Gone Country

Chapter 20 (Their Place)

Darcy got in, I got in on the driver's side, then we set off to make most of tonight. I had to admit, even if I felt guilty towards Charlotte afterwards, Darcy looked amazing tonight. She had chosen this tight white lace dress, some brown boots, and I've always thought she was a pretty girl.

We had a lot in common. Her family ran a farm like mine, business was hard as usual, and she had a black and white paint that was a mare. If Ranger was a stud, I'm sure he would've enjoyed meeting her horse very much. Charlotte would've loved to have had a baby colt or filly that looked like Ranger.

Crap! I can't think about her right now.

I glanced over at Darcy when she slid over on the bench seat of the truck to be closer to me. My body stiffened when I felt her lean into my side. She was in Charlotte's seat, doing everything Charlotte does when we go driving together. I found myself leaning away uncomfortably. It just wasn't the same when it wasn't Charlotte.

No other girl this past week has tested me in this way, they had all been shy or absolutely nothing like my rambunctious Charlotte Jackson. Darcy was a brunette version of Charlotte right now, only she wasn't rich or famous and she probably knew how to cook way better than Charlotte.

I didn't like it.

All I had to do was get through this night and it was all over with. We arrived to Peggy Ann's moments later. I helped her out the truck, listening to her when she told me about herself on the way inside the restaurant. "Can we dance first...?" she started to ask.

Dance? "I don't dance," I refused. There was no way we were going to dance. The only woman I dance with is my Charlotte. She could forget getting me to dance. Caroline and I never danced together. I may have loved her, but I wasn't willing to make a fool out of myself for her.

"Come on," she widely grinned. "I'm sure you're amazing."

Not even Charlotte's voice in my mind could make me. "I have reasons why I don't dance, a very good reason. Can we not?"

She pulled a dissatisfied face, adding a huff when she went to walk off to the tables. I groaned in annoyance, knowing that I had done it now. She was pissed and this night was going to go down hill fast. If she was Charlotte, she wouldn't have gotten upset and just left it alone. If she was Charlotte, I would be on that dance floor making a fool out of myself.

Why did I miss her so much?

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It had been torture.

To make it up to Darcy, I promised that after we ate I would take her anywhere she wanted to go. Much to my displeasure we ended up taking an hour drive to a couple towns over just to go to some weird carnival that we only got to stay at for five minutes before we had to be back at her house by eleven thirty.

When we got to her house, I lied and said I had a good time, she truthfully replied that she had a nice time as well. That's all that counted. I hope Charlotte was happy. Because of her, I was forced to spend hours with a girl who kept nagging me on why I wouldn't dance. It wasn't her right to know, she should've gotten that after I told her I didn't want to talk about it the first five times.

Charlotte owed me big time.

I was tired, confused, and depressed because I still had a ten minute drive home. Charlotte would be in bed by the time I got there. I needed to see how she was, be there for her if she wasn't okay no matter how exhausted I was. If she needed me, I could stay up all night.