Kathy Douglass - The City Girl's Homecoming

Growing up in New York City, Megan had seen many strange sights in her twenty-eight years. In a few minutes spent walking around Times Square she could see everything from a naked cowboy to people dressed as cartoon characters. Over time, the sights had become humdrum and hadn’t caused her to even take a second look. But this? This was something beyond even her imagination.

She’d moved to Spring Forest, North Carolina, from Manhattan a couple of months ago. She liked the small town and was adjusting to the slower pace and different lifestyle. And yet, in all that time, she’d never seen anything remotely like this. Or a man built quite so well. And after having lived in a city filled with models and actors whose livelihood was at least in part based upon their good looks, that was saying something.

Intrigued, she turned off the car and crept closer to the action. She didn’t know much about pigs or the men who wrestled them, so she stepped cautiously, ready to return to the safety of her car if necessary. Her four-inch heels made walking on the gravel driveway a bit of an adventure, but she wouldn’t have dreamed of wearing flats. Even though she now lived in a small town, she still retained some of her big-city habits. She still wore the suits she’d worn while working at a major New York law firm. The professional garments gave her the confidence that had been stripped from her after her family’s unexpected deaths and the years spent in foster care.

Close up, the pig wrestler was something to behold. Tall, with muscles that clearly came from years of hard work, and a face that could only be described as sexy, he could make a fortune as a model if he ever wanted a career change. Looking at what he was doing now—the enormous pig froze, then threw its entire body at the man—any job would be a step up. Of course, that was all contingent upon his surviving the encounter with the gigantic animal, something that was not assured at the moment.

The man’s lips were moving, but he was speaking too quietly for her to hear what he was saying. Curiosity got the better of her and Megan came as close as she dared.

“Keep it up and you’ll be roasting on a spit,” the man threatened under his breath. His voice was deep, and despite the words he was muttering, quite sexy. The pig shoved against the man in response, drawing another grunt. “The sisters like me, so they’ll totally believe me when I say you escaped. Meanwhile you’ll be Sunday dinner and leftovers for the week.”

The pig didn’t seem to appreciate the comment and in response bucked and jerked, making the man hold on for dear life. It looked like he was riding the pig like a wild horse. Megan wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d tossed his cowboy hat—which had somehow managed to stay on his head during the entire encounter—into the air and yelled yee-haw! Unable to contain herself, Megan giggled at the absurdity of it all.

Startled by the sound, the man looked up at her and temporarily lost his grip on the pig, who broke free and turned toward the man. The man jumped in front of a ramp leading to the back of the pickup truck. Megan’s breath caught in her throat as the angered animal lowered its head and charged. A strangled cry broke through her lips as the pig drew within inches of the man’s bare torso. At the last second the man stepped gracefully out of the way and the pig ran up the ramp and into the back of the truck. In the blink of an eye, the man removed the ramp and then slammed the tailgate shut.

Whew. Megan realized she’d begun to perspire and drew a couple of fingers across her damp brow, removing the moisture before the man could notice. Relief that the pig-wrestler was all right mingled with amusement at the spectacle, and she began to laugh. “Oh, my goodness. I have never in my life seen anything like that.”

The pig-wrangling man glanced over his shoulder at her, a fierce glare twisting his handsome face. At his look, the laughter died in her throat and her smile melted away. Clearly he didn’t find her delight amusing.

She started to apologize, then gave herself a mental shake, stopping just in time. She wasn’t going to let the man make her feel guilty for finding humor in the situation. She’d let several foster families squash her natural joy, making her feel bad about showing any expression of happiness. It was as if they’d wanted her to be as miserable as possible. Some had gone out of their way to make her so.

Well, she was in control of her life now and she wasn’t going to let anyone determine what she should feel or how she should react.

The man grabbed a plaid shirt from the bumper of the truck and used it to wipe his sweaty face and torso before shoving his arms into the sleeves. He buttoned the bottom four buttons and jerked on the fabric as if trying to remove the wrinkles. He wiped at a huge grass stain a couple of times before dropping his hand, apparently deciding there was no sense fighting a losing battle.

When it became obvious that the man wasn’t going to introduce himself, she took a step in his direction, hand extended. Before she could reach him, the back door of the house opened and Bunny Whitaker, one of the women she’d come to see, came down the stairs. “Yoo-hoo. Did you get Little Piggy into the truck, Cade?”

Little Piggy? Megan shook her head at the name. That pig was anything but little.

“Yes, ma’am.”

If only Bunny knew that her friend had threatened to take that Little Piggy to market, she wouldn’t be smiling at him right now.

“He didn’t give you any trouble, did he?”

“No, ma’am. Not even a little bit.”

Megan felt her eyes widen at his falsehood. If that fight hadn’t been trouble, she didn’t know what was.

“That’s because he’s such a good boy, aren’t you, Little Piggy?” Bunny leaned into the back of the truck and rubbed the pig, who snorted.

Bunny straightened. “I really appreciate you taking him in for us. We hate to part with him, but Birdie and I don’t have the room to keep him. I know you’ll give him a good home.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Bunny looked up. When she noticed Megan, she smiled. “Hello. Is it time for our meeting already?”

“I’m a little bit early,” Megan said, closing the distance between them. “I’m still trying to get used to small-town traffic. When I leave my office I still factor in time for traffic jams that have yet to materialize.”

“We don’t have many of those. Not unless geese are crossing the road or somebody’s cows get out. And don’t worry if you’re a little bit late. People around here aren’t ruled by the clock. When you tend animals, you understand that things beyond your control can happen.” She dusted her hands on her denim skirt. “Have the two of you met?”

“No.” Megan said.

Bunny smiled and waved for Cade to come closer. He dragged his feet as he walked over, clearly reluctant to join them. Since he’d smiled at Bunny, Megan decided she was the reason for his reticence.

Once he was near, Bunny put her arm around Megan’s waist. “This is Megan Jennings. She’s new to town. Pretty as she is on the outside, she’s even prettier on the inside. She’s the new lawyer that Daniel Sutton hired to help him.”

Megan felt her face and the tips of her ears grow hot, but she managed a smile that she hoped hid her embarrassment. She hadn’t known Bunny long, but she knew the sweet older woman wouldn’t deliberately hurt or embarrass anyone. Still, looking at the expression on the man’s face, it was clear he didn’t find Megan’s looks or anything else about her appealing.

“And this is Cade Battle,” Bunny continued. “He’s a great friend of mine and Birdie’s. He’s part owner of Battle Lands Farm and one of the best people I know. If you ever need help with anything, Cade is the man you should call. He’s completely trustworthy.”