by Rye Hart
“It's not following you if we're headed in the same direction,” I said. “There's only one way in this damn place. It's not exactly a big store.”
“Tell me about it,” she groaned. “Do they even have quinoa here?”
“You're joking, right?” I asked.
She stared at me, face blank and unblinking. Finally, after a second, she smiled wide and started cackling.
“No, I'm not serious,” she said. “I prefer couscous anyway.”
I rolled my eyes. “Damn city slickers,” I muttered.
“Don't blame me if you don't know quinoa from couscous,” she said with a crooked, but adorable grin.
“Now you're just messing with me, aren't you?” I said. “Are those actual things you eat? Or, are they just made-up words to fuck with me?”
“You'll never know, will you?” she said with a wink. “Because I'm just some stupid city girl, after all. I couldn't possibly know something you don't.”
“I never said you were stupid,” I said. “Just not from around here.”
“I know what that means in Texan talk,” Abby said, throwing some coffee in her cart. “You obviously think you're better than me because I didn't grow up on a farm. But, trust me, Chase Crawford, you don't know shit about me.”
She stopped in the aisle and picked up some coffee creamer. So far, very little food had made it into her cart. Not that I was one to judge. Hell, I'd only planned on picking up beer while I was there. Breakfast of champions for me most days.
I left her to do her own thing and swung by the liquor aisle and picked up a twelve pack out of the cooler. The store was mostly empty since it was right before closing in the middle of the week. It wasn't a twenty-four-hour Wal-Mart or whatever they had in the cities these days, and they closed their doors at eight pm on the button.
It was summer at least, and not yet dark, but I couldn't imagine a girl like Abby walking home by herself once the sun went down. Sure, the town was safe enough, but if she didn't know her way around, she could get lost pretty easily in a place with few lights and no cell signal. The cows would be the last thing she'd have to worry about since there were miles and miles of fields with no houses in sight. No one to hear her calling for help if she fell or ran into someone's bull.
I hoped she understood the favor I'd done for her, but seeing her ass swishing toward the registers, I got the feeling she thought of herself as one tough cookie. She thought she was city tough – which was not even in the same league as country tough. Hell, they weren't even the same sport.
CHAPTER TWO
ABBY
“Thanks for the ride,” I said, about halfway back to my place.
The rest of the trip had been pretty silent. Chase didn't seem like much of a talker, but he seemed like a decent enough person. I wasn't about to open up to some guy I just met though. That's not really my thing.
He glanced over at me with those deep brown eyes of his, a smile curling his lips upward. It was a genuine smile too – the first one I'd seen from him. It was a smile that went all the way to his eyes. At first, I found him a little rough around the edges. His thick dark brown beard covered most of his face and, to me, he seemed like a real country guy.
But, his eyes were softer and gentler than I'd first thought. His smile was nice, and it warmed me up from my head to my toes.
“You're welcome,” he said, as the smile faltered. “Just don't trespass on my land in the future, you hear?”
“Yes, sir,” I grumbled. “I'll go the long way from here on out.”
“Don't you drive?” he asked.
I shrugged. “I'm from the Bay Area where cars aren't really necessary.”
“So, you don't know how to drive?”
I bit my fingernail. “Well – no. Not really,” I admitted. “I just usually always took the BART or called a Lyft when I needed a ride somewhere.”
“Yeah, well, we don't have any of that out here,” he said. “You either walk or drive around here. Or, you ride a horse.”
“People really ride horses to get around still?” I asked, sitting up in my seat. “Maybe I could get myself a horse.”
He cocked an eyebrow at me. “Really?”
“What? You don't think I can ride a horse?”
“Sure, I mean, I guess you could,” he said. “If you had someone to teach you, but – ”
“You can teach me,” I said, a smile growing on my lips.
“I'm not a teacher,” he laughed.
He side-eyed me, giving me a once over as if he was considering his options. His laughter ended abruptly though, and his face grew serious.
“And I really don't need you hanging around,” he said, his voice firm. “This was a one-time favor. Got it?”
“Fine,” I said.
Still, I saw the way he'd looked at me. Chase might not be the type to admit it, but I knew he liked what he saw.
“I'll figure something out,” I said.
He looked over at me again, and I could see he was thinking about something, turning it over in his mind and debating it. It was something he didn't want me to see because he looked away as soon as I caught him staring.
“So, tell me, Chase, do you live out here on the farm, all alone?”
His grip tightened on the steering wheel and I saw him clenching his jaw. I noticed that there was no wedding ring on his finger, so I'd assumed he was single. Though, that didn't mean he wasn't dating someone, which made the question valid in my mind.
Not that I should be thinking things like that. No, too soon for all that. Still, I found myself intrigued by this lonesome stranger and his deep brown eyes.
“Yes. I like being alone a lot better,” he said, answering a question I wasn't even intending to ask.
“Doesn't it get lonely?” I asked, turning my body to look at him fully.
I laid my head back against the seat and studied his face, my eyes traveling down to his neck, and then to his arm which I noticed was flexed tightly as he gripped the steering wheel. He was only wearing a t-shirt, and I could see the tattoo that poked out from under the sleeve. I could only see the bottom section of the ink but knew what it meant. Semper Fi.
Chase was a Marine, not that I was surprised. In addition to his gruff, no-nonsense demeanor, he was clearly built for it – over six-foot-tall, strong arms the size of a small tree, a chiseled chest and strong legs. The man was stacked.
He still hadn't answered my question though, so I repeated myself. “Does it – ”
“No,” he snapped, cutting me off. “I'm fine alone. I'm better alone. I don't like people in my hair all the time.”
“Right, okay, so...”
I cleared my throat and tried to think of some way to respond, something to say. But, I was coming up blank. So, I decided to change the subject instead.
“So, are you from Texas originally?”
“Yes,” he said.
The truck turned down the road to my house. He didn't even have to ask for directions, he already knew the way. I guess that's the thing with small towns. Both a blessing and a curse.
“So, did you move back here after you were discharged?” I asked.
Chase pulled into my narrow, dirt driveway, the air in the cab of the truck saturated with tension. I was only renting the house, for now. I guess it had sat empty for a while, so I'd found a good deal on it online. It was just a one-bedroom house at the end of a dirt road. Definitely nothing fancy.
Perhaps staying in a city somewhere, surrounded by people, would have made more sense. But, I didn't want to be found. I hoped that by being in the middle of nowhere, where no one would recognize me meant that Paul wouldn't find me.
“What?” Chase asked.
“When you left the Marines?” I pressed. “Did you move back here right away or – ”
“Let’s get one thing straight, Abby,” he said, his voice gruff and firm. “You seem like a nice girl. You do. But, I have no room in my life for friends. Like I said a minute ago, I'm better on my own. Alone.”
Chase stopped the truck, and that friendly look that had been on his face earlier was gone. It had vanished completely, like a puff of smoke on the wind.
“Who said anything about friends?” I said. “I certainly didn't move to the middle of fucking nowhere to make friends, Chase.”
I pulled on the door handle and spilled out of the truck. Taking one last look into Chase's brown eyes, I swear I saw sadness, too much sadness for one person to bear alone. And seeing it made my heart go out to this obviously damaged, lonely man. I, of all people, knew what it meant to be damaged.
“Thanks for the ride,” I said, keeping my voice low and calm.
“You're welcome. Be careful out here alone,” he said.
I slammed the car door, rolling my eyes as I walked into my tiny rental house.
“Be careful out here,” I muttered as I unlocked the front door.
The things I had to fear weren't out here in the middle of nowhere, Texas. No, the things that I had to worry about would hopefully not find me here at all.
I stepped inside and looked around, letting out a long breath. The place was hardly furnished. The bank rented the property out at a super low price since it had been on the market for so long. I guess there wasn't a big market for tiny little shacks in the middle of a field. Who would have thought?
I managed to get hooked up with a few things though, using what I had in savings – the mattress on the floor in the bedroom being the most important purchase. There was a somewhat ratty and threadbare couch that had come with the place. It probably belonged to the dead guy who'd lived there last. Great. I tried not to think about that.
The kitchen was fully furnished, and the place thankfully came with a built-in counter to eat at. Otherwise, the place was empty. Not even a television. Not that I watched much TV these days, but sometimes it would have been nice just for background noise. The thing that rattled me the most about being out in the middle of nowhere was the complete and utter silence. You could hear the wind rustle each individual blade out there.
I had my laptop and a shitty internet connection. I needed to find a job soon – my savings were going to run out eventually. But, I didn't want to put my name out there just yet. Besides, in a town like this, what could I even do? What jobs would there even be for me? I highly doubted anyone was in the market for a graphic designer in these parts. Freelancing was my only option, but with the shoddy internet, even that might prove to be difficult.
For the moment, I lived off the savings my parents had set up for me before they passed away. The savings that were supposed to go toward starting a family or buying a home were now my sole source of income – and they weren't going to last forever. They would, at least, help keep me alive in the short term though.
I plopped down on the dusty cream-colored couch and realized I forgot to buy some Febreze. It smelled like mildew and stale beer in the place. It wasn't exactly a terrible smell – just the odor of dust and emptiness. Nothing that a little cleaning wouldn't fix.
My eyes fluttered and my head felt heavy with exhaustion. Everything had happened so fast, and I was still reeling from it all. My first full day in my new home, and already everything felt like it was going to shit. I hadn't thought about things like going to the store or how I was going to get around, I literally just upped and moved. I hopped on a plane to Houston and hired a driver to bring me to a house I'd only looked at online before signing the lease. Now that I was there, and the reality of it all was sinking in, it felt surreal.
I was in Texas. Without a car. Without any friends or family to help me get around. With no prospects or plan for how I was going to get by. I had nothing but what I could bring on the plane with me.
I was supposed to be starting over, but no one told me that starting over would be so hard.
CHAPTER THREE
CHASE
I was out on my horse, Phoenix, heading back to the stables, when I caught sight of Abby walking by. She stopped outside my fence and waved, shooting me a sweet smile. She was such a tiny, little thing, and adorable as all hell. Just the type of woman I'd have gone for once upon a time, back when I believed in happily ever afters and shit that was too farfetched for me to even consider now.
Her blonde hair was loose today, blowing in the wind and into her face. It was so long, it fell almost to her waist, and was silky smooth. I gripped the reins on Phoenix tighter, as the desire to run my hands through her hair overcame me.
I kept on riding Phoenix, doing my level best not to look at her. I didn't want her to ask me for another ride – or worse, out on a date. Either one would be hard for me to turn down, but I really, truly did not want to date her. Not because she wasn't attractive or appealing, but because she was both of those things, which was the last thing I needed in my life.
I glanced back over at Abby as she tossed her leg over the fence – a fence that was much too high for someone like her to jump over. Her short-shorts got snagged on the wire as she was trying to climb over. She tried to pull herself free and had both of her feet well off the ground. Letting out a long breath, I hurried on over to help her before she split her damn fool head wide open.
Phoenix stopped just short of her, and I hopped down from the horse in a hurry. Abby was still yanking at the denim, cursing and muttering under her breath.
“See? Nothing good ever comes from trespassing, Abby,” I growled. “What did I tell you about that?”
I stormed over to her and pulled out my pocket knife. She sighed as she looked at me.
“I didn't think it would be trespassing if I was coming to visit you,” she said.
“Did I ask you to come over?” “I asked. “In fact, I seem to recall saying something about being better left alone.”
“Well, yeah, but –”
“Then it's trespassing,” I grumbled.
I flipped out the knife and mumbled for her to hold still. She was really stuck, and there was going to be a hole in her shorts after I managed to get her free. As soon as my hand was in place, I hesitated, realizing how close to her most intimate parts I'd be getting. Instead, I handed the knife to her, handle first.
She took it from me and cut herself free, jumping over the fence, finally landing on the other side with me. She handed the knife back to me with a smile, seemingly oblivious to the hole in her shorts. I wasn't though and saw that her underwear was pink. I probably shouldn't have known that much about her, but it was hard not to. If Abby cared that I could see her panties plain as day, it didn't show.
“Thanks for that,” she said. “It sucks being short sometimes.”
“Maybe that's a lesson to not hop fences,” I said.
“Or maybe, I just need a horse to jump with me,” she said.
Her eyes lit up, and I noticed she wasn't looking at me anymore. Her eyes were on Phoenix, the golden red stallion in front of her. Luckily for her, Phoenix was a friendly horse – friendlier than some of my other mounts. Abby walked up and stroked his mane, enamored with the creature.
“I've never seen a real live horse before,” she said. “I'm sorry, I just couldn't help myself.”
“You've never seen a horse before?”
“Not up close, no,” she said as she stroked Phoenix's muzzle. “He's beautiful. Can I ride him sometime?”
“No,” I said, grabbing Phoenix's reins.
Her face fell, and her shoulders slumped – and I instantly felt like an asshole. Cringing, I let out a long breath and shook my head, running a hand through my hair.
“He's a bit wild and big for a beginner,” I said. “You'd need a calmer horse.”
“Do you have one I could ride?” she asked, her eyes sparkling. “A calmer one?”
Dammit. I should tell her no. I should tell her that I can't help her, and she needs to get the hell off my property. Her blue eyes sparkled with so much excitement and so much child-like wonder. She was like a little girl on Christmas, begging her parents to let her open her presents. Looking down into that bright, b
eaming face, there was no way I wanted to be the asshole who denied her that.
“Sure, maybe one of these days,” I mumbled, smoothing out my beard with my hand.
“Really, Chase?” she asked, eyes wide.
She had obviously expected me to say no and I'd managed to surprise her. Crap. I gave myself a swift mental kick in the ass, knowing I should have said no. Now, I was obliged to keep my promise to her or else I'd really be a dick.
“Yeah, just not today,” I said. “I'm already going in for the night.”
“Oh, yeah, that's fine,” she said.
I took Phoenix and walked him back toward the stable, and Abby followed on my heel, stroking the horse's coat. I didn't have the heart to tell her to leave – even though I wanted nothing more than to be left alone – so I let her come along with me. She seemed lonely, and while I liked being alone, I knew what that was like. I knew the pain and isolation some people felt when left entirely on their own for too long. I'd gotten used to it; had actually come to like it. But, I wasn't unfamiliar with the hurt it caused.
“So, what's her name?” she asked.
“His name is Phoenix,” I said.
“Ahh, because his coat is reddish? Kind of like fire?” she asked.
I shrugged. “I didn't name him.”
“Oh,” she said. “Who named him then?”
We reached the stable, and I put the horse back in his stall. Abby stared at the other horses, her eyes wide, and an expression of pure rapture on her face. She looked like she'd died and was in heaven. She walked up to a black and white stallion who was just staring at her with big, black eyes. As soon as their eyes met, I knew Abby wouldn't be able to resist. She reached out her hand, but I grabbed her by the wrist, stopping her from making a very big mistake.
“He bites,” I said calmly. “You should always ask before touching someone's horse. Or any animals for that matter. Not all of 'em are friendly.”
“I'm sorry,” she said, her voice soft, sounding like a dejected child. “I didn't know that horses bit.”
I motioned to Mary, a gray mare that was as sweet as molasses, perched in a stall across the barn. She was a smaller horse, not fit for riding unless you were a child – or perhaps, somebody Abby's size.