Delaney's POV:

There was a pep in my step as I walked across the asphalt parking lot of what would be my new job when construction was complete. That pep was there because last night, I let go of the past –well, for the most part– and was ready to take life by the horns. It had been during my first mug of iced coffee this morning that I'd called Brantley and asked that he meet me at the school, telling him that if I was going to take the principal/chief administrator position, I wanted to submit my resume in person just like I would any other place that I would apply. Just because there was a familiarity between us and just because he thought I was a good fit wasn't good enough for me. I wanted to make sure that I wasn't getting any special treatments.

A smile came across my face and my cheeks slightly blushed as I remembered the gravelliness of his voice, telling me that he hadn't been long waking up. Not everyone was an early riser like I was and that was okay. In fact, I envied people who could sleep past five in the morning. My internal alarm wouldn't let me sleep in no matter how hard I tried. Not even staying up late or indulging in too much alcohol would let me sleep later than usual. It was a blessing and curse all at once. A blessing because it allowed me a few moments to clear my mind in peace or get in a jog or a workout. But it was a curse too because sometimes, I just wanted to lay in bed and nap the day away.

His voice had been deep and seductive, even if he hadn't meant for it to be. And it had woken my lady parts from their deep slumber, making that voice in my head chime in with her thoughts of how nice it would be to hear his voice in the throws of passion. Even now, walking to the building, my mind tried to create an image of what things would be like with him. There was no doubt in my mind that he would be possessive and dominant –two things that intrigued me because of all the smutty books I liked to read but had never been brave enough to ask a man to be.

I shoved those thoughts to the back of mind as I pulled the front door of the building open and walked inside. Good thing I did too because when I walked in, Brantley was standing in the doorway of what I assumed would be the office. I took a second to quickly scan the place, taking in all the changes that had taken place. Years ago, the community building had consisted of just one large room with bathrooms in one back corner and a small office in the other. Now, there were rooms dived off that I knew would be classrooms. Gone was the 1970's wood paneling that had lined every wall, replaced with drywall that was ready for paint. The low hanging fluorescent lights that had hung in the building and had shined harshly over the inside were now gone. They looked like they would be replaced with can lights, giving the building a much more modern feeling and pulling it into the twenty-first century. And that was just the main building. I knew from stopping here with Daddy that there was new construction going on that would add square footage to the facility. Long story short, it looked nothing like the place I remembered.

"Wow, it looks..." I said, stepping more into the building and closer to where Brantley was standing. I could hear the awe in my voice as I looked at what he'd done to the place.

"I know," said Brantley. I watched as he crossed his arms over his chest, the movement making the large muscles in his arms bunch and the sleeves of his white t-shirt to pull taught over them.

"I would have never guessed this place could look like this."

"Big difference from the place that used to hold indoor livestock shows and town council meetings."

"Huge difference."

A brief silence fell between us then. But it wasn't the awkward kind often happened between people who didn't really know one another. No, it was the kind that said we were both thinking about all the things that would happen in these walls, about the lives that we could change, the education that we could offer, and the legacy that would be built in honor of the woman who just wanted to make a difference in her small town. I just hope that I do her memory justice...

It was me that finally broke the silence, stepping closer to Brantley, handing him the folder that contained copies of my certificates and my resume. When he went to take it from my hand, our fingers brushed against one anothers. I felt a zing go up my arm, one that I hadn't ever felt before from just a simple touch. Hell, from any touch if I'm being honest. My eyes lifted to Brantley, looking to see if he felt what I felt but if it did, it didn't show on his face.

"My resume." I said, my eyes not leaving his. Man, I could get lost in those sea-green orbs...

When I was a young teenager, his green eyes were the stuff I dreamt about. But seeing them now, there were no words. Even though I couldn't see if the brief touch between us had been felt by him, I could see a hint of all the things that he had seen, done, and been through in his life. I could see the slightly darkened areas under his eyes, telling me that he hadn't been sleeping all that well. And who could blame him? I hadn't been sleeping too well myself and I hadn't been through the things that he had. Although, last night I had slept better than I had in God-knows-when.

It was Brantley that broke the eye contact between us, opening the folder and flipping through the pages inside. My heart raced as he silently looked at the pages, his eyes scanning the wording on them. With each second that passed without him saying a word or even changing his facial expression, nervousness and self-doubt started to creep in making me wonder if he was changing his mind about me being a fit for this job.

It was that nervousness and self-doubt that had me breaking the silence between us, feeling like I needed to explain myself and the things I had done in Charlotte. "My first year teaching, I was thrown into a classroom before I even felt confident in my education. I didn't know if I had made the right decision as far as a career." I said, a smile coming to my face. "But when one of the students came up to me and offered me a huge hug and told me that she was new here too and that it was okay to be scared, I knew that I had made the right choice. From that day forward, I poured every ounce of love that I had for teaching into my classroom and my students, making sure that every single one of them felt welcome and knew that no matter what they did, they were loved. So many kids don't have parents at home that boost them up and tell them that they are proud of them. I know it seems like such a small thing, but I believe that it really did change the way they looked at life –even if they were young.

"And then I was moved to the most problematic classroom in the entire district, which just happened to be in the same school I was already in. It was challenging, getting those kids to listen and understand that learning could be fun. But by some sort of miracle, I found a way to get through to them. That's what the first certificate for 'Educator of the Year' is for. It wasn't something that I felt like I deserved because I had just been doing what I loved, you know? But it's like one of my colleges had told me right after I received that award. 'We don't do what we do because of the pay or the recognition. We do it because we were meant to make a change in the lives that we touch. When we get through to a child, when we give them things like compassion, love, and forgiveness that they might not receive at home, we teach them that they are worthy of all those things. But it's them that teaches us that we are responsible for planting the seed in these kids that will grow and flourish and turn them into amazing adults that will one day lead this country. A small piece of paper that recognizes us for what we do is just a small token of appreciation from the school, the community, and the parents that allow us to have an impact on their lives'. I'm paraphrasing there but it was something along those lines.

"Long story short, teaching is so much more than a job to me. Its–"

"Laney, stop." said Brantley, cutting me off. It was then that I realized I had been rambling, my words coming out at rapid-fire speed.

I locked eyes with Brantley again and saw a gentle smile on his face.

"Your dad told me all about the things you have done. He told me about your accomplishments. There's no need for you to plead your case to me about what you are capable of doing. To be honest, it doesn't matter to me one damn bit if you were educator of the year every year or not. It doesn't matter that the school enacted a policy for the entire district because of your work with a group of unruly kids. All that matters is that you have a love for the profession, that you are willing to bring your experience to a place that means the world to me, and that you are willing to help me make this place what I know deep down Amber would want it to be." he said. He stepped closer to me then, his fingers touching the top of my hands, stopping me from wringing them; something that I hadn't realized I was doing but often did when I was nervous. That zing I felt earlier was there again, this time instead of shocking me, it grounded me in a way that I didn't know was possible.

"Brantley, I promise to make every dream she had for this place come true and then some. She deserves it and so do you. But more importantly, the kids that will get an education here deserve for me to give it my everything."

"You don't know how much that means to me," he said. I heard his voice crack and because my eyes were locked with his, I saw moisture build in them. Seeing a man as rugged and tough as him with tears in his eyes had my own watering.

I sank my teeth into my bottom lip to stop the trembling. I don't know if I imagined the sound that came from him as I did so or not but it sure sounded like the man standing before me growled. That inner voice chose that moment to chime in, once against making my brain go in the direction of sex with Brantley; a place that I needed to stay far away from since I was nowhere near ready to fall into bed with someone –even if they were sexy as homemade sin and all I wanted to do was see just how much ink covered his toned body. Hell for that matter, I knew he wasn't either.

"So, how about a tour," said Brantley, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Sure." I said, hoping that the breathiness in my voice was just something that I heard and that he hadn't. I chanced a glance at his handsome face once again, trying and failing to see if he was as affected by me as I was by him.

Brantley gestured then, telling me to walk ahead of him. So I did. But what I hadn't expected was for his hand to land low on my back, sending that jolt of electricity through my body.