City Boy

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah? How do you want to do that?"

Carly shrugged. "I don't know, but someone needs to make sure you get real food and not this store-bought crap."

"Who's someone? You?"

"Sure, why not?"

"Well, if you want me to eat better, maybe we should just get something to eat sometime," he said, taking a risk. "Then you can pick something out that's appropriate on the menu. You know something to your liking." It was flimsy but he thought it just might work.

Carly pursed her lips, trying hard to contain a grin. "Oh, yeah? What are you trying to say? You want to go on a date or something?"

In that split second between her question and his answer, all the tension between them seemed to melt away. Something that seemed so foreign days ago now suddenly seemed like the most natural thing in the world.

Jake decided to go for it.

"Yeah, I do. I want to take you out for a date. You got any plans this weekend?"

Carly's mouth fell open, but she closed it a moment later. Her hands went to her hair, which was draped over her one shoulder. "I can be free this weekend. You know, after work and everything."

"Fine by me. Then tomorrow night, once we're done working, we'll go get something to eat."

"Together?" she asked, as her eyes turned vulnerable.

"Together," he repeated. "I think it'll be fun, right?"

She started to giggle. "You've made just about everything else fun, even when I didn't want you to."

"That's part of my charm, I guess."

Her expression then turned serious. "Just don't be expecting any kissin' at the end of it or anything." She pointed her finger at him. "I'm serious, Jake. This is just a friend date."

He held up his hands playfully. "Jeez, who said it was a kissin' date, Carly? Get your mind out of the gutter."

She dug into his fruit snack pack and flung one at him before she erupted with laughter once again.

*****

For the entire next day, Jake felt like a bundle of nerves, especially as they got closer to quitting time. For one, Carly's eyes seemed to be glued to him all day, and every time his met hers, she offered a shy smile. Even at one point, her face flushed a deep red color, and Jake guessed she must have been staring at him for her to have that kind of response.

Part of him questioned what he was doing, asking Carly out on a date. He wondered if things might start off good, or whether or not old tensions might slowly simmer to the top to ruin the evening. Yet, judging by her behavior that day, she didn't seem to have any reservations about going out, so he allowed himself to relax as much as possible in preparation for tonight.

It arrived sooner than he imagined. As most of the other farmhands looked to call it quits for the day, the two of them stopped not far from his car.

"Give me some time to get cleaned up?" he asked while unlocking his car. "I really don't want to eat food smelling like the farm."

Carly grinned. "Didn't seem to bother you during lunch."

"Yeah, because we were still here," he added quickly. "Besides, maybe if I look good, you'll change your mind on that kissin' part of the date."

Carly rolled her eyes. "Keep dreaming," she sassed although he noticed she seemed to be bouncing her gaze back from his eyes to his lips. He took that as a good sign.

After a quick drive home, Jake hopped in the shower and scrubbed away all traces of the farm from his skin. He stopped to look at himself in the mirror as he dried off. Jake decided to keep the five o'clock stubble on his chin, liking the way it looked on him. The rest of him, he was hoping that Carly would like too.

Why do I care so much whether she likes me?

For clothing, he picked out a dark green, checkered button-up that he knew would look good paired with his green eyes. He took a comb to his short, dark hair, making himself look as presentable as he could. As he stood there, looking at himself, he realized he looked nothing like the city boy he used to be. With his heavy farmer's tan and reawakened muscles from the weeks of doing hay, he now looked like he belonged on the farm.

Maybe that's why Carly likes me now. Now that I look like the type.

As he shrugged his shoulders, he prepared to leave the house, giving a prompt goodbye to his aunt in the process.

"Where are you off to looking like that?" she asked, giving him the once-over appraisal.

"I have a date," he said, completely failing to hold the grin.

"And?" asked Aunt Cheryl. "You left out the best part. With who?"

"Carly Nichols."

Aunt Cheryl started to grin, and she soon did her own version of a happy dance. "I'm so happy for you. You two are patching things up then, are you?"

Jake chuckled. "How did you know things were rocky to begin with?"

"Jake, honey, the whole town knew. They knew why you left after Logan's death. They also knew what she thought about it. I'm just glad that you two are able to move on."

He didn't have long to think about those words before she stood up and kissed his forehead. "Have a great time."

As he got back in the car, Jake considered the fact that their private feud hadn't been so private after all. This town was small enough that everyone knew everyone, including their business. Perhaps if they were seen together this evening, it might be enough to get the whole town talking.

"Definitely not in New York anymore," he muttered under his breath as he sped back to the farm.

He pulled up just as the sun was setting, only to find Carly waiting for him by the picnic table outside.

And what a sight she was.

The first thing he saw was her legs. Despite her not being the tallest girl, Carly had legs that never stopped, smooth and aching to be touched. They went far enough to be covered by a pretty blue skirt, which was low enough to touch her knees. Above the waist, Carly had on a white button-up cardigan that stopped just about midway down her chest. The rest of her cleavage was covered up by a chaste gray shirt.

Most noticeably, her strawberry blonde hair was free and draped along each shoulder. It was a far cry from her normal farm attire, and one that screamed femininity and beauty in equal amounts.

"Wow," he stammered as he opened the car door.

"Wow, what?" she said, her lips pulling into a grin.

"Wow, you."

"What, do you like this?" she asked, grabbing a bundle of her skirt and shaking it.

Jake didn't trust himself to speak. Instead, he only nodded.

"Good," she said. "I was hoping you would. Now where are we going to eat?"

He drove them to a little spot he remembered in town. Even though the place would be put to shame by any of the legendary spots in the city, Jake wanted that small, intimate feeling of home on his night out with Carly. Judging by her reaction when they pulled up, she didn't seem to mind too much either.

Not long after they placed their orders, he noticed she was looking at him with a funny expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said quickly. "Just not used to seeing you so dressed up."

He started to laugh. "I could say the same thing for you. Why don't you do any hay in that cute little sweater?"

She giggled. "Because I don't want it ruined! Also, because we're there to work, not for you to ogle me."

He raised an eyebrow. "I think you're doing a good portion of the ogling right now."

Carly tilted her head to one side. "Can you blame me? You look good tonight." To her credit, her face turned red right after she said it.

"If you think I look good, you need to take a look in the mirror and check yourself out," he replied quickly. "You're too beautiful for this little town."

She snorted. "Yeah, I bet I'd be a good fit in the city somewhere. I wouldn't know even where to begin."

"That's how I felt when I first moved away. Like a fish out of water."

"But you managed to live there for some years, right? You made it?"

He nodded. "I did, but it wasn't easy."

"What was so hard about it?"

"It was just . . . different. It's not what I'm used to. Growing up here, and being surrounded by farms and wildlife and so much . . . green. There's none of that there. Just people, endless people all around you. Up in your personal space. It gets old after a while."

She nodded slowly. "I can see that. So what made you want to come back here of all places? It's a big world out there. Why here?"

He cleared his throat. "Why not here? This has been the only other home I knew. It was a good starting point. My head was so messed up from living there that I knew I just had to get out. This seemed to be the place where I had the best chance of getting a break."

"Is that it, Jake?" she interrupted. "Is this just a break, your time back in town? Are you going to go back to the city someday?"

It was a good question, one he never considered. Just about the only reason he didn't say no right away was the finance situation. He didn't know if he could support himself forever being a farmhand. He certainly couldn't support a family doing this, so maybe one day he would have to return back to the city.

Jake shrugged. "I don't know. My initial plan was just to get out. Take some modest savings and reassess in somewhere new. I guess I never moved beyond that phase."

She didn't seem to like that answer too much. "Well, if the city isn't for you, what is the point of going back?"

Jake moved his fingers together. "Money. Can't do anything if I'm broke."

"So that's it then? It's just a money issue?"

He nodded.

Carly leaned back in her seat. "Doesn't seem right to just base it on money."

"It's not entirely based on it. It's just I have to be realistic about it. I have to support myself someway."

"If you talk to my dad, I bet he'd find a way to make sure you earned enough to support yourself. Especially if it's not doing it right now."

"That seems like a hard question to ask him," he said quickly. "Especially with money being rather tight on his side too."

Carly put her lips together, only nodding a moment later. "It just doesn't seem right. I understand about the money. I just don't want to see you go now that you've just come back."

Not knowing why, Jake reached across the table and grabbed her hand. He squeezed it gently until she looked at him. "Hey, I'm not going anywhere right now," he said softly. "I don't know what the future holds, but I have no plans to go back to anything. Just stay here."

That earned a smile from her. She squeezed his hand back. "Good."

"What about you though? Are you going to stay on the farm forever?" he asked.

Carly shrugged on her own. "I guess as long as dad needs me."

He smiled. "That's not really answering my question."

"I guess I don't have a good answer for that either," she said finally. "It was never in my plan. He just needed the help one day, and I felt too bad not to. Then one day turned into one week, then one month, and now it's been all these years. I don't know how to do anything else."

"Sounds like you just got caught up in it. You never meant to, but family came first."

Carly nodded. "They do, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. Yeah, it's always hard work, but it's honest work at least. I get to work for my dad and there's never any conflict."

"Until I showed up," he added quickly.

Carly grinned. "But you made it more enjoyable too. After we were done bickering."

"I was hoping you wouldn't say before."

She pursed her lips. "You know what I meant, goofball. I used to think about being on the farm forever as some kind of punishment."

"How do you feel about it now?"

Carly smiled. "I kind of like the idea."

"That's quite the turnaround."

"Maybe I'm just a girl of many contradictions," she added playfully.

"I'd say so. Hot one moment and cold the next," he teased.

She kicked him under the table. "Your mouth is going to get you in trouble," she warned before a giggle escaped from her lips.

"That's enough for me then," he said, holding up his hands. "I know when to shut up."

It was the best time to do so, as their food arrived shortly after. The next few topics of conversation weren't nearly as heavy until long after the food was gone, but it was while they were waiting for the check that Carly sprang something new on him.

"Can I ask you somethin', Jake?" she said, while reaching out for his hand. He surrendered it willingly while he waited for her to form her words. "Do you see any scenarios where you would stay on the farm long term?"

"How long term are we talking?"

Carly avoid his eyes. "Like a long time. Years."

"Back to this again?" he asked. "I couldn't do it if I didn't get paid enough to support me. I'm looking to get my own place next week, and I doubt my earnings will cover my rent payment alone."

Carly took a deep breath. "Well, what if you ran the farm?"

He blinked at her. "You mean Paul's role?"

She nodded. "Dad's been looking to retire. Who says you couldn't step in to do it?"

Jake found himself chuckling. "I can think of a bunch of reasons why not. For one, I'm just a city boy, remember?"

She rolled her eyes. "I know you take a lot of crap from the guys, but you're not. You have more experience then just about everyone, 'cept my dad and Neal. You're not as bad as Tate says you are, you know that, right?"

"I know that, but . . ." Jake opened his mouth but nothing more came out. He struggled with the words for a few minutes. "What would I do as a farmer? I don't know anything about running a farm."

"My dad could teach you. I know he'd love to, and he'd always be around if you needed help," she said quickly.

Jake gave her a pointed look. "Where is this all coming from?"

Carly swallowed heavily. "I guess I just don't like the thought of you leaving. I thought if I got you a better, bigger role in the farm, you might make enough to consider staying long term."

"Why would you want that?" he teased gently. "You told me to leave as soon as I showed up."

"Yeah, well I was still a little hurt," she said, locking eyes with him. "But I'm not so hurt anymore. And I want to look toward the future."

"Would you stay with me if I did?"

She nodded slowly. "I would."

"That means a lot," he said with a smile. "But what about someone like Neal? He's next in line though right?"

"Assuming that he wants it still," she added. "I don't know, Jake. I know it probably feels like I'm springing this on you, but I just didn't . . . I don't want to . . ."

"Want to what, Carly?"

She squeezed his hand. "I don't want you to leave here again."

Her words pulled on his heart. Their relationship had seen quite the change in the last few weeks, and for once, he could see real vulnerability in her eyes. Despite not knowing how it would work, he still didn't want to let her down.

He didn't want to give her any reason to be upset.

Jake squeezed her hand. "We'll figure something out. I promise."

She seemed to like that answer, and it was only a short while later that he picked up the check and they soon left. The drive back to her house was a quiet one, and Jake gave frequent looks over to the passenger side.

Her hand is right there, he thought to himself.You held it in the restaurant, why can't you do it now?

For some reason, his nerves were back in full force, and he suspected he knew why. The closer they got to the end of their date, the bigger the question of what was going to happen when he dropped her off. He remembered her words that it wasn't a "kissin' date" but her words didn't seem to match up with her behavior tonight.

The result was that he wasn't sure what to expect when he pulled into the farm driveway.

"Thanks for going out with me," she said shyly, a smile filling her lips. "I had a good time."

"I did too. A really good one," he said.

Carly gave him a demure look before she looked away. Jake wasn't sure where he found the confidence, but soon the words came tumbling out of his mouth.

"So I know you said this wasn't a kissin' date," he started.

Carly looked back at him. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah, but I was wonderin' if you might change your mind on that."

Her smile grew bigger. "I think I can be persuaded to do so."

"What do I have to do to persuade you?"

She raised an eyebrow. "I'll let you figure that one out, City Boy."

Before either of them could laugh, he crossed over the middle of the car and locked lips with her.

The feeling was electric. Carly quickly melted into his kiss, and he soon felt her arms wrap around his shoulders. Her lips felt so soft and so right, almost like he should have been kissing them all along. As the kiss deepened, she moaned softly into his mouth, and once they started to part, she looked at him with a red face.

"So I wanted to ask you something else," she said nervously, as she toyed around with her fingers. "Next weekend is the 4th of July celebration in town."

"I remember those," he replied. "They used to be really great when we were younger."

Carly nodded quickly. "They've gotten even better. There's going to be lots of good food and entertainment, and I even heard they got Blake Shelton to come into town to play."

"Blake Shelton is coming here? To this little town?"

She smiled. "Sure is. So I was wondering if maybe you might want to go together?"

Jake grinned. "Is this a friends date or a kissin' date?"

"A kissin' date if you keep playin' your cards right," she said quickly before eyeing his lips once more.

"We better get some more practice in then. Just to make sure I'm keeping you happy."

Carly sighed happily. "Practice sounds just fine to me."

She leaned into him this time, and for the next ten minutes, they enjoyed each other's lips in the quiet driveway outside her house. Jake couldn't remember a time when he enjoyed kissing more. Something felt unbelievably right about being intimate with Carly, and he thought their moment together might never end.

That is, until there was a swift knock on the driver's side window.

The two of them jumped apart as Jake turned his head quickly. It was something he never wanted to see.

Paul Nichols was looking back at both of them with a curious grin on his face.

"Evening, you two," he said as soon as Jake rolled down the window.

"Dad! What are you doing?" asked Carly as she tried to regain her composure.

He looked back and forth at both of them. "I could ask you two the same question," he said lightheartedly.

Jake didn't know what to say, but he could feel the humor in the situation. "Just got back from dinner, Paul."

"Oh, yeah? And how was it? Were you helping her find the rest of hers?" he asked with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

"Dad!" groaned Carly as she leaned back in her seat. "I have to go," she said as she looked back at Jake.

He started to laugh. "It's fine. See you tomorrow?"

She nodded quickly. "Bright and early. You and me are milkin' in the morning."

Jake grinned. "Sounds good. Goodnight, Carly."

She got out of the car and stopped close to his door. "Night, Jake," she said quickly before chancing one last kiss.

Paul seemed too amused to offer any objections. "Night, Jake! Hope you had a pleasant evening!"

Jake couldn't stop laughing as he pulled out of the driveway but he thought about that kiss all the way home. It ended much too soon for his liking, and based on Carly's reaction, she thought the same. As he got ready for bed that evening, he stared up at the ceiling and wondered if he'd have to wait until the next week to kiss her again.

*****

As it turned out, he didn't have to wait that long. The next morning, as they met together at five o'clock to do the milking, Carly surprised him by giving him a long, smoldering kiss after he brought the cows in. Her arms wrapped around his neck in a hurry, and it was by far the best wake-up call he'd ever received.