A Trip

I had always hoped that life would be easy for me. In fact, most people think it is since my family is well off. But the truth is, even with access to all of their wealth, it does not make me happy. Being the heiress to a large conglomerate comes with its own sort of responsibilities which have left me feeling tired of the life I lead. More than anything, I want to experience what it is like to not have their wealth, their access to the world. And so, as a result of this desire, I set out on a journey on my own, with nothing but four thousand dollars and my car.

My family was against my trip and did everything they could to dissuade me, but I was determined. That is how I ended up in a small town in Montana. Unfortunately, it was not as far as I had hoped to get but my car seemed tired of going. Fortunately, the car died right as I was passing through. Taking a look around the area surrounding me, the old looking buildings, and the beautiful fields just a little way down the road. Sighing softly, I pulled the key out of the ignition and stepped out of my car to take a look around town. I was thankful that everything in town seemed to be right on this strip of road.

“Um, excuse me, Sir.” I started as an older man walked past me on the sidewalk. “I was passing through when my car broke down. If it’s no trouble, could you point me in their direction?”

“Sure, little lady. Just walk straight down this road to the red light there.” The man said pointing in the direction from which he came. “Make a right there and the mechanic’s shop is right there. He may be closed today, though.”

“Thank you, I’ll head that way,” I replied, taking a step that way before stopping to look at the gentleman again. “Would it be okay if I left it sitting there?”

“I’m headed into the store that owns that lot. I’ll let them know for you.”

After bidding farewell to the kind man, I made my way downtown, eyes focused on admiring the architect and structure of the buildings around me. Pretty red brick with fine black trim near the roof, older cars parked in the parking spots near the sidewalk, all of this drew my gaze. What a lovely town, I thought as I passed another quaint little shop, decorated with blue panes and colorful flowers. There were people cheerfully talking outside what looked to be an old-style saloon and children laughing somewhere nearby. Following the gentleman’s directions, I turned right at the red light to find the mechanic just where he said it was.

“Hm. I suppose I should knock on the office door to see if anyone is in.” I whispered to myself, lifting my hand to knock. “I hope they’re open today.”

“You won’t be finding anyone there, little lady.” The voice startled me and I turned to see a handsome young man standing next to a beat-up old truck. “The old man is sick. I could take a look but it’ll cost you.”

“Oh, I’d really appreciate it,” I replied with a smile. “How much?”

“It would depend on what exactly is wrong with it.” My smile must have faltered a bit. “I’d have to take a look at it to be sure. Something wrong?”

“Nothing at all, but I’m just passing through,” I said, shaking my head slightly. “I don’t live here. If it’s something hard to fix, I’d have to find a place to stay.”

Truthfully, quiet towns like this always caught my eye growing up. They were so free here; free to roam, free to talk, no high society rules dictating what can or cannot be done. This truly was the type of place I had been looking for, for as long as I could remember. And from the looks of it, the men here were not half bad to look at either, but that was a story for another day. I was not only taken aback by his kindness of taking a look at my car but by his looks as well. This stranger was wearing a cowboy hat and boots that were only accented by his blue jeans and a green tee shirt.

He had a slight black scruff on his face with pretty green eyes that really stood out against his tan skin. Even though I dated plenty back in Vegas, I have never seen a man look quite like this one. It was strange that he was so willing to help me considering the fact that he did not even know my name nor I, his. But I did have to give him credit for his honesty and willingness to try. Looking at the truck he was leaning against, the only thing that really came to mind was that he was a rancher or farmhand that lived nearby.

“It’s not a big town, but we do have a hotel you could stay at, if necessary. Where’s your car?” He replied with a smirk that showed a dimple in his cheek under his scruff. “My name’s August Horne, but you can call me Gus.”

“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt.” I smiled back, unable to help myself. “My name is Emily Merrill, and my car is back toward the entrance to the town. A nice older man offered to let the owner of the store know that I was coming to check about the mechanic for me.”

“That must have been Old Man Willie. He likes seeing new faces coming into town.” He replied, motioning to his truck. “I could give you a ride back to your car to take a look if you’d like.”

In less than three minutes, we were back to my car, him under the hood, trying to find the issue with it. I looked at the cracked asphalt under my feet before looking back up to see a few curious eyes from the townspeople. It felt awkward to be stared at, but it was nothing I was not used to. Clearly, Gus did not mind and just focused on the car. When he asked for my keys, I watched as he sank in my front seat, far too close to the steering wheel, and stick the key in the ignition.

“So, what happened?” I heard him ask turning the key. “Did you stop to get something in the store and it wouldn’t crank when you got back?”

“Exactly.” I leaned against the driver's side fender as I talked with him. “I tried it over and over, but nothing.”

“Hm. Seems like the battery is dead. Let’s get you charged up.” He stood back up and smiled before walking over to his truck to grab some jumper cables. “This should get you back on the road in short order.”

I could only watch as he hooked up the battery on my car to the one on his truck. Usually, when my car messed up, my father would just buy me a new one, or have it repaired. I never got to witness things like this first hand. Curious, I walked closer and looked over his shoulder to watch what it was he was doing when he leaned back and bumped into me slightly. Embarrassed, I looked away slightly, doing my best to cough to cover up my curiosity. I knew it was nothing to be embarrassed over, but I could not help it. This was the first leg of my journey, after all, and people back where I live often say that I am a little too naïve for a trip like this.

“Huh, never seen jumper cables before?” Gus questioned, walking around to the driver's side of his truck. “You’re awfully curious for someone on a trip.”

“Oh, uh, the thing is, my family would always just buy me a new car when mine broke,” I replied, keeping my eyes on where the cables were hooked up to my battery. “That, or I’d let my dad know, and he would have it repaired overnight. Growing up, I wasn’t really allowed to be in places like this.”

“Did they really shelter you that much?” He continued, walking back over to my car and sliding in. “Seems a little weird that they are letting you go on this trip alone then.”

“They…weren’t please when I mentioned I wanted to go on this trip. But I was so sick of my hometown and tired of high society.” I looked away again, not partial to talking about this, but want to explain myself. “So, it’s like I’m on a little vacation.”

“You plan to go back to that ‘high society’. You have enough luggage in the backseat to completely start over somewhere new.” Gus chuckled before turning the key again and listening as the car started. “Let’s let it charge for a bit before I set you free. Wouldn’t want it to just die immediately, would we?”

He was speaking the truth, as I did have a lot of luggage with me, but I had not really thought about it. Now that I had a taste of some of what this country had to offer, did I really want to go back? As I considered this, I barely noticed him return to remove the charger on the car. Looking down at my watch, I noticed that roughly ten minutes passed since he first hooked up the jumper cables. Was that enough time to charge the battery? I tilted my head curiously at this, watching as he put the cables back in the bed of his truck.

“Now that she’s started and running, we should keep an eye on her to make sure the battery keeps a charge.” He continued, leaning back against his truck again. “So, what brought you out this way?”

“I once read a list of charming towns in Montana and this town was on the list. I planned to visit all of them before heading home.” I supplied, watching as my car just shut off. “Oh no. Why did it do that?”

“Hm.” Gus walked over to sit in my seat again and turned the key. “That means that your car isn’t charging your battery, which means your alternator is bad. I can replace it for you, you just need another alternator. A quick ride over to the part store and I should have you back on the road in a couple of hours if they have the part.”

“Okay. Listen, I really appreciate this.” I said, stepping forward to look him in the eye. “How much should I pay you for all the trouble you’re going through?”

“Something like this? Since it’s a 2016 model Ford Fusion, probably about three hundred since you’re cute.” He replied with a smirk. “But right now, let’s head over to the part store, eh?”

I did not expect the compliment, though I nodded all the same. When he opened the passenger’s door for me, I climbed into the truck before sinking back on the leather seat. It was a small thing, to compliment someone, but the fact that he did so, made me smile slightly. He was being kind, I thought, as he got in the truck and we made our way to the part store. Even though my parents told me before I left to stay away from people, I could not help but feel that it was thanks to this kind stranger that I would be able to get back on the road.

“Hey, Dewey.” Gus started, as we walked through the door to the part store. “Looking for a 2016 Ford Fusion alternator. You got one in stock?”

“Let me check for you,” Dewey replied before his gaze landed on me. “Hi there, little lady. Good old Gus being nice to ya?”

“Yes sir, he is.” I smiled before turning to look up at Gus. “And I’m grateful.”

“One ‘thank you’ is enough, Miss Merrill.” He countered with a kind smile. “I just happened to find her outside the mechanic’s shop.”

“So, Raymond’s sick again, eh?” Dewey shook his head at this before chuckling. “He probably wanted to get out of replacing your head gasket, Gus.”

“Haha, you’re probably right.” Gus countered, leaning against the antique counter, watching as Dewey looked through a few papers. “Wish I could just do it myself, but I don’t have the time.”

“Yeah, being the big boss of your own ranch limits your time.” He smirked before frowning as he looked through the papers again. “I don’t have an alternator that would fit her car. I’ll have to order one.”

“Oh no.” I started, looking between the two men. “How long would that take?”

“I’ll have to look into that, but usually it can take a few weeks to order anything in.” Dewey sighed softly, before picking up the phone. “Hey Gus, why not take her down to the old café for a bite? It’s almost lunchtime.”

Gus nodded before turning to me with a grin. For some reason, I could tell that grin meant trouble. I shook my head before following him out of the part store and away from the truck. Just a few steps landed us in front of the same blue paned store I walked past earlier. It was then that I noticed the tables and chairs set up inside the building. It looked homey and comfortable. I always wanted to come to a café like this, in a town where everyone knows everyone else. We walked in together before taking a seat at the nearest table.

After we placed our orders, I thought about all that I learned about Gus today. He is a generally friendly guy, with model-level looks, and he owns his own ranch. There is also the fact that he does not seem to be much older than I am. I did not feel awkward around him either, but that could also be due to the fact that in Vegas, I am constantly surrounded by people. His beautiful green eyes lifted to lock with mine and I blushed before looking away. I did not like getting caught looking at him, especially since we hardly knew each other.

“So, what do you do for a living?” Gus asked with a chuckle. “You’ve learned that I’m a rancher, single and that I know how to work on cars. I’d say it’s my turn to learn a little about you, little miss heiress.”

“Oh…well, I’m into photography, honestly, but it’s not really a good way to make money,” I replied softly, turning to look back at him. “Since my family mostly owns a Casino in Vegas, they usually pay for anything I need.”

“I see. Can’t say I know much about that.” He said stroking his chin as he considered what I told him. “But you didn’t want to go into the family business?”

“It’s not for me.” I looked down at the table, thinking about what to say. “Of course, my parents were hoping to marry me off to another business owner, but I firmly refused. Photography helps me relax.”

“Then, that’s something I can respect. It’s admirable that you’re saying no and doing what you want.” Gus said, crossing his arms before leaning them against the table. “Do you have your camera and supplies with you? There are a few spots around here I could show you that would look really pretty in pictures.”

I nodded with a smile. It was in my car, so it would be easy to grab it and take a few shots, especially if they were nearby. I loved to spend time taking pictures and had in all of the places that I had passed through on my way here. After our food was delivered and we enjoyed our meal, we made our way back to the parts store, I could not help but keep an eye on him. It was fun to spend time with him, however short that time would be. I wanted to enjoy the freedom for a while longer and spend more time here.

“From that smile, I take it you enjoyed your meal,” Dewey said when we walked back into the parts shop but frowned slightly before stroking his neck. “I was able to find the part, no problem since it’s a pretty common car, but it’s going to take us five days to get it here.”

“Oh fudge,” I replied, clenching my fists slightly, but sigh. “Well, I guess I will just have to wait it out. Well, I’d really hate to trouble you further, Gus. Could you point me in the direction of the hotel? I guess I need to make a reservation.”

“I’ll take you over there.” He offered to which I shook my head. “Trust me, Emily. I don’t mind.”

Part two will be coming out soon! Keep an eye out for it!

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