Everything happens for a reason.

In Nathan Scott's eyes, that statement is truer than true. He didn't believe in fate, or faith. Some people would say that's a fair, upstanding way of life: taking things as they come and accepting this world for what it is. Some however, will strive for acceptance and understanding with a drive to learn and a mouth full of questions.

Nathan Scott isn't a big fan of those people.

Haley James is one of those people, or at least that's what he's formulated. He's only been at Tree Hill High for a week, and none of that time has been spent talking to Haley, or really much of anyone. He's spent a fair amount of time watching her though. She hangs out with popular people, but doesn't act like them. She sits in the front of the class, even though she already seemed to understand all of the material. And she has the blaze of a fire buried under all her innocence.

Yes, Haley James is everything that annoys Nathan Scott in a person, so why isn't he annoyed yet? He wasn't sure, but he figured it was for reason.

She was undeniably pretty, and he figured that might have been altering his judgment, but it was something simply out of his control. Although that was the only thing that seemed simple, because he didn't understand any other aspect of it. It wasn't as if she was drop dead gorgeous, and she definitely didn't look like she fell out of a swim suit ad like most of the other girls he found himself attracted too. No – to the naked eye Haley James wasn't anything special, but at times like now with the sun shining off her long blonde hair and her perfect bottom lip pulled between her teeth while she read some book he was sure she's read before, she is more. She is breathtaking to him, and in that moment he realized he would take her complexity over any simple person on this earth.

As soon as the bell rang Nathan's thoughts were cleared and he found himself gathering his things, making his way quickly out of the building. He was never much of a school person, and leaving it was always sort of a highlight of his day – if you ever wanted to get a smile out of him this would be the time. He did give THH its credit though, the place wasn't horrible; he could do worse, hell, he had. The people had a southern welcome to them. A lot of the guys seemed to wear cowboy or trucker hats, and all the girls had a cute southern twang to their accent, which he was starting to discover, was greatly attractive.

However, school was still school and who really wants to be there at the end of it all?

"Hey! Buddy!"

Nathan stopped his hop into his truck to turn around, but furrowed his eyebrows together when he didn't recognize the shorter boy in a cowboy hat approaching him. "Yeah?"

He tipped his hat up to look into his eyes. "You're new right? I'm Jake."

"Nathan."

"Good to meet you." He gave Nathan's hand a firm shake. "That's a real nice truck you got there."

Nathan patted his pride and joy. "Thanks man."

"How'd you get her?"

"My uncle passed it on to me when he died. Still took about two years worth of savings to make her run though, but it's worth it now."

"I know how that one goes," He pointed across the parking lot to a similar looking old truck. "Mine's the blue one, Coach and I put a new engine in her last year – just like new."

"Very nice," Nathan admired, "Hey man it was nice to meet you, but it's my first day of work today and I kinda gotta-"

"Oh yeah man, no problem. I was just coming over to invite you to the tailgate circle tonight."

"Is there a football game?"

He chuckled. "Not that kind of tailgate. Just bring your truck to the river-court anytime after 8."

"A-alright." Nathan scratched his head for a second as he watched him walk away; that couldn't actually be how people made plans in this town? It wasn't that he didn't welcome the hospitality; he was just in such foreign territory. He had never lived in a place where everyone knew everyone else, where all the kid's parents had even went to school together and grown around each other. Although it wasn't as if that brought out the best in some people – you could see the cold glances and feel friction in between some of the families and not-so-friends, and that alone made it more than obvious that even this nice little town had its own haunting demons. But for now this was his home, and unlike the rest of his new starts he was alone, and free, with a chance to really be happy. Seeing the road to happiness end in the form of a little North Carolina town was not a picture he could draw in his head, but he was content with Tree Hill being his place to start.

Another thing that was likably foreign to him was the beauty this town held. City lights and loud arenas were once his dream, and the idea of a big city life was all he ever wanted. The idea of an urban life style was always his appeal, what he pictured for himself, but he couldn't deny how breathtaking this place could be. At times like now, driving on this quiet road surrounded by misty woods, there's a still-ness around him he can't quite place. It's peaceful, and that is more foreign than anything else, and far more welcome.

If you would have asked Nathan Scott five minutes ago what his idea of a ranch was, he would have told you a rinky-dink house, a smelly barn, and probably a loud array of obnoxious animals, surrounded by nothingness. So, when the huge flat of land came into view he once again found a breath taken from him. The first thing you saw was a big red barn, and a few horses running free in the long stretch of fence surrounding it. There was a separate fenced in section with jumps and other things he figured were used for training. It was quite possibly one of the coolest things he'd ever seen. The real surprise came from the house though. It was so gracious; one story, but it must have stretched at least ten thousand feet, and the outside was completely covered in dark wood. This house was by far the most elegant farm house he had ever seen, and the hundreds of open acres of land surrounding it only seemed to add to its ability to stun the crap out of him. And for the second time since being in the town, he felt a sense of excitement creep over his body. As the thought of Haley James started to enter his mind, he spotted his boss next to the barn and pulled up next to his truck.

"Nathan, good timing son, I thought I was going to have to pull this hay out of my truck myself!"

He dropped the tail gate and Nathan sighed at the sight; this guy wasted no time. "I'll take care of it, Mr. Durham."

"I knew I hired you for a reason," He tipped his hat up and smirked at him. "Just stack it by the barn, by the time you're done my grand-daughter should be home, she's better off putting you to work she's the one that spends all her time with these horses."

"I'll look out for her." Nathan offered as he hopped into the cab of the truck. He just wanted to get to work; all the other details were minor.

"And I recommend a hat if you're gonna be standing around in this sun all day." The old man added as he walked back to his house.

"No way in hell." Nathan muttered as picked up another bundle of hay and tossed it onto the grass.

"I thought you were tossing hay?"

Nathan jumped slightly, his hand shooting away from the brown horse's nose. He didn't need to turn to know who it was, but he did for amusement, and the excuse to stare. "I finished." He managed that much.

She nodded at him before her attention was on the horse. "Her name's Penny."

Nathan turned towards the horse as well, but felt her next to him. "She's pretty cool."

"Yeah, she is." She turned to him and smiled. "I'm Haley."

Nathan shook her hand. "I know." Her left eyebrow raised and Nathan was starting to lose count of her cute qualities. "We have English together… and Math."

"Oh, I – Sorry." She frowned lamely and looked to her feet.

His chuckle caused her to look back up. "Normally I'd be offended, but you actually pay attention in class so I'm not surprised. I usually hide in the back anyways." The crooked smile he gave was all too charming. "So this is your ranch?" Nathan was starting to like his luck.

She shrugged. "Sort of. It's technically my grandpa's but he lets my brother and I basically have our way with it."

"And out of all of this land you chose the barn."

It might have been a question but it didn't sound like one, and it surprised Haley a little that she wasn't bothered by this boy's insight into her life, especially since he seemed to be hitting the nail on the head repeatedly. Haley James was not an open book and she usually found it obnoxious when people tried to figure her out, but then again they were always wrong and Nathan was anything but. "I like it out here." She reached out and ran her hand down Penny's nose.

Nathan wasn't surprised when she didn't continue, because Haley wasn't the type to give a lot of detail about herself. She simply told what needed to be heard and left the rest where it was. It was good thing for her that that was something Nathan understood more than anything. Giving details about his life wasn't something he was fond of, at first because he didn't want other people's pity, but now just because it was natural, and frankly none of their business. Although he wouldn't mind being Haley James' business, and even if he understood why she had a wall up, he knew then that he was going to try to break it down. "So how many horses do you guys have?"

"There are six all together right now, but only four are ours. The other two are here for training; those are the ones outside. Penny here is my dad's horse, Sebastian and Samara are mine, and Jax is my brother's horse; they're absent most of the time." She tugged on his arm as she walked past him. "Come with me."

Once they were outside she immediately led him towards the other two horses. "I want your main concern to be the horses we house. There shouldn't be more than four at a time, but there will always at least be two. Tomorrow I'll show you how to clean as well as feed them and fill their water."

Nathan nodded as he watched the two beautiful black horses run around. "Are they friendly?"

Haley shrugged. "They used to be."

"What happened?"

"Their barn burned down while they were in it. It was a miracle that the owners were there to save them, but it didn't stop them from being traumatized. Now it just seems like everything spooks them, or sets them off."

"And you fix them?"

Haley laughed softly. "I try. You can't just take them apart and rewire them, it takes time."

"And how long have you been doing this?" Nathan turned his attention towards her.

"With these two or in general?"

"Both."

"Well, Jesse and James have been here for a week, but I guess it's been about two or three years now. I know it can seem a little weird for teenage activities –"

"I think it's really cool."

Haley smiled at the honesty in his eyes. "Thanks." She watched as he turned back towards the horses, that attractive intrigued look taking over his face once again. "Come on."

When he looked her way she was walking towards the fence, and he followed her inside it when she popped it open. "Is this safe?"

"Not really, but if they get rough just hop the fence." She smiled playfully at him despite the seriousness on his face.

"And what about you?"

Nathan stepped closer to her and Haley gulped. "Don't worry about me."

Nathan smiled as she shrugged before turning towards the horses and calling them to her. It was that second that he realized he would spend an awful lot of time worrying about Haley James. "I wouldn't count on that."

His smile turned into a smirk as he stepped towards her and she rolled her eyes. "Just be gentle and don't make any sudden movements."

He nodded, holding up his hand for the horse to sniff. She held up her hand as well and he felt his self consciousness lower. One of the horses didn't move from the other side of the square, but the other started to make his way towards them. Haley felt Nathan tense up a little and rested her free hand on his back. "Just be easy."

Nathan let out a sigh when the horse approached them and immediately lowered his head to him. Slowly, he leaned towards him and ran his hand up and down his head a few times. "Good boy." He muttered softly, a smile gracing his lips.

"Wow." Haley admired, smiling as well. "You're a natural."

Nathan turned to her, his smile nearly half of his face now. "Thanks." Haley nodded at him and he turned back towards the horse, running his hand down his head again. "I get why you like this place; things get better here."

"Everything's better and everything's safe here; this is home." Nathan stared at Haley as she took in her turn to pet the horse. He didn't realize how grateful she was until that moment, and now it only made him like her more. It was one thing to have nice things and do well with them, but a whole other level to really cherish it and see it for what it was and what it could be. Haley James was a one of a kind. It took a special, beautiful person to do the things she did, and he hoped that the people in her life cherished her just as much.

He never had a place that made him feel safe, or better before, but he understood what Haley meant. From the second he had walked onto this land he felt the warmth within this place, and even if it was just for the time being – he was a little bit comfortable.

"Haley James! Dinners ready!" When they both turned back to the house a younger boy was standing on the porch.

"Be right in." She spoke loud enough for him to hear without shouting, and then turned to Nathan. "Want to come in and get a plate?"

Did Nathan want to go have dinner and talk to Haley more? Yes. Did he want to do it with his boss and her family? Not so much. Nathan Scott was all for impulse, especially when Haley came to mind, but even this was a little soon. Plus, he was still only a stable hand that had no clue what he was doing. "Thanks, but that's alright. I have a dog at home that would just be traumatized if I ate without him." Nathan didn't realize how embarrassing that was until she giggled, and he instantly dreaded the fact that it was true.

"Well, he's lucky to have you."

Nathan smiled even though she was teasing him. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"You will. It was nice meeting you, Nathan."

Nathan watched her until she was safe in her house.

Nathan really enjoyed this place at night. The 70 degree weather and the clear night sky had the ability to turn man nocturnal just to admire the beauty, to remember it. And boy did he want to remember this place. As soon as Nathan parked in the lot, he noticed all the other cars positioned on the grass in front of him. They were all backed into a circle with some sort of bonfire going in the middle of them. He noticed that there wasn't a ton of people and was grateful for that. It was crazy to think that all he cared about only months ago was partying, and now he would do just about everything in his power to avoid one. Before he had time for another thought there was a rapping at his window.

"Nathan! Glad you made it, man." Nathan smiled at Jake and gave his hand a shake through the window. To be honest he was pretty surprised in himself for showing up, but he wanted to change and how does a person change if they don't do anything differently? "Who's the muscle man?"

Nathan glanced at the passenger seat where his rottweiler was sitting. "This is Deuce, he doesn't miss a party."

Jake chuckled wholeheartedly. "That's my kind of dog. The open spots yours," Nathan looked to the grass where there was an opening in their taillight circle. "Back on in." Jake tapped where his hands were resting on the window seal, before tipping his hat and walking back towards the party.

"I'm nervous D, got my back?" Nathan stretched his hand out towards his dog and he immediately placed his paw in Nathan's palm. Nathan gave it a firm shake before patting his head. "Good man."

After parking, Nathan copied the others and dropped the cab of his truck, and Deuce hopped in it, making himself comfortable. Nathan rubbed his head before making his way over to Jake by the fire. Nathan took the beer he offered and took a seat next to him. "Thanks man."

Jake nodded. "So how was the first day of work?"

Nathan didn't mean to give him such a startled look, but no one had ever asked him about his day before.

Jake laughed at the look on his face. "Was that just a lie to get out of talking to me?"

Nathan smiled. "It was alright, working with horses is definitely new."

"Are you a stablehand?"

"Yeah, at the James' farm."

"You're the James' new hand?" Someone chimed in from behind him.

Nathan turned in his chair to the dark haired boy next to him. He must have been the only guy besides Nathan there not wearing a cowboy hat. "Yeah."

"Even after what happened to the last one?" He whispered, leaning closer to him.

"What happened to the last one?" This guy was acting so dramatic Nathan wouldn't be surprised if he had died.

"Chase, don't be a dumbass, your gramps will kill you if he quits this soon."

Nathan looked back to Jake confused. Jake pointed back to the boy. "Nathan, this is Chase James. He's whitey's grandson."

"Oh, nice to meet you." Nathan put his hand out for Chase to shake.

"You too, man. Have you met my sister?"

Nathan smiled at the thought. "Yeah, is she here too?" He was glancing around the party now.

Chase narrowed his eyes at him. "I guess that depends on your motives."

Nathan snapped his head back to him. Crap. "I don't have any. She was just cool to hang out with." As soon as the words left his mouth he wanted to smack himself. Lying to Chase couldn't possibly be a good way to start a friendship with him.

Chase rolled his eyes. "Right. You're being watched." With that he stood and walked off to some truck with two girls sitting on the tailgate. Nathan sighed, leaning against his lawn chair.

"Don't over think it, Haley's all he's got. He's really a nice guy."

Nathan shrugged. "It's his sister; I'd be worried if he didn't protect her." It was true. The thought that there was someone protecting Haley like that made him happy. He would sleep better knowing she was safe.

Jake looked Nathan up and down, before chuckling and taking a swig of his beer.

"What?"

"I know that look."

"What look? I don't have a look." Nathan was actually a little offended. There was no special look he was sporting.

"Haley's right there." Jake pointed in some direction, completely changing the subject.

When Nathan followed his finger, he was in no way prepared for what he was about to see. Jake was right, Haley was right there. She was standing in the cab of his truck, along with a few other girls and a shorter guy with spikey hair, and his dog, dancing to some country song that was blasting out of another truck's speakers. At any other time, he might have noticed the other two girls she was dancing with as well. He was sure they were all beautiful, but for the life of him he couldn't take his eyes off of her. He didn't even want to. She was wearing a pair of tight jeans and a flannel, nothing super model worthy, but God damn if she didn't look hot. At that thought her hands rose above her head as she swung her hips to the fast beat.

He stood abruptly, muttering something to Jake about seeing him later, before immediately making his way over to his truck.

"That look." Jake answered as he walked away. He said it loud enough for Nathan to hear, but the poor guy was so lost on the girl he wouldn't be surprised if it didn't make it to her ears.

Nathan eyes were still locked on her hips when he got to his car. "Come here, Deuce."

His voice brought the dancers out of their revere, and the dog immediately got up to walk over to him. "Down boy." He ordered, and the dog jumped down. "Sorry guys, but you think I could get my truck back?"

"Sure." The spikey haired kid was smiling at him as he got down. "Cool dog by the way."

"Thanks man." The other two girls got down, before Haley approached the end of the truck. Her arms were crossed over her chest in a really sexy way and she was smiling at him. "Nice to see you again, Nate."

Nathan smiled at her. "You have no idea."

Haley raised a curious eyebrow at him. What did that mean?

The slam brought Haley quickly out of her thoughts, and when she looked down the cab door to his truck was lifted. She turned around at another slam, and noticed Nathan had got into the driver's seat with his dog. "Hey… wait, what are you doing?"

"Taking you with me." He answered simply through his open back window, a cheeky grin on his handsome face.

"What in the hell makes you think I wanna go with you?"

Nathan started his truck before turning towards her, and poking his head out the window. She was still smiling even though she was giving him attitude. "This is your five second window to jump out."

Haley's hands fell to her hips as she arched an eyebrow at him. He still had that cocky smirk on his face.

Five.

She turned back and looked around the fire, immediately catching her brother's eye. He had a worried look wrinkling his forehead but she sent him a reassuring wink.

Four.

When she looked back Nathan's piercing blue eyes were still trained on her face. No one had ever looked at her so… sure before. Sure of what, she had no clue. But the broad range of ideas had her heart racing, and the blush creeping up her neck.

Three.

Haley couldn't believe herself. She was actually contemplating running off into the night with some guy she barely knew. He was a stranger. A gorgeous stranger. A gorgeous stranger that was still staring at her like he never needed to look at anyone else ever again.

Screw it.

Tw-

Nathan's head stopped counting when he heard her footsteps, and before he knew it she had wiggled her little body through his window and into the middle seat of his truck. "Let's go."