You Can't Choose Love (10 page)

The light blinds and
burns her face. Ashton’s eyelids stress to open. She moves a hand in front to
block the beams. It’s morning. The sun blasts with no cloud cover. As she moves
to get up, she feels the hard crunchy ground below and something hard poking
her in the back.  She reaches around to see what it is and finds a corn
husk. As her eyes refocus, she sees that she’s on a flattened area of corn
field. She’s amazed. It looks like something she’s seen on Youtube. “How did
they all get flattened here?” she wonders to herself.

Ashton finds herself
in the middle of an ornate crop circle. Completely bare, her skin is warm and
tanning from the beating sun. It takes her a while to get her bearings. Was it
all a dream? Was that amazing creature real?

The sounds of a large
motor explodes and cranks nearby.  Adrenaline shoots through Ashton’s
body. She stands up and realizes her situation. She is fully naked in a corn
field. Ranch workers would be harvesting her area of corn soon. The last thing
she wanted was for them to see her naked. She could never explain what
happened. No one would believe her.

She quickly sneaks
into the standing crops and looks for the tractor. She walks to the edge of the
plot between the corn and the grass field. When the tractor disappears into the
corn, a naked redheaded blur shoots across the field. Ashton races for the
house. The tractor driver glances over and almost falls off his seat once he
glances a look. Ashton opens the screen door and runs past the den into the
kitchen to get to her room.

Faith sits in the
kitchen eating a sandwich and drinking coffee, which she almost spits out when
she sees Ashton. Ashton freezes, not knowing what to say. Ashton’s Dad can be
heard from the other room. Faith signals with her eyes for Ashton to get out of
the kitchen. “Where’s Ash?” yells her dad from the other room. Faith tries to
hold back a laugh and lies. “She’s not feeling well, Pops, she’s still in her
room.”

Meanwhile, upstairs,
the dresser drawers are flung open as Ashton digs for panties and a t-shirt. As
she dresses, Faith bolts into the room and plops on the bed.

“Well, who’s the skank
now? What happened to you??”

“I can’t really
explain? It’s just that…well, it wouldn’t make much sense.”

“Who we bang often
doesn’t. I’m just glad you got some. You were wound like clock.”

“Why are you assuming
I did anything or anyone?” Ashton answers coyly.

“Well, first off I
haven’t seen you this loose and relaxed. Second, you are glowing.”

Ashton turns red with
embarrassment and covers her face with her light green t-shirt.

“So, it wasn’t Danny?”
questions Faith, trying to pry more from her.

“Ouch, what the…”
Ashton squeals as she feels a sharp pain in her belly.

“Oh no! Pregnant
already. That’s some potent stuff,” jokes Faith.   “

Ashton throws a sock
at Faith, “Enough already, I’d tell you but you aren’t going to believe me. I
don’t even believe it.”

Faith sits up in
attention. “I’ll believe you. What is it?”

Ashton pulls up her
shorts and sits next to Faith on the bed. She tries to explain the events from
last night. She tells it in order; Bobby leaving for his ex, her leaving the
lake; her storming out of the house; the lights; the ship; the humanoid lover.
Faith just stares and nods her head.

“You’re right,” Faith
whispers.

“About?” questions
Ashton.

“I don’t believe you,”
Faith Says right before hitting Ashton with a pillow.

“If you don’t want to
tell me, you don’t have to tell me something you read in one of your books. I’m
gullible, but come on.”

Ashton knew anyone
believing her would be a long shot.

“Fine, I plead the
fifth.” Acquiesces Ashton. “I need to get ready for the fair anyway.”

“You’re so mean. You
know how scared I am of Aliens.”

“That’s why I said
it,” she says to change the subject. “Let me finish getting dressed. I need to
check on Autumn and grab something to eat before I head up to the stock yards
and fairgrounds.” 

           
Ashton grabs a handful of apples and rolls off the kitchen table, before
heading outside. She takes a bite of the apple and heads toward the stable. The
barn door opens and her father steps out. Red from the sun and wearing
overalls, he’s who’d you imagine running a farm.

           
“Well hello, pumpkin. Your sister said you weren’t feeling so well,”  Mr.
Alexander says while limping toward her.

           
“Oh yeah, that. I’m doin better now.” She’s horrified at the idea that her dad
and some of the farm workers almost caught her streaking naked through the
yard. That would be a hard one to explain away. “How’s the little one?” Ashton
hurriedly changes the subject.

           
“Healthy. Curious. Takin in everything. You know you’re going to need to name
her soon.”

           
“I will. I will. How’s Autumn?”

           
“Tired.”

           
“I bet, can’t imagine being pregnant for 355 days.”

           
“So, what’s with the picnic?” He asks and points to the apples and rolls.”

           
“Starving, but couldn’t wait to see Autumn,” Ashton says right before taking
another bite into the apple.

           
“Well, she’ll be happy to see you. I checked on the rest of the stock for the
sale…all good and ready to go for tomorrow,” the old farmer says before
reaching down to his bad leg with his good hand, as if he felt a tinge of
pain. 

           
“How you doin, Pop?” Ashton asks worriedly.

           
“Doin’ as good as I can. Always real sore after a good rain. Ache everywhere.”

           
“Guess that means you ain’t going to the stock yards with us.”

           
“No honey. You know me. You’ll do fine.”

           
“I’m not worried about me, Pops. But like you said about me, I don’t want you
all cooped up here, alone forever. Just wish you’d have a chance to get out and
have some fun.”

           
“I am having fun sweetheart. You two girls are more fun than I can handle”

           
“Well, that’s probably true. Okay, well I’m going to go see Autumn,” Ashton
says before hugging her dad.

           
A spark shocks both of them. Possibly static electricity. They laugh it off and
walk their separate ways.  Ashton takes a bite off her roll and opens the
stable door. She doesn’t notice that her Dad is starting to walk with less of a
limp.

           
Ashton steps into the stable and looks over to see Autumn Spirit and her
newborn foal. She puts down her food on a nearby stool and giddily rushes to
see them both.

Autumn rests in the
corner of a stall surrounded with hay, her foal nearby, brushing hay back and
forth with its head.  She’s black and spotted like her mother. Autumn
senses Ashton and neighs.

“Well hello, mama. How
are you? I missed you. A lot’s happened since I saw you last. A lot. I love
your little one.”

Autumn Spirit nods her
head toward Ashton.

“Oh wait, I got
something for you.”

Ashton heads back to
the stool and grabs an apple to feed Autumn. The tired mare slowly bites on
it. 

“Autumn, I have to
tell you what happened to me. In fact, you’re probably the only person who
won’t think I’m crazy when I tell you. You aren’t going to believe what
happened to me.”

Autumn finishes the
apple and Ashton continues. “It was amazing. I don’t know where to start. But there
was a light, and then I was in this room. Then I saw this amazing man - or
creature - or something. We had the most passionate…” She stops herself when
she looks at the young filly, as if she doesn’t want to say anything too
graphic for such young ears. “Well, it was amazing. He was amazing. He was from
another galaxy.”

She looks over at the
foal and realizes that she wants to name her Galaxy.

           
The smell of fair food fills the air. Flocks of jeans, boots, and cowboy hats
swarm the walkways between booths of sugary concoctions and cages of
prize-winning farm animals.  A little girl inhales a pink bushel of cotton
candy and her older brother chomps down on an oversized roasted turkey leg.
Game barkers, an endless loop of music and lights echo from the nearby Midway.
  The air has a tinge of coldness.

In a stall in the middle of the stock yard
building stands Ashton. She looks over at the several empty stalls nearby and has
a happy sigh. All her stock, a few large pigs, three bulls and two horses were
sold off for quite a bit more than she was expecting. Her father will be
ecstatic.

 She puts on her
leather jacket and heads to a dark brown coated American Quarter Horse tied to
a metal post.

           
“You’re the last one. We’re gonna miss you, Betsy Sue; you’re going to a good
home. You be good, now. You’re representing us,” Ashton says as she combs hay
from the horse’s thick coat of hair. 

           
Faith kicks on the gate with her pink boot. Her hands are full with corny dogs
and beers. Ashton walks over to the gate and grabs the corny dogs from her. She
starvingly eats them both. Faith looks at her in amazement. “Hungry Much?”

           
“I don’t know what it is; maybe I’m eating my emotions, but I just can’t stop
eating.” She says between bites.

 “I guess so.
How’d we do?”

           
“We, huh? Well,
I
did amazing, if I do say so myself. We got good money
for everything. You ever have one of those days where just about everything is
going your way?” Ashton says and grabs a beer from Faith.

           
“Well that’s good, sis. Pops will be happy. I wish he still came out to these.
He used to love them.”

           
“I know.”

           
A red light shines, and beeps emit from a truck backing up. Ashton unlocks the
gate and opens it to let Faith in.  A red truck and trailer back up to her
gate. Ashton hands Faith the small remainder of her corny dogs to hold before
heading to Betsy Sue.  She takes the reins of the muscular horse and
unties them from the nearby fencing. The truck door slams and a tall, muscular
cowboy (like in one of Ashton’s books) steps out and toward the back of his
trailer. Tight blue jeans and a vibrant button up shirt hug his built body. He
opens his trailer door and then heads to the gate and stops in his tracks.

           
Faith, never missing a chance to flirt with an attractive man, introduces
herself.

“Hi, I’m Faith.”

           
“Oh, uh, hi,” says the handsome cowboy, barely paying attention to her. His
gaze is transfixed on Ashton.

           
Ashton walks the horse toward him. “Oh, hey you. She’s all ready for you.”

           
He smiles and walks to Ashton and stares into her eyes. “Thank you.”

           
She hands him the reins. He grabs her hand and the reins and hesitates to let
them go. Faith watches on in disbelief. First, the guy practically ignores her,
and now he’s love-struck over Ashton. No one’s ever picked Ashton over her.

           
“Oh, sorry. You have such small, sweet hands.”

           
“Um, thank you…I think.” Ashton, flattered, doesn’t know what else to say.

           
He takes the reins and walks Betsy Sue back with him toward the horse trailer.
“Come on, girl,” he whispers to the horse, but stares at Ashton.

           
Faith takes a swig of her beer and looks at her shirt and clothes wondering if
something is wrong with her.

           
“You going to the dance tonight at the warehouse?” he asks after helping the
American Quarter Horse up into the trailer. He locks the trailer. “If you are,
I’d appreciate it if you saved me a dance.”

           
“I wasn’t planning on it,” Ashton says more interested in food at the moment.

           
“Until now. Until now, is what she meant. We’ll see you there. Thanks for
buying …the horse. We’ll see you there,” Faith says before grabbing Ashton and
closing the gate behind her and pulling her to a corner.”

           
“Okay, then. Look forward to it,” he says with a big smile. His tight blue
jeans walk back to his truck.

           
Once he’s out of sight, Faith yells in a whisper at Ashton. “Are you out of
your mind? You said you were having a good day, but this is ridiculous. Did you
see how he was falling all over you?”

           
“Well, I thought so, but I thought it was just in my mind. I felt like guys
were just nice to me all day.”

           
“Nice, nice. Geez, girl, you wouldn’t know a flirt if it came biting you in the
ass…though I’m sure you’d love for him to come bite you there.”

           
Ashton jokingly hits her to stop. “Really?” She finishes the last bites of her
corn dogs and throws them into a nearby trash. She sips her beer. Faith does a
double take, then squeezes Ashton’s breast. Ashton spits out her drink.

           
“Your breasts have gotten bigger. I’m sure of it.”

           
“I think it’s from all the emotional eating,” Ashton says, while looking down
at them.

           
“Well, until you blimp up, it’s working for you. Maybe that’s why sex in a
cowboy hat looked you up and down.”

           
Faith goes to squeeze Ashton’s boobs again and is interrupted by an
uncomfortable cough. They look over, and it’s their dad. They are both shocked.
Ever since his accident, he stopped going out as much, especially to events
that had lots of walking and standing.

           
“Pop? You made it!” Ashton says, surprised and excited at the same time.

           
“Looks like just in time too, right before your sister was about to milk you.”

           
“Oh, Pop, you wouldn’t understand,” laughs Faith.

           
“And I don’t want to know either. So give me the news. Good? Bad? ”

           
“We did great, Pops. All good. I’m so glad to see you out here. You have no
idea,” Ashton proudly says.

           
“Well after our talk yesterday, my hitch in my giddyup seemed to go away. Not
sure why, but I feel like a new man.” He then looks over at Faith.” That and
Misses Reynolds from Maypearl ringed me up and said she was dying for me to
come out here and taste her cherry pie. Now, I don’t know if that’s a euphemism
or what, but either way I like pie.”

           
“Gross, pops,” Faith says shaking her head, knowing her dad was trying to shock
her. “Well I’m glad you’re out here. I’m dragging Ashton to the dance.”

           
Ashton goes to hug her dad. Their touch shocks them both again. “Ouch! Dang
that static electricity. It keeps getting us. Sorry.”

           
“No worries, hun. You enjoy the dance. ”