August 31st, 2009 – Hope Meadows Ranch
Elizabeth stepped out of her car and walked into the barn, looking for Jack. Harley's stall was empty, so she walked to the round pens to see if he was there. Jack was nowhere to be found. Elizabeth began walking up the hill behind the barn, and when she reached the top, she could see a large, green field stretched out before her. Just over the ridge, she saw Harley tied under a large shade tree.
The weather was unusually warm and the sun was shining bright, blinding Elizabeth as she made her way toward Harley. She held her hand above her eyes, blocking the sun, so she could see where she was walking. As she got close to Harley, movement to her right caught her attention. She pushed her way through the brush and saw Jack, wearing only his Wranglers, boots and hat, repairing a section of fence.
Elizabeth stopped and watched him as he twisted a wire around a wooden post and tacked it down. Jack's back muscles flexed with each movement and Elizabeth felt her face flush as she watched. She could see his tattoos again, against his tanned skin from obviously spending many hours in the sun without his shirt.
He turned slightly and she could see that he was wearing leather gloves and sunglasses as well. Elizabeth's gaze was slowly lowering down Jack's body and she hadn't noticed that he'd stopped working. When her gaze made its way back up to Jack's face, he was staring at her, grinning.
He tossed his fencing pliers on the ground and walked to her, pulling his gloves off on the way and shoved them into his back pocket.
Elizabeth felt her cheeks grow hot from embarrassment of being caught. She stepped out from the brush and met Jack half way.
"Good morning, beautiful." He removed his hat and bent down and kissed her. "Sorry, I'm filthy." He returned his hat to his head and pulled a red handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his forehead and face.
"No worries," she grinned.
Jack just grinned and turned back to the fence. "I only have a couple more sections to repair, then I'll be done." He picked up his fencing pliers, grabbed another section of wire, and began to splice the two sections together.
"So, what are you doing out here this morning? I didn't think I'd see you until after school." Jack asked as he worked. He had the two sections intertwined now and began to pull the extra length around the wood post. Pulling with all his strength, Elizabeth could see every muscle in his arms, back and abs as he pulled, twisted and turned; pulling the wire taut before securing it.
"I didn't want to go to school looking like this so I took today and tomorrow off. I thought I'd let the bruise lighten some more so I could cover it with makeup."
Jack turned and looked at her, his face slightly frowning. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm good. Just tired." she nodded. "And I didn't feel like trying to explain two hundred times what happened."
Jack nodded with an expression of understanding, then returned to the fence.
She looked at his tattoos, checking the details in the bull and rider. She could also see the scars on his shoulder from his surgery last year, along with several other random scars across his back and side.
Jack finished attaching the wire to the fence post and turned to face Elizabeth. He had beads of sweat running down his face and chest, causing Elizabeth's heart to race just a little faster. Jack walked up to her, bent down to pick up the jug of water that was sitting on the ground next to her, and took a long drink.
Elizabeth thought her heart would burst as she looked at Jack's chest muscles, less than two feet from her. She wanted to reach out and touch him, but she was afraid of what she might do if she did. Keeping her promise to save herself for her husband had been easy her whole life, until she met Jack. Now it was growing more difficult for her to resist as she watched his finely-tuned body flex with each move.
When Jack finished his drink, he looked down into Elizabeth's wanting eyes and stepped closer. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her tight against his sweaty body, leaned down, and captured her lips with his.
Elizabeth could taste the salty sweat that had resided on his lips as she kissed him. Her lips parted and Jack's tongue gently brushed against hers. Elizabeth could feel herself wanting to lose control, but Jack kept his passion at bay and kissed her softly.
He pulled his head back and gently ran his thumb along her bruise. He let out a loud sigh, then softly kissed the side of her mouth.
"Want to ride back with me?"
"Sure."
Jack loaded his tools into a saddle bag on Harley, put his foot in the stirrup, and swung his leg over. He reached down to Elizabeth and pulled her up behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist, feeling the heat of his skin against her arms. She kissed the back of his neck just as he pulled Harley around toward the barn.
Her hands rested against his stomach and Jack rested his hand on top of hers. When he felt her lips against his neck, he closed his eyes, squeezed her hands and sucked in a deep breath.
Elizabeth quickly stopped, noticing Jack's reaction. She frequently forgot the effect she had on him, and knew to stop when she saw it, before it went too far.
She held onto him, resting her head against his shoulder, as they rode back to the barn. Jack held her arm as he lowered her down to the ground, then slid off Harley. He removed his saddle and bridle and returned him to his stall. He picked up his shirt that had been laying on a hay bale inside the barn, and slipped it over his head.
"Come with me," Jack said as he took her hand and led her out of the barn. They were walking in the direction of another building that Elizabeth hadn't seen inside yet. Jack grabbed the large door and slid it to the right, opening the end of the building. Inside sat a large, red Massey Ferguson tractor.
"Want to help me do some chores?" Jack looked back at her, grinning, as he opened the door to the tractor.
Elizabeth just smiled and nodded.
Jack stepped up into the tractor, then reached his hand out for Elizabeth. She took it and Jack helped her up into the tractor and showed her where to sit.
He started the loud machine and Elizabeth's heart raced at the excitement of another new experience. He raised the front arms of the tractor that held the hay forks, put it in gear and slowly drove it out of the barn.
Elizabeth watched as Jack moved his hands from one lever to another, as he used the tractor to pick up large, round hay bales that were scattered around a pasture, and moved them to yet another building, near the barn.
"Want to drive?" Jack asked, reaching his arm behind Elizabeth, inviting her to sit on his lap.
"What? No. I can't drive this."
"Yes, you can. I'll help you. Come here," Jack's voice was soft and encouraging and Elizabeth slid off her perch to Jack's left, and onto his lap. The tractor was moving slowly along an empty field as Jack showed Elizabeth the levers. "Here, take the steering wheel." Jack moved his hands off and placed them on Elizabeth's hips. "This handle is the speed. It's already on high, so you just push these buttons up and down to go faster or slower." He moved her hand to the lever and with his hand on hers, he demonstrated how to speed up the tractor, then returned his hand to her hip.
"There you go, you're driving a tractor."
Elizabeth was grinning ear to ear as she steered the tractor down the path that led to the road back to the barn. She sped it up and followed the path around the trees.
Jack leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "Having fun?"
"Yes. I love this." She exclaimed excitedly.
"Well, looks like I'll have a farm hand soon." Jack wrapped his arms around her waist and gently squeezed her, as he kissed the side of her neck.
"Jack, stop. I have to concentrate."
Jack laughed and leaned back in the seat, watching his future wife becoming a country girl.
Once they were back by the barn, Jack took over and backed the tractor into the building. He reached over and opened the door for Elizabeth to climb out, then followed her.
"Oh, my gosh. That was so much fun." She jumped into Jack's arms, wrapped hers around his neck and began kissing him.
Jack fell back against the tractor tire, holding her tightly against him. He moved his hands up into her hair, pulling her closer for a deep kiss.
"Beth, you are driving me wild in so many ways." Jack clenched his fists and let out a long breath. "Seeing you drive this tractor...now that was hot."
"Oh, it was, was it?" Elizabeth giggled as she backed away from him out of the barn.
Jack started toward her and Elizabeth let out a scream as she turned to run away. But Jack caught her in five steps, grabbed her, picked her up off her feet, and spun her around. Elizabeth screamed and laughed until he lowered her back to the ground.
The sound of a car door closing caught them both off guard as they jumped and turned to see who it was.
"Hello, you two," Charlotte said as she got out of her truck.
"Hey, Ma." Jack said as he slid his hand into Elizabeth's and walked toward her car. "What are you doing here today?"
"Can't a mother stop by and see her son?" She looked at Elizabeth. "And daughter," she said smiling.
"Of course, Mom." Jack gave her a hug.
"Hi, Beth," Charlotte said as she hugged Elizabeth next.
"Hello, Charlotte. How are you doing?"
"I'm fine." Charlotte placed her hands on the sides of Elizabeth's face. "How are you doing, dear."
"I'm okay."
"Jack told me what happened. Are you sure you're alright?" Charlotte looked at the bruise on Elizabeth's face. "Oh, sweetie." Charlotte pulled her back into a hug, and the tears that Elizabeth thought she had finished shedding, began again.
Charlotte put her arm across Elizabeth's shoulder and led her up to the chairs on the porch. Jack followed right behind them, then continued into the house to get each of them a water.
Charlotte pulled her chair to face Elizabeth, taking her hands in her own. "How are you really doing?"
Elizabeth closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, opened her eyes and began. "I've had a few nightmares. I wake up screaming and then I'm just there...alone. Then I can't go back to sleep."
"Beth, you should stay with someone for a little while."
"I don't want to be a burden on anyone."
"Beth, you are no burden. You have Rosie, me, Jack. We all love you and you're welcome with any of us."
"What's going on?" Jack asked as he walked up and handed his mom and Elizabeth each a water.
"Beth needs to stay with someone for a little while."
Jack knelt in front of Elizabeth and laid his hands on her knees. "I thought you said you were doing okay."
Elizabeth's eyes began to tear up again, looking down into Jack's eyes. "Not at night."
"Beth, why didn't you say something?"
"I didn't want to bother anyone."
"Elizabeth, you are not a bother." Jack straightened and pulled her into a hug, holding her as her tears began to flow, causing her to shake. Jack tightened his hold on her as she cried. He leaned back once he felt her body begin to settle, brushed her hair back that was sticking to her face, and wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs. "You are never a bother," he repeated, quietly.
Elizabeth nodded, looking into Jack's eyes, clearly seeing his love for her. "Okay," she finally said, her voice hoarse and low.
Jack wiped a few more tears from her cheeks, then leaned forward and kissed her. "Are you alright?" He asked, very softly.
Elizabeth nodded and wiped her damp cheeks; her eyes were red and swollen now. "I'm going to run to the bathroom." She reached over and set her water on the table.
Jack stood and pulled her up, letting his fingers linger with hers as she walked away, slowly dragging his hand from hers.
Jack took the seat next to his mother's. Once Elizabeth closed the door, he looked to his mom. "She told me she was okay. She seemed okay."
Charlotte laid her hand on his, "I know, Jack. Don't beat yourself up about it. You didn't know."
Jack nodded, looking down at his dirt covered boots.
"I'm going to let you in on a little secret," Charlotte continued.
Jack looked up at his mother and nodded.
"Women hide things deep down. And we hide things well. Sometimes you just need to ask the right question, then ask it again."
Jack listened intently, nodding as she spoke.
"If you ever feel that she might not be telling you everything, just ask her. She'll open up. Trust your gut and your heart. And just listen to her, Jack. Like she said, she didn't want to be a burden. So, she might not open up right away. But if you have a feeling, even the tiniest feeling that something might be wrong...then ask."
"Okay, Ma." Jack squeezed his mother's hand. "Thank you."
"You should go check on her."
Jack nodded, stood and walked into the house.
He found her in the small bathroom near the backdoor, dabbing the cold water from her face with a hand towel. He walked through the open door and rubbed the sides of her arms.
"Are you alright?"
Elizabeth turned to face Jack and leaned back against the sink. "Yes, I'm fine."
"Are you sure? You told me you were okay earlier but clearly you aren't." Jack stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. "I can't help you if you don't talk to me, Beth."
"I don't know that you can help me with this, Jack. I just need time to...get over it, I guess."
"This isn't something you can just get over, Baby." Jack lifted one hand and placed it on the side of her neck. "I love you, Beth. Please let me help you."
Tears filled her eyes once more as she nodded, "Okay."
"Stay here with me. You can have my room and I'll stay in the guest room."
Elizabeth forced a smile, "Okay."
They stepped back outside to find Charlotte walking toward the door.
"I need to get home." She hugged Elizabeth again, and whispered in her ear. "You don't have to be strong all the time, Beth. Don't be afraid to ask for help."
Elizabeth nodded and smiled. "Okay, Charlotte. Thank you for everything."
Jack stood with his arm around Elizabeth as they watched his mom walk back to her truck, disappearing behind the trees.
"Want to run to your place and grab a few things," Jack asked her as he stepped in front of her, taking both of her hands in his.
"Yes." Elizabeth reached up on her toes and kissed him.
Jack drove her home and waited as she packed a small bag. He carried it to the truck and held the door open for her as she slid to the center of the seat.
"Want to do something before going home?" Jack asked, his heart skipped at the thought of his house soon being their home.
"What else did you have to do today before I showed up and spoiled your plans?"
Jack turned in his seat to face her, taking her face in his hands. "You didn't spoil anything. In fact, you made my day much more bearable." He kissed her softly on the lips. "Plus, you helped me drive the tractor," he grinned, flashing his dimples.
"Sorry, poor choice of words. Don't you have more work to do around the ranch?"
"Well, I was going to work with a couple of horses and mow."
"Okay, then. Let's go do that. I can't help you with the horses, but I can mow."
"Alright. Let's go home." Jack's smile grew once again at this.
Elizabeth's smile even seemed to grow; loving that Jack considered it as their home already.
Jack backed the truck out of her driveway and began driving home. Once there, Elizabeth ran her things into the house, then joined Jack at the small shed near the barn. Jack already had the doors open and was starting the large, orange zero-turn mower.
"Have you ever driven one of these before?" Jack yelled over the loud hum of the mower.
Elizabeth shook her head.
"Come here," he motioned for her to step onto the mower and sit on his lap. He drove the mower out onto the grass and began showing her the essentials. "You turn the blades on by pulling this up." Jack pulled the button up and the roar of the blades filled the air. He pushed it back down, shutting off the blades and continued showing her what she needed.
Once he was done with his tutorial and drove it around a small section, showing her how the mower handled, she stepped off, allowing Jack to get off. Then she returned to the seat and drove away and began mowing the eight acres around the barn, up and down the drive, and in front of the house.
Jack purposely left out mentioning the yard behind the house, hoping to keep Elizabeth from seeing his project that was in progress.
Jack watched her, smiling, as she mowed the area along the north side of the barn. After seeing that she was handling the mower just fine, he went into the barn to fetch his first horse.
Two hours later, as Jack was working with the second horse, Elizabeth walked up to the round pen and watched him.
Jack had a large, bay mare in the pen. She was standing in the center of the pen while Jack was crouched fifteen feet in front of her. He wasn't moving as the mare eyed him, letting out a snort. Elizabeth quietly slid onto the picnic table and watched in wonder as Jack remained motionless.
Jack sat, unwavering, for over ten minutes, waiting. Suddenly, the mare took two steps toward him and stopped. She pawed the ground, then moved back a step. Two more minutes passed and the mare stepped forward once more, closing the gap between them. She stopped just a few feet from Jack, stretched her head as far forward as she could and breathed in the air in front of Jack.
After a brief moment, she stepped forward until she was directly in front of Jack.
Elizabeth heart raced while watching this, amazed at his patience and nervous the horse might strike out at him.
Jack slowly reached his hand up, holding it inches from the horse's nose. The mare moved her head and pressed her nose into his hand, resting it there. Jack slowly moved his hand to the side of her face and ran it along her jaw. Elizabeth could hear him talking softly to her, but couldn't make out what he was saying.
He slowly stood, keeping his hand on the mare's face, and stepped to her side, sliding his hand along her neck. "You're alright, girl. That's right. I'm not going to hurt you." Jack moved his hand to her shoulder. "Good, girl. This is how it will be. No more hurting." Jack whispered as he moved his fingers along her side. "That's good, girl. I won't hurt you." Jack moved back up to her head as the mare stood still, calm and relaxed. "You're not a bad girl. What did they do to you?" He ran his hand over her eye and watched her as she dropped her head slightly. "You won't be hurt again."
Jack continued with this for several more minutes, repeating it on the mare's other side. Glancing over the mare's shoulder, Jack noticed Elizabeth sitting on the table and smiled at her before continuing with his tasks.
When he was finished, Jack turned away from the horse and walked toward the edge of the pen, the horse followed right behind him. He walked along the gates that made up the circle and the horse remained behind him. Once he reached the small gate to exit the pen, he turned and faced the horse who had stopped next to him. He gently petted the mare, speaking softly to her once more, before exiting the pen and letting the horse relax inside.
"It is so amazing what you do with horses, Jack. You have so much patience," Elizabeth commented as Jack sat next to her on the table.
"You have to with some horses. She had been beaten badly by her previous owner. She had no trust with people." Jack watched the mare as she walked around the pen, sniffing the ground.
"I noticed she followed you at the end like Delilah had done."
"Yes, it's called joining up. If you can get a horse to join up with you, that means you've gained its trust and you're building a partnership with the horse. She just needed to learn, like Delilah, that I wasn't here to hurt her."
"It's all so fascinating." She slid her arm through Jack's and laid her head on his shoulder. "I love watching you with them. You're so kind-hearted," she said softly.
They remained that way, watching the horse explore its new surroundings, enjoying a moment of peace and quiet for several minutes. Jack moved his arm behind her and slid her body closer to his, holding her against his side.
"Did you give up on mowing," Jack finally asked with a chuckle.
"Oh, no. I ran out of gas."
"I have more in the shed." Jack slid off the table and took her hands, pulling Elizabeth off to stand in front of him. He kissed her softly on the lips then turned toward the shed.
Once the mower was refueled, Elizabeth continued mowing while Jack put the horse away and moved on to his next project of repairing a stall door. With his tools in hand, he began pulling some broken boards off to replace them with new ones.
After that was done, he checked on Elizabeth. She was working her way along the drive, weaving between each tree. He could see that she was singing and walked to the fence that lined the drive to attempt to hear her. Resting his arms on the top rail, he watched her and listened as she got closer, hearing that she was singing a country song by Taylor Swift. Jack smiled as he listened to her beautiful voice over the loud roar of the mower.
He returned to the shed and pulled out his large, gas-powered weed trimmer and began trimming along all his buildings, fence lines, landscaping and house.
Two more hours had passed, and Jack finished the trimming about the same time Elizabeth finished the areas that Jack had pointed out that needed mowing. She stopped the mower inside the shed and stepped out as Jack walked up.
"What about behind the house? You don't mow back there?" She asked him as he hung the weed trimmer on two hooks along the wall.
"I'll do that tomorrow." Jack, smelling like exhaust and fuel, pulled Elizabeth against him. "Thank you for helping. The yard looks great."
"No problem," she said smiling. "It was fun to get out and do something different; get some fresh air." She reached up and kissed Jack, tasting the exhaust on his skin. "You taste like work," she giggled.
"Yes, I need to take a shower. Sorry."
"No need to be sorry. I don't mind it." She reached up and kissed him again, lingering a bit longer.
Jack wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tight against him. "I love having you here," he whispered into her ear and kissed her neck just below it.
Elizabeth pulled back and looked into his eyes. "We should elope."
Jack thought she was joking, but could see the seriousness in her eyes. "What? No, Beth. No. I want you to have your wedding." He pushed back a stray hair that had fallen from her ponytail and tucked it behind her ear. "We can wait. It's not long," he said softly.
"I don't need all of that. I just need you."
"Beth, no. I don't want you regretting it later, wishing that you'd had your special day. Wishing that you hadn't let a brief moment cloud your judgment."
"Jack, this has not been a brief moment. It's been many moments over many weeks."
"I know exactly how you feel. Believe me, I know." He kissed her soft lips. "But I want to give you your day, Beth. Please let me do this for you."
Elizabeth looked into his eyes, filled with sincerity, and her heart melted. "Alright, Jack."
"Let's go clean up and have some supper. It's getting late."
The pair walked hand in hand across Jack's property to the large, beautiful house. Elizabeth admired it every time she approached it.
Jack watched her as they walked along the graveled parking area, seeing her eyes search the entire front of the house. He stopped and pulled her hand, turning her to face him. He placed his hands on her hips and kissed her.
"I have never officially asked you, but once we're married, would you want to live here with me?"
Elizabeth raised her arms and rested them on his shoulders and laced her hands into his hair. "Of course, I do, Jack." She pulled his head down until his lips met hers. When they parted, she looked up into his eyes, "This is where I fell in love with you."
…..
Elizabeth stepped into the huge bathroom and closed the door behind her. She walked slowly through the room, running her hand along the edge of the granite counter top that held the double sinks. She picked up a bottle of cologne that sat in the corner, twisted off the lid, and smelled it; the familiar scent was a very masculine, rich, earthy fragrance that drove Elizabeth wild. She returned the bottle to its home and moved down to the shower.
She opened the door and stepped in; the space was as large as her walk-in closet. She turned the water on and it cascaded down from a rain shower head in the center of the ceiling. She held her hand under the water, waiting for it to warm. She stepped under the water and enjoyed the warmth as it ran down her body.
…..
Jack stepped into a pair of blue and white plaid lounge pants with a blue short sleeved t-shirt. He was in the kitchen seasoning two steaks when Elizabeth came down the stairs. Jack looked up to see her walking into the kitchen wearing a pair of green shorts with two white stripes around one leg, with a matching crop shirt with stripes around each sleeve.
Jack was shaking seasonings on the steaks but it was going all over the countertop.
Elizabeth giggled, "Um, you're missing them," she said, pointing at the mess.
Jack looked down, "Oh, shit." Jack quickly looked back up at Elizabeth, wide-eyed. "I'm sorry about that. I'm working on it."
Elizabeth shook her head and smiled, "Jack, don't worry about it. It's fine."
He returned to his mess and wiped it up with a wet washcloth, continually looking up at Elizabeth as he cleaned.
"You look amazing. Is that what you usually walk around the house in?"
Elizabeth looked down at her clothes, "Um, yeah, sometimes." She looked back up to Jack, "Is something wrong with it?"
"No. Nothing at all."
He tossed the dishrag into the sink and walked around the island to where Elizabeth was now standing. He slid his hands along her waist, feeling her warm, soft skin, then leaned down and kissed her.
"You walk around in this after we're married, and it won't be on you long." Jack grinned, kissed her neck, then returned to the steaks.
Elizabeth felt her cheeks grow warm as she followed him around the island.
"Need help with anything?"
"Sure, the plates are up there," he pointed to one of the upper cabinets, "and the silverware is in there," he pointed to a drawer in the island.
Elizabeth took down two plates and took out the necessary silverware. She knew where the glasses were, pulled down two and filled them with ice and water.
They prepared supper together; Elizabeth threw together a salad as Jack grilled the steaks and some sliced potatoes.
…..
After the dishes were loaded into the dishwasher, Elizabeth was wrapped in Jack's arms on the couch as she scrolled through some movie channels. She settled on Couples Retreat with Vince Vaughn and Kristen Bell. The pair laughed throughout the movie as Elizabeth leaned into Jack's side, fitting perfectly into his arm.
The movie ended and Jack picked up the remote, turning the TV off.
"We should probably get to bed," he said as he ran his fingers through her hair.
Elizabeth stood and pulled Jack up, she held his hand as they walked up the stairs. Once at the top, Jack wrapped his arms around Elizabeth and pulled her in against him. He captured her lips with his, kissing her gently.
His lips were soft and warm against her mouth, his tongue slid along her top lip, tasting seasonings from the meal they had just eaten. Elizabeth's heartbeat sped up as her knees grew weak.
Jack pulled back and ran his hands along her hair and cheeks and rested his forehead against hers. "Good night, Beth."
"Good night, Jack."
Jack turned and walked to the guest room. Not turning around until he reached the doorway. He smiled as he watched her step into his bedroom, turn and place her hands on both doors, smiling back as she slowly closed them.
