Bailey had to help him fish it out with tweezers and a flash light.

“Skip, I’m so worried about my dad. I told him Gloria was coming in and he got mad and we fought but, I can’t fight with him. Half the time he doesn’t even recognize me.” Clayton said sadly as he walked beside Bailey holding his horse’s reigns in his hands. Bailey frowned she could sense his sadness and his frustrations.

“Gloria isn’t our type of person.”

“How can you say that Bailey? You were born in the city and learned to be a country girl.” Clayton quickly defended the girl he ‘loved’ but hasn’t even met in person.

Bailey’s inner voice was screaming about how she’s loved him her whole life and he’s never noticed but didn’t say anything out loud. “I was also three when I moved to the country so I grew up country just because my birth certificate isn’t a home birth in this county don’t mean this isn’t my home.” She pointed out at him.

Clayton smirked at how defensive she got. “What you don’t want the title of City Girl skip?” he chuckled deeply. “I know this is your home. I know that you haven’t been a city girl really. I know, I just wish everyone would stop thinking bad about Gloria. She hasn’t even gotten here yet.” He sighed heavily.

“When you say she’s a born and raised New Yorker, everyone gets a little sketched out. We live in the country, we are a full 4 hour plane from New York. A 6 hour drive from the city here. The only big company we have way out here is Wal-Mart and Tractor Supply Company. “ She laughed lightly and made it down by the water, she sat on a flat rock and put her legs to her chest.

“This place has always brought me comfort.” Bailey sighed lightly. “I love it here…I missed being here.”

“Are you staying this time?” Clayton asked.

Bailey honestly didn’t have an answer so she just shrugged exhaling a deep sight. “I don’t know yet Bean. I’m still trying to come up with the money to fully pay you back for buying the farm and basically buy it from you Bean.” She said and smiled weakly. “I’ll work on it, don’t you worry about that okay?”

As they sat there talking and reminiscing about their old days she couldn’t help but to smile as a fond memory came to her mind. “Do you remember that summer we installed the rope swing on the old oak that is now in the river?” She smiled widely. “I was 15 and just finally got over my fear of fish.” She laughed lightly.

“If I do remember correctly you swung out and didn’t let go, right? Then when you came back in you hit the tree and fell into the water. Kind of on your stomach.” Clayton laughed and sighed watching his horse walk around the edge of the water. “Those were the days right? Things were so simple back then, do you think they’ll ever be that simple again?” He asked her.

“Hopefully, Bean. Hopefully.”

While the rain from your hair drip-drops