My Secret Billionaire

Chapter 2: The Handsome Stranger

The next day was Thursday, the day before her class was to present artwork at the school's art display. That morning, Anna decided to leave her daydreams at home and focus on the children, who had worked hard to express their creative ideas. She didn't have children of her own yet, but she could certainly make life enjoyable for the kids in her class, who she loved as if they were her own.

For the most part, she was able to keep her promise to herself, since the day was too hectic to stop and daydream about husbands and children and kittens and animal shelters that didn't exist in her life yet. One of the other teachers had called in sick, and, as will happen in a small town, there weren't any substitute teachers available to fill in. That meant that Anna, Kelly, and the other teachers would all pitch in to help the sick teacher's students get their artwork finished on time. They were all happy to help, and by the end of the day, everyone was ready to head home, including Anna.

This time, she'd remembered to take dinner out of the freezer the night before, so she didn't need to go gossip with Liz at the grocery store again. But she had thought of some things she wanted to do in her yard that weekend, but she needed some gardening supplies. As she started her car to drive home after work, she decided it would be best to get everything that night, since she would be too busy on Friday with the art display.

She headed to the hardware store. It was the only place in town to get gardening supplies, paint, or tools for all the projects Anna had planned for her home, so she went there often. Since it was such a small town, there was much more than hardware on sale there. All the people in the knitting club bought their yarn there, and there were school supplies and even t-shirts and hats with the school's mascot printed on them. Everything and everyone in the town had to multitask, including the hardware store.

Anna parked her car and headed inside the store, waving at Henry, the store's owner, who was sweeping up near the front door. The cashier was talking to someone, but at first Anna didn't look. She just marched ahead to the gardening supplies without a second thought.

But a voice from behind made her heart seem to skip a beat.

“I'm sure glad for your help. It's amazing how friendly people are around here. That's why I moved here." A deep and confident male's voice floated across the room, and when it reached Anna's ears it sounded smooth, soothing, like gentle music.

“You buy a house in town?" asked Brent, the cashier.

“No, I'm out in the country. I'm told it's the old Johnston place. Everyone around here seems to know where everyone lived or even used to live," the man laughed, and the cashier joined in.

Anna walked around to the back of the aisle, afraid to be seen. If this was the handsome stranger that Liz and the ladies spoke about, she definitely didn't want to be the one who embarrassed herself falling over backward when he spoke to her, so she decided to try to get a look at him without him noticing. Luckily, he was busy paying for his purchases, so he wasn't looking around the room.

Liz and the others didn't exaggerate. He was tall, about six foot three, with a strong, athletic build and beautiful sandy colored hair that flowed gently, as if displaying a softer side of himself. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, as most men did in town, but he certainly wore the look better than any other man in Belleville.

He looked up to take the bag from the cashier, and Anna slipped quickly back into the other aisle so she wouldn't be seen. She took a deep breath and was surprised at herself with the way her heart pounded so loudly. She was even afraid he would hear it all the way across the room.

'You're being stupid,' she thought to herself. 'He's just a man. Quit being so rude and shy, Anna,' she chastised herself. In a small town, friendliness was deeply ingrained in the culture, and Anna had been there all her life. She picked up some flowerpots and other supplies that she'd set down in the other aisle before sneaking a peek at the handsome stranger and walked up toward the counter. Her heart was beating even faster.

The man had just turned around and saw her as he was headed out the door. “Hello," he said, politely, in a voice that made her heart melt.

“Hi," Anna managed to say, awe-struck by his gorgeous blue eyes, the exact color of the sky on a clear summer day.

He smiled, seemed to pause for a minute, then walked out the door. Anna was lost in a daydream again, and the cashier cleared his throat to get her attention.

“Oh," said Anna, “sorry, here you go, thanks." She placed her flowerpots on the counter, gazing at the door where she'd last seen the man.

Brent laughed lightly. “I swear, every woman in town has the same reaction when they see Ethan Greenfield."

“Ethan?" Anna asked.

“Yeah, that's his name. He just bought the old Johnson farmhouse on County Road 50 a couple miles out of town. I wish I was as lucky as that guy. I'd have the attention of every woman in Belleville. Of course, the wife might not like it much," he laughed. Anna giggled, happy to have a release from the awkward tension.

“Thanks," she said, gathering her purchases and heading out the door. By then, Ethan was gone, but he was imprinted in her mind and heart forever.

She headed home, made herself some dinner, and settled into her daydreams, which now starred Ethan Greenfield. Would he want children? Would he love animals? In her dreams, he certainly did.

She wondered if he knew about the festival next week and hoped she'd see him again there.