Gone Country

Chapter 3 (His Mother's Apron)

Muscle on muscle, plus a height taller than my own. His eyes were the same shade as Clay's but his seemed more serious than anything. I patted my lap a second time to make sure I hadn't ruined my jeans. He was extremely intimidating, almost like a buff drill sergeant that you were scared to say one word to. Clay's father Ray was definitely a person you didn't want to run in to in a dark alley way of New York City. 

Clay's hand tightened around my mine, letting me know that everything was alright. "I remember you" his father suddenly spoke. "You're Philip's little girl, aren't you?"

"Yes" I squeaked.

He smiled, urging us to come further into their back yard where he was cooking burgers on a fairly large charcoal grill. "It's good to see you then Charlotte, way to make me feel old. You were so little the last time I saw you."

"Dad, please don't embarrass her" Clay begged. "Isn't frightening her with your looks bad enough?"

His father innocently grinned in response. He was like those big teddy bears you can buy around Valentine's Day. "I didn't scare her too much, she's still here after all."

Clay tugged me toward one of the picnic tables covered in a red and white checkered table cloth. Their place was actually extremely beautiful. It was just as old as the young family's home, but better. When you come in through the drive way, you pass the hand built, thigh high stone wall that makes everything look magnificent. It just went perfectly with the small two story off white farmhouse, with green shutters and a beautiful front porch with a additional porch swing. 

If you keep following the rocky path instead of turning right to stop at the house, it led you passed an open field where you saw cattle happily grazing on the plain, and it was a dead end gravel driveway that stopped at their green and white barn. It truly was a gorgeous place.

Clay and I took a seat at the closest picnic table and were soon accompanied by Jax. I met him before his father, and I had to say, the boy was too cute for his own good. Avery had been right about his freckles and hair not matching, it was still too adorable to even care. He had a beautiful smile like his father and brother, I could hardly believe how handsome of a boy he was.

"Show Charlie the necklace Jax" Clay told him when he sat across from us. 

Jax reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a silver chain with a horse pendant on it. Avery was beautifully carved into the silver, announcing to the world that it was hers. "That's beautiful Jax" I told him with a smile.

His cheeks colored a deep shade of red, showing how flustered he was over the situation. He wanted to show her how much he liked her. I thought it was a sweet thing to do. Hopefully Brant never asks where it came from. Jax tucked away the necklace into his pocket for safe keeping before he asked, "Is she really going to be here?" 

"She seemed excited about it, so I'm guessing yes. Actually, she seemed excited about seeing you more than anything." He nervously straightened out his plain t-shirt, hoping he looked alright. 

"Baby bro, Avery could care less about what you're wearing. You've known she's been crushing on you for years, your clothes aren't going to change her mind."

Jax then did a pit check to make sure he put on deodorant. By the look on his face, he had completely forgotten. He excused himself from the table and hurried off to freshen up even though we still had a little while before people started showing up.

"We should probably get started on that peach cobbler Charlie. Are you ready?" 

I hesitantly nodded in reply to Clay, letting him pull me up from the bench we had comfortably been sitting on, and into the dainty kitchen where our fresh peaches were ready to be sliced and cobblered. 

He grabbed us some aprons to wear to keep our clothes from getting dirty. I got his mother's old apron. With pride I wore the worn cooking garment, it gave me an amazing feeling. I didn't understand why he would let me wear something so precious, but he insisted that I wear it. "Alright beautiful assistant of mine, preheat the oven to three-fifty while I prepare the peach mixture."

I saluted him and walked over to the stove. I may not know how to make a cobbler, but I did know how to turn an oven on. I stared at the buttons, choosing them carefully in order to get the right result.  "Get it?" he asked behind me. A smile tugged on my lips when his arms hugged my waist. 

"Are you always this cuddly with the help?" I asked.

I turned around in his arms, trying not to get too charmed like earlier when his playful green eyes looked into mine. "Seeing that my brother is the one that normally helps, nope."

I laughed a little, bashfully tucking some hair behind my ear. He leaned down to my exposed ear, his warm breath luring me in closer to his chest. "I've got to stick the pan in the oven, but I don't want to because it would involve letting you go" he murmured. "And I quite like you in my arms Charlie."

He pulled his face away from my ear, the smile on his lips making my cheeks catch fire. Reluctantly he let me partially go. His hand wrapped around my own, holding on as he grabbed the glass cooking pan with a stick of butter inside with his free hand. I opened the oven door for him so he could stick it inside, and then he held onto me while we waited for the butter to melt. 

"Charlotte?" he started while checking the peaches on the stove. "This Chanel woman that's engaged to your dad, do you think she's actually going to marry him? For your sake I'm hoping not, but what if she does? You can't stay there, you'll be miserable."

What would I do if my father married her? Clay was right, I wouldn't be able to stay with them because it would be nothing but conflicts. "I'd have to find a place I suppose" I answered. 

His eyes shaded a dark worry. "You're only seventeen Charlotte, you do not need to be living alone. I can tell you're an independent girl, but honestly I think that a girl should be under the wing of her parents until she gets married, but that's me. A girl should never be unprotected, especially if she is you."

I lightly hit his arm at his terrible flirting. He just smiled and took the peaches boiling off the burner. I stood back and watched as he worked his magic by making the cobbler. He filled the pan full of melted butter up with the peaches and other magical mixtures, then stuffed it into the oven. A man who bakes, it was actually kind of sexy.

"You didn't pass out or scream when you saw my dad, you know what that means, right?" he randomly brought up.

"I'm super macho?" I answered. I flexed, frowning a little when not a one muscle formed. I really need to start working out again. When I hit middle school, I became obsessed with loosing weight, but never abused it. I didn't lose it for any other reason but to be healthier, and once it was gone I stuck by it until all of this Chanel stuff started happening, along with working. 

"Put those things away before someone gets hurt Charlie." He gave a grin. "By you not freaking out over my dad means that hopefully I'll get to take you on another date soon." He gave me a look of pure hope and wanting, one that made me nervously fiddle with the hem of the apron. Brant was going to kill me!

I tore my eyes away from him at that thought. "Charlotte don't worry about Brant! If he doesn't understand, that's not your fault. I like you, please give me a chance."

He held my face in his hands, beautifully smiling at me in a way that made my knees wobble and my heart wildly flutter in my chest. "We won't talk about it now, I'll give you time and call you tomorrow for an answer."

He untied my apron and insist I come watch TV with him. I didn't see what the big deal about watching TV was, but I soon found out that their source of entertainment was watching home movies instead of the newest show on cable. 

Clay Holt was an adorable little blond ten years ago. On the video slides that played on the twenty inch television, they revealed the sight of a little boy who loved to ride horses. The only thing that would show up on the screen was him and a horse.

Not so subtly, Clay stretched his right arm over the back of the couch behind me. I smiled to myself, glancing at him out of the corner of my eye. He was focused on the TV screen, but the smile that slowly tugged upward onto his lips said something. It couldn't have been over the slides that were changing on the screen.

"You were a cute kid" I complimented when a video of him and Jax started to play. It showed him and his brother planting some things by hand in the garden I remembered going to earlier today with him.

"Eh, Jax was cuter. Look at his face" Clay urged. I focused on his brother, trying to decide who was cuter. It was a tie really. They both had those enchanting green eyes that made you second guess every word you say just in case you might have accidentally said something hurtful. 

"You both are cute." Jax was probably seven making Clay ten, and they both had baby faces. The screen then flashed to Clay and a extremely familiar brunette boy with sparkling blue eyes that went along with his dazzling boyish grin. "Brant" I breathed. I grabbed the remote and paused the video.

It was the Brant that I use to know. He was in his own fantasy like always. The little cowboy looking back at me didn't seem to have a flare of anger in him, not even with Clay's arm draped over his shoulder. "Do you want to know why Charlotte?" Clay randomly asked. I turned my gaze onto him. "Do you want to know why he hates me?"

I wanted to know so much, but I didn't want know unless Brant told me. Whatever it was, whether it was Brant's or Clay's fault, they definitely shouldn't have held on to the grudge stick. "How about we go check on Jax, he's been in his room for a pretty long time."

Clay shut off the television, tossing the remote onto the couch while I stood up to advert the conversation elsewhere. Hopefully Jax wasn't anxious about tonight. I was sure Avery was going to love the necklace he had gotten her, not because it was pretty, but simply because it was from him. Young love, it was so beautifully awkward.