Covering the Carolinas (38 page)

“
I just might. Who’s the lucky lady?” he
asks.

“
Her name’s
Raegan
.”

He smiles a little wider. “As in Raegan Lowery?”

“
Yes, sir.”

“
She’s one of the sweetest girls I know. You
take your pick. They’re on me,” he says as he continues to load
baskets.

“
Thanks,” I respond as I
begin to look through the baskets. It doesn’t take long for me to
decide on a bouquet
of daisies. They are
beautiful, simple, and remind me of Raegan. “I’ll take these. Are
you sure I don’t owe ya anything?”

“
Nope,” he replies, and I try to give him some
money, but he refuses.

“
Thank you, sir,” I say and make my way back
to my truck. I make one stop for gas and then head to the Lowery
farm. As I pull down the driveway, I try to push my nerves to the
side.

Once I arrive at the farm, I walk
to the front porch, take a deep breath, and knock on the door.
Then, I wait for what feels like an eternity until I come
face-to-face with Mr. Lowery and his shotgun
.
Oh, hell! Pull yourself together.

Chapter 9

Raegan

As we make our way to his truck, Emmett’s hand skims
my back and goose bumps rise all over my body. I try my best not to
react the way I’d really like to. He opens the door and helps me
inside before making his way to the driver’s side.

He places the key into the ignition, turns to me,
and smiles as we make our way to dinner. The truck is quiet while
Emmett drives, as if neither of us knows what to say.

“
So, Em, you gonna
let
me in on our plans tonight?” I
ask.

His eyes meet mine in a glance. “I
guess I could. I was thinkin’ ’bout goin’ to eat at Smoke and
then
maybe checkin’ out the band at The
Shed.”

I ponder the idea for a moment, and all I can think
about is the way our bodies moved together the last time we danced,
so I’m definitely in on this idea of a date. “I think I like that
idea, especially the last part,” I say as a wide grin escapes my
lips.

“
Oh, do ya now?” he questions.

“
Yup,” I answer as he takes my hand in his and
laces our fingers together.

Within minutes, we are at Smoke. For our quaint,
little town, Smoke is the place to go for something Southern yet
classy. As we enter the restaurant, the smells of Southern fried
foods tickle my nose, and I can’t wait to dig into those fried
pickles.

The hostess takes us to a table near the
middle of the restaurant
. Emmett pulls out
my chair for me before taking a seat, and the hostess gives us a
rundown on the specials for the evening.

After the waitress introduces herself and gets our
drink order, we scan the menu.

“
Raegan, do you want an appetizer?” Emmett
asks.

“
Fried pickles?” I scrunch
up my nose and request with a little
hesitation
.

He takes his hand and throws it over his heart. “Oh
gosh, I think you just stole it.” I burst out laughing. “Please,
tell me you’re not ordering fried mac-n-cheese? If so, go ahead and
call the morgue!”

“
No, I’m not ordering fried mac-n-cheese, so I
think you’re safe,” I say with a wink.

We order and then enjoy each other’s company before
our food arrives.

“
You know what, Raegan?” Looking up mid-bite,
I finish chewing before placing my fork onto the table. “You are,
by far, the most beautiful girl I’ve ever met.” It was a good thing
I’d already swallowed my food, or I would have choked!

“
Em, I’m sure that’s not the case.”

“
Don’t kid yourself, Rae. I can still remember
what you looked like when we were kids, and even though I didn’t
want anything to do with girls, I knew there was something special
about you.”

“
Um, Em, I hate to break it to you, but you
used to kiss me and every other girl on the playground, so I’m
pretty sure you wanted something to do with us.” His face turns
bright red. “Ohmygosh, is Emmett Bridges embarrassed?” He shakes
his head. Leaning a little closer to the table, I whisper to him,
“I gotta secret. Seein’ ya this way is kinda hot.” I lean back in
my chair and wait for his reaction. Never, ever, do I just lay
words on the table like that.

“
Well, honey, I’ll turn as red as a tomato if
it keeps you usin’ words like that.” He sits back and crosses his
arms. This is going to be an interesting night.

Emmett

Once we finish eating, I pay, and
we make our way to my truck. The way she took my comment so
lightly, like
she isn’t that pretty, really bothers
me. She’s got to know she’s more than just looks in my book, and
I’m ’bout to tell her.

“
I meant what I said in the
restaurant, Raegan. You are the smartest, hardest working, most
beautiful, and most caring Southern Belle I’ve ever met. Don’t ever
sell yourself short.” I stare into her eyes, and place one small,
but monumental, kiss on her perfectly plump lips. It’s times like
these I wish I had a bench seat instead of captain’s chairs. When I
pull away, she gasps, and I know she feels exactly what I do. I
place the truck into reverse before we make our way to The
Shed
.

During the drive to The Shed, she looks at me and
smiles as we listen to the radio. She begins to sweetly sing the
harmony to Blake Shelton’s “My Eyes,” and in that moment, my life
changes for the better.

“
Raegan, I knew you could sing, but, damn.”
She just shrugs her shoulders. “Really, Rae, you need to give
yourself more credit.”

“
It’s no biggie, but I get it from my
grandaddy.”

“
It is a big deal. Can I ask you something,
and you promise not to take it the wrong way?”

“
Sure.”

“
Why do you feel like you have to be the girl
that everyone expects you to be?” I ask as I approach a stoplight.
She stops, takes a moment before she speaks, and then says the most
honest words I’ve ever heard.

“
Em, over the years, the
farm and its responsibilities have grown, and people have come to
expect certain things from me. I’m not perfect by any means, but I
don’t want to let anyone down, especially Grandaddy. Since I can
remember, I’ve done everything he’s asked and I’d hate to
disappoint him. In my life, I’ve lost a lot, but I’m also thankful
for the support I’ve had over the years. That’s why I do the things
I do. I do what is expected, and I do
what’s
right.”

“
Do you ever get tired of it all?”

“
Sometimes, but that’s our secret.”

I smile as the light changes.

“
Em, wanna know another one?” she
questions.

“
Shoot,” I reply.

“
For some reason, I feel like I can just be me
with you. Not the all-American perfect student, cheer captain,
granddaughter, or anything. Just plain ol’ Rae.”

I don’t exactly know what to say to that, so I do
what any other guy would do. I reply as simple as possible, “I’m
glad.” I squeeze her hand a little tighter.

Before long, we are pulling into
The Shed. The parking lot is beginning to fill up. I’m not sure
whic
h band is playing tonight, but from what
I’ve heard, they’re all
great.

I hurry around to let Raegan out of the truck. She
slides down and turns to grab her purse. I shut my eyes to try to
keep the excitement from building as her gorgeous figure turns
around and leans into the cab of my truck. Then, she turns to face
me.

“
Em, are you okay?” she asks.

Knowing I just got caught, I smile. “Yeah,
everything is perfect.” She grabs my hand, and we walk to the
door.

Pushing open the wooden door, we make our way to the
cashier, who is around sixty, but trying to live like she’s still
twenty-two. Smacking her gum, she looks at us.

“
Two?” she asks
for
reassurance.

“
Yes, ma’am,” I say as I let go of Raegan’s
hand to grab my wallet.

“
That’ll be ten dollars, Hot Stuff,” she says
with a wink.

After paying, Raegan takes my hand
in hers. “Come on, Hot Stuff!” I just
shake my
head.

As we enter the main area, the lights are dimly lit
with some type of string lights, people are sitting at tables, the
band members look as if they are about to start playing, and
several couples are already on the dance floor as the stereo blasts
country music through the speakers. I guide Raegan toward a small
table off to the side, and we take a seat.

“
Have you heard of them?” I ask her as I point
toward the band.

“
Yeah, do you see that drummer right there?” I
nod. “That’s Bobby Parker. He’s about Cole’s age and goes to church
with us. You’ll see him in the mornin’.”

“
You’re kiddin’ me, right?” I ask.

“
Nope. You know as well as I do, people down
South go to a good honky tonk on Saturday night and church on
Sunday mornin’.”

I stop and think about it, realizing she’s telling
the truth. “Yeah, it’s the same in Georgia, too.”

As the song drifts away, the lead singer in the band
welcomes everyone, introduces the members, and begins to play
covers of new and old country music. We sit and listen for a few
songs. When “Copperhead Road” begins to play, all the girls in the
place head toward the dance floor. Raegan looks at me.

“
I’ll be
right back.”
She stands and makes her way to the dance floor. Her hips sway to
the beat of the music, and as she reaches the dance floor, she
tosses her hands into the air and begins to clap on beat, and
before I know it, every female in the joint is in unison in a line
dance. The Electric Slide has nothin’ on this.

When the song comes to an end, she smiles as she
walks back to me. I stand to meet her.

“
Rae, when did ‘Copperhead Road’ get its own
line dance?” I question.

“
Maybe a year ago or
somethin’. I’m n
ot real sure.” As the band
continues to turn out more country tunes, it doesn’t take long
for
Raegan and me to find a spot on the
dance floor. The playlist from the band is kick ass, and as they
get ready to break, they slow it down. I take my arms, pull them a
little tighter around Raegan
, and we begin to move
to
the music like the world just stopped
spinning.

“
Hey, Em, you wanna Two-Step?” she inquires as
she burns those deep emerald eyes into mine.

“
Sure.”

She takes my hand, and we jump in
line with the crowd
around us. It’s been a while since
I’ve done this, but it takes no time for me to fall right in time
with Raegan. She smiles at me, and I know I’m done. It’s taken me
all of two days back in my hometown to fall for the girl who’s been
in my dreams for years.

As the song ends, I lead her away from the dance
floor to the bar area to get a drink.

“
Rae, whatcha want to drink?” I
ask.

“
Sun Drop would be fabulous!” she
says.

We take our drinks and notice our table is gone, but
that’s not a problem. It just gives me a reason to stand closer to
her. After we finish our drinks, we make our way back to the floor.
Glancing over my shoulder, I see Cole making his way in with his
friends. I toss my head back and give my full attention to
Raegan.

Before long, Cole and his friends are making their
rounds with the ladies on the dance floor. Raegan looks his way and
smiles, and then he makes his way toward us.

“
Hey, Rae!” Cole yells over the
music.

“
Hey! Catch anything?” she asks.

“
A few bream and a catfish
or two,” he says
as he begins to dance with his
flavor of the night.

“
I’ll expect that for supper
tomorrow
!” He laughs and forgets I’m
standing there. I hate for the thought to enter my head, but I feel
like there is something about these two that I just don’t
know.

As if right on cue, Raegan places
her hand upon my chest and grins at me.
When she
brings those gorgeous lips to mine, that thought evaporates from my
mind. I swear, never in a million years did I expect to roll back
into Pleasant Hill and feel like I never left. Raegan is my home,
and knowing I wasted all that time with a cheating ex makes me wish
I could relive this summer again. Then again, it’s made me the
person I am today, and I wouldn’t trade the memories we’ve just
begun to build for the world.

After talking to Cole a few more minutes I notice
the time, and I know it’s time to get her home. I sure as hell
don’t want a shotgun waiting on me when I get back. I place my arm
around her waist and whisper in her ear as we make our way out the
door.

Chapter 10

Raegan

When Emmett whispers in my ear
that it’s time to go, goose bumps rise on my skin. I bite my lip
and nod in agreement as we make our way outside. Our ride to the
farm is filled with laughter and a desire to constantly touch each
other. I hear Dustin Lynch begin to play through the radio, and
before I know what’s going on, Emmett has pulled the truck off the
side of the highway with the engine running. I stifle a laugh as he
runs to open my door and squeal as
he
takes my hand and pulls me to the ground and into his perfectly
rock solid body. We sing to each other while moving to the beat as
random cars continue down the two-lane highway past us.