Chapter Two

Natalie awoke to the sound of a clanking noise and banging as well as voices as she jumped out of bed and saw it was only 7 am, frankly she was surprised she had slept so long but the clanking outside her window was enough to drive someone over the edge.

She quickly walked to the window only to see a huge tractor out there as well as John and her grandpa. They were playfully arguing about how the tractor wasn't going to budge.

"im telling you Asa its just these loose wires, I can have this up and running in no time" John said with a smile.

"Then you got more faith then I do, that thing ain't run in years" Asa shook his head and then much to his surprise, one clank later and then John was turning the key as it revved up like a beast.

Natalie watched from her window in awe. Seriously Chris couldn't even unclog the bathroom toilet, he had to call someone to do it. She shook her head as she watched John in action. He was not only ruggedly handsome but he could fix things, he really was a mans man.

As she stood there peering through her window he happened to look up at her and she froze for a second not only cause she was standing there in a nightgown but because he caught her snooping, she quickly moved to the opposite side of the window and breathed heavy, maybe he didn't see her? She laughed to herself at what had just happened. Seriously she had to get a grip, she had come to Texas to get a break from everything not to fantasize about some damn cowboy who apparently had a little lady at home. She shook her head as she stood there and then she quickly headed into the bathroom to shower.

Once out of the shower she stood and looked at the clothes piled high on the bed. She was going to be sure not to make the same mistake as yesterday. Her shoes were too precious to get destroyed and so she opted for a Chanel black and white printed sleeveless blouse so she wouldn't get heat stroke in the summer humidity and a light pair of black Capri's with matching strappy sandals to finish the look. She stared at herself in the mirror and decided that a pony tail was just about the only thing her hair would do in this weather without making her look like a wild beast. The heat was already getting to her and she hadn't even left the house yet.

As she headed downstairs she heard voices, one was her grandpa's and she was fairly certain the other one was to that rugged cowboy. Images of him in her head did incredible things to her body and she had to slow her breathing so that she wouldn't be panting.

"im telling you son, you are on a roll, first Bessie and now my tractor" Asa began with a laugh.."i may just have to take you to Vegas" Asa looked up and saw Natalie standing in the doorway as she swallowed hard. John had his shirt on today but it was a white tank top, one that she would expect a rugged cowboy to wear and it was so form fitting, honestly she didn't know if he looked better with it on or off..."Good morning darling" he smiled.."just in time for some breakfast"

"Morning Miss Natalie" John said with an appreciative smile as he looked over her body. He wasn't use to seeing women dressed like this, maybe in the city but here in the country it was extremely rare but he would be lying if he didn't say that her clothes and the body they covered hadn't stirred something in him. He had felt it yesterday too when he had come up onto the property riding Bessie. She looked like something out of a dream and for a moment he didn't know if he had been seeing things.

"Morning" Natalie said with a polite smile as she tried not to let her eyes linger.."I was actually thinking about going into town" she smiled some. She needed to get a pair of those boots her grandpa was talking about and she was just sure that she could run into a cute boutique somewhere.

"I wont be able to take you just yet darling, some of the cows got sick last night and I have a heck of a clean up to do" her grandpa said apologetically..Just as she was about to resign to the fact that she wouldn't be leaving the country house today John surprisingly spoke up..

"i could bring you if you like, show you around" he said with a smile.

"Oh I um" the thought of being alone with him did something to her. She hadn't felt this nervous to be around a guy in well forever..

"That is a great idea John" her grandfather said quickly as he looked at Natalie.."John here knows all those places you kids like to go to" he grinned..

"i wouldn't want to be a bother" Natalie finally said quickly..

"Oh it wouldn't be a bother at all Miss Natalie, I need to head into town anyways and pick up some supplies"he grinned and then looked at Asa.."don't forget about the cookout old man, we'll be counting on you" he continued and then he looked at Natalie.."Of course your more than welcome"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world" Asa smiled big.."You kids have fun and stay out of trouble" he laughed as he walked out of the kitchen..

"I really don't want to be a bother, really if you have things to do" Natalie began quickly as he smiled..

"Like I said before not a bother and if it was I wouldn't of offered" he smiled.."let me go get my truck and pull her around" he said as he walked out of the room and she felt her heart racing.

What was it about this guy that did that to her. Even Chris hadn't gotten her heart thudding away like this. It felt childish and embarrassing and she never got embarrassed. She quickly shook the thoughts out of her head as she walked to the front door and there was his truck. What was it with guys and trucks?

She stepped outside as he jumped out and went over to open her door, she smiled nervously as she attempted to get in but his truck was even higher up then her grandpa's.."here let me help" he said and before she could answer he lifted her up by her waist as she gasped some. Holy hell he was strong! She was completely flushed now from head to toe as he jumped in the drivers side and she looked around nervously.."not a fan of trucks I take it?" he smirked some and she glanced at him, damn he had a cute smile..

"just not use to being in them so much" she said with a nervous smile..

"well get use to it little lady" he said with a over the top heavy Texas accent as he pretended to tip an invisible hat.."Your in Texas now" he finished and she couldn't help but laugh. He was handsome and charming, a surprisingly nice combination.."i knew I could get a laugh out of you" he said as he put the truck in gear and she used one hand to hold onto the door as they took off..

She was surprised to see that none of these damn roads seemed to be paved, seriously what was up with that!They drove in silence for a few minutes until he spoke.."so how are you liking it here so far?"

"just like I remembered" she glanced at him and then quickly looked to the road. He was even more handsome close up..

"You've been here before?" he seemed a bit shocked..

"Yeah you know visiting my grandpa and all" she nodded her head. God she felt flushed as she sat there..

"of course, ive only been back here about five years now" he continued on the conversation.."moved around a lot but finally settled here, its a great town with great people" he smiled at her and she couldn't help but wonder where his little lady was at and if she would be angry that he was driving her around..

"I don't think I will be here long to get use to it" she said honestly, she really had to figure out what she was going to do with her life now. She knew it was only a matter of time before her father started barking more orders at her. This is what happens when your the only daughter to one of the wealthiest families in Pennsylvania.

"well you never know, this town could change you" he grinned some.."so what do you want to see first?"

"oh um... I don't. um" she began to ramble, now that she was heading into town she didn't even know what she wanted..

"well the best place to start anything is Mac's" he grinned..

"Ok" she said nervously.."what is Mac's" she couldn't help but ask..

"Oh you'll see" he grinned devilishly and she didn't know if she should be excited or scared to death.."don't be so nervous" he smirked..

"im not" she lied as her hands got sweaty and she kept looking out the window.

Well Mac's from the outside looked like a hole in the wall bar and to say she was uncomfortable and nervous would be an understatement. She was use to going to high end night clubs and venues, this honestly looked like something out of a horror movie and she was scared, truly scared as he came around to open the car door..

"This...this is Mac's" she couldn't help the way her voice squeaked as she looked at him and he smiled at her..

"trust me it gets better" he said as he put his hand out for her so she could hop out but the dirt ground and the combination of her sandals made her slide more than land and she nearly landed on her ass if he hadn't caught her when he did.."you probably should check into getting better shoes, those things will kill ya" he said as he pulled her up and for the first time in forever she found herself literally inches from a gorgeous rugged man who smelt of body wash and a hint of cologne. The rest was all man, it did something to her and she immediately flushed as he steadied her and smiled some as they began to walk to the door..

"are you sure this is ok" she asked nervously as he stopped at the door and looked at her. She could already hear the loud country music and the sound of many voices..

"I promise now relax and have fun, you do know how to do that, right" he smirked..

"I know how to have fun" she said a bit defensively..

"ok ok.. I may make you prove it later" he grinned as he opened the door and she was hit with the smell of cigarettes, cigars, alcohol and sweat. Definitely not the combination she was expecting. In AC they had banned all indoor smoking but apparently it hadn't made its way down to Texas yet..."come on you'll be fine" he said as she walked nervously as all eyes went on them.

She hadn't seen this many cowboy hats in one room, ever and to say that she didn't feel completely intimidated would have been an understatement. Why had she let him bring her there? She wanted to kick herself! He got up to the bar and began to make conversation with an older man who apparently was The Mac in question.."Miss Natalie this is the one and only Mac, not only the best bartender in the state but also a damn good psychologist if you shall need one" he smirked..

"Nice to meet you" Natalie said with a nervous tone..

"same here darling and don't listen to John, im the best damn bartender in this whole U S of A" he laughed loud..

"this is Asa's granddaughter, she is staying with him for a bit" John added..

"oh the great Asa Buchanan, is he still aiming his shot gun at anyone who goes on his property" he laughed..

"Just the government officials" John laughed..

"well I got me a shot gun for them too" Mac grinned.."so what can I get you two"

John looked at Natalie and she just shrugged her shoulders, she was sure they weren't going to have her wine there..

"a beer?" he looked at Natalie..

"sure" she said quickly and he looked a bit surprised..

"alright then, two beers" John grinned.."you don't look much like a beer drinker" he raised an eyebrow..

"I have been known to adjust" she said nervously..

John grabbed the beers and they headed to a table as he made small talk with some of the guys as they passed, one of them made an obnoxious sound towards Natalie as John stopped and spun around..

"Oh come on now Tommy you know I hate it when your rude" he said with a smile but there was definitely a threat behind his words..

"its fine really" Natalie said quickly, she could see this escalating to an all out brawl and one she wasn't ready to be in the middle of it..

"You heard that sweet thang, its fine" Tommy laughed drunkenly..

"well I said it ain't fine now apologize for being rude or I'll make ya" John stood his ground as he eyed the drunken man..

"oh come on John I was just messing around" Tommy began and it must have been something in Johns eyes because he visibly swallowed hard and then looked at Natalie.."I'm very sorry Ma'am, it wont happen again" he said quickly..

"Now you boys enjoy your drinks" John said as he turned back to Natalie who was literally white faced.."shall we?" he pointed to a table with his arm as he held the drinks. He looked completely unaffected, it baffled her.."so anyways" he said as they took a seat across from one another and he put a beer in front of her..

"do you confront people often" she couldn't help but ask..

"Only those who deserve it why?" he seemed confused..

"i just don't, I mean...its dangerous" she said honestly..

Now he smiled.."Dangerous? Sweetheart im the most dangerous person in here" he laughed some now.."Your from the big city right, and your telling me that you have never seen a man defend the honor of a woman"

"well where I go people don't behave rudely so" she said quickly as he raised an eyebrow..

"wow where have you been living all this time" he smirked as he shook his head.."the world is full of rude people, in every income bracket" he sipped his beer.."so why did you decide to come to this neck of the woods, something tells me it wasn't for the boots and humidity" he smirked some..

"Oh you know just" she began and then quickly sipped her beer as she didn't finish her sentence.."so you said you moved around alot" she said as a distraction.."why is that?"

"I'm not some wanted criminal if that's what you think" he looked at her hard and she swallowed visibly.."I'm kidding, relax" he smiled now and she smiled nervously.."i was in the Marines, got shipped around a lot and when I got out I wanted to settle down somewhere, you know the American dream with the white picket fence" he smiled some..

"Oh" she said unsure of what to ask next, she wanted to ask him if he was married. He didn't have a ring on but she still couldn't get the courage up to ask..But he had mentioned a little lady so there had to be someone in this town..

"and what about you, living the American dream?" he raised an eyebrow..

"somewhat" she said quickly..

"You really are difficult to talk to" he laughed a little as she blinked a bit in shock.."how about this we get one question a piece and if you we don't answer then we have to take a random shot from the bar" he smirked..

"oh I wouldn't be so good at this" she began nervously. She didn't want to talk about her life. She had gone there to forget about it and for the most part she had..

"well then I guess you will be drinking a lot of shots" he smirked as he got up.."I'll be right back"

"wait, but" she called out but it was to late he was already heading to the bar as she sighed.. She pulled out her cell phone and saw a ton of missed texts and calls. Her heart began to race when she saw some were from Chris. She was shocked that he would even call her.

"expecting a call" John said as he came back up to the table and she jumped some as she quickly put her phone back in her purse.."if you need to make a call I can step away" he asked..

"nope, nobody important" she said quickly.."but as for this game" she began..

"Hey all you gotta do is answer the question or drink, no pressure" he smiled as he took a seat across from her. There were four shot glasses in front of them, all of them were clear in color.."I'll even be a gentleman and let you go first"

"im not good at this" she said again..

"at what? Asking questions, something tells me that is a lie" he smiled.."go on, just try it"

"fine" she sat up straight, she really wanted to know about that little lady but she decided to not ask, at least not now.."what is your career now"

"well now your just being too easy on me" he laughed.."i fix things, I do odd jobs and what not"

"You fix things? That's all?" she said with a surprised look..

"I mean without getting into full details, yes I fix things, is that surprising?" he didn't know why she seemed so surprised. He never felt ashamed about what he did before but sitting in front of her right now he was beginning to feel that way..

"its just you said you were in the Marines" she was still confused. She didn't understand how someone could support themselves by just fixing things, it seemed odd..

"and your point is?" he looked at her seriously..

"Nothing I just" she shook her head, she could tell he was getting offended.."I told you I am not good at this stuff"

"what exactly do you do Miss Natalie" he asked quickly and she quickly went to grab a shot glass but he moved them away..."wait hold up that isn't even a hard question"

"I just don't want to talk about myself, I will take the shot" she said quickly..

"But its just a simple question, its not like I am asking you if your involved with anyone" he began as she grabbed the shot glass now..

"and no im not"she said with a shaking voice as she downed the shot..

"actually you didn't have to drink If you answered" he began as she grabbed another shot and downed it.."I think you misunderstood the rules" he said as she went to grab the third shot and he grabbed her hand before she could and she was visibly shaking now...He was about to say something, ask who or what had done this to her but she stood up now. Tears apparent in her eyes..

"I need to use the ladies room" she said as he began to stand.."I'm sure I can find it myself" she said as she spun from him and quickly began walking, she saw a sign for the restroom and she made a bee line before she began crying hysterically in front of all these prying eyes...

She took a few deep breaths as she entered the bathroom and she almost laughed out loud by the sight of it. Filthy, absolutely filthy. She went to the sink and quickly fixed her eye makeup that was beginning to run now from the few tears that had fallen but the more she looked at herself the more she couldn't help the tears that fell. My god was she having a nervous breakdown and in some run down bathroom in the backwoods of Texas!

"are you ok in there" she heard John call from the other side of the door..

"Yeah im fine, be out in a sec"she forced her bravest voice as she covered her face and cried. Her life was in shambles just like this damn bathroom.

John was more than concerned as he paced outside the bathroom door. She had looked so vulnerable and upset. He knew from experience that someone or something had caused this sudden outburst and at that moment he wanted to find that someone and teach them a lesson or two about respecting women.

The bathroom door opened as he turned and looked. She seemed ok now, even forcing a bit of a smile.."i don't think the alcohol mixed well with me" she lied and she hoped that he bought it or more so that he wouldn't delve any deeper..

"well its probably cause you haven't ate yet have you" he said with a smile even though he could tell she was lying but he would play along, for now.."let me get you a burger"

"actually a salad would probably be better" she said quickly and he smiled..

"Now I know Mac can make a mean burger but a salad, between you and me I wouldn't take any chances" he grinned..

" fine, a burger" she said quickly. Now it would be twice in two days that she ate the animals that she had sworn she would never touch again.. What was up with Texas and this constant need for meat!

She made her way back to the table and saw the other two shots were gone, apparently he had decided to drink them himself. Which was probably for the best because she could only imagine the outbursts she would have with that strong of alcohol in her system. He came back to the table and she tried to act completely nonchalant..

"Ok so no more game" he said quickly as he took a seat.."how about movies and music"

"ok what about them" she said quickly..

"whats your favorite movie" he asked..

"um...i don't really have one" she said honestly..

"You don't have a favorite movie, I can think of like ten off the top of my head" he said in shock..

"i just don't, you know really have time for movies or tv" she said as she stared at her beer bottle..

"Ok... then how about music" he asked and she just shrugged her shoulders.."what exactly do you do for fun Miss Natalie"

"fun... hmm... well I go to a lot of dinner meetings and fashion shows" she said quickly as he stared at her with wide eyes..

"and that's your idea of fun?"he said in shock.."dinner meetings, fun?"

"ok so maybe they aren't fun but im a very busy person" she said quickly as she sipped her beer once more..

"ok so you have said that a few times but you don't want to tell me what you do" he began as he raised an eyebrow.."Your not a trained assassin are you?" he said with such a serious voice that she nearly spit out her beer as she laughed and then he began to laugh too.."so you do have a sense of humor"

"and you can be funny at times" she shook her head and smiled some..

"Oh you have barely touched the surface, there is a ton more where that came from" he grinned as he sipped his beer..

The food came in a pile of greasy goodness and she surprisingly ate it. She could only imagine the priceless look on Chris's face if he saw her eating meat. He may just drop dead from the sight and that made it taste even better. John on the other hand told small stories of different things he had experienced over the years and he was right. He was damn funny and soon she actually felt herself relaxing some as they sat there but still no talk of this little lady and she was more curious now then ever but still not feeling comfortable enough to ask.

"so this white picket fence that you mention, do you have that?" she asked in hopes of learning more about his family life even though part of her knew that she shouldn't even care but she did. Oddly she did..

"well the fence is still a work in progress" he smiled some.."Lily she tries to help but between you and me she makes more work for me" he smirked some as her eyes got wide..

"oh well..." she began, so there it was. That had to be his little lady, Lily. She felt uncomfortable sitting there now with this new information.."and um if you don't mind me asking, Lily is ok with you driving women around" she began as he laughed some as he took a sip of his beer..

"well she doesn't really have a choice though I would say she would probably be jealous" he laughed a little as Natalie's eyes got wide. She was shocked at how blasé he was about this. She felt even more uncomfortable then before..

"well I don't want to cause a stir" Natalie began to fidget some..

"a stir not at all, lily is very polite to be honest she would probably want to play with you" he smiled and now she stood, banging the table with her legs as she did so..

"excuse me" she said in shock as people began to look at them."Listen I don't know what kind of game your playing here but im not interested with playing with anyone" she said completely serious as John stood now. The look on his face was priceless and then he began to laugh.."what, its not funny. I'm not into some back woods kind of fun" she said sternly.."stop laughing"

"im sorry its just, the look on your face" he could barely talk as he laughed and she had had just about enough of this..

"Have a good day I will find my own way home" she turned on her heel as he called her name but she kept going. She was mortified, embarrassed and he had seemed like a decent guy, apparently he wasn't!

"Natalie, can you just wait a second" he called out as she got outside and she spun and faced him..

"You should be ashamed of yourself, I have never been so mortified in my life, do I look like some common hooker to you or...or a swinger!" she snapped angrily..

"Hey I didn't insinuate any of that, if you would just let me explain" he began as he stopped laughing..

"Oh I think I have heard more than enough, thank you very much" she spun from him..

"Lily is not my wife, she isn't even a girlfriend Natalie, she's...she's my daughter" he called out as she stood there and then turned to face him..

"I'm sorry what?" she said in shock as he began walking over..

"Lily is my daughter, my five year old daughter" he said quickly and now she turned bright red as she stood there, mortified wasn't even the word she felt at this very moment. She wanted to find a rock to crawl under and hide..