Gone Country

Chapter 3 (His Mother's Apron)

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Guest were arriving right from left. I seem to have been the main attraction, that, and everyone was interested in what I was to Clay. They came up and asked if we were dating, Clay simply hid our joined hands and told them that we weren't. It wasn't very convincing since everyone had already seen his left hand comfortably in my right, but they didn't question it as they walked away.

The cookout was like nothing I had ever experienced before. The food was good, especially the peach cobbler, and the laughter happening around us was harmonic. Ray and a couple other guys played their guitars so others could dance by a fire, Clay and I were one of those couples.

Everyone was friendly, I even recognized some people from all those years ago. Some remembered me, some didn't but remembered my parents. I mostly stayed at the Young resident when I was little, it was the only place I felt safe.

Just thinking about the Young family made my heart twist. It was already an hour into the cookout and they weren't here. Anxiously I took a seat at a picnic table, sadly smiling at Clay when he asked if I was alright. "They're not here yet" I explained. 

He rested his hand on the top of my head, giving my cranium a little pat to cheer me up. "They'll be here" he told me with a confident smile. 

"Charlotte!" 

I looked up to Ray as he rushed over to us. Ray easily pulled me up to my feet. "One of the cows at the Young farm is having a calf, they called and thought you might want to be there."

A baby cow was being born? Ray handed me a set of keys, urging me to follow him. I looked to Clay, he looked back with an intriguing dazzling expression. "Thank you Clay, for today" I said gratefully. I stood on the tips of my toes, quickly giving his cheek a kiss before I turned to follow his father.

Ray and I jogged around the house to a small white Toyota truck parked in the driveway. "Drive carefully Charlotte, the deer are dangerous even when driving a short distance."

I thanked Ray as he opened the door to the truck and hurried me inside. He saw me off with a wide grin that explained everything. I was about to witness a miracle. Into the night I drove to the Young's house that took less than thirty seconds by vehicle.  

When I arrived back at the house, I hurried to the barn behind the house since there was a light on inside. A moo of distress made me walk faster in anticipation. I couldn't miss this birth, I had to see it. As if I was the father about to miss the delivery of his very first child, I burst into the barn doors. 

"Charlotte! Come see!" Avery demanded in joy. I excitedly ran over where Jack and Brant were knelt down next to the mother, both of them rubbing her belly and stroking her to soothe the cow in labor.

My timing was impeccable. I arrived by their side just in time to see the calf slide out of the cow's.....

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What happened? That question kept flickering in my mind as I rolled my weak body over. Someone ran their fingers through my hair when I snuggled my face into their lap. I wanted to thank them for letting me use them as a pillow, but the stench of dirt, sweat, and manure refused to let me be grateful. Even so, I didn't raise my head, I was too light headed to.

Slowly I opened my eyes, stiffening when I saw the ceiling that looked an awful like the ceiling of a barn. I let my eyes trail to the left, them resting on Brant's face. He was staring straight ahead as his fingers glided through my hair. By his serious expression, he looked deep in thought.

"What happened?" I asked aloud.

He looked down to me, scoffing at my miserable state. "You passed out when you saw the calf being born." His hand hovered in front of my face, his middle finger deciding to flick my forehead. "Stupid city girl."

I sheepishly grinned at his words. Only I would pass out at a crucial time like that. He hadn't said it in a mean manor, more like a playful teasing one, that's why I was able to softly laugh at my issues. A small moo made my head jerk to the right. I smiled when I saw the newborn calf drinking from his mother. They were only a couple yards away. Being up close to this type of nature, it was beautiful. 

"Avery normally names the newborns, but she told me to tell you that you can name this one." She wanted me to name the calf? "It's a heifer."

I hit Brant's chest at the term. "I don't care if that's what they're really called, where I grew up, that's a mean word!" Brant rolled his eyes, but softly laughed in his throat. I shut my eyes and ran every girl name I could think of. "I've never had to name an animal before, any suggestions?" 

My eyes opened when his finger trickled down my nose. He stared at me in thought, racking his own brain for the perfect name. "How about Celeste, after celeste blue? Your eyes are the exact same shade of it." 

The name was perfect, and I liked the reason behind it. "Celeste it is" I sighed. He slightly smiled at me, his fingertips brushing up against my cheek when he pulled  some hay out of my hair.

When I looked at Brant, I couldn't tell what was on his mind. It looked like everything in the world was rushing through his eyes making it impossible to keep up. He was secretive, angry, happy, sad. One wrong word could trigger any emotion he had, but more than likely it will be anger.

"I know that it was a date" he confessed. "And I was going to make a scene about it, but you looked happy." I was happy, it was my first date how could I have not been? I looked away from his eyes that were turning a fiery blue. The blue part of the flame will always be the hottest. Brant let out a frustrated breath. "Charlotte, I'm only saying this because I care. Clay has been through a lot, and he's never a bad guy at first, but he will hurt you."

I chewed on my lip, wondering if he was right. Brant knows Clay better than me, it would be wise if I listened to him right? Then why did I stubbornly tell myself that Brant was just being a jerk and he was just heartbroken. "I like him" I quietly whispered. "He's the first guy I've ever been on a date with."

Brant forced me to sit up, those eyes of rage igniting like always. "Fine" he quietly spat with a fake smile. "Whatever Char." He stood up to his feet, glaring down at me. "Tell me, did he use the old 'wear my mother's apron' trick?" he grumbled.

My eyes widened at the coincidence. It couldn't be, or could it? Was Clay really toying with me? The thought made my eyes burn. He was, wasn't he?  My first date was ruined by a guy who thought he could have his way with me like the other girls he's probably been with.

"Charlotte, I'm sorry" Brant crouched down and brushed away a tear that fell from my eye. "I didn't mean to make you cry, please don't cry Charlotte, I suck at cheering up crying girls."

I laughed through a small sob, his worried eyes actually seeming comforting. He was still Brant, even with the changes. I remember when we were young and he had no clue as to what to do when I cried, so he bawled his eyes out because I was bawling too. "He did" I sniffled. "He pulled the deceased mother's apron trick. My first date was all fake."

Brant grabbed my hands and pulled me up to my feet. With his hand cradling my neck, he pulled me into his chest. His hand on my neck moved when he wrapped his arm over my shoulders and the other around my waist. "Don't cry Charlotte, it doesn't suit you. How about we go to the lake? The night sky looks best there and it might cheer you up."

I lifted my head to ask why, but he told me to shut up with a playful smile and dragged me away. The first thing he did was drive Ray's truck back to their house where I picked him up in the Young family's truck. I somehow stopped him from storming to the backyard to start a fight with Clay. I think my pleading eyes were mostly how I lured him into the truck. The last thing I wanted was for them to fight, even if I was hurt that Clay would do this to me, then again, we've only known each other for a day so I had no clue as to who Clay was.

Quietly Brant and I sat in the truck. I had moved over into the passenger seat and he was intently focused onto the road, I'm guessing because of the deer that Ray had been warning me about. We arrived in about three or four minutes, it was only a mile drive from the house to the lake. 

He parked close to the dock then looked straight at me. I had been staring at him the whole drive. He was definitely a impossible to solve puzzle with those closed off blue eyes of his. "Alright, into the back" he bossily ordered. He reached across of me, opening the passenger door to get me started. I slid out the same time he did and managed to crawl into the bed of the truck with him. 

He popped open one of the compartments on the truck's toolbox, soon handing me a pillow that we shared to rest our head under in order to gaze at the stars above. The sky was pitch black with twinkling dots scattered all across of it. When I looked at the moon, I could hardly believe that everyone on earth looks up to the same thing we do. My dad could be looking up at the moon right now even though he's thousands of miles away. 

"I know we're friends Charlotte, and it might be weird, but we're counting this as your first date" Brant declared, causing me to look over at him in surprise.

Was he serious? He was right, it was a little weird, but it was definitely better knowing that I could count this as my first date instead of earlier. I didn't say much, but Brant talked away about everything as we gazed up at the stars. He admitted that he was scared to let Avery be with Jax because of Clay, he didn't want his sister to get hurt if Jax was just imitating his brother.

"Did you really not keep my drawings?" I asked when he gave me the chance to speak.

He sadly shook his head. "I don't think so. Clay lied though, I did talk about you. When you moved, you're the only person I ever talked about, even to him. Then our letters stopped, and everything vanished."

I don't even remember when the letters stopped. It had to of been around middle school after I befriended Niona and started spending a excessive amount of time with her. One of us didn't write back, but I guess it doesn't really matter. "I think it was me Char" he said with a pained look. "I started hanging out with Caroline and never responded."

I turned to my side, and over the roaring of the crickets and bullfrogs, I told him, "It doesn't matter. You were busy being happy, there's nothing wrong with that, besides, it might have been me who never responded."

He let out a laugh. "Oh please Char, you and I both know you responded, you were obsessed with me."

I didn't hesitate to grabbed the pillow under our heads and beat him with it. I didn't need him repeating things his mother already wrongfully suspects. He tore the pillow away from me, the husky cheerful laugh rumbling from him making me smile through my glare. Quickly he pulled me into his arms, holding on tight when I began to thrash about in a attempt to escape. 

He got us off the truck and I screeched when he took off running full speed down the dock. With me in his arms, he tossed us both into the black abyss of the lake. I burst up out of the water and immediately grabbed Brant in fear. There was no telling what crept in this water at night.

"Relax Charlotte" he softly laughed. "I've got your back." That he did. He helped me onto the dock, out of the shockingly warm water, then pulled himself up. He gently shoved me before pulling me into his arms. "I don't care whether we forgot each other for a short time or not, I've missed you Char."

I hugged him back, nodding against his damp shoulder. "I've missed you too Brant."

There was only one problem now. How was I going to avoid his next door neighbor for the rest of my stay here? I couldn't take seeing Clay again, not after learning the true colors of him. "What am I going to do Brant?" I whispered. "I don't want to have anything to do with Clay."

Brant gave my back a friendly pat. "Trust me, you won't have to worry about that Charlotte. I'll take care of it, and I promise I won't even use my fist."

Because I'm a coward and didn't want to face this myself, I gladly accepted my friend's help with it, even if I was pretty sure his fist would eventually get involved. I was hurt, so maybe Clay should be too. It was a mean way to look at things, but he ruined my first date with his player ways and I wanted revenge.

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AN:)

Picture on the side is of the Holts! Ray is John Cena and Jax is a young actor I have forgotten the name of :/ I'll look him up again and recast!

For a dedication on the next chapters! It's Trivia Question TIME!!!

Here's The Question: What color are Charlotte's eyes??