A Simple Kiss

  Hello Writing.com!  It all started here, this Simple Series about the Mason Lee family.  For those who read it, thank you and for those who gave feedback thank you more!  I finally decided to independently publish this series through Amazon KDP. (Kindle Direct Publishing).

I've posted the first couple chapters here, so writing.com readers can decide if this is a story they might be interested in.  Thanks so much writing.com readers for your support! Since without you these stories wouldn't exist. 

We’re all caught in the winds of fate,
blowing in the breeze of indecision,
hoping we have made the right choice,
to find that for which we search.

                      
                      
                      
Chapter 1   
                  
    “Lorna. I’d like to say I’m happy to hear from you, but it wouldn’t be true,” Bruce Cannedy said dryly. He’d almost let the call go to voicemail, but was curious as to what his ex wanted.
    “How come I never knew you were such an ass while we were dating?”
    Bruce learned a while ago subtle niceties were lost on this girl, but Lorna didn’t seem overly disturbed by his rather rude greeting. “Probably the same reason I didn’t know you were a manipulative bitch and would grab my promotion from under me.”
    “I really can’t believe you’re still pissy about that. I can’t help they thought I was more qualified.”
    “I don’t think a set of double D’s you show to the highest bidder, makes you more qualified as a project manager. But hey, that’s water under the bridge, right?” He asked flippantly as he walked out onto his second-story deck, looking out across his acreage at the red buds in full bloom. “I expect there’s a purpose to this call—besides to annoy me? Or are you just trying to ruin a perfectly good spring day?”
    “You know you did have the prerogative to not answer the phone if you didn’t want to talk to me.” Her voice changed to a pout, and he felt a twinge of conscious.
    “But then I’d spend all day wondering what the hell you wanted, so I figured might as well get it over with. So, what do you want,” Bruce asked pointedly.
    “I was talking to a few of your former coworkers last night and everyone was wondering how you were doing. Since for some damn reason I kept your number, I told them I’d give you a call.”
    “How very…kind of you. It’s a little out of character for you, isn’t it?” A thought popped into his head. “Ahh, I get it. You’re at work aren’t you? And you’ve got a problem you can’t fix and that’s why you’re calling me.”
    “Wow, what a leap.” Lorna replied indifferently.
    “But true.” There was a long silence and he heard her sigh heavily.
    “Alright, you win. Stephen changed the code on the loan-drafting app and the dumb ass didn’t test it before putting the change into production. The backup is corrupt and no one can get it to work. Peter is freaking out and insisted I call to see if you’ll look at it.”
    Bruce chuckled. “Well, I’ve gotta admit you lasted longer than I thought you would. I’ll look at it, but on my terms. You’ll need to pay me the current consultant wage.”
    “But consultants are paid one hundred and fifty an hour,” Lorna’s voice went up a full octave.
    “Yep, and it’s a two hour minimum for this or any other issue,” he stated adamantly.
    “That’s extortion…I won’t pay it.”
    “Fine. You can explain to your new boss Peter and the bank president on Monday why they can’t process loan applications.” There was another long silence and then Lorna swore under her breath.
    “Fine,” Lorna conceded. “I’ll send you a consultant contract which I want signed ASAP, AND I want to be guaranteed a working app by Monday at eight am. I assume you can get email in whatever hick town you live in now?”
    “Yes, believe it or not email does exist south of I-80.”
    “I’m still not sure what the hell you were thinking moving down south of I-80. I mean what is there to do? You don’t even have good shopping down there,” Lorna mocked.
    “Well shopping isn’t the entirety of my existence. I didn’t really consider having a Nordstrom’s within walking distance a pre-requisite,” Bruce stated dryly. “Besides it’s quite peaceful in the country.”
    “Peaceful, huh? How incredibly boring!”
    “It might be boring to you, but while you’re stuck at work, I’m sitting on my deck having coffee. How’s life in Chicago land?” He decided he would try to be polite. He knew he was still upset about the job she managed to steal from under him, but he needed to let it go.
    “Same as usual. Last night I took the team to this new bar in Schaumburg, and we ran into some Bagpipers. What a wild group! Everything they say about the Scots and how they can drink is true. It was a blast! You missed out.”
    “Can’t say I really miss working on Saturday with a killer hangover—but I’m weird like that.”
Bruce turned his head, suddenly distracted by the strange sound of hoof beats. He stood up quickly and quietly. To his surprise, a lone, black horse emerged from the trees. He peered into the woods to see if anyone else was around, but he didn’t see or hear anything. The horse skidded to a halt in front of his pasture fence with an indignant snort. The animal was almost dainty as it tossed its dished head and ran back towards the trees, her tail raised high behind her.
    “Um…Lorna, I got to go. Send me the paperwork—I still have my Gmail account.”
    “Why?”
    “Because a horse is running around my yard.”
    “What?  Are you serious?”
    “Yeah I live in Hickville now remember? I’ll call when I save your ass from being fired from the position you were more qualified for.” Bruce hung up before Lorna could reply.
    He watched the horse cavorting around his backyard. The animal ran back towards the fence with a burst of speed before it stopped abruptly, turned, and arched its neck to look at him. Bruce didn’t move and the animal snorted. It tossed its head and lowered its nose to the ground to eat the new, spring grass with gusto.
    He was at a loss as to where the creature came from. He hadn’t noticed anyone nearby with horses, but someone who lived close must own it, and would be looking for it. He glanced over to the small, unused corral the previous owner built. It was full of new grass. The horse should be content in there for some time—if he could catch it.
      Bruce went inside to change out of the shorts he was wearing. He pulled on jeans, a pair of tennis shoes, and raided the kitchen for an apple before going back outside. He crossed the cool, dewy grass and approached the black horse cautiously, unsure of its reaction. The horse lifted its head, looking at him curiously, as he drew nearer. Bruce stopped several feet from the animal, not wanting to scare it away as he contemplated his strategy. Much to his surprise, the horse walked towards him and stopped within easy reach.
      “Easy now, I won’t hurt you.” Bruce tried to make his voice soothing. The horse wore a bright, blue halter on its small, dished head. It extended its nose to him, smelling him, before walking a few steps closer. To his complete amazement, the horse nuzzled the hand with the apple. He held the treat out for the horse, and it took about half of it in one crunching bite, nearly catching the tips of his fingers. Bruce rubbed the white spot on the horse’s forehead and when it didn’t move away, worked his hand down beside the halter, gripping it firmly.
      “So, where did you come from,” he asked as he carefully fed it the rest of the apple, grimacing slightly as his hand was covered in apple juice and horse slobber. He wiped his hand off on his jeans and walked the animal over to the corral, the horse followed beside him docilely. Bruce shut it inside the enclosure and the animal appeared unconcerned with its capture and went back to eating grass.
      Now what did he do? It wasn’t like he could call 1-800-found-a-horse and report it. He wondered if the local police in River Oaks, the small village a few miles from him, might know who owned the animal. Heck, the way small towns operated, they might be able to give him the number of the owner. He decided to go back to the house to make some phone calls and see what he could find out.

    “Dan, its Maisy Johnston. I was wondering if anyone called in and reported a stray horse,” Maisy inquired with concern.
    “You know, it’s a small town Maisy, you don’t need to include your last name. How many Maisy’s do you think I know?” Dan, the local police officer, drawled
      Maisy rolled her eyes on the other end of the phone. “I suppose I should just call the station and say…Hey, it’s me? I thought you law enforcement types appreciated details.”
      “Just saying there’s no need to be so formal. Besides, I know your voice. It isn’t like we’re strangers.”
      “That’s kinda creepy, Dan,” she chuckled, teasing him.
      “Jesus Maisy, you act like we never dated,” he replied with annoyance.
      “That was a very long time ago,” she knew Dan was referring to the brief couple of months they’d dated right after high school. They weren’t strangers, but she would hardly say they were close.
      “So about the horse—you know, the reason I’m calling you in the first place. I went out to the south pasture and found I’m one short, has anyone called in?”
      “Strangely enough, I was just about to call you. You’re in luck today. We just got a report in about five minutes ago, but I wasn’t sure if she was one of yours. He said it was black with a white star on its head, but I knew most of yours are the light brown type.”
      “They’re called palominos, Dan. And I do board other people's horses, you realize not every horse on this farm is the 'light brown type',” she retorted in annoyance.
      “Yeah, whatever—you know I don’t know much about horses. So, what are you up to later?”
Maisy grimaced at his hopeful tone. “I take it you mean after I get my horse? I’ll be trying to figure out how she’s getting out.” She grinned when she heard the muffled groan on the other end of the phone.
      “Come on, Maisy, you never go out! You’re always stuck on that farm surrounded by a bunch of stupid horses. You know, instead of hanging out with a bunch of dumb animals, you could go out with me tonight.”
      “Why would I leave my dumb animals to hang out with another one?’
      “That hurts, Maisy.”
      “You do it to yourself. When you set yourself up so perfectly, you know I can’t resist. And why on earth do you think if we dated now it would be any different from when we tried before? We both decided we were better off as friends, remember?” Maisy reminded him, since this wasn’t the first of his poorly worded invitations.
      “We were much younger then, both headed to college. Give me a chance, I promise to show you a good time,” Dan said in.
      Maisy tensed when she realized he was completely serious. She wasn’t interested in dating and decided some time ago she didn’t want anything to do with men. Based on her experiences, she found most guys were macho, pigheaded jerks and she’d rather live alone with her horses.
      “Don’t flatter yourself! I’ve heard what your idea of a good time is, and I’m NOT interested! Can you please tell me where my horse is?”
      “I should bribe you. I will make you go out with me—or I won’t tell you where to find your horse.”
Maisy was flattered by his offer, just not interested. “You’re going to resort to bribing me, Mr. Upholder of the law? Besides, you know bribing me won’t do you any good.”
    “Why not?”
    “Because I would just call Jeanine and she’d tell me. I know she took the call anyway,” Maisy shot back.
    “Damn, well you can’t say I didn’t try,” he sighed, giving up the chase at last. “There’s a new guy up on High Point road. You know—the A-frame cabin by the river. He put her in his corral and didn’t know what to do with her.”
    “Well, well, well. She did some traveling—that’s over three miles away! Ok, give me his number.”
                      
                      
         
Chapter 2             
         
      Bruce leaned against the rail on his front porch, waiting for the owner of the horse to arrive. The woman who called about the runaway said she should be over within the hour. Once his four-legged guest was gone, he would resolve Lorna’s issue, even though he’d rather go down to the river to fish. He was sure he liked to fish only because it reminded him of his dad. They’d never caught much, but his mother would always exclaim over the small specimens he brought home on the stringer. It would be nice if someday he could teach his own son to teach to fish.
      Of course, in order to have children, he needed a wife. Since he had no girlfriend, and no serious interest in one, it would most likely be years before he ever had his own family. The thought bothered him.
      All the women who had entered his life had been one of two types. They’d been superficial airheads, not able to carry on an intelligent conversation and wanting to associate with him because of the nice things he could buy. Or the ‘new liberated woman’, who felt the need to prove to him they didn’t need a man in their life at every available opportunity, an attitude which often left him wondering why they were interested in him. Usually his relationships were over in less than a week, because he became irritated or bored. He didn’t think it was too much to ask to be involved with someone who could talk about more than the latest reality series on TV. His friends called him a player—he called himself lonely. For some reason, he’d never managed to find a woman he could commit to. He wondered if maybe the girl he was searching for just didn’t exist.
    “Hi there! You got a horse you want to get rid of?” A gentle voice inquired from the corner of the porch.
Bruce jumped up and turned quickly towards the voice. His eyes met a pair of coffee colored ones of a woman sitting comfortably atop a large, light-tan horse. He’d been so deep in thought he didn’t hear her approach. He took a deep breath to still his racing pulse, and to regain his composure before he gave her a friendly smile.
    “Yes I do. You startled me, I wasn’t expecting you to come up from behind—I mean I was expecting you to drive over.” Bruce’s eyes swept the woman who sat before him, somewhat intrigued by this ‘cowgirl’. She surprised him, and not just because of her unconventional arrival. He couldn’t remember the last time he saw a woman who wasn’t wearing makeup, or a hairstyle he was afraid to touch. She had almond colored eyes, rosy cheeks, and straight, brunette hair she’d pulled back in a ponytail. She looked completely at ease in well-worn jeans, black boots, and a light denim jacket, which was unbuttoned to show a bright turquoise and black flannel shirt.
    “I apologize for surprising you. I should have mentioned I was riding over when I called. It’s such a lovely day. I saw no point in driving a few miles with a horse trailer when I just as easily could ride.” Maisy tried not to stare at the very attractive man in front of her. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected him to look like, but she wasn’t prepared for someone who could have modeled for GQ. Anyone would admit he was incredibly handsome with an athletic build, perfectly styled, thick, black hair, and sparkling aquamarine eyes, which seemed to pierce through her. He must be nearly six feet tall and Maisy swallowed hard, as she gathered the reins in one hand preparing dismount. Most women would probably be falling over themselves to meet this man, but she just wanted to turn her horse around and run away.
    The man walked across the covered porch. “Oh, so we’re neighbors? I’m Bruce Cannedy, I just moved in a couple months ago. It’s nice to finally have an opportunity to meet someone.”
      “I guess you could say we’re country neighbors,” Maisy gave him a nervous smile as she swung down off her horse. Despite her reservations about men, she found she couldn’t help but stare as Bruce walked down the steps towards her. The fact he was drop dead gorgeous didn’t stop the nervous tremor in her hands as she tied Sal to the porch. She reminded herself to just play it cool, get her filly, and get the hell out of here.
    “Nice to meet you, Bruce. I’m Maisy…Maisy Johnston.”
    “Maisy is a very unusual name. You probably hear that far too often,” he said offering his hand to her.
Maisy shook hands somewhat reluctantly, squarely meeting his friendly gaze. His eyes were probably his most striking feature. She didn’t think she’d ever seen eyes which could rival the sky above.
    “Yeah, people ask about it a lot. It’s an old fashioned name.”  She pulled her hand from his as soon as she could without seeming rude. Maisy thought she saw one of his eyebrows raise slightly. As he continued to study her, she felt her face grow warm and she took a step back and grabbed the rope tied to the saddle, unnerved by his presence beside her.
    “I didn’t realize I had a neighbor with horses close by.”  Bruce realized he was making Maisy nervous so he backed up a couple steps and placed his hands in the front pocket of his jeans.
    “Yeah, I live about three miles south of you. I appreciate you catching my horse for me. This is the second time she’s escaped, and I spent all day looking for her last weekend.” Maisy threw the rope over her shoulder.
    “I saw her in your pen when I rode up. I can just go down, grab her, and get out of your hair. I’m sure you have plenty to do without being bothered by my pesky horse.”
    Bruce shrugged slightly. “No need to hurry for my sake, I have nothing pressing. Three miles seems like a long way for a horse to roam. Why would it come all the way here?”
    He gestured towards the corral behind the house and fell in step with her as she started walking. He watched as Maisy nervously fiddled with the rope on her shoulders.
    “It really isn’t very far for a horse. I suppose your place, my place, and the river bottoms are really the only good grazing lands around here, since everything else is so heavily farmed. She probably made her way to the bottoms and then discovered your yard. You do have good grass here.” She told him casually, looking down at the yard beneath her feet.
    “They didn’t mention the grass as a selling point, but it’s good to know,” Bruce joked.
      Maisy glanced up at him to see if he was making fun of her. He met her gaze with a confident, easy smile she was certain typically made women melt like warm butter. She quickly averted her eyes back towards the corral, her heart missing a beat. Why couldn’t the person who found her horse have been an ugly man…or better yet, a woman?  She searched for something to break the sudden silence.
    “When the last owners lived here, they had an old horse, which broke out once and while and ended up at my place. I always thought it was because she was lonely and wanted to see other horses.”
    “Horses get lonely,” Bruce asked in surprise.
    “Horses are herd animals. They really don’t like to be alone. I guess they’re kinda like a lot of people I know,” Maisy gave the man beside her a tentative smile.
    He chuckled softly and nodded. “Yeah, I’ll admit I know a few people like that,” he agreed. “My knowledge of horses is limited to what can be learned at the racetrack.”
    “Like to gamble, do you?”
    “Once in a while, but only on certain things.” Bruce stated glancing in her direction, Maisy immediately looked away.
    “I can tell you anything you want to know about horses. I pretty much grew up on the back of a horse,” Maisy hurried to say. He probably thought she was strange ignoring his last statement, but she’d learned never to ask men about leading statements. 
    “So, if you don’t mind me asking, if you weren’t planning on getting a horse why did you buy this place with all the pasture land?  Are you planning to get cattle or something?” She studied the extensive unused pasture before her.
    “No plans for it really, I just wanted a cabin in the country and this place fit my description. I might eventually get a horse, but I wouldn’t know the first thing about how to ride or take care of one.”
    They reached the corral and Bruce watched as the little, black horse whinnied a greeting to its owner, walking immediately over to Maisy. She easily clipped the rope to the halter and opened the gate. The horse nudged her gently and she fished out a couple of carrots from her jacket pocket. Bruce watched as Maisy’s face softened and lost her guarded expression as the horse gently took the treat from her hand.
    “You little Minx! You are going to be even more spoiled than the rest of them.” Maisy said to the horse as she patted its neck. She led the horse out of the enclosure and Bruce moved to shut the gate.
    “Wait!” Maisy quickly turned her filly to face Bruce, she almost laughed at his bemused expression. “Well, if you are honestly thinking about getting a horse. Rule number one is never walk too close to a strange horse’s hindquarters. If you scare them, it’s their instinct to kick out and you could be seriously hurt.”  Maisy noted his face flushed in embarrassment as he finished closing the gate.
    “Sorry—like I said, I really haven’t been around horses.”
They turned together to walk back to the house. Bruce said nothing else, he stared at the cabin in front of him with an almost morose expression and it made her feel guilty. Had she embarrassed him?  She didn’t think she was the cause, since he wore the same expression on his face when she had ridden up.
    Somehow, Bruce seemed different from the men she was used to meeting. It was almost like he was lost and searching for something, giving him more the demeanor of a little boy, rather than a full-grown man. Whatever it was about him, it called to her in a way she couldn’t ignore and caused her to pose an offer to him she usually wouldn’t entertain for even a second.
    “If you’re really interested in learning to ride, I can teach you.” At his surprised look, she hurried to finish. “I mean—it’s what I do. I’m a horse trainer and I also give riding lessons at my farm.” They walked up to Sal, and she turned to face him, “I’d even throw in your first couple lessons for free, since you helped me out with Minx here.” She motioned nervously to the black filly and then dug in her inside jacket pocket for a business card, handing it to him. “It’s the least I could do.”
    Maisy watched as he glanced down at the green lettering, ‘Johnston Farms – Riding Lessons, Boarding, and Training.’ It listed her address as well as her business and cell phone numbers underneath.
    Bruce looked up with a considering expression, his features brightened into a grin. “I might take you up on that offer, it could be interesting.”
    Maisy felt her stomach flutter, she’d bet her life many hearts had been charmed by his smile. She quickly swung back into Sal’s saddle and tied the filly’s lead rope to the horn.
    “Well, just let me know. I don’t have many lessons going on right now, so my schedule is pretty open. Thanks again for your help,” Maisy forced herself to meet those amazing eyes.
    “It was really no problem,” he told her honestly.
    “Well, maybe I’ll see ya around.” She gave him a brief wave, turned her mount, and quickly trotted off, feeling more and more relieved the further she retreated from his presence.
    Bruce watched Maisy ride away with a speculative look in his eye. Her movements in the saddle seemed to be in perfect unison with her horse. He wondered if he’d ever be able to stay on a horse, much less look like he was born on one. He looked back to the card he held in his hand and chuckled to himself. He never actually considered anything like learning to ride a horse.
    It wasn’t the lessons which intrigued him, but the woman who offered to teach them. Maisy Johnston was definitely different than most women. He didn’t think he’d ever met anyone who tried to avoid making eye contact with him quite as much as she did. He found her shy nervousness around him to be charming. He was used to women like Lorna, who always fluttered their lashes and flashed coy smiles to gain his attention. This girl would never do anything so forward. Hmmm—riding lessons. He didn’t really care if he learned to ride, but it was a great excuse to see the unusual, young woman again.

  For those who loved the series, or if you are interested in them, you can find A Simple Kiss ( a much improved version from the one posted on writing for so long) available on Amazon : 

http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Kiss-Mason-Lee-ebook/dp/B005LALSBY/ref=sr_1_2?s=dig...

The rest of the series will be posted to Amazon Soon...

Book 2 - A Simple Romance will be released around Oct 7
Book 3 - A Simple Place will be released Oct 30
Book 4 - A Simple Wish will be released Nov 20

Thanks to all my readers who loved this series and kept me going and pursuing my dream!! 

You can also find me at: http://www.rlmontgomery.com

For anyone like me without a kindle, nook etc...you can get a Amazon cloud reader to read from pratically anywhere:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=sa_menu_karl3?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771...