Where Forever Lies (13 page)

When she
swung the door open she was taken aback by what she saw. Tyler stood
there looking completely confident and Paige couldn’t slow her
racing heart. He was wearing Levis with a nice dark gray shirt and he
still had the stubble on his face but she noticed he had trimmed it
up neatly. His hair had that soft, shiny look that made her want to
run her hands through it and she quickly diverted her eyes to his
face, trying to keep her attention focused.

“Hi,”

“Hi,
are you ready?” he asked, and she noticed how he discreetly
looked her up and down, which made her feel a little better that he
wasn’t blunt about it. A lot of guys she had been out with
before had no problem letting their eyes freely travel over her body.
It always made her want to slap them.

She told
him to hold on one moment and shut the door as she quickly made her
way over to the living room where Kyra and Kyleigh were.

“Bye,
sweetie, I’ll see you in a little bit. Be good for Kyleigh,
okay?” Paige gave her a squeeze and smiled at Kyleigh.

“Call
me if you have a problem, and thanks,” she said, grateful that
she had friends she could count on.

“We’ll
be fine. Just remember to relax and have fun,” Kyleigh reminded
her and then added with a sly smile, “I’ve got all night,
too, Paige.”

Paige
rolled her eyes and said, “Kyleigh there’s no way that’s
happening! I’ll be home after a few hours.” Paige waved
her off and headed out the door where Tyler was waiting patiently for
her.

As they
took the last step to the parking lot she saw the old orange and
white truck waiting for her in all her glory. She felt herself
smiling at the truck. It definitely stuck out from the other vehicles
in the parking lot. She paused mid-step, confused when Tyler stepped
in front of her and went to the passenger’s door and then she
realized he was opening the door for her. She couldn’t remember
any guy ever doing that, even Randy, who had treated her really well
when they had been together.

“Thanks,”
she said, as she climbed in, feeling the warm black vinyl beneath her
hands.

She
watched him walk around to his side and once inside she said, “So,
how old is this truck?”

Tyler’s
lips twitched and she saw the corner of his mouth form into that
crooked grin that took her breath away. “Ol’ Betsy here
is a 1971 Cheyenne Chevy. She was my grandpa’s and I’ve
spent some time restoring her to her original beauty,” he said
proudly as he gave the seat a light smack. He looked over and saw the
look on her face as she took the truck in. “Does she not fit
your taste? I bet you’re more of a Mercedes type of girl, am I
right?” he asked as he backed out of her apartment complex and
down through the heart of the city.

She huffed
at his comment, and said, “I like her, it’s just I’m
not really a truck kind of girl. I prefer cars, personally, and no,
they don’t have to be a Mercedes or anything like that.”
Paige looked at him as he drove, trying to figure him out and why he
wanted to take her out on a date; it was obvious they were complete
opposites. He was a country boy who liked old trucks and she was a
city girl who didn’t like to get dirty. Even though she had
never considered dating anyone like him, she found herself really
attracted to his rough character. She could tell that he could be
harsh, but in a gentle way. His words could be rough around the
edges, yet he seemed like a gentleman. He was rugged but incredibly
handsome. She found herself staring and tore her gaze to the road
ahead.

“So,
where are we going?” she asked, as she fumbled with the strap
on her purse. She was so nervous she felt like it was her first date,
ever. She was tense and knew she was putting that vibe off but she
couldn’t help it. It had been so long since she’d been
interested in anyone.

“I
am taking you to this nice little restaurant called The Rooftop, it’s
out of the city a little, but they have really good food and a great
view.”

“I
can’t wait. So, what do you do for a living?” she asked
as she watched him drive. She couldn’t figure out what type of
work he’d do but he seemed like the construction type of guy.

“I
own my own fencing company, I took it over from my dad after he pased
away.” He gave her a look and then added, “I bet you were
expecting an answer like that, right?”

Paige
blushed, knowing that he was somewhat teasing her but that he was
also being serious. “Actually my first guess would have been a
construction worker,” she said and started to ask another
question when his phone went off.

He sighed
as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and then looked over at her,
“Sorry, but this is my neighbor so I should probably take it.”

“Hey,
Brent, what’s up?”

Paige
watched him, wondering what was going on as his expression darkened
and an aggravated look suddenly took over. She began to wonder if
everything was all right when he hung up the phone and stared
straight ahead, seeming to contemplate something. She frowned as she
asked, “Is everything okay?”

“Well,
we have a change of plans now,” he said, and Paige felt her
spirits drop. She hoped he wasn’t making an excuse to get rid
of her. “My neighbor called to let me know that my horses have
gotten out so I need to go round them up.”

“Oh,
okay. Well, that’s all right, we can just plan for another
night,” Paige said, as she tried to keep her tone light
hearted, she didn’t want him to know she was disappointed.

He glanced
over at her, one eyebrow raised as a mischievous look played on his
face.

He is
up to something
,
she thought and was suddenly uncomfortable as to what was on his
mind.

“What?”
she asked, as she stared back at him.

“Are
you up for some horse wrangling?” he questioned, a smirk
lightly touching his mouth.

Paige was
suddenly speechless. She had never been around a horse, how was she
going to help? She looked down at her black sandals and dressy shirt
and envisioned herself covered in dirt and smelling like an animal.
She crinkled her nose, but then the thought of saying no to him and
going home sounded horrible. She drew in a breath, deciding to do
something that was out of her element. She liked Tyler, he was
different than she was, different than any guy she’d been
around and she wanted, for once, to do something that pushed her
boundaries. Plus, the night had just started and she wasn’t
ready to say goodbye to him, yet.

She met
his eyes and thought she saw hope and need staring back at her. He
wanted her to come with him, she could tell. She drew in a deep
breath, deciding to go for it, “I have never been around
animals, but I’d love to help you.”

She smiled
as his eyes lit up and he turned Ol’ Betsy around and veered
down a side road, away from the comfort of the city. She looked out
the window and wondered what she’d gotten herself into.

They
pulled into a long driveway that led up to a two story, old, white,
country house. Paige eyed his house and the rolling field that sat
directly behind it. The field seemed endless and she was surprised to
find that it was beautiful out here. The rolling fields were
blanketed in lush green grass, the red barn was rustic and
picturesque, and the house, with a beautiful wrap around porch,
looked tidy and inviting. When she pictured him living on a farm,
this wasn’t what she had envisioned. He was a single country
guy and her thoughts had ventured toward messy with an overgrown
landscape.

Tyler
stopped in front of the house, put the truck in park, and said, “So
this is it, my little slice of heaven.”

“It’s
breathtaking,” Paige said, as her eyes scanned everywhere.

“Now,
you don’t have to be nice. I know you aren’t into the
country type of atmosphere. I want you to be honest, Paige. I know we
don’t know each other that well, yet, but we can’t get to
know each other if you hide your feelings. You don’t have to
pretend around me, it’s not my thing,” Tyler stated, his
gaze lingering on hers and holding it there.

“I
am being honest. Just because I prefer the city life, doesn’t
mean I don’t think this place is beautiful. I don’t think
anyone could come out here and not be captivated by it.” Paige
turned towards him, her eyes meeting his as she wanted him to know
that she was sincere and she felt his knee lightly brush hers. She
watched him look down at it and she stiffened, feeling the energy
between them ignite in the small, old truck. A thought suddenly
struck her as funny, interrupting the vibe that they were suddenly
putting off. “So you own your own fencing company and your
horses got out? Have you not been taking care of your own fence?”

Tyler
scowled at her, his eyes turning dark and sullen, “You know,
when you work all day doing your job, your work at home is always the
last to get finished. It’s a proven fact. I put up fence all
day so when I come home, it’s the last thing I want to do or
think about.”

An amused
look developed on Paige’s face and she said, “Yeah, I
guess that makes sense.” And then something caught her eye to
the left as she saw something dart past some trees. “Um, is
that one of your horses?” she asked, as she pointed in the
direction.

Tyler
exhaled, “Yep. Are you ready to get dirty?”

Paige
blanched as she stared at him, wondering what he meant. What was she
supposed to do? She didn’t know a thing about horses. She heard
Tyler laughing, shaking her out of her worried thoughts. “Don’t
worry, I won’t have you doing anything crazy. I’ll just
need someone to help me walk them into the barn once I catch them.
Their tame so they won’t cause you any problems. Do you think
you can handle that?”

“Yeah,
I’m sure it’s not hard,” Paige said, as she thought
about all the patients she’d fought with to try to get medicine
in them, or get them to take a shower. Leading a couple of horses
back to the barn couldn’t be any more difficult than that.
Those were her worst days of being a nurse. She hated forcing someone
to do something but it was always something that they needed. She
followed suit as he got out of the truck and headed towards the
house.

“Here;
you’ll need to put these cowboy boots on just in case one steps
on your foot,” Tyler said, as he thrust a pair of old brown
boots at her that were similar to his own.

“But
they won’t, right, because that’s got to hurt like hell,”
she asked as she slipped the boots on, cringing as the dust flew off
them. She never thought in a million years that she would be sitting
on a farm, putting on a pair of dusty boots. She knew her friends
would have given anything to be here to witness this and to get
pictures to show off.

Tyler
laughed, “Not on purpose, but accidents happen. Just wait here
while I go get some halters and lead ropes,” he said, as he
stepped off the porch and towards the barn.

A few
minutes later she saw him jogging back towards the house, halters and
lead ropes slung over his shoulder. “All right, let’s
go!” he said, as he led the way.

“How
do you know where they are?” Paige asked, as she caught up with
him.

“My
neighbor said they were in his field, they always go there when they
get out. You know, the pasture is always greener on the other side,
type of deal.”

“Right,”
she said, as she quickened her steps to keep up with him. As she
watched him walk, she was amazed at how rugged he truly was. The guys
in the city that she’d dated couldn’t compare to him. A
lot of them were almost as prissy as she was and seeing Tyler out
here in his own little world, looking sexy in dirty cowboy boots,
scruff covering his face and just the two of them in the open field,
she couldn’t help but wonder what she had been thinking all
this time with city boys. She was oddly at home out here. She had
never felt that way about the country before, so she knew it had to
do with being with him out here. He made it all seem so right.

“There
they are,” Tyler exclaimed, as he pointed directly ahead of
them.

Paige
looked up and couldn’t help but smile at the sight. Five horses
were standing on a hill, grazing. She looked over at Tyler, “Will
they run from you when you go to catch them?”

“Nah,
their good about not doing that.”

They
slowly walked up the hill and Paige sighed as she looked down at the
dirt that was caking on her boots and saw the weeds accumulating on
her black shirt and dark jeans. She had never gotten so dirty on a
first date and she couldn’t believe he didn’t think twice
about this. She looked up and saw him stomping through the field as
he headed in the direction of the horses.

Once they
got to the horses, she stood back a little ways, not sure what to do
around them. Her animal experience was next to none. She watched the
confident way Tyler went up to them, petting one of them on the neck
first and then slipping the halter on. The horse didn’t make a
move to run or bolt and she found herself admiring the gentleness of
his touch and wondered how that would carry on to the bedroom. She
immediately chased those thoughts away, not wanting him to see the
desire in her eyes she was trying her best to keep hidden. He just
made it so hard to keep those thoughts away.

“All
right, here,” Tyler said, as he handed her two lead ropes.
Paige stood there dumbly, a look of fear taking over her face.

“What?”
she asked.

“I
can’t lead all five horses to the barn myself. Just walk,
they’ll follow, they’ve done this before,” he said
as he shoved the lead ropes into her hands and then she couldn’t
believe him when he jumped on the horse bareback as he attempted to
lead the other two on each side.

“One
on each side, Paige, you can do it,” he said with a smile.