by C. S. Moore
"Looks like my fire's dying; why don't you come and grab some firewood with me, Garrett?" my dad asked.
"Yes, sir," Garrett replied. He gave my hand a squeeze and reluctantly let it go.
Garrett followed my dad to the back of the property where the wood pile was stacked, disappearing behind the trees.
Skylar slid into Garrett's emptied seat and draped an arm over me. "I like him," she said matter of factly.
"Really?" I asked. Skylar was hard to impress, especially if one happened to be male. She had known too many jerks to trust a man right off the bat.
"Yeah, I think he's special. I wish you could see the way he looks at you. It's a nice change," she said.
"What do you mean?" I asked looking over my shoulder to make sure they were still out of ear shot.
"Garrett looks at you like you're the most amazing thing he's ever seen—"
"You're crazy." Why would anyone look at me like that?
She glared at me. "No, I'm not. He holds your hand and looks down at it like he thinks it's a privilege that you would let him hold it. Phil always acted like you were just an accessory — and like you should feel privileged to be that accessory," Skylar said, gritting her teeth. She'd never liked Phil.
"I felt like that at the end. It just took me too long to see it," I whispered.
"It happens to most of us. You remember Jerry." Her teeth snapped at the name.
Yes, I remembered him; he had treated her like garbage — but Phil wasn't that bad; he had never cheated on me.
"Well, you shouldn't feel stupid for falling for the wrong guy. I fell for Jerry. I fell hard, and if you think I wasn't just as heartbroken, then you're insane. But, if you let that mistake define the rest of your life…if you let it define your happiness, then you're being stupid. And, Tessa, you are not a stupid woman."
Chapter Nine
Mandy and Skylar had been gone for twenty minutes when my dad threw a few more logs on the fire.
"Well, kids, it's getting late for us old folks. You two enjoy the fire," he said walking away with my mother in tow.
"Not too late, sweetie," my Mom added.
"Jewel, she's a grown woman," my dad said, his loud whisper carried back to us.
Garrett laughed and squeezed me closer. "Your family is amazing," he said.
"I like to think so; we might be too loud for some—"
"No, it's nice. Sounds like home."
"Is your family anything like mine?" I asked. The fire illuminated Garrett's handsome face; the sun had set over an hour ago and being curled under his arm felt as intimate as last night. I felt comfortable with him; I didn't worry what I should or shouldn't say.
"Not really, most of my family is really soft spoken. But with six brothers and sisters, it gets loud even with them," he said.
"Holy cow! Are you serious? Six siblings," I said.
He laughed and his vibrating chest tickled my back. "Yep, I'm the middle child to top it off."
"So am I!"
"I knew there was something special about you, kindred spirits due to our siblings' abuse—Wait, if you're the middle child, why does your dad call you baby sister?"
"Oh, it's just a term of endearment. He calls all of us girls that… sometimes Mandy refers to herself as the real baby sister."
He leaned down and kissed the top of my head. His lips made every nerve ending stand at attention, and I was hyper aware of every inch of myself that was pressed against his firm body. If I turned and rested my head on his thick shoulder, he would kiss me. I had no doubt he was waiting for me to do just that, but I didn't know if I would or could enjoy another man's kiss. Phil was the only boy I'd ever kissed, but I wanted to move forward and I wanted to kiss Garrett more than I had ever wanted to kiss someone.
I closed my eyes tightly and turned my head. Garrett pressed his full lips to mine, like I knew he would, and I was swept away. All I could feel was him; he was everywhere and in every thought running through my mind. His lips were warm and soft, and they kissed me without holding anything back. Moving my mouth with his, I shivered when his tongue caressed my bottom lip. Long fingers tangled in my hair, and he pulled me closer into him, deepening the kiss.
I sighed into his mouth.
Garrett released his hold on me, and I opened my eyes. His reflected the dancing fire and mirrored the blood pumping trough my veins — he had set them ablaze in a way I had never before experienced. He brought his hand to my face and brushed his thumb across my lips.
"I've been thinking about doing that since last night. Everything in me wanted to kiss you yesterday," he whispered. His warm breath against my mouth made my head spin.
"I wanted to kiss you too," I said leaning into him.
"Then why didn't you? Did I not make my intentions clear?" he teased.
"Oh, I knew what you wanted; I just don't kiss on the first date," I said feeling silly; most twenty-two-year-olds did a lot more than kiss on the first date.
"But the second date is okay, even if it happens to be the very next day?" he asked.
"It's the principle of the thing," I smiled.
"It's a good thing that I happen to like a girl with principles. They're hard to find, you know." He ran his fingers to the nape of my neck and kissed me softly.
"It's even harder to find a man with principles," I whispered when he released me.
He laughed. "I won't argue with you there. I'm in the Army, and guys talk — too much in my opinion. Can I take you somewhere tomorrow?" he asked.
I bit my lip; this trip was supposed to be about visiting my family. Our first date seemed so long ago, but it had just been the day before that I was supposed to go to a movie with my dad. He had taken days off work so he could hang out with me. "I'd like to say yes, but I haven't spent any time with my family, and I'll be leaving soon."
"Yeah, me too," he said.
"I thought you were staying for a whole month."
"I'm leaving to help my dad with a job in California. I'll be gone for about a week," he said.
"When do you leave?" I asked.
"The day after tomorrow," he replied before picking up my hand. His thumb drew little circles on my skin.
"Me too." When I first got here, I couldn't wait to go back to my empty apartment. Was I really dreading it now? How could two days make that much difference?
Garrett hugged me close and kissed me hard.
I greedily ran my hands down his muscular chest. "Yes," I said more loudly than I meant to.
He jumped under my hands and pulled away from me. "What?"
"Yes, I'll go with you tomorrow," I elaborated.
"Good, wear jeans. Not that I don't love you in a dress." He smiled as he ran his eyes up and down my body. "But jeans will probably be more appropriate."
"Appropriate for what?" I asked.
"You'll find out tomorrow."
****
Garrett picked me up early and drove me to his parents' house. They lived in the upper country, and it felt great to be in the mountains.
"I haven't been up here in forever," I said watching the pine trees go by.
"Well then, I guess it was about time. I get to missing the mountains when I'm gone for too long," he said.
"When your options are rainy Seattle or the stifling heat of Iraq, it's no wonder you miss it," I joked.
"No, I could be in paradise, and still I'd want to come back. I think the mountains are just a part of me," he said before taking a deep breath.
The truck bounced along the bumpy road and as the trees thinned, a small town came into view. "We're here," he said.
"It's such a cute town. Is this where you grew up?" I asked.
"Pretty much, I mean we moved here from California when I was seven. But this is where my childhood happened; it's where almost all of my memories take place."
Garrett took a right at the center of the dinky town. There must have been fewer than twenty houses. "My parents live just outside of town on forty acres. Me and my
little brother had so much fun out there. When I was nine, my oldest sister was being really bossy when she was babysitting us, so we ran away —
we even stole a chicken out of the coop on the way out. Both of us were too scared to go farther than the back of our property, but she couldn't find us. We roasted up that chicken on a campfire and went home when it was cold." He smiled at the memory. "Man, did we get into trouble."
I laughed. "You knew how to butcher and cook a chicken when you were nine?"
"Oh, yeah. I grew up in another century. We used to grind our wheat to make our bread and everything," he said.
"Wasn't that rough?" I asked; it sounded so different from the way I was raised.
He shrugged his shoulders. "It was a great way to grow up. Some people might have thought it was hard, but I love being self-reliant. I wouldn't trade my childhood for anyone else's."
Garrett was the only person I knew that could grow me wheat, grind it into flour, and make me bread. Who knew how to do that stuff anymore? "You're kind of amazing, you know," I said.
"I don't know about that," he said, pulling his truck into the long driveway of his parents' house. "Now, just so you know, my mother is an amazing lady. She'd have to be to raise so many kids and keep her sanity, but she hasn't ever liked any of my girlfriends. Ever."
"So I'd only need to worry about that if I was your girlfriend, which I'm not," I said.
He parked the truck, cut the engine, and looked over at me. "If that label freaks you out, you can call yourself whatever you want. You're a beautiful woman that I want to spend time with. And to my amazement, you seem to want to spend time with me as well," he said. "So if my Mom isn't too warm and fuzzy, don't take it personal. She never thinks anyone is good enough for any of her kids."
He got out of the truck, and I followed behind him.
He held my hand as we walked to the front door. The closer we got the more nervous I became. His mom never liked any of his girlfriends, and I wasn't exactly dressed to impress. I was wearing jeans and high-top sneakers. I hadn't known that I was going to be meeting his parents and wished I'd dressed more formally. But what could I do? When he had shown up this morning, I came out to meet him in heels, but he sent me back in to change. Apparently, whatever he had in mind couldn't be done in a dress and heels.
Garrett opened the door and led me into his parents' beautiful home. His mother was a great decorator; there were warm natural tones on the walls and some beautiful pieces of artwork hanging up. In the far corner was a book-lined reading nook. His mother was pulling a thick book off a shelf when we came in. She had her light grey hair pulled up in a bun and wore a flowing cotton dress. I guessed her to be older than my parents, but she was still breathtakingly beautiful.
"Garrett!" she said as she walked across the room to greet us. "And this must be Tessa." Her warm brown eyes were so like her son's.
"Hi, it's nice to meet you…"
"Lynn," she said.
"It's nice to meet you, Lynn," I said extending my hand.
She ignored my hand and pulled me into a hug. "It's nice to meet you too!"
When she released me, I looked at Garrett, who stood mouth agape looking at us. Yeah, his Mom was a real bear. "You have a beautiful home," I said trying to give him a moment to recover.
"Thanks," she said, then turned to Garrett. "You go get everything ready to go, me and Tessa will stay here."
"Okay," he said still looking confused. "I'll be back in a bit." He squeezed my hand and turned to go back outside, leaving me alone with his mom.
"Have a seat, Tessa," she said, gesturing to a set of arm chairs upholstered in burgundy leather.
I sat in the one nearest me. "Do you have any idea what he has planned?" I asked.
"Yes, you'll have a good time…" She trailed off and looked out the window. "Do you mind if I talk frankly?" she asked.
My pulse increased slightly, and I took a breath. This must be where she tried to chase me off of her son. "Sure," I said trying to keep my voice even.
"When Garrett came home from Iraq almost a week ago, I barely recognized the person he had become. He was still the handsome boy that he had always been — but he was hollow, a shadow of the man I had raised," she said, biting her lip. "I won't even mention the language he was throwing around."
"I haven't heard Garrett swear," I said defending him.
"That's just the thing, Tessa. When I came down to have breakfast with him the morning after your first date… he was back. My son was back. You gave him something that the war took away. It's like you revived him," she said.
I shook my head; no he had done that to me, not the other way around. "Why are you telling me this?"
She studied me for a moment before speaking. "I think you're good for him," she said.
"I know that I enjoy being around him, and he likes to be around me — I don't know," I said. Was I good for Garrett? I didn't know if I was good for anyone.
Lynn nodded her head, still assessing me. "I think you're good for him, and maybe he's good for you too."
Garrett stepped into the house; he was wearing a black cowboy hat and boots. He looked amazingly sexy. His smile was guarded when he looked between Lynn and me. "You girls aren't talking about me, I hope," he said.
"All good things, my boy," Lynn assured. "Go have fun and take care of her. Those things can be dangerous."
I hopped out of my chair. "What things?" I asked as Garrett pulled me outside.
"Those," he said pointing at two large horses tied to the fence.
I froze in place. Horses. I hadn't been on a horse for years. "We're going horseback riding?" I asked.
"Yes, I've got a picnic basket made up. But don't worry, my mom made everything, so it will be edible." He grinned at me from under his hat.
"I haven't been on a horse in so long. Are these guys well trained?" I asked.
"They aren't guys; these beauties were my favorite girls before you came around. This one's Rojo." He put a hand on a small, reddish brown filly. "And this one's Storm," he said, petting the black one behind her ears. "And they're good horses, I'd never put you on a greeny…so, you up for it?"
I threw caution to the wind. I couldn't think of anything that I'd enjoy more than riding a horse up a twisting trail next to him. "Sure," I said. "Which one am I riding?"
"I was worried you wouldn't want to come!" he said before scooping me into his arms.
"I have a hard time believing that you thought I'd turn you down. Has a girl ever turned you down in anything?" I asked.
"I don't know, I've never cared much," he answered. "Now you'll be on Storm. She's my horse."
I looked at the giant black horse; the red one was so much less intimidating. "Can I ride this one? She's smaller."
"If you want to; but I'd rather you ride Storm. I trained her myself. Rojo's my little brother's," he said.
"Then all the more reason to ride your horse, you might as well enjoy her while you're home." I walked to Rojo, put my foot in the stirrup and slung myself up easily. "Let's go," I said.
He smiled up at me. "All right."
****
Our horses walked side by side up the wide trail lined with pine trees. They were so thick in this part of the forest that they resembled walls of a maze, and I hoped we weren't getting lost. We had been riding for about an hour.
"Are we lost?" I blurted out.
He laughed. "Not even a little. I couldn't get lost in these mountains if I wanted to. I grew up in them; I'll always know each trail like the back of my hand."
"So where are we going?" I asked trying to keep my voice steady as my horse swayed me from side to side.
"One of my favorite spots is up ahead a ways. It usually has wild strawberries growing this time of year," he said.
A vision of Garrett feeding me juicy strawberries floated across my mind.
Garrett said something else, but I was so lost in thought that it took me a second to understanding what he had screamed. Scream
ed, was he screaming?
"Tessa, look out!" he yelled.
My adrenaline kicked up as I heard the fright in his voice. I looked around; what was I supposed to be looking out for?
My horse saw it before I did and reared back.
I tried to stay on the horse but wasn't strong enough. Just as I slid from the saddle, I saw what all the fuss was about. Coiled at my horse's feet, and where I would be shortly, was a diamond back rattle snake.
"Garrett," I screamed as I fell through the air. It felt like I was falling in slow motion to give the snake an easier target.
When my back hit the ground all of the air came rushing out of my lungs. Disoriented, I managed a thought of how beautiful the sky was before remembering the danger. I forced myself to sit up and wished I hadn't. Not one yard from me lay the rattler. I didn't have time to think; maybe I should have stayed still, but I didn't. I got up on my elbows and tried to crab walk away from the creature as fast as I could. Just when I thought that it was going to let me get out of range, it sprung towards me, striking with amazing speed.
I closed my eyes tight and waited for the pain, but there was none, only noise. A loud thud followed by a crunch. I opened my eyes and saw Garrett standing over me. He had leapt from his horse and saved me. Under his boot the snake was still.
He cautiously picked up the dead snake and threw it away from us. Then he turned towards me. "Are you hurt?" He sat next to me.
I didn't know if it was shock or the fact that I still hadn't collected my breath, but I couldn't answer.
Gently putting his hands on my head he felt around. "Just looking for lumps. Do you know if you hit your head?"
"I think I mostly landed on my back," I said, my head clearing. "Are you okay? That thing didn't bite you did it?"
"No," he said, pulling me into his lap. "I'm so sorry," he whispered into my hair.
I looked around, Storm stood behind Garrett. "Where's Rojo?" I asked.
