Chapter 7
SEVEN
INDY
The dew on the grass sticks to my bare feet as I enjoy my morning cup of tea. The sun’s breaking over the horizon, casting a soft orange and pink hue above the tree tops. Soon the sun will be over the lake, making the gentle ripple of the water glisten.
Twatla’s bedded down in the sand down by the bank, head curled down over her body.
I’m surprised she isn’t snuggled into Jare, the little honking traitor.
The birds start their chirping as the world wakes up.
With the campers set to arrive in a few days, I promised Mama I’d help Papa get everything done around the house today.
When my tea’s gone, I head inside and get dressed in my work jeans and a t-shirt. Throwing my hair up into a messy bun, I grab an apple from the fridge and shove my feet into my boots.
The tart green apple bursts with flavor on my tongue and makes me think of Summer. Her fiery orange hair, the thin framed glasses on her nose and how they sat a tiny bit crooked. The way she smirked at me.
When she said she’d make me see God if I asked nicely.
I’ve been so busy with the farm, I’ve not considered myself and my needs. Who has time to drive out of town on the off chance they might be the lucky recipient of a mediocre orgasm? Not this girl.
I’ve got shit to do, and while I may be deprived of physical affection, I’m not about to throw myself at this woman no matter how convenient it might be. I probably won’t even see her that much anyways, I have my own schedule.
My parent’s house comes into view, and I chuck the apple core into the compost bin on my way through the back door.
“Papa!” I shout, smelling the coffee brewing in the kitchen and heading that way.
“BeeBee,” he says, pouring the black coffee into a thermos and nodding to the stove where bacon and sausage sit, still sizzling. “Eat.”
“I had an apple,” I shrug.
He stops and makes a face, pulling a napkin from the roll on the counter. Placing a few strips of bacon and two links of sausage on the napkin he wraps it up and offers it to me. With a smile, I take it and trail out behind him.
“Thank you, Papa.”
“Can’t have you starvin’ when there’s work to be done now can we, BeeBee?” He says with a wink.
Mama must be out at the chicken coop, gathering eggs and tending to their needs. Papa walks to the barn, and turns after sliding open the door. “Hustle up, we’ve got a lot to do.”
Ripping the bacon with my teeth, I swallow down half of it before Papa hands me a pair of gloves. Summer casually walks around the corner of the barn and Papa tosses her a pair of gloves too. “Welcome, Summer. Mind helpin’ us out?”
When I catch his eye, he winks and I refrain from groaning. She smiles and nods, her wavy hair falling in her face as she works to put the gloves on. When she looks up and catches me staring, I quickly look away and grab the stall fork to shovel a section of hay out of one of the stalls.
I can hear her laughter from wherever Papa took her to work, and I hate that I like the way it sounds. I hate even more that I wouldn’t mind hearing it again.
“Sure, you can work with Indy,” I hear him say, appearing in the empty space where the gate normally sits.
“It’s like ridin’ a bike, you’ll remember fast.” I don’t know what that means, because I can’t hear what she’s saying to him, but eventually he walks off and I have to remind myself that I’m a professional.
At least I’m trying to be, and professionals don’t eavesdrop.
“You mind showing me how this works?” Summer asks, but I have a suspicion she knows exactly how to muck a stall, by the way her mouth curls, and her eyes light up with mirth.
Refusing to speak, I point from the fork to the hay and shove the spikes of the fork in. It makes an awful scratching noise, but I’ve gotten used to it.
We clean the stalls, leading the horses out one by one to the pasture. The sun’s getting hot the further into the day we get, but Papa doesn’t stop, and I won’t either. Summer’s starting to look a little worn out so I offer her some of my water.
Brushing her fingers over mine, I can’t help the tiny gasp at the spark I felt when her fingers grazed mine.
She must’ve felt it too because she’s smiling as the water flows over her lips, a few drops running down her chin to her collarbone.
My eyes are glued to the sight of it sliding down to her chest, and I quickly look away before my mouth drops open, or I do anything equally as stupid.
Once our stables are done, we saddle up our horses and plan to head to the big barn, the one that houses the horses for the ranch. Technically all of our horses are work horses in some form or fashion, but the ones in the barn are the best tempered for any kind of rider.
“Hey BeeBee,” Papa says, turning in his saddle so he can look at me. “Why don’t you let Summer ride with you? I’m sure she’ll need a refresher on that too before we put her on one by herself.”
I want to say no, the word sits on the tip of my tongue ready to roll when his smile turns down and a look of disappointment crosses his face. I can hear him now, ‘I raised you better than that Indy.’ So instead I put on a big smile and offer Summer my hand.
She wraps her fingers around my upper forearm, close to my elbow and lifts. She’s stronger than I thought, because in one fell swoop she’s sitting on the back of Echo’s haunches behind me, her legs bracketing mine, and her chest pressed against my back.
I need to get the hell away from this woman. That’s the only thought going through my head as her hands land on my hips, and my brain starts to fire off signals I should definitely not be thinking right now.
“Could you not put your hands there?” I turn to ask, so Papa won’t hear.
“And where would you like me to put them?” She whispers, so close to my ear that if I moved even a millimeter, her lips would be touching me. “Here?” Her hands run up my sides, so slowly her fingers catch on the folds of my shirt as she brushes her fingers past my hips up to my waist.
I should stop her, I know it, yet the words won’t leave my mouth.
“Or here?” Going back the way she came, sending shivers down my spine, her hands caress my hips before moving lower toward my inner thighs. I jump, dropping the reins and startling Echo, before I get the straps back and gently pull, waiting for him to stand still.
His head shakes and he whinnies before huffing and stomping one hoof. “I’m sorry, boy, I’ll make it up to you.”
Whipping my head to the side, I lean back just enough so she can see my face. “What were you doin’ down at my family’s barn this mornin’?”
“Y’all gonna just sit there, or y’all gonna work?
” Jare jokes from where he’s walking one of the horses into the round pen we use when we need to separate horses.
Embarrassment floods my cheeks, and I spur Echo toward the pen.
I can tie his reins there and he’ll be fine with whatever horse that’s in there.
Summer hops off first, then I follow, hoping to get an answer, but she’s already being pulled into something with Papa.
Mr and Mrs. Harris are rounding up the horses for their annual vaccinations. Our vet, Kota, is already set up and waiting by the time I get there.
“Hey-o Indy!” She greets me with a wide smile on her face.
I’ve known Kota for years, we graduated high school together, and once she got her veterinary license she came back home. She’s the only vet in town, but that doesn’t matter because she’s the best.
“Kota, how’s it goin’?”
“Couldn’t ask for a better day! And the camp looks so good.” Her hands work just as fast as her mouth, and soon she’s already gone through a quarter of the horses. “How’s ol’ Twatty doin’?”
With a giggle at the nickname she gave Twatla, I tell her the goose is fine and that it was good to see her before I leave her to go help put the horses away.
Gently grabbing the closest horses halter, I rub their nose and turn to start walking to the barn only to collide with the red-headed beauty that’s somehow managed to be everywhere I am today.
“Shit!” I holler, stepping back and scowling. “What are you still doing here?”
She smiles, a slow tease of full lips tilting up. “I work here, boss, or have you already forgotten me?”
Her fake pout, and the tone in which she mocks me, shouldn’t make my thighs squeeze together. “It’s hard to forget someone that seems to be intent on followin’ me around.”
“Just doing my job,” her hand comes up, and she brushes my cheek before reaching behind me for the horse I’d managed to forget in my flustered state.
“It also happens to have a killer fucking view.” I watch her eyes trail me from the top of my head, lingering on my full chest, before slowly going down my legs, and meeting my eyes again.
Her whispered words make my skin pebble, and I step away, turning around to grab the next horse. Her chuckle bounces around in my head as she walks off, and I squeeze my fingers into fists, digging my nails into the palm of my hand.
Guiding each horse back into their stalls, we count every one and allow them time to rest and eat.
“Thanks for the assist,” Jarrett teases, as if he’s done more work than I have today.
I know he’s teasing me, Jarrett really grew up since Reese took him in last year.
Still, I roll my eyes and lock the last stall.
When I turn his way to quip back, I notice Summer pulling her fiery hair up into a bun, the motion lifting her tank and showing me the tight skin of her stomach.
She looks my way then, catching me mid-ogle, and winks. I shake my head and turn back to Jare, who happens to have a shit eating grin plastered on his face.
“Have you got the loft up there move-in ready yet?” I haven’t checked in since Papa and Mama said it was okay for him to turn the empty loft area into his own little apartment.