Country Lovin': Chapter Seventeen

When Valene's eyes fluttered open, she realized that she wasn't home. Instead, she wrapped tightly in Jessie's arms. Her entire backside was pressed firmly against the front of him. She could feel his breath tickle the small hairs on the back of her neck and she felt in heaven.

She had been in a depressed state the night before and Jessie had tried everything to make her feel better. Putting her feet up, rubbing her shoulders, her feet, even cooking her dinner, to even talking about it. She couldn't get what Derek had told her out of her head. That had all changed when Jessie had leaned across the table and took her mouth with his.

It was a gentle, caressing, loving, time. She had felt as if she was made entirely of glass. She had loved it then and even now she loved it. Never once, had Valene felt so treasured in her entire life.

The sun danced upon their skin and over the blankets, which were laying loosely upon them. Two windows were open, and a lazy breeze fluttered in, caressing the curtains as it blew through.

Valene turned around in his arms, and faced Jessie, who was still asleep. She smiled at him, knowing that if there wasn't any reason for coming down here, except to get away, that she was at least glad she met Jessie. He was different than any other man she had ever met. He was stubborn, yet caring and he listened. Again, while they made love, he had told her that he loved her. It had been her heart skip two beats at the three words that seemed to dance from his lips into her ears and into her heart.

She looked down at his lips and pressed her lightly, then firmly to his. It seemed to awaken him, when she felt his arms tighten around her. She smiled and draped an arm over him. "Morning." She replied huskily.

"Morning. Sleep well?"

She smiled. "Yeah. Thanks to you."

"Hey, that's what I'm here for. To make you feel better." He smiled and lifted her onto his stomach. She giggled, her breasts pressed against his chest, her hands on both sides of his head. Her hair fell down her shoulders and fanned out across his chest. "Did I ever tell you, that you were beautiful in the morning?"

She smiled. "No." She replied as she crossed her arms and placed her chin on her hands. "Could you tell me? Sometimes I think I'm ugly when I wake up."

"You are truly one remarkably beautiful woman when you wake up. Truly sexy." His face broke into a grin, his brown eyes glowing with happiness.

"Truly sexy, huh? You think so? Beautiful I can believe...sorta. But, sexy?"

"Yes, definitely sexy. If you saw you from my eyes, you'd probably melt. It's hard for me not to just melt at the sight of you."

She grinned and ran one of her hands through his hair. "I think you are sexy in the morning. Very very sexy."

"You think so? I always thought I was a sexy man, but in the mornings? Never saw myself as sexy." He teased.

"You are sexy twenty-four seven." She replied as she kissed his chest.

"Oooh, I like the sound of that." He grinned as pressed her down to him, so he could kiss her on the lips.

Jessie ran his hands through her hair, then cupping her face and looking into the depths of her blue eyes. She was so beautiful and yet had this harsh past. He had even thought about asking her. Asking her to be with him for the rest of their lives. To start a family, to be together, to become one soul. He had been afraid to ask the question, just simply because he knew she would say no. No, because she belonged in the city, she belonged in a tall story building, the city was in her blood and that was where she'd remain.

"What are you thinking of?" She asked, a soft smile teasing her beautiful lips.

"You. Just and only you." He replied, truthfully. That was all he seemed to be thinking of or about. He couldn't help it. While he worked, he thought of her, while he slept, while he lived and breathe he knew he'd always think about her.

She smiled and kissed him. "You are too good to me."

He shook his head. "No, I'm just what you deserve."

She grinned this time and laid her head on his chest, her hair falling behind her and against his side. "Sometimes I wonder if I deserve anyone."

"Well, don't wonder about it. Everyone deserves someone." Jessie ran his hand through her hair, feeling the softness of it. Wishing he could keep it there forever.

"I hope you're right." She replied softly.

"I know I'm right." He told her.

She lifted her head and looked at him. "I don't know what I'd do without you. I really don't."

He smiled, knowing that she felt the same for him as he did for her. He wanted to care for her forever. He wanted to just hold her and care for her, and protect her. He felt he could put his life down for her; die for her if it was absolutely necessary.

"Thats always good. You hungry? 'Cause I am."

She laughed when he pushed her playfully off of him. "What are you going to make?"

"Come down stairs with me and find out." He smacked her on her rear and he put on a pair of jeans and looked at her once more before he walked out of the bedroom.

She hurried out of bed, putting on her underwear, her bra, and searched through his closet until she found a long, red t-shirt with a picture of a woman barely wrapped in a white strap of cloth. Her hair was orange, her eyes green, and she was beautiful. She slipped it on and walked down the stairs, her barefeet clapping against the wooden steps.

He was standing in the kitchen, flipping through an old cookbook. His muscles loose, his hair messed, and his stance lazy. She smiled and just wondered what it would be like to wake up every morning to see a man like that, standing there. Her eyes went wide at the thought. No. Too soon. You can't think of stuff like that. No. But she couldn't help it. He had changed since he had first met him and he cared for her. More than anyone else had ever had.

She strolled into the kitchen and leaned onto the counter next to him. "Whatcha looking up?" She asked with a smile when he looked down at her.

"Nothing. It's a surprise." He replied as he lifted up the book.

"You can't keep surprises from me." Valene said with a smile.

"I am suddenly seeing this." Jessie replied with a grin.

She raised her eye brows. "So, can I see?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I said so. Go watch some television." Jessie said as he turned his back to her.

"No, I want to know what you're making so I can help." Valene protested, trying to get her way around him.

"No! Definitely not. I want to cook for you."

"You cooked for me last night."

"So."

"So what? I want to help! Please! Please!" She whined.

Jessie grinned. "No. You're going to have to be a good girl and go behave."

"What if I don't want to?" She fluttered her eyes at him and he just laughed and shook his head.

"Then that will have to be too bad."

She pouted. "Fine. You just be that way then." Sighing in defeat, she strolled out of the kitchen and walked into the living room, where she flipped through the television channels.

Jessie just grinned and shook his head. He went back and skimmed through the cookbook. He hadn't used this cookbook since he was a kid with his mother. She had left it behind in the house, and it was only as he had been walking down the stairs when he thought of looking through his mother's old cookbook.

º º º º º º º

"These pigs wreak, how can you stand them?" Valene asked as she dumped a bucket of slop into the pig trough.

"You get used to it after awhile." He explained.

"Oh. I see." She replied as she looked into the bucket, making a face.

He smiled and took the bucket. "Yeah. Don't worry, I threw up when I first fed a pig."

"How old were you?" She asked casually, following him into the barn.

"Five." He replied with a smirk.

"Five?" She shrieked.

"Yeah, five. My dad told me that it was ripe age for me to start working on the farm."

"Wow." Was all Valene could find herself to say.

"Yeah, wow is right." Jessie replied as they stopped by a large old tub, where Jessie tossed the bucket in and sprayed it.

"I was playing in the dirt when I was five." Valene said with a smile.

"I can't even see you playing in the dirt. Maybe playing house, but playing in the dirt? No."

She laughed. "I always played in the dirt. Of course, until we moved into the city. Then we weren't allowed outside much. Unless it was out on the porch. We didn't have a yard, so we couldn't go running around like we used to."

"That stinks. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have a yard to play in, especially when I was a kid." He picked up the bucket and turned it upside down and let it drain in the tub.

They walked over to the cattle stalls, where dirty hay and dirt food and water bins rested. "Ready for some fun?" He asked as he opened up one.

"Oh I'm just aching for some fun." She replied sarcastically.

º º º º º º º

Valene groaned as another throb teetered her over the edge. The headache had been rocking her brain for almost an hour and she wanted to get her Aunt Kitty's room finished. She wanted it done and out of the way.

She pressed her palms to her forehead and sat down on the mattress. Standing, she finally wandered downstairs to the bathroom, and flung open the medicine cabinet and grabbed out a bottle of Tylenol and popped two into her mouth. She turned on the faucet and cupped her hands to create a bowl for the water.

The day was dreary and would classify as the coldest day of her entire vacation. Storm clouds looked to be out in the west and she didn't want to leave the next day. She wanted to stay and be with Jessie. He seemed to be on her mind more often than not.

It was something that couldn't be helped. Even so, she couldn't even admit to herself that she had fallen in love with him. If she admitted that to herself, she couldn't bring herself to leave. If she couldn't leave, then she wouldn't be in control and she had been in control of herself since she was a teenager, and she liked it like that. She didn't like the surprises that her body, mind, and soul could play on her.

Wandering into the living room, she fell onto the couch. She hadn't talked with either Derek or Nadine since the day at the funeral home, which even now, still rocked her to the core. She didn't try to let Jessie know. He had done too much for her already and she didn't want him to think that she was just a bundle of emotions.

At the moment, she really didn't want to talk to them. Especially, Derek. He had hurt her more than Nadine's no interference had. How could words hurt someone so deeply? She knew what he was talking about. She had been visiting with Brad and his family on Christmas Eve, the last Christmas Even that she or anyone else would be able to share with their father. Now, she had been with Jessie when Aunt Kitty had died. Making her feel more guilty then her own mind was making her feel.

Being alone actually made her happy. She wanted time alone to think. To just think about life and what she wanted to do with it. She had been given a curve ball. She could either move and avoid it, or go with the flow and bend with the curve. It was her choice. She could either go back to New York City and forget about Jessie, however hard that may be, or stay. Stay with the man she couldn't even confess to herself that she loved. A man she loved more than she loved herself.

Shaking her head, she stood off the couch and wandered into the kitchen. She wasn't exactly sure what to do in the kitchen. The dishes had all been done and put away. The counters and stove had also been cleaned.

Groaning she walked out of the house and sat on the bench beneath the tree and just stared out at the big field behind Aunt Kitty's house. It was open, friendly in appearance, which went deep into a forest of trees.

The day was cool and dreary, yet she felt better out here. She felt as if she had somehow come home. She crossed her arms across her chest and crossed her legs, and just looked out at the land that seemed to spread out before her.

Smiling she closed her eyes and leaned back. She couldn't help but dream about Jessie and a life that they could create together. Would she mind staying on the farm, waking at dawn? Only if she would awake every morning in his arms... She smiled and just the thought of doing so seemed to warm her body.

"Penny for your thoughts?" She grinned as she felt warm, strong arms surround her upper body. She felt his warm breath on the back of her ear and it sent every hair on her body on end.

"You." She murmured as she leaned back against him.

"Me?" He asked, his voice sounding confused.

"I was thinking about you." She replied as she turned to see his face as it broke into a smile.

"That's always glad to hear. You almost done packing away Kitty's stuff?" He asked as he tightened his grip around her.

"Almost. I had a headache and I needed to stop for awhile." She wrinkled her brow. "What are you doing here?"

He raised his eye brows. "What am I doing here? I'm here because I got done early and I thought I'd come down here and ask you to dinner."

She laughed and stood up. "Dinner? You are so thoughtful." She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his chest.

"Thoughtful? I was looking for something maybe like wonderful..." He smiled and laughed when she pinched him in the side. "Okay...okay...thoughtful will do too."

"I thought so." She laughed when he leaned down and kissed and suckled on her neck. It tickled and she tried to lean back, but he kept on it, and he held her as they both leaned over. "Okay.." But that thought was disturbed by a burst of laughter.

Jessie lifted her into his arms and carried her into the house. "Okay..now you need to get changed."

"Changed?"

"Yup."

He carreid her up the stairs and into her bedroom. "I'm taking you to a meet my parents."

Valene's eyes went wide. "Your parents?" Her mouth went dry. "Really?"

He looked at her and grinned. "Yup."

"Wow." She was shocked. She stood there a moment after Jessie had put her down.

"I told them I was bringing someone special with me to dinner. I hope you don't mind. Do you have any plans?" He asked, his eyes wandering her face.

"No. Of course not. I'd love to come. I was just...I was just surprised." She smiled and walked over to her closet.

"Okay. I thought you wouldn't mind. I probably should've called first." Jessie replied as he sat down on the bed and watched as she picked some clothing out of her closet.

"No Jess, it's fine. I just...I don't know. It just makes this relationship more...real." She replied with a smile, looking over at him.

He smiled. "I thought it might. You mean a lot to me, Val. A lot more then I thought any woman ever could."

"Country Lovin': Chapter Eighteen"