“Oh,” she said. “Who named him then?”
We reached the stable, and I put the horse back in his stall. Abby stared at the other horses, her eyes wide, and an expression of pure rapture on her face. She looked like she'd died and was in heaven. She walked up to a black and white stallion who was just staring at her with big, black eyes. As soon as their eyes met, I knew Abby wouldn't be able to resist. She reached out her hand, but I grabbed her by the wrist, stopping her from making a very big mistake.
“He bites,” I said calmly. “You should always ask before touching someone's horse. Or any animals for that matter. Not all of 'em are friendly.”
“I'm sorry,” she said, her voice soft, sounding like a dejected child. “I didn't know that horses bit.”
I motioned to Mary, a gray mare that was as sweet as molasses, perched in a stall across the barn. She was a smaller horse, not fit for riding unless you were a child – or perhaps, somebody Abby's size.
“This is Mary,” I said. “She's friendly.”
Abby walked over to Mary and stroked her soft muzzle. The mare leaned into Abby's hand, and even I had to appreciate the moment. Abby scratched between Mary's ears, and unable to stop myself, I grabbed a carrot for her.
“Here, feed her this and she'll love you forever,” I said.
Abby took the carrot and held it out to the horse, holding it by the greens. Mary munched on it, her big teeth chomping away and bringing a squeal of delight from Abby. An unexpected smile curled at my lips as I watched the horse eating the carrot from Abby's hand.
“This is so awesome,” she said. “I love her.”
“Looks like she's fond of you too,” I said.
Once the carrot was gone, Abby turned to me with a grin. Her hair was all over her face, windblown and messy, but she was smiling so brightly, nothing else mattered in that moment. It felt like someone had hit me hard in the chest, and all the air whooshed right out of me. Her blue eyes were locked on mine, and nothing could make me stop smiling right then.
“Thank you, Chase,” she said. “I was just heading into town to grab a bite to eat. Maybe you'd like to join me?”
I cringed. There it was. She was asking me out to dinner. A date.
“I, umm,” I stammered, removing my hat and scratching my head. “I really don't think that's a good idea.”
“Why not?” she asked, cocking her head to the side like an adorable little puppy.
“Well, for one thing, your shorts are – ”
Abby's eyes grew wide, as if she just now remembered her little mishap on the fence. Her hands grabbed at the hole in her shorts and her cheeks flushed bright with color.
“You're right. Dammit,” she said. “I need to go all the way back home and change before I go into town.”
That would be one hell of a walk.
“Come on,” I said, closing the stable.
“What are you talking about?”
“I'm going to run you home, then take you into town for some dinner,” I said.
“Really?” she asked. “Honestly, Chase, you don't have to.”
She was giving me an out, but I could hear in her voice that she was happy about the idea of having dinner together. Maybe a little too happy.
It's not a date, Chase. You just don't want the girl walking around by herself. Yeah, that's it. I was just doing her a favor. Besides, I'd planned to go into town for some food anyway. Might as well help Abby out while I was at it. Right?
I drove Abby back over to her place and waited in the truck while she rushed in to change. Staring at Cody's old house brought back memories. Too many memories. Enough memories that I didn't want to go inside and experience the worst of them. Cody used to be my friend, one of few I'd had since moving here after leaving the Corps. Losing him had been the final nail in the coffin for me.
Abby ran out of the house, slamming the door behind her. Instead of short-shorts, she came out wearing a dark gray skirt that billowed around her hips, and a pink lace top that hugged her curves in all the right places. A white tank top was the only thing preventing her boobs from showing through the lace, and as I sat there and watched her jog toward the truck, my cock began to grow rigid, pressing against my jeans.
Fuck, me. She was gorgeous.
Her honey blonde hair was brushed now and pulled back into a side braid that fell over her right shoulder. Tendrils fell loose around her soft, perfectly oval face. She hopped in the truck, grinning from ear-to-ear and my cock was so hard, I had to subtly adjust in my seat.
“Where to?” she asked.
“Well, we don't really have that many options,” I said, pulling out of her gravel driveway. “Figured we'd just go to the diner in town.”
“Greasy fried food and lots of bacon?” she asked.
I stifled a laugh. “You betcha.”
“Sounds like my kind of place.”
I cocked an eyebrow and looked over at her. “I thought you'd be one of those healthy, granola eating types.”
“Because I came from San Francisco? Seriously?” she asked, shaking her head. “Way to stereotype, Chase.”
“So, you don't eat granola?”
“Sometimes. But I prefer bacon,” she said with a chuckle. “Not all Californians are hippies, you know.”
“Learn something new every day,” I said.
“Uh huh,” she said. “So, tell me, Chase, why do you hate Californians so much?”
“I don't hate nobody,” I shrugged. “They're just usually not my type of people.”
“Who are your types of people then?” she asked, leaning back against the headrest of my truck, just staring at me with impossibly big, blue eyes.
“No one, really,” I said. “Like I've told you a thousand times already, I mostly tend to keep to myself.”
“Tell me something I didn't know,” she laughed.
A smile pulled at my lips, but I pushed it away before it made it to my eyes. The last thing I wanted to do was to keep encouraging the girl. Abby continued tormenting me, peppering me with her seemingly never-ending supply of questions though.
“Why are you so bound and determined to remain alone and miserable?” she asked.
My grip tightened on the steering wheel. I stared straight out at the road, every muscle in my neck and shoulders tensed to the max. One question too many – a question I had no desire to answer. Especially not to a woman I'd only just met the day before.
“It's none of your business,” I muttered, a little more harshly than I’d intended.
“Sorry, I didn't mean to – ” she stammered. “Shit. I keep saying the wrong thing, asking too many personal questions. You're just the first friendly face I met since I moved here.”
“I'm not that friendly,” I chuckled.
She studied me for a long time, a serious look on her pretty face. “I know you're a good person,” she said. “I can see it. I can tell.”
“You can, huh?” I asked skeptically. “You figured all that out just from the little bit of talking we've done?”
“No, I just know. You're a Marine – just like my daddy was,” she said. “I know you guys tend to be a little rough around the edges, but to serve your country, you have to have a good heart.”
I stared at her. “How did you know I was a Marine?”
“Your tattoo,” she said, reaching over and lifting my sleeve. “Semper Fi. I know a Marine tat when I see one.”
Her hand touched my arm, and there was a warmth I hadn't expected in her touch. She didn't hurry and pull away, and surprisingly, I didn't push her hand away either. She traced the words on my arm, as if remembering something from her past.
There was sadness in her eyes, and for a moment, she seemed to be somewhere else entirely.
“Abby?”
She dropped her hand. “Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking about my dad again.”
Tears filled her eyes as we pulled up in front of the diner. I stopped the truck but didn't rush to get out. Instead, I turned and looked into her eyes.
“What happened to him?” I asked softly.