Chapter Fourteen #2
“Yeah. We’ll be out in a sec,” Riley assured him. He heard muted whispers as the two engaged in a heated exchange. Returning to the living room, he waited for the two women.
A few minutes later, they emerged. Riley appeared pale as Tara followed behind her. The crutches shook as she crossed the room to the garage.
He ushered Tara to get in while he helped Riley. She placed her crutches gently against his truck and waited for him to lift her. He examined her face, attempting to figure out what bothered her.
“Do you feel all right?” he asked, gazing at her.
“Yeah,” she said, nodding. “Tara’s excited about meeting this teen. Did Rachel say how she knows her?”
“I didn’t ask. Her father, Jared, works here and does a damn fine job,” Garrett offered as he drove toward Matthew’s place.
“Remember, after dinner, please ask Matthew to bring you home. It’s a school night, and you need a good night’s sleep for the exam. Do you want me to make flash cards while you’re gone?” Riley asked, turning to see Tara in the backseat.
Her sister rolled her eyes, making Garrett chuckle.
“I’m not five. You don’t have to quiz me,” Tara said, giving Riley attitude like any teen her age.
“You don’t have to bite my head off. I’m reminding you about the rules,” Riley said, sounding like a mom.
“I get it. Geez, can you give me room to breathe?” Tara argued.
“What did you say to me?” Riley said, stiffening in her seat. “If you want to cop an attitude, I suggest Garrett turns this truck around, and you can spend the rest of the night studying.”
“You’re the one with the issues,” Tara snapped. “I told you Garrett would find out about you doing all those chores. Don’t get sore at me because he caught you.”
Riley fumed in the seat beside him.
“Hey, why don’t we dial it down a notch?
” Garrett intervened. “Tara, your sister’s a bit nervous about you going tonight, and Riley, you have to give her some space,” he said diplomatically, peering in his rear-view window.
Nothing prepared him for the angry eyes shooting at him from both directions.
“She’s my sister, and you don’t get a vote,” Riley hissed.
“Yeah, what she said,” Tara snarked, crossing her arms and peering out the window.
Garrett stared straight ahead, learning his lesson about getting between two sisters. As soon as they arrived, Tara jumped out of his truck and bounded up the steps. Riley opened her door, and he let out a growl when he realized she planned to slide herself off the seat.
“Leave me alone,” she snapped as he swung her down gently.
“What has you so crabby?” he asked, handing her the crutches.
“Nothing,” she said, making her way toward the porch where Rachel, Kara, and an older woman greeted Tara. The woman rushed the teens inside as Rachel waited for her.
Her eyes widened at the sight of Riley, and Garrett wondered if she sensed the shift in her, too.
“Matthew’s in the barn. Julio and Rebecca will be dropping by any minute with their daughter, Megan,” Rachel told Garrett as Julio’s truck pulled into the driveway.
“I’ll wait until you’re inside,” he softly told her as they watched the couple lovingly remove the tiny child from the truck, and Julio swung her on his shoulders, making her giggle.
“Do you want to feed Matthew’s horse?” Julio asked Megan as he jerked his chin toward Garrett and the barn.
“It appears you’re wanted elsewhere. I’ll be fine,” she assured him. Garret hesitated, noticing Riley felt uncomfortable with the women. The urge to protect her sprang from nowhere.
“I won’t be long,” he said, before following Julio.
Rebecca smiled. “Hello, Riley, how do you feel?”
“I’m doing all right,” she answered quietly, feeling intimidated by the two women. They dressed casually and seemed to have their act together, while she appeared like a frumpy senior with no prospects of a job in sight.
“I’m warning you now, I can be kind of a bitch. With that being said, what the hell do you have on? Did you age in the hospital? I know the food’s terrible there, but surely it didn’t affect your eyesight enough to make poor choices about your wardrobe,” Rachel exclaimed.
Wanting to flee down the stairs, she glanced in the direction of the barn, hoping Garrett stayed true to his word.
“Garrett brought these to the hospital because they’re easy to slip on and off.
I know they’re ugly, but please don’t say anything.
Beggars can’t be choosers. I can’t fasten my bra right now, and it does what it’s supposed to,” she reasoned.
“It’s my fault,” Rebecca volunteered. “I sent him and Jameson to pick up a few items for you. Megan has several doctor appointments, and with my job, I didn’t have time to go myself. Maybe we can make a trip to Corpus Christi this weekend and find you something more suitable for your age.”
“It’s all right. He already spent the money, and I owe him for Tara’s laptop, and all the food, plus…”
“What?” Rachel exclaimed. “He’s charging you for staying at the cabin?”
“No, no, it’s not him. I don’t like to owe people.
I can’t repay him for what he has done for us.
Most people wouldn’t volunteer to take in two strangers and deal with my whole mess.
He’s wonderful to Tara, and he goes out of his way to ensure I’m comfortable.
Garrett even gave me the primary bedroom to sleep in, and he took the couch.
I offered for Tara and me to share a room, and he vetoed me, saying teens need their privacy,” she explained.
“I don’t want to make him feel bad about his clothing choices. ”
“Honey, the only thing good about that dress is it falls open when you bend over, and I saw him glancing at your chest,” Rachel said, smirking. “You’ve got the assets. You might as well use them to your advantage.”
“He doesn’t think of me like that,” Riley denied. “Garrett feels bad because he hit me with his truck, and then the bikers nabbed me.”
Rebecca giggled as Rachel rolled her eyes. “Didn’t your mom ever talk to you about men? They never do anything they don’t want to do. He’s very protective of you.”
“He’s protective of Tara, too. Does he want her, too? If so, we’ve got bigger problems,” she teased. The two women didn’t smile, only glancing at each other before leading Riley into the house.
The older woman approached the trio with a warm smile.
“The girls went to your study to play with the makeup you gave Kara. They’ve chatted nonstop and have already made plans for Saturday.
Hello, Riley, I’m Amy, Kara’s mom. I love your dress.
I have one exactly like it. They’re so comfortable,” she said before turning and heading toward the kitchen.
Rachel nudged Riley on her side while Rebecca grinned and winked.
“Amy made sangria for us, but I imagine you’re still on meds,” Rebecca said gently. “I can make you a mocktail.”
“Actually, I haven’t taken my meds for the last few days. I can have a glass,” Riley said, thinking she needed some liquid courage to spend time alone with Garrett after what the women told her.
“Oh, great. I’ll grab you a glass,” Rachel offered.
“I’m glad you’re feeling better. I don’t know what a broken bone feels like, but when I first arrived in Texas, I discovered fire ants.
They bit me all over my body, and I thought I’d die.
Luckily, Matthew and Mac heard me screaming from the garden and came running.
I could’ve drunk this entire pitcher of sangria and still felt the sting. ”
“Fire ants are the worst,” Riley commiserated.
“Broken bones can’t be too far behind. Take care of yourself, Riley, and don’t push the healing process,” Rebecca advised as Rachel handed her a full glass of the sangria.
“Thanks,” Riley said, accepting it and taking a sip. She rarely drank, especially around Tara, but the fruity flavor went down easily. “Amy, this tastes delicious.”
“Thank you, it’s my mother’s recipe,” Amy said, smiling. “We’ve passed it down to all the women in our family. My mother used to say it’s how she got my father to marry her,” she giggled, and the other women joined her. “Where are you from, Riley?”
She hesitated as Rebecca and Rachel waited for her to respond. “We moved around quite a bit, but mainly from here in Texas.”
“Tara said you used to own a ranch and know how to make goat’s milk butter and soaps.
I’d love to sit down and talk to you about my little farm stand business.
We bought a little place down the road and have a few goats, chickens, and cows.
It won’t make us rich, but every little bit helps,” Amy said, refilling Riley’s glass.
The idea sounded amazing to her ears, but she and Tara didn’t plan on staying in Embers. As soon as her limbs healed, she planned to use the last of their funds for bus tickets. “I’m sorry. We’re not planning to stay in the area.”
Amy frowned. “Oh, that’s too bad. The girls seem to get along, and after what Kara went through, I’m glad to see her coming back to herself.”
“Oh, I didn’t know anything happened to her. I’m sorry to hear it,” Riley said, surprised.
Rebecca sent Amy a slight shake of the head, and the older woman stood.
“I made some appetizers. Rachel put them in the oven for me. I’ll go check them,” she said, heading toward the kitchen.
“I didn’t know you planned to leave,” Rachel said, sending her a scowl.
“Rebecca’s gone all the time saving the world.
Delaney, the ranch cook, turns crankier by the day.
She’s pregnant and has lost her patience trying to teach me how to cook.
I make one little mistake with pancake batter, and I’m the worst.”
“What did you do?” Rebecca asked, sipping her sangria.
“She told me to pour it on the griddle and wait for the bubbles. I poured it, and it went everywhere. All over the counter, the floor, and the cabinets. Apparently, the word pour it on the griddle meant ladle it. She knows better than keeping instructions vague,” Rachel said, shaking her head.