"Okay. We have your shipments ready for you out back. Can I do anything else for you today, Miss McAdams?" The kind, newly hired teenager asked Misty. 

      "No, ma'am, that's it." Misty smiled, handing the girl her dad's ranch credit card. 

     "Alright. Whenever y'all are ready, just pull your truck around to the back and you'll see signs for 'order pickup.'" Clara, the teenager said, waiting until she was finished with the statement before sliding the credit card. "Do y'all need any help loading your truck?" Clara handed the credit card back to Misty. 

       "No, we are good." Misty threw her thumb back towards Clay. "My friend here can help me." Looking over her shoulder, she smiled at Clay. She really was glad that he decided to come along with her. "Right, honey?" Misty asked after seeing the straight look on his face.

       "Of course. I'm always willin' to help my girlfriend." Clay responded, putting a weird emphasis on the word "girlfriend." 

       "Okay, well, y'all have a great day!" Clara said with a smile. 

       "Thanks. You too!" Misty said back, walking out of the feed store. Grabbing her keys off her carabiner clip on her hip, Misty opened the drivers' side door, hopping in and placing the key in the ignition. Turning it, she started her truck, putting it in drive to drive around to the back of the store. As always, the owner's son, Robert was out back, helping with orders. 

       Putting her truck in park, Misty left the engine running, jumping down from the cab. Clay followed suit. "Afternoon, Rob." Misty smiled, greeting her 20-something friend. "Robert, you know Clay, right?" Misty walked over to where Robert was stationed by the prepared feed and bedding shipment.

      "Of course I remember Clay. How are you, man?" Robert asked, extending his hand. 

      "Doin' well." Clay returned the shake before asking where their shipment was. After Robert pointed it out, he went to help another customer. 

      Misty walked over to the pallet where multiple bags of feed and bedding were. Grabbing one of the plastic wrapped bags of bedding, Misty walked over to her truck, setting it inside. Walking back over to the pallet, she grabbed a second bag, but Clay's voice stopped her. 

      "Nice try, darlin', but remember I told you that you're not allowed to lift anything. That's why I tagged along." Clay playfully scolded, placing a soft kiss on Misty's cheek as he walked past her with two feed bags on each shoulder. 

     "Oh, come on, Clay, these bags ain't even heavy." Misty teasingly pouted, reaching for another bag, watching Clay closely to see if he would notice. 

       "Uh nuh. Nice try." Clay walked over, taking Misty's hand off of the bag to hold his, interlacing their fingers. "I need the workout, and there's not many bags here. So," Clay turned from his girlfriend, setting a bag of bedding on it's side. Pointing to it, he said, "you sit here and keep me company as I load these. It won't take me long. And after we get finished, how about we get some lunch?" 

       Letting out a breath, Misty took a seat on the bag of bedding Clay set aside for her. "Alright, cowboy." She said with a smile. Relaxing on the makeshift seat, Misty watched her handsome boyfriend as he loading the shipment into her truck bed. As Clay picked up some of the feed bags, Misty was truly impressed by his muscles; she had never noticed just how defined they were, but then again, this is the first day that Misty had seen Clay with a white shirt that had the sleeves cut off, with the slits cut down about halfway on his torso, revealing part of his chest. 

       With two feed bags on each shoulder, Clay walked over to the truck bed, setting them beside the stack he had started on the tailgate. Making his way back over to the pallet, he stopped for a moment to smile at Misty. "What?" Misty asked, laughing at Clay.

      "You're just so beautiful." Clay walked closer to Misty. Placing one hand beside her, Clay used his other to tilt her cowboy hat off her head, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. "I don't know how you do it." 

      Misty felt a blush beginning to creep up her cheeks. With a smile, Misty put both her hands on Clay's chest, pushing him off of her. "You get back to work so we can eat, goof. I'm hungry." 

      With a loving smile, Clay drawled, "Yes ma'am." He tipped the bill of his cowboy hat down in her direction before grabbing a bag of bedding, slinging it over his shoulder. 

      Only a short time later, Clay had the entire shipment packed tightly in the truck bed. After offering to drive, Clay held the passenger side door open for Misty to hop in. Taking his spot on the driver's side, Clay started Misty's truck, buckling his seat belt. 

       After rolling the windows down, Clay grabbed Misty's hand, his other on top of the steering wheel. "What sounds good to you for lunch?" He asked, glancing over at Misty who had one arm out the passenger side window, moving it against the feel of the wind. 

      "Good question. Anything sounds good because I'm starving." 

      "Maxine's sound alright? Their lunches are pretty filling, I'd say." Slowing down to make a right turn, Clay added, "And it's usually really busy, so that means there will be more people there for me to show you off to." 

      With a playful groan, Misty laid her head back against the head rest, glancing over at Clay. "You're so weird." 

      "But you still like me." Clay grinned right back; she seemed to have that effect on him.

      "That is very true." Misty beamed, giving Clay's hand a squeeze.

      Not long after, Clay pulled the truck into Maxine's parking lot, turning off the truck, and walking to Misty's side to open the door for her. 

      Practically skipping into Maxine's, Clay held the door open for Misty who walked through, then stood right inside of the door, waiting for Clay as he held the door for several other people. 

      Walking inside, Clay removed his cowboy hat, then smiled at Misty, wrapping an arm tightly around her waist as they waited to be seated.

       "Why are you in such a good mood today?" Misty asked, loving how he was acting today.

      Clay placed a kiss on top of Misty's head, then whispered into her hair, "Because I get to spend the whole day with my beautiful girlfriend." 

      Feeling the blush rising on her cheeks, Misty smiled up at Clay, placing a hand on his cheek. "You're such a sweetheart." She beamed. 

       After waiting in line for a few more minutes, the hostess led Clay and Misty to a two person table next to a window. Having been to the restaurant several times, both Misty and Clay already knew what to order. 

      Not long after they ordered their lunch did the food come. Clay reached his hand across the table, saying a prayer over their meal. 

      The sandwiches were great, but the company was even better. Sitting around the little table, Misty and Clay had the opportunity to talk a lot; the more they talked, the more and more they discovered about each other. Misty silently thanked God for Clay, and his willingness to really develop their relationship. Her mind wandered back to Jace for just a second. Sure, they hung out a lot, and he would take her out to lunch and such, but it seemed like Jace never really tried  to get to know more about Misty; they just found out about each other because they had been friends for so long. But with Clay, on the other hand, Misty realized that playing 20 questions with someone on a date really could be fun and beneficial. That was certainly the case for them.

      Even after their empty plates had been taken off the table, the couple still sat in the busy restaurant, neither of them ready to leave yet. Clay's eyes drifted off of Misty's to something behind her. Looking back to his girlfriend, Clay had a huge smile on his face.

      With a confused look, Misty asked, "What?" 

      "You're gonna love this." Clay didn't answer her question. Instead, he jumped up and walked over to an old time juke box a few feet behind their table.

      With a laugh, Misty asked, "Clay, what are you doin'?" 

      Glancing over at Misty, Clay said, "Just trust me." Digging his hands deep into his pocket, Clay pulled out a handful of change. Fingering through the coins, Clay seemed content when he found a few quarters. Sticking three in the juke box, Clay selected a song, then put the rest of the change back into his jeans pocket.

      Walking back over to the table, Clay, who had a childish grin on his face, held out a hand to Misty. "Wanna dance?" He jerked his head backwards to the open space near the jukebox. 

      Still laughing, Misty told her goofy boyfriend, "I don't like to dance, you know that." She felt the blush rising on her cheeks at Clay, who was beginning to make a scene in front of the rest of the restaurants attendants. 

       "Oh, come on. It's just one dance, and it's with me. The song is already almost halfway over with." Taking a step closer to Misty, Clay held out his hands to her. "Come on, baby girl. Don't tell me I wasted 75 cents for a rejection from my girlfriend." Taking a step closer, Clay grabbed Misty's hands, pulling her to her feet. "Please, darlin'?" Clay gave her those pitiful blue puppy eyes that she has never been able to resist.

       Letting out a groan, Misty finally agreed. "Fine, cowboy. One song, and that's it." 

       With a beam of a smile, Clay led Misty out to the open space in front of the old juke box. Sticking his hand out in the air in front of him, Clay gave Misty a spin, then pulled her to his side as he led her in a line dance to meet the rhythm of the song. 

     Less than a couple of minutes later, the song was finished, and Clay turned to Misty. With that crooked grin on his face, he said, "See, nothin' to it." All around them in the restaurant, people cheered for them, applauding their impressive line dance. "Everyone else seemed to love it." Clay told Misty, motioning to the crowd who was cheering for the couple. Grabbing one of Misty's hands, Clay told the restaurant customers, "Thank you. Thank all y'all. And thank you to my beautiful girlfriend dance partner." Clay gave Misty one final twirl. As the applause died down, Clay turned back to Misty. "Darlin', you need to stop being so dadgum self conscious and allow yourself to have fun. I wish you could see your smile right now. You let your guard down for a couple short minutes, and you let yourself have fun." Brushing some hair out of Misty's face, Clay asked, "See, doesn't that feel good to just be yourself for a bit?"

      Smiling up at Clay, Misty replied, "Yeah, you're right. It does feel really good." 

      Just then, a really slow song came on next on the jukebox. Again, Clay asked Misty to dance with him. This time, however, Misty obliged with no hesitation. Wrapping both arms around her waist, Clay held Misty close as they swayed side to side with the music. 

       Resting her head against Clay's chest, Misty whispered, "Thank you, Clay." She didn't need to tell Clay what she was thanking him for because he already knew. 

      Placing a kiss on the top of her hair, Clay held tight to Misty, being careful not to touch her broken ribs. At that moment, Clay knew that he could never let this girl go. For the first time in his life, he had found someone who made him the happiest man on the planet. Now, he just needed to get Misty to feel the same way.