by Karlik, Mary
She dropped to her knees and gathered them up. They looked like something a first-grader would cut—all lopsided with ragged edges. She could see pencil marks where they had been cut outside the line. A visual of Justin cutting the hearts with a pair of safety scissors drifted through her mind. She stacked them as best as she could and shoved them into the front pocket of her backpack.
A heart larger than the others appeared in her field of vision. “You missed one.”
She looked up and there he was. One look and her heart pounded in her chest. God, he was beautiful. His hair had just enough curl to be messy and just enough mess to make her want to run her hands through it. She loved the way it fell across his forehead, giving his eyes that smoldering, sexy look—until he smiled and exposed those boyish dimples. Those dimples were in full force as he waited for a response.
She dropped her gaze to the hand that held the paper heart. She wanted to take that hand. She wanted to crawl into the embrace it offered. But she wouldn’t. She needed to stand on her own two feet. She took the heart and stood. “Thanks.”
He flattened his back against the locker next to hers. “So?”
“So.” They stared at each other and grinned. She could almost feel the air crackle between them. “You cut all those hearts.”
“That I did.”
“And stuffed them in my locker.”
“One by one. I slipped them through the vents.”
“That’s a lot of work.”
“I was hoping for a payoff.”
“Oh? And that would be…?”
He dropped his gaze to the heart she held. “You haven’t read it.”
She turned the heart over and read the poem he’d written.
Roses are red.
Violets are blue.
My heart would flutter
If you let me bowl with you.
Tonight. 6:30?
“You want to go bowling?”
He pushed off the locker and moved closer to her. “Something fun. No drama.”
“No drama? You’ve obviously never seen me bowl.” She pulled the book she needed from her locker.
“Come on, Ryan. Let’s have fun like normal people do.”
Oh, how she wanted that. But the tiny mirror that hung on the inside of her locker showed her why it couldn’t happen. For the most part, kids at school had gotten used to her face. But going to a crowded place like a bowling alley was a different story.
She closed her locker and leaned her forehead against the door. “I can’t.”
“Ryan, I’m really sorry about not calling you. It was stupid. Don’t let it screw us up.”
She felt his hands on her shoulders and blew out a deep breath. She turned and leaned her back flat against the locker. “It has nothing to do with you.”
“Then what?” His voice had a desperate tone that made her feel stupid for what she was going to say, but it was the truth—no matter how shallow it sounded.
“You are so sweet to see past this.” She pointed to her face. “I—I just can’t. School is one thing, a crowded bowling alley…” She looked at her feet. “Sometimes it’s all I can do to ignore the looks…”
The concern was replaced by a slow smile. “I don’t care what we do. I just want to spend time with you. It doesn’t matter if we bowl.”
She nodded but couldn’t quite make a smile form. She was ashamed that she wanted to hide away from everybody.
“What do you say? Can we do something tonight? Whatever you want.”
She knew exactly what she wanted to do. “Would you want to come over and just hang out by the pool? I’ll have to ask my parents, and the water is too cool to swim, but it’s nice to hang out.”
He nodded. “I’d like that.”
She fired a text to her mom. “Okay, I’ll let you know as soon as I hear back.”
The five-minute bell sounded and she pushed away from the locker. “There will be plenty of drama if we’re late for Shop. Come on.”
They hurried down the hall to the breezeway leading to the shop. When they reached the classroom, Justin dropped his backpack on her table and headed to the project shelves. That simple act of moving from the table behind her to her table warmed her from toes to head.
So much for keeping her distance—she hadn’t even made it twenty-four hours. But then, she never dreamt he’d stuff hearts in her locker either.
She retrieved her project and set it on the table next to him. “So how are things at home?”
“Ah-ah. No drama talk. But things are good. And you?”
She started to tell him she was going to have her lip fixed next week, but just thinking about it brought all of the anxieties associated with the surgery to the surface. She pushed the thought from her brain. “There is something I wanted to ask you.”
“Yes, I’ll be your boyfriend.”
“Yeah, right.” She knocked him with her shoulder. “Do you know Braden McGuire?”
“Don’t tell me you want me to fix you up with him?”
“Yes. That’s exactly what I want. No, silly. He was in the Purity Club.”
“Five points against him.”
“No. He’s a good guy. He brought up some good points at the last meeting. The whole club shouldn’t be punished because Macey went psycho.”
“I don’t know why not. Any other club would be disbanded if they did something less heinous than what those bitches did.”
“Hear me out. We’ve talked to Mrs. Bettis and we want to start a new club called Teens Against Violence. The group talks to other schools about healthy relationships. Not just dating, but friendships too.”
“That sounds cool. An anti-bullying group.”
“Yeah, but more than that.” She pulled a paper from her backpack. “Mrs. Bettis gave me some information.” She handed it to Justin.
He looked it over. “This looks good. So what’s your question?”
“Mrs. Bettis wants us to pick a representative boy and girl from each class. Would you be the senior rep?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I have a lot of stuff going on.”
“Of course.” Duh. What were you thinking, Ryan? “It was stupid of me to ask.”
He leaned close to her. “I’m not sure if I can be a representative. But I will support the group. It’s just…”
“I get it. And if all you can offer is moral support, that’s good.” She shoved the paper into her backpack. She didn’t mean for the gesture to come off like she was mad, but from the way he winced, it did. “Seriously. I understand.”
“Thanks. I will be a part of it, I promise.”
“Okay.” She smiled, but she couldn’t help the disappointment that flowed through her. She pulled the wood she’d cut from her box.
It was different working alongside Justin. They worked on completely different projects. He was building a guitar—a far cry from the swirly end table she was putting together. She watched him run a bead of wood glue along one of the edges. “Do you play?”
He kept his focus on his work. “A little. I suck, but I keep trying.”
“I’d like to hear you sometime.”
“You say that now, but think really bad Idol audition.”
“It can’t be that bad.” She snapped a wood clamp onto the two wedge pieces of walnut she’d just glued.
“Who knows, maybe this guitar will be magic and I’ll actually learn to play the thing.” He released a little chuckle and her heart warmed about a hundred degrees. This was the way it should have been from the beginning—flirting, smiling, and getting to know each other. Not rescuing her.
She worked on laminating pieces for her end table and he worked on his guitar for the rest of the class. They joked and talked some, but it was lighthearted and fun.
Her phone vibrated with a text, but she had to wait until the end of class to read it. She smiled up at Justin. “It’s from Mom. She said you’re welcome to come for dinner.”
“Cool. Thanks.”
Yeah, cool. Let’s just hope it stays that way when Austin and Travis show up.
20
Practice was a bitch.
Coach was in a foul mood and took it out on the team—possibly because Austin couldn’t hit the side of a barn. He overthrew, underthrew, threw too high, threw too low. It was a disaster. When Austin unraveled, so did the rest of the team. The few passes that reached Justin were dropped. And he wasn’t the only offender. Austin’s golden boy Travis Barnes dropped or missed every catchable pass. Tackles were missed, routes screwed up. They practiced like peewee players.
It was a welcome relief when Coach blew the whistle calling them to the sidelines. They spent the rest of the practice doing ball-busters. Justin just wanted to finish and get the hell out of there.
By the time they hit the showers, all he could think about was getting to Ryan. He breezed by his house and changed into shorts and flip-flops. When he called his dad to tell him he was going to Ryan’s, he sounded relieved—probably because he was working late.
As much as he tried to hurry, it was after six before he turned down the gravel drive leading to the Quinn farmhouse. His heart fluttered in his chest when he saw the girl with the pixie hair waiting on the front porch.
When he parked, she walked to the top of the porch steps. She looked amazing in her khaki short shorts and green tank top. But that was nothing compared to the smile that lit up her face. And it was for him.
He stopped at the bottom of the steps. “Hey, you.”
“Hey, yourself.” She dropped down one step. Her eyes seemed to be three shades deeper than their normal blue and he couldn’t take his gaze away from them.
He stepped up one step and stood eye level with her. “You look—beautiful.”
“My face could use some help.”
He cupped her cheek and stroked it with his thumb. He pressed his lips softly against her skin where his thumb had been. “It’s perfect.” He was about to drop his hand, pull her against him, and plant a solid kiss on her, when the screen door squeaked open. They both jumped back. Ryan would have fallen over the step if Justin hadn’t grabbed her arm.
Mackenzie stepped out on the porch. “Mom said to tell you there are snacks on the back porch. Dinner is running late.”
Ryan turned toward her sister. “Okay. We’ll be right there.”
Mackenzie shot a nervous look between Justin and Ryan and went into the house.
“Is she okay?”
Ryan shook her head. “She’s been a little stressed lately.” She grabbed his hand and led him up the steps and through the house to the back patio.
Justin had never seen the patio before. What a contrast to the rest of the house. The pool was pristine, with huge pots bursting with flowers situated around it. The patio furniture screamed expensive and his nerves amped up.
Mrs. Quinn poured lemonade from a pitcher with lemon slices floating in it. Fruit and crackers were displayed on a plate like something from a magazine. She flashed him a warm smile. “Hi, Justin. Make yourself at home. Would you like some lemonade?”
“Thank you, that would be nice.” He took a chair next to Ryan and hoped nobody would notice how awkward he felt.
Ryan pulled some grapes off the plate and munched them. “Help yourself.”
Mrs. Quinn said, “We’re pretty casual. Tom is going to grill salmon as soon as he gets home. Do you like salmon?”
“Sure.” He had no clue whether or not he liked salmon. But pretty much anything on a grill had to be good. He tried to relax. There was no reason to be uptight. Her family was all smiles and welcoming. Okay, her mom was. Mackenzie still looked a little freaked and Kelsey and her dad weren’t there. He blew out a deep breath and took a sip of his drink. “Beautiful place, Mrs. Quinn.”
“Thank you. It’s certainly different from Chicago.” An uncomfortable look crossed her face that made Justin wonder if this had been a good move for her.
Ryan put a hand on his forearm. “Want me to show you around?”
“Yes.” When he stood, he knocked into the table, jiggling everything. Thank God nothing spilled or worse, broke. Jesus, Justin, relax.
He followed Ryan off the patio and around the side of the house. They headed to the small red barn first. She opened the door to the tack room and he breathed in the smell of leather from the saddles stacked on racks that hung from the wall. “Do you ride?”
“No. Maybe one day. Kelsey is learning. Come on, I’ll show you the horses.” They passed through a door opposite the one they’d come in. There were four stalls, one in each corner.
“We only have two. They’re my uncle’s, but he doesn’t ride much anymore. Austin rides them.”
At the sound of Austin’s name, his gut tightened. Is there anything Wonder Boy can’t do? Oh yeah, throw the freaking football.
A chestnut with a blaze stuck its head over the door and Ryan scratched the side of his face. “This is Buster. The other guy is Harry. He’s a paint.” As if on cue, Harry hung his head out of the stall. “I have to say Harry is my favorite.”
Justin rubbed the side of Harry’s neck. “Nice.” He watched her scratch the tip of Buster’s nose. He wrinkled his upper lip, showing his teeth, and she giggled. It was the first time he’d seen her look so carefree and it took the breath completely from him. This was the way it should be. In that moment she wasn’t thinking about the fountain or her face. She was taking in the simple pleasure of petting a horse. He wanted to give her a million more of those simple pleasures.
He moved from Harry’s stall to stand behind her. He reached over her to pat Buster’s forehead, but he couldn’t keep his eyes off the length of her neck. He resisted the urge to place a kiss just below her ear and said, “It’s good to hear you laugh.”
She cupped the horse’s face with her hands, but it pulled away and retreated to the water bucket hanging on the wall. “I like taking care of them. Someday I’ll ride.” She kept her back to him and watched the horse lap from the bucket. “Do you ride?”
“Not really. I’ve been on a horse a couple of times. But I don’t really know what I’m doing.”
She was so close, her shirt brushed his chest. They were having a normal, innocent conversation but the electricity between them could spark a fire and ignite the whole place. He placed a hand on her shoulder and refocused on her neck and how delicious it would be to trail kisses from her collarbone to her jaw.
He should resist. Take it slow. Let her make the first move.
Then she leaned against him.
He lowered his head to her neck and kissed her just below the ear. It tickled her and he heard the wonderful sound of her giggle. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulled her more tightly against him, and kissed her neck again. That was all it took. She turned in his arms and wrapped hers around his neck. Her mouth found his. It was hot and wet and messy. It was perfect.
She pulled away, dropped her hands from his neck, and buried her head in his shoulder. “I can’t stay away from you.”
“I’m glad.” He tightened his embrace. “Please, don’t try.” He rubbed his hands up and down her back, pressing her against him.
She lifted her head and kissed his chin. “We’d better get out of here before they miss us.”
He relaxed his hold, but didn’t release her. Instead, he looked into her eyes and smiled. “You are the best thing that has ever happened to me.” He kissed her again, but this time it was sweet and gentle, like a first kiss.
When they pulled away, she grabbed his hand. “Come on. Let’s meet the pig.”
He let her lead him out of the barn, but all he wanted to do was yank her back and replay those kisses over and over. He wanted to hear her say how she felt, but he’d take what he could get. He could go a long way on smiles and a few stolen kisses.
They moved to a pen between the barn and the chicken coop. A big white pig snorted as they approached. “That’s Winnie. I never thought I’d like pigs, but she’s cool.”
“Wow. Ryan Qu
inn has a pig.” He squeezed her hand. “I bet that’s different for the girl from Chicago.”
“You have no idea. Come on. Chickens are next.” She pulled on his hand and they went to the chicken coop. She squeezed through the gate to the chicken yard. They ran toward her and fluttered around her feet. “They think I’m going to feed them.” She showed them her open hands and they actually looked disappointed, if that were possible. “I used to be terrified of them. Mackenzie still is. She won’t even get close to the fence.”
“What about Kelsey?”
“Kelsey is the true farm girl. She hated it when we first moved here. Oh my God, now she treats the chickens like they’re her pets. She loves Winnie and the horses. I think she’d rather clean troughs and slop Winnie than just about anything.”
“I would have never guessed.”
“Neither would anybody else. I think about ninety percent of her love for the rural life is because of Austin.”
There was that name again. He was beginning to understand why his mom freaked out every time she heard it. At least he didn’t have to worry about his being competition for Ryan.
“Ry—an!” They turned toward the voice and saw Mackenzie standing about ten feet from the chicken fence. “Mom said dinner is about two minutes out.”
“Okay.” She grabbed his hand. “That concludes the tour of the Quinn farm. What do you think?”
He looked into her deep blue eyes and took a ragged breath. “I think it’s awesome.”
She squeezed his hand. “I think my guest is pretty awesome too.” They walked to the back yard holding hands. It was a simple gesture, but he felt as though somehow their relationship had just taken on new meaning.
When they rounded the house, she dropped his hand. A twinge of disappointment filtered up his empty hand to his heart. But that was nothing compared to what he felt when he saw who sat on the patio. Austin and Travis. Austin joked with Mrs. Quinn and jealousy filled him. Would he ever feel that welcome here?
When they reached the table, he shook Travis’s and Austin’s hands. They were cordial, but the look Austin gave him said this is my territory. Whatever. He was here for Ryan.