Chapter 4: Yield - Parent Control

Surviving the next two days is a bummer. Breaking dishes has become my new habit. Every time Scott comes around, I’m a klutz. He’s like a mosquito that won’t leave you alone. Instead of buzzing, he whistles. I think he does it on purpose to annoy me, because he doesn’t look very happy.

Thank goodness David is helping with the after-dinner cleanup tonight or we’d have to buy new dishes.

I ask him, “Are you practicing for husband duties?”

“For what?” he asks.

“Doing the dishes when you are married.”

A red blush creeps up his neck. Hah. Glad I’m not the only one in the family who blushes.

“Tell me about Claire,” I say.

“I wasn’t sure she’d marry me.”

“Why?” I ask.

David hesitates. ”Er, you never know if a girl will accept a proposal.” He turns his face away from me.

I can tell he’s hiding something. “What’s wrong with her?”

“Nothing!” he exclaims. “She’s the sweetest, most beautiful, adorable, intelligent girl I have ever known. She’s …”

“Okay, I get it.” David looks like Dopey in Snow White. “Where did you meet?”

He laughs. “I was riding my bicycle when a car clipped the back wheel. I crash-landed on Claire’s car hood.”

“You never told us that. You could have been killed.”

“It was the best day of my life.”

That goofy look again. I wonder what kind of girl Claire is, to be able to turn my brother into mush. I check an imaginary list. “Nothing wrong with Claire. Must be her family. Give.”

David frowns. “People from back east are different. They’re not always friendly and open with strangers. I wasn’t sure they’d accept me when I proposed to Claire.”

“Why not? Except for the teasing and abandonment of your family, you’re a catch. Handsome, honest, trustworthy. Any girl would be lucky to marry you.”

“Thanks, Sis, I think.” He laughs and hugs me.

My heart doesn’t seem so squished. I miss his hugs.

“There’s something I haven’t told Dad about her parents,” David says sighing. “You know how he is, everybody is equal in his eyes.”

“Yeah, I know.” The Smith family motto. “Out with it. What’s wrong with them?”

“Nothing. They’re rich. Mr. Dudley earned it all, but his wife wants you to believe they were born into it.”

I suck in my breath, glancing at our simple country kitchen. “They won’t want to stay here.”

David explains, “I’ve tried to prepare them. Claire’s mom wasn’t too sure about staying. Her dad is not a bad sort and he insisted they get to know our family.”

“They should stay at a motel in town. Anything else?” I wonder.

David stares out the window. “Claire’s little sister is a handful.”

Before I can ask him more about her, David hurries out of the kitchen. My stomach does hip-hops. A problem child and rich people in my house. Great.

I start to put a glass in the cupboard.

Scott whispers behind my back. “Hi.”

The glass slips from my hands. I try to catch it midair and miss. Scott grabs it before it hits the floor and puts it in the cupboard.

“You sure drop a lot of dishes, cowgirl.”

I glare at him. “Don’t call me cowgirl. I don’t ride western.”

“Isn’t this the west, cowgirl?”

I don’t like his arrogance. Or the sarcastic tone in his voice. Of course, I’m not used to talking with boys. Lonnie, the boy on the ranch next to us, only knows how to spit wads of gum farther than his buddies. At school, I don’t think Lonnie’s ever said anything to me except, “Get outta’ my way.” Scott is different. He seems moody, not really interested in much of anything around here except Kong and the horses.

“For your information,” I answer, “I ride an English saddle. It’s way different. There isn’t a horn to keep you from falling off. It’s not for city slickers.”

Scott almost smiles. I’m surprised. My heart flip-flops.

Dad and John wander in for some coffee.

Scott has a funny look on his face when he looks at my dad, kind of wistful and sad at the same time.

Dad notices. “You spend a lot of time in the stables, young man.”

“Horses are cool,” replies Scott. “I was going to learn how when …”

He stops talking and swallows hard. “I always wanted to learn how to ride.”

“Winifred is our riding instructor.” Dad smiles at me. “Keeps this place afloat.

She’ll teach you.”

I blush, horrified to have to spend time with any guy. Especially Scott.

John grabs a cup of coffee. On his way out of the room he says, “Better teach him, Win. My brother can be a nuisance until he gets his own way.”

Scott glares at his brother, then glances into my eyes and away. Some kind of buggy thing jumps up and down in my throat. What is going on with my body? I can’t control it at all.

Scott shifts uncomfortably. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

I hardly breathe when he blinks his long eyelashes. “After chores, I’ll teach you.” The words leap out of my mouth. I blush. And cringe inside. What am I doing?

Jac will freak out when she hears. She’s had boyfriends since she was six years old. She knows how to talk to boys. It also helps that she looks like a small Spanish doll. I look like a stick with boobs. I hate the snickers from boys at school.

Scott says, “I’ll help you with the chores.”

Dad starts out of the kitchen. “That’s very generous of you, Scott. Teach him on Dancer, Win.”

Not on my horse. I raised and trained Dancer. Nobody rides him but me.

“But, Dad.”

“Dancer.”

I turn to Scott, burning. “Stable chores come first.”

Scott says, “Sure. Can we start tomorrow?”

I want to smack him. Why does he look so happy all of a sudden? My heart tap-dances in my chest. I have lost control of everything. I hope it won’t get any worse. Boy, am I wrong.