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Breathing hard, I gather myself and look out the window to see what the hell I almost ran into. I almost laugh out loud when I see it’s a cow.
No. Not a cow. It’s abull.
He’s huge and gray, his coat the color of rain clouds. He has a massive set of horns and is staring me down with big, brown eyes. He makes a lowing sound, followed by a snuffle, and shakes his head at me like he disapproves of my driving.
“Hey, maybe don’t stand in the middle of the road like that, huh, buddy?” I mutter.
The bull just stares back at me.
Unsure what to do, I look around. There’s not another car in sight. Really, the only thing around here are fields—one of which I’m assuming is this bull’s usual place of residence.
Fields, fields, more fields…
…ah. There. I finally spot a farmhouse behind me.
Slowly—nervous about angering the bull—I turn my car around and start driving back in the direction I came from. I don’t have to drive very far before I reach the dirt driveway for the farmhouse. A cloud of dust kicks up behind my car as I drive up it.
As I near the farmhouse and get a better view of it, I can’t help but admire how peaceful of a place it is. It’s a white house with a red roof and a wide front porch. There are a few little marked-off gardens, and some old playground equipment in the yard. A few big, old trees stand tall, the sunshine filtering through their leaves.
Talk about idyllic.
As I pull my car up to the front of the house, an inexplicable feeling wells up in my chest. It’s nothing like I’ve ever felt before. It almost feels like…no. That’s ridiculous. It doesn’t make any sense to feel like I’m home.
And yet that’s exactly what it feels like.
Chapter Two
Adrian
I’m just about to sit down for lunch and a cold beer when I hear the rumble of a car’s engine and the scattering of rocks—sounds I’m not anticipating. My house is pretty far out of town, and it’s only once in a blue moon that I have an unexpected visitor.
Honey, my big border collie, hears the sounds too and starts barking her heart out.
I got up before dawn this morning to ride out to the back fences and make repairs. By the time the sun came up, I was already sweating, and the next few hours practically fried me. I normally wouldn’t drink so early in the day, but the only kind of drink I was craving when I got back to the house was a cold one. I don’t have any other big jobs today, so I thought, what the hell.
As the car outside pulls up, I hurry to the window, hoping it’s not an emergency. Someone showing up suddenly could mean bad news. I don’t recognize the car, and I head outside straight away.
The second I get to the edge of the porch, it feels like I’ve been plunged under deep water. I can no longer hear the birds or Honey barking by my side.
All I can do is stare at the woman who just arrived in my front yard.
As she steps out of her car, it’s like all the day’s sunlight is suddenly focused on her. She has pretty brunette hair falling in waves over her shoulders, cherry red lips, and curves like I’ve never seen before.
Jesus. You worked too hard this morning and you’ve cracked. Sirens like this don’t just appear on your doorstep.
Honey takes off from my side, rushing toward the woman. I call after the dog, but she ignores me, too eager to meet our guest.
The woman grins down at Honey and gives her a few pats, and then Honey starts trotting back over to me, as if guiding the woman over.
“Hi there,” the woman says as she approaches, her violet eyes twinkling at me. “I’m sorry to disturb you, but…”
Her voice is warm and as smooth as silk. The words coming from her lips dissolve in my ears. It’s only when I see her lips stop moving that I realize how little I’ve actually heard.
I reach up and tip my hat, bowing my head a little.
“Sorry, ma’am.” I shake my head. “It’s rare that I get visitors. You surprised me. What were you just saying?”
“There’s a bull out on the road,” she says, gesturing over her shoulder. “A huge one. He’s—”
