Page 8 of Country Charm

This girl has made me laugh on a few occasions, but her last request really had me cracking up. She gave me a signal to use if I saw her before she saw me, and now I really hope I do. I like a girl with a sense of humor and fun.

After parking my truck in a parking garage, I hop out and start making my way to the bar. This city isn’t necessarily big, but it’s one hundred times busier than my small town. As I weave through the crowd, I scan people. I see guy after guy wearing suits and girls dressed to the nines.

I let myself wonder for a minute what CountryHeart_CityGirl is wearing. Will she be dressed up or wearing a tee shirt? I can honestly say I don’t have a preference.

I find the bar. It’s busy, but not too crowded. There’s a good flow of people and there are a few stranded barstools open. The lighting is old-school bulbs hanging from wires wrapped around the beams in the ceiling, giving off an amber glow. The floors are beat-up wood which I prefer to tile or marble. The bar looks like the front ends of two old Fords, but the tops have been chopped and the insides stripped. Point one for this girl—this bar is pretty cool.

I try to keep a low profile while I scan the crowd for her, hoping I spot her first. It only takes me a minute, and then a shimmer catches my eye. I see a girl close to the bar at a high top by herself, her hair reflecting the light in this strange but beautiful way.

She turns for a moment, and I’m almost knocked on my ass. She’s fucking stunning, the picture on her profile doing no justice. Wearing a band shirt, ripped black jeans that stop above her ankle, and high-top Converse sneakers, she’s put in what looks like zero effort for our meetup and I’m breathless.

Damn you, Harrison.This girl might be the end for me, and I’ve only gotten one look.

I move to make sure I can’t get into her line of sight and sneak through the crowd. Coming up behind her I see that she’s almost out of wine. I feel a pang of guilt that she might have been waiting long. I’m standing directly behind her, and I bring my mouth close to her ear, a stupid huge smile across my face.

“Moo,” I say proudly.

Her head whips around so fast I’m surprised I didn’t hear her neck crack.

Shit, I’m screwed.Her face up close is something unimaginable. Her skin is flawless, especially with those paint-like freckles. Her eyes are bright. Her lips have the perfect plumpness; they remind me of a tempting plushpillow after a long, hard day, without being that overboard Hollywood-style.

“Excuse me?” she says, raising a perfect brow. I decide instantly that I like that look on her face.

“Sidebar: you sparkle, no lie. I can say, although I’m surprised, I’m pleased with the look.” I take in the hints of glitter in her hair—not in any particular order, just an undertone. I didn’t even know women put glitter in their hair. It’s a good look for her.

“What?” She squares her shoulders and looks me dead ass in the eyes. Suddenly something comes across her features, and I stiffen a little. She searches my face and then she scans the crowd again. “I’m about to skin someone,” she mumbles. I stiffen a bit more.

“Ummm, ‘CountryHeart_CityGirl’?” I ask.

“City girl,” she says flatly. “You?”

“‘Loves cattle during the day, and fireflies at night’?” I try again. I’m terrified this girl has no idea who I am, but how could she be at this bar at this time? “Need another glass of wine? Maybe the bottle?” I’m pulling information from her profile to try and jostle her memory.

“Excuse, me, what?” She’s standing now, but that didn’t do much for her height. If anything, she’s about half an inch shorter now. “If you could have said something that made sense, I could have been interested in having a conversation with you, but you’re two minutes in, and I’m over it.” She goes to leave, and I instinctively grab her wrist. She does not like that. Her eyes shoot daggers as she looks down at her wrist and then back to my face.

“Boy, you’re about to find yourself in a mess of trouble,” she says, her voice low, sending a chill across my skin.

“Okay, okay. Wait. I’m Stetson31, aren’t you CountryHeart_CityGirl, lover of cows, newly thirty?” Letting go ofher wrist, I see her think for a minute. We stand there in silence, and she mumbles to herself. Her plush lips making out the words thirty and cows stir something in me. Then her face lights up and my tension releases.

Thank God.Then that broad, beautiful smile that caught my eye in her profile picture comes across her face. Again, I find myself stunned.

“Oh, I am going to kill those damn cows!” she booms. “Please, hold.” She raises a finger and then pulls out her phone. She types furiously for a minute and then slides it back into her pocket. “Take everything in stride,” she says to herself before running her hands through her hair and taking a deep breath. I take her in again. Her one deep breath causes her shoulders to rise in tension and fall. It's as if I can see the physical discomfort leave her body. Her skin shines a little brighter than before, her eyes sparkle a little more like the glitter in her hair.

I hold my breath as I observe her. Then she stretches her hand out to me.

“Hi, I’m Cassidy. I am a lover of my small herd of cows, I do like fireflies, and yes, I would love another glass of wine.” I take her hand in mine; it’s small but strong.

“I’m Hunter. You have cattle?” I ask as we shake.

“I guess you could say that. Although, I’m thinking about selling them. You know anyone in the moo market?” And with that, she laughs at her own joke; the sound wraps me in a blanket of joy, and I crack a smile.

“I might. My brother has a dairy farm. They dairy cows?” I wave a server down to us as I take a stool close to her. She sits back down in hers and finishes her glass in one gulp.

“They milk the situation for all it’s worth, that’s for sure.” She’s still smiling, but I’m not following.

“I’m sorry?” I ask.

“What can I get you guys?” The server comes up and looks at us. Her eyes stay locked on my face for a moment longer than I'm used to before perusing down my body, taking in my obvious out-of-place outfit.

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