(A/n) Thank you all for the wonderful reviews and alerts! And a big thank you for Black-Dove15 who inspired my creativity! I had done a lot of brain storming and came up with so many ideas for this story I didn't know what to do with them. XD
Any who, as a side note, my favorite version of Jack is from Harvest Moon: Save the Homeland. I don't know why but he was always so cute to me. ^.^ So I'm using that version of Jack for this story. If you wonder what he looks like just Google the images for it. He'll pop right up. Here is the next chapter!
A Milk Moustache…
"Hey there! Be careful!"
I looked up in surprise at the sight of a brown horse galloping down the main road of the village right toward me. I stopped with a gasp and jumped out of the way of the horse's path, (succeeding in landing butt first in the snow) just as it pounded right by me and toward the bridge that led over to Vesta's farm. The rider of the horse pulled it to a stop and turned it around to trot back over to where I still sat in the snow, my face beet red. I had been so busy thinking that I hadn't been paying attention to where I was walking.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't see you coming down the path." The rider had slid off his horse and moved over to reach out a gloved hand to help me to my feet. I glanced up at him and took his hand with mumbled thanks as he pulled me up. "Are you all right? Do you need to go to the clinic?"
"No, I'm all right. Thank you… um…" I stared at the man; he was fairly tall with long brown hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. He wore a blue cap that was strikingly similar to Gray's save that he wore his backwards. A few long, locks of brown hair fell through the hole and the sides of his cap and framed a surprisingly handsome face. I was shocked to see that he wore a collared white shirt with the sleeves rolled up in this weather and his jeans, which were held up by a pair of brown suspenders, were tucked into his brown boots. His brown eyes were filled with concern as he released my hand and gave a nod in greeting.
"The name's Jack." He took a step back to grab the reins of his horse but his brown eyes still watched me with care. "Are you sure you're all right now?"
"Yes, I'm sure. Thank you for helping me up." I smiled at him as I brushed the melting snow from jeans. "My name's Annie. That's a beautiful horse by the way."
Jack glanced at his horse and his smile was instant as he patted its muzzle. "You think so? Thanks a lot. Her name's Maria, she's the fastest horse this side of the Valley."
"May I?" I motioned over to his mare and waved my hand, wanting to pet her. Jack gave a nod and I moved over to give Maria a pat on her side. She truly was a beautiful horse and I wondered off handedly if Jack had met Claire's horse, Flik. Jack smiled as he watched me coo over his horse and his brown eyes studied me with faint interest. "I don't remember seeing you around the Valley before, are you visiting for the first time?"
"Yes." I glanced over at him as I ran my gloved hand down Maria's neck and gave her a pat. "I came here with a friend of mine, we're from Mineral Town. She usually visits here every week and she wanted me to come along since I've never been here before."
"How do you like it so far?" Jack had a kindness about him that I liked immensely, it wasn't often that I felt comfortable in a guy's presence right away but there was something about Jack that clicked just right. He was watching me as he waited for me to respond and I smiled at him.
"I love it here, I'm glad I made the trip."
"That's good, it must have been quite a hike all the way from Mineral Town."
"It wasn't that bad actually. It's kind of hard to notice the distance when your friend is chatting away the entire time-." I dropped my hand when I heard someone call my name and we both looked over to find Mary and Lumina rushing over the bridge from Vesta's farm. They were looking somewhat flustered as they came to a stop near us.
"Annie, there you are!" Mary huffed as she placed a hand over her heart. "We were so worried about you, where did you go?"
A light frown twitched on my face as I moved over to Mary. "I'm sorry Mary, I didn't mean to make you worry. I heard that there was a Goddess Spring here so I went to take a look at it. I hope you weren't looking for very long."
"Actually we just started looking. We thought you might have gone to Vesta's farm. I'm glad you're all right." Lumina said as she clasped her hands in front of her. Her brown eyes had settled on Jack and a smile appeared. "Hi Jack, thank you so much for finding Annie for us."
Jack smiled at Lumina and gave a nod in greeting. "You're welcome Lumina." He said as his brown eyes settled on Mary. At once I caught the spark of interest that flickered across his face as his smile softened just a bit. "How's it going Mary?"
The blush that touched Mary's face was all I needed to see and I glanced over at Lumina, a questioning look on my face. Lumina smiled at me and gave the smallest of nods to confirm my suspicions. Huh, who would have thought? I always thought that Mary held a bit of a candle for Gray but now that I thought about it, she never really did have that look on her face like she did now. She was blushing prettily and she was glancing down, her smile very shy. "I-I'm well Jack. How is the farm?"
"Well, the animals are doing great." He smiled as he reached out to pet Maria's neck. "I've been helping Carter with the excavation site and doing some mining in the mean time."
"What kind of excavating?" I asked, my curiosity peeking. I had forgotten that there was an excavation site here in the Valley. Jack had glanced my way and his smile grew as he saw the interest on my face.
"It an archeological dig site. My friends Carter and Flora have been digging in these hills for signs of an old civilization that used to thrive here." His brown eyes flicked over me, looking to see if I would be fit for digging around in the dirt most likely. "Are you interested? Old Carter could always use the extra help."
"Annie's been spending most of her time digging in the mines back home. She works on Claire's farm so she has some experience." Mary offered as she glanced my way, her smile growing bright.
"You work for Claire?" Jack asked, his brows rising in surprise. I blinked and gave a nod in reply, wondering why he was looking so down all of a sudden. He frowned lightly as he held a gloved hand up to his cap. "Agh! That's not fair! That means she's doing a lot better with her farm if she can hire workers." He groaned as his hand slid down over his face and he shook his head.
"Oh now, don't say that." I frowned in concern and glanced over at Mary, who was smiling despite the fact that Jack looked so depressed. Apparently she was used to seeing him act this way and she had moved over to place a comforting hand on his shoulder. Jack glanced over at the librarian, who was now blushing again, and the smile that lit his face was quick and bright.
"Aw, Mary. I didn't know you cared." He said as he dropped his hand and reached out to take hers from his shoulder. "Oh my sweet Mary, what would I do without the sight of your wonderful smile?" He got down on one knee and held a hand over his heart. By this time, Mary was blushing so deeply but she was giggling as she placed a hand against her flushed cheek.
I blinked and stared at Lumina, who was beside herself with giggles at the sight and she caught my eye. Apparently this was a normal sight for the two of them and I couldn't help but wonder how long this had been going on. They really did look cute together. At that moment, Jack planted a very sweet kiss on Mary's hand and got back to his feet. He smiled at the sight of her blush as he went over to grab his horse, which had been sniffing through the snow for some grass.
"Well, I have to head over to Carter's and start digging. " He climbed onto the saddle with surprising grace and moved his horse over beside us. "It was great to meet you Annie, whenever you're in the Valley again come on by the site if you're interested in some digging. Ladies…" He gave a nod to Lumina and his brown eyes settled on Mary. He smiled at her and winked before he turned Maria around and rode off across the bridge.
Lumina was giggling as she went to stand beside Mary, her brown eyes sparkling. "He really likes you Mary…"
"D-do you think so?" Mary glanced over at her friend, her cheeks still pink as she then turned to stare further up the road where Jack had disappeared to.
"Let me put it to you this way Mary." I smiled at her as I walked to stand on my friend's other side and then stared at the bridge. "When a man is willing to bend down on one knee in the middle of a muddy road to kiss your hand, I think that is enough to warrant that he is interested in a very romantic fashion."
Mary's eyes grew wide behind her large glasses and her blush deepened. She placed both of her hands on her cheeks and she shook her head as she giggled. "Oh my… I can't believe… I never thought that he would… Are you sure?"
"Why don't you ask him to the Starry Night Festival?" Lumina suggested, reaching up to brush the bangs of her light brown hair from her eyes.
"That's actually a great idea." I smiled at Mary and reached out to take her by the hand. "C'mon, let's go and pay a visit to the dig site, I want to meet this Carter."
"W-what? Oh… um…" She glanced over at Lumina, who was smiling as she took Mary's other hand and we pulled her across the bridge toward Vesta's farm. "I-I don't know… I mean… what if you guys are wrong?" She was blushing deeper the closer we got to the windmills by Vesta's house.
"Well, there's only one way to find out…" Lumina chuckled as she pulled a little more eagerly on Mary's hand.
I swear there was nothing better than playing matchmaker and from the smile that Lumina gave me as we glanced at each other, she was feeling the very same way…
--
"So, have you ever excavated before?"
Lumina and I stood outside of the dig site entrance, which was a cave within the nearby hill beside a waterfall, with a middle age man with a head full of thick, dark curls. He was gazing at me over the rims of his glasses and taking in the sight of me. I shook my head in reply as I folded my arms beneath my breasts. "No sir, I've done some digging in the mines for ores but not for old artifacts."
The man was named Carter and his face brightened after I said this, a smile growing on his face. "But you know how to dig, which is all I am really looking for. Annie was your name right?"
I nodded in response and he held out his hand. "Well Annie, whenever you stop by the Valley again, make sure you visit. I'm always glad for extra help."
I smiled as I took his hand and gave it a firm shake. "Sounds great, thanks a lot Carter."
Lumina was throwing a few glances toward the entrance, her brown eyes twinkling with amusement as we waited for Mary. It didn't take long, a few minutes later she emerged from the entrance of the site with a blank look on her face. Carter caught sight of the librarian and raised a thick brow in question. "Ms. Mary, are you all right?"
Mary remained silent as she stood there and gazed at the two of us. I smiled as I walked over to take Mary's hand. "Mr. Carter, it was lovely to meet you, I will try and make it to the Valley again soon. Enjoy the rest of your day." I gave a nod in goodbye and turned to Lumina. "Let's go Lumina…"
"Right behind you Annie…" Lumina waved to Carter in goodbye as we hurried down the path away from the dig site and back toward Vesta's farm. Mary was still silent as we pulled her onto the field with the wind mills and gazed at her expectantly.
"Well?" Lumina began, staring anxiously at her best friend's face.
"What did he say?" I continued, not liking the dazed look in Mary's dark eyes. She blinked and the glanced between us. She opened her mouth and her face turned beet red. "He said… yes…" She sighed and then her smile grew. "He said yes!" She let out a squeal and hid her face behind her hands. "I can't believe it! He's coming to Mineral Town to spend the Starry Night Festival with my family!"
Lumina and I squealed with joy and soon enough we were all gathered up in the tightest group hug you could ever imagine. Mary was laughing as she hugged us both, her large glasses barely hanging on her nose. "Oh you guys! Thank you! I can't believe that Jack actually likes me!" We giggled as we pulled away from each other and Lumina was leading us back to her home while Mary gave every detail of her quest to ask Jack to the Starry Night Festival. It was easy enough to see that he would have said yes, the look on his face when he saw Mary spoke clearly. All they needed was a little push and the rest would go on its own. I have to say, my visit to Forget-Me-Not Valley was one I wasn't going to forget any time soon and no, the pun is not intended…
--
My day off had been wonderful but it was back to work the moment Mary and I returned to Mineral town. Mary was still giddy over the upcoming Starry Night Festival and she seemed to be in a state of ever present bliss whenever I visited her in the library. She would often be seen daydreaming or humming to herself as she wrote in her notebook. Gray had noticed the change in Mary of course but didn't say anything to her. He would look at me with a questioning look in his blue eyes and I would only smile and shrug in response.
By this time, Gray and I had grown more comfortable around each other. I wasn't as shy as I used to be around him and I began to realize the more time I spent around Gray, the more I came to see that he was a wonderful man. Although he was drop dead gorgeous and a bit rough around the edges, once I had gotten passed that, the crush that I had held for him gave way to something more relaxed and at ease. I came to realize over the days that followed that as I got to know the grumpy blacksmith, the attraction wasn't as strong as it had been. Well, I knew myself well enough to know that at least I wouldn't have to worry about acting like an embarrassing fool around him because I wasn't afraid to be myself. I was getting to know the real Gray and I was perfectly happy with not expecting anything more than friendship.
Hmm? Oh yes… the other one… I hadn't forgotten that precious Wednesday when the doctor had taken care of my shoulder. I was just trying not to put too much thought into it. Of course I had told Claire what had happened and the squeal that had left her lips was loud enough to make Mason cry in protest. She insisted that I go and visit the doctor everyday, just to say hi and she wouldn't hear a word of my protests. She would even march me down right to the clinic and stand there and wait until I actually went inside. Damn, that woman was persistent…
Well, I won't lie to you, unlike my relationship with Gray, my relationship with Dr. Trent left me feeling shy and awkward. I couldn't understand why my heart skipped a beat every time he smiled at me. I couldn't understand why I felt that bubble of happiness in my heart every time I gave him a few pieces of White Grass for his research and those dark eyes would light up. While I pretended to be as comfortable around him as I was with Gray, deep inside I knew that what I felt for Dr. Trent was very different. I couldn't understand why my crush on him was growing worse with each passing day.
It was made even worse the moment I found out how much he loved milk. It had been snowing that day and I was stopping by the clinic to pay a visit to Elli. When I entered the lobby I was surprised to find that she wasn't behind her counter. I had gotten a couple of extra bottles of milk from the new cow Claire had bought and I thought Elli might like to have them for her little brother Stu. I had knocked on the door to the doctor's office and he was there to answer. His dark eyes had flicked down to me and a smile lit his face as he opened the door a little wider.
"Oh, Annie, how are you? Are you feeling all right?"
I fought back the blush that was trying to rise into my cheeks as I gave a nod. "I'm feeling just fine Dr. Trent. Have you seen Elli? I had something I wanted to give to her."
"Oh." His smile dropped a little and he shook his head, his dark hair falling down around his forehead. "She had to go and take care of her grandmother today, Ellen wasn't feeling too well." His dark eyes studied my face as his smile returned. "If you'd like, I can take it and hold it for her until she gets back. I'm sure you have other things to do today…"
"Oh, well… yes I guess that would be good." I smiled and pulled off my rucksack, opening it to take out the two bottles of milk. The glass bottles clanged together as I closed my bag and threw it back over my shoulder. "Here you are I thought she might like these. Thank you Doctor."
Dr. Trent stared at the bottles in surprise before he reached out to take them, his fingers brushing over mine. I blushed at once at the contact but said nothing as he took the bottles in hand and stared at them. A moment passed before he glanced down at me and held up one of the bottles. "I know this may seem a bit rude… but may I have one? I never had the milk from Claire's farm before and I've always wanted to try it."
"Oh!" I held a hand over my cheek as I tried so hard not to laugh at the cute expression on his face. "Um… yes, I don't see why not."
His expression brightened as he gave a nod in thanks and walked back into his office, leaving the door open for me. I stood on the threshold uncertainly, not sure exactly if I should stay or go. My answer came soon enough when Dr. Trent beckoned me to come in and pulled the stopper out of one of the bottles. "I'm sure you've had some before but would you like to try it with me?" He held up the bottle, the smile on his face impossible to resist.
"I… all right." I replied as I walked into the office to stand beside his desk. He had set the unopened bottle on his desk and the open one was in his hand. I glanced around; trying to find if he had any extra cups on hand but there was none from what I could see. He noticed that I was looking and he smiled a little more.
"Don't worry about it." His voice was always so deep and soothing and I tried my best to keep my beating heart still. He held up the bottle and drank some of the milk right from it. I watched as his throat moved with each swallow and the warmth that had spread through me from the sight of it made me feel even worse. Oh boy…
When he pulled the bottle away, he had a bit of a milk moustache on his upper lip and a small laugh escaped before I could stop it. He blinked once, wondering what I was laughing at until I motioned to my upper lip. His dark eyes grew bright and he laughed, a sweet sound that made me blush right away. "I've always wondered how I'd looked with a moustache. Well Annie, what do you think?" He turned his head aside as his face grew serious and he modeled his milk moustache with what looked like every ounce of pride. I made a funny choking sound and burst out laughing, throwing my hands over my mouth to keep from snorting.
Dr. Trent started to laugh with me as he wiped the milk moustache off. "I guess that's a no huh? Well, I prefer being clean shaven anyway." He held the bottle out to me to take, his dark eyes filled with laughter. "Your turn."
"Are you sure?" I smiled as I took the bottle. "Have you had your cooties shot? I don't want to catch anything."
"I am up to date on my shots, don't you worry Ms. Annie." He replied, his voice teasing just a bit with the formality.
I giggled before I drank some of the milk; it was very cold from the winter air and very good. I gasped as I set the bottle on the desk and smiled up at him. "Well? Is it a good moustache?"
Dr. Trent started to laugh and he nodded, his dark hair swaying from the movement. "It looks great on you…" He reached his hand out then and ran a thumb across my upper lip to wipe the moustache away. It lingered on the corner of my lips before a faint blush rose into his cheeks and he dropped his hand at once. I had grown terribly still at that moment and so did he, we stared at one another as the air between us grew suddenly tense. A heartbeat passed before the moment was suddenly broken by the sound of a door slamming, followed by footsteps stomping.
"Dr. Trent? I'm back!"
It was Elli and not a moment too soon. I glanced up at the doctor, unsure of what to say or how to act. He gazed down at me in turn before he cleared his throat and glanced at the door to his office. "Elli, I'm in my office." He called, his eyes flicking back to me as I turned away, my cheeks burning from the blush that filled them.
Elli appeared, her cheeks bright pink from the cold. "Hello Dr. Trent." She paused when her brown eyes turned to me and a bright smile appeared. "Hello Annie, I didn't know you were here." At once her smile dropped and she rushed toward me, taking my hand and staring at my face. "Are you feeling all right? Do you have a fever?" She pressed the back of her hand against my forehead, checking my temperature.
I started to laugh, the tension that had filled the room moments before finally disappeared as I reached up to take Elli's hand and gave it a squeeze. "I'm all right, I was just stopping by for a visit and Dr. Trent was kind enough to keep me company."
"Oh." Elli smiled and giggled, her brown eyes twinkling as she glanced up at the doctor. "Well that was nice of you Dr. Trent, thank you."
"Annie is always welcome here, whether she is sick or not." Dr. Trent smiled down at me as he said this and I had the feeling he meant every, single word. I swallowed the sudden tightness in my throat and looked over at Elli, ignoring the pounding of my heart.
"I had an extra bottle of milk from Claire's farm. I thought you might like it, seeing as you have a growing brother." I smiled the moment she hugged me close, she always smelled like flowers for some reason. I was never sure if it was her fabric softener or some kind of perfume.
"Oh Annie, that was so thoughtful, thank you." She pulled away as she glanced at me and I brushed the curls back from my eyes. "You're welcome Elli." I took in a breath and glanced up at the doctor, hoping that what I was feeling at the moment wasn't being revealed on my face. "Dr. Trent, thank you so much for the company."
Dr. Trent gave a nod in reply but said nothing else, though a soft smile still lingered on his lips. I wondered what it would be like to kiss those lips…
A funny squeaking sound escaped my throat and I bid the doctor and nurse goodbye and left the clinic as quickly as I could. This was not good… I shouldn't be feeling this way… why did I feel this way? I had a crush on him that much was certain but the more I had gotten to know him the deeper that crush became. Maybe I was overreacting… yes that was it; it will go away given time. I mean, I had a crush on Gray at first but that was slowly fading… this one will too… I hope it would… What if it didn't? Oh dear… I need help…
