by K. D. Kinney
“Are you telling the truth that he didn’t do anything to you?” Noah asked, pulling me close.
“You guys got here in time. If it were a few minutes later it might have been a different story.”
“Josh got here in time. I didn’t do anything.” Noah reached for his hat but it wasn’t there. He ruffled up his hair in frustration.
“Josh was able to go after him once you got here. He bloodied that guy’s nose before he took off too.”
“That’s good. Josh is a good fighter. I probably wouldn’t have impressed you as much as he did.” Noah shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged.
I pulled on his arm and draped it around my shoulders again. “I don’t need you to impress me. I just need you to be where you are right now.” I leaned against him as he walked me to the RV Park.
Rachel and Bree waited at the end of the path.
“Have you seen Josh?” Noah asked.
“We thought he was still with you guys,” Rachel answered.
“He went after the carnie. Maybe I should go see if I can help him. Will you get something so Sera can clean up before we take her home? She doesn’t want her mom to know.”
“Sure,” Rachel said.
If I wasn’t already exhausted from the scare, I would have taken off. The last thing I wanted was to be left with those two.
They were nothing but nice to me as they brought me a towel and a washrag. Bree handed me a hairbrush.
“You kind of look like you had a roll in the hay.” Bree giggled and then stopped. “Sorry that might not have been as funny as I thought it was.” She picked out a few pieces of dried grass from my hair. “By the way, I’ve been meaning to tell you that I just love all your shoes.”
“Thanks. These were my favorite and they’ll never be the same. How did you know I needed help?” I tugged on the soggy brown shoelaces.
They were both quiet. Rachel nudged Bree’s arm.
Bree started to fidget. “We really weren’t planning on getting you in trouble. We had been tailing Kelly. She’s up to something but we’d lost her when we saw you walking from the concert with Josh, heading for the river. We didn’t follow you for long because we heard Kelly talking to someone nearby. We never saw who it was. We didn’t want to get caught. Then we had to hide from you guys again when you were heading home, we saw you kiss Josh. The next thing we knew, that carnie attacked you, and we both ran to get help.”
“Why did it take Josh so long to get to me? He shouldn’t have been that far.”
“Kelly was talking to him. We had to be careful and didn’t want her to know we had been watching you and Josh. She would have told Noah right away. We’ve had enough of Kelly’s games. So I lured Josh away from Kelly and Rachel found Noah.”
“Is Kelly around now?” I asked, afraid she might be eavesdropping.
“No.” Rachel smiled. “When we stopped doing what she wanted, she didn’t want to have anything to do with us. I don’t know where she went but she’s not here.”
“She probably found one of the boys from the other club to feel sorry for her,” Bree said.
“Probably.” Rachel nodded.
I didn’t want to wear my squishy shoes. I also didn’t want to borrow any from the girls. Wringing out my socks was all I did before putting them back on. I rubbed I eyes. My poor shoes were totally beyond salvaging all coated in mud. How would I explain that mess to my mom?
Josh and Noah walked down the path together as Josh threw punches at the air and carried on about his heroics.
“We found him and we told his supervisor all about what happened. He’s going to call the police. They may need to talk to you still. Especially because he harassed you more than once. But when we told him we weren’t sure you wanted to do that, he said he had some dirt on the guy that could at least get him put away in the meantime,” Josh said.
“He said for you to be prepared though. Just in case.” Noah squeezed my shoulder.
I nodded. He pulled me up on my feet and hugged me. “It’s going to be all right.”
I buried my face in Noah’s shoulder when I saw Josh’s face fall.
“Let’s get you home.” Noah guided me away from the campsite. I glanced back to the girls to wave. Josh stuffed his hands in his pockets and turned away.
I wiped my eyes again.
“Are you sure you’re going to be all right?” Noah rubbed my back as we walked.
“I’m fine, I guess. You hurt my feelings when you didn’t text me about not being able to see me.”
Noah hung his head.
“And you should have told me what a problem your mom was. That is unless Josh was lying to me to cover for you.”
“No, she really is that bad. It’s just mortifying to have a mom that meddles in everyone’s business so much. I wasn’t thinking things through. Not at all. I’m sorry I worried you.”
“It doesn’t take away that I imagined the worst. That you were embarrassed by me.” I swallowed the new lump in my throat and folded my arms. I was still wearing his shirt and I clenched it in my fists, telling myself not to blow it with him.
“I’m not.” He rubbed his head, messing up his hair. “Never. She’s just nuts. How was I supposed to tell you I swore off girls because my mom scares them all away?”
We were at the Caravan way too soon.
He looked at my shoulders as he rested his hands on them. “This shirt looks really nice on you.” He smiled his most adorable smile. “If it helps anything, I couldn’t stop thinking about you all night.”
I leaned against his chest and gazed up at him. Because he didn’t have his hat on for once or hat hair, his lose dark curls and wayward hairs were illuminated around his head by the light on the telephone pole. It looked as if he had a halo. I hoped I hadn’t grown horns. I tucked my arms against my chest as he held me, keeping me warm. He leaned in for kiss. I closed my eyes not letting any tears seep out again. When his lips met mine, my heart raced while a heavy brick landed in the pit of my stomach. I didn’t want him to stop kissing me. However, I wanted to stop the little comparisons I was making about the boys’ kisses that decided to lurk on the edges of my mind.
“See you tomorrow, Gypsy Girl,” he whispered, kissing my forehead.
“See you tomorrow, Cowboy.” I waited by the door as he walked away. After I went in once I couldn’t see him anymore, I held his shirt up against my nose, inhaling deeply with my eyes closed as I leaned against the wall. It was as if he’d never left.
Noah texted me after I cleaned up and climbed into bed.
Noah: U ok?
Me: Will be eventually
Noah: Meet at 8 with Cessie?
Me: Sure
Cessie still hadn’t ridden in a saddle on a horse yet. Noah was going to make good on his promises to her. I couldn’t look at his text anymore. He was too good for me.
17
Thursday
I dragged Cessie out of bed. “Noah wanted you to come this morning. I bet he lets you ride Ezra today.”
“What happened to your face?”
I checked the scratches before I went to bed. They weren’t that bad. My body hurt something awful but I could hide that. I could cover my scratched legs with jeans or a skirt so that wasn’t a big deal. I crawled over to the mirror on the wall. The few little scabbed over scratches were much darker on my cheek than they had been the night before. “I accidentally ran into a tree branch last night.”
I threw on some sweats real quick even though I knew it was a poor choice. There hadn’t been any chill in the morning since we’d been there and it usually got hot fast. “Come on.”
Cessie held my hand as we approached the barn. I squeezed her hand even more when we neared the door. I texted Noah to let him know we were there.
“You good today?” Noah asked, looking at the scratches on my cheek.
I nodded, not wanting to say more with little miss blabbermouth there.
“Hi Cessie, I was just getting ready to saddl
e up Ezra for you.” He messed up her hair.
She only frowned for a second over the hair in her face. Noah glanced at me but he didn’t smile much. He led the way without checking on me to see if I had my fear under control. I twisted my shirt around my hands as we walked down the long center aisle. There wasn’t much activity yet. It seemed almost every horse popped their heads out of the stall doors to greet us. Which made me extra jumpy.
Cessie wouldn’t stop talking and she held onto Noah’s hand all the way to the stall. When we got there, I leaned against the wall as he took Cessie inside and showed her how to saddle a horse. She put the saddle blanket on. He tossed the saddle over it while Ezra chewed on hay unruffled. He showed Cessie how to tighten the cinch. Then he cinched it tighter. Noah never glanced at me, not even once. I turned away from the stall door and pulled out my phone.
Me: Noah’s not talking to me.
Josh: Not sure why. I didn’t see him or say nothing to him.
Noah opened the door to the stall. I stuffed my phone in my pocket. Cessie was high up in the saddle.
“Sera! Take a picture.” Cessie clung to the saddle horn.
I pulled my phone out again and turned the camera on. I clicked a few while Noah waited patiently.
“I think that’s enough.” I scanned through the pics.
“You want to come with us to the arena?” Noah asked, taking his hat off and scratching his head.
I nodded and followed them at a distance. He led Ezra into the arena and handed Cessie the reins. He walked with her the first time around and then he sent her off on her own before he walked over to the rail close to where I was standing.
I slowly scooted closer to Noah and leaned on the rail. “She’s going to talk about this forever, you know.” I rested my hand on his arm.
“I like to be able to do things like that for someone who loves horses as much as she does. That’s the reason why I like them so much. Someone took the time to indulge me when I was young. I think my parents curse that person now because of how much money they’ve invested in my hobby. That’s what they call it. I would do horses all the time, though. If I could make a living off this sort of thing, I’d do it.” Noah moved his arm from under my hand and turned to face me. He clenched his jaw and started to say something but stopped. He watched Cessie for a minute before he was able to speak. “What did you tell me last night about the concert?”
“What do you mean?” I gripped the rail with both hands and studiously watched my sister.
“How did you say the concert was?”
“It was a lot of fun.”
“That’s not it. What word did you use?”
I tried to remember what Josh texted Noah. “Umm. Did I say it was a blast?”
“That’s what I thought. Were you still with Josh then? I’m pretty sure the concert had been over for a while by that time.”
“I think I was. Why?”
“Josh always has a blast, that’s all. I didn’t know you used that word too.”
“I guess we spent so much time at the concert together that he rubbed off on me.” I flushed. All the words that just fell out my mouth were all wrong. Guilty, guilty, guilt and more guilt all over them.
He frowned as he rested his back against the rail. “Cessie, give her a little kick and she’ll go again. You won’t hurt her.” He looked back at me. “I was wondering if there was anything you shared other than the concert?”
“We shared some fries.”
Noah glared at me.
“What do you want me to say?” I shook my head, exasperated.
“What did you guys do?”
“We ate dinner, we went to the concert, and then went for a walk. He told me how weird your mom was and that she wouldn’t like me.” I pressed my fingernail into the weathered wood on the rail.
“Josh talks in his sleep.” He kicked at the dirt. “He mumbled your name more than once and kept asking you to kiss him again.”
“Oh.” I rubbed my forehead. “That’s awkward.”
“Yeah, that’s what he said when I asked him about it this morning.”
I squeezed my phone in aggravation. Now Josh lied to me too, throwing me under the bus.
Noah studied my face.
I controlled my expression. “Did he tell you why he was sleep-talking about me?”
“He said he was just wishing you would kiss him all night and then he dreamed about it instead.” He turned to face me. “I saw you two before the concert. He had his arm around you.”
“Oh, that. He stopped when he saw you. He wanted to pretend I was his girlfriend last night.”
Noah clenched his jaw.
“It was nothing, Noah. Just pretend. Are you jealous? Maybe it’s about time because it sounds like you always get the girl.” I looked around to see if it really was me that said all those mean words.
Noah’s eyebrows scrunched together before he turned away.
I covered my mouth in shock. Why was so much meanness falling out of my mouth? Oh, how I wished I could take those words back. He moved away from the fence. I grabbed his shirt. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say that.”
He turned to glare at me and his face flamed with fury. “That was uncalled for.”
“I know.” I let him go as the lump in my throat tried to strangle me.
“And you’re right. I’m jealous and I’m not use to it.” He stormed off to help Cessie with Ezra when the horse decided to stop moving all together.
I looked up at the sky. I wasn’t going to cry.
Noah casually walked back to the fence leading Ezra. He had completely composed himself. “I think that was a pretty good first ride, don’t you?”
I followed them back into the barn, as slowly as I could. I was so mortified that I managed my fear quite well when a few horses passed by. I waited outside the stall. Noah opened the door for me to enter. I shook my head. He took my hand anyway and pulled me inside. I pressed my back against the wall and slid over to the corner far away from Noah, Cessie, and Ezra. Which really wasn’t far enough away at all.
He showed Cessie how to take everything off and then handed her a bucket.
“You made her thirsty. Can you fill this up? If you only fill it halfway, I think that will be enough and you will still be able to carry it.” He opened the door and once she was gone, he cornered me.
“I didn’t mean to yell at you.” Noah tugged on my shirt. “I’m sorry.” Noah stroked my cheek lightly and then tilted my head up. He kissed me gently and his lips lingered there before he kissed me once more.
I wasn’t sure how to cope with feeling relieved and guilty all at once. I hugged him and moaned when my back ached all over. “Wow. It’s going to be a long day.”
“You sore?”
“It’s just setting in I think.”
Cessie returned struggling with the bucket of water.
Noah helped her with it.
I just wanted to leave as I slowly stepped sideways to the stall door. But I needed to make amends somehow. “Do you compete today?”
“I don’t until later. I believe Josh has two. I don’t know how many more he has after today.”
“I’m not sure I can press my luck with Mom today. I would like to come if we can though. We just don’t seem to have enough time to catch much.” I cleaned mud out from under my nails from the night before.
“I go at four. You might check with Josh.”
“All right.” I was eager for the opportunity to leave. “Come on Cessie. Let’s go say hi to Shasta and Josh.”
Cessie was reluctant to leave her new best friend, Ezra, but she followed me out the stall and over to Josh’s. Thank goodness Noah stayed behind. I could hear him raise his voice again in my mind and the guilt was too much.
“Hey.” Josh barely smiled as he brushed Shasta.
“Hi.” I couldn’t say anything I wanted to with Cessie there. Why didn’t I just leave her with Noah? Because that would look suspicious. “Cessie, why don’t you
go say hello to all the horses? Just skip that one horse that belongs to the girl that wasn’t so nice to us.” She happily walked off, telling each horse good morning.
I leaned over the door and kept my voice low. “You talk in your sleep.” I glared at him.
Josh rubbed his face and leaned against the wall near me. “Of all the times. I did say it was wishful thinking.” He gave me an apologetic smirk.
“Yeah, well he saw you hanging all over me yesterday so he’s suspicious.” I looked over my shoulder just as Noah was leaving the stall. “So I’m here to find out when you compete today.” My face burned for no reason. I gripped the stall door as Noah came up behind me. His hand fell to my shoulder. I smiled uncomfortably at Josh.
Josh shifted his weight from foot to foot and struggled to look at Noah and me. “Umm. I think I go at two and two thirty.”
“I can watch today,” Noah said.
“I’ll see what I can do.” I checked my phone. “I need to go home and help my mom so she will let me go. I can’t be late going back this afternoon either. I’ve really been pushing my luck.” I needed to escape being with them both at the same time.
“Wait.” Noah didn’t let go of my shoulder.
When I tried to go anyway, I winced trying to remove his hand.
“Oh, sorry.” Noah’s tone turned serious. “I can’t help but notice everything is awkward today.”
“I think you’re reading something into this.” Josh turned his back to us and kept brushing Shasta.
“Umm … no. No, I’m not.” Noah’s hand covered mine and it didn’t exactly feel like the warm and fuzzy hand-holding.
“I have to go.” I backed up a couple of steps.
“Not yet.” He held my hand tight until I looked at him.
“Last night did not end well for me, remember?” I pressed the back of my hand against the scratches.
“I feel bad about all that. I still wish I was there sooner,” Josh said.
“I guess I’m full of apologies today. I’m so worked up, I keep forgetting.” Noah turned away.
I slowly took a few steps away. One good thing about the mess I was in, it made my horse fears subside considerably as long as there was drama with Noah and Josh.