Grayson (This is Our Life Book 1) (3 page)

Summer is here and I’m so damn happy!  “Woot, woot!  Hell yeah,” we all cheer as me and my guys are walking out of the school for the last time as juniors.  When we come back in the fall, we’ll all be seniors.  Life is awesome until I reach my car.  I see the note hanging on my windshield.  I know what it is even before I retrieve it.  But I grab it anyway as a feeling of dread washes over me…

Son, as soon as you leave school today, go by and pick up your sister from school.  Then you need to be at home as soon as possible to help me finish worming the cows.  Can’t do it without you. -Dad

My father’s been volunteering in the agricultural department at the high school since I was a baby.  It’s his donation to the community, his time.  So it’s just normal to get one of his “love” notes on my car.  Especially after the confrontation we had this morning.  It’s his way of keeping control of all things Grayson.  And of course he can’t act normal and use his phone to text me, he has to leave an old school note.  Just like my father, old school to the core. 
Fuck me!

I look over to my friends, who I’d momentarily forgotten about. “Hey guys, I’ll have to meet up with you all later tonight.  My dad needs me.” 

Conner, Johnny, Brad, and Pete, better known as Killer, assess me wearily.  The looks they give me are some of understanding and some of alarm, because everyone knows my dad’s a hardass.  But they’re good friends,
my posse,
so they all shake it off and nod, sending me on my way to meet up with them later tonight. 

Johnny and Connor linger behind as the others pull out of the parking lot.  Connor is vague when he mentions an appointment with his dad and a lawyer, and I'm left wondering what the hell that's all about. We fist pump as he gets in his Mustang GT and says he'll meet up with us at the bonfire later tonight.

These two are my best friends.  Truthfully, they've been there to pick me up off the ground many a day and helped me to brush it off, move on, hope, and dream.  Johnny and Conner are the two people who I’ve counted on over the years.  Never to judge or ask too many questions.
Like the brothers I never had. 

Johnny looks at me with his honest eyes. “Man, I can come help and maybe we can move it along a bit faster.  Do you think your dad would mind too much?”  I look at him in awe. 

“You know how my father can get, man.  Are you sure you want to put yourself through that?”  I say, laughing a little, but cringing inside. 

Johnny just shrugs his massive shoulders and gives a simple, “Yeah.”  So we get into my truck and begin the journey across town to pick up my little sister, Addie, the sparkle in my darkened existence.

* * *

“Hold on to her, dammit!” my father curses out at me. 

We’ve been at it for hours and we still have five more calves to worm.  Not that
dear ole dad
doesn’t have help on the ranch to do stuff like this. He does!  These heifers are his prize herd, so he won’t trust them to anyone.  He's won awards for the well-bred stock he's cultivated over the years.  Limousin and Hereford cattle crosses make for the perfect mouth-watering combination of meat.   Ranchers from all over the United States come to Blackwood Cattle Ranch when looking for champion bulls for breeding.  It's been a lucrative business for my family started by my father's father.  Hence the hell I’m put through every time these cows have to be taken care of.

Light is beginning to fade into the horizon and we’re racing against it to finish the job.  That’s when all hell breaks loose...The other calves waiting anxiously to be wormed decide that they don’t want the attention.  They fly up and out over the fence into the adjoining field.  I see a flash out of the corner of my eye, as I’m tediously holding on to one calf;  Johnny’s making a mad dash for the others.  My dad is cursing up a storm at this point, and dread filters through my stomach. 
I might not get away tonight as I had planned. Shit!
 

Then something amazing happens, like the heavens opened up and sent angels down to rescue me.  Johnny remarkably herds the escapees back into the corral.  I’ve never seen anything like it, to be honest.  He's a magician, an animal whisperer. 

Johnny’s family owns a much smaller farm not too far down the road.  He’s always had a way with animals and in this moment, I’m so damn grateful that he’s here. 

“Way to go, son,” my father praises. 

A second there I thought he was talking to me, but then my eyes roam to his and they are gazing upon Johnny. 

“Sure, no problem, Mr. Blackwood.  I’m just glad I was able to grab them when I did!”  Johnny laughs, taking in deep, long breaths. 

Then my father says the expected, “You could learn a thing or two from this one, Grayson.” He sneers at me as he points his thumb toward Johnny. 

Years ago that would have rocked me to the core, but I’m numb to it now.  I just nod, “Yes, sir.” 

Honestly, I don’t give a shit one way or the other, I’m just glad that it’s a save and my night is back on track.

We finish up with the setting of the sun and the humid Florida heat running down our backs.  My father thanks Johnny for all his help, sliding a few Jackson's into his palm, and just looks at me.
Same ole, same ole,
  I think to myself. 

That’s my dad’s way of things.  When the going gets tough, he buys his way through life.  That’s one of the reasons I have my own monster truck.  My father was trying to ‘pay me off’ for his unbearable treatment.  I have everything I could possibly dream of or need...momentarily.  Part of the Blackwood package. 

After showering, we have a bite to eat of mom’s delicious Southern fried chicken and mashed potatoes—that’s some good chow.  She's trained as a gourmet chef, and her best meals to me always seem to have that Southern flare.  Teacher by trade, chef by choice.
I am so lucky at least my stomach is!

We take our leave and head to the end of the school year party.  It's located out in a hay field not too far from our ranch, at Old Man Smart’s place.  His son, Levi, isn’t a good friend of mine, but we aren’t strangers either.  He’s four years older than me and came home for his girlfriend’s graduation.  His property is situated near Pond Creek, where many of us have enjoyed summer parties over the years.

Johnny and I exit my truck, leaving behind the craziness of the afternoon.  We want to get our drink on, and this is just the place to do it.  The bonfire's already in full blaze, and the music's blaring loud.
You Can’t Take the Honky Tonk out of the Girl
by Brooks & Dunn is currently playing. 
Good thing we’re in the middle of nowhere,
I think to myself. We help ourselves to a beer from the cooler and begin to walk around and mingle with all our friends. 
Yes, I said beer
. 
We are teenagers after all
! 

Beer in hand, I walk to the other side of the bonfire, and that’s when I see her.  Standing there with a red solo cup in her hand, her legs look so long and luscious with those Daisy Dukes and “Mmmm,” red cowboy boots!  Fist in my mouth, I bite back my groan.  She has her hair braided down the sides of her head and the tails fall onto the swell of her pert, supple breasts.  I’m drooling at this point. I have to have her.  She enthralls, intrigues me, and those eyes.  So I do what I do best...put my game face on and approach.
It’s game time
.

Coming in from behind, I lean in and whisper into Ella’s ear, “Bluebird.”  Her eyes remind me of the birds on the ranch, vibrant royal blue.  The small creatures flitter from post to post, searching for their nest.  Always found in pairs.

She’s startled at first, but leans into my mouth.  I stand stock still, willing my body not to make a sound or a move.  However, Mr. Big Shot behind the zipper of my jeans has other plans.  Just when I think she’s playing along, she turns around and looks at me with those soulful, blue eyes.  Giving me a quick bewitching smile and a nod, she turns back toward her group and continues her conversation. 
What just happened?  She wants to play hard to get...Game on.
  I draw myself into the conversation and we all begin to laugh and carry on as if we’re long lost friends. 
See, two can play this game.
I just want to get her alone and have my way with her.

The bonfire is blazing a little too hot as I step back a few and stop dead in my tracks.  He’s here.  I was hoping to see him tonight, even if just from a distance.  He’s wearing a blue shirt that clings tight around his fine physique with those amazing Levi’s that always seem to hug all the right places on him, and his famous trademark FSU hat. 

My body begins to tingle all over, in all the right places.  My belly flutters as an unfamiliar feeling pools in my core.  
No, Ella. Too dangerous!
I reprimand myself, knowing that I can’t take a chance with anything as magnificent as Grayson Blackwood.  But my heart is beating so loudly from its pounding that I can’t hear anything else.  He disappears behind the massive fire, and for a minute, I have a reprieve.  I can’t think straight when he’s near.  He makes me think crazy thoughts.  I’ve kissed a few guys, and yes, I’m a big flirt, but the s-e-x word has never entered my brain! I want to know more.  I blush again.

My body starts to tingle again as if on cue, actively seeking, and I know it’s him.  I feel him coming up behind me, so I just stand casually and ignore it. 
I have to ignore it...him!
  I think to myself.  Feeling his lips brush softly against my neck and up to my ear, I begin to melt. 

Just a simple, “Bluebird,” is his hello. 

But holy hell, it felt anything but simple.  Wait.  Why did he say bluebird? I’m sure my mind went on hiatus as soon as he touched me, so my body’s instincts take over.  I turn around slowly and execute the sexiest smile I can muster.  It’s so damn hard stepping away from his warm, hard body, but I have to, I can’t think otherwise. I know that he likes to play games, and I seem to be the next target on his long list, so I give him something to think about.  My sexiest smile. Then as casually as I turned around to him, I turn back to my group and pick up the convo as if nothing ever happened.  What I didn’t expect was for him to saddle up beside me and jump in with both feet.  Who knew that Grayson Blackwood was so intuitive, insightful, and actually very smart? 

One by one the group breaks up to talk with others, or dance, or do something crazy that goes on at bonfire parties. And we’re left just the two of us.  I'd laughed so hard when he began to tell the story of the “cow worming” from today.  Grayson is hilarious in his own right, but I also see something haunting in those beautiful, brown orbs.  A mystery behind his façade, a secret that he is keeping close.  I shake my head from all the nonsense going on inside of it. 

Grayson looks at me and asks, “Do you want to dance?” extending his hand to me. 

That’s when I notice that the music has turned soft and sensual.  I blush a little, because I really do want to hold his body close to mine.  He stares straight into my eyes and lifts his hand further out, beckoning me to take a chance.  I reach out and take his hand, immediately feeling all those wonderful, tantalizing tingles, and notice something flash in his eyes I hadn’t seen before, fire!  And it's burning me up.