The Farmer's Daughter

Chapter Eleven

A big thank you to rodeo_is_life for your suggestion as to have Rodney's POV, hope you enjoy!

Rodney's POV:

When we reached the orchard, I unbuckled my seat belt and got back go work, in case Lacey's father came to check on us. Once I started walking around my truck, I finished my thought, "I can't believe I just spent my evening with a girl I hardly know, at a creek, when I could be fired for it." Lacey followed me up into the truck bed, "I'm sorry, I'll take the blame if my Daddy finds out." Wait, she thinks I'm mad, that's not what I meant at all. Reassuringly, I smiled at her, "I didn't mean that in a bad way...I had a really swell time with you, Lacey." Stupid, stupid, stupid. Now she'll definitely think you're a freak. A bipolar freak at that. She paused before reaching for the branch, "Oh...thank you. I had a great time too." We resumed to picking peaches, until a voice broke the silence. "Lacey! It's time for dinner!" I turned to see her father standing at the end of the row, waiting for Lacey to respond.

She jumped out of my truck and gracefully walked to her dirt bike, then glanced back at me, "Uh, thanks for today. See you tomorrow." I nodded at her in recognition, then winked before quickly turning back to the peach tree. She turned around and swiftly rode out of the orchard, with only my gaze following her. As soon as she was out of sight, I angrily threw a peach on the ground, "How could I do that!? How could I wink at her!? Oh, what an idiot. I reckon she'll never speak to me again." Due to my anger, I kept accidentally bruising the delicate peaches, so I decided that it was time to call it a night. After all, I couldn't work after dark, and nighttime was quickly approaching. I drove over to the huge barn and unloaded the few crates of peaches that we had picked earlier that afternoon, then turned to leave, when I noticed something.

From where I was standing next to the barn, I could see the light from inside the house. I saw a family sitting around a dinner table. Lacey's family. Her mother and father were chatting, while Lacey quietly ate dinner. I wonder if she's thinkin' about this afternoon too. After I'd watched them for a little too long to have been mistaken for a glance, I got back in my truck. No, there's no way she's thinkin' about that. I turned the key to start up the truck, and with one last glance at the window, I drove away. The long, dirt road gave me a chance to think, but all my thoughts were jumbled. All I could think about was Lacey. But even then, my thoughts about her were jumbled as well. She's beautiful and elegant, yet down to earth...who knew the perfect combination could be created.

Twenty minutes from when I'd left the dirt road, I had reached my house. A one story, blue, farm house. Now, when I say "farm house", I should really say somethin' more along the lines of "used-to-be-farm-house". It was once the center of a huge cattle farm incorporation, but a couple generations ago, it began to die out. Now, it's just a house on 30 acres that's being passed down the family. I pulled up next to the old, rickety barn, and parked my truck. "Hey Ma, I'm home." I announced as I opened the white front door and stepped inside. I took my boots off and placed them next to the door, awaiting my use for them again tomorrow. "Oh, Rodney, I thought I heard you come in!" My mother appeared from around the corner, as she wrapped me in a hug. "Rodney, sweetie, why are your clothes wet?"

I chuckled and hugged my mom back, "Let's just say that it was very hot outside, and the creek looked very cold." She smiled at me and took my baseball cap off, hanging it on the wall, "Well, hurry and get cleaned up for dinner, I made a potato casserole tonight." After thanking her, I made my way down a hallway before I came upon the second door on the left; my room. The door swung open as I walked in and retrieved a dry pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt to change into. "Dinner's ready!" I heard my mom call from the kitchen. After dashing into the kitchen, I found my mom carrying a freshly baked potato casserole to the table. Behind her, I brought the plates and silverware. We had a little system like that, always had. She brought the food, then I set the table, and she'd get the drinks while I got napkins.

Once our system was brought to an end, we seated ourselves at the table. "How's dad doin' with grandma?" I asked, as she served casserole onto each of our plates. "Oh, he's doin' just fine. Your grandmother is very grateful for havin' him visit her." She replied, before pouring water into the two glasses. We ate in silence, then I helped her clean up the dishes and we both headed to bed. But before I could go go bed, I had to take a shower to rinse off the filth that accumulated over the duration of the day. Dinner: done. Shower: done. Sleep: in the process. I crawled into bed, grateful for the tiring day with Lacey, because I instantly fell asleep, thinking about her. Lacey, I'll see you tomorrow.