Against the Odds: A Love Story (5 page)

“So,” he said, causing me to rein in my thoughts, for which I was extremely grateful. “Tell me about this boy you went gallivanting off with.”

“He was actually pretty cute. He had blond hair and blue eyes. He was nice, and very talkative.”

“I'll bet he was,” Hayden said with a chuckle.

I sighed. “I've never told anyone this, but . . . I received my first kiss that day.”

His brows raised in surprise. “You're joking!”

“Nope. It wasn't that we really liked each other that much. I think it was more out of curiosity. I wanted to know what it was like. I knew he had kissed other girls before me, but I was the first
black
girl he'd ever kissed.” I chuckled. “I'm sure he bragged about it to his friends once school started again. As for me, I never intended to tell anyone. And I never have, until now.”

“Why didn't you tell anybody?” he asked, staring at me curiously.

“Well, partly because I didn't think my friends would take it very well. Kissing a white boy just wasn't done. And I guess I wanted to forget about it because it didn't mean anything. After that, I promised myself that I would never kiss anyone again until it meant something.”

He smiled. “Well, how was it for a first kiss?”

“It wasn't worth giving my kiss away so soon. No shooting stars. No butterflies, just wet.”

Hayden laughed and I couldn't help laughing too. It had been a dumb thing to do, but it was pretty funny now. He stood and helped me up, and we mounted the horses again.

“You won't tell anyone my secret will you?” I asked, feigning concern.

Putting his hat back on, he grinned and winked. “I promise, darlin', your secret is safe with me. And if it will make you feel any better, I'll share a secret with you.”

“Really?” I said, arching an eyebrow. “Do tell.”

He moved his horse closer and said, “I didn't kiss a girl until I was nineteen.”

“You're kidding!” Now it was my turn to be surprised.

“I'm not. I was scared to death of girls when I was a teenager. Took me a long time to get up the courage to kiss a girl.”

Against my will, my eyes traveled to his lips, and with a good deal of effort I managed to keep my gaze from lingering. When the corner of his mouth twitched slightly I knew he had noticed my slip. I cleared my throat. “I would never have guessed you were afraid of girls,” I finally said.

“Well, good.” He adjusted his hat. “And by the way, you're the only person I've ever told, so just keep that little tidbit to yourself.”

I grinned. “Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me.”

I came to picture myself growing old in Roswell. I found that I had no desire to leave. And now that I was actually putting down some roots, I decided that I needed my own transportation. One afternoon Hayden took me to a couple of car lots in town, and after an hour or two of indecision, I decided on a new, pearl-colored
Cadillac Escalade
. It was pretty yet practical and pampering. Hayden said it was me. I took that as another compliment.

Now that I had my own transportation, I felt a little more independent. Not that I really had to worry that much about getting around. David's truck was available to me most of the time and Hayden was always happy to take me anywhere I needed to go, which was mainly to the store every now and then for personal items. Most of the time, I didn't even have to ask because he usually stopped by the house on his way into town and asked me if I wanted to ride in with him. I truly enjoyed those rides. I enjoyed being with him, period.

Whenever I thought about that fact, I felt both unsettled and confused, so I tried
not
to think about it. I couldn't let myself, because that train of thought would lead to no good. I knew it would. For now, I would not let myself go there.

Despite the size of the town, I was never bored. With Hayden's help, I always found ways to stay amused.

On one particular evening after the sky had darkened, I decided to go for a drive. Hayden and I jumped into my SUV and drove to the nearest convenience store for a couple of drinks. Then we opened the sunroof, rolled down the front windows, and cruised out into the desert and parked. There was no moon that night, but the stars twinkled brightly in the pitch black sky.

I reclined my seat back slightly and sighed. “The stars were never this bright in the city.”

Hayden made an agreeing noise and leaned back also. “The desert is dry and barren during the day, but the view at night can't be topped.”

I smiled. “Kind of makes me wish I owned a telescope.”

He turned to me and I saw his grin through the darkness. “You wanna star gaze, or look for some of them little green men hovering around?”

“Why star gaze, of course. However, should a flying saucer happen to appear, I'll simply pull out your roll of aluminum foil and I'll be protected.”

Hayden chuckled. “Well, that may stop them from reading your thoughts, sugar, but what about abduction?”

“You'll protect me, won't you?” I asked, feigning concern.

“Don't worry, darlin',” he said, reaching over and brushing a lock of curls back from my face. He sighed and added in a simpering drawl, “I  would give my life before I let them beam you up in one of them ships and start experimenting on you and then send you back down here pregnant with one of them alien babies.”

I laughed out loud. “Thank you for being willing to protect my honor and keep me safe from alien breeding.”

“No problem,” he said with a chuckle.

I stared at his shadowed profile for a moment as he tipped his head back again.
Why does his voice
always sound so alluring?
I wondered.
And in the darkness it's even
more
so
. I closed my eyes and shook my head slightly.
Don't go there, girl. Don't think.

I tried to keep my thoughts in check, but I couldn't seem to change the course they were traveling. Maybe it was because I was sitting next to him shrouded in darkness. Maybe it was the ambiance of the twinkling stars above us or the soothing desert silence that caused my mind to run rampant into areas best left untouched. But one thing was certain. It was becoming harder and harder to ignore the feelings stirring inside me.

I leaned back again and looked up through the sunroof. “You know, it's hard to believe you've never been married.”

“I was,” Hayden drawled suddenly.

I looked at him, startled.
“
What?”

“Yeah, I had a wife, but . . . she was . . . she was abducted.” A chuckle suddenly rumbled from deep in his chest.

“Hayden!” I cried, shoving him playfully.

He caught my hand. “I'm sorry, darlin', but I just couldn't resist.”

“Now I know why you've never been married. You are impossible!”

“You're right about that,” he agreed with mirth.

I laughed. When he said nothing more, I said, “You're avoiding an answer, aren't you?”

He instantly sobered and I almost felt like apologizing. I was about to when he finally said, “I guess I've always been married to the land.”

“And why is that?” I asked softly.

He sighed. “Well . . . because I know the land will always be here.” He leaned back again and became silent.

His silence left me full of questions, but I didn't ask them. I knew there had to be more to his answer though, and I suddenly found myself longing to know his every thought.

Don't go there, girl,
I admonished myself for the fiftieth time today.
Just enjoy the evening
. I took a deep breath, vowing that I would do just that. And I did.

The next week I found a long wrapped box in my vehicle. I opened it and grinned widely as my eyes fell on the new
Galileo
telescope. It was one of the most touching and thoughtful gifts I had ever received. I immediately went to find Hayden and thanked him.

“You're welcome,” he said with a smile. “Tell you what. Let's head back out tonight and try that thing out.”

“Okay,” I said, grinning widely. “Drinks are on me tonight.”

And that night we drove back out into the desert and gazed at the stars.

When I finally got in bed that night, I drifted to sleep thinking I'd never had a more enjoyable evening.

I was in Caroline and David's home for two months when I truly began to accept my growing feelings for Hayden. And that acceptance didn't come subtly. It hit hard and fast. I knew my feelings for him were strong, but I didn't realize just how strong and deep they went until the day there was an unexpected visitor at the ranch.

Hayden pulled his truck up in back of the house. We had just come back from picking up some things at the store for Caroline.

“Hey, Hayden,” Tom, one of the hands called as he exited the kitchen door with a gallon container of iced tea. “You got a visitor. Been here about twenty minutes or so.” He grinned and turned toward the bunkhouse.

I was wondering about Tom's silly grin when Hayden said, “Must be important if they're still here.”

We grabbed the bags from the back of the truck. “You sure we remembered everything?” he asked as we headed up to the door.

“I sure hope so. You know Caroline. If we didn't, she'll send us right back to the store.”

“You're right about that.”

“Of course, it would give me another opportunity to toss oranges at you.”

He chuckled. “No way, darlin'. I've had about all I can take today. But just remember, payback is gonna be sweet.”

I laughed, thinking about how much fun it had been going shopping with him. Spending time with Hayden had now become the highlight of each day for me.

We were still discussing our produce escapades as we entered the kitchen and placed the bags on the counter.

“Well, hey, Hayden.” The laugh-filled voice startled us both. We turned, noticing for the first time the woman sitting at the table with Caroline, who, at the moment had a strained look on her face.

“Hey, Debra,” Hayden said with a grin. “What brings you out here?”

“I came out here to see you, of course. I know I'm twenty miles away, but you've been MIA for a while now. What have you been up to?”

He pushed his hat back a little and scratched his head. “Been busy,” was all he said.