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Naomi Cook stood in the cold wind looking down as the men lowered her grandfather's coffin into the ground. Not many people had come to the funeral. In the last few years of his life Naomi's grandfather had secluded himself to his Kentucky farmhouse. A few people from his church had shown up, mostly older folk. However, Naomi had noticed a young blonde man come with his parents Naomi guessed. They hadn't stayed long, but said a few words to Naomi as they left.

Their words didn't comfort her, her grandfather had been her last living relative. Her parents had died in a car crash when she was ten and when she was fifteen her older brother was killed by a bus. Needless to say, Naomi didn't trust cars or buses for a while. She hadn't really been close to her grandfather, but had spent holidays with him.

She wasn't with him when he died. She had been in Europe on a work assignment. She came home and found a message telling her the news. She immediately flew to Kentucky to prepare his funeral. Naomi had no clue why she had a service, she didn't know any of the people that showed up. She decided the reason was closure. She was the last surviving member of the Cook family and it was hard to deal with.

Naomi looked up and noticed she was the only one left standing at the grave. The coffin was buried and so were her feelings. Death was now a close friend and she thought that no one in the world loved her. She was afraid to let anyone close for fear they would die on her. No, her heart would be hard to reach. Naomi pulled her coat closer to her body and walked off in the direction of her rental car. She drove to her grandfather's farmhouse that he had left her.

~The Next Day~

Naomi had been left her grandfather's old farmhouse along with the things that he had collected in the fifty years he had lived in the house. It was noon and Naomi was working on cleaning the house out so she could sell it. She couldn't stay in Kentucky her job involved her going around the world. Even her apartment in New York hadn't been unpacked. So Naomi had taken off a month to clean up the place and put in on the market. However, she hadn't remembered the place being so bad and soon realized a month might not be long enough.

She was now in the process of moving a large, dusty mirror down the attic stairs. It was hard work, even though Naomi was in good shape. She leaned the mirror against the wall and looked at her reflection. She had long, jet black hair, in a long braid down her back. She wasn't very tall and had only come up to her grandfather's shoulder. She was slender but muscular from the regular running she did.

Naomi decided to have some lunch before she did anymore work. Going to the small, dark kitchen she realized that any food that may have been good was now not. She remembered a little store that she had passed on the way. It was a nice enough day so she decided to jog to the store. Naomi shaded her eyes as she stepped out into the bright, Kentucky afternoon. She loved having the sun on her face, usually she was inside some building. The sun warmed her body and soul. She looked around her surroundings, she hadn't been to Kentucky in some time and had forgotten how beautiful the country was.

In minutes the cute, little shop came into view and to Naomi's surprise she wasn't the only one. It was a Monday afternoon and she thought most people would be at work, but they might be farmers. She smiled as she heard the bell on the door ring. It took a second for her eyes to adjust to the dimness of the shop. When she could see, she saw two men at the counter. One of the men looked familiar, then she remembered the man at the funeral. With him was a taller man with black hair and broad shoulders. Both were attractive, but one look at the blonde and her heart was set. She looked for some food and finally made it up to the counter.

The two men were still at the counter when Naomi set her things down. She nodded to them and pulled out her wallet to pay for the food. She was on her way out when the taller man spoke to her.

"You must be Naomi Cook, right?" Naomi turned around and walked back towards the men. "Okay, you have me at a disadvantage, you know who I am but I don't know you."

The taller man spoke again and introduced himself as Kevin Richardson and pointed to his shorter cousin, Brian Littrell. He explained that they had been friends of her grandfathers' at church. That explained why Brian had been at the funeral. Naomi looked over at Brian, he had very strong facial features, a strong jaw and his lips that were soft yet strong. Suddenly Naomi had the urge to kiss this stranger. But her mind remained in reality.

"Well nice to have met you Mr. Richardson and you too, Mr. Littrell, but I have some work to do so I must be going." She walked away. Away from the conversation and the opportunity with Brian. She silently swore to herself for not driving, maybe the men wouldn't say anything. The car pulled up next to her and the passenger window rolled down, "Naomi can we give you a ride home?" Brian asked. "No thank you Mr. Littrell, I need the exercise." Naomi walked off.

~The Next Day~

Naomi was outside in the over-grown garden when she heard a car pull up. The farm was secluded from the road so no one could really see the house unless they knew it was there. The garden was in the back of the house so she walked up to the rickety porch and saw Brian. Naomi dived back against the side of the house, she hadn't been expecting company so she was very messy. Naomi smacked herself she was being silly. Naomi walked around the corner again and saw Brian peaking in the front windows. She cleared her throat in an attempt to catch his attention. He blushed when he saw her, he walked over to her and they stared at each other for what seemed like hours. The phone rang inside, the moment broken.

Naomi motioned for Brian to follow her into the house. The house was a mess and she couldn't find the phone. The phone continued to ring from somewhere in the room. Naomi was frantic looking for the phone. Brian laughed at the sight, Naomi just glared at him. The answering machine finally picked up and Naomi stopped to listen to the message. "Hey Naomi it's Jake, you know your boss, well I had a great idea, since you are in Kentucky why don't you do a project about Kentucky life...I will send some more film and call me will ya..."

Naomi turned her attention back to Brian who was staring at her. The two walked outside and sat on the worn steps on the old porch. "Well, Mr. Littrell, we meet again, may I ask why you came all the way out here?" Naomi asked

"My cousin, Kevin, and I mentioned to my mother that we had met you. She insisted that you come over for some Kentucky home-cooking." Brian said his Southern accent thick. Naomi smiled, it had been a while since she had a good meal. One look at Brian and she knew she was going. "It was going to be me and a good book tonight but I guess I can put it off, if your mother insisted." Naomi finished looking into Brian's crystal blue eyes.

Brian got up and walked toward his black pick-up truck. He opened the door and turned around. "My mom also insisted that I pick you up so be ready at six" He grinned. Naomi watched until his truck was out of sight and she went back to the so called garden.

~Brian~

As Brian drove to his parent's house he asked himself why he had added the last part of the conversation. His mom had given him a map to give to Naomi, but he had invited to drive her. He had been having trouble with his girlfriend, but he had been with her for a year. He couldn't throw that out just because he was having feelings for a new, beautiful girl. He pictured Naomi in his head, she was not his type but she was drawing him in.

~Later That Day~

Naomi got ready for the dinner party and felt nervous. She hadn't had any fancy clothes so she had found an old dress in the attic. She kept thinking of Brian, he was sweet, but they hadn't talked much. Naomi felt that she was keeping him at a distance. She finished getting ready and was about to put make- up on when there was a knock on the front door. Brian knocked on the door and felt nervous, like he was in high school again. He had butterflies in his stomach and his hands were clammy. He wasn't certain why. Naomi answered the door and was speechless. Brian had on tight, black slacks and a polo shirt on. He looked so good. She wasn't the only one that was surprised, Brian was impressed by the dress Naomi had on. It was a black off the shoulder piece that left plenty to the imagination. "Why, Mr.Littrell you look quite nice" Naomi spoke in a low voice. "You look wonderful yourself, Ms. Cook."Brian smiled back.

The two got in the car and rode to the Littrell home in silence. They didn't know that much about each other and they were nervous around each other in the first place. Brian drove in the darkness and Naomi looked to the starry sky. A shooting star streaked across the sky. Both Brian and Naomi made a silent wish. They finally made it to their destination and Brian ushered them into the house.

He brought Naomi to the kitchen first to meet his mom and aunt. They were happy to meet her and told her to enjoy her stay. They continued to cook the meal and Brian introduced the rest of the family to Naomi. She recognized Kevin but the rest of the people were strangers, Brian knew that it wouldn't last long. The introductions didn't take long and before Naomi knew it she was gossiping with the men's wives. The one person that she really liked was Kristen, Kevin's wife. She was easy going and not as uptight as the other gals.

The guys sat on the other side of the room and talked about guy stuff. Naomi kept sneaking glances at Brian when he wasn't looking. The thing she didn't know was that he was doing the same thing to her when she wasn't looking. The one person that noticed both of them was Kristen. She excused herself from the conversation and walked up to Kevin. The two walked to the other room.

"Have you noticed your little cousin and our guest making eyes at each other?" Kristen asked quietly. "Yes, and I don't like it. Brian has been having trouble with his girlfriend... what is her name?" Kevin questioned."Charolette, yes I know but I have always thought that she was all wrong for Brian. Besides Naomi is a sweet girl and he might like her better." Kristen ended quickly. Their conversation was cut off by Kevin's mother saying dinner was ready.

Kristen decided to play match maker and made Kevin move so Naomi could sit next to Brian. Naomi noticed this and made a mental note to thank Kristen. Brian smiled at Kristen and mouthed a 'thank you' when Naomi wasn't looking. Kristen just shook her head and smiled at Kevin who was disappointed by his wife's actions. Everyone got quiet as Brian said a prayer.

"Dear Lord, thank you for this wonderful family and please bless this food and thank you for bringing us closer to Naomi. Amen." Brian looked up to Naomi's brown eyes. The rest of the dinner went off well. Naomi told the group about her job and her adventures while traveling. She finally told them about the assignment her boss had asked her to take. A photo project on Kentucky family life She asked them if they could help her. They all agreed and then Brian's mom made the gesture for Brian to help her. Brian agreed and Naomi thanked them for the thought.

~Later~

Dinner ended and it was time for Naomi to go home. Mrs. Littrell made Naomi promise to come over again. She did and Brian drove her home. It was silent in the car again, until Brian gathered enough courage to speak to Naomi. "What did you wish for before?'' Naomi blushed, "I'll tell you when it happens, Mr. Littrell."

Brian drove down the long drive-way and stopped the car. He walked Naomi to her door and without thinking he kissed her. Naomi was shocked, she had thought about doing that all night and here he was kissing her. It was better than she had thought it would be. He was gentle yet passionate. The kiss took Naomi's breath away. Brian pulled back and looked at Naomi for her reaction. She opened her almond eyes again and looked into Brian clear blue ones. "That is what I wished for, Brian." Naomi said and walked into her house.

~Back at the Littrell House~

Brian arrived home and had a goofy look on his face. Kevin was first to notice this change in his cousin. Kevin knew something had happened on his car ride. Before Kevin could say something to Brian there was a phone call. It was for Brian it was his girlfriend, Charolette. Kevin made a mental note to talk to Brian about Naomi. There was nothing he could do now just hope that Brian would do the right thing.

Brian got on the phone and had no clue what to do. Before he could say anything, Charolette was in tears. She was talking too fast and he couldn't understand what she was saying. He picked up key words. Something about a mistake and being sorry. "Charolette, honey slow down what happened?" Brian asked concerned. "Brian, I didn't mean to. I have been away from you so long that I didn't know what I was doing."She confessed. "What are you talking about?" Brian shouted. "I kissed another man. Please forgive me...Brian?" her voice broke. Brian couldn't believe his ears. His girlfriend had kissed another man, but then he had kissed another woman. He knew now that they could never be together and he confessed. They decided to break up, it was the best thing to do. Of course they did it with regret. They had put a year into the relationship, but it wouldn't work. Brian hung up the phone with a sigh. He walked back out to the living room and saw Kevin staring at him. Kevin could see it in his face. Kevin nodded and a silent understanding passed between them.

~The Next Day~

Naomi was on cloud nine as she worked on the house. She had gotten up early, she hadn't been able to sleep. It was now noon and she was again working on attic. There was so much stuff crammed up in the small room. She was having a hard time moving a heavy black box. She heard Brian call to her from the front porch. She came down the ladder and went to the door. Brian was in a pair of loose jeans and a white wife beater. She noticed a tattoo on his left arm, it was the Rock of Ages. Naomi told Brian about her problem with the box and he went up with her to help.

Between the two of them they managed to lower it out of the attic. Once it was on the ground they opened it to see what had been so heavy. Naomi gasped as she looked inside. It was old camera equipment. Her grandfather had been a photographer too. Naomi dusted off the camera and found some film that was still good. Naomi held it up and wiggled her eyebrows at Brian. "Wanna test it out?" she asked. The next hour the two drove around the small town and country. Naomi took pictures of Brian on a horse, with his car, in a barn. Then Brian wanted to try it out, he found the perfect spot to take a picture of Naomi. He took her to a lake on his family's property. He put a flower in her dark hair and took a couple, he had an idea to take one of both of them. He set the timer on the camera and sat down next to Naomi. Just as it was about to go off he kissed her again.

~Later~

Naomi and Brian went back to her house. She told him that he could help her develop the pictures. She had made a make-shift darkroom in the house. Naomi taught Brian how to prep the pictures and soon Brian could do it on his own. By chance Brian had the picture of them kissing. He smiled, he had only met Naomi a few days ago but he was swept away by her. He had never felt something so strong from the first kiss. "So I was wondering if you were coming over for dinner tonight again..." Brian asked. "I don't know I have so much work to do on the house I was just going to have a quick dinner and then get back to work. Since we didn't get much done this afternoon..." Naomi concentrated on her work. "I could stay and help since I came over to do that today. Then we can plan what you are going to do for your project..."Brian offered.

Naomi agreed and they finished the pictures. They left the pictures to dry and find some food. Naomi found the fixings for pasta and made a quick pasta salad. They ate quickly and went upstairs to paint one of the rooms. "I like to paint at night and do the outside things in the day." She explained moving the furniture into the middle of the room. Soon with both of them working they got it all into the middle of the room and began to paint. They opened the windows but it was hot work. Soon they were tired and decided to take a short break. Their short break turned out to be a lot longer then they meant. They gotten into a great dialogue and lost track of time. Soon it was late into the night and both were exhausted. Brian decided to go home and Naomi gave him the picture of them kissing. They kissed and Brian left.

~A Week Later~

With Brian and Kevin's help the work on farmhouse went fast. It seemed that Naomi may get to leave early. At night Naomi went over to the Littrell house and they helped her with her work assignment. The last part of the house was going to be to have the floors re-done. Of course Naomi was going to let the professionals do that. She was free for a week. She didn't know to do with herself, she couldn't be at the house during the day. So she hung out with Kristen.

Naomi really thought that Kristen was a cool chick. The two went into Lexington and went shopping. Naomi knew she would have to send the clothes back seperately. While shopping she found some presents for Brian's parents and for Brian. Even though she didn't tell Kristen. It was the middle of the week and the girls were lounging around at Kristen's house.They were in the middle of watching the movie "Bounce" when out of the blue Kristen asked the question..."So are you in love with Brian?" Naomi almost spit out her soda, "What are you talking about?" Kristen looked over at Naomi smiling, "You heard me, are you in love with Brian? He has been all you can talk about and then you go and buy him that nice cowboy hat" She saw Naomi blush, "yeah I saw it."

Naomi was stunned, she really liked Brian but LOVE? She had never been in love to her knowledge. To tell the truth she had never really had a boyfriend. She was shy and now here was a sweet guy that she had gotten to know very well. She didn't know and it scared her, she should know, she was going to be leaving Kentucky in a matter of weeks to go back to her job. She loved her job, but she was always somewhere new each week. She was a mover and Brian wanted stablity.

Just then Kevin and Brian arrived home. Both greeted the girls giving them kisses. "Naomi, would you come to the kitchen with me? I want to ask you something." Brian asked. Naomi knew her and Brian needed to talk but she would think about her feelings a little longer before she said anything. Brian and Naomi went into the kitchen leaving Kevin and Kristen alone. "Brian is head-over-heels for Naomi. He is going to ask her to stay in Kentucky with him!" Kevin whispered quickly. "This is all your fault if you hadn't help them out, this wouldn't have happened..." Kevin was red in the face. Kristen put her hands on her husband's cheeks, "Yes it would have, I just helped it along. They are meant for each other Kevin just like you and me. Doesn't Naomi deserve someone's love, especially Brian's?" Kevin went silent.

Brian and Naomi stood in silence looking at each other. Brian was nervous about what he was about to ask and Naomi was apprehensive about what he might say. Naomi was uncertain of her feelings for Brian and if it were something serious she was unsure of what she might say. Brian looked at his feet trying to gather up the courage to ask Naomi to stay with him instead of going back to her job. He had thought about it long and hard and realized that he had never felt this way about anyone before.

"Brian, was there something you wanted to ask me?" Naomi asked quietly. Brian finally came back to reality and looked into Naomi's eyes. "Yes, will you stay with me here after you get your grandfather's house finished?" Brian questioned. Naomi was shocked she had not seen this coming. She had heard what Kristen had said but this was something different. If she stayed in Kentucky she would have to give up her job at the magizine. There was only so much of Kentucky that people could see. She scolded herself for thinking of her job when it was really up to whether she was in love with Brian. She looked into Brian's blue-crystal eyes, she saw the love that he could give her. And finally she new what she had been missing in her life. The one true love...

~A Year Later~

"I now pronounce you man and wife, you may kiss the bride." The priest concluded the wedding ceremony. Brian and Naomi were now Mr. and Mrs. Brian Littrell...