I wasn't happy when my sister, Amanda Jean, pulled me to the floor to square dance—a type of dance I've despised since grade school. Then, while we argued about it, I noticed a long blonde-haired woman walking alongside Jack, heading toward us out of the corner of my eye. I looked away from my sister, and over at the woman Jack proudly showed off. To be sure, who I saw with Jack wasn't the beer talking. I blinked a few times.

Yep, the beautiful woman hanging out with the little weasel wasn't a part of my imagination or caused by the beer; she was real. And because of her exquisite beauty, I wondered how in the hell he, of all people, managed to score a woman like her. She must not be from around here because if she were, there's no way she'd hang out with him if she knew what kind of person he was.

With my eyes on her long slim legs, I poked my sister in the side as I leaned to her ear, asking, "Who the hell is that woman with Jack?"

She looked at Jack and the unknown woman, then shrugged her shoulders. "I have no idea. I've never seen her before. Maybe she's a cousin or something?"

Huh...

"If that's the case, I feel sorry for her," I said, still checking out the beautiful, thin-framed, busty woman. Then, when my eyes made their way back up to her face, my ticker picked up speed after being caught checking her out from head to toe—by her. Then, my heart stopped beating, and I quickly looked away when her mouth curved into a beautiful smile.

I don't know why I was ogling and lusting over her the way I was. After telling myself and others for the past five years that I was done with women, the last thing I wanted and needed was another woman coming into my life and ripping my ticker into a million pieces. Only one person deserves my entire heart, and that's Maverick.

Even though I wasn't here to lust on women, my eyes still insisted on focusing on her, and I had to laugh after seeing she had no clue on how to dance and how she was dancing like a drunk trying to figure out if they had two feet.

"Switch partners," the guy with the microphone ordered. And when I turned around, the blonde beauty landed in my arms. Our eyes immediately locked, and her bright emerald green-colored eyes instantly mesmerized me. Her angelic face and how she looked similar to one of my favorite singers caused my ticker to flutter and my stomach to flip-flop.

Damn...

I had no idea how long we were staring into the eyes of each other and that we weren't moving until someone ran into my backside. Finally, I said, "Start moving before we get knocked over by the other couples dancing." She still didn't move, so I leaned closer to her flushed face with an arched brow and said, "Howdy... I said start dancing."

Her face quickly turned different colors. First, it turned a crimson red, then pale, and then she dropped to the ground like her batteries had gone dead.

Holy shit! What did I say?

Shocked by what had just happened, I quickly lowered to ensure she was alright, "Miss? Are you okay?" I asked, offering her my hand to help her stand.

She looked embarrassed by her fall, and when she saw others coming to her aid, she pushed herself up instead of taking my hand. "Yes, I'm alright, thanks," she said, avoiding looking at me while wiping hay and dirt off her clothes.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I have no idea," she said, looking mortified that everyone was standing and staring at her.

Now I know she isn't from around here after hearing her accent. I looked at Amanda Jean and pointed at the tables, letting her know I was walking the woman over to them. I walked her over, then had her sit. "Stay here; I'm going to get you a glass of water."

As I headed across the room to get to the bar, I caught myself continuing to look at her. I don't know what the hell is wrong with me or what it is about her, but she's got me acting like a damn teenager, lusting over her like she's a fresh piece of meat.

I leaned over the bar, yelling, "Yo, Willie! Fetch me a glass of water, would ya, please?"

"Need another beer too?" Willie asked as he slid the glass of water towards me.

My fingers drummed the bar top. I wasn't sure if I should have another. I've only had one beer since I got here, and it has my mind acting like I'm a damn fool. I looked at her, then at Willie. "Sure, why not," I groaned, regretting my decision to drink more alcohol that's already messing with my mind. "Yo, Willie," I said, wiggling my finger at him, then nodding my head toward the blonde, asking, "See that long, blonde-haired woman sitting down yonder?"

He looked at her, then at me. "Yeah, what about her?"

"You wouldn't happen to know who she is, would ya?"

He shook his head. "Nuh uh, never saw her before."

"I know she ain't from around here; she's got quite a northern accent."

A light must have turned on because he held up a finger, saying, "Oh, wait a minute... I reckon she's the gal Callie rented her house out to. I remember her saying something about renting to someone from way up yonder."

"Yonder?" I asked, looking back at the woman, wondering where that could be.

"Yeah, you know. Way up yonder... meaning, Alaska."

"Huh..." I muttered underneath my breath, turning to face Willie. "Alaska," I repeated. "I wonder what made her come here?"

"Maybe you should pull that pipe out of your ass and get to knowing who she is... she's a pretty gal, ya know," he grinned, thinking I'd fall for his match-making ways.

"I'm also married." I reminded.

He laughed, "No, you isn't; she walked away years ago... it's time to let her go, boy," he said, sliding a beer to me before walking away.

I grabbed her water and my beer and sighed as I started heading toward her.

He has no clue what he's talking about; I don't need another woman in my damn life. The only thing I need to be focusing on is raising my boy.

I sat across from the woman, then with my eyes on her, I slid her the glass of water. "Here, drink this. You're still looking like a ghost."

"Thanks," she said quietly, but not without showing her beautiful, captivating smile again.

I need a damn drink; how her green eyes are gazing at me and how she licked her lips after taking a drink, make my unit want to swell.

I have to do something or leave before I make a mistake and say the wrong thing. I wrapped my hand around the beer bottle, picked it up, and in one long swallow, I drank the entire contents inside. "I've got to go. I'm glad you're okay," I said, standing, avoiding eye contact, then walked away as fast as I could.

I felt like an ass for up and leaving, but I had to walk away from her. I also needed to get the hell out of here. While heading to my sister to let her know I was leaving, Jack stepped in front of me, placing his hands on my chest. "Hey man, I had my eyes set on her first, so you can just back off... you're still married, ya know," he said with a smirk that had me wanting to dismantle it right off his face.

I wanted to laugh at the little weasel standing before me, thinking he's a hard ass and a know-it-all. "Ya know what, Jack? That's something you don't have to remind me of. And if you think you can have her, then go for it," I said, grinning. "Because all you are is all hat and no cattle. So, with that said, I wish you luck... have a goodnight." I winked.

I had to walk away from him before I decked Jack square between the eyes for bringing up my wife and reminding me of who walked away from Maverick and me five years ago.

Prick.

I walked as fast as I could over to Amanda Jean. Then, not caring who she was talking to, I interrupted her. "I've gotta go. Maverick's probably going nuts that I ain't home yet."

"Everything alright?" she asked, looking worried.

"Yeah, everything's fine. Have a good night."

I felt terrible leaving my sister there, but hell, had I stayed there any longer, I would have gotten into a fight with Jack over a woman I didn't know and knew nothing about. Had I stayed and not beat the living shit out of him, I would have drank more where I would have wanted to take the blonde home, to show her how we Texans like to have a good time.

It was nice to see when I got home. My other sister, Natalie, could get Maverick to bed and get him to fall asleep without me. "Thanks for bringing him home and getting him into bed... did he have any more wild outbursts?"

"No problem. We had a good time. Maverick was very good. And he also didn't have any episodes."

"That's a relief."

"Although, he did bring up his mom again, asking where she was... I suppose seeing the other kids there tonight with both their parents had him wondering why his mom wasn't there with him."

"I reckon so," I sighed, then couldn't help but think about her and what she did. Finally, I threw my arms up in the air. "I don't know what to tell Maverick anymore. I've spent the last five years telling him she'll be back. And still, to this day, I haven't heard one word or received a damn letter from her."

"Well, you know what I think. And you know damn well what Amanda Jean thinks... It's time you quit thinking about her and move on. It's been five years, Jesse. You need to go to the courts, explain the situation, and bam, you're free again."

I was done listening to her, and instead of arguing, I walked away and headed to the kitchen.

For five years, I've searched for that woman, looking for answers. Hell, I've even gone to her family asking questions, and they won't give me answers.

"I need a damn beer; want one?" I yelled, reaching into the fridge and grabbing a beer.

"No, I'm fixing to get going. I've got a busy day tomorrow training a new girl."

New girl?

Did I just hear her right?

I closed the fridge and stepped out of the kitchen, twisting the bottle cap. "What new girl?"

"I dunno. I was told that a new girl starts tomorrow, and they want me to train her. Why?"

My head shook. "No reason."

Natalie walked over to me, took the beer from my hand, took a swig, then handed it back to me, giving me the one look I hated—you better listen to me look. "Move on, Jesse. After five years and not a word from her shows, she ain't ever coming back. Find a woman who'll love you for who you are and love that sweet little boy just as much. It's time..."

After Natalie left, I walked upstairs, over to Maverick's room, and watched him sleep for a bit in the doorway. Wondering how Hailey could just walk away from us as she did. I know she was having a hard time dealing with Maverick's disability, and if her reason for leaving was because of him, then she's even lower than what I thought she was.

I pushed myself away from the door frame, walked over to him, pulled his blanket up towards his chin, and leaned down, kissing his forehead. "Love you, bud."

I had difficulty sleeping all night, thinking about Hailey and how Maverick kept asking for her. I should know by now she's never coming back and that I should move on, but it still angers me for what she did that I can't stop thinking about it.

I don't know what I did for her to feel the need to disappear, and if she wasn't happy in our marriage, I wish she would've talked with me about whatever she was bothered by. I would've fixed whatever that was.

I may have deserved her leaving me, but Maverick didn't.

Everyone keeps telling me to forget about her and to move on. But how do you forget about someone you have known all your life? Our first kiss was when we were eight years old, down by the pond when we were gathering toads. Hailey asked me, 'if it was true if you were to kiss a toad, would they become a prince?' I responded, 'You're already looking at him,' and kissed her.

After that kiss, we were inseparable. Then as we grew up, any boy who gave her a hard time, I was there, kicking their asses. It wasn't until we were in the tenth grade that we lost our virginity together in her father's barn after helping her clean it. Afterward, we were caught, still naked and, of course, by her father. After that, she wasn't allowed to see me anymore. But that didn't matter; we still figured out ways to hang out and see each other. Then, after high school graduation, we took off and eloped in Vegas. Two years later, she got pregnant with Maverick. Even though we were young and scared about bringing a child into the world, we still managed to figure things out.

My life forever changed the day Maverick was born. I thought he was the perfect baby. He was beautiful yet handsome, looked like her, and had my attitude.

Then everything changed the day we brought Maverick home. He cried a lot, especially at loud, surprising noises. There were also days when he'd scream and cry for hours, and nothing seemed to soothe him.

So we brought him in for a check-up and were told his crying was because he was colic. Then, at about three months old, we started noticing more issues with him. He stopped smiling and laughing, avoided eye contact with everyone, and stopped responding to us whenever we waved our hands in front of him, snapped our fingers, or talked to him.

We thought he had gone blind or deaf, so we brought him in again. But unfortunately, that was the day we were told he had autism. As he aged, the symptoms progressed, and Hailey had a harder time dealing with Maverick's autism, which caused us to fight constantly.

Hailey always blamed me for Maverick being the way he was and would bring up how it didn't run in her family. It didn't run in mine either, but it killed me daily for her to accuse me of being at fault.

After a while, I believed it was my fault.

The night she left, I thought everything was fine. After a long hard day working on the farm, I came in to a nice home-cooked meal. Later that night, after bathing Maverick and putting him to bed, she sat next to me as I watched TV. From the look on her face, how she was fidgeting, and how she was acting, I knew something was on her mind, so I asked her what was wrong.

Of course, she said nothing was wrong, and everything was fine, so I let it go.

I should have known something was majorly wrong after we went to bed because she did what she never did: denied me. The following day, I woke up to her gone.

Five years later, here we are, with no sign of Hailey.

Finally, I got tired of tossing and turning, so I got out of bed, showered, made coffee, and then fed Maverick. After he ate and I dropped him off at school, I returned to the farm to feed the cattle and the horses. A few hours later, I was hungry. So I went into the house, opened the fridge, then dug through it to see what I could make.

Then I started thinking about what Natalie said last night and how she was training a new girl. I looked at the lunch meat staring me in the face, then reached for it, but as I wrapped my hand around it, I let go and closed the fridge door.

I can't believe I'm going to do this.

I had a couple of hours before Maverick needed to be picked up from school, so I left for the diner in my ratty old pickup truck. Along the way, I kept asking myself why I was going out for lunch when I had plenty of food at home. But curiosity got the best of me—curious if the new girl my sister was training was the new blonde in town.

I walked into the diner, found a place to sit, and picked up the menu left on the table. Curiosity got me again, so I looked around the room, but when I saw the same employees, I looked back at the menu.

"Jesse, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be working that farm of yours?"

I looked up at Natalie. "I'm hungry and didn't feel like making anything, so what's cooking today?"

She looked away from me and over to the kitchen. "Well, why don't you hang on a minute? It's been slow today, and the new girl needs to learn. So I'll get her to help you with your order."

Not wanting Natalie to see the excitement in my eyes, I looked at the menu. "As long as I'm getting fed, I don't care who takes my order."

She shoved my head. "You're such a grouch."

I waved my hand for her to go away, then, as I waited for this new girl to wait on me, my ticker thought it would be nice to prepare me for an adventure and started racing. A new but familiar voice caught my attention as I rested the palm of my hand over my heart.

It's her—the beautiful blonde babe.

I looked up, and when I saw it was the gal from the night before, my stomach went for a dive, and my ticker thumped harder and faster.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, tipped my hat, and turned my frown into a smile. "Howdy, what's cooking today, sugar?"

Sugar? Really?

Why the hell did I just say that to her?

What the hell is wrong with me?

Thankfully, she accepted my uncalled-for spur-of-the-moment hypocorism by giggling before listing off today's lunch specials. "Do you need a moment to decide?"

I closed the menu and held it out for her. "No. I'll take the chicken fried steak special and a tall glass of sweet tea. Please and thank you."

"Be right up, cowboy," she happily said, taking the menu from me and shoving it into the pit of her arm.

As she walked away, my eyes refused to look anywhere else but at her. And it drove me nuts that this woman was causing me to act this way.

Was it because of her long blonde golden locks, piercing emerald green eyes, long slim legs, and smile? Or was it because of her northern accent drawing me to her?

Or... was it because of Jack, and how he told me he wanted her?

Natalie stepped in front of the new girl, locked her eyes with mine, and then grinned after busting me, watching the woman's every move. Then, hearing the door chime, I turned to see who had come in.

Great, what's he doing here?

I quickly turned around after seeing him heading my way, and what I wished he wouldn't do, he did—pulled out the chair across from me. "Jack," I groaned.

"Jesse, what a nice surprise it is seeing you here," he chirped while sitting.

I looked at all the empty tables surrounding us, then at him, growling, "There are all sorts of empty tables, and you have to sit at mine?"

"Why not?" he asked, waving for my sister to come over. "Is there something wrong with having company?"

"I reckon not," I muttered lowly. "What are you doing here?"

"Same thing you are; I'm hungry. Plus, Josie mentioned last night that she started working here today."

"Josie?"

"Yeah, the hot new girl in town," he said, his eyes brightly sparkling.

What a buffoon.

"I see," I said, looking away, quietly chuckling underneath my breath.

She's way out of his league, but what do I know?

"You know? I was thinking... about what you said to me last night."

I looked back at him. "What's that?"

"Well, you said I was all hat and no cattle. So, I was curious if you needed any help on the farm. I know a while back you were looking for help, and with the rodeo coming up, I thought maybe you could use some help with the horses," Jack said, looking serious.

Wow, he's determined to win her over, isn't he?

I laughed and shook my head.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing... I think I've got it handled, but thanks anyway."

Josie came over with my plate of food, set it in front of me, and then looked at Jack, asking what he would like. He leaned forward, looked at my plate, then sat tall. "I'll have what he's having."

Of course, he'd copy me—what a moron.

As I ate, I tried my hardest to ignore him. And the more he talked, the more irritated I became. Finally, I had enough and set my fork down. Then I looked at him and snapped, "Damn, Jack, don't you ever shut up? Can't you see I'm trying to eat in peace?"

His eyes widened, shocked by my outburst. I didn't mean to snap as loud as I did, but I couldn't help it. The man's an idiot.

"Rough night?" he asked.

"You can say that," I said, my mouth full of food. "Plus, I came here to eat and mind my business. But now I got someone jibber jabbering my damn ear off."

He frowned, asking, "Are you sure you don't need any help?"

"Look, if I needed help, I'd say it."

Josie setting Jack's plate in front of him relieved me, thinking it would finally shut him up, but I was wrong. He opened his stupid mouth, anyway.

"So, what do you say when you get off, I come here and pick you up? I'll show you around the town, and then afterward, I thought maybe we could go to the saloon and have a couple of drinks?"

She looked at me, shrugged her shoulders, then looked at Jack. "Sure, why not? I have nothing going on. It would be nice to start meeting the people around here," she said, then looked at me. "What about you? Will you be along?"

I set down my fork, then laid my napkin over my plate, shaking my head. "Nope, I have other engagements to attend to."

Her lips twisted, and then innocently asked, "Oh, okay, maybe another time?"

"Yeah, maybe," I said as she picked up my plate. I looked at her, winked, then smiled, mockingly saying, "You two have fun. May I have my check, please?"

Had Jack not shown up, I wouldn't have eaten as fast as I did and would've wanted to stay longer, but I couldn't be around him any longer, watching and listening to him trying to swoon her over. He looked and sounded ridiculous, but there was nothing I could do or say about what he was trying to do.

Hopefully, when he takes her out, he'll treat her respectfully. Because I know how Jack was with the last girl he dated, and if he treats Josie the way he treated the last one, she'll end up kicking him where the sun doesn't shine.

As I was getting ready to leave, Jack ran up to my truck, gripping his hands on my door frame with a nervous look in his eye. "Do you have any pointers for me? I really like this girl, and I don't want to screw this up with her."

I laughed. He really is dumber than a box of rocks.

I adjusted my hat and smiled. "Then don't screw it up," I said as I stepped on the gas and backed up, causing Jack to jump away from my truck. I leaned out the opened window. "Good luck!" I yelled, kicking up dirt and leaving a trail of dust behind me as I sped off.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter😬😬😬