Secrets Behind Those Eyes

by S. M. Donaldson

  I pull her to me and kiss her. “Okay. Come on let’s go make your calf feeding dreams come true.”

  She jumps in the ranger and kisses me. “This is so exciting!”

  We drive out to one of the barns and Nelson comes out to meet us. “Hey Nelson. This is Scarlet. Scarlet this is Judd’s dad Nelson.”

  Scarlet smiles. “Hey nice to meet you. Judd looks just like you.”

  “Well that erases my thoughts that he might belong to the milk man.” Nelson chuckles. “But it’s nice to meet you too. I’ve been looking forward to meeting the young lady who not only Judd, but Greer has said has our Ryder smitten.”

  She blushes and I laugh. “Thanks Nelson, I was trying to play it cool.”

  He gives us a belly laugh and Scarlet starts laughing too.

  “Okay enough laughing at my expense I promised her she could help me bottle feed some calves. So let’s get to it.”

  Scarlet takes off in the barn like a kid. Nelson looks at me. “I like her kid. She could love you for the rest of your life or break you in half if she had to. A true Southern Belle.”

  “Damn he’s right and that scares the hell out of me.”

  Chapter 17

  Scarlet

  Lying here in my bed I think today has been an awesome day. I’ve never had so much fun in my life. I loved helping Ryder out on the farm. The calves are so damn cute. Growing up I’ve never gotten to spend much time on a farm or anything.

  It hits me “SHIT” I never text Cade.

  I’ll text Cade first.

  ME: Thank you for all you’ve done. I don’t normally do well with gifts like this. It’s really taken me a little while to calm down about it. But I see now that this gives me a great opportunity for school. I will definitely not be as stressed and I really did hate working at that bar. So thank you and I know you are NOTHING like our father.

  I get an immediate response back.

  Cade: I’m glad you’re happy. I really did this to make life easier on you. I never got to grow up with siblings like I said before Gabby and Anna are the closest things I’ve ever had and even though I know they would kill for me, it’s different knowing you share blood with someone. Now get some rest you have class tomorrow.

  How did I luck up and get not one but two wonderful big brothers?

  ~*~*~

  Waking up this morning to go to class I feel like I have a new lease on life. I’m not stressed about work or a ride. I’m good. Ryder makes me happy. As I’m walking out the door for class my cell rings. “Hello. – Hello.” Then a hang-up. I guess it was a wrong number.

  Walking into to my advanced sketch class, I smile. I feel so at home in this class. I love the rush that drawing gives me. It’s like my own personal nirvana. So I’m stoked when our teacher gives us our next project assignment. I have to sketch a scene from nature and I know where I’m heading to do that. The rest of the day seems to blur by. Annabelle text me she wants to get together for coffee after I get finished for the day.

  We meet up at Lulu’s for dessert and coffee. I walk in to find her already at the table. I sit down across from her. She looks at me. “So. I can only guess how your date went the other night since your ass hasn’t called me.”

  “Sorry it’s been crazy. Let’s just say the date was awesome, I’m no longer carrying around that v-card as you love to call it, I now have a car thanks to Cade, my mom is back from her retreat and I spent yesterday bottle feeding calves at Ryder’s farm.”

  She flops back in her chair and lets out a snort laugh. “Okay. Well that’s a hell of a way to catch me up on the past few days there friend. I’m not even sure where to start asking questions.”

  “Just start where ever.”

  “So you had sex.”

  I bark out a laugh. “How did I know that would be where you would start? Yes.”

  “So much for planning not to show him your panties that night huh.”

  “Shut it. It’s not like it was planned. We got trapped by a rainstorm at the lighthouse. One thing led to another.”

  “So did you get off?”

  “What the fuck? Damn Annabelle can’t you give me a few minutes here. I haven’t told anyone and you’ve started grilling me.”

  “I’m your best friend and I better be the first person who knows besides you and Ryder.”

  “Oh my gosh. Whatever, don’t get jealous.” I lean back and look around. “Look I do need you to give me the name of your doctor. I would like to go on the pill and I don’t just want to go to some clinic. I’m nervous about it and I want I don’t know some sort of tranquility when I go.”

  “Fuck Scarlet I thought you’d been on the pill.”

  “No, I never really had to think about it. I mean we used a condom the other night, so I’m okay there. Look I’d just like to have the peace of mind and you have always seemed to like your doctor, so I just figured you could give me his name and stuff.”

  “Sure and Scar I am really happy for you. Now on to this car business.”

  We spend the next hour catching up on everything else.

  Once we walk out to my car she smiles. “Damn this is a nice car.”

  “Yes it is. I’m still kind of in awe over the whole thing. But I need to go, I’m doing a nature sketch for class and there is a cute little calf that has his name all over my project.”

  She smirks. “Oh and I’m sure the guy who owns the calf has nothing to do with your sketch huh?”

  I sit down in my seat. “Shut up.”

  She blows me a kiss and I blow her one back.

  ~*~*~

  Twenty minutes later I’m pulling up to the barn where the calves are. I jump out with my pad and charcoal set. Nelson is coming out of the barn. “Well if it isn’t Miss Scarlet.”

  “Oh wow Nelson like I haven’t heard the Gone with the Wind references my entire life.”

  He chuckles. “Well, Ryder isn’t out here. He’s gone over to Waycross for the day. I needed him to go check some stuff over there.”

  “Oh I just need to do a nature sketch for one of my classes and I want to sketch one of the calves I fell in love with.”

  He shakes his head. “You girls. I remember Lillian falling in love with new animals too.”

  “She must’ve been really been a great person. I mean everyone talks about her so wonderful.”

  He sits down on a stump. “Lillian was a wonderful person. She made Greer the happiest man alive. Pearl had the daughter she’d always wanted. Lillian didn’t come from much and at times all of this was a little overwhelming to her, but she loved with her whole heart. When Ryder was born she fell in love all over again. She took care of that boy even when she was too sick to walk.”

  “She died from cancer didn’t she?”

  “Yes. Bless her heart she suffered. Greer and Ryder suffered right along with her. You know Ryder didn’t talk for months after his Momma died. Judd spoke for him, he was the only person that Ryder would talk to.”

  “That’s awful. When did he finally decide to start talking?”

  “Well he started talking some about six months later, but he was still quiet. A few years later a local woman from town decided all of a sudden that she was smitten with Greer and had her sights set on him. Well she also had a thing for Ryder who was now 11. She started touching him and getting him to do things to her. He wouldn’t say anything for a long time because he wanted his daddy to be happy again. He finally talked to Judd about it who talked to me and I talked to Greer. Needless to say that woman was run out of town. Greer made Ryder start going to counseling but he’s never trusted women much after that. He’s always had shall we say an active lifestyle, but he figured either they just wanted that or they were after his money so he’s never trusted a female. Well until you.”

  “You really think he trusts me?”

  “I know Ryder as if he were my own boy, he’s over the moon for you. Now go sketch that calf. If you want you can help me bottle feed a few in a little while.”

&n
bsp; I smile. “Yes!”

  He walks back out to check on some fence and I go to catch a glimpse of Button. Well that’s what I’m naming the calf I fell for. Well I think I’ve kinda fell for his owner too.

  Chapter 18

  Ryder

  I can’t help but be excited when I pull up in the yard and see Scarlet’s car at the barn. I walk into the side door and see her bottle feeding a small calf. “Hey looks like you’re making friends.”

  She smiles. “I came to sketch Button and his mommy for my art project. Nelson told me I could help feed.”

  “Button?”

  “Yeah. I gave him that name in my mind because he’s cute as a button.”

  I step over to her and pull her close. “Well I could say the same for you.”

  “Mmm really. Are you sure that I’m really that cute or is it just because you’ve seen me naked.”

  “Oh Baby. Cute isn’t what I would describe you naked as. Hot as Fuck is you naked. Cute is when you are here feeding calves.”

  She starts kissing my neck. “Oh really. Well I think you’re pretty hot too.”

  “Baby I need to take a shower. I stink, I’ve been at one of the farms all day.”

  She looks up through her eye lashes at me. “Well, would you like some help in that shower?”

  Fuck. “Yep, right in here.” I lead her into the mud room shower at the barn. As soon as we walk in the small room I turn the shower on. I start kicking my boots off, she tears at the buttons on my shirt. I slip the sundress she’s wearing over her head as she kicks off her flip flops. We start kissing as she’s pushing my jeans and boxers down. I flip the clasp on her bra and tear her panties. Picking her up we step in the shower.

  She breaks away. “Condom.”

  “Oh shit sorry.” I step back out and grab one from my wallet.

  I pick her back up and thrust into her. “Shit Ryder.”

  “Oh sorry was that too much.”

  “Fuck no. Just right.”

  She grinds against me and I start slamming into her pussy. “Shit Scar you have the sexiest pussy. I would leave my dick in here forever if I could.”

  She giggles. “People might look at me funny.” She draws in a deep breath as I start moving faster. “Fuck Ryder harder. Don’t stop.”

  I can feel her tightening around me. “Baby I’m almost there.” I slam into her again. “Fuck!” Spilling into the condom, I feel her shiver as she says something I don’t understand. I lean against her on the wall. “Shit girl you are going to kill me. You make me do things and fuck like a mad man. It takes all I can do, not to blow my load as soon as I see you.”

  “Well that’s attractive.” She giggles.

  I gently let her legs down and step back. I pull off the condom disposing of it in the trash. “Sorry, you make me feel crazy. I can’t explain it.”

  She starts washing my body with soap. “I think I can understand. I’ve never felt like this before either.”

  A few minutes later we both step out of the shower. I hand her a towel as she dries off she starts picking up our clothes. She puts my jeans and stuff on a chair. She picks up her now shredded panties and looks at me. “Really you couldn’t give me the opportunity to slide my panties down. You had to tear them off.”

  “I would have torn more off than that had we not moved fast enough.”

  She slips her dress over her head sans panties. As I reach over in the closet I keep a few clothes in. “I’ve got a couple of extra pair of boxer trunks in here. I know how you like wearing my underwear.”

  “Nope I think I’m going without panties just to torture you. I may even stop by the grocery store on the way home.”

  “Um no. You can run around here with no panties all you like, but you are not stopping anywhere on the way home.”

  “Well I might take your argument more seriously if you weren’t standing there half hard and butt ass naked.”

  “Oh I can be completely hard in just a second thinking about you with no panties under that dress.”

  “Come on. Get dressed you perv I have to finish my sketch.”

  I finish getting dressed and walk out where she has picked up her sketch looking over it. “Wow that is an awesome sketch.”

  “It’s Button and his momma.”

  “Baby that is beautiful.”

  “Well I still have some shading to do and a few corrections here and there.”

  “You are so talented.” She shades and sketches for a little longer.

  Then she looks over at me. “I have a strange question. Why is there a bathroom out here?”

  “Well. We get really nasty some days out here. Like if we have to help a cow give birth or when they are sick. Things like that so it’s easier to shower and change out here than me going all the way back down to the house or Nelson having to ride home that way.”

  “Oh well that makes sense. I figured it was something like that, but I didn’t know.”

  I hear the barn door open. “RYDER!”

  “In here dad!”

  “Well hey Scarlet.” She waves back to him. “Here I need you to take this down to Nana.”

  He hands me a brown grocery bag full of fresh cut okra. “What the hell dad? Where did this come from?”

  “Mr. Beck ran into me at the post office and wanted to make sure she got this.”

  “Oh yeah he’s got the hots for Nana.”

  “Ryder.” Dad sneers as Scarlet snickers.

  “Hey I’m just telling you what she told me. At least the okra is better than the homemade hooch that Mr. Fitzgerald sent her the other week when I ran into him at the feed store.”

  He shakes his head. “Good Lord. That woman I swear.” I start laughing. “Just take the damn okra to her house.” He turns to walk to the door. “Scarlet did you do this sketch?”

  She smiles. “Yes.”

  He smiles. “It’s beautiful.” Then walks to the door. “Good to see you again Scarlet.”

  She waves. “Good to see you too Mr. Abbott.”

  “Did you get all you needed for your assignment?”

  “Yeah I can do the shading and stuff at home. But I am going to take you up on the underwear offer after all. Because I can’t go see Nana commando.”

  I laugh as she goes back in the bathroom to slip on a pair of my underwear. She steps back out into the barn. I grab her hand. “Ready to go?”

  She smiles. “Yep.”

  “We’ll take the jeep.”

  Chapter 19

  Scarlet

  Pulling up to Nana Pearl’s house she’s sitting in the rocking chair. She’s the definition of a true southern lady. I’m going to sketch her one day on this porch.

  “Well. What do I owe the pleasure of having you two come by?”

  Ryder sits the bag on the porch. “Mr. Beck ran into dad at the post office, he sent this to you.”

  “That man just won’t take no for an answer.”

  I sit down in the rocking chair next to her. “Are you playing hard to get Nana?”

  She laughs. “Honey it’s like they said in moving one time. At my age we don’t play hard to get we play beat the clock.”

  Ryder leans back against the porch railing. “Nana I don’t want to hear this stuff

  “We’ve had this discussion boy.”

  He laughs. “I know. I know. I’m changing my ways.”

  She smiles. “I hope so. I like this little girl right here.”

  “Hey Scar go get that sketch you did and let Nana see it.”

  I draw in a deep breath. “It’s not really finished yet.”

  “Baby it looks awesome. Go get it please.”

  I finally give in. I run to the jeep and grab my pad. Stepping back on the porch I show the sketch to Nana.

  “Sweet girl this is just beautiful. It looks so real.”

  “Thank you.” I feel a blush creeping up on my cheeks. “Button is really cute.”

  Nana looks up. “Button?”

  “Yes she named the calf But
ton.”

  Nana laughs. “He is cute. Y’all want some sweet tea?”

  Ryder stands up. “No thank you. I plan on taking Scarlet out to dinner tonight.”

  I look up. “Oh really you do? Well I don’t think you’ve asked me.”

  Nana chuckles as she lights her cigarette up.

  Ryder looks back at her. “Nana I thought you were going to try that vapor cig I got for you.”

  “I did I don’t like it and I figure I got to be this damn old by doing whatever in the hell I wanna do I might as well keep doing it. Also I figure you need to ask this lady out on a date not tell her she’s going.”

  He smiles over at me. “Scarlet would you go out to dinner with me tonight?”

  I put my finger against my chin like I’m thinking. “Hmm I guess I will.”

  We wrap up our visit with Nana and he takes me back to my car. He leans in the window after I’m in and kisses me. “I’ll pick you up at 6 okay?”

  I nod. “Sure. Now where are we going? So I know how to dress.”

  “How about the Tapa’s Bar?”

  “Sounds good.”

  ~*~*~

  Looking down at the pencil skirt and blouse I’m wearing Ryder smiles in appreciation. “You look nice.”

  I feel the blush of my cheeks. “Thank you.”

  “You ready to go?”

  “Yes.” I follow him out to his jeep. After he gets in his side I laugh. “So did you ask Judd for advice on this date too?”

  “Nope I did this one all on my own.”

  “How sweet.” We just make casual talk until we get to the restaurant.

  Making our way inside and finding a table, we sit down and order drinks. “You look really nice tonight. Have I ever told you that I love your smile?”

  “Thank you.”

  A couple of sleazy looking girl stroll up to our table. “Hey Ryder.” They purr.

  He nods. “Lacey. Bethany Sue. How are you guys doing tonight?”

  Lacey winks. “Doing good now that I’ve laid eyes on you.”

  “Well, we are kinda in the middle of a date so if you’ll excuse us.” Ryder says with a sweetness dripping from his tongue.

  They wave as they sashay off.