by Nikki Lane
Jacob walked off toward the barn, and I headed inside.
“Kase?” I gave her bedroom door a light knock.
“Come in.”
She was sitting cross-legged on the bed, her computer in her lap.
“Hey,” I said, walking toward her. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” She set her computer down. “Is he going to be okay?”
“Sure he will.” I hoped I wouldn’t regret saying it.
I sat down next to her and put my arm around her shoulders.
She leaned her head against the crook of my arm. “But what if he’s not? What will happen to Aunt Meg? Where will I go?”
“Don’t worry about that,” I said. “No matter what happens we’ll always have each other.”
It was why I applied to become her legal guardian. Convincing the judge that it was in Kasey’s best interest wasn’t hard, especially not after I had already been through the court system when Aunt Meg and Uncle Jim had become my legal guardians. But they had aged a lot since then. I was sure they hadn’t expected to be taking care of a soon-to-be teenager in their seventies.
She looked up at me. “Promise?”
I held up my little finger. “Pinky promise.”
* * * *
The rain had let up to a sprinkle. It took about an hour to close up the big barn and the chicken coup, and I made sure Jack was settled in his doghouse with dry food and water. His scruffy white hair was muddy and matted. He’d been whimpering since they drove off with Uncle Jim in the ambulance. I scratched under his chin, and he closed his eyes as he enjoyed the attention.
Jacob and I walked to the mama goat’s pen.
“You and Kasey seem close,” he said.
I looked at my bare feet. “She’s a good kid.”
“Does she live here with Meg and Jim?”
“For now,” I replied. “Until I finish school. Then she can come live with me.”
He focused his eyes on the horizon as dusk settled over the sky. “Does she see them at all?”
He didn’t have to specify who he was referring to.
“Every weekend. She sleeps over a couple of nights and then comes back on Sunday morning.” I wasn’t thrilled with the arrangement. But Aunt Meg had convinced me that it might not have been such a bad idea. Doug had never touched Kasey. And he seemed to be able to hold off on letting my mom have it until Kasey had returned to the farm. Too bad he wasn’t so considerate when I had lived there. “She still thinks she needs her mom.”
Jacob gave me a tight-lipped smile and nodded.
When we reached the pen, the mama goat was bleating and seemed restless.
“Whoa.” Jacob crouched down on his knees in front of the pregnant doe. His damp shirt clung to the grooves of his back. “That’s one pregnant goat.” She sat down and then stood up again.
He ran his hand down the doe’s spine and squeezed at the ligaments around her tail. The doe started to paw at the ground. “She’s starting to nest.”
“Uncle Jim said it should be anytime now.”
“Probably within the next forty-eight hours.”
“Great.” I could feed the chickens, and someone would be here in the morning to help with the cows. But I knew jack shit about delivering baby goats.
Jacob stood straight again and brushed off his hands. “I helped delivered a few on the farm I used to work on back home. I should be able to handle it.”
“I’d really appreciate it.”
Jacob locked the kidding stall, and we headed back to the house. My cellphone rang with an unfamiliar number. Jacob sat at one of the chairs and removed his muddy shoes.
“Hello?”
“Maeve?” Aunt Meg’s voice cracked.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “How is he?”
“Stable. He’s sleeping right now. He’ll have to spend a few nights here. Thank God, Jacob was there to give him CPR or else…” She sniffled into the phone.
I gazed at Jacob. “Don’t worry about things here. I’ll stay as long as I have to.”
“What about your job?”
“I’ll call and explain what happened.”
Aunt Meg reminded me that one of the hired hands would be around early in the morning to help feed the animals. I wrote down a few notes as she talked before finally hanging up.
I stared at the phone after ending the call. “He’s going to be okay.”
Jacob stood up, and I trotted over to give him a hug.
“Thank you,” I said into his shoulder. “You saved his life.” I inhaled the scent of his shirt.
Jacob gave me an awkward pat on the back. It was like he was afraid to touch me. “It was nothing. I’m just glad he’s going to be okay.”
I broke away. “I’m going to jump in the shower and head to bed. Are you settled into a room yet?”
“Yeah, the one down the hall.”
“Okay…well, let me know if you need anything.” I stalled a minute at the foot of the steps. “It’s good to have you home.”
He smiled. “It’s good to be here.”
* * * *
Someone was knocking on the door. Maybe it would stop if I ignored it long enough. I threw the comforter over my head.
More knocking.
I kicked my legs and threw the comforter over my head.
I rolled off the bed, my eyes barely opened in the sunlight-drenched room. I swung the door open without saying a word.
“Morning.” Jacob was wearing a shirt with the sleeves cut off, revealing a little of the elaborate tattoo on his shoulder.
“Morning,” I groaned, pushing the hair from my face.
“I, uh, could use your help.” He seemed to be having trouble focusing his eyes on something, other than me of course. I didn’t know it was possible to repel someone this much.
I shuffled back toward the bed as he stood in the threshold of the open door. “Well, are you just going to stand there and watch me get changed?” I rested my hands on my hips. I couldn’t help it—making him squirm was so easy.
His face flushed. “Uh, no. Sorry.” He turned his head in the opposite direction and reached for the doorknob. “I’ll meet you downstairs.”
A minute later, Kasey busted through the door.
“Nice knock,” I said.
She plopped onto my bed, still in her pajamas. “Will you braid my hair?”
“You can’t braid your own hair yet?”
She grabbed a chunk of her dark locks. “I can’t do them as pretty as you can. Please?”
I sat down next to her and sighed. “What kind?”
“French,” she said with a grin.
“Go grab a brush and a hair tie.”
She sprung off the bed and darted to the bathroom.
“Maeve?” she said as I started to braid.
“Yeah?” I undid a few stands and re-braided them. My hair braiding skills were a little rusty.
“It’s Friday.”
“I know.”
“I’m supposed to go to Mom and Dad’s tonight.”
I waited a few seconds before saying, “Okay.”
“Aunt Meg usually drops me off.”
My fingers froze, still holding the soft strands of her hair.
“Maeve?” Her head shifted a bit, like she wanted to look over her shoulder to make sure I was still there.
“I can drop you off.” I had to force the words out.
“Okay,” she said, the tone of her voice a little lighter.
I set the rest of her hair in the braid and tied the end off with the elastic band she handed me.
As she checked out my work in the bathroom mirror, my cellphone rang. It only rang twice before I picked up.
“Aunt Meg?” I said. “How is he?”
Kasey must have heard me because she ran back into the room.
“He’s stable, but still in critical condition.”
“How is he?” Kasey whispered.
I nodded as Aunt Meg told me about the blockage the doct
ors had found, and the angioplasty he had been scheduled for the next day.
“How are you kids making out?” she asked.
“We’re fine,” I said. “How are you?”
“Didn’t sleep much last night, but I’ll be okay.”
“Do you want me to come to the hospital?”
Kasey disappeared down the hall.
“No, not yet. Kasey needs you there. She’s supposed to go to your mom’s tonight but—”
“I know,” I said. “Don’t worry. I’ll take her.”
She changed the subject, probably sensing my uneasiness with the situation.
“Your uncle wants to say hi.” A few muffled sounds later and Uncle Jim’s voice gurgled over the phone.
I’d never been happier to hear his voice and even managed to convince him that he didn’t need to rush home. Afterwards, I changed my clothes, brushed my teeth, and tied back my hair before heading downstairs.
From the top of the steps, I could already smell coffee and eggs frying.
Kasey was seated at the kitchen table with a full plate in front of her.
“Hungry?” Jacob asked as he cracked another egg in the pan.
“I could eat.”
The coffee machine beeped, and I grabbed two mugs from the cupboard. I handed him a cup before taking a sip of mine and sitting down next to Kasey, who had already started eating. She shot me a wide grin.
“What are you so happy about?” I asked.
“That Jacob made breakfast and not you.”
“Hey,” I cried. “Not nice.”
I caught a smile on Jacob’s face as grabbed the bread from the toaster.
“Cooking is just not your thing,” she said.
“Well, nobody asked you,” I replied.
Jacob plated the eggs before sitting across from us. I smiled when he plopped the syrup container in front of me.
“Still pour maple syrup on everything you eat?” he said.
I grabbed it and opened the cap. “Of course. Everything tastes better with maple syrup on it.”
“Gross,” Kasey mumbled.
He chuckled and slathered some butter on his bread. “Have you heard from Meg?”
“She called just a few minutes ago. I got to talk to Uncle Jim. He’s doing okay, but he’ll be at the hospital a while longer.”
“Did you tell him we have everything under control?”
“I tried. But you know how he is. Aunt Meg’s probably holding him down to the bed.”
We gobbled down breakfast, and I chugged the rest of my coffee.
Kasey shot up from her seat and plopped her plate into the dishwasher.
“See ya’,” she said with one hand on the doorknob.
“Wait,” I said. “Where are you going?”
“I’m riding my bike to Riley’s. She’s got a pool.”
“Well, when will you be back?”
“Couple of hours?”
I wouldn’t have to drop her off at Mom’s until later that night. I could have made her stay and help us with chores, but I wasn’t in the mood to hear her gripe all day.
“Fine,” I said. “But call me as soon as you get there. And don’t forget your inhaler.”
She grabbed her asthma emergency kit off the counter and ran out of the door, probably shocked that I’d let her go so easily.
Jacob cleared the rest of the plates.
“I’ll get those,” I said. “You cooked.”
“Okay, I’m going to check on the doe.” He followed Kasey’s path out of the door to the barn.
After I finished the dishes, I strapped on a pair of Aunt Meg’s sneaker and headed outside. They were tight but better than nothing.
Jacob and Jeff, the hired hand that’d been helping Uncle Jim for the last few years, were tending to the few cows. I set out to feed the chickens and check for eggs. The morning whizzed by, and it was nearly two o’clock before we stopped for lunch. I brought lunch outside to Jacob and Jeff and decided to eat mine in the kitchen, sitting down, with the fan blowing over my hot cheeks.
Kasey breezed through the door. “Ready?”
“For what? I asked after swallowing.
She plopped down at the table and picked up a potato chip from my plate. “To take me to Moms.”
“Now? I thought you didn’t go over there until later tonight.”
“I want to go see a movie with her.”
I flopped the rest of my food down and pushed my plate back. There went my appetite. I’d never been to the movies with Mom, unless you counted the how-to-deal-with-domestic-abuse videos the social worker used to make us watch.
“Fine,” I said, getting up. “I’ll meet you in the truck.”
She dodged upstairs while I searched the kitchen for the keys to Uncle Jim’s truck.
My stomach felt like it was twisting and turning, too busy feeling the effects of my anxiousness to digest the food I’d consumed. I made my way to the barn and found Jacob hunched over the mama goat, his t-shirt long gone. My eyes followed the curve of his back and fell over his tan and freckled shoulders. I noticed the small scar near his shoulder blade and bit back a smile. He’d gotten it when he’d rescued me from the old oak tree I’d gotten myself stuck in. I’d climbed too high and Jacob had all but carried me out before falling and cutting his back on a few branches.
“Hey,” I said.
He turned and smiled, making goosebumps fall over my skin.
“Hey.” He caught sight of the keys in my hand. “Taking a trip?”
“Going to drop off Kasey at my mom’s. I shouldn’t be gone long.”
I was determined to make it there and back in record time. Maybe I wouldn’t even have to stop the car all the way and just let Kasey hop out as I rolled on by.
Jacob stood up, and the mama goat wobbled away, bleating. “You want me to come with you?” His hazel eyes were soft, the dark lashes around them almost touching the skin above his lids.
That look in his eyes tackled me back to when we were just kids. Those days when he followed me everywhere just to make sure I was safe.
“No, it’s okay.” I looked at the keys my fingers were fiddling with. “But thank you. I’ll help you finish when I get back.”
He smiled again, a little smaller this time, and I started the walk to Uncle Jim’s truck. But not before stealing one more look back at Jacob before he disappeared into the barn.
* * * *
I was sure I was going to hurl my lunch on the ride to drop Kasey off, but I managed to make it the whole way without refunding any food.
I slowed the car as we approached the blue rancher with dingy white shutters. The porch swing was hanging from only one chain and the railing was in serious need of repainting. The grass looked like it hadn’t been cut in months. But that was nothing new.
My childhood home, and I barely remembered what it looked like inside.
I parked the car in front of the driveway, my slick palms sliding down the steering wheel. What were the odds I could get the truck back on the road before someone came outside?
“Will you pick me up on Sunday night?”
“Sure.”
Kasey grabbed her bookbag from the backseat and opened the car door.
“Thank, Maeve,” she said after stepping out.
Her tone of voice told me she knew how hard this whole situation was for me.
“Call me if you need anything.”
She smiled and closed the door. Every nerve in my body was pulling me away from this place. But I fought against it and watched Kasey willingly walk toward the house. Mom used to have to drag me back. My feet would make marks in the ground as I tried to resist her pull.
My gaze flickered to the porch when the screen door swung open. I sat straight up and clutched the steering wheel.
My stomach twisted when he caught sight of me. I slumped down. Shit. Could he see me? His frown deepened and his eyes squinted. Probably thought he was hallucinating. Doug exchanged a few words with Kasey. From the looks
of it, it wasn’t a “hi, sweetheart, it’s great to see you.”
She disappeared into the black hole of the house while Doug lingered on the porch. He let the screen door fall behind him. I put the car in drive and screeched the truck back onto the road.
* * * *
The rest of the afternoon was dedicated to watering the tomato plants and tending to the greenhouses.
By dinnertime, I barely had enough energy to microwave a frozen dinner.
“I’m too tired to eat,” I mumbled when we were inside again.
Jacob took off his glasses, wiped the sweat from his face, and then put them back on. I used to think those glasses looked nerdy on him, but I didn’t find them so nerdy anymore. “Aunt Meg did mention that you haven’t been coming here too much.”
“You’re one to talk. I picked twice as many tomatoes as you.”
He grimaced.
“Should we grab something out to eat?” I asked.
“I think I’m just going to shower and crash. Plus, I have some studying to do.”
“Studying? The semester hasn’t even started yet.”
“I know,” he said. “Trying to get a head start.”
I nodded. “Yeah…okay. I’m just going to hang out for a little and then do the same. Except the studying part, of course.” Geeze, how many times could one person get rejected in twenty-four hours? “Did you want to take the first shower? I know I’ve been hogging the hot water.”
“Okay.”
“You know, you could sleep in Kasey’s room tonight, if you want. She’s got the window unit, and I know she wouldn’t mind. It’s got to be sweltering in that tiny room without any air.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, sure.”
He scratched the back of his head. “It would be nice not to wake up in a pool of sweat.”
I chuckled. “It’s all yours then. Goodnight, Jacob.”
He gave me a small smile. “Goodnight.”
Jacob grabbed a few things from his room and headed upstairs. I putted around the kitchen for a while and then trotted upstairs. Who would want to sleep in a bed with someone else’s lived-in sheets? I found fresh linens in the hallway closet and stripped Kasey’s mattress.
As the flat sheet fell on the bed, the smell of the laundry detergent Aunt Meg had been using for years wafted through the air. A sense of comfort washed over me.
The bathroom door creaked open down the hall. A minute later, Jacob appeared in the doorway in nothing but a towel notched around his waist as I stuffed the last pillow into a fresh pillowcase. A few beads of water lingered on his toned stomach. I was surprised to see the tattoos weren’t limited to just one shoulder. It took a little longer than usual for me to form words.
