An American Love Story (7 page)

****

Garrett and I sat in the double rocking chair that was usually reserved for my mother and father, who seemed over eager to relinquish it. Dinner was amazing; my memory didn't do justice to my dad's grilling skills. Garrett seemed to enjoy the food, for how much of it he put away. I had never seen someone eat so much food, but then again I'd never been with a man so big. His appetite didn't affect his small waistline. I didn't know if it was because of all of the exercise he got in the Army or just good genes.

I turned my attention to the fire pit; the coals were losing their glow. Soon their heat would be gone. One of the coals had already turned completely black, and it stood out against all of the others that still had orange and red pulsing through them. It was so dull and lifeless in comparison, and I wondered if that was what I had turned myself into following around Phillip for all those years. He had done nothing for so long, and as much as I wanted to move forward, I couldn't, not with him. Stagnant water killed the body and a stagnant life killed the soul. My life could move on now, and I wanted it to. I stole a glance at Garrett and wondered if he would be part of it.

"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."

****

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."