Read Welcome To Hickville High (Hickville High Series Book 1) Online
Authors: Mary Karlik
Welcome To Hickville High (Hickville High Series Book 1) (9 page)
He took his straw hat off and plopped it on Kelsey’s head. “Walk beside me.”
In Texas, all criminals must give their victims 24-hour advance warning, either verbally or in writing.
After they turned the horses out into the paddock, they cleaned the stalls. When they finished, Kelsey retreated to the house. All but a few boxes had been unpacked and carted off. She’d mentioned job-hunting to Mom a couple of times but she always put her off. Time was running out. Today was the day she was going to ask Austin to help her find a job.
She was antsy and found herself pacing around upstairs. From her parent’s bedroom window, she could see Austin working with the horses. She watched him maneuver the tan horse, Buster, in small circles and large ones, changing gaits as he rode. At one point he stopped the horse and spun in small circles. She hated to admit it, but it did look a little fun.
Her phone chimed a text message. It was a video from Drew. She squealed and plopped onto her parent’s bed to watch. Her heart pounded. This was the first video from him. Was he going to tell her he loved her? She held the phone against her heart, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. Was this the moment she’d longed for?
She opened her eyes and pressed Play. Drew and his brother Elliot sat next to each other in the grass, each holding a glass of white wine. “Ciao, Kelsey,” they yelled.
A dark-haired girl with braided pigtails stuck her face in the picture. “Ciao, Kelsey.”
The view switched back to the guys. Drew held up his glass. “Cheers, Kelsey. We’re having a fabulous time. Meet our new friends, Sabine and Paul.”
Drew took the camera and panned to pigtail girl and an almost buzz-cut guy. “The girl held her glass up. “Bonjour.”
Drew’s voiced sounded again. “They’re from Nice, France.”
The girl took the camera and swung back to Drew and Elliot. “I’m sorry I haven’t been able to Facetime much. It’s paradise here. I wish you were with us. I miss you like crazy. I’ll be home in a couple of weeks. Ciao.”
The rest of the group echoed “Ciao,” and the recording ended.
Kelsey played the video over and over. She studied Drew’s image on the screen. His biker shirt hugged the contours of his torso and his hair was a little shaggy, giving him sort of a reckless look that Kelsey found really sexy. God, she missed him. She tapped Play again and tried to imagine him holding her, but her mind flashed to Austin pulling off his wet T-shirt. Talk about cut—he’s ripped.
She got all tingly just thinking about their water fight. She probably shouldn’t have let herself flirt with him, but it wasn’t like they were going to hook up or anything. They were just having fun.
She stood and watched Austin. He rode the other horse now. She could almost see the muscles flex in his back as he guided Harry around the paddock. He slowed to a walk and patted it on the neck. The heat, the dirt, the animals—this was Austin’s paradise. She turned away from the window.
Zoe had her rich-kid life; Drew had Europe—and soon Harvard. Where did she fit in? Nowhere was the word that came to mind. She shuddered and headed downstairs to fix lunch.
Mom was in the kitchen packing sandwiches in a paper bag. “Hi, Kel. I’m taking sandwiches to the store for Dad and the girls.”
“Do you mind if I offer a sandwich to Austin?”
“Of course not. But I’m kind of in a hurry. We have a truck coming in and I want to be there. Can you ride with him to the store this afternoon?”
Kelsey shrugged. “I’m sure I can. If not, I guess I’ll just have to laze around here.”
“Yeah. That’s not going to happen.” Mom creased a neat fold in the top of the bag. “I want you to know how much I appreciate your help. I’d have never gotten the house put together without you.”
Kelsey gave a little shrug. “No problem.” She was about to ask about the job again, but Mom was half way out of the kitchen before she could get the words out. Instead, she said, “We’ll head to the store right after lunch.”
Mom stopped and turned toward Kelsey. “Thanks, Kelsey. I know this isn’t the life you want…”
She wanted to say that she hated it here, that it was just a means to an end, and that end was to leave Texas. But she saw the chin quiver. She didn’t want to see her mom cry, not now. “But, it’s the life I have.”
Mom nodded and gave a stiff smile. “I’ll see you at the store.”
Austin was eager to take her up on lunch. But instead of waiting for her to fix his sandwich like Drew always did, he fixed his own and offered to “slap one together” for her.
They sat across from each other at the kitchen table. Austin ate his sandwich in about three bites and munched on chips while he waited for Kelsey to finish hers. “You know I’m determined to get you on a horse.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Come on, Kelsey. Nothing’s gonna happen.”
“Yeah. Because I’m not going to get on a horse.”
“Okay, but you’re missing out on a whole new world.” Austin stood and gathered their plates. He practically had them washed and rinsed before Kelsey made it to the kitchen.
She rolled up the chip bag and clipped the end. “Thanks for your help.”
He gave an aw-shucks grin and said, “My pleasure.”
His easy manner made her smile. It was nice having him for a friend. “I guess we’d better get to the store.”
“Yeah, I’ll get my truck.”
Kelsey rushed upstairs to freshen her makeup as much as possible. Her hair was a total disaster and she wished it were long enough to throw up into a ponytail. Instead she clicked on her flat iron and tried to squeeze the curl out of it. When it was as good as it was going to get, she headed downstairs to the truck waiting for her in the drive.
When she stepped outside she noticed the “happy-go-lucky” cowboy in the truck was yelling at someone over his cell phone. When she reached the truck, he swore and tossed his phone in the empty ashtray.
She opened the passenger door hesitantly. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. I gotta run by the house on the way.” She’d barely buckled her seatbelt before Austin whipped the truck around and tore down the gravel drive, spitting rocks behind them.
Kelsey was half-afraid to breathe, much less speak, so much anger hung in the air. Some country singer crooned over the radio about being like his dad and Austin jerked the radio off so fast Kelsey expected the knob to break off in his hand.
He flew down the farm-to-market road to his house, practically taking the turn by the water tower on two wheels. Kelsey kept a death grip on the door handle. “Austin, I don’t know what’s going on, but if we crash you can’t fix it.”
“We’re fine, Kelsey.”
He kept going, foot on the accelerator, and she was trapped. “Austin, slow down!”
He let off the accelerator but the truck was still barreling down the highway. When they got to his house, he nearly spun out turning down the drive.
He pulled into the grass next to a beat-up red truck. Without saying a word, he jumped out of the cab and ran up the wooden steps and into his house.
Kelsey wasn’t sure what to do. Should she wait in the truck? It was running, so it wasn’t like she was going to roast in the heat. But what if something was wrong with his mom and he needed to call for help? He’d left his cell phone in the ashtray.
When he hadn’t come out a few minutes later, Kelsey cut the engine, grabbed his cell phone, and decided to go after him. She could hear yelling as soon as she opened the passenger door. She edged to the bottom step and waited. Whatever was going on, was not good. Angry words filtered through the screen door, adding weight to the heat hanging in the air.
She knew this was none of her business and she should retreat to the safety of the truck. But like watching a car wreck, she stayed and listened.
“You sonofabitch! You don’t tell me what to do!”
“Just leave, Dad.”
“This is my goddamn home!”
“Leave or I’ll call Jimmy. You know I will and he’ll have to take you in this time.”
“You good for nothin’—you’d do that too. You ain’t nothin’ but a panty-ass wuss. You think you’re such a man cuz you’re quarterback. Tell me something, big man quarterback, who threw three interceptions in the playoff game last year? I’ve never been so ashamed to call you son in my life.”
“That’s enough, Bill. Get out.” Austin’s mom’s voice quivered, with anger or tears, Kelsey wasn’t sure.
The door burst open and a heavyset middle aged man stormed onto the porch. “You can’t keep me away forever. This is my house.”
Austin followed with his mom behind him. “The judge gave it to Mom.”
The man reeled around to face Austin.
Kelsey’s heart pounded. She backed toward the truck and wondered if she should call nine-one-one, or at least nine-one with her finger hovering over the other one.
Austin stood straight and tall, shielding his mom. His dad stood toe-to-toe with him and Kelsey was sure whatever was about to happen wasn’t good.
“Go back to your apartment, Dad. There is nothing here for you.”
“You got that right.” His dad spit on the ground next to him and stormed down the steps. Austin didn’t even flinch.
His dad looked at Kelsey as he walked to his truck and yelled back at Austin. “At least this one’s prettier than your last piece of ass.”
Austin clenched his fist but he didn’t move. Nobody did, until the truck turned onto the highway. As soon as he was gone, a sigh of relief filled the air. Kelsey ran up the steps to Austin and his mom. She wanted to hug them both and tell them it was going to be okay. But when she reached the top of the steps Austin backed up and stared at the ground in front of her. “Kelsey, I’m sorry. He shouldn’t have said that. He’s a jerk.”
Kelsey shook her head. “Don’t worry about me.”
Austin turned to his mom. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Come on in. Let’s get out of this heat.”
Kelsey figured the inside of the trailer house would look like a rectangle chopped up into rooms. She couldn’t have been more wrong. Wood floors, leather furniture, a rock fireplace, and beautiful aqua flowing curtains—it looked like it was cut from a design magazine.
Kelsey followed Austin to the kitchen. It was at least the size of their dilapidated one and had twice as many cabinets. Ivy grew in pots along the tops of the cabinets. Large, medium, and small Mexican pots held plants of all sizes and shapes.
“Your home is beautiful, Mrs. McCoy.”
“Thank you darlin’. You want some tea?”
“No thanks.” Kelsey followed Austin’s lead and took a seat at the small oak table in the eating area.
Mrs. McCoy leaned against the counter. “Austin, I’m sorry I had to call you.”
“Mom, if he comes again, call Jimmy. He can’t hurt you if he’s in jail.”
“It’s when he gets out that scares me. He has to damn near kill me to make it stick.” She gave a ragged sigh. “I dunno. Maybe I should just let him have this place. It’d be worth it for peace of mind.”
“He’d just want something else. It’s not about the house, Mom. It’s about control.”
Mrs. McCoy nodded. “Yeah.” She took a deep breath. “It’s over now. He’ll go home and drink himself into a stupor.” She looked at Kelsey. “Sugar, I sure am sorry you had to see this.”
Kelsey didn’t know how to answer her, so she just nodded. She wanted to sink through the floor. She shouldn’t be there listening to their family problems.
“Austin, you and Kelsey go on. I’m fine.”
“Mom, if he comes back, you call Jimmy.”
His mom nodded. “I’ll call.”
“Promise, Mom.”
“I promise. If he comes back I’ll call Jimmy.”
Austin and Kelsey stood, and Austin kissed his mom on the cheek. “Lock your doors. I have my phone if you need me.”
“I’m fine, Austin.”
Kelsey followed Austin to the truck, afraid to speak. She didn’t want to know the ugly secret of his family any more than she wanted him to know about hers. She thought of the horrible words Austin’s dad had said to him. Even with all the crap Ryan pulled, they always knew their dad loved them.
As they approached the outskirts of Hillside, Austin finally broke the silence. “I’m sorry, Kelsey.”
“Is your mom going to be okay?”
“Yeah. He does this every couple of months. Mom has a restraining order against him but she won’t call the police.”
“Is Jimmy the police?”
“One of them. He and Mom have been friends for a long time.” Austin shook his head and laughed. “Is he the police? We’re not Mayberry, you know. We do have a real police force with cop cars and everything.”
“Well—I made you smile, didn’t I?”
He nodded. “You do that a lot.”
His words made her smile. “Sure, laugh at the urbanite learning the simple life.” She poured sarcasm into her voice. “That’s why I’m here, to provide you entertainment.”
He rubbed the pink scar on his thumb. “That you do.”
Austin stopped at a light across from the courthouse. The building still fascinated Kelsey and she twisted her neck trying to look at the gargoyles perched on the gables.
“You want a tour of downtown?”
Anything to take his mind off what just happened. Kelsey took a half a breath to answer. “Yes.”
“Cool.”
When the light changed, he turned left and pulled into a parking space in front of The Grind Coffee Shop across the street from the courthouse. “Do you want to try a Granada?”
“Does it hurt?”
“It’s a drink. Come on, you have to try one.”
“If I have to…” Kelsey jumped from the passenger side of the truck and waited for Austin to guide her through the door. If only it were Drew offering to buy her the drink.
When Texas was annexed in 1845 it retained the right to fly its flag at the same height as the national flag.
As soon as the screen door banged shut behind them, Austin smelled a mixture of coffee and perfume. A stereo “oh my God, Austin,” greeted him, followed by the source of the voices, Courtney Randall and Britney Boyd. They sat at a table near the door. The girls liked to hang on the football players, earning them the nicknames “take-me-now” and “take-me-right-now.” Austin hated those nicknames.
The girls rushed to his side. Courtney wrapped her hands around his bicep and positioned herself between him and Kelsey. “Austin, where have you been? We haven’t seen you here in like forever.”
Austin pulled from Courtney’s clasp. “I’ve been really busy.” He placed his hand on Kelsey’s shoulder. “This is Kelsey Quinn. She’s just moved here from Chicago.”
Both girls took a step back to examine Kelsey. Britney spoke first. “Illinoise. Really, I’ve never been there.”
Kelsey said, “Illinoy. The s is silent.”
Britney flicked her hand and rolled her eyes. “Excuse me, Ill-annoy.”
Courtney said, “So, Ill-an-oy, why’d you move to Hillside?”
“My parents bought the feed store.”
A plastic smile formed on Courtney’s face. “Really. The feed store.”
“Yeah.” The tone in Kelsey’s voice said it sucks. “So anyways, I’m a senior. How about you guys?”
“You guys?” Courtney looked around her mockingly and then back to Kelsey. “Oh, you mean Britney and me?”
Britney spoke up. “We’re seniors.” She turned to Austin. “Where have you been? We haven’t seen you all summer.”
“Working. Speaking of which, we’ve got to go.” He placed a hand on the small of Kelsey’s back and guided her to the counter. Leaving the girls standing in the middle of The Grind was probably a tactical error, but his tolerance for them was lower than usual. He just hoped it didn’t come back to bite Kelsey on the ass. As it was, he figured they’d be twittering about Kelsey before she ordered and he’d bet his frappuccino it wouldn’t be to plan a welcome reception.
“So are you ready to experience the best drink ever?”
“Sure. I’m always up for a little adventure.” She flashed him a fake grin exposing her teeth, but it was the smile behind the grin that nearly took Austin’s breath away. The one where her eyes sparkled and her cheeks seemed to glow. It only lasted for a second but he felt the impact all the way to his toes.
“May I help you?” Mrs. Hensen held an order pad in her hand. Austin looked at Kelsey, still reeling from the force of her smile. Mrs. Hensen rapped her knuckles on the counter. “Austin! You gonna order or are you gonna keep staring at that girl?”
He faced the counter and the portly woman standing behind it. “Two tall Grenadas.”
Kelsey bent beneath the counter to look at the pastries inside the display case.
He reached over and touched her shoulder. “You hungry?”
His touch surprised her and she jerked up and smacked her head on the counter. “Oww.”
Austin felt he should hug her or pat her head or something. Instead he just sort of held his hands out toward her and hoped he didn’t look too stupid. “I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”
She took a step back from him. “Yeah, fine.” She rummaged through her purse and mumbled, “I have some money in here somewhere.”
“Don’t worry about it. My treat. After all, I injured you.”
She looked up at him. “You didn’t throw a snake at me.”
Mrs. Hensen knocked on the counter again. “You gonna order anything else?”
Austin looked at Kelsey and waited for an answer.
“I’d like a slice of carrot cake.”
Mrs. Hensen nodded. “Is that all?”
“Yes ma’am.” Austin pulled his wallet from his back pocket and handed the woman a twenty.
While they waited for their order, Austin looked around the crowded coffee shop. “There’s a table next to Courtney and Britney.”
“Hmm. I think you promised to show me downtown. How about if we take our drinks to go?”
“What about your carrot cake?”
“I can eat and walk.”
Mrs. Hensen handed them their drinks and a slice of the cake. Kelsey slid the cake onto a napkin and followed Austin toward the exit.
As they approached the door and Courtney and Britney’s table, Austin placed his hand low on Kelsey’s back and ducked his head close to hers. “If I talk to you, we might get past them without being stopped.” When they got to the door, he heard Courtney call to him. But instead of stopping, he rushed through, pushing Kelsey ahead of him. When they were safely outside he said, “I didn’t hear anything, did you?”
“No, nothing.” They headed down the sidewalk. She took a sip from her frozen drink and closed her eyes briefly. “Okay, this is amazing. It’s like brown sugar and coffee. No, it’s more like chocolate chip cookie dough before the flour and chocolate chips—only better.”
“Wait until you taste Mrs. Hensen’s carrot cake.”
She balanced the slice of cake on the flat of her hand and bit off the corner. “Oh my God, this is amazing. Want some?”
“Yeah.” He tore off a piece. It was good, but the feeling of her so close to him made him think crazy things, like what her lips might taste like.
With the drink in her right hand and the cake perched on her left, she struggled to take the next bite without getting cream cheese frosting all over her face. “I’m going to be a mess by the time I finish this.”
“Hang on, follow me.” He led her across the street to the two-foot wall surrounding the grounds of the courthouse.
They sat with their drinks next to them. Kelsey balanced the slice of cake on the flat of her hand and said, “Have some more.” He pulled a bite from the cake, not because he wanted it, but because he liked the way he caught a whiff of her hair when he leaned close. She popped the last piece in her mouth and tried to wipe her hands. Bits of napkin stuck to her fingers and the more she wiped the worse it got.
She held her hands in front. “I feel like a little kid, I’m so sticky. Is there a bathroom where I can wash my hands?”
He was about to answer when her phone rang in her purse. “Will you get my phone?”
“Out of your purse?”
“Yes.”
“But, that’s like—no man’s land.”
“Come on, I can’t get it.”
She turned to give him access to the bag suspended from her shoulder. He gritted his teeth and reached into the purse until he felt the phone. He pulled it out and read aloud. “Call from your dad.”
“Can you hold it to my ear?”
He tapped Answer and held the phone so she could talk. “Hi, Dad. What’s up?” She sucked sugar off the tips of her fingers as she listened. “Austin is just showing me around town. Can we meet you in…” Kelsey looked at Austin. “…Thirty minutes?” Austin nodded. “Thanks, Dad, see you then.” She pulled her head away from the phone.
Austin tapped End, dropped it in her purse, and picked up her Granada. “Come on, there’s a fountain on the other side.”
They walked around the corner to the Fallen Hereo’s fountain centered in front of the west entrance of the courthouse. It was a simple design, a bronze representation of the American flag with the flags of the Army, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard surrounding it. Water sprayed from the perimeter of the fountain toward the flags in the middle.
Austin led Kelsey down a path of engraved stones leading to the fountain. “The fountain was built after nine-eleven. The stones honor fallen soldiers dating back to the Alamo.” They stopped in front of a granite stone next to the fountain. Austin read it aloud. “Edward Maccafferty. Defender of the Alamo. Died in battle March 6, 1836.”
“Wow, and you want me to rinse my hands in this sacred water?”
Austin sat on the wall of the fountain and patted the seat next to him. “Come on, your hands might rot off, but other than that, it’ll be fine.”
Kelsey stuck her hands in the spray of water. She tried to stretch them far enough in front to avoid getting splashed, but the water ricocheted and nailed her right in the forehead. She squealed and jumped back, laughing. “Great. Now, I’m dripping wet.” She dried her hands on her jeans and dabbed her face with the sleeve of her shirt.
Austin grinned. “I didn’t expect you to bathe in it.”
She stuck her hand in the spray, directing it toward him. A small stream hit him in the arm but most of it deflected onto her face again. Through giggles she said, “I can’t win.”
He grabbed her free hand and pulled her to sit next to him. “Cut it out before you drown yourself.”
She looked at him with water dripping from her bangs, down her cheeks, off her nose, and around her lips. “At least I’m not about to faint from heat exhaustion anymore.”
He tried to think of something sarcastic to say but he couldn’t drag his mind away from the way the water droplets sprinkled across her face made her look rejuvenated somehow, even with mascara smudged beneath her eyes. “Um, your eyes…”
Kelsey nodded. “I have raccoon eyes, don’t I?”
Great, Austin, insult the girl. Way to score points.
“A little, but they’re not that bad.” Her bangs began to curl across her forehead and he got the sense the real Kelsey was hidden beneath the makeup and hair product. He definitely wanted to see more.
Kelsey wiped her eyes with her index finger. “I have an idea. Let’s go back to the Grind and see your friends—I can really impress them now.” Her tone was teasing but her voice was laced with insecurity.
He brushed a wayward curl from the corner of her eye. “You look great to me.”
She stood and looked up at the courthouse. “So tell me about this building. It seems so out of place.”
Crap, I shouldn’t have touched her.
Austin stood next to her. “Think so?”
“Yeah, it’s so—gothic.”
“It’s pretty cool.” He pointed to the arched entrance on the corner of the building. “Do you see the faces carved in the stone?”
See, we’re just friends having a boring conversation about architecture.
“The faces on top of the columns?” She grabbed her drink and walked to the steps leading to the entrance.
Austin followed. “Yes. As we walk around the courthouse, you’ll see them on all four entrances, but they change.”
“Change how?”
“I’ll show you. Here, Mabel, that’s the face, is pretty. Now follow me.” They walked to the next corner and stared up at the arched entrance. “See, Mabel is beginning to lose her good looks.”
Kelsey looked in the direction Austin pointed. “Her eyes have a kind of eerie deep-set look and her teeth are crooked.”
“Yeah. The story goes, when the courthouse was built, they brought in an Italian sculptor who apparently fell in love with the daughter of the boarding-house landlady.”
“Mabel.”
“Right. Anyway, she didn’t return his affection and as their relationship deteriorated, her likeness grew uglier and uglier.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, come on.” They headed down the sidewalk to the next corner.
Kelsey gazed at the stone building. “So as you walk around the building you see the fall of a relationship. Or is it that a beautiful woman is unmasked to reveal her real self?” They stopped and studied the next set of carvings. “Yikes, she’s morphing into a witch in these.”
“Just wait.”
They walked to the fourth corner of the building. Austin watched Kelsey study the carvings. Soft curls fell around her face and he noticed freckles dotting her nose that he hadn’t seen before. Her blue eyes were big and curious.
She looked closer. “Man, he must have really hated her. She’s monstrous.” Her gaze fell to him, and then jerked back to the building.
Damn. She’d caught him staring.
She stepped back from the entrance. “An immortal illustration of unrequited love. Harsh.”
He hoped she wasn’t making some weird veiled reference to him staring at her. She was cute, that was all. He moved next to her. “It depends on how you look at it.”
“Huh?”
“The whole unrequited love thing.” Austin led Kelsey back the direction they’d just come. “I always wonder if legend has it wrong. Maybe she became more beautiful as he got to know her. It’s all in how you look at it.”
“And the path you take.” Kelsey squinted at Austin. “I like that.”
He gave a shrug. “I like happy endings.”
Kelsey nodded. They were silent as they retraced their steps to the fountain, but as they walked, their arms brushed against each other. It was all Austin could do to keep from grabbing her hand. Instead, he looped a reminder in his brain that she had a boyfriend.
When they reached the fountain, her phone played a tune signaling a call. Her face lit up when she pulled it from her purse. “Drew! You called!”
She sat on the wall surrounding the fountain and Austin stepped away to give her privacy. He pretended to study the beautiful faces above the columns, but he had positioned himself to have a clear view of the sun kissed girl perched on the fountain wall.
But the girl pulled a mirror from her purse and, with her cell balanced between her shoulder and ear, was messing with her hair and makeup. She did a lot of smiling and nodding but it looked about as real as the faces on the courthouse. The conversation didn’t last long. She dropped the phone into her purse, pulled out a tube of lip-gloss, and smoothed it across her mouth.
Austin hated to kiss a girl with that stuff on her lips. But, he wasn’t going to kiss this girl. She was taken.
*
Kelsey took a deep breath and stood. “I guess we should go to the feed store.”
Austin wiped sweat from his forehead with his forearm. “Yeah, probably so.” They headed for his truck. “So, your boyfriend called. Is he still in Europe?”
“Yes. But he’s coming home early.” She tried to look happy, like it was a good thing.
Austin nudged her with his shoulder. “He couldn’t stay away, huh?”
“His parents have a lake house and are insisting they spend the rest of the summer together as a family. So—he won’t be coming to Texas anytime soon.” She shrugged like it didn’t matter, but it did. Drew was her tie to everything she wanted. He kept her focused on what mattered.
“That sucks.”
“Yeah, well, that’s pretty much my life, lately.”
