August (The Year of The Change Book 2) (25 page)

My eyes opened.

Tog raised an eyebrow. “That’s a pretty big job.” He ruffled Eddy’s hair, who’d moved to stand beside him. “You will need some bigger logs though.” The kids agreed. “Would you mind if I tag along and help?” They immediately liked that idea.

I blinked a few times to make sure I wasn’t dreaming this.

Dad stood up when Tog did. “I’ll go, too.”

Richard followed behind, a bit sulky.

When they were gone, the ladies gathered around my chair. I was amused by their varied expressions.

Sue watched them wander through the trees, their voices getting quieter. “Wow, he’s big.” Big, right now, wasn't good to her.

I sighed and watched him disappear into the forest. “Yeah, but very gentle.” A smile pulled up one side of my mouth. Oh, how I wanted this year to be over and even more, I wanted to be about ten years older. I sighed again.

Cara also sighed. “How gentle?” Her words were awed curiosity.

My mood went somber and my stomach knotted. I studied her for the first time since we’d returned. Her attraction to Tog was obvious. I felt a twinge of possessiveness, but sighed and beat it back down. He may be too old for me, but just right for quiet, gentle Cara. He could do better than me, but he certainly couldn’t do better than Destiny’s mother. He would be very lucky to have her.

I pulled a smile up from somewhere. “From what I can tell, he’s a very good person.”

She looked at me and smiled wistfully. The only problem here was me. I would have to get out of the way so he could truly see quiet, little Cara. He wouldn’t be able to do that if he were affected.

A plan formed in my head. “We need to keep Tog away from me … so … Dad doesn’t have a heart attack.” The others understood. “So the game plan is to keep someone between me and him at all times.” I preferred it was Cara. “Okay?” I looked at them eagerly with the last of my strength.

The others laughed in agreement. Soft titters emanated from some of them. I was too tired to look to see who it was. With the concern of Tog settled, I closed my eyes and my thoughts became incoherent as colors and flashes of light swam through my mind.

Birds of a Feather

I had the sensation of drowning and jerked. A fluttering sound came from somewhere outside of my dream state. I didn't try to find it.

Sue, Destiny, Cara and Emma sat at the table. They looked up when I raised my head. I blinked a few times before my eyes slid closed again.

There was a loud chirping and I thought perhaps my hearing was doing a hiccup. I forced my eyes open to find the others staring at me. “What, was I snoring?"

Sue stood with a camera and Emma’s restraining hand in front of her. “Don’t move quickly, but look around.”

What’s wrong? They smiled and didn’t look alarmed, so the need to panic stayed in check. I slowly moved my head to look to the right.

Sue snapped a picture.

On my shoulder sat a red cardinal. It affectionately pecked my cheek. There was movement to my left. I turned my head.

Sue snapped another picture.

A sparrow, perched on my other shoulder, preened its wing. Something moved on my stomach. I looked down and two small doves cuddled just above my hands. There were three birds on each leg. I’d become a human bird perch. I was too tired to object and petted the doves. My eyes closed and I shifting back to a more comfortable position. Having birds all around was a weird dream, but I’d had weirder. I drifted to another dream to the cooing of the doves.

Fluttering jerked my eyes open. Feathers flew everywhere. I put my arms up to protect my face.

“Sorry about that, Sylvia.” It was Emma. “There became too many so we tried to shoo them away one at a time, but they got scared and scattered all at once.”

The nearby trees were full of birds, all on the lowest branches. They chirped excitedly. It hadn’t been a dream after all – unless I was still dreaming.

Upright, I blinked and a red plume floated off my head. I was covered in a variety of colorful feathers. There was also bird pooh on my pant legs. Was I still dreaming? A dollop of white flowed down my sleeve, the sensation of moisture with it. Nope, it wasn't a dream.

“Oh, yuuuck!”

Emma handed me a damp cloth.

“Thank you.” I wiped at the white pooh.

“There does not seem to be any on the front of your shirt or in your hair.”

“They were in my hair?”

Emma smoothed the top of my head. “Yes, but they were surprisingly still for birds. It was like they did not want to wake you.”

I tried not to jerk my head as I looked up at her, but it jerked anyway. She smiled and I digested what she said. This was getting weird, first an eagle now a flock of birds. I shuddered at the thought of what could be next. It was a good thing dinosaurs no longer existed.

All cleaned up and having dragged a comb through my hair, I felt better, although, I was afraid to close my eyes. I had to be alert for what might happen next.

The sun was setting by the time the men returned. The first to arrive were the kids with their arms loaded. Dad was next with an armload of much bigger logs. Richard ambled into view with a large long tree trunk balanced on his shoulder. It always amazed me how strong he was. I almost dropped my jaw, though, when Tog stepped into the clearing. He carried even larger trees, one on each shoulder.

Cara, standing next to me, took a quick gasp that she slowly let out as a soft sigh as she grabbed my arm. I understood her feelings completely.

The men took the logs halfway to the water before they laid them down and quickly dug a pit. Richard obviously competed against Tog for speed and depth. Even Dad looked like he was contending. We females enjoyed watching … even Tam. There was something about viewing a man at work that was fascinating. It was even more fascinating when the men were this strong. Tog was definitely the strongest and Richard was in the same ballpark. I had to admit my dad was no slouch, either. I could see what had attracted Sue to him. It was an odd thought. I shook it from my head. Ew.

Tog laid one of the long logs across the pit and jumped in the middle of it, breaking it in half. He repeated with the other two.

Richard wanted to try, but hung back. You could see the respect he had for Tog’s strength. In this context, Richard looked his age. It surprised me. I hadn’t thought of Richard as a certain age. Now, as he stood by Tog, he looked like the teenager he was. It looked … right.

Tog taught the guys and Tam, the traditional way to build a good sized bonfire. He was a good teacher and looked as though he’d done this many times before. As he spoke, he would occasionally look up at me and smile. It was friendly and alluring. I couldn’t help sighing and wishing I were older. I reminded myself of Cara and racked my brain for ways to get them together.

While the men worked on the perfect bonfire, the rest of us busied ourselves getting the food ready. I wasn’t as tired now, but Sue insisted I stay sitting, all the while slipping me food. Emma did the same. My stomach was as happy as it could be. Not me, I was restless.

Hot dogs, chicken strips on long skewers, chips, potato salad, fruit salad and three different desserts were on the menu. There was enough to feed everyone still on the mostly empty beach … if Richard and I weren’t there. But, then again, … I looked at the abundant food … maybe there was enough for everyone plus Richard and me.

No longer able to sit, Emma let me get the salads out of the ice chest. As I turned to put a bowl on the table a thin, young man walked into our area. The signs were unmistakable. His eyes were glazed over and he had a goofy smile aimed at me.

I put the bowl down. “Dad!” I wanted my hands free.

The fear in my voice alerted Dad and Richard, who scrambled from the pit, but it was Tog who arrived first.

He stood in front of me and glowered at the young man. “What did he do?”

I felt a little sheepish. “Nothing … yet.”

The ‘yet’ seemed to draw his attention and understanding dawned on his face. “Ah.”

How much
did
he understand?

The young man took a step towards me and Tog growled roughly in the back of his throat and clenched his fists. The young man blinked as he looked up and up the big man’s body. Richard and Dad stepped over to the poor sap who had stumbled through my trail. They each took an arm and dragged him away, assuring him he would be okay.

Tog kept his defensive stance, but looked over his shoulder at me. “Does this happen often?”

I blushed and shrugged. “Uh … no … only when I’m in public.”

He chuckled. “That makes sense.”

Why did that make sense? I was about to ask him when Dad and Richard tossed the guy in the lake. They didn’t let him out until his eyes cleared. When he was back to normal, they let him hurry back to his own group, sopping wet and confused. I hoped he didn't catch a cold from the cool night air. Even with it being the extended twilight, the air got cooler by the minute.

With a groan, I turned away from the spectacle. I should’ve stayed home, locked in my attic prison where I couldn’t hurt anyone. I walked to the barbeque and stood between Sue and Cara.

Tog slipped up behind me and peeked over my shoulder. “Are you alright, Sylvia?”

Cara stiffened and her breathing quickened.

“Yes, I’m fine.” I sounded petulant. Everyone around me wasn't alright, but I was just peachy.

So that he had to peek over my other shoulder, the one closest to Cara, I moved closer to Sue. It was time to put my plan into motion.

“Cara, is that the barbeque sauce you made from scratch, yesterday?”

She blushed. “Why, yes it is.”

I turned slightly to glance at Tog. “Cara makes
the
best sauce you’ll ever taste. Cara let him taste it.”

She looked around for a spoon. There was none to be found. I grabbed her finger and stuck it in the bowl. I thought Cara’s eyes were going to bug out. I held her finger up and Tog put his strong lips around her trembling finger and pulled the sauce slowly off. She looked pale enough to faint. I scooted out of the way while his eyes were closed and a smile graced his handsome face. He really liked her sauce.

He opened his eyes and stared down at her. “That is definitely the best barbeque sauce I’ve ever tasted.”

Her voice was breathy. “Thank you. I’m glad you like it.” Her color came back and she blushed uncontrollably.

I joined Richard by the picnic table. He glowered at me.

Why was he mad at me? “What?” He just continued to alternately glower at me and Tog. I leaned in and whispered. “Better her than me.” That seemed to make him more sullen.

Emma came over as Care animatedly told Tog about the recipe. “Nice job, Sylvia.” She hugged me. “It was a little blatant, but nice job.”

Richard huffed and stalked away.

I stared after him. “What’s with him?”

She looked thoughtful. “He has never had to deal with a man interested in his mother before.”

She watched after him as he stomped into the forest. Tim and Eddy ran to catch up.

Emma sighed. “He will adjust to it, but it will take some time.” She turned us around so we didn’t look so obvious. “Shall we change the game plan a little and make Cara the sole receiver?”

The analogy was mine and it sounded odd coming from the older woman. I agreed, Cara was the best person to run interference with Tog. “Yes, that play should work, quite nicely.” It wouldn’t be easy, though. Cara seemed to have less of a clue than I did.

Tog excused himself from Cara when it was time to set the logs on fire. To my surprise he didn’t insist on doing the lighting. It seemed he just wanted to be there in case anything went wrong. He might not have been the oldest male there, but he definitely filled the role of patriarch without any effort. Even Dad deferred to him before doing anything.

Tam stood next to Tog and he gently laid his hand on her shoulder, playing absentmindedly with a lock of her hair. It looked natural, like a favorite uncle or grandfather. Tam enjoyed the attention, even as distracted as he was.

When the fire was sufficiently high, Tog grinned. “Who’s up for a game while we’re waiting for the coals to die down? I thought I saw a football by the table earlier.” He picked up Tam and swung her onto his broad shoulder. She squealed in delight. “Or are all of you afraid Tam can take you on singlehandedly?” Tam bravely released his head and flexed her girly muscles.

The challenge had been cast and the male hormone swell was tangible.

Richard grinned. “I’ll get the football.”

Tog scanned the crowd. “I’ll take Tam, Sylvia, Tim and Cara on my team”

Cara’s head jerk up and fear splashed across her pretty face. Emma patted her shoulder and encouraged her to go play. She went so far as to take the bowl out of her granddaughter’s shaking hands and pushed her towards us. Cara made it across the short distance, but looked as though she wanted to dash back to Emma.

That left Dad, Richard, Eddy and Destiny. Dad had to drag Sue over to make the teams even. This would be interesting since Sue didn’t like sports. Each team huddled.

“Okay, who would like to be quarterback?” Tog looked at each of us.

Before thinking I volunteered. “Me.”

He looked incredulous. “You want to be quarterback?”

I stood back, put a hand on my hip and narrowed my eyes. “And you’re surprised, why?” Can you say crabby?

He chuckled. “I don’t know.” He shook his head. “I just kind of thought of you as a receiver.” He grinned.

I relaxed. “I catch okay, but I’m a better thrower. At least I use to be."

“Okay, then you’re the quarterback.”

He gathered us and gave our assignments. Tim, Tam and Cara became our receivers. Tog was overly sure he could protect me all by himself so he was our center. I doubted for a moment, but what did I know. It dawned on me as I watched the others warm up that he may have been counting on my catching ability. Tim had a fair arm and could’ve been quarterback. I hoped I could throw well enough they didn’t have to jump for it.

The other team, graciously, let us have the ball first. We lined up and Richard appeared shocked when I took the quarterback position. His grin said he knew he had me. I had no doubt of Richard’s ability. My only plan was to throw the ball as quickly as I could before he plowed me into the ground. It might be my only play of the game before I was carried off the field.

Tog hiked it. I fell back as their entire team rushed me. I concentrated. Quickly, I threw the ball to Tim, who was in the clear. He caught it and ran in for a touchdown.

It dawned on me, after the play, Tog had held everyone back long enough for me to release the ball. I didn't get tackled by anyone. It amazed my Dad and Richard as well. They didn’t even come all the way to me, they just stopped and stared.

Richard gave me a nod. “I didn’t think you could throw the ball.”

I smirked. “Oh, ye, of little faith.”

We huddled up again, forgoing the point after since we didn’t have goal posts.

“Okay this time, Cara, you’re on Destiny, Tim you’ve got Eddy and Tam, now’s your chance to get your mom.” He paused.

“What do you want me to do?” I was afraid of what was left.