Love, English Style (Chapter Eight)
Hannah slid another plate of fried chicken onto the table at Tricia’s house. The birthday party was in full swing and Tricia was already worried about running out of beer. James Earl was just beginning to open his gag gifts when Hannah looked up to see Jared. He was so big and dark Hannah felt as if the room had just shrunk. He was dressed head to toe in black and held a black cowboy hat loosely in his hands. He was a walking, talking temptation and Hannah felt her resolve start to crumble. Their eyes met and Hannah felt the electricity arc between them and her heart fluttered in her chest. Jared stepped toward Hannah but stopped when Tricia laid a hand on his arm and began talking. Hannah took that opportunity to step out of the crowded room to regain some of her composure. She stood in the kitchen and tried to will her breathing and her heart to slow. “There you are,” Tricia said as she breezed through the door. “Listen Hannah, I need you to run up to Ramey’s and get a couple more kegs. I can’t believe how fast these guys are downin’ this stuff. Thankful for the diversion Hannah smiled, “No problem, just let me get my keys and I’ll be on my way.” “Well, your car is too small to carry the kegs and everybody is parked behind you. You’d never get out of the drive. Besides, you need a truck. Jared just got here so I asked him if he’d drive you since his truck is parked out by the road.” Hannah froze then turned to look at her cousin. She smelled a set up here. She’d made Darlene promise not to say anything to her other cousins about Jared just yet but knowing Darlene’s love of gab she might have just wasted her breath. “Have you been talkin’ to Darlene?” Tricia stared back at Hannah silently questioning the tone of her voice. Finally she answered, “Not since Monday morning, why? Is something wrong?” Hannah was about to try and explain when she realized Jared was standing in the doorway to the kitchen. She groaned inwardly. How long had he been standing there? “Are you ready to go,” he asked quietly. She looked back at Tricia. “Of course there’s nothing wrong. Don’t worry about it,” she answered. The walk down the long drive to Jared’s truck was silent. Hannah was trying to get her anxiety under control. She had expected to see Jared tonight, but only in a room full of people, not in the close confines of his darkened pick-up. Jared had put his hat on as soon as they’d stepped outdoors and pulled the brim down so low Hannah couldn’t see his eyes so she had no idea what he might be thinking. He silently helped her up into the truck, started the engine then turned to look at her in the darkness. Suddenly Hannah had a crazy desire to yank that cowboy hat off his head, send it sailing out the window, bury her hands in his soft jet-black hair and pull his lips to hers. Hannah clasped her hands together tightly in her lap. Jared ran the tip of his finger down Hannah’s arm and she shivered at the contact. “I’ve missed you this week. I’ve been wantin’ to call you every day since we started that little fire in your kitchen.” Before Hannah could stop herself she blurted, “Well why didn’t you?” Jared put the truck in drive and sighed, “Well I guess I figured you were gonna be pretty busy since it was your first week on the job and well I didn’t want you to feel as though I was pressuring you. You said you wanted to take this slow and I’m gonna do my damnedest to make that happen.” Even if it kills me Jared said silently as he shifted to a more comfortable position. His body was definitely responding to Hannah being so near. Her womanly scent filled the cab of the truck and even though the width of the seat separated them he could feel the heat from her body. His already tight jeans were becoming tighter by the minute. Hannah cleared her throat and gathering her courage faced Jared. “I thank you for that Jared and while we’re kind of on the subject I think I should thank you for not taking advantage of that girl in the kissing booth all those years ago. I was so young. I remember thinking that I was ready for anything we might have done.” Jared studied Hannah in the darkness for a long time before he said, “There’s no might have about that night Hannah. The minute your lips touched mine we were well on our way to makin’ love. Walkin’ away from you was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done, but you were so damn innocent. To tell you the truth that was probably the first truly mature thing I’d ever done. He gave her a quick wink. “Sometimes being an adult really sucks.” Hannah just had to laugh at the woeful look on his face. They rode in silence for a while before Hannah decided to change subjects. She asked the first thing that came to mind. “What are you doing back in Crockett? I know you went to Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches but didn’t you go to New York after that?” There was a pause before he answered. “Yeah I did. My literary agent convinced me that no one would give a second glance to work done by some hick from the sticks. I hated every minute of the two years I was there but it took me that long to realize she was feeding me a load of crap. My dad becoming ill was the perfect reason for me to pack up and come home. I helped him finish up the orders for furniture that he had and then we just enjoyed being together ‘til he passed away.” Hannah nodded, remembering that Jared’s dad had been a true craftsman, hand making beautiful pieces of furniture. “What happened to his business?” “I still have it,” Jared answered. “I even make a piece of furniture now and then when someone asks for something they can’t find anywhere else, although I don’t have the talent for it my dad did.” Hannah sighed, thinking of the other talents Jared possessed. Clearing her throat Hannah said, “I’m reading one of your books of poetry right now. I found it on my granny’s bedside table. Jared chuckled, “Yeah that was my first published book. I was so proud of it I think I gave a copy to everyone I know. Hannah laughed, “You have every right to be proud. Your poetry is wonderful, very sensual and erotic and very arous...I mean appealing.” Embarrassed, Hannah turned to stare out the window hoping Jared hadn’t noticed her little slip. Jared had noticed but decided to let it slide. Instead he asked, “How about you, did you always want to be a physical therapist? Where did you go to school?” Hannah smiled as she answered, “When I was a teenager one of my mom’s friends was in a terrible car accident and had several months of P.T. as part of her recovery. My mom would sometimes take her to her appointments and I’d tag along. I became fascinated with the whole process so I went to Sam Houston State in Huntsville and got my degree then went on to P.T. school in Galveston. Even though I loved Dallas I had always intended to make east Texas my home. I was thrilled when I found out the rehab center needed a new P.T.” Hannah noticed lights on either side of the road in the distance and knew they’d almost reached their destination. As they crossed the Trinity River Bridge they left Houston County, entered Angelina County and were officially on beer joint road, aptly named for all the beer joints and bars strewn along both sides. Jared pulled into the parking lot full of pick-ups and observed, “Looks like Ramey’s doin’ a boomin’ business tonight, and I thought everyone was at Tricia and James Earl’s house.” Hannah laughed as Jared helped her from the truck. Multi-colored lights twinkled above their heads as they walked across the gravel to the door. Jared opened the door and a blast of cold air and loud music greeted them. Hannah hadn’t been in many bars in her life but she suspected that all small town country bars smelled about the same, a combination of sawdust, boot leather, beer and barbeque. She smiled to herself. What could be any better? Jared returned to Hannah after talking to Ramey at the bar. He carried a longneck in each hand. He said, “Ramey’s gonna have a couple of his guys load the kegs into my truck so we can wait here ‘til they’re done.” Handing her the cold bottle he said, “These were on the house.” Hannah waved her thanks to Ramey and they leaned against the wall as they watched a few couples two-step their way around the dance floor. Jared watched as Hannah took a long drink and let the cold, biting liquid glide down her throat. Her lips closed over the top of the bottle and Jared’s mouth went dry as he imagined those lips closed over a certain part of his anatomy, a part that was quickly making its needs known. Jared noticed a cowboy and his girl dropping quarters into the jukebox and figured two-stepping was a good way to get his mind and other parts of his body back on track. He took the bottle out of Hannah’s hand and said a little roughly, “Let’s dance.” As soon as they stepped on the dance floor and the music started Jared knew he was a dead man. The music coming out of the jukebox wasn’t some peppy little George Strait tune perfect for two-stepping but instead the slow, sultry notes of Alabama’s “Feels So Right” Damn.
Copyright © 1995 Caroline Woodson |