“As you wish, city girl. Now let me take care of you.”
Chapter 23
Nolan guided his truck west on Highway 78 toward the edge of town and hummed along with the Christmas tunes playing on satellite radio. He’d listen to holiday songs all year long if he could, so he was thrilled the radio stations had changed their programming right after Halloween. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Sally watching him tentatively, as if she didn’t quite trust him.
Just as “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” came on, she spoke up. “I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who likes Christmas as much as you. I’ve told you before, I’m not fond of surprises, so would you please tell me where we’re going?”
“Yes, I do love Christmas, and, if you must know, we’re headin’ to Sullivan’s Farm to pick out a Christmas tree.”
Sally let out a little huff. Was it relief or irritation? He wasn’t sure. He still hadn’t figured out the complexities of this woman, even though they’d been spending plenty of quality time together over the last few months. By mutual agreement, neither spoke of relationships or commitments.
“Oh. Not sure why that’s such a secret mission.”
“It’s not. Okay, full disclosure. There are some other things I want to show you today, and I wasn’t sure you’d agree to come if I told you all my reasons for bringing you to the farm.”
“Okay, now I’m really curious. What is there to see besides trees? Thisisa tree farm, right?”
“Well, I’m glad you asked, city girl.” Nolan spoke in a jolly tone. “Not only does Sullivan’s have trees, they also have chickens, horses, and a few cows. And a couple of barn cats roamin’ around. Two of the horses belong to me. Sean Sullivan, who you might remember from the homecoming game, and I have been friends since high school. He boards my horses in exchange for me working on his vehicles. Barterin’ and tradin’ services happens a lot in small towns.”
Soon Nolan slowed the truck and pulled into a graveled lane, following it along rows and rows of trees in various stages of growth. As Sally looked out the window at the scenic landscape, Nolan stole glances at his own idea of beautiful scenery. It seemed to him that small-town life agreed with her. She appeared relaxed and looked quite comfortable in her faded jeans, cowgirl style boots, and soft flannel shirt that graced her curves and pulled tightly across her chest.
They followed the long driveway for about a quarter of a mile before coming to a large, one-story, ranch-style house with a bright red metal roof and wide front porch with several rocking chairs and large pots of fall mums and evergreens. Nolan continued driving past the house and around to the rear where a large barn and the horse stables were situated. He stopped the truck and turned to Sally.
“Before we look at the trees, I want to show you my horses.”
Sally visibly tensed before speaking. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. I’ve never been around horses before.”
Nolan sensed her fear and wanted to reassure her. “They are pretty big, but they’re gentle and well trained. They’re beautiful animals, and I’ll be sure to introduce you properly,” he said with a wink. Nolan then noticed Sally’s hand moving toward the door handle. Before she could open it, he admonished her, although his tone was warm. “Don’t you dare open that door. Wait for me to come around and help you out.”
“Seriously, Nolan? I’m perfectly capable of opening the door and getting down from this truck,” Sally huffed in irritation.
“I know you are, city girl, but I’m a country gentleman, and that’s what we do. Stop fightin’ me on every little thing. Plus, it gives me another chance to get my hands on those wonderful curves of yours,” he admitted with a chuckle. Nolan thought it ironic that her spirit was like a wild horse needing to be tamed, and he was about to introduce her to his horses as a calming mechanism to help with what he suspected was post-traumatic stress disorder. She hadn’t shared with him any specifics regarding the trauma she’d suffered in the past, beyond her mother’s bout with cancer, but he sensed something violent had affected her deeply.
Nolan had seen firsthand the impact of PTSD on some of his veteran colleagues. After graduating from high school, he’d joined the Mississippi Army National Guard, in part, to gain training as a mechanic so he could run the family business, but also to serve his country. He’d been enlisted for six years, which was the only time he’d lived away from his beloved home of Green Springs. He’d completed his basic and specialized training in South Carolina and Maryland, then joined his transportation and maintenance company in Laurel, another small town about three hours away from Green Springs. His only overseas tour occurred when he was deployed to Bosnia to support peacekeeping operations in the mid-1990s.
After helping Sally down from the truck, Nolan kept hold of her hand and guided her toward the stables. As they entered, he spotted one of the barn cats, Callie, off in a corner on a bed of straw.
“Hey, look over there. Seems there’s some new kittens on the farm.”
As the pair approached the corner, they saw five kittens playfully scampering around their mother. Sally dropped to her knees and began petting and playing with the ones closest to her. “Oh, they’re precious!” The mother cat didn’t seem to mind as all the kittens gathered round and began climbing over Sally’s legs and tumbling into the hay. Nolan sat beside her and scratched Callie under her chin, which caused her to purr in appreciation. His eyes were fixed on Sally, however, and he smiled as he watched her enjoying the kittens. Reluctantly, he got up and headed over to the stalls where his two American Paints, Clover and Lucky, were stabled.
Nolan spoke in a low soothing tone as he approached the stalls. “Hey, guys, I’ve brought someone to meet you. You’re gonna love her, I promise. She’s a bit shy until she gets to know you, but I’m gonna introduce you in the best way possible. She’s gonna help me groom you. Her name’s Sally.”
Sally joined him, speaking in a hushed tone. “They’re very pretty. But big.”
Nolan chuckled. “You don’t have to whisper. As long as you don’t come up behind them and spook them, you can speak up.” He patted the forelock of his mare. “This beauty is Clover.” Reaching over to his right, he patted the other horse. “And this here is my man Lucky.”
Sally eyed them warily. “Great names. But I’m not sure they like me.”
“Don’t you worry about that. Before we leave today, they’re gonna fall in love with you. After all, you’re about to pamper them.”
“Pamper? I didn’t know horses could be pampered,” Sally chuckled.
“Grab that bucket over there and meet me outside by the corral. That’s a fence to you, city girl.”
“I know what a corral is,” Sally grumbled as she moved away to do Nolan’s bidding.
Nolan led both horses out of the barn, entered the corral, and tied them to a railing. He then called to Sally. “Come on in, don’t be shy now.”
