My Country Paradise

Chapter 2: The Boy with the Red Truck

Looking out the window, I watched as cows munched lazily on tall brown grass and horses nickered playfully among each other. It would be great to ride a horse, my very own horse. I imagined a black stallion cantering along a worn fence with me on its back, my hair blowing lazily in the wind. Joy broke me from my daydream.

"Where do you live anyway?" she asked Aunt Darcy loudly. The petite, brown-haired woman with a kind face glanced back at Joy.

"Well, I live in Ratliff City."

"Never heard of it," Joy said matter-of-factly. I looked at her and smirked. She met my smirk with a fake smile. I shook my head and looked to Alyssa who rode shotgun. She had her headphones in and was bopping her head in rhythm to the beat of her music. Alyssa seemed in her own little world so I decided not to bother her.

"There's a cute guy who lives there who is your age, Alli," Aunt Darcy said teasingly.

"Ah," I said in mock speculation, "What does he look like?"

"You'll find out soon enough," Aunt Darcy said no doubt to peak my curiosity. It worked. I tried to imagine all the possibilities- brown hair, blue eyes. Blonde hair, brown eyes. Black hair, blue eyes. As I considered all the possibilities we pulled into a long driveway.

"This is it," Aunt Darcy spoke happily as Joy stared out the window in awe. We followed a long winding gravel driveway to a small farmhouse. There was a wild pasture, with wildflowers dotting it sporadically. About a dozen black cows swished their tails and lifted their heads as we approached.

"Are those your cows?" Joy asked.

"More like your Uncle Rob's," Aunt Darcy replied.

"Cool…" The car slowed to a stop and we all piled out quickly, grabbing our luggage from the back of the car.

"Hey Alli," Aunt Darcy looked at me and pointed to a large red truck parked towards the rear of the house, "Looks like you get to meet that cute boy I was telling you about."

"Oh no," I groaned inwardly and marched towards the house. Stepping inside, I took it all in. The living room was in front of me, comfy-looking leather couches were placed strategically around the room and a large TV hung over the mantle. The living room opened into the kitchen which included a small table and a breakfast bar with swiveling stools. The living room out of the hallway led to three bedrooms, I placed my bag in the middle room, a small room with a twin sized bed covered in a hand-made quilt. I returned to the kitchen which led to Aunt Darcy and Uncle Rob's room and the rest of the house. Joy and Alyssa joined me in the kitchen.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Alyssa said coolly. I nodded in reply. Joy was over at the rear of the house, glancing out the window.

"Uncle Rob's out here." Alyssa and I walked over to her and out the back door to greet our uncle. When Uncle Rob saw us, the white haired, tall man waved and flashed a big, giddy smile.

"Hey girls!" he said, his voice just a bit rusty. We rushed to greet him and gave him a big hug like we were the five year olds we used to be again. I pulled away abruptly to glance at the boy standing behind him. He had short spiked black hair, deep brown eyes that I could melt in, and a gorgeous smile that made me stare. Uncle Rob noticed I had spotted him and he cleared his throat to gain my attention.

"This is Andrew. Andrew, this is Alyssa, Joy, and Alli." Uncle Rob gestured to each of us as he said our name. I looked down when Andrew glanced at me a little longer than usual.

"Hey," he said coolly, flashing a half wave our way and smiling brightly. His eyes sparkled. Why was I already noticing these things? Uncle Rob paused awkwardly before speaking a little too loudly.

"Well, I've got to be off to work. Andrew will be here the rest of the day, so if you need anything I'm sure he can help you out."

"I'll try my best." Andrew spoke in a rich southern accent, but not too over the top like most people who lived in the country. He nodded his head to Uncle Rob and looked back at us.

"Well," Alyssa said slowly, "Jake wanted me to call him as soon as I got here so…I got to go." Jake was Alyssa's boyfriend, a little over possessive if you ask me. I hadn't seen much of my sister since she started dating him. I groaned, too loudly judging by the concerned look Andrew sent me. I smiled uncertainly his way and he smiled in return, seemingly assured about whatever he was confused about. Joy looked from me to him mischievously.

"I have some…stuff to do," she said, her voice giving away that she was lying. I flashed a confused glance her way, but she pretended not to notice. She turned and walked back into the house leaving me and Andrew alone. Andrew took a step closer and I looked down awkwardly.

"So, where are you from?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"I was born in Indiana, but I moved to Norman six years ago," I said softly, my voice faltering. When he didn't speak right away I wondered if he even heard me. I looked up into his deep brown eyes. He was staring right back at me, eyes softened into some expression I couldn't quite catch before he spoke again.

"That's exciting. I bet you're going to miss all your friends while you're here," he spoke, concerned.

"Friends?"

"Yeah, your friends, you know, from school?" his brows wrinkled in confusion.

"Oh…yeah," I said, lying through my teeth. My face heated in embarrassment and I looked away, pretending to look for something. I don't have any friends. Why was he still talking to me? No one had ever tried to continue conversation with me this long! I was a lost cause.

"How about I show you around?" he offered kindly, gesturing to a green gator, pretty much a small truck used for hauling stuff around land.

"Sure." I said, forcing my voice to sound bright. I followed him to the gator and climbed into the passenger seat. I looked at him and waited for him to start the engine. That's when he did something totally unexpected.