Buckle Down (2 page)

For the life of her, Tess couldn’t imagine what Shane was
doing with Phoebe. She was attractive for a woman her age, but Shane couldn’t
be more than mid-twenties, and couldn’t be more perfect. Surely, he could do
better than someone like her. Phoebe was not particularly nice either. With her
age, she was probably really good in bed, though, and it was no secret she got
around a lot, both before and after her divorce.

For a few moments, Tess wondered what Shane would be like,
his naked body pressing between her open thighs, his strong hands gripping her
hips, his mouth crushing against hers, offering hungry kisses.

Oh, Dear. Don’t get yourself all worked up over this guy.

After pushing Shane from her mind, she soaked for a good
hour, climbing out once her fingers resembled puffy, pink raisins. Shrugging into
sweatpants and a tank top, she crawled into her old bed in her parents’ house. Her
cat, Gypsy, curled up beside her and purred. Tess stroked the cat’s long, gray
fur and flipped from channel to channel until her eyes grew heavy and she
drifted off.

****

Morning sun shone through her window and Tess’ body ached
something fierce. She yawned and stretched, popping the vertebrae in her back.
The bright red numbers on the digital clock on her bedside table read half-past
eight. It was so nice to sleep in. Her days back in California were hectic, and
the lazy days of summer at home were just what she needed to rejuvenate. Not
ready to get out of bed, she pulled the blanket up around her neck and looked
around the room. Her favorite Barbie dolls were still perched on the top corner
shelf beside her closet. Two trophies from barrel racing and an assortment of
ribbons from the fair were arranged opposite the dolls. Her black suitcase sat
on the floor, clothes peeking out the side. Unpacking would be on her agenda
today. She hated to iron anything, so the sooner she got her clothes put away,
the better. Then she could go visit with Tippi.

She lay in bed for another hour before forcing herself to
get up and get moving. The same dresser she used throughout her childhood now
held her grown-up clothes. She shouldn’t have to hide her birth control pills,
but she did anyway. Her parents had always been lax with her brothers, but as
the only girl, and the baby of the family, they expected her to be a virgin on
her wedding day. She had been taking the pills for two years, mostly to
regulate her period, but the other benefit had not gone unnoticed.

Laughing to herself, Tess finished hanging up her jeans and
sweatshirts and got dressed. She paired Levi’s with a t-shirt, waiting to slip
on her Muck’s until she was ready to leave. Her muddy boots were in the garage
next to her dad’s Ram.

In the bathroom, she pulled her hair up into a ponytail and
popped two ibuprofen before she jogged down the stairs. Her mother had restocked
the pantry before they had left on vacation. Tess inspected the kitchen
cabinets. She peeled the foil wrapper off two strawberry Pop-tarts and dropped
them into the toaster. The coffee pot was still half-full from yesterday. She microwaved
it and added too much cream and sugar; perfect for dipping her Pop-tarts in.

Pouring a second cup of coffee into a travel mug, she went
into the garage and slipped on her boots. The air was heavy and hot, typical
summertime in Arkansas. She turned on the truck and let the air conditioning
blast into the cab while she ran back inside for her purse and cell phone.

It was a thirty-minute drive to the ranch, which sat on the
outskirts of town. The desolate roads were not identified by numbers or names,
but by landmarks like the Memory Grove water tower and the Johnson Farm’s big,
red barn. The wrought-iron sign welcoming her to Sarafina Ranch was about two
miles past the barn.

She spotted the black truck with the dark-as-night tinted
windows as she cruised into the parking area – Shane’s truck. Heat spread up to
her cheeks as she remembered his eyes and his hand on her arm, that instant
current so hot she thought it might blister her skin.

He’s dating the wicked witch of Sarafina. Don’t get too happy,
girl.

She waited a minute for the dust to settle around the truck
before climbing out. It always felt hotter out here for some reason. Her
sunglasses cut the brightness. Everything was dry, the ground, the grass, the
air.

Tippi stood at the gate and moved her head from side to side
when Tess came into view.

Phoebe had her hand on her hip while she talked on her cell
phone in front of the stall next to Tippi’s. The redhead laughed with an
obnoxious exaggeration before she snorted and started talking again.

Tess giggled quietly when Tippi snorted in what almost
seemed like an exaggerated mimic. She rubbed the horse’s nose and climbed into
the stall. The tack hung on the wall and she removed the brush to groom the
animal. Tippi’s coarse hair held dust and the stiff bristles sent it floating
into the air.

Phoebe’s voice was muffled to the point that Tess could hear
her talking but couldn’t understand the words she said. Tess was almost
finished brushing Tippi when Phoebe got quiet for a few seconds.

“Wait just a goddamn minute,” Phoebe screeched.

Shane appeared a few feet to the left of her stall. “Don’t
fucking talk to me like that,” he snapped.

Tess cringed and stood behind Tippi, waiting for the drama
to unfold. Absently, she stroked the horse’s mane.

Phoebe grabbed Shane’s arm. “Listen to me for a minute.”

“You’re crazy.” He yanked his arm out of her grasp.

“I’m sorry, baby. Forgive me?” She batted her heavily
mascara’d eyelashes and flipped her unnaturally red hair before tilting her
head.

“Jesus, Phoeb.” Shane shook his head. “You’re a roller
coaster. Don’t try to play all sweet after that bitch attack you just had. This
shit is getting old fast.”

She touched his arm, trailing blood-red nails over the
tattoo that Tess couldn’t quite make out.

Shane recoiled. “Just stop, I have work to do.”

Phoebe pouted and stepped back. “Fine, I’ll be in my office
after you’ve calmed down.”

Tess watched her walk off. Shane stood there and ran his
hand through his hair before walking away in the opposite direction, muttering
to himself.

With the little show over, Tess went back to brushing Tippi.
She loosely braided the mare’s mane and let it hang. The horse’s lead hung free,
and Tess grabbed it and opened the gate. Tippi walked beside her out to the
back field.

The dry grass crunched beneath her boots and she wondered
when the rain would come. Memory Grove never went very long without a storm. Tess
didn’t hear him approach before Shane fell in step beside her.

“How’s the knees?”

She looked up at him from behind her sunglasses. “Fine.
Thanks.”

A smirk crossed his mouth. “Glad to hear it. So, you’re
Luke’s little sister. Where’s he been hiding you?”

Tess couldn’t stifle the giggle that erupted. “He hasn’t
been hiding me. I’m home for the summer. I go to school in California the rest
of the year.”

Shane nodded. “That explains why I haven’t seen you here
before.”

“I’m here every summer.”

“This is my first summer here.”

“Where are you from?”

“Jonesboro.”

“And you’re living in Memory Grove now?”

“Yep. I’m renting the apartment behind the shop.”

“Oh, you mean you live here? On the ranch?”

He looked at her and smiled. “Yeah. Live and work here. I
train horses in the off season. I’ve spent some time with this girl, in fact.”
Shane reached out a hand and patted Tippi on the head.

Tess tried to gauge how tall he was. Maybe six-three and
built sturdy but not fat. His biceps bulged, stretching the sleeve of his white
t-shirt. She licked her lips.
Damn.

They stopped under the same tree Tess favored and he leaned
against the trunk, crossing his arms over his chest. He opened his mouth as if
to say something, then looked down. “Shit.”

“What?” Tess looked over her shoulder to see Phoebe
approaching with a tight smile affixed across her face. Why that woman couldn’t
just accept that she wasn’t twenty anymore baffled Tess. She wasn’t ugly, but
all the work she’d had done, and the thick layer of makeup, gave her a fake,
almost plastic appearance. Tess wondered how the woman didn’t melt in this
heat.

Shane pushed away from the tree just as Phoebe stopped
beside Tess. She smiled a perfect, white grin and put her arm around Tess. “How
are you, darlin’?”

“I’m good. Thank you, ma’am.”

Shane smiled and looked at the sky.

Phoebe pulled Tess closer. “What did we agree you’d call me,
honey?”

“I’m sorry. We agreed on Phoebe.”

“Yes. We did. Ma’am makes me feel like I’m your mom.” Phoebe
popped her gum and looked at Shane. “I need you to go take Walter out and check
his shoes.”

“I’m not a farrier.” Shane shifted his weight to his other
foot and a decidedly defiant attitude emerged.

“No. I’m not suggesting you are. But clean the frog and see
if I need to call Jack out here to reshoe him.”

Shane smiled. “Whatever you say,
ma’am
.” He looked to
Tess. “Catch you later, doll.” He winked and walked away.

“See ya.” Tess waved, hoping no one could tell butterflies
were bouncing around inside her like the first time she had kissed a boy.

Phoebe exhaled and watched him leave. “He’s such a bastard.”

Tess raised her eyebrows. “Nice term of endearment for your
boyfriend.”

“Oh, honey. He’s not my boyfriend. More like my toy. I play
with him.”

Looking away, Tess did not respond.

Phoebe leaned closer, the smell of her bubble gum permeated
the space between them. “I like toys. Pretty, shiny things.”

Tess tried not to frown. She didn’t like hearing Phoebe talk
about Shane that way, like he was some possession. “I have to go, Phoebe.”

“But you just got here.” Phoebe smiled.

Up close, Tess saw the faint line between Phoebe’s brows and
the wrinkles next to her eyes that the creamy makeup couldn’t completely
conceal. “I need to walk Tippi.”

“Okay, sweetie. I’ll see you later.” Although Phoebe pasted
a smile on her face, Tess was left with an unsettling feeling.

The horse followed Tess easily when she tugged on the lead.
Exhaling, she picked up the pace and headed into the woods.

Despite the heat and the bugs, she loved the trail behind
the ranch. The trees were varying shades of green and everything felt alive.
Crickets made music and hopped around her feet along with the green and brown
grasshoppers. The twisted trail led about a mile into the woods and a mile back
out. By the time she emerged, sweat dripped from her forehead and she needed a
drink desperately. She made a beeline to the cooler and grabbed a bottle of
water, downing half of it before she got back to Tippi’s stable. The cool
bottle felt good as she rolled it over her face.  

“Wanna go get coffee or something?”

Tess jumped at the sound of Shane’s voice.

Tess brought her hand up to her chest. “You scared me.” She
laughed.

He smiled and closed the space between them, effectively
backing her up to the wall of the stable. “Sorry.”

She looked to the side, expecting Phoebe to poke her head in
any second. “It’s okay.”

“What do you say?” He stretched his arm over her shoulder
and planted his palm against the wood.

“I don’t know. It’s kind of hot for coffee and I don’t need
any trouble.”

Shane looked over his shoulder then back at her. “What do
you mean by
trouble
?”

Tess tilted her head. “You know what I mean. Phoebe.”

“She’s no trouble.”

Already, the idea felt wrong, but she wanted to go. She
wanted to get to know Shane. And Phoebe said he wasn’t her boyfriend. She
talked herself into it within fifteen seconds. “Okay.”

He nodded. “Perfect. I get off in an hour.”

“Where do you want to go?”

“How about I meet you at the diner on Main?”

“See you in an hour, then.” Tess smiled, ducked under his
arm, and tried to conceal the goofy grin she felt on her lips. She told herself
it was just coffee, nothing to be excited about, but she was.

Teddy’s Diner had been a staple in Memory Grove as long as
Tess could remember. Her parents used to take her and her brothers out to eat
there every Thursday night. She pulled into a spot in the parking lot and
looked up at the big, blue sign bearing a caricature of “Teddy.” He no longer
owned the joint, but not much had changed. They still had the best greasy spoon
food around.

Looking at her watch, she decided to check her email on her
phone while she waited for Shane. She listened to an entire Reba McEntire CD
before she pulled out of the parking lot and headed for home. The son of a
bitch never showed.

Tess did not see Shane at all the next time she visited
Tippi. She couldn’t stop thinking about him. She wanted to give him a piece of her
mind for not showing up. She wanted to tell him he was an asshole. She wanted
to tell him to never talk to her again. But she knew she would not say those
things. For some reason, she still wanted him, maybe because she hadn’t had a
man in months. Instead of giving him a piece of her mind, she’d really like to
give him a piece of her ass.

Her last boyfriend had lasted three months and they had
split amicably last December. So no sex in six months. She had gone longer than
that before. And if she just wanted to get laid, she could go to the rodeo and
pick up an out-of-town cowboy. Who was she trying to kid? She’d never do that,
have sex with a stranger. She was the biggest chicken ever.

****

Her niece, Miranda, was new at walking and Tess followed her
around like a puppy, afraid she would fall. The blond little girl was the
spitting image of Tess’ brother, Luke. Natalie and Luke had an appointment, the
specifics of which they didn’t divulge to Tess, but just asked her to watch her
niece for a couple of hours.