Page 20 of Million Dollar Ride

"I know that I am the best horse racer that you have, but my question is…wouldn't the very act of following me around this way be an act of desperation?" He asked, and Nicole nodded.

"You would be right to think that, but this is for your own safety. We know that you have gathered some trouble for yourself,and we're just making sure that you're not snatched while hat-shopping," she said to him, and he shook his head.

"Is that the way you see it?" He asked her, turning to stare at her. She was one of the few who were willing to return his gaze and even tilt her head up slightly as if wanting to meet his challenge. Austin stared into her intense eyes for a while, then he smiled and looked away.

"You remind me of someone I know," he said quietly.

"Oh yeah? Who is that?" She asked.

"A woman I met in the woods. She was as fierce as you are, scared but fierce. Just as you are now," Austin said.

"What tells you that I'm scared?" She asked. Austin shrugged a Little.

"Probably the fact that I am scared too. Not every time, but sometimes. You know?" He asked.

"What are you scared of?" She asked.

"I don't know exactly, but something tells me that I will soon find out. My mind tells me there is something coming, and I don't think that I'm yet ready for it, you know?" He asked her.

"So, what exactly is it that you think is coming? What did you do before you came to my uncle?" Nicole asked.

"I stole a horse," Austin said with a shrug.

"What do you mean you stole a horse?"

"You ask too many questions," he finally said as he tried the hat on, then he smiled and turned to look at her.

"I believe it is my turn to ask you something" He said.

"What do you want to ask?"

"How do I look?" He asked, vaguely gesturing to the hat.

"Ridiculous," she said.

"Really?"

"Yes, really," she said, and he laughed a little.

"That's beautiful," he said with a small chuckle.

CHAPTER NINE

The sunshine and the air and the life that filled Sweetwater was able to flush away the dark thoughts that Hayden was having, and every day get another sweet adventure. He met new people and, soon enough, time with Lenanee. Every time he saw her, his heart seemed to be so full that it made him want to laugh and weep at the same time. There were days when he asked himself why he hadn't done this sooner and in time, even the memories of what happened at the garage seemed to be a dull thing.

He lay down beside the pool with a satisfied smile on his face and sunglasses covered his eyes, and when he turned to the side, he saw Lenanee doing something on her phone. He wasn't quite sure what it was.

"I think this was a good idea," he said quietly and saw her face light up then she slowly turned to look at him, and he raised his hand as if to stop anything she wanted to say before she even said it.

"You think that this was a good idea? That's great to see that it has had this great effect on you," she said to him.

"Yeah, just seemed to clarify my thoughts and put things into perspective," he said. He saw her stand and walk over to him, and he was doubly amazed at how beautiful she was.

"You're a good man, and it is good to see that you have bounced back and away from all of this madness. I am very glad," she said to him, and he smiled then rested his head on her shoulder for a brief moment until he heard a voice that he knew unbelievably well.

"Now, what do we have here?" It asked, and he whipped his head around blindingly fast to see Austin standing there. A sheer giant of a man with massive shoulders and muscular arms, a small smile on his handsome face, with a ridiculous-looking hat on his head.

It suddenly felt like everything, every clarity that he had found, just collapsed into nothingness as he stared at the man who was standing before him.

---