Tennessee Summer

Not So Secret Hide Out

Later that night found daddy and I close up the barn. I closed Knight in his stall and headed to where dad waited at the barn doors, Rambo hot on my heels. I walked by dad's old welding workshop and saw the place like it was being used again, daddy hadn't been in there since I was a sophomore in high school.

"Daddy you welding again?" I ask as I stop briefly then continue towards him. "No darling, that would be Derek, he's fixed a lot of stuff around here like that sign out front,"  he tell's me, I nod and follow him out of the barn and we slid the doors shut. It was a warm night for May and I missed my evening walks. "Daddy you go on in, I'm going to take a walk." I say, he smiles and kisses my head, "Don't be out too late Baby girl" I nod and he turns and makes his way to the house and I turn to make my way down the fence row.

"Nice night, huh Rambo," I say to my dog. He grunts and I giggle as we make our way over to the secret little area where I would go to be alone and get away from it all. It all being my grandfather's demands.

We make our way into the woods until we come to the little pond that no one knows about not even the livestock. I sit down but the waters edge and look up at the night sky. It was so peaceful, I missed it so much, the big sounds of the city just weren't for me, I'm a country girl through and through. "I missed this," I say to a now snoring Rambo, I giggle at him. It's quiet for a while just the soft snore from my dog and the crooking bullfrogs could be heard.

Then I hear a rustling in the trees, "Oh I'm sorry, I didn't know anyone knew about this place, I'll just leave you be." Derek's voice slices through the evening air. "No, it's okay, I don't mind sharing," I say and smile when he turns around and sits a crossed from me. The sun has nearly set and I can see his handsome face with his beautiful green eyes that I didn't notice earlier.

"So, how did you find this place?" I asked him after a few silent moments, "Rambo wondered down this way one evening and I followed him here," Derek answer's, I sigh and run my hand down Rambo's side, "Always tiring to find me, huh buddy, I'm sorry I was away so long." I tell him, he looks up at me with soft eyes and lays his head in my lap as if to say it's okay mom your home now.

"How did you find this place?" Derek asked, I smiled sadly, "I was sixteen, I came home from school and my dad met me out front and told me my mom lost her battle with cancer just moment's before I got home, I dropped everything in my hands and ran, this is where I ended up, I was so upset I had, had a wonderful talk with my mother that morning before school I had thought she was getting better, but I was wrong. It was her way of saying goodbye and giving me a good memory of her." I tell him and wipe a lone tear from my cheek.

"I'm so sorry," he says, "No,  it's okay, I think me finding this place that was her way of telling me everything would be okay and that I could get through anything including my grandfather," I say the last part without thinking. "Stiles told me about him after he showed up here to yell at your dad for contacting you when your Aunt died," he tells me, Stiles could never keep his mouth shut.

"Yeah well after this summer I won't have to deal with him anymore," I say cryptically, "what do you mean by that?" He asked. I looked at him for a moment, the sun had finally set and the moon showed brightly above, I don't know what it was, but I felt a lot of trust for this man I had only just met earlier that day. 

"Elias doesn't have that much time left, no one know's but me, Ally and now you, he is only leaving me and Ally his money, he doesn't want my dad or brother to touch it, he wanted to keep me away from the ranch to get the money, not knowing that this place is my baby, my dream . He will think I am leaving in August, but in reality, he won't live past July and I'll be free to stay here for the rest of my life." I tell Derek and get up an walk away. 

"Ady, wait" I hear him call, I stop and wait, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything," he apologizes, "S'not your fault, that old man had run over my dad and brother for years and I'm tired of it," I say and make my way out of the woods and towards the house. "Ady, do you have to go in already?" Derek asked, which kinda startled me, "Um, not really why?" I ask, "Um, you're really easy to talk to and I was wondering if you would like to sit out here with me and talk a spell." he says rubbing the back of his head nervously. 

I smile, "Sure, but let's go to the tree house, it's really nice up there." I say and lead him around the barn to the patch of woods on the opposite side of the house, locating the ladder to the tree house with ease I climb up. "Wow, this is the biggest tree house I've ever seen" he say's behind me, voice full of excitement like a child. I chuckle and sit down on the couch and he follows sitting down in the recliner, and we talk for a long time. I just lost track of time talking to him.