My Country Paradise

Chapter 4: Herd My Heart

The next morning I woke up to the sound of cows mooing and the familiar voice of someone yelling out to them, "Yah!" That familiar voice was Andrew and my heart leaped at the sound of his voice. With my heart still thudding loudly in my chest I raced to the bathroom to get ready. Throwing on a light blue t-shirt and jean shorts, I brushed my teeth and my hair before heading towards the kitchen. Aunt Darcy smiled when she saw me and motioned to the bar.

"I made you all breakfast." I looked at the crisp bacon and fluffy pancakes before looking back at her.

"Thanks. It looks great!" Joy was already up and she had filled her plate with nearly burnt bacon and warm pancakes.

"Yuck," I said in mock disgust, "how can you eat that stuff?"

She grinned before responding, "At least I don't like half-cooked bacon like you."

"My kind of bacon is the best," I responded matter-of-factly, grabbing a few under cooked bacon for myself. I finished the rest of my breakfast quickly and then headed outside. Andrew was a little ways out in the pasture herding cows towards the barn. The warm morning rays hit his face softly and I looked at him in awe. He faced the house and his face lit up further when he saw me. He waved me over in big motions with his hands.

"Come on Alli!" he shouted cheerfully. I smiled and then did as he said. The tall, dead grass crunched loudly under my feet as I approached him.

"Good morning Alli," he said brightly, pulling me into a warm hug. I hugged him back before quickly pulling away.

"Are you up for some fun?" I nodded eagerly and waited for further instruction.

"Well, what I'm trying to do here is herd all the cattle into the barn before it gets too hot. The barn stays much cooler than it would be out here. So, are you still sure you want to help?" he laughed. I nodded again.

"Definitely."

"Here we go!" Andrew rushed to the left side of the cows as they began spreading apart.

"Take that side!" he yelled from the other side of the pasture and I moved to the right, spreading out my arms and yelling as I'd heard him do. The cows mooed loudly and moved closer together.

"Okay, now we're going to go to the back and herd them straight into the barn." I nodded and come around behind the cows. They looked at me wildly and I began yelling and waving my arms to herd them forward. It worked and after a few more minutes we had successfully moved them into the barn. Andrew and I were out of breath and I was pretty sure I was going to lose my voice from yelling so loud. We both walked into the large barn and watched the cows munch on the hay at their feet.

"You're not as quiet as I thought you were," Andrew said teasingly.

I pushed him into the hay and he laughed loudly, "Nor as nice." I began backing away, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me down into the hay next to him.

"Hey!" I protested, "You're not so nice yourself."

He pretended to be hurt, "Me? Not nice?" I giggled and looked at him. He was smiling sweetly. I nearly fell into a trance. A lock of hair fell into my face and he reached over and tenderly tucked it behind my ear. I blushed and looked down at the hay.

"Hey," he said quietly, lifting my chin up to look at him, "you know you don't have to be shy around me. I won't bite."

"Are you sure about that?" He snapped his teeth together and growled.

"Maybe, maybe not." I laughed. His expression softened again.

"You know, I've never met anyone like you." I tried to forget about being shy and put what I thought out there.

I responded with what my heart told me to say, "I've never met anyone like you either." He smiled at that, a sweet, warm smile that made my heart melt.

"Do you think you could come over for lunch? My mother really wants to meet you," Andrew asked, his eyes pleading.

"Meet me?"

"Yes, Alli. You."

"But why?"

"Because I told her that I really like you." My heart stopped and I was almost certain I would pass out.

I started speaking slowly, "You like…me?" He laughed as if it were silliness that I asked that question. I didn't think it was so funny and I glared at him. He caught my glare and stopped laughing.

"I told you I thought you were special, didn't I?"

"Well…yeah." I still was confused and he obviously caught on, because he continued.

"Well, spending all day with you yesterday and some more time today, I figured out that I really, really like you. And my mom… she's always taught me to share my feelings, so I am." He looked at me, as if begging me not to break his heart.

"Hey Andrew," I said quietly, "I'll come."