I didn’t know what the Doc gave her, but it was fantastic. Jacinda was fucking adorable, and kept telling me how good I smelled, and thanking me for taking care of her... until she passed out completely, about halfway back to her house. I decided that since she was out, I’d drop off her prescriptions really quick and either run to pick them up later myself, or I’d call in a favor from a friend.

It was pretty clear she needed to rest, and since the doc didn’t want her to be alone, I was more than happy to look after her. It didn’t seem like she knew anyone else in town, and while I didn’t know her well, it also didn’t seem like she had any family to call. I’d ask her later, of course, but the more time I spent with her, even unconscious, the more drawn to her I was. Jacinda was completely different than the other girls I’d been around. There was something hopeful about her, and hope is like a breath of fresh air when you are suffocating. I didn’t realize that I was suffocating until she breathed life into me.

Maybe Wyatt was right; I wasn’t meant to be alone, and she was exactly what was missing from my life. Well aware that I sounded insane, even if I was only thinking all of this to myself, I didn’t really care. I called a buddy to take care of Remmington, letting him know that I had some business that would keep me away, and I went to check on her.

Sleeping peacefully, I tucked the blanket around her a bit more, and went out to the front porch. As I looked at the project she’d started herself, I knew what needed to be done. I had all of my tools in the truck, like I always did, so I spent the next hour or so fixing that old porch swing. It definitely needed some work; the painted wood was peeling, so I spent some time hand sanding it, not wanting to wake her by using the electric sander.

Once I’d smoothed out the wood, I attached the new chain she bought, which was a good choice for the project. I was impressed that she knew what to get. Hanging the swing from the frame of the porch was more challenging than I’d expected, and I did have to grab a ladder and my drill to finish the job. Fortunately, the buzz of the drill didn’t disturb her; I only needed it for a moment to make new holes. The old holes had been worn out and wouldn’t support the swing if it had been hung from there.

After putting all my tools away, I decided to take that old porch swing for a ride. As I swung peacefully back and forth, enjoying the cool breeze, I did some more thinking. It had only been a couple days, and only one intimate encounter, but I couldn’t get this girl off my mind. Lucky couldn’t even begin to describe how I was feeling. Lucky I ran into her, lucky she inherited this old house, lucky she hired me. It all came together perfectly, I just needed to know more about her, so I could really win her over. I didn’t even know where she was from. Fearing the worst, that she wasn’t even from Nebraska, my thoughts were interrupted by the sight of her, standing in the doorway. She’d been watching me think about her.

“Hey sleepyhead,” I grinned, coaxing a smile from her.

“Hi there. You fixed my swing.” she asked, looking over my handiwork.

“I did. Would you like to sit?” I scooted over, giving her room to sit next to me.

Letting out a little yawn, she shuffled over and perched herself next to me. “This is awesome.” She glanced up at me as she sat back, letting her weight shift the swing into motion.

“I’m glad you’re happy.”

“I will pay you for doing that.”

“No, it was my pleasure. I need a place to sit. And I needed something to do while you were resting.” I wasn’t taking her money. Frankly, if my plan worked, I wouldn’t be taking her money for any of the forthcoming work, because she’d be with me anyway.

Pursing her lips into a playful sneer, she said, “Are you sure? I don’t want you doing things for free because… well, you know.”

“Because what? We had an amazing night together? That’s what I remember happening. And I like doing nice things for you.” I took the opportunity to put my arm around her, while we rocked and talked.

As she snuggled into me a bit, relaxing, she asked, “Why did you stay? You didn’t have to. I didn’t really deserve it after not giving you my name, and taking off like that.”

“I’m sure you had your reasons. Sometimes we do things we think make sense, even when they don’t make sense to other people. And as for staying with you? The doc said you shouldn’t be alone, and I didn’t know who to call. So I stayed.” That wasn’t totally true, of course; I didn’t even bother, knowing I wanted to be here.

“I appreciate it. There really wasn’t anyone to call anyway. It’s just me. I have friends back home, but we’re hours from there, so I’d have been stuck by myself.”

“How are you feeling?” I asked.

“I’m feeling a lot better. Whatever she gave me knocked me the hell out, though. I hope I didn’t say anything too crazy. I felt like I was swimming,” she laughed.

“Oh you were swimming alright.” I laughed as well.

“So, what now? Can I still hire you to help me fix this house up, or is that weird now?”

“It’s not weird, unless you don’t ever want me looking at your ass. Because that will be impossible to agree to.” I smirked, and squeezed her to me briefly.

“You can look at my ass all day if you want, as long as we fix this place up by the end of summer, because that’s when I have to go back to work,” she giggled.

“Where’s home?”

“I live in the city.”

“Do you like it there?”

“Sometimes. I was raised there by my dad, so it’s always been home, I guess.”

“Is your dad gone?”

Pausing for a moment, she rested her head against me and sighed. “Yeah, my dad passed away about a year ago. We were really close. This was his mom’s house. I inherited it. I guess it took them a while to find me, for some reason, but that’s how I ended up here.”

“So, did you know Mrs. Brennan? Your grandmother…”

“No. She didn’t want my parents to have me, so they ran away to have me on their own. I never met her. She didn’t want us to be a family, so I’m just fixing up the house to get rid of it.” Her tone changed to anger, or maybe it was resentment. I couldn’t blame her. That also explained the stories we’d heard of Mrs. Brennan having a son who, one day, just stopped being there. He ran away to have my Jacinda.

“I’m sorry, baby. It’s an old-fashioned way of thinking. And all too common out here, really. But it sounds like you had a good upbringing?” I questioned.

Softening her lips back to a smile, she looked thoughtful. “Yeah, I really did. My mom died giving birth to me, so it was just me and my dad. My dad really loved her; he gave up everything for us. So, the least I could do is take care of this for him. He would have wanted me to.”

“I think you’re right. I’m glad you found me. I’m excited to help you whip this place into shape.”

“Me too,” she whispered as we swung quietly for a bit.

I found myself lost in the moment, just enjoying the gentle rocking of the swing, with her in my arms. Although we hadn’t really talked about us at all, I was getting to know her, and spending time quietly with her was calming and peaceful. She rested her hand on my leg, and I couldn’t help but instinctively cover it with mine. Something amazing was happening.