Chapter 5 Forsythe #3
More venom. Just as I expected.
I carried her into the barn while everyone else stayed outside and handled the bull.
“I said put me down! Put me down!” She kicked her good leg, nearly falling from my arms as I tried to carefully set her atop an old metal barrel.
“Fuck!” Those honey-swirled eyes glared at me, burning against her reddened face.
“You just got your ass handed to you by a bull. And not just any bull, your brother’s bull. I hate to break it to you, Lucille, but you’re anything but fine. Now, quit fighting me and let me see.”
She grimaced up at me. “See what?”
“Your leg.”
Her grip along the barrel tightened enough that her knuckles whitened. “No. I told you I’m fine.”
So that’s how it’s going to be now, is it? Fine.
Before she could even blink, my hands snatched her leg, propping it over my shoulder. Her body leaned back and she gasped as I gripped the hem of her pant leg and ripped the lacy material, exposing her leg.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she shouted.
I whipped a large pocket knife from my jeans and cut the fabric above her knee, ripping it higher until it revealed her thigh.
The sight made me hold my breath. It was already beginning to bruise, swelling a bit from the impact of Reaper’s kick.
But that wasn’t what made me stop…no. It was the large scar that stretched all along her thigh.
Lucille looked away from her leg, as if ashamed by it. Her body trembled ever so slightly as my fingertips grazed her raised flesh. I could hear her wince and sniffle faintly. “Ugly, isn’t it?” I looked up to see a single tear roll down her flushed, freckled cheeks.
“Do you think all scars are ugly?” My fingers curled around her thigh, rotating it gently to check for any cuts or other injuries.
She wiped her face and sniffled some more. “No. But this one is. That’s why I always try to keep it hidden.”
My fingers slid along her thigh, tracing the budding bruise from Reaper’s kick. “I got a few of those myself. Scars I try to keep tucked away from the world, pretending they don’t exist out of shame and regret.” I tapped her scar softly. “You shouldn’t be ashamed of this.”
“Pfft. You don’t know what it’s from, or you wouldn’t be saying that.”
I rested her leg along the barrel, forcing myself to let go of her skin. “What’s it from?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
Lucille looked down at her leg with a heavy expression, one filled with so many emotions.
“I don’t remember how I got it exactly, but I know it happened that night.
The night of the fire, when my dad…” Her words faded away into nothing.
“It’s a painful reminder of that day…a reminder that I will always carry that guilt.
” Her hands shook by her side. “I feel it every day… every fucking day! The pain keeps me captive, holding me prisoner to my past. No matter how much I try to forget, it forces me to face the truth…that it’s my fault.
It’s all my fault!” Her body slouched forward, and her face fell into her hands as she finally let go and started crying.
The barn door squeaked open as Cooper stuck his head through and motioned to me. “I’ll be right back, okay?” Lucille didn’t acknowledge me as I walked over to the old man.
“Everything okay?” He eyed Lucille closely as her sobs filled the barn. I shook my head and he sighed. “It’s gotta be a lot, being back here after so long.”
I removed my hat and ran my fingers through my hair. “It’s not that…it’s her leg.” Cooper’s face hardened. “Reaper got her pretty good, but the scar—” I stopped myself. “I never knew how much trouble it caused her. Only that she was lucky it wasn’t worse.”
The old man nodded. “You’re lucky too, you know.
” I made a face. “Lucille’s tougher than she looks, but she’s not invincible, even though she tries to be.
She’s more like her daddy than even I realized.
” He sighed. “I tried to call the house, but Ms. Nellie isn’t home.
Dallas got a hold of her, and she’s in the middle of a consultation with Boone’s doctors, so she won’t be back ‘til later tonight. Think she’ll need a doctor?
” I shook my head. “Well, we need to at least get Lucille up to the house to rest until her momma gets back.” He stared at my shoulder. “Think you can handle it?”
I returned my hat to my head. “I can handle it. Whatever she needs.”
He nodded. “We’ll take care of Reaper. You get her home.
” I nodded him off as he shut the barn door.
I looked back at Lucille, still crying softly to herself atop the barrel.
For the first time since setting eyes on her, she looked defeated.
Beaten down and frail, completely giving up her will to fight, just waiting for the wind to carry her away into the sky.
It was heartbreaking to see, knowing the burden she carried on her back was always weighing her down.
Knowing how much she blamed herself for something out of her control.
As I approached her, her gaze raised to meet mine. “I should go.” She tried to wriggle down the barrel, stumbling as her feet hit the floor, nearly falling over.
“Quit being so stubborn.” I caught her body and lifted her high, holding her in my arms.
She scoffed and rolled her eyes. “I don’t want your help. I can walk just fine.”
A smirk grew along my face. “Oh yeah? You gonna limp your ass all the way to the house with your torn pants?” She got quiet.
“You’re the one who tore them.” I chuckled softly. “What about Wimberly? I can’t just leave her out here.”
“I’ll take care of her once I finish taking care of you.” She tucked her head as I neared the door, hiding her face. “What’s wrong?” I asked.
She nodded faintly. “I don’t want them to see me like this.”
“And how is that?” I teased.
Lucille responded with a light whisper. “Weak.”
You are anything but weak, little Lucille.
I stopped just outside the barn door. “Take my hat.”
“What?”
I looked down at her, seeing tears in her hazel eyes.
“Take my hat. You can hide in it and use it to block the sun.” She slowly reached up with wide eyes, hesitating before taking the hat from my head.
Her fingers played with the brim, feeling the rough material against her skin before finally placing it on her head.
I had to force my eyes away, feeling a thump in my chest at the sight of her wearing my hat.
“Here we go.” I kicked the barn door open and carried her outside.
Dallas and Torchy were still in the corral, keeping an eye on Reaper. Cooper was waiting outside the barn. He silently tipped his hat to me as I walked by, to which I returned the gesture. No one said a word, but everyone stared. Lucille shrunk into me, wearing my hat low on her head like a shield.
Don’t worry, I got you.
She didn’t speak for the longest time, listening to my low, ragged breaths as I marched from the barn towards the house. Minutes passed by, feeling like hours. I struggled to focus, smelling only her perfume despite the breeze that curled around us.
“Your hat smells like you.”
I nearly tripped hearing her speak so suddenly, even if it was in a low whispered voice. “What?”
Lucille raised my hat enough to look at me, her hair burning like fire in the sun, making those damn eyes of hers look like they were glowing honeycombs. “Your hat. It smells like you.”
I smirked. “Saying I stink?”
She scrunched her face. “No…the opposite.” I tried to not blush at her words. “I’m sorry…again.”
“For what?”
Lucille sighed. “Being a mess.”
My smirk only grew as I continued to carry her home. “You might be a mess, but I like getting my hands dirty.” I noticed a pink hue in her cheeks as she looked away, making that damn thump in my chest return.
I cleared my throat. “You shouldn’t worry about me, little viper. I’m tougher than I look.” Lucille didn’t respond. She just laid her head against my chest and played with the thin material of my shirt.
“What scars are you hiding?” she asked. My smile fell, and I didn’t answer. “You said you also had scars you kept hidden away. What are they?”
I stopped, seeing the house just in the near distance. “Let’s just say, I have a dark past myself. One I hope to forget one day, even though I’ll never be that lucky.”
“I guess we’re both unlucky in that way.”
My smile returned. “I guess we are.” I resumed walking, carrying her down the hill towards her home.
The sun began to set as I stepped onto the porch of her family home, the boards creaking as I slowly walked towards the front door. Lucille tried to hop down, but I refused to let her go and carried her inside all the way to her bedroom.
“You didn’t have to bring me all the way in here,” she whispered as I carefully sat her on her bed. “I could’ve walked from the porch.”
A light laugh breezed past my lips. “What kind of a gentleman would I be if I just left you out on the porch like that.” I pointed to her pants. “Besides, Cooper would have my head.”
Lucille threw a blanket over her leg, hiding her scar. “A gentleman doesn’t walk into a ladies room without permission.”
I knelt down right in front of her. “And do I have your permission, lady Lucille?”
She blew a raspberry, shoving me playfully. “Knock it off.” I noticed the faintest smile. “Here.” She took my hat from her head and returned it to mine. “Thanks.”
“That’s the third time you’ve said that to me now.”
She crossed her arms and huffed. “What’re you keeping track now?
” I tried not to laugh, grinning at her little attitude.
“Yeah well, don’t get used to it. This was just another fluke.
” She paused. “You should head back and help them with Reaper. I’m sure everyone is waiting on you. ” She almost sounded a little sour.
“Alright. But try to get some rest, okay?”
She snarled. “I appreciate your concern, but you’re not my fucking dad, Forsythe. So quit acting like it. I can take care of myself.” I stopped in the doorway of her room. “You don’t need to worry about me.”
Yes, I do. Because I made a promise. And I intend on keeping it.