My Country Home

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 1

Amelia was driving an old sedan down a two-lane highway through the vast expanse of rural Arizona as the warm, crisp autumn air blew through her hair. On the horizon, desert-peaked mountains and behind her, everything she left behind in the city as she glanced over at the passenger seat where her precious potted sunflower was securely in place by the seat belt.

"You're so quiet on this trip, Charlotte. Everything okay over there?"

Charlotte gave her usual answer which was silence, but Amelia expected that as Charlotte was a flower.

"Okay, good, I wouldn't want you to get car sick."

Suddenly, the gas pedal went soft under her foot and as she pressed down harder, the car continued to slow.

"What the hell?"

The car jerked back and forth as steam billowed out of the engine.

"No, don't do this to me!"

Amelia pulled over to the side of the road as the car shuddered one last time before the engine went out.

"Dammit!"

Getting out of the car, Amelia noticed everything was quiet as there were no cars on the road in either direction.

"Okay, this is officially in the middle of nowhere."

She took her phone out of her pocket and checked it hopefully for service, which wasn't no luck.

"No service, now what am I going to do?"

Sitting down on the rear bumper and looking out over the horizon and then off in distance as she felt that there wasn't any hope, a figure caught her eye as she eagerly leaned forward to get a better glance at the figure stopping in front of her.

"Howdy, there."

Amelia took one good look at the cowboy, which he had a grin as wide as the horizon and dusky brown eyes.

"Wow, you're extremely good looking!"

"Well, that's one way to greet someone."

"Sorry, guess I just blurted it out, but you have to admit, it's true."

The cowboy smiled again, chuckling as he got off his horse and stood in front of her, introducing himself.

"The name's Wyatt, and this here's Taylor."

Wyatt patted Taylor affectionately, as she knickers in response.

"Taylor, as in Taylor Swift?"

"The one and only, and you are...?"

"Amelia."

"Having a little trouble there, Amelia?"

"More than a little. You wouldn't happen to know anything about cars, would you?"

Wyatt walked up to the front of the car, bumping it with his boot as the hood popped open with a hiss of steam.

"It looks like you've got a blown head gasket, in which you'll have to call Christopher's repair shop in town for a replacement."

"I was worried it might be something like that, do you have a cell phone I could borrow?"

"Naw, I don't bother with cell phones with the signal being terrible out here, but I'll be glad to give you a ride to the nearest landline."

"Well, in that case, you can take me anywhere you like, cowboy."

Amelia eyed him appreciatively, and he chuckled.