22Annabella drove quickly down the lane in her old beat up truck. It was older than her, but she could not find it in her heart to sell it. Annabella could plainly remember sitting in her father's lap while she drove down this very same lane. The windows would be down and Garth Brooks would play on the radio. As a tear rolls down her cheek, she is brought back from her daydream. It had been twelve years since her father had died when she was ten and she still could not think about him without shedding at least one tear.
The farmhouse, although still a long distance away, was on her left and reminded her of the task at hand. Graham was angry again, but she did not know what had angered him this time. All she knew was that he was madder than hell according to Jim, Graham's foreman. Nobody but Annabella could calm him down, so of course they had called her. Some comfort could be taken in that fact because Annabella had been in love with Graham for as long as she could remember, but he would never think of her in that way not only because he had thought of her as a sister, but because in her opinion she was overweight. All of her friends we smaller than her and did not have definite curves as she did. Sure, she had been told that some men like that in a woman, but none that she had ever met had wanted a woman like her.
Once again, the farmhouse brings her attention back to the present as she parked in the front of the house. Annabella climbs out of her truck and starts towards the back dreading, and yet curious about what she would encounter. Even from the front, she could hear Graham yelling, she felt sorry for whoever was at the receiving end, but knew that they probably deserved what they were getting. Graham did not get mad easily, but when he did, everyone knew better than to get in his way. Catching sight of him, Annabella's breath catches in a gasp as she drinks in his appearance. He always looked good whenever she saw him, but there was an extra hint of sex appeal when his rage cut loose.
The muscles of his arms bulged against his black and blue-checkered shirt, his jeans strained against his strong muscular thighs and legs as he began to pace. She knew that his normally dark blue eyes would not be that way for long. Graham always tried to obscure his emotions from others, but Annabella knew were to look in order to read him, his eyes. When he was happy his eyes would turn a light blue and when he was angry they would be black. Few people who had ever worked at the ranch were able to figure out his secret and those who did not know would always be the ones to cause problems. His brown hair that is normally covered by a pearly black Stetson now looked as if the wind had tousled it, when his hat had been thrown to the ground, showing of the golden highlights. He had the most kissable lips she had ever seen and longed to be on the receiving end of a kiss, but that would never happen, she was just plain Annabella, not one of the beautiful woman he normally dated. He was taller than she was, but then again mostly everybody was. At 5'5", Graham's 6'4" build towered over hers. He was the biggest man she knew and sometimes his muscles tended to frighten people off, but once a person took the time to get to know him, they realize what Annabella has known all along, that his is a gentle giant and would never think to strike a person unless they deserved it.
Annabella saw Graham lunge toward the James, the cowboy who had caused the problem. Luckily, before much damage could be done, Jeff and Bill, another ranch worker pulled Graham back. While holding Graham, Jeff catches Annabella's attention while his eyes silently plead for her to help. Noticing that Graham was fighting like a bull to get out of his worker's grasps and that he was succeeding, Annabella quickly moves to intervene.
"Graham," she calls hoping to get his attention but as luck would have it, her voice did not even faze him. Realizing that there was no other way to stop him, she steps between him and a frightened James. At the same moment, Graham pulls free, blinded by his anger he charges at James with so much force that he sends both Annabella and himself tumbling to the ground. James moves out of the line of fire just in the knick of time and his only injuries were the black eye and bruised cheek he received from Graham before he had been subdued.
Annabella, however, was not as lucky, knowing that what she had done was stupid; Annabella hides the fact that she is injured. The fall pulls Graham out of his anger filled revery and with a surprised gasp, he notices Annabella under him. Angered by how dense she had been he was about to shout at her when he caught a glimpse of pain in her eyes before she could mask it. His anger immediately turns inward, angry with himself for having hurt her, and angry that he had not been able to control himself. He knew that because of his size, even a normal man could have been hurt but Annabella could have seriously been injured. That thought had him jumping up as not to cause her anymore discomfort. Kneeling beside her, he asks, "Are you hurt," a bit harsher than he had meant it to be.
Noticing the tone in his voice, Annabella knew he was angry and probably at her, she decides to lie with the hope of getting away sooner, "I'm fine. No harm done."
"Are you sure?" Graham asks noticing by the way that she avoids looking him in the eyes that she is not being truthful. The fact that she is lying pains him because they are always truthful with one another. In an instant pain flashes across his eyes and Annabella sees this, mistaking it for anger.
"Yeah, I'm fine, I came to diffuse the situation and now that my job is done, I'm gonna head on home". Annabella moves to sit up and feels a stinging pain in her arm, biting her lip she holds back a gasp and continues to stand up. Once on her feet, Annabella realizes that her arm is not the only thing injured and would have fallen had Graham not grabbed a hold of her arms and held her while she balanced on her good foot.
Horrified by the painful expression on her face, Graham easily lifts Annabella up in his arms. Walking towards his house, Graham calls back "I'll deal with him later, clean up the mess." Still shocked by the fact that he was carrying her, Annabella clings to him not wanting to fall. Looking behind her, she sees that the man, Graham had just referred to, had gone pale, looking forward again Annabella began to wonder where she was being taken and what was going to happen to her.
Hope ya'll like it! I'm sorry that I haven't updated my other story but I got really into this one. Hope ya'll like it and I promise to update somewhat regularly I already have most of the next chapter done. Tell me if ya'll think I should continue and please be kind I am still new at writing stories. Adders