Test Drive (The Bachelor #1) (19 page)

The next morning I woke up to an email from Georgia. She said that she was making a trip into the city today to pick up some riding equipment and asked if I was available for lunch. I didn’t bother going to work, instead I got dressed and went to meet Georgia at a farmers’ market downtown.

She was in her typical attire—a pair of daisy duke shorts and a pink tank top with her cowboy hat on and her boots. We picked up a few sandwiches and sat down in the grass on the courtyard. I loved the way she was relaxed and could talk about anything without having to pry it out of her. We took a stroll around the market, and she showed me how to tell which vegetables to buy. I bought her a bag of cotton candy, and she was delighted to see how it melted on her tongue. She said that they worked seven days a week, and that on occasion they had gone to county fairs, but even then, they were busy selling produce or other baked goods. I told her that there was a fair a few counties over going on right now.

She was very excited when I asked if she might accompany me to the fair on Friday night. She said she couldn’t stay out too late because she had so much work to do the next day. That was fine by me, and we set the date for Friday night.

When we parted ways, I went to meet Matt for drinks at Jimmy’s. He greeted me with a high five, and I sat down to order a beer.

Matt was practically glowing, and I had a feeling it had something to do with Victoria. "Okay, man, spill it. What has you smiling so big?"

"It’s her, man! Vic is a special lady, and the whole single mom thing doesn’t even scare me. I talked to her on the phone a few times, and I heard Emmaline in the background. She seems like a cool kid. I could do cereal and Saturday morning cartoons. Besides that woman deserves someone who can support her. She works too hard."

He wasn’t saying anything I didn’t already know, but it was cool to know that Victoria would be taken care of. She did deserve the best kind of man, and Matt was one of those. I let him talk. He had listened to me babble on the other night, and I didn’t want to mess up his moment.

"I can’t believe we both found love. I mean look at us. A couple of bachelors who found beautiful, smart women to be with."

"Actually . . .” I said. "Beth and I aren’t together. She just stopped talking to me and said that she has a boyfriend so we can’t be together. How is it possible that she never mentioned this guy the whole time we were together? She said that what we had was a
mistake
?"

"Do you think she just made up the other guy thing just to throw you off?" We both took a swig of beer and I considered that as a possibility, but if she was willing to go through all that just to push me away maybe I was better off without her. She obviously wasn’t worried about our relationship or me.

Matt looked crushed, and I felt like a douche for bringing him down. "It’s cool though, man. I am talking to this new girl, and she seems pretty cool. Maybe it was meant to be like this."

Matt patted me on the back and hollered for the bartender to give us another beer. We changed the subject, of course, to my job dilemma. He understood why I would want to leave my father’s company, but he gave me some wise words of wisdom that I wouldn’t soon forget. He said, "Drew, if you start walking away from the hard stuff now, you will never stop."

Maybe so.

I HAD MANAGED TO
stay away from Beth and avoid my father as well for the next week. I came in and did what was laid out for me and went home. Beth had so graciously begun putting all my files on my desk before I even arrived.
Thanks a lot.

This afternoon Georgia had begged me to drive out to the ranch at lunch today. We were already planning to meet this afternoon to go to the fair a few counties over, but she said she had something to show me. I sped down the long dirt road, and when I approached the farmhouse, I could see a large school bus and around ten cars parked on the lawn. The side of the bus read,
Special Kids Network
. I had no idea what was going on, but Georgia had been awfully excited on the phone.

I walked down to the barn where I saw Starlight tied to the post all saddled up. I gave her a quick rub and walked to down to the ring. Georgia was in the middle of the ring holding leads of several horses. People were standing all around the ring watching while others were brushing the horses and feeding them with her brothers’ help.

There were a few children in wheelchairs and others were being led by hand. I had heard of programs where children with special needs could interact with horses and how the animals could be soothing to them. Seeing Georgia interacting with the kids was magical. She was kind and patient, but didn’t treat them like they were helpless. She guided them through the steps and encouraged them to take control, well as much control as they could handle.

A little boy named Austin came up to me and tugged on my shirt. His handler said that he was autistic and that he had refused to speak until they had begun coming to the ranch for lessons. Austin pointed at the horse and said, "Acorn!" Sure enough, that was the horse’s name.

"That’s right, Austin. Is he your favorite?"

The boy nodded and then ran back to pet the horse as it came to a stop. Georgia patted him on the head and lifted him up on the Acorn’s back for his turn. The boy was noticeably excited. His handler continued to explain some of the challenges that the children faced and how equine therapy could improve motor skills, as well as, social and communication skills.

"The hardest part is finding funding and people who are willing to sponsor the programs. Georgia and her family are the only ones in the area that offer their services for free. The children love coming." The counselor let out a long sigh.

My heart ached for the kids and adults with special needs. "I never realized how hard life must be for them," I said.

"Unless you see it every day, it seems like such a rarity, but our country is filled with diversity. One in five Americans has some type of disability."

I wanted to help somehow, but I didn’t know where to start. I spent a little time interacting with the kids before they got on the bus to head home. Georgia went to change her clothes to leave for the fair, and I spent the next few minutes sitting on the porch reviewing the day’s events.

When Georgia emerged, I was completely taken aback. She was wearing a burgundy-colored frilly dress with a large purple flower across it, and she paired it with a newer pair of cowgirl boots. This was the first time I had seen her without a cowboy hat. Her long brown hair hung down covering most of her back, and in the low sunlight, it sparkled with sun-streaked highlights.

"You look beautiful, Ms. Georgia." She smiled and did a little curtsy. We headed out to the car and began the hour-long drive to the county fair.

The weather was perfect for an evening outside, and we rode in a comfortable silence for most of the time. The fairgrounds were packed with cars as far as the eye could see. Georgia’s eyes sparkled with joy when we approached the large Ferris wheel and the dozens of other carnival rides. Most of them were for kids mainly, but there were a few fun/scary rides.

She begged to ride the Ferris wheel, and at first, I objected. The thought of being that high up in the air was frightening, and I wasn’t overly confident that the old rickety wheel wouldn’t lead me to my doom, but Georgia insisted saying that she would hold my hand the whole way. She did just that. We climbed into one of the bucket seats, and I made sure to lock the bar in tight. We were forced to sit so close together that the only place I could put my arm was around her. She grasped onto my hand, and as we rode higher on the wheel, I kept my eyes on her. The lights in her eyes and the smile on her face making my gag-worthy fear all worthwhile.

Her country girl charm was very endearing. When we made it to the top she said, "Wow, it feels like we are a mile high in the air."

The words mile high created a flashback in my head of me and Beth rolling around in the luxury bed flying back from the convention. The pain and anguish I felt must have shown through on my face as Georgia seemed to catch on. She put her hands over mine and squeezed gently. I wanted so much to get past this misery, and Georgia was a great girl. She was honest and caring and very talented. She could teach me things I would never learn otherwise. Other than the Ferris wheel, she hadn’t pressured me to do anything or feel a certain way. We were free to just hang out and get to know each other.

After the Ferris wheel ride, Georgia dragged me around the fairgrounds where we got a funnel cake and tried deep fried Oreos.
Gross.
We played every fair game there was and even won a goldfish for Georgia. Armed with a bag full of stuffed animals, we headed back to the car. We had almost pulled out when an explosion sounded in the air. The fair employees were shooting off fireworks to end the night. We sat there watching the fireworks, and I considered planting a kiss on that rosy peach cheek of hers, but I couldn’t look at her and see someone I wanted to be with. There was only one girl that I wanted, and until I figured out what the hell was going on with her, I couldn’t be with anyone else.

I drove Georgia home and she said, "I had a great time tonight. The fair was more magical than I could have dreamed. Have a good night, stud."

"Yeah, I had a great time." I smiled, handing her the bag of animals. I waited for her to get in the door to her house, and I started the long drive home. Tonight was great, but it also helped me realize who and what I really needed.

I sat in my driveway for an hour staring at the picture of Beth and me. Against my better judgment, I had made the picture my phone screensaver. I pulled up her number and started to text her, but stopped. I wasn’t going to win her back with a text message.

It was almost ten o’clock when I walked into the living room in the main part of the house. My father was reading a newspaper in his chair, and my mother was watching a cooking show on TV. I approached them and declared my love for Beth. I told them that I was going to find a way to win her back and that I hoped I had their support in the matter.

I didn’t know quite why I needed it, being that I was an adult, but the leading protestor between us was my father. He had not liked the idea of us being together from the beginning, but he had to understand that this was not a conquest of mine. "She is the first girl that makes me feel this way. I love her." My mother was smiling from ear to ear, and my father’s face looked as if it would explode.

"You are such an arrogant child. What makes you think she wants
you
? A good girl like that, who is always on time and who makes work a priority, deserves someone with the same goals and aspirations. You have been such a disappointment, rebelling in every sense of the word, and now you want to corrupt my best employee."

"Wyatt, that is enough!" my mother yelled. "You will not speak to our
son
that way. He has proven himself in lots of ways, and I imagine that no one would want to work for a man who acted like such a tyrant all the time." She looked my father directly in the eyes and said, "Wyatt, they are adults, and they can choose to be with whoever makes them happy. You can’t choose who you fall in love with, and I certainly don’t expect them to ignore it."

I was happy that my mother understood and that she was standing up for me. My father relaxed in his chair a bit, but maintained the heated look on his face. "Father, I know you don’t understand and I know that you don’t think I deserve her, but we have something that you can’t break."

"Oh really, son? Is that why she agreed to stay away from you?" He covered his mouth pulling at the mustache covering his lips and looked away.

"What are you talking about?" I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was hiding something. "Wait! Did you say something to her? You said she agreed. Did you ask her to stay away from me?"

"Wyatt, please tell me you didn’t." My mother was visibly upset.

"It’s because it’s me, isn’t it? You would rather me be miserable than risk losing your assistant? Well, the joke’s on you because this is going to make you lose us both."

I stormed from the room and headed straight to my bedroom. I heard my mother’s footsteps coming behind me, but I didn’t stop. "Andrew, your father doesn’t mean it. He just doesn’t understand how you two feel about each other." She continued to speak as I packed my clothes. "Don’t leave, honey. Give it a few days and if you still want to leave I will help you look for a place."

"How can the people that you care about care so little about your feelings? I mean she agreed, Mother. She could have stood up for us and what we were creating together, but instead she walked away. He wouldn’t have fired her if she chose me, so why would she so willingly give it away?" I wanted to scream, cry, and throw things. I couldn’t put all of this on my father because she agreed to it.

"It wasn't my intention to hurt you, son." My father had snaked his way into my doorway before I had even realized it.

"What did you say to her, Father? Did you tell her that she would lose her job if she dated me? Did you say that I was some sort of womanizer or that I was too lazy or too selfish to deserve her? Or did she really decide on her own that I wasn't good enough? I need to know."