Autumn Rain

Chapter 1

Spooky season is approaching. The days are getting shorter, and the nights are getting darker. The fog starts to roll in and a crisp breeze can be felt. The smell of burning leaves linger in the air. If Autumn had an official smell, that should be it. Burning leaves. Not pumpkin or cinnamon but burning leaves. Thats Delaney Rayfield's favorite smell. Once that smell has hit her nose, she knows her favorite season is upon us.

Delaney wakes up early most morning to take a walk around her fairly secluded neighborhood. Hearing the rustle of leaves in the cool breeze is the best sound to hear in the morning. Waking up early is worth it.

Delaney just moved to Gallenton, a small mountain town. It's also the perfect place to be for her favorite season. She has a beautiful view from her backyard with all the oranges, reds, and yellows popping on mountainside. It's the perfect view for a homebody like Delaney.

"Hi, Delaney!" Mrs. Ellis, yells from her front porch.

"Oh! Hi, Mrs. Ellis!" Delaney yells back. She almost didn't hear her from the crunching of the dead leaves beneath her feet.

"Oh, please, call me Annie!"

Delaney chuckles, "Okay. . . Annie!"

"It's such a pretty morning for a walk. Please enjoy yourself!"

"It sure is Annie. You have a wonderful day!"

Annie Ellis is Delaney's elderly neighbor. Although, their houses are far enough apart to where you can't actually see the other through the woods between them. Annie was the first person to welcome Delaney to the neighborhood. Actually, the only person. Delaney has been there for exactly one month and Annie is the only person she really knows. She is the sweetest little lady. She's brought Delaney homemade baked goods 3 times already. Delaney certainly doesn't mind, though.

Delaney continues her walk after their short conversation. She likes to walk in silence. Most people prefer to walk with music. Not Delaney. This allows her to truly hear the nature surrounding her. It's a great time to meditate and think about the day ahead of her. Delaney is an editor and was fortunate enough to get a job working from home. However, her dream is to become a writer. Moving up here she thought would be the perfect workspace. It gives her the peace and quiet she needs to really focus in on her work. These early morning walks are the perfect time to clear her mind and get ready for the day.

As Delaney makes her way back home, she passes by Annie's house again and notices a man she's never seen before. He is chopping wood in the front yard. He's wearing a long sleeve shirt, but she can still see his large muscles popping through. He looks up and catches her staring.

"Hi! You must be Delaney?" He asks questioning himself.

"Uh. . . yeah that's me." Delaney responds.

"I'm Jackson." He says as he seductively eyes her up and down as he jogs down to the road to meet Delaney.

She finds him attractive, so she's not sure if she should feel flattered or disgusted with the gesture.

"My grandmother has told me so much about you. You must be something special."

She blushes, "oh wow. That's so nice. But, really, she's the special one. She's been nothing but kind to me since I've arrived."

"Well, that sounds like my grandmother. Nicest lady I've ever met. Speaking of, she asked me to chop up some extra wood to bring to you. It can get pretty chilly up in these parts and she wants to make sure you're all set."

"Oh, that's so sweet! How much do I owe you?"

"Nothing at all! She'd kill me if I even though about asking for a penny from you. I should be done in a couple of hours will it be okay to bring some by around then?"

Delaney looks at the time, "Um, yeah I should just be getting out of a meeting, so that should be fine."

"Okay, great. I'll see you then!"

"See you then!" Delaney starts back to her house.

Grinning from ear to ear she opens her front door. Suddenly, she snaps out of it. No way is she going to start crushing on her neighbor's grandson. She needs to focus on the reason she moved here. To become a writer. No distractions. It's almost time for her meeting, and it's an important one. She's pitching a book idea to a publishing company she has always wanted to work with. This is not the time to be distracted by boys.

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Delaney's sitting in front of her computer. Staring at a blank screen. About ten minutes since the meeting had ended has passed. That couldn't have gone any worse. They hated it. Said it wasn't original enough, needed more work, blah blah blah. Everything she didn't want to hear. Not one good thing. All she heard was 'you're not good enough.' She couldn't feel any smaller at this point.

Finally, breaking the silence in the room, "I can't believe that just happened," she says out loud.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Delaney jumps. She startles easy. That must be Jackson with the wood he said he'd bring over.

Suddenly, she forgets all about that horrible meeting she just endured.