Charlie's Angel

by Jennifer Grayson

  He shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Cindy. I hope you didn’t believe everything she told you”

  “It was all good, actually,” Cindy said.

  Charlie smiled, slightly embarrassed and looked at Hannah, who smiled back.

  “Hi Will,” Cindy greeted Will as he walked into the room.

  “Hey Cindy, glad to see you made it okay.” Will stated.

  “Yeah, snow's still coming down out there.

  “Would you like warm drink, Cindy? You must be frozen,” Hannah asked.

  “Sure, I'd love something, would warm me up nice.” Cindy answered.

  As Charlie listened to Cindy talk he was enjoying it. The sound of her voice was nice, sweet, and had a quality about it that he liked. As she talked with Hannah he took the opportunity of looking at her closer. Without her coat she had an athletic looking body, probably due to the outdoor work that people around these parts are used to. He realized, however, that if he met her in the city he probably wouldn’t give her a second glance, but now in her company he understood all the preaching Hannah had given about looking beyond the looks of a woman and look for the inner beauty and as he listened he realized that Cindy truly was beautiful.

  “So Cindy, have you lived here long?” Charlie asked.

  “About ten years now. I moved down here with my husband Martin after he inherited the farm when his father died. It was a struggle at first, but we were just pulling it around when Martin died.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry – I didn’t realize.” Charlie looked at Hannah. She shrugged her shoulders.

  “It’s okay, honestly. It was over a year ago now and I’m beginning to come to terms with it. Mind you, I don’t know how I would have managed without Hannah and Will. They have been real good friends.”

  “Are you managing the farm okay now,” Charlie asked.

  “I thought I would have been able to run it by myself, but there is not enough income to hire farm hands and it’s only because Will has helped out a lot that I have gotten this far. But he can’t keep giving up his time to help me out. It’s unfair to him and Hannah, so I may have to sell up and move on.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “Sometimes you have to face reality and move on,” Cindy said, “but that’s enough about me, what about you Charlie? Hannah has told me a lot about you, but I’m sure there is more to you than that. For a start she tells me you never married. Is that right?”

  Charlie was a little taken aback by such a direct question so soon, but he answered as honestly as he could. “No, never found the right girl to settle down with.”

  “Good take your time. There is nothing worse than rushing into something, only to find out that it was the wrong choice. I have a few friends that married in haste and they are spending their time repenting now” Cindy told him.

  “Yeah, well thanks to Hannah I've avoided some bad decisions, if she hadn't been there to talk too,” Charlie admitted.

  “She's a really nice lady,” Cindy commented.

  “Just like a sister to me,” Charlie said.

  “So they tell me you grew up down here, why did you leave?” Cindy asked.

  “To tell you the truth the farm life wasn't for me at that time. I grew up doing chores all day long, and got tired of it, by the time I graduated high school, I wanted out of here. I had gotten a college degree, and off I went, and never looked back.”

  “So do you ever miss it?”

  “Well lately I've been thinking of life a bit differently. Sure I love my job, and it pays well. But I’ve toyed with the idea of branching out on my own. I have enough clients who would most likely follow me, and I could do the work from a distance in most cases. But from here, I'm not really sure.” Charlie said.

  “I was from the city,” Cindy revealed, “and truthfully every once in a while I miss it a lot. But then there are other days when I love the peace and quiet of this life, although you are always kept busy on many occasions. In the long run I really don't know which part of the world or life I would enjoy more. It's hard after your world falls apart like mine did, you just don't know if anything will every make complete sense again.”

  “Well I can't say I've experienced the same thing as you, but it was hard getting used to my best friend being down here, and not having her in town. But the phone is close by and we chat quit often,” Charlie said.

  “You seem like a very down to earth guy, you know that. Just like Martin was. Someone who could look at things in life and take them for what they are and not take things by first impressions,” Cindy said.

  “I don't know how down to earth I am, I've had my moments,” Charlie admitted. “Hannah has often accused me of taking people and things at face value rather than getting to know people, but I am learning and getting better.”

  “I’m fairly good at first impressions and I like what I see in you,”

  Charlie was a little surprised by Cindy’s forthrightness, but he liked it. “Thanks,” he said.

  They talked all afternoon and well into the evening. Will and Hannah left them alone. Hannah spent most of the time in the kitchen preparing dinner and Will disappeared outside to get some jobs done. Charlie offered to help, but he had declined the offer as there were only a few things he needed to get done. Hannah interrupted only once to ask Cindy if she would stay for the night and she accepted the offer, not relishing the drive home in the snow. Charlie was pleased. It meant he could enjoy her company a little longer and he certainly was enjoying it.

  Eventually, late in the evening, tiredness took over and the decision was made to retire for the night. Charlie was only in his room for a minute or so when there was a knock on the door. His heart leapt. “Come in,” he called out. It was Hannah. He was a little disappointed.

  “You seem to be getting on well,” Hannah said. “We haven’t seen her laugh like that since Martin died.”

  “She’s nice,” Charlie said. “She’s been through a lot, but she doesn’t seem to dwell on it.”

  “I’m thinking I may have made a mistake getting you two together. I know you don’t have the greatest respect for women. Just be careful, Charlie. I don’t want you hurt her.”

  “I don’t think I could. I like her and I think if I did hurt her I would jeopardize my friendship with you and I would never risk that.”

  “It’s not just Cindy that might get hurt. She loved Martin dearly and she might not be ready to move on yet. She may not be ready for a new relationship. Just tread carefully until things are clearer.”

  “Let’s just see how things pan out. But I promise you I will not hurt her. All the decisions will be hers.”

  “Goodnight, Charlie. Sweet dreams,” Hannah smiled.

  That night Charlie’s dreams were indeed sweet. They involved Cindy and he was with her. They were out horse riding and it was a warm summer’s day. They stopped down by the river in the shade of a tall tree and enjoyed a picnic that Cindy had prepared. They shared a kiss, and it was nice, sweet, and it quickly became a passionate embrace. Before he knew it they were both naked on the blanket and he was making love to her. When he woke the next morning he lay in bed for a while and relived the dream. It had been so erotic and it had seemed so real. Thinking about it made him tingle with excitement, but then he realized it was just a dream.

  After showering and dressing Charlie walked into the kitchen where he found Hannah and Cindy making breakfast.

  “Hi,” Charlie greeted the girls, “is Will already out working?”

  “Not yet,” Hannah answered, “he's in the shower. Breakfast always comes first.”

  “Good, I was going to help him out this morning,”

  “Oh Hannah before I forget do you think Will would mind coming over the farm and helping out with the things I need to get done?” Cindy asked.

  “I'll do them for you,” Charlie said before Hannah could answer.

  “Oh you don't have to do that,” Cindy said.

  “I don't mind. I use to work o
n a farm, remember,” Charlie said.

  “Well thanks, I appreciate it,” Cindy answered.

  “Can they wait until we have chores done here? I did promise Will I would give him a hand while I’m staying here.

  “Oh they can wait its fine. There’s nothing urgent,” Cindy said.

  “When we're done here, I'll ride over with you and help you out.” Charlie said.

  Will came out and they all sat down for breakfast and it wasn't long before they were out in the cold, doing chores. It was refreshing for Charlie; if truth be told he almost missed doing this every day. Funny how things worked out in the long run, he would never have imagined him missing this type of work. The two of them soon got the jobs done and they were finished by lunch time and Charlie drove over to Cindy's farm with her to help her out. Will had offered to join them, but Hannah had stopped him. She said that there was something she needed him to do. He couldn’t think what it was, but finally got the message.

  “So what do you need done?” Charlie asked Cindy as she pulled up to the house.

  “Just the normal things, feed the animals, collect the eggs, check on the dogs and cat and a few other things.” Cindy said.

  “I'll take care of the animals; just show me where they are and what you want doing.” Charlie said.

  It didn’t take long for them to get into a routine and as they worked side by side there were a few times that they accidentally brushed against one another. It didn't seem to bother Cindy too much, but Charlie was having a hard time with it. He kept picturing her in the dream and eventually he felt the need for a confession.

  “Hey, Cindy?” he began.

  “Yes Charlie?”

  He changed his mind, “Nothing,” he said, then all of a sudden found himself blurting it out, “I had a dream about you last night, and it was rather erotic,” he told her.

  “You don't say?” Cindy smiled. “That's odd because I had one about you too.”

  “Really?' Charlie was taken aback.

  “Yes, and it was really quite nice.” Cindy admitted.

  Charlie was stunned and didn’t know what to say and then decided that action was better than words. He walked over to her, bent down and kissed her on the lips, seeing if the kiss from the dream would be as good as the real thing. The shock of electricity he felt when their lips met was enough to tell him that perhaps dreams can come true.

  She moaned and leaned into him with the kiss. Charlie wrapped his arms around her and the cold of the outside was forgotten as the heat of their kiss and passion generated all the warmth they needed.

  “Wait, not here,” Cindy stopped him. Taking his hand she led him to the house and, unlocking the door, she guided him to the bedroom.

  He took her back into his arms once again and kissed her passionately, undressing her slowly and feeling her naked skin against his hands. It felt good, better than he could remember it ever feeling with anyone else. She moaned beneath his touch and that was all the encouragement he needed. They lay on the bed and he took her slowly and sweetly, showing her all the love and affection that he could.

  It was odd but he knew he was in love already. Now he understood what Will had said. From the very first moment he'd felt attracted to Cindy and found her enthralling. But it wasn't just about her looks at all, but finding out that she was a woman with depth and personality. Someone he wanted to spend the rest of his life with and still be hungry for more. He was amazed how these feelings had come about within such a short time, but he had no doubts about how he felt. He just hoped and prayed that Cindy felt the same. He also had to admit that Hannah had been right all along.

  They didn’t return to Will and Hannah’s that night. They spent the rest of the day and night enjoying each other’s company and exploring each other’s bodies and desires. They made love again and again and before they knew it the sun was coming up over the horizon.

  Chapter 5

  IT WAS CHRISTMAS, and Charlie had pulled a few strings to have a special present for Cindy. Since the first day they had gone over to her farm they had spent most of their time there and, although Charlie did help Will out during the day, the majority of the time they just wanted to spend as much time together as they could.

  The closer he got to Cindy and the more he found out about her the more plans Charlie had been making about his future. He hadn’t discussed them with Cindy yet. He had to know first how she felt and that she did not just consider this as a holiday romance. He would know today, Christmas day, which they were still spending with Will and Hannah. He hadn’t talked about it with anyone, not even Hannah, but he would be asking Cindy the big question and the closer it got the more nervous he became. What if she said no?

  The presents sat under the tree and they decided to hand them out before they sat down for their Christmas meal. Will had the honor of giving the gifts out including the one Charlie had hidden there in the morning when they had come over. As he handed the small box to Cindy he looked at Charlie with a question in his eyes. Charlie just shrugged his shoulders, not wanting to ruin the surprise.

  “Cindy, can you open that one last?” Charlie said to her though as she looked at it closely.

  “Sure.”

  Finally, it was time for Cindy to open her last gift. She picked it up, and began to open it and as she removed the paper she saw that it was a ring box.

  Charlie got down on one knee, as she opened the box and said, “will you marry me Cindy?”

  Hannah squealed and Will looked in amazement at his friend. Cindy started to cry.

  “Oh Charlie, of course I'll marry you,” she smiled, the tears of joy rolling down her face.

  He kissed her, and whispered in her ear, “you've made me happier in a few days then I've ever been in my life, thank you, I love you.”

  “I love you too.”

  * * *

  The wedding took place a few months later, after Hannah had a baby boy, which they named Will Jr. Hannah helped plan the wedding with Cindy and Will relished his duties as best man to Charlie. He smiled at his friend as they got ready for the ceremony.

  “So now that you’re getting married, are you staying down here for good?” Will asked him.

  “Yeah, we are going to continue the work Cindy and Martin started. The company have been very understanding, as well. They had been considering opening up an office down here for some time and they have taken the opportunity to go ahead with their plans. I have been offered me consultancy work to help with setting it up. Between that and the farm the two I should be able to give Cindy a great life. Plus we have to be ready for when the baby comes,” Charlie let the cat out of the bag.

  “Congrats man, I'm so happy for you.” Will said.

  “Me too.” Charlie said.

  Charlie took Cindy to the city for their honeymoon and she'd loved the idea, but they both knew that their real home would be back on the farm, planning a future for themselves and their children and being happy together.