Loving Skye: Book Three (The Texas Star Series 3)

by Kelsie Stelting

  Bad memories from the last year came flooding back—of me needing her help, of her not responding to any of my messages. “We’re not putting any labels on it.”

  Liz snorted. “So he’s stringing you along while he dates around. Got it.”

  I wished the lights were on so she could see the glare I sent her way. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  Her bed squeaked, she was sitting up. “Tell me about him, then.”

  “I don’t think so.” Liz had a way of using the info you shared as a weapon later. And I didn’t want her popping this new bubble I was in with Andrew.

  “No, really.” She stood up and sat by me on my bed.

  Her towering over me like that made me uncomfortable, so I sat up, too, and leaned my back against the wall.

  “Liz.” I sighed. “It’s late.”

  She rubbed my knee. “This is the first time I’m actually feeling like…me. I know I haven’t been the best sister, but I’m here now.”

  The broken pieces of my heart beat toward her. Did she have any idea how much I wanted that—to have a sister, someone, anyone, I could talk to about this? But history told me her help came with strings.

  “Why do you want to know?” I asked.

  “I never really had anyone to give me advice about all of this stuff, and I want to be able to help you from making some of the mistakes I did.”

  That struck a chord. “But you always had friends at least.”

  “Yeah. And let me be that to you.”

  My eyes stung, and I swallowed. “What do you want to know?”

  “Everything.”

  So I told her how Andrew comforted me after I hurt my knee, how we started talking every day, how I turned down Kellum because Andrew and I were dating.

  “That explains the fish.”

  I laughed. “I’m already sick of taking care of the thing.”

  “Why don’t you just flush it?”

  I glanced to my dresser where the tank sat. There was just light enough filtering in to see the dark shape of my fish floating around. “It’s not his fault I said no.”

  “So what’s the deal, then? Andrew sounds perfect.”

  This was the part I didn’t want to tell her. “You remember when you called to tell us you eloped?”

  The shadows on her face deepened. “Yeah?”

  “Well…” And then I told her about my phone breaking, about my dark moments, about dating Damon, and about Andrew’s message. The fake relationship. The earnest look in his eyes when he said all he wanted was to date me.

  Liz’s face darkened more. “Can I give you some advice?”

  Her expression had me feeling uneasy, but the part of me that had been wishing for her help leapt at the offer. “Sure.”

  “Never trust anyone. Guys…they just want one thing, and it never lasts.” Like it proved her point, she added, “You think Mom and Dad are going to stay together after you leave?”

  “I don’t think staying together’s any great accomplishment, Liz. They’re miserable.”

  “No, they’re secure. They have a home, jobs, food on the table.”

  “They’re miserable,” I asserted. “They constantly fight, Dad breaks things, Mom waits at home wondering where her husband is all hours of the night, and sure, they’re all on the same team now that you’re here, but it’s not going to—”

  “You have no idea what the real world’s like, Skye. Life isn’t like some fairytale you dream up in this dump. It’s hard. And the only thing relationships do is make you dependent on someone else.”

  Angry fire sparked to life in my chest. “Just because you—”

  “Oh, are you going to say Andrew’s different? Does he text you and tell you how special you are? Does he say you’re beautiful and smart and destined to see the world?”

  “Did you read my texts?”

  She laughed, but there was no happiness in the sound. “I didn’t have to. That’s what guys say. You’ve known Andy for like, what? Four months? And things already fell apart. You think it’s going to get better when you’ve been with him for a year and he knows the real you?”

  “Get off my bed,” I said.

  She smiled so wide the light through the window reflected off her teeth. “As long as you understand. And it looks like you do.”

  As she got off, my bed creaked, and I rolled so my back was to her. That was the problem. I understood all too well.

  Chapter Twelve

  As soon as I woke up from a troubled sleep, I texted Andrew and asked if he wanted to hang out that afternoon. “Hang out” seemed label-less enough. At least, for now.

  He jumped at the chance, saying he’d come by at four and then we could have supper. Dad immediately said yes and acted surprisingly pleased about it.

  So, when a knock sounded on the door at five ’til four, I told Mom I’d get it and stepped outside to see Andrew.

  He’d swapped his we bean business shirt for a tank and khaki shorts, but he looked every bit as good as he had yesterday. His eyes roamed from my own tank top down to my tan shorts and grinned. “Will we ever stop matching?”

  I chuckled and shut the door behind me. “Maybe someday.”

  “Come on.” He took my hand like it was the easiest thing in the world and led me toward his car. “I have a plan.”

  My eyebrows lifted. “Should I be worried?”

  He chuckled. “I don’t think so.”

  We got in the car, and he drove two blocks down, then stopped in front of the Kametzkis’ house.

  “What are we doing here?” I asked.

  He nodded toward the bikes in the driveway. “I bribed a couple kids to let us use them for an hour.”

  A laugh started deep in my stomach and fell off my lips. “Nice.”

  He looked pretty pleased with himself and brushed some invisible dust off his shoulders. “Andrew do what he do.”

  I put a palm to my forehead. “Don’t ever say that again.”

  “No promises, babe.”

  That was one label I didn’t mind.

  He got out of the car, and I followed him. “I call the blue one.”

  His eyes bugged out. “But the other one has tassels. And clackers.”

  I shrugged. “Shoulda called dibs.”

  “Fine.” He slapped on the hot pink helmet lying beside the bike. Even though it was too small for his head, he left it on and straddled the bike. “Race ya to the stop sign?”

  I picked up my bike. “You’re on.”

  For the next couple hours, Andrew and I rode all over town. Dr. Pike would have been proud of how much ground we covered. We started on the road past my house, and about a mile out, I stopped and let my bike down.

  When Andrew realized I wasn’t keeping up, he rode back then dropped his bike next to mine. My heart swelled watching him walk beside me and sitting down on the gravel road. How had it been that only weeks ago I was burning a letter to Andrew that said I loved him?

  Andrew looked over at me, a smile touching his lips. “Hey, beautiful.”

  I smiled. “Hey there.” But then my lips faltered.

  “What’s up?”

  I swallowed. Liz’s words echoed in my mind. I couldn’t just let it go. “I want to play a lightning round of twenty questions.”

  “Okay?” he sounded half amused, half confused. “Should I be worried?”

  “Maybe.”

  He laughed. I did too. But I wasn’t joking.

  “Ready?” I asked.

  He leaned back on his palms. “Set, go.”

  I laughed. “Okay.” I glanced at my own hands and picked at some dirt under my nails. “First question. You’re a virgin, right?”

  “Right.”

  I looked him in the eyes for this one. “When do you want to…you know. What are you waiting for?”

  “I’m not having sex until I know I can support the baby that might follow.”

  Okay, he passed that one. I pressed my lips together. “Very practical
.”

  “I have to be.”

  I shrugged. I got that. “What do you think of marriage?”

  He nudged my shoulder with his. “Maybe buy me dinner first.”

  I rolled my eyes, not in the mood to laugh. “Seriously, Andrew.”

  He sighed. “What’s going on, Skye?”

  “My sister…she said some stuff that scared me, and I just have to know.” Heavy storm clouds were building up in the distance, and I wished they’d just come over here and wash all these difficult questions away.

  “What did she say?”

  I drew a circle in the dirt before answering. “Andrew, can you just answer the questions?”

  He sighed. “Sure.”

  I stared out over the field by the road. Now that I’d been working on a ranch, I knew it was milo, a plant used in cattle feed. “What do you think of marriage?”

  “I think I’m way too young.”

  “But as an institution,” I pressed.

  “I think it’s rare to get it right. But my parents figured it out, and I’m hoping I can too. Someday.” A hopeful look lightened his eyes.

  I’d take that. A gust of wind came from the west, and I lifted my ponytail so it could dry some of the sweat on the back of my neck. “Have you decided where you want to go to college?”

  His lips turned down. “With my mom losing her job, I have to go wherever I get a scholarship.”

  I hated to ask this, because we weren’t even labeling things, but if I let myself fall, I wanted to know where my heart would land. What kind of chance we actually had. “What if we get into different schools?”

  “Skye.” He covered my hand with his. “Can I be honest with you?”

  “I hope you’ve always been honest with me.”

  He laughed, and the sound brought a slight smile to my lips. “I have been. It’s just, things have been messy, and I don’t want you to think I’m getting ahead of myself.”

  “What is it?” I held my breath.

  His eyes locked with mine, holding me just as good as his arms could have. “Skye, you’re beautiful and smart and special, and I’d never want to hold you back. We both need to see the world, see where we belong in it. And I hope it’s together.”

  My bottom lip trembled because it was exactly what I wanted to hear. And exactly what Liz had told me he would say.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Bright and early Monday morning, Rhett stood holding the reins of his horse, Betsy. “Ready to ride?”

  What I really wanted to do was talk to Rhett about Liz’s prediction. But that would have to wait. I’d dreamed of riding a horse for as long as I could remember, and now was my chance. Still, staring up at the two-thousand-pound animal brought on more fear than I’d bargained for.

  My nerves screamed no, but I swallowed and nodded.

  “So what you do is grab on to the saddle horn”—he pointed at a handle on the front of the saddle—“then put your toe in the stirrup and pull yourself on. A few cowboy rules. Always get in on the horse’s left side, don’t put your foot all the way in the stirrup if you don’t wanna get dragged around, and make sure she knows you’re the boss.”

  “How do you do that?”

  He smirked and patted her shoulder. “Be more stubborn than she is.”

  I smiled. “I think I can do that.”

  Betsy flicked her left ear back like she was ready for me to go. I rubbed her neck before taking hold of the saddle horn. Then, I lifted my left leg and put my toe in the stirrup. My knee protested as I lugged myself up and threw my other leg over the saddle.

  “Good?” Rhett asked.

  Other than my knee? “Yeah.”

  “Good.” He took the reins and led Betsy and me around the corral. Getting used to her gait took a bit, but I learned how to hold my core tight, yet stay fluid enough to adjust to her movements.

  “Ready for the reins?”

  “I think so.”

  He handed them up to me, and I rolled the worn leather in my grip.

  “Remember, when you want to stop, pull back and say ‘whoa.’ When she stops, give her some slack on the reins. If you want to turn right or left, pull the reins that way and nudge your heel on the opposite side.”

  I nodded, trying to remember everything.

  “Just start at a walk,” he said. “We’ll work our way up.”

  Gently, I nudged her sides, and like she was just getting up from the couch, she took a few slow steps forward and stopped.

  He laughed. “A little harder.”

  I dug my heels in, only slightly more forcefully, and she started off in a slow walk.

  “Good girl,” I said, then reminded myself she wasn’t a dog.

  “That’s it,” Rhett called from behind me. “Now, take her left.”

  Going back over his instructions, I pulled the reins to the left and nudged her with my right heel. Her head turned, and she followed left.

  My lips stretched into a smile.

  Betsy and I made a few rounds in the corral, first turning left and then right, and then we came to a stop beside Rhett.

  He scratched her shoulder. “Ready for a trot?”

  My lungs froze with nerves. “Trot?”

  “Just a little faster,” he said. “Kick her a little harder. Remember how to stop?”

  “Pull back and say ‘whoa.’”

  “See? You’ve got it.” He stepped back toward the fence. “Go ahead.”

  Anxiously, I tapped my heels into her side for a walk. I closed my eyes for a second and took a deep, settling breath. Opening my eyes, I dug my heels into her sides, and we lurched forward into a trot. I steadied myself with my legs and the saddle horn. My knee ached, not used to this position, but the way I felt on top of the horse—on top of the world—was worth every second of discomfort.

  Betsy and I jogged around the corral a few times, and I only stopped because Rhett was waiting.

  He grinned up at me. “You’re a natural.”

  The compliment might have been smoke, but I’d take it. “Thanks.”

  “Okay, let’s head out and help Dad and Har with the fence.”

  My legs wobbled after getting off the horse, and it took the whole walk to the pickup to get my land legs back. We drove to a field and caught up with Harleigh and Howard. They were already drenched with sweat and had a quarter mile of fence posts up.

  For the next several hours, Rhett and I strung wire along the fields where the others had driven the posts. Rhett showed me how to fix insulators on the post and run the wire through them so the electricity could flow through the whole fence without being grounded. If Harleigh and Rhett worked like this all the time, I could see how they were so athletic. My shoulders and legs already ached from riding the horse and hopping in and out of the pickup.

  Around noon, we had it all done, and Howard had everyone come in for lunch. Deena clearly had her hands full with book keeping, so we ate ham and cheese sandwiches and potato chips over paper plates.

  Harleigh had her phone out and was texting someone, not paying any attention to us.

  Howard looked at me from across the table. “So how was the lesson?”

  My smile came easily. “It was great. I love riding.”

  Rhett nodded. “Riding’s fun, but four-wheelers are better.”

  I shook my head. “No way could a four-wheeler top that.”

  Howard grinned at me, and I saw where Rhett got his wide smile from.

  Rhett chuckled, his sun-kissed cheeks lifting. “Four-wheelers don’t get spooked.”

  Still looking at her phone, Harleigh said, “It’s fine if you hold on.”

  Rhett rolled his eyes. “What’s your excuse for that face plant last month?”

  She lifted her eyes just long enough to send a deadly glare his way. “Midnight tripped, and you know it.”

  “Horses don’t trip.” Rhett smirked.

  “Midnight did.”

  “Sure.”

  I watched their back and forth, jealou
s. Why couldn’t Liz and I just be regular siblings like Harleigh and Rhett?

  “Anyway,” Rhett said, tapping Harleigh’s phone screen and then getting slapped on the hand, “we can’t use four-wheelers in the field. It’s too rough.”

  I didn’t mind. I’d heard about kids wrecking and getting really injured or even dying on the things.

  Howard stood up and dusted crumbs off his jeans. “Ready to get going?”

  Popping the last of my chips into my mouth, I nodded.

  “Yep,” Rhett said, and Harleigh got up too.

  We went to the barn first, loaded the horses into a trailer, and drove to a pasture where Rhett helped me onto Betsy.

  “Okay,” he said, handing the reins up to me. “Skye, you follow behind and pick up any stragglers. There’s one with a lame leg that might be a little slower. Dad’ll drive ahead of everyone on the road with a haybale, so hopefully it won’t be too difficult.”

  I nodded, and Rhett got on his horse. Without saying anything, Harleigh took off at a lope on her horse, and Howard started the pickup down a trail.

  “Skye, come ride the fence with me,” Rhett said, and I gave him a relieved smile.

  “Okay.”

  He must have known I had nerves prickling their way down my veins because he kept Stud at a slow trot.

  With an aching knee, I stood up in the stirrups and followed. The sharp breeze brought the scent of drying grass into my nose, and I inhaled deeply. It felt fresh and freeing. Like out here, in the middle of nowhere with Liz and Andrew out of sight, no signal on my phone, I could finally breathe. At least, for now.

  Getting the cattle on the road was insane. Harleigh raced cows through the pasture, trusting her horse to carry her over ruts and hills and ridges. She looked like a goddess flying around on her horse.

  Rhett didn’t have the same grace Harleigh did, but he worked just as hard, supporting her efforts where he could.

  Just like he’d asked, I trailed behind, making sure the slow cattle stayed with the herd. It was the easy job, but I didn’t mind. Sitting on top of a horse, the sun warming my skin, felt like heaven.

  Eventually, we got the entire herd into the new pen, and I felt more accomplished than I ever had in my life. My chest swelled watching the herd that we brought here grazing within the confines of a fence we built.