by Avonlea Cole
"Hey there, handsome! I’m glad you were able to find us out here." She turned her attention to my car and started screaming, "Whoa, look at this ride! A Nova, right? Can I sit in it?"
"Yes, ma’am!" It was cool that she liked the car; some girls, including Camille, preferred something a little less "noisy" and a little more "classy."
She sat down in the driver’s seat and gushed about the original leather seats and radio. She shut the door and said, "How do I look?" She turned her head to the side and posed.
"Very hot," I said. "Do you want to drive it?"
"Do I ever! Get in, cowboy!" I got in, but when she started the motor and revved the engine I got a little nervous about where she might be headed.
"Do you mind if I get her dirty?"
"Not at all." I had no idea what was in store, but a little dirt wouldn’t hurt anyone. She took off through the front yard and into the field behind it. She pressed her foot on the gas and the car bounced and spun through the never-ending field. She slung the car to the right, and we slid sideways a few feet before she gunned the gas and we shot off in the other direction. My heart was pounding, but I had to admit this was fun; like four wheeling with a cage around you. She made a few more loops around the field before parking it back in its original spot in the front yard.
"Wow! Where did you learn to drive like that?" I was genuinely smiling for the first time in days.
"Well, I ride horses in the rodeo, and I guess driving tractors and trucks around here in the snow had something to do with it. I have four older brothers, and they are always horsin’ around."
"Oh no! Four older brothers, huh? Sounds like I need to be careful." It was kind of intimidating to think about not only having to impress parents, but brothers too.
"Well that depends, city boy. Depends on what your intentions are with me." Her country accent and attire made her adorably cute. We laughed and joked for a while before she invited me to "sit on her porch and drink some lemonade." I gladly joined her looking for any kind of distraction. Sometimes I felt like I was looking through her when she spoke. Beth hadn’t quite vanished from my mind, and even through all of Georgia’s charm, I wasn’t ready to let that go.
"Well Ms. Georgia, what all do you do on this farm?" I sipped the sour lemonade and tried not to make a face at the tang that followed.
"I tend to the horses mostly. The boys do most of the mowing and hay baling. I teach a riding class on Saturday mornings, and sometimes I go to horse shows or to the market on Saturday afternoons."
"I have never ridden a horse actually. Think you could teach this city boy how to ride?" I wasn’t sure if she would take that wrong, but it did sound a little dirty coming out of my mouth.
"Well, let’s find out." Georgia reached for my hand and dragged me to the stables where she introduced me to Starlight, a black coated mare with white spots resembling a sky full of stars on her back and sides. "Starlight is my best starter horse. She doesn’t go anywhere I don’t tell her to."
The horse was already saddled and Georgia said, "Just hop on up there." I was glad that I wore shorts because I would have certainly ripped my designer jeans trying to climb up on this giant horse. "I can get you a step stool, if you want?"
"Nah, I think I got it." I didn’t. My foot slipped out of those stirrup things a few times before I managed to swing my arm up grabbing the saddle horn. I pulled myself up on top of the horse, holding on for dear life. I didn’t like how high I was off the ground sitting on the massive beast.
"That’s right. You got it. Now hang on, I am going to walk you out." She pulled the rope and Starlight began to move forward. "Don’t forget to duck!" I narrowly missed the barn door rafter on my way out.
"Whew! Now pick up the rope and pull to the left." When I did as she asked the horse turned her head and went in the direction I was pulling. Neat! Then I pulled the back the other way and once again she turned.
"That is so cool," I said. I was mesmerized by the pure size of the animal and its ability to be trained to do something that may not be incredibly natural to it. It was very enlightening. When I compared it to my own life, I was forced to look at how I had rebelled against my father’s company more out of pride than out of dislike for the company itself.
Georgia disappeared into the barn before emerging back into the open sunlight. This time she was accompanied by a light tan male horse. She said his name was Acorn, and he was her personal horse. She looked gorgeous sitting on the horse with the sun behind her.
"You ready to ride?" She winked my way.
I wasn’t quite sure, but Starlight’s gentle nature made me feel more comfortable. "Giddy up!" I laughed. She showed me how to get the horse moving by kicking my heels into her side. I didn’t feel overly comfortable kicking the horse, but she assured me it wouldn’t hurt her. We started in a slow trot across the field. We went down a pretty steep hill. Feeling uneasy with the angle we were traveling, I didn’t release the air pent up into my chest until we reached the bottom. We came upon a creek bed in between two large hills, and she dismounted her horse, tying him to a tree. I did the same, and we walked along the creek line chatting about our lives.
She told me that she had never lived anywhere except at this ranch, and she couldn’t imagine living in the city away from her horses. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that, but the business opportunity I was working on with Jason’s company only limited me to a place with internet access and cell service. I did have my doubts that this part of the countryside may not offer that.
Admittedly, that concern was a long ways away. I might enjoy the farm life after enough time passed. The sun began to set, and she said we should head back before it got dark. I climbed back on Starlight, which was a lot easier the second time. On the way back, Georgia kicked her horse and broke out into an all-out sprint. I followed behind and the horse took off across the meadow. It was completely exhilarating to be galloping through the tall grass with a beautiful woman leading the way.
We ended up back at the house, and we walked the horses back to their stalls.
"I had a wonderful time tonight. The horses are great, and you’re a great teacher," I said, motioning to the stables behind me. The farm and the million acres surrounding it were pitch black once the sun went down.
"Oh no, city boy, it’s not polite to let a guest go hungry. You are staying for dinner, besides all them brothers of mine will want to meet you." She grabbed my hand and took off before I could decline. Hell, what else did I have to do other than have dinner with four protective brothers? Great.
We walked into the house, and she yelled for them to come down for dinner. I could smell the floury biscuits baking in the oven, and there was a heaping pot of gravy simmering on the stove. "Hope you like biscuits and gravy."
"Yeah, sure. I’m starving." I wasn’t.
I heard a rumbling and then one by one the boys lined up in the kitchen. They were followed by an older couple I assumed were her parents. Her parents looked weary with crinkles around their eyes and wrinkles on their hands. I reached out to shake the gentleman’s hand first. He hesitated a bit, but then gave my hand a good strong grip.
"Hello, sir, I’m Drew. It’s nice to meet you."
He only grunted in response, but her mother smacked him on the shoulder with her apple printed potholder and said, "Don’t mind him. We don’t have strangers out this way much. I’m Betty, and this is Charles. Well, you’ve met Georgia, and these are our boys—Nash, Stuart, Billy, and Garret. The boys looked younger than their sister. The oldest was maybe twenty at best and the youngest around nine years old.
I no longer felt the pang of intimidation in my chest. All the boys seemed pleasant and well mannered. Their mother asked them to set the table, and they all obeyed completing their individual job. I sat between Georgia and the oldest boy Nash. When supper was served, they said grace before digging into the food. Two heaping piles of biscuits were on each end of the table and a bowl that could have held a gallon of milk ser
ved as the gravy bowl. I had no idea what to expect when I followed suit, dumping a healthy serving size of gravy over two, large, made from scratch biscuits. They also served pieces of thick cut bacon with the meal.
"Oh my goodness," I said when I took my first bite. "Do you eat like this every day?"
His mother blushed a bit before responding, "Well, Mr . . . Drew, we are not in a habit of ordering out from way out here, so we cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner right here in this kitchen. All made from scratch and all fresh ingredients from the farm."
I was thoroughly impressed with the farm’s efficiency. They really made the "original" American dream a reality. It was comparable to camping in the wilderness; just they did it every day. After supper, Betty served a plate of apple pie, which was so delicious I burnt my tongue eating the steaming hot filling too quickly.
Georgia’s family consistently laughed and talked together, and I was envious of their relationship. My family was nowhere near this close, and I had to believe it was because of the lack of distractions out here.
I left that night with a slice of pie and a quick kiss on the cheek from Georgia. Even her father shook my hand on the way out saying I was welcome back anytime. The boys spilled out of the house, and Georgia was quick to brag about how she took my car for a ride. The boys barked about being jealous and said how cool it was. I started the engine and it roared to life pumping up the little guys even more.
Heading home that night I felt that a weight had been lifted off my spirit, but deep down I had this hole that ached in my chest. Something that wasn’t likely to go away anytime soon.
I RETURNED TO WORK on Monday more out of boredom than anything else. I didn’t leave my office for a better part of the day. Georgia had messaged me a few times over the weekend, and I was quick to respond. She said that she would be fixing fences with her brothers all weekend, but might be available on Monday and that there would be some more of that pie.
Georgia’s bubbly personality was contagious, and I was even excited about seeing her horses again. I pushed my computer to the side and started working on the stack of potential clients. I made my way through the list and was done by lunch. I hadn’t seen Beth walk by all day, and I wondered if she was even here. I walked down the hallway and into the break room where the new vending machines had been installed. I heard the clicking of heels come in behind me.
"Oh," she said. "Hi Drew, I didn’t know you were here." Her voice sounded shocked like I had caught her off guard for showing up to work.
"Would you have come in here if you had known?" There was a bit of irritation in my voice, but only because she had gone to such drastic lengths to ignore me after what was quite possibly the best three days of my life.
"It’s not like that, Drew," she stumbled.
"Oh really? Well enlighten me." I set my newly opened bag of pretzels down and crossed my arms, waiting for the words I had deserved to hear days ago.
"It’s not that simple. I just can’t be with you . . .” She rushed out of the room and I was kicking myself for making her upset, but dammit why wouldn’t she tell me what the problem was? Had I done or said something to change her mind?
I spent the rest of the day staring at the picture of us together at the convention center. She had a smile on her face, which I longed to see again. I wanted to put that smile on her face again, but there was something going on, and I didn’t know how to fix something that she didn’t feel comfortable telling me.
My office door popped open, and I shot my head up to look at the intruder. It was Maya, the office manager, and she spilled, "I just wanted to thank you for the changes in the office. It was a breath of fresh air in the office that the employees desperately needed, and we are all thankful for your hard work."
"You’re more than welcome." I smiled.
That was probably the best thing I had heard in the last few days. I wasn’t going to get that pat on the back from my father for sure. I left my office and headed to the elevator. Just when the doors went to close a hand shot into the elevator and the doors popped open again. It was Beth.
I could see that she regretted her decision already, but she got into the elevator anyway. I could smell the sweet scent of her hair from her side of the elevator. Stopping myself from reaching out to her was like torture.
When the doors opened she shot out like a bullet, and I couldn’t resist saying, "Beth, wait!" She turned around to face me, but she was still several feet away. "Beth, you have to make me understand. What happened with us? I thought everything was good, and now you are avoiding me like the plague. I don’t understand." I was pleading with her for some answers. A tear rolled down her cheek, and I closed the distance between us wiped the tear from her face. "Beth, talk to me. Whatever it is, we can get through it."
She shook her head and said, "No, Drew, we can’t." I refused to let her walk away until I got some answers. She took a deep breath like she was ready to talk. What she said next was worse than I could have imagined. "Drew, I have a boyfriend. I can’t date you because I am already with him."
My heart leaped into my throat, and I was void of any words. "That can’t be true, Beth. Whoever he is, he can’t make you feel the way I do." She started walking towards her car, and I had to jog to keep up.
"No, Drew! I just can’t . . . I can’t be with you. Whatever happened before was a mistake!" Her words echoed through my heart, and I stopped in my tracks.
I didn’t move from my spot in the middle of the parking garage until another car approached and beeped their horn. I couldn’t tell you how I made it home that day, and after a few drinks, I couldn’t tell you where I was.
My mother knocked on my door again. This time I let her in. I wasn’t really the crying type, but my mom sat and listened to my problems. She didn’t comment or correct me until I was completely finished, and even then, she soothed that everything would work out in the end. She said she was very proud of me for putting myself out there and that I would make a woman very happy one day.
Even though I could have predicted that response a mile away, it still made me feel a little calmer and more at ease with the situation. I was definitely on a path to a hangover, but my mom brought me a glass of water and some aspirin. She didn’t linger. I guess she could tell I needed my space.
The next morning I woke up to an email from Georgia. She said that she was making a trip into the city today to pick up some riding equipment and asked if I was available for lunch. I didn’t bother going to work, instead I got dressed and went to meet Georgia at a farmers’ market downtown.
She was in her typical attire—a pair of daisy duke shorts and a pink tank top with her cowboy hat on and her boots. We picked up a few sandwiches and sat down in the grass on the courtyard. I loved the way she was relaxed and could talk about anything without having to pry it out of her. We took a stroll around the market, and she showed me how to tell which vegetables to buy. I bought her a bag of cotton candy, and she was delighted to see how it melted on her tongue. She said that they worked seven days a week, and that on occasion they had gone to county fairs, but even then, they were busy selling produce or other baked goods. I told her that there was a fair a few counties over going on right now.
She was very excited when I asked if she might accompany me to the fair on Friday night. She said she couldn’t stay out too late because she had so much work to do the next day. That was fine by me, and we set the date for Friday night.
When we parted ways, I went to meet Matt for drinks at Jimmy’s. He greeted me with a high five, and I sat down to order a beer.
Matt was practically glowing, and I had a feeling it had something to do with Victoria. "Okay, man, spill it. What has you smiling so big?"
"It’s her, man! Vic is a special lady, and the whole single mom thing doesn’t even scare me. I talked to her on the phone a few times, and I heard Emmaline in the background. She seems like a cool kid. I could do cereal and Saturday morning cartoons. Besides that woman deserves so
meone who can support her. She works too hard."
He wasn’t saying anything I didn’t already know, but it was cool to know that Victoria would be taken care of. She did deserve the best kind of man, and Matt was one of those. I let him talk. He had listened to me babble on the other night, and I didn’t want to mess up his moment.
"I can’t believe we both found love. I mean look at us. A couple of bachelors who found beautiful, smart women to be with."
"Actually . . .” I said. "Beth and I aren’t together. She just stopped talking to me and said that she has a boyfriend so we can’t be together. How is it possible that she never mentioned this guy the whole time we were together? She said that what we had was a mistake?"
"Do you think she just made up the other guy thing just to throw you off?" We both took a swig of beer and I considered that as a possibility, but if she was willing to go through all that just to push me away maybe I was better off without her. She obviously wasn’t worried about our relationship or me.
Matt looked crushed, and I felt like a douche for bringing him down. "It’s cool though, man. I am talking to this new girl, and she seems pretty cool. Maybe it was meant to be like this."
Matt patted me on the back and hollered for the bartender to give us another beer. We changed the subject, of course, to my job dilemma. He understood why I would want to leave my father’s company, but he gave me some wise words of wisdom that I wouldn’t soon forget. He said, "Drew, if you start walking away from the hard stuff now, you will never stop."
Maybe so.
I HAD MANAGED TO stay away from Beth and avoid my father as well for the next week. I came in and did what was laid out for me and went home. Beth had so graciously begun putting all my files on my desk before I even arrived. Thanks a lot.
This afternoon Georgia had begged me to drive out to the ranch at lunch today. We were already planning to meet this afternoon to go to the fair a few counties over, but she said she had something to show me. I sped down the long dirt road, and when I approached the farmhouse, I could see a large school bus and around ten cars parked on the lawn. The side of the bus read, Special Kids Network. I had no idea what was going on, but Georgia had been awfully excited on the phone.