Haley parks in the gravel driveway and looks up at the house in front of her. It's a nice blue house; looks like a farmhouse with a huge wrap around porch that she's jealous of. She hops out, grabs her bag from the back hatch and heads up to the front door. She knocks against the white wood then tucks her hand in her denim jacket pocket.

"Comin'!" She hears from inside and smiles to herself. "Hales- hey!" Morgan grins, waving her inside. "Come in!"

"Thanks for invitin' me out here." She smiles, stepping out of her sandals.

"Thanks for comin'. You hungry or anythin'?"

"Sure. Whatcha makin'?"

"Chicken and dumplin's." He says, reaching into a cabinet for a couple plates. "Drink?"

"Whatever you got." She nods, sitting at the small kitchen table. He sets lunch down in front of them, grabs two glasses of lemonade then sits across from her. "Thank you." They sit in a somewhat awkward silence as the eat.

After the meal, Haley volunteers to do the dishes. "Hales, what're you-"

"It's only fair." She responds. "You cooked, I'll clean." Morgan sighs, watching her set the dishes in the dish rack as he leans against the counter. "I can feel you lookin' at me."

"Sorry, you're just so beautiful." She blushes and rolls her eyes. "Seriously, you're probably the prettiest girl I've ever seen."

"You're full of shit." She snorts, shaking her head.

"I mean, my momma's real pretty too. You're a close second."

She laughs a genuine laugh, her pretty blue eyes scrunching up. "Thanks." Morgan picks up a dish towel to start drying off what she's washing, making small talk the whole time.

***

"You got a real nice house." Haley says, looking at a picture frame hung on the wall.

"Wanna tour?"

"Sure!" She grins as he stands.

"This is the living room, I don't spend much time in here." He takes her hand. "Bathroom's here and here is the kitchen, through there is the den and laundry room." He leads her up the stairs. "Bathroom, guest room, guest room and my bedroom." She takes a few steps into the third bedroom, Morgan's bedroom and looks around.

She points up at a baseball team photo. Morgan reaches up and takes it off the shelf then looks it over. "High school me." He hands the frame to her. "Third in from the right."

"That's you?" She snorts. "Look at your hair!"

"I know, I know!" Morgan's cheeks go pink, holding his hand out to put it back.

"No, you look cute!" She teases. Morgan snags the frame back. "C'mon now. Got anymore pictures?"

"I dunno." He shrugs with a small smile.

She sits on his bed with her long legs crossed. "Please."

The look she gives him makes him smile shyly to himself as he turns to pick up a box from the top shelf of his closet. "Here." She lifts the shoebox lid and starts to go through the abundance of old pictures.

"Who's this?" She asks, laying on her front with a small picture in her hands.

Morgan looks over her shoulder and sighs. "That's my, uh, ex."

"She's pretty." Haley says. "Recent?"

"Over six months." He shrugs. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Any skeletons in your closet?"

"A few, I guess." She glances over at him. "What do you want to know?"

Morgan makes a goofy ponderous face, sitting back on his haunches with his arm crossed and his finger tapping against his pretty lips. "Last relationship?"

"Ended a year, maybe a year and a half ago." She sighs, biting her lip. "Couldn't do nothin' right for 'em." Morgan adjusts himself so he's laying on his side next to her. "Wasn't how it was supposed to be."

"How was it supposed to be?"

"Like them cowboys gettin' the girl in those books- full 'head over heels' romantic." She sighs to herself again. "I'm glad that it's over." She filters through the pictures. "Who's this?"

"Those are my little sisters." He says proudly. "I love those girls with my whole heart." Haley smiles. "Do you have any siblings?"

"Yeah. Two older brothers."

"Really?"

"Mhm. One's helpin' out on the farm and the other is in construction with the farm on the weekends." Morgan swallows hard, intimidated slightly.

"What about your old man?"

"He's runnin' the farm."

"So what brought you into the city?"

"An ex." She rubs the back of her neck. "Talked me into moving to the city with him and I just never left but I miss it, the farm." She sits back. "Me and my daddy practically ran the damn thing." She jokes, shaking her head. "You're from here?"

"Yes ma'am." He smiles. "I can give you a tour of the town later."

"I'd like that."

***

Haley agrees to a tour the next day so she could get settled in and relax for the first day of her trip to Sneedville.

Currently, she's asleep with her head in Morgan's lap as they sit on the couch watching That 70's Show. He rubs her back, smiling when she stirs awake. "What time is it?"

"I don't know." He answers, his arm going to rest on the couch behind her as she sits up. "Ready for bed?"

"Mhm." She nods, standing. Morgan closes up the house then follows her up the stairs. "This my room?"

"Yes ma'am." He says, opening the door for her. "Bathroom's down the hall, in case you forgot."

"Thanks." She grabs a big t-shirt from her bag then slips past him to the bathroom to change. "Goodnight." She smiles, leaning over to kiss his cheek. She starts to slide past but she's stopped with a hand around her upper arm. Morgan pulls her back, a coy smile on his lips as he kisses her lips gently. "What?" She laughs.

"I'm just glad you agreed to hang out with me."

"You're sweet." She laughs, leaning against the doorframe. "C'mon." She takes his hand and pulls him into his room, leaving the door wide open.

***

"This is where you grew up, huh?" Haley asks, watching the small town zip past her through the window of Morgan's shitbox.

"Yes ma'am." He nods, pulling into a small parking lot of a small trailer-turned-diner.

"What's this?"

"The best restaurant in Sneedville."

"The only restaurant in Sneedville?"

"That's what makes it the best." He hops out of the truck and rushes over to her side, opening the door for her. "C'mon!" He grabs her hand, leading her to the wood door. "How're you doin' today, Miss Kay?" He asks the small older woman behind the register.

"I'm doin' real well, Morgan." She smiles back. "How was your trip to Nashville?"

"It was real good. Met a girl." He nods at the cute girl looking at the small framed pictures on the wall. "I think she's a keeper."

"I can hear ya, Morgan." Haley responds, shooting him a bright smile. "How're you doin', ma'am?" She asks, her arm sliding around Morgan's waist while his goes around her shoulders.

"I'm doin' real good." She grins. "Table for two?"

"Yes ma'am." Morgan smiles, following Miss Kay to a table on the other side of the diner. "Thank you."

"Of course, darlin." She winks at the two before she heads back up to the front counter.

"So, what looks good?" Haley asks, looking over the yellowing laminated menu against the table.

"You." He flirts, looking the girl in front of him over with a cute smile.

"Oh shut up." She blushes and rolls her eyes.

A cute girl bounces to their table, her blonde hair curled in a pony tail, her shorts showing off her long legs and tight t-shirt accentuating her perky breasts. "Hey y'all! I'm Presley and I'll be y'all's waitress today." Her bright green eyes flicker to the brunette across from Haley. "Hey Morgan." She says, popping her hand on her hip. "How's your ma'n'em?"

"Real good, darlin'." He responds, looking up at her. "Yours?"

"Daddy's in the hospital, burned his arm on the somethin' in the factory." She shakes her head. "But it was just a surface burn so he'll be home soon."

Haley keeps her head down, looking over the menu. "That's good." Morgan nods. "Hey, you know what you want?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry, of course. What can I get for y'all?" Presley shakes her head as she gets ready to take down their order.

"You know what I want, darlin'." Morgan says, handing her his menu.

"Stupid of me to ask." She pops her hip out towards him as she waits for his date to order.

"I'll just take the, uh, special."

"Good choice, ma'am. Miss Kay's been workin' hard on it." She takes her menu. "Be right back."

"She your ex?"

"No, she was a year under me in school."

"You're like a celebrity 'round these parts, huh?"

"Oh no, just made an impression when I's younger and-"

"That's called bein' a celebrity."

"I ain't no celebrity, baby." He flashes a cocky grin. "I just got a lotta folks I know."

Presley returns with their meals then leaves.

"Where're you from again?" Morgan asks, digging into his massive burger.

"Lynchburg."

"Where?"

"Lynchburg- well, just outside of Lynchburg." She repeats. "It's 'bout an hour and a half south of Nashville. Jack Daniels' distillery is there."

"Ohh." He swallows his mouthful and nods.

"Maybe I'll have to take you 'round town someday."

"I'd like that."

***

After their delightful lunch, the two are walking down an old dirt path in the middle of the woods. Haley's got her sandals in one hand and Morgan's hand in the other as they make their way to an old secluded lake.

"Wow." She says, taking in the view. "East Tennessee is..."

"Better than Middle Tennessee?"

"Oh, c'mon now. I'm from Middle Tennessee." He chuckles, heading down the dock. He slips his boots off and sets them behind him, sighing as he lays back and closes his eyes, soaking in the sun and its rays.

Haley sits next to him, her toes dipping in the lake as she leans back on her hands. "Hey, Morgan?"

"Yeah?"

"What're we doin'?"

"What do you mean?"

"Us; me and you. What are we?"

"Well, I's gon flirt with you until I had enough courage to ask you to be my girl." She chuckles. "But I guess that time is now."

"You're goofy." She smiles down at him, a breeze blowing her hair around her face. Haley leans down and kisses him. He sits up, lips connected with her, his hands pulling her onto his lap before he suddenly pushes her back into the lake. "Dude!" She gasps as she resurfaces. "Oh, you're in trouble now!"

"Yeah, yeah." He rolls his eyes, pulling his feet up as she wades closer to him.

"Ah- ow!" She fakes, tears forming in her eyes as she reaches down to rub her foot. "I stepped on something. Help me up." She grabs his wrist, her fake pain fizzling into an ornery smirk as she uses all her strength to pull Morgan into the lake with her, cackling when she's hit with the splash.

"You keep it up and you're walkin' home." Morgan smirks. "Or-"

"Or?"

"You can make it up to me when we get back to the house." His hands find her hips under the water and his fingers trail across her waistband. She laughs and shakes her head, heading to the dock to lay out in the sun, Morgan lays on his back while she's on her front, the two laughing a lot together, it reminds her of her hometown.

She misses her hometown.