Passing the welcome sign on his way into town, Nick couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief at the sight of his old stomping grounds. It had been a while since he’d last been home. Driving down the main street through town, he gave a glance up at the old water tower. The high school logo painted on the side, time faded with help from the weather. Leaving home for college was something Nick looked forward to. A new adventure, one that took him out of state and into the big city, away from the monotony of a one-horse town that was his prison for the first eighteen years of his existence.
Earning a bachelor’s degree and enjoying all that the college life offered, Nick thrived. Living independently, partying every weekend, and the occasional hook up here and there. Four years flashed by in a blur and upon graduating, he found a job close to his university and settled in to his new life.
Things were going well for the young man. He had a nice apartment, a steady job in the infancy of his career, and of course, the spotlight of his life, his girlfriend, whom he had grown very intense feelings for. They hit it off instantly when a mutual friend introduced them. The pair were soon inseparable, as casual dates turned into lustful sleepovers, which eventually led to a deeper intimacy and bond that formed between the two. At least, that’s how Nick saw it. You can imagine the shock he got when that same mutual friend approached him with the worst news the young man thought he could receive. His girlfriend had stepped out on him and was seeing someone else behind his back. Enraged by the news, Nick was beside himself, replaying events from the last two years in his head.
Where did I go wrong? he thought, the pain of being wronged numbing him to his core.
She never denied it either when confronted. The only explanation she had was that it wasn’t him, but her.
“That old cliché,” he muttered as he turned and walked out of her life, too heartbroken to say anymore.
His world slowly crumbled around him. Productivity at work slowed as night after night he found himself curled up on a bar stool till closing time. Finally, his boss approached him with an ultimatum: either pick up the productivity or look for other employment. Nearing the end of his rope and foggy from the previous night’s hangover, Nick found himself that next morning loading up all of his belongings into his newly purchased pickup truck. With the turn of the lock on his apartment door, he was gone.
After twelve hours of driving and his hangover all but gone, his truck tires hitting gravel as he turned off the two-lane highway towards his parents’ place. Feeling the rumble of the gravel under him brought back distant memories. A pit formed in his gut as the thoughts of yesteryear flooded back.
Approaching the old homestead, Nick’s heart skipped a beat. Far too long he had been gone, and it made him feel good pulling into the old farmyard. Taking in the modest house and barn, freshly repainted an eggshell white, a small smile cracked his lips as he took in a deep breath and coughed. He laughed to himself as he forgot about how potent the fresh smell of manure was. A smell he hadn’t been acquainted with for some time.
Pulling the truck up to the house, he stepped out into the hazy autumn air. It was unusually warm for this time of year, but the humidity felt good on his skin. Taking a few steps towards the house, Nick noted how clean the place looked. He always thought his parents’ farm was nothing but a dung heap, but now he was having a new sense of appreciation for the place he called home for so long. He eyed up the sizeable garden that his mom had planted alongside the house, recalling the many long hours he spent helping cultivate, pick weeds, and harvest vegetables each year. Just then, the screen door burst open with excitement.
“Nicholas! What are you doing home?” his mom exclaimed, rushing to hug her baby boy. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming all this way?”
“It’s a long story mom, I’ll tell you after I unpack some of my things. Is that all right with you?” he laughed, returning his mom’s hug.
“Of course, of course. Are you hungry? I can fix some lunch while you unpack?”
“Yeah, that’d be great. I’m starving after that long haul.” Nick said, stretching his arms above his head.
Unpacking took a lot less time than he thought and before he knew it, he was sitting at the kitchen table scarfing down a sandwich, chips, and sweet tea. His mom sat across the table, never taking her eyes off the son she hadn’t seen in ages. When he finished eating, he explained in great detail of the events that unfolded in his life the last several months. The whole time, his mom sat and listened intently. Nick always appreciated coming to his mom with things on his mind. They talked on the phone several times a month while he’d been gone, usually for an hour at a time. She was reasonable and always did her best to understand both sides of any story before making her opinion known.
“I’m just so happy you’re home now, Nicholas. Your father is going to be thrilled to see you.”
“Speaking of dad, he out hauling a load?” Nick asked, peering through the kitchen window to the vacant farm yard.
“Yes, he’s been hauling corn to the grain elevator for most folks around here the last few weeks. Probably won’t be home till after sundown,” his mom said, taking the empty plate and glass and placing them in the sink.
Nick’s dad owned a semi-truck and grain trailer that he used to haul grain from their farm, as well as helping their neighbors. Many of the neighbors had much larger farms than Nick’s family, but they all respected Nick’s dad as a hard worker and one that they could always trust to get the job done.
Nick told his mom that he was going to lie down and take a short nap. His mother agreed to the idea and sent him on his way. Retiring down the stairs, Nick found the basement just as he’d remembered it. It was one large room with concrete block walls. Unfinished and used mainly for storage. Nick had turned it into his bedroom when he was about fourteen. He loved the cool and dark dungeon fell, much easier sleeping than the sunbaked upstairs bedrooms. Plopping down on his old bed, he quickly drifted off to sleep.
Stirring from his deep slumber, Nick awoke to the sound of a diesel truck rumbling up the driveway. The basement was completely dark, and he assumed it must be well past sunset. Rising from the bed, he climbed the stairs and entered the kitchen just as his dad stepped through the back door into the mudroom. A look of surprise covered his face as he untied his work boots.
“What the hell brings you home, son?” his dad exclaimed. “Sheila, did you know about this?” A look of shock, mixed with pure joy, filled the man’s face as he stood to embrace his son.
“I was just as surprised as you are, Terry,” Sheila said with a laugh, turning back to the meal she was preparing over the stove.
Nick and his dad sat at the table, catching up while his mom finished making supper. He explained his reasons for returning home and, like his mom, his dad was equally supportive.
“All me and your mom want is for you to be happy Nicholas, nothing more,” he said, patting his son on the shoulder. “You can stay here as long as you need till you figure out your next move.”
Soon, the three of them were sharing their first meal together in ages, engrossed in joyful conversation. Nick caught up on all the town news and, of course, the gossip. Who had died, moved away, how each sports team had done this year, grain prices, etc. the whole time he sat and listened, that feeling from earlier grew in his gut. A feeling of happiness, something he hadn’t felt in a while.
When supper was over, Nick’s dad excused himself to go finish up a couple of evening chores. Nick helped his mom with the dishes and then went to the back porch to sit for a time. His mom soon joined him in the darkness, the only light coming from the kitchen window and a warm-colored porch light.
“Krissy Taylor is still around town. Maybe you could look her up some time,” his mom said, breaking the silence.
“She is?” Nick enquired, a little too quickly.
“You always had a crush on that girl, too bad you were too bullheaded to ask her out way back when,” his mom said with a giggle.
“Oh, mom not this again,” he groaned. “I told you time and time again, there was no way she was going to say yes to going out with me.”
“Never know until you find out, took me five times to say yes to your father when he asked me. Now look at us.”
Nick laughed at the thought of his mom turning his dad away time and time again. It just surprised him, being that his dad was kind of famous for his abilities on the gridiron back in the day. He was sure his dad could have gotten any gal he wanted, but he played the long game and eventually won the hand of a tough as nails farmer’s daughter.
“Maybe I’ll see her around and say hi,” Nick retorted with a roll of his eyes.
“Nicholas, you’re a lot better young man than that boy she was running around with,” His mom snapped back.
She had a point there. Krissy Taylor dated Joe Byrd off and on throughout high school and eventually married him when she turned twenty-one. He wasn’t a kind man by any stretch of the imagination. If he wasn’t drunk and beating up someone outside of the bar, he was taking out his frustrations on her. Several times he had put his hands on her and roughed her up, and those several times he ended up behind bars. The man had a silver tongue and was quite the manipulator. She would be free one minute and the next, wrapped back around his finger. Until one day he went too far and pulled a gun on her. She filed for divorce, and he left town to work the pipeline out west.
Nick remembered how all the boys in school lusted after Krissy. She was slender, with an athletic build from running cross country. She always had her long, blonde hair flowing down her back. A cute, firm rear that always drew attention down the halls, especially when she wore a pair of tight-fitting jeans. Of course, all the boys wanted to sneak a peek at what was beneath her shirt. Krissy always knew how to wear the right clothes to show off just a little. Though she didn’t have the largest breasts in the class, she always left a button or two open on her flannel shirts to really make the boys’ imaginations run wild.
Most of the boys were too afraid to talk to her outside of class because of Joe. Even if they were on a break from one another, Joe would still punch any boy who dared to hit on Krissy. Nick hadn’t seen her since high school graduation nearly a decade ago. He wondered how much she had changed since then. Along with his mom’s words of encouragement, his curiosity grew as he looked forward to running into his high school crush sometime soon.
Nick woke to the rumble of his dad’s semi-truck heading down the driveway. Checking the time on his phone, he groaned and rolled back. When he finally rose for the day, he dressed and found his mom outside, working in her garden.
“What have you got planned for yourself today, sweetie?” his mom asked, as she brushed off a cucumber and placed it in a basket.
“I think I’ll take a drive into town, see what’s all changed since I was last home.”
Standing up out of the dirt, his mom beckoned him back to the house and handed him a piece of paper. “If you’re going into town, could you stop at the feed store and get what I need?”
“Sure thing, mom, happy to help,” Nick said, folding the paper into the pocket of his jeans.
Climbing into his pickup, Nick turned it down the drive and headed for town. Approaching the four-way stop light, he quickly realized that not much change happens in small town America. A new coat of paint here, a different store owner there. As he rolled down Main Street, that feeling he felt sitting at dinner the night before crept back into his gut. For the first time in a very long time, Nick was happy he was home.
Turning off into the feed store lot, he retrieved the note from his pocket and walked inside. A bell rang as he opened the door. The smell of feed and fertilizer wafted through the air, another smell that brought back fond memories. He took a basket and made quick work of the list his mother had given him. Once he'd found every item, he paid at the counter and took his receipt. As he turned to leave, Nick perfectly timed his reach for the door right as it swung open. Missing the door that suddenly wasn’t there, the heavy basket in hand awkwardly threw him off balance. The next thing he knew, he was flat on his face in the gravel parking lot. His basket and all its contents were strewn about from the door to his pickup.
“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” he heard a voice exclaim. “Let me help you with your things.”
Turning over, Nick could only make out the silhouette of a woman against the bright sun. As his eyes adjusted, he quickly realized who was standing over him. Within a split second, his heart thumped out of his chest as she reached out a hand to help him up. Accepting the help, Nick took hold of her soft hand and rose to his feet to dust himself off. Not before he could give a quick once over of Krissy Taylor standing there looking at gorgeous as he had ever remembered.
“Nick, Nick Wheeler, is that really you?” Krissy said with a beaming smile on her face.
“Yes, ma’am, it’s, uh, good to see you, Krissy,” Nick stammered, still trying to catch his bearings.
Krissy glanced at him up and down and giggled. Reaching out to touch his shoulder, she helped brush the dust off his shirt. The two stood there, looking at each other in awkward silence.
Krissy raised an eyebrow and pointed at all the items scattered on the ground. “Would you like a hand with these?”
Nick quickly shook out of his trance and nodded. “Yeah, that’d be great, thank you.”
The pair went about picking up each item and putting them back in the basket. Nick couldn’t help but stare as Krissy bent over to pick up a small reel of wire. The loose fitting, flannel shirt she had on had a couple of open buttons and gave him an eyeful of her soft skin not covered by her bra. He quickly averted his gaze to avoid being seen, preventing an instant death by embarrassment. When they stood back up, having collected everything, Nick once again drifted into a trance. A ball cap shaded her face, her mane of flowing blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail. Allowing her radiant face to be on full display.
He realized she had said something, and he shook his head to clear his thoughts. “I’m sorry?”
“I said, what brings you back into town?” Krissy said with a playful laugh.
Nick felt like a fool just standing there speechless and shaking his head. “I, uh, well…let’s just say it’s a long story.”
Krissy nodded her head and looked him up and down. “Well, Nick, you look great. It was good seeing you. Glad we ran into each other,” she said, making a slow turn towards the feed store door.
“You as well, Krissy, take care.”
She pulled the door open and stepped inside, leaving Nick holding a dusty basket full of his mother’s items and feeling like the world’s biggest idiot. Letting out a sigh, he placed the basket in the back of his truck and climbed into the cab. He stared blankly out the windshield, thinking about the events of the last five minutes. He pondered how on earth he could be such a dope in front of possibly the sexiest woman alive and assumed any chance he’d ever have with her went completely out the window.
Unaware of the approaching figure next to him, he nearly leapt out of his skin when he heard a tap on his driver's window. Turning, he hastily rolled the window down to find Krissy standing there, giving him a good laugh.
“I’m so sorry for scaring you. I just wanted to ask you something?”
Nick’s heart thumbed hard in his chest as he tried to swallow the lump in his throat. “Sure, what’s up?”
“Any chance you’re free on Saturday night? My family is having their annual end of the harvest party and I was wondering if you and your parents were coming?” Krissy asked, still amused by the terror she caused the poor young man.
Nick sat there dumbfounded; his head spinning with thought. He wasn’t sure if his family was going, but then again, his dad had been hauling corn for Krissy’s family all that week. If he went, he could see more of Krissy. Maybe even be able to chat with her more.
“I think mom and dad are going. I can certainly ask them when I get home,” he could finally reply.
“And you? Are you able to make it Nick?” the expression on Krissy’s face was one of curiosity with a hint flirtatiousness.
Did she want Nick to be there? Maybe she wanted to see him, too? The pair found themselves locked in another awkward session of silence before Nick could finally get things clicking in his brain.
“Yeah, I’ll be there. Sounds fun Krissy, thanks.”
Krissy gave him a smile and stepped away from his truck. Turning towards her own vehicle, she sashayed, her denim clad cheeks on full display.
As he stared, she looked back over her shoulder with a mile wide smile. “See you Saturday, Nick. Bring your dancing boots.”
“Will do,” he responded, hastily averting his gaze from her butt back to his steering wheel.
Pulling his truck back onto the county road, Nick’s brain was spinning from one thought to another. It took all of his willpower to make it home safely, only blowing one stop sign along the way. As he stepped out of his truck back at his parents’ place, He felt his excitement for Saturday growing intensely. Giving his mom her much needed basket of items, Nick hurried in the house and down to the basement for some much-needed relief. He was thankful that when Krissy was standing by his truck earlier; she wasn’t able to see the bulge forming in his blue jeans. He stripped down and quickly began stroking himself to the image of her back at the feed store. The hint of her breasts under her flannel shirt, her tight jeans hugging her sexy ass, his imagination filling in the rest. Quickly, he felt the hot itch from deep down in his loins. Feeling the pressure mounting, he let out an audible moan as his seed shot out like a rocket. Rope after rope of cum flew out onto a towel, draining his aching balls. Once relieved, Nick collapsed onto his bed and drifted off to sleep.
The rest of the week was uneventful. Nick helped around the farm doing chores with his mom while his dad hauled grain during the day. The hours crawled by as patiently waited for Saturday night’s festivities. Of course, Krissy Taylor was on his mind constantly. The mental pictures of their encounter at the feed store kept playing in his mind repeatedly. Without a doubt, she was the prettiest woman he had probably ever seen; he was in disbelief that she had gotten better looking over the last decade. As painstakingly slow as the days wore on, Saturday evening was eventually upon them.
Nick cleaned himself up and freshly ironed his clothes. A Wrangler button-down shirt, a nice pair of boot-cut jeans, and his best square toe cowboy boots had him dressed and ready for the fun. He rode with his parents the short few miles down the road to the Taylor farm. Pulling into the farmyard, the number of vehicles piqued Nick's amazement parked all around. It seemed like the entire town had shown up for the harvest party.
Stepping out of the pickup, he and his parents made their way up to the Taylor’s giant barn. The sliding barn doors were open and inside, the entire place was clean and decorated for a party. Strings of lights hung from the rafters; barrel keg tables scattered about, with many people already leaning on them with a drink in hand. To one side, an entire potluck buffet full of pan roasters and crock pots for all to enjoy their contents. At the end of the barn was a stage with a live country music band playing. Several people were already out on the dance floor dancing a two-step.
Nick slowly scanned through the noise and constant motion of party goers. He was on the lookout for one thing, one person, that is. After methodically picking through the small chattering groups, his heart skipped a beat when he finally laid eyes on her. Krissy was standing about thirty feet away near the dance floor, in the middle of a conversation with several people that Nick recognized from town.
He drank in the sight of her, looking absolutely stunning in a knee length summer dress. A perfect outfit for the unusually warm autumn. She had on a pair of black cowboy boots that went to about mid-calf. Her dress formed to her body nicely and was only loose at the hem near her knees. Though modest, the neckline was still deep enough to show a breath-taking amount of cleavage. Her long, flowing hair cascaded down her back, exposing her light blue eyes and sharp nose for the entire world to see. The entire world, and Nick, that is.
He caught his breath right as one of the neighbor farmers approached him and shook his hand. “How you doing son, glad to see you back.”
“Thanks, good to be back, sir,” Nick said, trying to regain his view of Krissy.
Another neighbor stepped in and shook his hand and soon fell into conversation with family friends and others he hadn’t seen in years. He glanced once more towards the dance floor, disappointed to see that she’d disappeared from where she was standing.
As the night progressed, Nick continued his conversing and catching up. He’d had several drinks and was feeling pretty loose. After polishing off a plate of food, he joined his parents standing next to Mr. and Mrs. Taylor. Approaching the group, he got a big hug from Mrs. Taylor and a firm handshake from Mr. Taylor.
“Thank you for having us over. This is quite the party,” Nick exclaimed, scanning the room once more.
“It's our pleasure, Nicholas. It’s the least we could do for all the help we got from all our neighbors this year, especially your father,” Mrs. Taylor said with sincere gratitude.
“You folks would do the same for me in a heartbeat,” Nick’s father beamed, shaking hands with Mr. Taylor.
The five of them continued their light conversation for a while until Mr. Taylor overheard a song the band was playing and asked Mrs. Taylor to dance. Nick’s dad took his mom by the arm and lead her in the same direction towards the dance floor. Nick grabbed another beer from a cooler and mingled at the floor’s edge, watching the couples slowly dance. Tapping his boot to the rhythm of the beat, he slowly scanned over the dancing crowd when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning to investigate, his heart about stopped when he discovered Krissy standing not a foot away. She was radiant, the crown jewel of the evening, and here she finally was before him.
“There you are. Where have you been hiding all night?” Krissy asked with a smirk.
Nick held up his hands in protest. “I got caught up talking with just about everyone one in town, it seems,” he said with a chuckle. “Looks like I saved the best for last.”
Krissy’s smile grew wider from the last comment. She looked out over the dance floor and motioned to Nick. “Dance with me?”
His brain clicked instantly and, to his delight and a bit of nervousness, he took Krissy’s slender hand in his and escorted her onto the dance floor. Turning to face him, she placed her hand on his shoulder and lead him in a slow, rhythmic motion. Nick positioned his free hand behind her and slid it down to the small of her back, pressing their two bodies close together. They didn’t say a word, moving slowly with the music. Nick stared deep into her blue eyes, she returning his gaze. In the back of his mind, his awareness was heightening. It clicked the moment he felt the pressure mounting on the zipper of his jeans. Realizing he was getting an erection; he quickly darted his eyes towards the band.
“Something wrong?” She asked in a low whisper.
“No, nothing, just a little nervous is all,” he admitted.
Krissy met his eyes once more and slowly trailed her view to the growing bulge in his pants. Slowly raising her eyes back up to his, she gave him a smirk and leaned in to whisper. “Do you want to go get some air with me?”
Nick’s lungs nearly collapsed as he tried to catch his breath. They slowly rotated around the dance floor for several long moments before he could give her an answer.
“I’d like that very much,” he said with a grin.
Krissy’s smile grew even wider when she slowly maneuvered them to the edge of the dance floor and broke their embrace. Stepping back from Nick, she looked into his eyes and told him where to go.
“Grab a couple beers out of the far cooler and then head around the side of the barn to the back. I’ll be waiting for you there,” she said, turning quickly and walking out the side door.
Nick watched her leave, swaying her hips the same way she showed off at the feed store a few days before. He turned and shuffled over to the nearest cooler. Snagging a bottle of beer in each hand, he made his way out the big doors into the cooling, night air. Rounding the corner, he followed along the side of the barn, the light from inside the barn guiding his way through the cracks in the wood. At the bottom of the hill, he let the moonlight guide his way as he turned the corner to where the barn’s cellar opened up. Just beyond the barn was a large pond, the water shining like glass. As he stepped inside the lower barn, he noticed a stack of straw bails and some pumpkins setup as a display. A soft, red blanket covered a few of the bales where people could sit and have their picture taken. Sitting on that blanket, looking out over the moonlit pond, was Krissy.