of work. Neither was it that his son was getting sick, and keeping him up at night…or his mother constantly breathing down his neck.
It was the pair of headlights that were bothering him. The pair of headlights slowly worming their way down the old dirt road that led from the farm out to the highway in a cloud of kicked up dust and rocks.
The car that eventually came to a stop next to his old ford pickup wasn't fancy. He knew instantly it wasn't his mother, father or their ranch hands coming to bring him the deed to what was now his land. It was an old red Chrysler La Baron. The kind that had the white vinyl convertible top, which in this case was just as worn and aged as the rest of the car. When the lights kicked off, and the driver’s door opened, Jamie sauntered over to greet whoever it was. “Good evening—” he started, only to cut himself short when he saw whom it was.
She was no stranger to him, no matter how many years, months, weeks and days he was away from her, she was unmistakable to Jamie. “Suzy?” he asked half dazed. “What are you doing here? Is everything okay?”
“Yes,” she answered timidly.
“What are you doing h-here?” Jamie stammered out, still in shock. “I heard you left town.”
“I did, I had some business to take care of in LA.” Suzy was a few years younger than Jamie, though neither of them could be considered young anymore. Standing there, she didn't look any different than the last time they’d seen each other when they were seventeen years old. She still had the same bright eyes, her skin still looked soft and silky, and covered in freckles, her lips still the perfect twizzler kiss. Her hips still had the flirtatious curves that Jamie had fallen in love with so many years ago.
“What are you doing here?” Jamie asked again as the shock of her arrival slowly wore off.
“I don't know Jamie…I hope I'm not intruding?”
“Not at all!” He dropped the grease rag from his hands as he wrapped his arms around her. “I can't believe you're here,” he added with her head resting against his chest.
“Neither can I,” she said as he held her in the cool moonlight.
For a moment, they just stood there, holding each other, feeling as if the last twenty years had never passed at all.
* * * *
“Momma told me what you did with your parent’s farm. I hope that wasn’t because of me,” Suzy said, as she pulled herself back from the hug. She’d done all that she could to talk herself out of going to Jamie when she came home and throwing herself at his feet naked. But it hadn’t worked. When she’d gotten home and her grandmother told her the stunning, yet ironic turn of events Jamie had bought the mortgage for his family’s land and five ranch properties from the bank. So he was now his mother’s landlord, so to speak.
“Yeah, I did. And to be honest, yes it did.” Jamie chuckled, picking his grease rag back up from the dirt. “What about you Suzy? Did you get your business handled in LA?”
“I did. It went pretty well, if I say so myself.”
“So then what are you doing all the way out here?” Jamie asked.
For a second, Suzy didn't answer. She may have rehearsed a thousand times on the plane what she intended to say when she saw him. Now, all her words seemed to fail her. When the silence became awkward, she finally admitted the truth, “You, Jamie…You're what brought me out here.”
“Me?”
“Yeah,” she answered hastily. “I've pursued my dreams and done everything I ever wanted to do in life except one thing. I have more than I could have ever dreamed of having, except for what I've always truly wanted.”
“What’s that?” Jamie asked.
“You.” She chuckled. “Did I not just make that clear?”
“Well, I see your sarcasm hasn't lessened.”
“Oh, how dare you,” Suzy teased, slapping him on the shoulder.
“It's been weeks since we last saw each other. And it seemed like you were very sure of your
It was the pair of headlights that were bothering him. The pair of headlights slowly worming their way down the old dirt road that led from the farm out to the highway in a cloud of kicked up dust and rocks.
The car that eventually came to a stop next to his old ford pickup wasn't fancy. He knew instantly it wasn't his mother, father or their ranch hands coming to bring him the deed to what was now his land. It was an old red Chrysler La Baron. The kind that had the white vinyl convertible top, which in this case was just as worn and aged as the rest of the car. When the lights kicked off, and the driver’s door opened, Jamie sauntered over to greet whoever it was. “Good evening—” he started, only to cut himself short when he saw whom it was.
She was no stranger to him, no matter how many years, months, weeks and days he was away from her, she was unmistakable to Jamie. “Suzy?” he asked half dazed. “What are you doing here? Is everything okay?”
“Yes,” she answered timidly.
“What are you doing h-here?” Jamie stammered out, still in shock. “I heard you left town.”
“I did, I had some business to take care of in LA.” Suzy was a few years younger than Jamie, though neither of them could be considered young anymore. Standing there, she didn't look any different than the last time they’d seen each other when they were seventeen years old. She still had the same bright eyes, her skin still looked soft and silky, and covered in freckles, her lips still the perfect twizzler kiss. Her hips still had the flirtatious curves that Jamie had fallen in love with so many years ago.
“What are you doing here?” Jamie asked again as the shock of her arrival slowly wore off.
“I don't know Jamie…I hope I'm not intruding?”
“Not at all!” He dropped the grease rag from his hands as he wrapped his arms around her. “I can't believe you're here,” he added with her head resting against his chest.
“Neither can I,” she said as he held her in the cool moonlight.
For a moment, they just stood there, holding each other, feeling as if the last twenty years had never passed at all.
* * * *
“Momma told me what you did with your parent’s farm. I hope that wasn’t because of me,” Suzy said, as she pulled herself back from the hug. She’d done all that she could to talk herself out of going to Jamie when she came home and throwing herself at his feet naked. But it hadn’t worked. When she’d gotten home and her grandmother told her the stunning, yet ironic turn of events Jamie had bought the mortgage for his family’s land and five ranch properties from the bank. So he was now his mother’s landlord, so to speak.
“Yeah, I did. And to be honest, yes it did.” Jamie chuckled, picking his grease rag back up from the dirt. “What about you Suzy? Did you get your business handled in LA?”
“I did. It went pretty well, if I say so myself.”
“So then what are you doing all the way out here?” Jamie asked.
For a second, Suzy didn't answer. She may have rehearsed a thousand times on the plane what she intended to say when she saw him. Now, all her words seemed to fail her. When the silence became awkward, she finally admitted the truth, “You, Jamie…You're what brought me out here.”
“Me?”
“Yeah,” she answered hastily. “I've pursued my dreams and done everything I ever wanted to do in life except one thing. I have more than I could have ever dreamed of having, except for what I've always truly wanted.”
“What’s that?” Jamie asked.
“You.” She chuckled. “Did I not just make that clear?”
“Well, I see your sarcasm hasn't lessened.”
“Oh, how dare you,” Suzy teased, slapping him on the shoulder.
“It's been weeks since we last saw each other. And it seemed like you were very sure of your
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