by Tricia Goyer
“Wait a minute.” Bob lifted his hands, stepping between Buck and Emily. “Don’t talk to my granddaughter that way. Emily, go ahead and go inside. I’ll take care of this.”
“But Grandpa—”
“Emily, I said I’d take care of it.”
Emily trudged up the porch steps and glanced back one last time before going inside and slamming the door.
Bob turned back to Buck. Bob towered over the man, and Charlotte was sure she’d never seen her husband’s face so red. “Shouldn’t someone have talked to me about my horse? That horse used to belong to my daughter; she means a lot to us.”
“Actually, Bob, it was in that contract you signed. I just assumed you’d read it. The contact says you’ve given us permission to use everything on the farm we might need for the making of the video.”
“Yes, but we assumed that meant our shovel and our hay bales, not our horses.”
“Well …” Buck let his voice trail off and he shrugged. Charlotte reached out and touched Bob’s arm, reminding him to stay calm.
“As you know, my son is a lawyer, and I’m going to talk to him about that contract. Things are getting out of hand—fast.”
“What are you saying, Mr. Stevenson?” Buck folded his arms over his chest. “That you’re trying to back out? That you’ve changed your mind?”
“I’m saying …” Bob leaned in close, peering into Buck’s eyes. “… that I’m going to talk to my son about my options.” And with that he turned and marched up the porch steps and into the house, letting the door slam behind him.
“Grandma!” Christopher’s voice split the air. “There are some people in here taking your stuff!”
Charlotte turned and noticed Tracy walking out of the house with some of her old milk bottles that had been displayed on a high shelf. She placed them on the porch next to the rocking chair and then hurried back inside. Through the kitchen window she could see Tami removing her curtains.
Charlotte hurried into the house. As if not knowing what to do, Sam and Jordan sat at the dining room table and seemed to watch the women in disbelief. Emily was looking out the window, focusing on what was happening in the horse pasture.
Charlotte approached the two women. “May I help you?”
“Yeah, can you tell me where your iron and ironing board are?” Tracy glanced around as if expecting them to materialize out of thin air. “I need to iron some clothes for Shae Lynne and some curtains for the window.”
“You got new curtains for the window?”
“Yes, bright white ones. They’re adorable. I hope you don’t mind,” Tami said with a smile. “It will really brighten the view from the porch.”
Charlotte didn’t know what to say. “I, uh, suppose that’s okay just as long as I can put the old ones back up when you’re through. Those were Bob’s mom’s curtains, and the windows wouldn’t be the same without them.”
“Oh, yeah, I’ll leave them in the laundry room—if you want to put them back up.” From the look on Tracy’s face Charlotte could tell that she thought putting the old curtains back was a bad idea.
“We’re just going to use the new ones, you know, for the video.” Tami explained. “I assumed you’d want to keep them because they’re white and bright.”
Charlotte didn’t have time to respond before Emily rushed up to her. “Grandma, Britney keeps running away.” She pointed out the window. “I think she’s scared of that man. He’s just so big and scary looking.”
“Well, your Grandpa’s upstairs talking to Uncle Bill on the phone. I’m sure when he’s off the phone he’ll take care of it—one way or the other.”
“What does that mean?” Emily’s lips puckered into a frown. “He’s not going to cancel the contract, is he?” Emily grabbed Charlotte’s arm. “Grandma, don’t let him do that. I have to meet Shae Lynne. I just have to.”
“Do you, now?” Charlotte patted her granddaughter’s hand. “But I didn’t think you liked them being there, scaring Britney like that.”
Emily bit her lip. “It’s not that I don’t want them to be here. Don’t you think Grandpa could just talk to them? Tell them how to take care of her?”
“We’ll see. Why don’t we just let your grandpa handle this. I think that either way he’ll make the right decision.”
Emily didn’t argue, but she returned to the window with a scowl.
Sam rose and motioned to Jordan.
Charlotte turned to them, anticipating their complaints. “And what about you two?” She placed her hands on her hips.
Sam just shook his head. “We’re heading into town to the rec center to play some Ping-Pong and maybe go to Jenny’s Creamery to get some shakes.”
Jordan crossed his arms over his chest. “Things are getting a little too intense around here.”
“Can I go?” Emily asked Charlotte. “I don’t want to stay and watch. I can’t take it either way.”
“Sure, do you mind taking Christopher too?” Charlotte hurried to her purse to get some money for their snack.
“Yeah, I’ll ask him if he wants to go.” Sam grabbed a soda from the fridge, and Jordan did the same.
Charlotte handed them some money, and Sam, surprised, didn’t complain about taking his younger siblings along. “Do you know what time you’ll be home?”
Sam shrugged. “Why don’t you call and tell us when these people leave, and then we’ll let you know.” Then he and the other kids scrambled out to squeeze into Sam’s little car.
As if sensing the tension, Tami and Tracy put down the curtains and walked out of the kitchen, stepping onto the porch.
Charlotte sighed. Outside, Buck was once again trying to get the actor on Britney, and upstairs she could hear Bob’s booming voice as he talked with Bill.
Will they let us back out? Is it too late to change our minds?
Charlotte sighed again. Nothing seemed worth all this conflict. Not even Shae Lynne.
Chapter Fifteen
You want me to touch what?” Early Tuesday morning Jordan sat on the three-legged stool at Trudy’s side and stared at her teats. He was wearing an old pair of Pete’s overalls that were four inches too short. Sam attempted to hold in a chuckle at the sight of his friend sitting on the stool with his pant legs high above his ankles.
“Watch.” Sam reached down and ran his hand down from Trudy’s swollen udder to the top of a teat that was enlarged and full of milk. Then with a smooth, quick motion he moved his hand downward, squeezing out the milk.
“Dude. That’s disgusting. I’m not going to grab the cow’s … you know.” He pushed the stool back and stood. “Don’t you have another chore I can help with? Anything, please.”
Sam pushed his baseball cap back from his face and eyed the barn. He pretended to be thinking hard to find something for Jordan to do, but the truth was he knew exactly what chore to give his friend.
Sam shrugged, “Well, I suppose you could muck out the stalls.”
“Sure, anything. What’s that?”
Sam took a pitchfork from where it hung on two nails. “You have to get that wheelbarrow and go to each stall, scooping out the waste and shoveling it into the wheelbarrow.”
“The waste? Like in …”
“Yes, dung. Manure. It’s not too bad really. Unless you want to try milking again?”
“No thank you.” Jordan lifted his hands in surrender. “I think mucking, or whatever it’s called, will work for me.”
Sam sat at Trudy’s side and began to milk her, slower than he usually did. Out of the corner of his eye he watched as Jordan moved the wheelbarrow toward one of the empty stalls. He attempted to pinch his nose with one hand as he scooped the dung with the other. When that didn’t work he applied both hands to the pitchfork and set to work with gusto.
Sam smiled, knowing that this story would be retold in San Diego to everyone Jordan came across. Sam smirked at that thought. At least he’ll have something exciting to talk about. And I won’t have to muck any stalls today.
Jordan sat beside Sam, shoveling pancakes into his mouth, telling Grandma over and over again how wonderful they were.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying them.” Grandma chuckled. “I know breakfast always tastes better after a busy morning doing chores.”
Grandpa poured himself some coffee and sat next to Sam. “So you guys going to the parade this morning?”
Sam shrugged. “I don’t know. We haven’t talked about it.”
“Oh, you need to go. The fair parade is like the ultimate small-town-America thing to do.” Grandma scooped another pancake onto Jordan’s plate.
Sam wrinkled his nose.
Grandpa elbowed him, almost causing him to poke his fork into his cheek. “I know you think this stuff is dumb, or—how do you say it? lame?—but Jordan might think it’s cool.” Grandpa looked around Sam to meet Jordan’s gaze. “After the parade they have a tractor pull that’s fun to watch.”
Jordan almost choked on the orange juice he was drinking, and Sam rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, that does sound cool. We should go, Sam.” Jordan had a smirk on his face that told Sam he was just saying that to be nice.
“Can I go?” Christopher asked, putting down his Game Boy. “I want to see the fair again.”
Emily’s footsteps could be heard coming down from upstairs. “Go where?”
“Sam and Jordan are going to the parade and then the tractor pull. Do you want to go?”
“Sure, I’ll go.” Emily walked into the kitchen and grabbed an apple from the counter, taking a big bite.
“But what about the video?” Charlotte asked. “Are they coming back today?”
“Of course they’ll come. Do you think they’ll just leave all their stuff?” Sam pointed out the window. There was equipment everywhere, which he was sure didn’t make Grandpa very happy.
“Sam, you know what I mean. Grandma, are they going to finish the video?” Emily hesitated as if she were afraid of the answer. “Is Shae Lynne going to be here?”
“Bob, do you want to tell the kids?” Grandma placed her coffee cup on the table and tilted her head.
“Well, after a long talk with Bill and another one with Buck, I’ve decided they can come today and do some more shots, but they really didn’t tell us when Shae Lynne would be here, except that it probably wouldn’t be today.”
“So they’re continuing?” Emily asked.
“At least for today. I need a chance to talk to Buck and Will again. I want to make sure we’re all on the same page today—that we treat each other with respect.”
“Okay, I think I’ll go with you.” Emily turned to Sam.
“Yeah, me too,” said Christopher.
IN TOWN, THEY DECIDED to park at the fairgrounds.
“Do you want to take our skateboards?” Sam asked.
Jordan looked around, eyeing the fairgrounds and the people all around him. “Maybe later. I want to check out this parade first … you know, just in case your grandpa asks.”
With Emily and Christopher trailing behind them, the boys walked down to Lincoln Street.
Sam was looking for a place to sit when he spotted someone waving from across the street. Looking closer, he realized it was Uncle Pete and Miss Simons.
“Hey look, they have a spot over there.” Sam pointed, and they hurried across the street just before the first ambulance drove by slowly clearing the parade route with its lights flashing and siren blaring.
“Is there room?” Sam asked, looking at their narrow strip of curb space.
“Sure there is.” Pete patted his side, and Miss Simons scooted over, cuddling next to him. Pete smiled awkwardly. Emily and Christopher occupied the space she’d been sitting in, and Jordan and Sam stood behind them.
“Do you have parades like this near you?” Dana asked, glancing back over her shoulder at Jordan.
“Well, there’s the Rose Parade up in Pasadena. Maybe you’ve seen it on TV?” Jordan paused as he watched some high schoolers walk by pulling pigs in wagons that had been decorated to look like homes of straw, sticks, and bricks. “But, uh, no,” Jordan continued. “Our parades are really nothing like this.”
Jordan pulled his digital camera from his pocket and looked like he might actually be interested. He even snapped a few shots of a clown who was handing out candy to all the little kids.
A float carrying Future Farmers of America was followed by some old-fashioned cowboys on horseback. Sam was just about to suggest they retrieve their skateboards from his car when the shrill of a fire engine’s siren filled the air.
As the fire truck came into view carrying Smokey the Bear, Jordan elbowed Sam’s ribs … hard.
“Hey, what was that about?” Sam complained.
“No way! It’s Smokey!” Jordan called out. He pulled out his camera again. “Dude, I’ve only seen him on TV before.” Jordan snapped a shot, and Sam wasn’t sure if he was actually excited or just being sarcastic. “I remember when I was five I wanted to meet Smokey the Bear. My mom took me to the zoo, and I cried the whole time. I wanted to meet the bear with the ranger’s hat. You know, the one that fought forest fires.”
Laughter burst from Sam’s lips. “I didn’t know that.”
“Yeah.” Jordan shrugged. “I didn’t tell anyone that a bear had been my secret idol.” Jordan grinned. “Cool.”
After that, Jordan seemed to get more into the parade, and Sam let himself relax and enjoy it too.
A section of floats came next—mostly 4-H groups trying to outdo each other—and then the marching band and a senior citizens dance club that broke out in square dancing right in front of them.
“So that’s your school band?” Jordan asked, pointing to the two dozen band members performing music for the square dancers.
Sam smirked and pointed to the old ladies in their big skirts. “Yes, and those are our cheerleaders.”
Laughter burst from Jordan’s lips, and Sam joined him. The laughter continued through the ponies dressed up as pigs and the tractors carrying the fair queen and her court.
“At least they’re having a good time,” Dana commented to Pete, looking over her shoulder at them.
“And are you?” Pete asked.
“Yes, I love the parade and everything about the fair.”
“Know what could make it better?” Pete brushed a strand of hair off his shoulder.
“What?”
Pete grabbed a piece of candy off the roadway in front of them that the little kids had somehow missed. “Candy for my girlfriend.”
Dana scowled, then took the candy, playing along. “Ah, Pete, you’re too sweet. I’ve always wanted a piece of candy just like this.” She playfully slugged his shoulder.
“Just something sweet for my sweet.” Pete smirked.
Sam looked at Jordan, and when their eyes met they started laughing again. He never would call Uncle Pete romantic. Yet seeing them made Sam wonder about Arielle. Was she around here somewhere? He hadn’t talked to her since Sunday. He still hadn’t told Arielle about Shae Lynne’s video being filmed at the farm. He figured if everyone else knew then she probably knew too.
Sam hoped they’d have a chance to hang out with Arielle and Natalie this afternoon. That should make Jordan happy.
The roar of engines interrupted Sam’s thoughts, and Jordan tugged on his arm. “No way, are you serious? Monster trucks?”
Jordan started snapping photos again with a huge smile on this face, and for the first time Sam believed his friend was enjoying himself.
“I’m pretty sure they’ll be parked over at the fair,” Pete said. “They even let you climb up and look inside if you like.”
“Oh man, that would be awesome.”
Sam was chuckling to himself over Jordan’s excitement when he felt small, soft hands cover
ing his eyes.
“Guess who,” a soft voice whispered into his ear. Sam’s heart pounded. He gently took the hands from his eyes and then twisted around, peering into Arielle’s face.
More sirens passed and Sam had to almost shout to be heard. “Hey, I was hoping to see you here!”
Arielle smiled. “I called your house and your Grandma said you’d be here!” She shouted back. Natalie was with her, smiling up at Jordan with a grin that almost matched her cousin’s.
“Well, the parade is almost over. Do you want to head over to the fairgrounds and walk around together?” Arielle asked.
“Sure,” Jordan answered before Sam had a chance.
Sam turned to Christopher and Emily. “We’re going to the fairgrounds for a while.”
“Yeah, fine. I’m sure we’ll see you around.” Emily didn’t even look up as she was texting someone on her phone.
“We’re going to go on rides!” Christopher exclaimed. “Well, Dylan and I are anyway. And we’re going to put our money together to see how big of a stuffed animal we can win on the games!”
“Sounds like a party.” Sam nodded, taking Arielle’s hand in his.
They walked back to the fairgrounds, and Jordan entertained everyone with stories about California. The girls couldn’t seem to get enough, especially Natalie.
“Do you ever see movie stars?” Natalie asked, scooting closer to Jordan as they walked.
“Yeah, of course. Last year a friend and I went up to Hollywood with his uncle who was visiting. We were just hanging out, checking the stars on the sidewalk—you know the ones with everyone’s names on them—and I looked up to see Keanu Reeves walking in my direction.”
“No way!” Arielle gasped. “He’s one of my favorite actors. Even though it’s a really old movie, I love The Matrix.”
“Oh yeah, and Speed,” Natalie added, touching Jordan’s arm.
People pressed all around them, and Sam snickered at how caught up the girls were in Jordan’s words. He’d already heard this story, and it seemed the girls were more impressed than he’d been. Still, as Sam looked around at all the ordinary people, he couldn’t imagine what it would be like to look up and actually see a movie star walking toward you. A famous singer is one thing, but someone who made a lot of movies and a lot of money would be even more impressive.