Saving Thomas

by A. L. Moore

  “In here, Daddy,” I said just as he appeared in the doorway. “I was checking on the horses.”

  “With the door closed?” he asked, quirking a brow.

  “It drowns out the crying,” I sighed, glad I didn’t have to lie again. He looked like he believed me now, the lines on his forehead smoothing. “What are you doing out?”

  He smiled sheepishly in his work jeans and brown t-shirt. “I guess I needed a break, too. I swear, I don’t remember you crying so much.” He leaned against the stool in front of the work bench where Thomas had been standing just moments ago.

  “When will she start sleeping through the night?” I asked, taking his arm and leading him back to the door. The urge to glance at Thomas was overwhelming, but I didn’t chance it. Thankfully, Daddy followed behind me and went over to his chair. I plugged my ears and reluctantly went inside. Jenny was still screaming, so I found sanctuary in the shower before cradling my new, and very vocal, sister so Mama could wash off, too. I was afraid to leave the bathroom with Jenny. Only Mama could get her to quiet down, and I wasn’t about to use her method. My breasts were a good bit bigger than last summer but so not ready for that yet. Instead, I sat on the toilet and held her to my shoulder in the steam filled room. Thankfully, she slept the whole time. I passed her off to Mama before she could lay the hairbrush down, throwing open the door and escaping into my dark room. Out of habit, I found myself at the window inspecting the Tyner’s. There was a police car at the front of the house. It was nearly at the front steps, sitting crossways in their yard. Quickly slipping on a pair of cotton shorts and a t-shirt, I grabbed the doorknob only to have it pushed back into me.

  “I’m here,” Thomas said winded, standing in my bedroom doorway, his chest heaving. I pulled him in quickly, glanced down the hall to be sure no one had seen him, and closed the door.

  “What’s going on?” I whispered.

  He was over by the window, watching from behind the curtain. “The guys from earlier must’ve called the cops.”

  Grabbing his arm, I asked the question I knew was causing the panicked look in his eyes. “What if they go inside?”

  “They don’t have a warrant,” he said, sounding unconvinced that would be enough to keep them out. “I heard that much before I came here.”

  “I can’t believe you actually came.”

  “Like I had a choice,” he said, his eyes narrowing playfully from the window. “I almost expected to see you shimming down a sheet ladder from your window when the cops pulled up.”

  I shoved him playfully, rolling my eyes and crawled to the middle of my bed. “You know me too well.

  "How’d you get past Daddy?”

  Thomas chuckled, sitting on the end of the bed. “He’s asleep out back in his chair.”

  “New baby in the house, not so fun,” I yawned.

  “I wouldn’t know,” he said, stretching back until his head rested on my knees.

  Threading his soft hair between my fingers, I sighed, “of course not. It’s only the drug smuggling and addicts that keep you awake.”

  “Smuggling?” he laughed heartily before quickly clamping his hand over his mouth. “That’s a joke, right? Smuggling would require at least a little bit of skill. Mr. Tyner was stuttering so bad on the porch just now; I wouldn't be surprised to see the cops back with a warrant tonight.”

  “Do you really think they’ll come back?” I asked, my hand stilling on his head. “You have to stay here,” I said before he could answer. They’ll never think to look here.” He was smiling up at me, the green outshining the brown in his eyes, as if he didn’t have a care in the world. What could he possibly find to smile about right now? “What?”

  “It’s just nice to have someone concerned about me,” he said, taking my hand from his hair. “No one has been this worried about me since... well, ever.”

  “He kissed the palm of my hand and held it to his face. “I don’t deserve you, Bree.”

  The floor creaked outside.

  “Yes, you do,” I whispered hurriedly, pushing him off the bed. He hit the floor with a heavy thud. “Now, shut up and stay down.” We both froze, my eyes not leaving the door. Thankfully, the next sound was my parent’s door closing across the hall.

  “I was joking about the cops coming back,” Thomas said quietly, rubbing his side, his body blocking the light from the window where he looked out. “It looks like the action is over.”

  Grabbing his hand when he stepped closer, I pulled him back to the bed, falling back myself. “Stay anyway.”

  “Okay,” he said easily. “Go ask your daddy first.” I could feel his warm breath as he hoovered over me with an arched brow.

  “You go ask him,” I countered, pushing up onto my elbows. His sweet breath sent chills much further than where it touched. His slightly parted lips filled my vision. Just the tilt of my head and…warmth, otherworldly warmth spread the length of me. I froze for a half second, our lips barely touching, when I realized what I’d done. Losing my nerve just as quickly as it’d come on, I started to pull away, but his fingers spread against my neck, weaving up through my hair, holding me still. His lips parted even more, moving into mine in a new way, a way that stirred my stomach and stilled my racing heart before sending it into a galloping frenzy. The heat between us rose as a new, almost electric sensation swept through me. It was easy to get lost in and I did, get lost, so very, very lost. He smelled fresh, with a hint of pine and the campfire I’d seen burning at his house earlier this evening. I could taste the sweet remnants of the piece of cotton-candy-bubblegum he’d snatched from my stash yesterday. By the time his lips stopped moving, I felt like a caged animal ready to climb the walls.

  “Okay,” he grinned hugely, his green eyes heated, filled with the same excitement that coursed through me. “I’ll stay. Forget your daddy.”

  “Are you crazy?” I said, breathless. “You’ve got to get out of here.” Before that happened again. What was that? Even as I was telling him to leave, I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his again with a groan. He tasted so sweet and felt so good, too good. He had to leave and now.

  Scrambling off my bed, I was on my feet pushing him before he could get another word out. He stumbled toward the door, backwards, nearly tripping over a pillow in the process. Luckily, no one was in the hall or we’d have both been dead. He looked a little taken-aback as I gave him a final shove and closed the door in his face. Unable to keep the grin from my face, I pressed my back to the door and uselessly tried to shake away the chills that still enveloped me before racing to the window.

  He nodded, looking up with a huge grin on his face as I shooed him away, letting the curtain fall.

  It was late but I called the Johnson’s, letting it ring a half ring before hanging up. That was Katy’s code to call me back. I grabbed it before the phone barely made a sound, waiting to be sure I hadn’t woken Jenny before talking. Mama and Daddy would kill me.

  “He kissed me,” I whispered into the receiver, pulling the blanket over my head.

  She yawned hugely, “You don’t have to keep telling me. I’m not mad anymore.”

  “No, I mean he kissed me.”

  “No way!” she squealed.

  “Shh.” I covered the phone afraid she’d woken everyone at my house, too. “I don’t know if I did it right.”

  She giggled. “Can you do it wrong?”

  “I don’t know.”

  The line went silent for so long, I thought she'd hung up. This was right up her alley. “Tell me what you did.”

  My body flamed again thinking about it. “I don’t know what I did. I wasn’t paying attention to me.”

  “What did he say afterwards,” she asked. “Did he make a face?”

  I rolled my eyes. “He didn’t gag or anything, if that's what you're asking.”

  “Did he wipe his mouth?” she continued. “That could mean you didn’t swallow enough.”

  “No.”

  She sighed dramatically. “Give me so
methin' to go on here, Breelynn. What did he say after y'all kissed?”

  “Nothing.” I couldn’t tell her he’d wanted to stay over, again. She wasn’t supposed to know about the first time.

  “Nothing? Nothing at all? He just kissed you and left?”

  “He didn’t leave so much as I pushed him out the door,” I said reluctantly.

  “You did not! Tell me you’re jokin'.”

  “I was panicked." I threw my arm over my eyes. "I didn’t know what to do,” I said, the first sting of embarrassment hitting me. “I pushed him out the door, Katy!”

  “Calm down,” she said. “Boys don’t care if you push ‘em out as long as you give

  ‘em a little somethin’ before they leave.”

  “Not helping,” I said, scrambling out of the covers and crawling to the end of the bed so I could see his house. “Do you think he’ll speak to me again?”

  “I don’t know,” she giggled. “But if he doesn’t, would you care if I start talking to him?”

  “KATY!” I screamed, and Jenny started crying. “I’ve got to go,” I said quickly.

  ***

  The next morning, I was on Jenny duty while Mama went to the store. She was usually only gone an hour, but she’d pumped two bottles before leaving, so I had a feeling she’d be gone longer. I folded a load of clothes while Jenny took another nap. I had to do something to get Mama to stop scowling at me. Jenny hadn’t been easily coaxed back to sleep last night. I was on phone restrictions for a week, and Katy wasn’t allowed over until we learned to use inside voices. I wasn’t sure exactly how long that meant.

  Jenny woke up and drank a bottle before I finished with the towels. I tried to sit her in the bouncy seat, but she cried so I moved her to the swing. She was fine there, until she spit up all over herself and the cushion. I gagged the whole time I changed her, stuffing the soured milk stained clothes and swing cover into the washer for a rinse. She really started screaming when I sprayed Lysol, even though she was in the next room. I wrapped her up and took her on to the porch. The sun was peeking out from an overcast sky and birds were chirping nearby. It was a beautiful day to be outdoors. Unfortunately, Jenny didn't agree. Her squealing scared away the singing birds and had me back on my feet before I had a chance to relax. Bouncing her in my arms, I decided to head to the barn and show her the horses. Mama said Jenny couldn’t see clearly enough to make out faces yet, but I didn’t believe that, because she screamed every time I walked into a room.

  My breath caught when I neared the partially opened door. The distinct sound of hammering echoed from inside the worn walls, and I knew Daddy was in the fields. There was only one person it could be. After last night, the thought of facing him made my knees grow weak, but I couldn't turn back now. Jenny's loud mouth had announced our arrival. I saw him out of the corner of my eye and knew he was looking at me. Feeling my face flush, I turned a bright-eyed Jenny around to see Allendale, putting my back to him. Allendale sniffed at Jenny and she started screaming even louder.

  “Oh, no,” I laughed, rubbing her soft back in small circles. “Allendale’s nice. You can ride him when you get bigger.” That really made her holler.

  I walked down and petted Addy, promising to come back and ride her later.

  “Hey there, Jenny,” Thomas cooed from behind me. My back stiffened, and Jenny stopped crying. “Is Bree being mean to you?”

  “Thank you,” I said, my stomach filling with butterflies as I turned to face him. “If she talks as much as she cries, we are in for it.

  “Do you want to hold her?”

  Putting his rough hands on display, he said, “I better not. She sure is pretty though, just like her sister.”

  Blushing, I adjusted Jenny to my other side just as the gravel crunched outside. “I better get her back in the house.”

  “Do you want some company when you ride?” he asked before I made it to the barn door. “We could take them out together," he said, glancing at Allendale and Addy. "They haven’t ridden together yet. I’m curious to see how competitive Allendale is.”

  I nodded with a smile. I'd wondered the same thing. “Sure, just let me hand her off to Mama.”

  “Don’t push her through any doors,” he called, bringing me to a stop as I clinched my eyes shut tightly, the picture of him stumbling out of my room instantly came to mind. I wanted to die.

  He had the horses ready when I came back, Jenny free. He was already sitting on Allendale, holding Addy's reigns. I climbed onto her and waved to Daddy who was watching us with a scowl from his chair. He and Thomas clearly had a love hate relationship. We took it slow until we knew we were out of sight, and then we kicked it into high gear. The wind felt amazing, blowing away the summer’s insufferable heat as we moved along the shaded tree line. I was glad I’d left my hair down as the wind lifted it off my shoulders. I glanced over in time to see the wind ripple through Thomas's shirt as he passed us. I sure hoped his hat was on tight.

  Allendale was clearly the stronger of the two, but Addy was keeping up. When we reached the property line, we doubled back, racing to Katy’s and then to the river. I barely got Addy stopped before she stomped straight through the water.

  “Woah. You okay,” Thomas asked, bringing Allendale close beside me.

  “Yeah. She’s just excited,” I said, scratching her between the ears.

  “That was some impressive riding,” he grinned. “Have you ever thought about giving lessons? I bet you’d be great at it. It’d be easy money.” Taking off the cowboy hat, he wiped the sweat from his brow. I had thought about lessons, but I couldn’t answer him. Every time I looked at him all I could think about was kissing him. When his tongue crossed his lips, I nearly fell off my saddle. Holding back a sigh, I focused on the moving water that surrounded us.

  “Are you mad at me, Bree?”

  What an odd thing to ask. “Why would I be mad at you?” I asked, my eyes steady on the water, trying to regain my composure.

  “You’re more quiet than usual,” he said, reaching out and tugging my hand off the reins. My eyes lifted to find his worried expression looking back at me. “If it’s about last night, I’m sorry. I guess I should’ve asked you first.”

  I blushed deeply at the memory. “Last night was sort of perfect,” I admitted. His answering smile put the sun to shame.

  Chapter 15

  By the end of July, it would’ve been hard to find a loose screw on our farm. Thomas was there from daylight until dark most days, which suited me just fine. We always had lunch together, picnicking down by the river under a large shade tree. Those afternoons were my favorite, because we were far from onlookers. Thomas always took advantage of that aspect, sneaking long, slow kisses that were growing harder and harder to pull away from. We took the horses out before sunset most evenings, riding until nearly dusk. Thomas never let me win, though he claimed he did anytime Addy reached the field first. It had become somewhat of a spectator sport for the kids. Katy’s brothers cheered as they watched us from an old treehouse Mr. Johnson had built before Katy and I’d started kindergarten. Katy usually called the winner of our races, when she wasn’t with her new boyfriend, Andrew. Drew, as she called him, hadn’t come into the picture until Rusty had stopped coming around. If only I could tell her why Rusty was away so much. Then again, if Rusty was involved in what was going on at the Tyner’s, it was better that he kept his distance.

  Thomas didn’t talk about Rusty much. I wanted to ask what was going on with him, but I knew it had something to do with the steady stream of cars parked across the street every Tuesday, and that was a sore spot for Thomas. By now, everyone had noticed the traffic, mine and Katy’s parents. It was hard not to. One van had a particularly loud muffler, and it never failed to show up, leaving a thick cloud of black smoke in its wake. I wondered what my parents thought, if they knew the truth, but whatever it was, they never mentioned a thing. Katy said she’d overheard her daddy talking about the traffic, but he’d stopped when she’d walked into
the room. Rusty wasn’t allowed at her house anymore. Thomas wouldn’t have been either if not for Daddy. I’d heard him on the phone talking to Mr. Johnson about all the work Thomas had been doing.

  Rusty looked bad, different than he’d looked just weeks ago, kind of pale like he’d been sick. He was taking out the trash when I stopped to check the mail and he didn’t even look in my direction. There were no cars on the street yet, but I knew they’d be coming. Not just because of what day it was, but because I’d heard Thomas ask if he could grab a shower here after work. He’d started doing that on the days the cars showed back up.

  I rode Addy behind the house, climbing off, and watching her trot to the far side of the round pen. Daddy’d had Thomas on the hot roof all morning and the hammering bothered her, so I planned to keep her out at least as long as he worked. The pen was partially shaded by a large oak and I'd just changed out the water. The hammering bothered Jenny, too, which was the primary reason I hadn’t gone back inside.

  I found Thomas coming down the ladder on the backside of the barn, a half pack of shingles slung over his shoulder, his shirt sleeves rolled up from the heat. The work-belt Daddy had lent him hung down low on his waist and sweat dewed on his forehead. He took his hat off and wiped his reddened face on the bottom of his t-shirt. “It’s hotter than five hells up there,” he said, reaching for the sweaty glass of water I’d brought him earlier. “Why aren’t you inside where it’s cool?”

  “I didn’t want to miss anything,” I peered from beneath my hand, blocking the sun’s glare.

  “What’re you going to miss,” he asked, fanning the neck of his shirt. “Flames coming up from the ground and the devil himself appearing?”

  “I didn’t want to miss a chance to do this,” I said, stepping close enough to wrap my arms around his slick neck. He was cautious, keeping his hand on my waist and surveying the yard before his hand moved to my lower back, pulling me closer and kissing my lips.

  “I’m all sweaty,” he chuckled when I closed what little space there was left between us.