by TC Rybicki
He knocked again and motioned for me to roll the window, so I did. A sliver.
Dane put his sensual lips so close a fog spread out on the top of the glass. “Hey, falling girl. It’s me, your hero. Open the hood and let me see what’s going on.”
I huffed in frustration, unlocked the door, and swung it open, not caring if I clocked him in the nose. He had quick reflexes, but I knew that already. Dane jumped back in the nick of time. I wildly shook my finger in his face. “That’s where you’re wrong. You were spying and made me fall. I don’t need a hero. Do you know what year this is? Women are their own heroes.”
He held his hands in surrender. “Easy, Sydney. I didn’t mean anything by it. You looked scared like you thought I was a stranger.”
“You are a stranger. Therefore, how do you know my name? I never gave it out, especially to a lurker which is what you are. I’m about to add stalker to your description. You’re following me.”
He rubbed his hand through the right side of his thick dark hair and smirked. One indention on his left cheek forced my stare and wouldn’t release my eyes until he stopped grinning. The whole left side of Dane was an issue. A strangely peculiar set of eyes plus one deep dimple set this man apart from thousands of others, maybe millions.
“Yeah, about that. I’m a regular at Cora’s place. She is close with…”
“Gram,” I remember the name Cora, but I didn’t realize she owned the local bookstore.
“Right. She and your grandmother are close friends. She saw the truck and put the pieces together. Seems like this is your lucky day.”
“Come again? I’m stalled on the side of the road at least an hour late because I got sidetracked. You don’t know Gram. I’m in deep sh… trouble.”
Maybe he did know Gram. Everyone seemed to know each other around this place. Dane looked uncomfortable for the first time.
“Well, I just meant that I was in the right place to rescue you twice today. What are the odds? Hood?”
“Huh?”
“Pop the hood. It might be a simple fix.”
I hadn’t driven this truck before today. I wasn’t sure how to pop the hood. Dane stepped in front of me without warning. He grazed my side when he reached into the truck. I heard the click of the latch, but I felt necessary to insist again he didn’t need to bother.
“I’m almost home. Leave it. I’m supposed to turn any complications over to Frisco, so he’ll take care of it.”
Dane opened the hood and started digging around, ignoring what I’d said.
“Oh.”
His ‘oh’ sounded bad, so I approached even though I had no clue what to look for.
“I think you’ve had a rodent problem.”
“What?”
“There’s some gnawed wires. Could be your problem, but there might be more. Hop in, pop it into neutral and let’s get you out of the road.”
“Did you say rodents? Like a mouse?”
“More like a rat?”
I screeched, “A rat!”
Dane jumped and held his ear. “It happens when these old trucks sit up in the garage a long time. I know Frisco, he’ll fix you up. Once we get it out of the road, I’ll give you a lift back home.”
No way was I getting back inside a rat-infested truck. I shook my head. Dane insisted all rats hadn’t taken the ride into town with me. “Go on. It’s fine. You guide, and I’ll push.” I was reluctant, but I did as he wanted.
Dane started to unload the contents I’d shopped for into his shiny new truck. I remembered Gram’s warning about not talking to people.
“Stop. Leave it. I’ll call Frisco now. You obviously have someplace to be.” I wasn’t sure how I was calling since I knew darn well I didn’t have a phone, but my danger meter was rising. I shouldn’t get in a truck alone with Dane.
“What gave you the idea I’m going someplace?”
“You were driving like an idiot. That’s what. Unless you are willing to admit you were stalking me?”
“Oh. Sorry about that. I can explain. I saw your truck, so technically not following or stalking. You shouldn’t say things like that without knowing the facts. That’s how rumors get started. I was trying to catch up since I bought you something.”
“Bought me something?” That made absolutely no sense.
“Josie’s place is five miles on my way, practically. Let’s get moving. I don’t want you in trouble on your first day. Ms. Josie won’t cut you slack even if you’re family.”
“Wait. You do know Gram, don’t you?”
“Um, yeah, everyone knows Mrs. Littlefield.”
“What’s your name again?”
He held his hand out for a formal introduction. I jerked my fingers back when he touched me.
“Dane.” He was handsome but dumb. We’d already established first names.
“Dane what?”
“Uh, well…” he stuttered and stumbled a few seconds.
“You don’t know your full name?”
“No, of course, I know, um… Dane Wallace at your service. Pleased to meet you, Sydney…” His strange eyes were questioning, and I was the one stumbling over the last name Littlefield since I’d never used it before.
He was right; I was so freaking late. I realized he was my only hope. I helped Dane and soon enough we were on our way. I noticed the bag in between us.
He caught me checking out his truck. It was better than checking him out. I refused to even look at him. “Open it.”
“Excuse me?”
“I said, open it.”
I pulled out the coveted copy of Yeats. It was the book I took a tumble for and the reason I collided with Dane. He bought it.
“That’s the one you wanted, right?”
“Um, I… I. Why do you have this?”
“I bought it for you. You know, a welcome to a new town gift.”
I carefully slid the book back into the bag. “I can’t accept this.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m sure you’re misjudging me by appearance like most people do, but poetry is my entire existence. I know that book is worth a small fortune. I only hoped to hold it. I wasn’t going to buy it. Take it back.”
“No. I want you to have it.”
This was pure craziness. Why did an absolute stranger want to give me a gift like that? I should at least look at it once. That was my original plan at the store. I pulled the book out a second time and opened it to the middle. My eyes scanned a page. I read a few lines of the passage and let the words sink in, allowing the thoughts to penetrate my soul and the scent of a first edition to fill my senses.
We were pulling into the driveway as I closed the book. Dane stopped the truck before he continued up the driveway to the house. I turned to my left to catch him staring.
“You have to keep it. I’ve never seen someone react to a book that way. Please. The book is yours. It belonged to you before I even bought it.”
I meant to say no again, but I said thank you instead. Dane said he would let me out by the house and he’d take the supplies to Frisco and alert him to the truck’s location.
“If he’s going to repair Rusty, tell him a paint job would be nice.”
“Rusty?”
“Yeah, that piece of junk needed a name. He’s never been loved.”
He chuckled, “You named the truck?”
“Yes. I have a knack for naming cars.”
“Oh yeah, what would you name my truck?”
I blushed. I couldn’t say the first name that came to mind. “I need to go. Thanks for the lift and the book.”
“Not the catch?”
I slammed the door, but he rolled the window to beg one last time. He kept expecting some thanks for that stupid catch. I refused. “No way, I had it.”
“Sure, you did, Sydney. See you around.”
I needed a ride to clear my head after what I found out. I let Cash lead the way today. He strolled along the trail we usually traveled around the property. My mind ra
n in all directions. I couldn’t think straight. Now I understood Cora’s reaction to me of all people finding out about Josephine Littlefield’s granddaughter.
Sydney Marlene Hagel.
That was her real name. I did some digging, and the information came easy. I have no idea why Josie thought sticking the Littlefield name on her would help. The fast Internet search gave me Mrs. Littlefield’s ex-husband’s name and their three children. The first two were boys, so it only made sense Sydney belonged to either Martin or Roy Jr. Nothing made sense now. Instead, Sydney belonged to the daughter, Marlene Hagel, wife of newly convicted Matthew Hagel from Dallas. I knew a whole hell of a lot about this guy, except for the connection to Josie. That fact never crossed my mind. His face and name had been plastered all over the news, and I didn’t just mean local and state. His real estate scandal made national news. Given my occupation, it made sense that I paid attention to his downfall.
Dad and I studied the case. We didn’t want to make the same mistakes since we dealt with high stakes deals. I would never willfully mislead a client; my dad was another story. He found humor in Hagel’s slip up, said he was a greedy bastard and deserved everything bad that happened to him. Come to think of it, my father had a peculiar outbreak of moodiness the night that story broke. I distinctly remembered him throwing a glass of bourbon into the fireplace, and he and Mom got into a giant shouting match which was so unlike them.
Sydney got a raw deal at such a tender age. I felt terrible. She was at the end of her senior year in high school when the story broke. I found one grainy photo of her with her head down trying to escape an onslaught of questions from rabid reporters on her graduation night. That sucked. I made a promise to Cora, but if Dad found out Sydney lived here now, there would be conflicts. I knew what he’d ask me to do. I’d done it before, but I swore I wouldn’t do it again. Maybe I’d already sealed my fate when it came to Sydney. I lied about my name. She’d find out. The news about who I was would come to light. I had a long chat with Frisco. He knew me well. If the name, Dane was mentioned already, chances were Sydney knew I wasn’t to be trusted. The enemy. That’s what her grandmother would name me, and I was pissed at myself ever since the pieces came together before my eyes.
I didn’t want to be Sydney’s enemy. She was too young, a little on the mean side, obviously spoiled as hell, but I couldn’t stop thinking about her. This was a problem I didn’t need, so I was determined to break free from whatever spell this woman recently cast on me.
Cash kicked his feet and made a few snorts and groans. I’d been riding my whole life, and I knew Cash. He was on alert about something. I calmed him down with a few soothing voice commands, and my hand to the left side of his neck. “Whoa there, boy. Be still.”
I looked down and around and listened carefully. If we were about to step on a rattler, I wanted to back him out in the right direction, but I didn’t see a sign of a snake. I considered other reasons my horse was spooked, but he didn’t give me much of a chance.
Cash took off in a full trot almost throwing me in the process. I’d bragged routinely he was the best horse I’d ever owned, but not today. He didn’t listen for shit. I had no reason to run him, and he’d ventured way off course. My jeans dragged on the brush. We were headed straight to the river. Damn, maybe he was thirsty because he knew where he was headed. I did too. We were far too close to The Groves. I had no business on the backside of the property. Mrs. Littlefield was itching for a reason to call the sheriff on my father. Trespassing would be a great excuse.
I got control of Cash before we got to the river. By that time, I realized what all the fuss was. The sound of loud music echoed near the riverbank. I dismounted and led Cash the rest of the way. We were both curious at that point, and the lay of the land wasn’t ideal for riding.
I finally spotted her through the trees.
Sydney.
My problem expanded every time I crossed paths with her. This girl hijacked my thoughts all day, and now I spied on her from the bushes much like I’d spied behind the bookshelves. She was alone, standing ankle deep in the river on her grandmother’s property. A sultry Usher song blared from her cell phone perched on a rolled-up towel. Sydney wore tiny faded blue jean shorts and a red tank top, not an actual swimsuit. She danced and kicked water around completely uninhibited. The area she played in the river was private property, so she wouldn’t expect to have an audience.
“U Got It Bad.”
The song. Not me. No way was I letting some emotionally confused teenager get under my skin. She continued her dance of seduction, swaying her hips in ways that made my eyes bulge. Who was I kidding? Other things bulged. “We have got to back out of here,” I whispered. Cash appreciated the view as much as I did. I mumbled to the horse, “She’s something else, huh, boy? Let’s go.”
I didn’t expect the animal to answer me. His ninny rang out louder than the music. Sydney heard. She startled and covered her chest with folded arms. “Who’s there?”
Cash stepped forward. I wasn’t holding on. I had no choice but to retrieve him. I decided to play it cool. “Oh, hey, Sydney. We meet again.”
She wasn’t pleased to see me. “Oh my God! My first assessment was correct. You are a total creeper. How’d you get over there? This is Gram’s property.”
“Calm down. I’m not creeping. I was on a ride. See. This is Cash. He got off track when he heard your music and technically that over there is Littlefield property. I’m on my property.”
Confusion replaced her disgust and then she smiled at Cash, “He’s gorgeous. Hi, Cash.”
Sydney waved boldly, and that beast ate up the compliment, showing off for a pretty girl. He lifted his head high and said hello back in his horse language.
I finished explaining myself with my voice raised over the sound of the river. “So, as I was saying, your grandmother owns the land up to the north, but this side runs on my property.”
“Are you saying you’re our neighbor? I didn’t think Gram had a southern neighbor.”
My house was a good distance off, so I wouldn’t seem like a neighbor I suppose, and I explained the boundaries speaking strictly in terms of land not the ones I needed to enforce this very second for myself.
She squinted her eyes and huffed, “Funny that you claim to be the neighbor, but when I told Gram Mr. Wallace dropped me off, she said that was odd; she couldn’t remember a Wallace around these parts and I was lucky you weren’t a psycho maniac. I’m beginning to think that’s exactly what you are. You’re lying, and you’re following me, and I want to know why.”
“I’m not. I swear. Every meeting today was pure chance.”
She turned away and started to exit the water. I’d interrupted her fun, and she wasn’t about to go all the way in the river with me lurking.
“Stop, you don’t have to quit your recreation. I’m sure you had a long day. Cash and I will be on our way. Sorry to have bothered you.”
She surprised me with her next question. I had been worried she’d found out who my father was but that wasn’t the case just yet. “Are you a reporter?”
“What? No, of course not. Why would you think that?”
Sydney looked upset and apprehensive. I should leave, but I wanted to smooth things over instead. I grabbed onto Cash and found a limb to secure him. I headed down toward the edge of the embankment because I tired of shouting. I needed to have a chat with the girl that was off-limits but had become my obsession in barely a few hours.
Her arms folded tight against her front again. Her attire was modest, but I sensed she was braless. I didn’t sense it exactly, I knew. I’d already peeked.
“Go away, Dane. Is that even your real name? How much did you pay that old lady at the bookstore to get information?”
“Stop. I’ve known Cora and George Leak since I was about thirteen. I’m not a damn reporter. Why would a reporter be following a teenage girl, anyway?” I knew, but she didn’t know that I knew.
Sydney relaxed her sho
ulders and let her arms fall to her side. I did my dead level best not to let my eyes wander lower than her chin. Even though she was only in water up to her shins, the Frio was named with a reason, and the chill was traveling through her veins.
“Forget I said anything. That was stupid. You’re right, Cora is Gram’s best friend. I’ve heard a hundred stories about her. She wouldn’t sell her out. But you’re still a creeper, Dane. So, unless you plan on swimming, get that heck out of here. This ain’t no peep show. I worked my butt off today, and I deserve this escape. Now I have less than an hour before I have to help with dinner because you so rudely interrupted.”
“It was Cash, not me.”
“Well, Cash is forgiven. You on the other hand…”
After that, she threw her body forward and sunk all the way into the river. Even though she told me to get lost, I stayed frozen in place. Sydney lifted her head and arms from the water and proceeded to splash water as far as she could. She had terrible aim. Only a few droplets hit my boots.
At that second, I fully lost my mind and all my good sense. She never intended for me to join her, but I damn sure was. I kicked my boots to the dirt and started to pull off my socks. She stopped splashing. “Wait, what are you doing?”
“I intend to go swimming. You made the water look so refreshing. How could I turn down your invitation?”
“No way, I was being facetious, and you can’t go swimming.”
“Yeah, I know, but technically I can. I’m an excellent swimmer.”
“But you aren’t even dressed for swimming. You’re wearing jeans, and I never invited you, anyway. Go away, Dane or…”
I jerked my t-shirt off and didn’t imagine her gawking at my bare chest. Her mouth hung open, but no words came out. I touched the button of my jeans.
“You going to keep staring or be a lady and turn around?”
She turned around the instant I discarded my jeans. I took a running jump and landed just behind her. Sydney went under. It took her forever to surface. I got a little worried. She faced the opposite direction when she rose out of the water.