Justified Love (The Southern Gentleman Series Book 1) (5 page)

              “I will hear none of that. You’re beautiful, intelligent, and funny as hell, Carr. Apparently he sees that and wants to get to know you better,” said Skye.

              “That, and he wants to see those cowboy boots on his bedroom floor,” exclaimed Harley.

              Letting out a slight chuckle, “I don’t even know why he gave me his number in the first place.

            “Maybe, he wants to take you out sometime?” said Skye while she placed her hand on my arm.

              “I’m pretty sure it’s ‘cause I’m desperate and can’t get a date,” I said.

              “Wrong,” they said together.

            “Seriously. What am I going to do?”

            “Here’s a crazy idea, why not call him?” Harley said.

            “What if he was just being nice?”

            “You won’t know until you call,” Skye said.

            “Who knows, maybe he just wants to be fuck buddies?” Harley added.

            “I highly doubt that,” I said rolling my eyes.

              “So, you’re trying to tell us, you’ve never thought of him naked, if not more?” asked Harley.

              “Oh, I didn’t say that. I mean, how could I not. The man is gorgeous.”
I think about him all the time. Stripped down naked, standing there in all his glory. Feeling his rock hard abs licking every part of his body….snap out of it Carr!

              “I think you were just fantasizing about him just now by the look on your face.”
And, I’m caught.

              I turned away blushing, “I can’t help it. There’s something about him that gets me all worked up.”

              Just the thought of him makes me squirm in my seat wanting a release. How is it he has never touched me, and yet I get wet just thinking about him?

              “Looks like someone needs to get laid and fast,” barked Harley.

              “I think I would settle for less if I could.”

Chapter 4

              “Morning, Granny,” I said cheerfully.

              “Well, good morning to you too, sunshine. You look happier than a pig in shit. What’s gotten into you?”

              Grabbing a piece of bacon, shoving it into my mouth, I laughed at the irony.

              I muffled, “I just had only the best nights of my life; that’s all.”

              “Better than the time you won a blue ribbon for best pie at the county fair?”

              “Better.”

              “Better than winning first place in the tomato costume contest?’”

              “Way better.”

              “It can’t be better than the time you got Bessie?”

              “Close call and I applaud your creativity, but way better.”

              I love my truck more than anything in the world, but sorry Bessie.

              “What’s got you in such a good mood then?” she asked.

              “I saw Colt last night, and get this, he gave me his phone number,” I said with astonishment.

              “Is he the one with the mullet who works at the hardware store?” she questioned.

              “No, Granny,” I said annoyed.

              “Well, is he the one with a pot belly that works at Todd’s Auto shop?” she asked scratching her head.

              “Granny, no.” I said frustrated.

              “I know. I know. He’s Shepley and Wynonna’s son, the quarterback from high school. I may be old, but I’m not senile child,” she said jokingly.

              “Granny, this man makes me crazy. He’s beautiful and charismatic and, and, and so freakin’ hot…”

              “Oh honey, you’re getting me hot and bothered,” Granny exclaimed.

              “Granny, he gives me goose bumps all over and makes me act like a fool when I’m around him. I can never seem to hold it together when he’s near. Even after I dropped a bottle of beer on him, he still wanted my number. He must have taken one too many hits to the head in high school,” I exclaimed.

              “Care Bear, I don’t think you give yourself enough credit. You are funny, intelligent, and best of all, my granddaughter. Plus, you get your good looks from me,” she heckled.

              “Colton is a smart, young man. I doubt he even has to question why he’s interested in you. And, who knows, even if he isn’t interested, at least you walk away with a new friend. That’s gotta mean something, sweet pea.”

              “You’re right Granny, even if he just wanted to be a friend, that’s better than not being friends at all, I guess.”

              Granny always knew the right things to say. When Mama died, Granny stayed up all night rocking me to sleep while stroking my hair, just like Mama would. Daddy had a hard time when Mama passed, and in-turn secluded himself from everyone. He would lock himself in his room for days, and just lay there crying. I would just barely peek through his bedroom door, but I didn’t know what to say or do. At the time, I was just a child, grieving myself.

              Granny was the backbone I needed when I didn’t think I could stand. She always made sure I got up for school, took a bath at night and always did my homework while, trying to be a parent to her child. Losing a loved one is all consuming and grabs a hold of you till you can’t breathe. I praise Granny for getting Daddy on his feet again. Sulking and feeling desolate was not in her vocabulary. I always remember her saying, “When things get rough honey, you pull up your big girl panties, and trudge through the cow shit.” Leave it to Granny to make me smile, even at a time when I didn’t think I could. I always tell myself that Granny’s heart must be so big since she has enough love for Daddy, herself and me.

              After cursing to high heaven at Daddy for not being a proper father to me, eventually Daddy started to come around. For the longest time, he had a hard stretch accepting that Mama was gone, but marched on with the help of Granny pushing him. She never gave up on him, and never gave up on the hope that we would put our family back together. She was tough as nails but for real reason. Mason’s are strong-willed people with hearts of gold. People may push us down, but we always come back swinging.

              There was a time when I was around twelve when Granny tried sitting me down to have the birds and the bees talk. Already, I was downright uncomfortable. I was twelve for crying out loud. Why on earth would I need to know this, especially since everyone seemed hell-bent on calling me “Muffin Top Mason” for the rest of my life? No boy would ever look at me.

             
“Care Bear, when a man and a woman love each other very much….”

              O.K., that’s about enough of that.

              “Granny, can we not? I won’t be doing that for a long time, and I doubt any boys even look at me.”

              “Baby girl, you need to put some oomph into that step of yours. Just because you think boys aren’t interested in you, doesn’t mean there aren’t secret admirers out there just waiting to snatch you up.”

              “I highly doubt that, Granny, but thank you.”

              “Sugar, when I fell in love for the first time, I felt the same way you feel.”

              “Growing up, my mama and daddy were dirt poor - nothing came easy to us. I spent years working in our fields, picking cotton and shucking corn, so that we could make a living. Just like your Daddy, we worked hard for our money.

              One day when I was on the side of the road selling vegetables, I met the most dashing man,” Granny said with such adoration. As she daydreamed telling the story, she continued, “He was magnificent; a giant hunk of a man.” My face flamed with embarrassment. I never wanted to think of my Granny like that. “He paid me three times the asking price and asked if he could call on me later that night.”

              “What does “call on me” mean, Granny?” I questioned.

              “Well honey, back in the day, we didn’t have a telephone or cell phones. When a boy asked if he could call on you, he was asking if he could visit you at your home.”

              “After two weeks of him coming back to my stand, I finally told him he could call on me. I was petrified. He came from a very well to do family, and we were so poor. I was so worried about what he would think of my house or my clothes; I didn’t realize he only had eyes for me when we were together,” she said with stars in her eyes. “It didn’t matter to him if we had the biggest house or the fanciest clothes; he loved me for me.”

              “We fell madly in love, and quick. We would spend countless nights laughing in the cornfield, looking at the stars and catching lightening bugs. After we had been courting for quite some time, he asked me to marry him. When his parents found out, they forbid him to speak to me. Back then, status mattered to people. They didn’t want their son to be associated with a poor farm girl. I was crushed. We tried everything to be together, but his parents always found a way to pull us apart,” she said exasperatedly.

              “One day, I was walking around town and saw him holding hands with a young woman. She was beautiful and came from money. As I crossed the street, I saw the longing in his eyes as he stared me down. I forced myself to keep walking and hung my head in shame. He will always be the love of my life.”

              “Whatever happened to him, Granny?” I asked.

              “He ended up marrying that girl, and they had three babies. Still, to this day, I think of him and wished things had been different.

              “Granny, did you love Gran Dad?” I asked.

              “Of course I did, sugar. He gave me your father, and your father gave me you. I wouldn’t trade that for the world. You see, sweet pea, the point of my story is this; don’t ever put yourself down. Don’t give up on something you desperately want. And, always love hard and with your whole heart because, you never know if you’ll ever get a love like that again.”

              Granny was so sensible, and ever since that conversation, I’ve been listening to her every word. After mama had died, she was the second best mother I ever had.

              Granny and I continued to gab about Colt and the past, when Daddy walked into the kitchen. “What are you two birds chirping about?” he asked while leaning against the sink sipping his coffee. If I learned anything from Granny, it was only tell Daddy what he needed to know, and boys, were not something he needed to know. I had never brought a boy home before, and I wasn’t about to test the waters now. I wasn’t even sure where it was going myself.

              “Oh, nothing Daddy. Granny was just telling me a story about the time you got your head stuck between the slats on the banister as a kid,” I said winking at Granny.

              “Okay, let’s not bring that back up. I had butter in my ears for weeks thanks to Granny.”

              We roared with laughter while Granny made her way out of the kitchen. Turning around, looking in my direction, “Remember what I said, sugar.  You two enjoy.”

              “What was that about?” Daddy asked.

              “Oh, you know, girl talk,” I rebutted.

              “You want me to make your favorite pancakes, Care Bear? I can make them just the way you like them, chocolate chip with strawberry jam?” Leave it to my father to always see me as the chunky little five-year-old.

              “Thanks, Daddy, but I’m going to try and catch up with Har and Skye for some breakfast.”  I just assume address the reason I’m here. Pulling out a chair from the kitchen table he took a seat next to me placing his coffee mug on the table.

              “I can’t believe you still get up before the roosters,” I proclaimed.

              “Someone’s gotta make a living around here, and I don’t see your Granny pushing a tractor or feeding the hens,” he laughed.

              “Why don’t you get some help around here, Dad?” I questioned.

              “I simply can’t afford it, sweetheart, especially with everything that’s happening with the farm.”

              “Tell me what’s going on,” I asked.

              “I don’t mean to worry you, but about a month ago I got a letter from the bank stating that I had sixty days to pay the back due payments on the farm or vacate the property. If I couldn’t pay, the bank would seize our farm. I didn’t want to bother you, sweetheart, but I’ve had a hard time making payments. Crops aren’t as good as they used to be, and money is tight.  As soon as this developmental company caught wind of the news, they were ready to pounce and purchase the land. Said they already had plans for a shopping mall mapped out. They were just waiting for the bank to seize the property so they could buy it from the bank.

              It wasn’t until one of the founding developers of the company died, when they found the blueprints to the property lines stashed with his last will. After they had looked at the prints, they realized our farm was on their side of the property line. Naturally, a part of me was a little relieved considering, however they are trying to take over the property immediately. I tried contacting the bank to investigate what happened to my payments up until that point, but there has been no response. If I had been paying on a house that I didn’t own, what happened to the money I already invested? I didn’t want the money to be rich, but just wanted it to save our home from the developmental company. I was going to use the payments to pay the company, but neither one of them is cooperating. I think they are just hoping it goes away on its own, but what they don’t realize, I have the best attorney around.”

              Honey, this is our home and has been for years. I don’t want to give it to those weasels so that they can ground it down to make room for a shopping mall. I’ve been paying money on the property for years with the assumption that it was ours, and I’ll be damned if they try and take it away from us now. I don’t know what we’re going to do, or where Granny and I will go if this falls through. Without the farm, I’m not sure how we will survive.”