by Melissa Shaw
The puppy let out a small yap and George flinched. “Damn mutt,” he grumbled, “you sure you want this one, kiddo? He seems a little enthusiastic to me.”
She hated it when he called her ‘kiddo’. She sighed and prepared to hand the puppy back – George always got what he wanted, one way or another.
“Yeah, that’s the one she picked, all right. He’s the sweetest of the litter, take it from a man who’s spent the last eight weeks with ‘em.” Liam stuck his thumbs in the belt loops of his faded blue jeans, and stood tall.
George made a noncommittal grunting noise in his throat, but Mel beamed and buried her nose in the puppy’s soft fur. Its soft licks accosted her cheeks and her smile widened.
“Sunshine.”
“Huh?” George shook his head.
“I’ll call him Sunshine.”
“Right, that’s my cue. Let’s get in the car and get back to town before the smell of horse crap permanently attaches itself to my olfactory cells. Bring Sunshine or Stormy Weather, or Sitting Bull, or whatever the hell you’ve called it and let’s get home. But so help me God if it pisses on my leather seats, we’re bringing it straight back.” George strolled off, then stopped by the door and waited for her, tapping his finger on the touchscreen of his phone.
“He’s a charmer.” Liam scratched in the hay with the toe of his leather boot.
What could she say to that? Did he mean Sunshine? Or George and his ‘effervescent’ personality?
“It was great meeting you,” she answered, belatedly.
“Yeah,” he nodded, then scratched Sunshine behind the ears, “it was great. Oh, and mind you don’t let the dog see the horses on your way out.”
Dog and horses? What now?
“What now?” She repeated the question out loud.
Liam laughed and George shot a look of pure venom in his direction.
“The dog. He’s special. He’s befriended one of the horses on the farm.”
“Oh, like a Coco and her kittens kind of thing?”
“Yeah, exactly.”
“Right, I’ll be sure to look out for that,” she turned away and regret spiked through her, reflected in his expression, “I’d better get going.”
“See you around.”
In her dreams.
She dragged her feet to the door. She loved the farm life, but now it was back to high rises, caviar and champagne parties with people who didn’t know her name and didn’t really care.
Mel clutched Sunshine to her chest and meandered up to George’s silver Audi. She opened the door with one hand, slid into the front seat, closed it and stared out the window at the picturesque red and white barn. Like something out of a movie.
If she squinted, she could just make out Liam’s shadow in there. Or maybe not. She blinked a couple times, and George plopped into the driver’s seat and started the car.
He revved the engine and sped off down the road, spraying gravel behind him.
“What was that?” His knuckles were white on the steering wheel.
“What was what?” she asked, absently stroking Sunshine and studying the green fields and oak trees.
“You and Farmer Bloody McGee.” His tone was icy.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, George. He was the farmer. He gave us a puppy. What’s the big idea?” Her heart beat at a million miles an hour. He’d noticed had he? This was the first time she’d found a guy attractive since they’d started dating, but it sure wasn’t the first time he’d gone jealous on her.
“I have eyes, kiddo. It’s fine if you look, but I’d better not catch you touching a man ever again.” He shifted gears and grated the clutch, then swore loudly.
What was she, his possession? Her father would turn in his grave if he could see her now, allowing a man to treat her this way. He’d rise from the dead and knock her over the head with his tabaccy pipe, for sure.
Miss Teen Arizona and this was how she’d ended up. She could feel the sun on her face like it’d happened yesterday. The wind had blown her crown skew on the back of the mayor’s car, and her cheeks had hurt from grinning.
Mel closed her eyes and bowed her head. It was a salute.
“You haven’t got anything to say for yourself?” He prodded her temper. He wanted her to blow up, so he could vent his spleen.
“I don’t have anything to say to you about it.” Fine. Let him have it then. It wasn’t like she was scared of him. Just what she’d become.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means I don’t have to explain myself to you.”
“Oh? Really?” His chuckle was bitter as bile.
“Yeah, really,” she spat back, and Sunshine shifted in her lap. He licked her fingers lovingly and her heart melted a bit.
“That’s a hoot. I put you up in a penthouse, pay for your food and drinks, buy you priceless jewels and designer clothes, and you owe me nothing,” he answered, drumming his fingers on the gear stick.
He accelerated and the fields whizzed by, ruining her view. He knew how much she hated it when he sped.
“Slow down, George,” she whispered, one hand gripping the door, the other Sunshine’s sweet blue collar.
“I’d say you owe me a side more than nothing, kiddo. Who bought you that puppy?”
What could she say to that? She was trapped in silence, trapped in the web he’d spun for her. A web of love, scattered with the dried out, wispy carcasses of his disdain. The spider’s legs of control.
She had nothing.
Mel hadn’t studied, she’d met him straight out of high school and fallen head over heels. George had showered her with adoration. He’d promised her the world. Hell, he’d made love to her in front of the fireplace at a Swiss resort after a marriage proposal.
But he’d never once asked her what she believed in, or what she wanted from life.
“Answer me, kiddo.” George took his eyes off the road and glared at her, his dark, wavy brown hair, streaked with grey, fell forward and shaded his face.
“What do you want me to say, George?” She breathed slowly, in and out, calming herself.
“I want you to say you’ll never touch another man again.” It was a command. An actual command, and it grated to her very soul. But what was she without him, now? She loved him and she had nothing. Her father’s farm was gone, sold off to pay his debts.
Her mother had moved to California when she was three.
“Say it, Melanie.”
“Stop.”
“Say it.”
“Don’t do this, George. Don’t push me like this, I’m not your toy,” she whispered, denying the tears threatening to overwhelm her.
“Say it or I’ll throw that puppy out of this car,” he waggled a finger in Sunshine’s direction.
He couldn’t possibly mean that. Surely he wasn’t this person? God, what had she gotten herself into, here?
“I’m serious.” George craned his neck towards her, his brow was slick with sweat.
A horse appeared beside his window.
“What the…?” She gesticulated wildly at the window. “Look! A horse!”
“What are you talking about?” He snapped his attention to his window, and decelerated. The horse swerved in front of the car. He braked, and the Audi skidded to a halt on the dirt road.
Clouds of dust drifted past the sheen of Mel’s window, the Audi’s engine hummed, and Sunshine barked his opinion at George.
“WHAT!” George shrieked and banged his fists on the wheel. “Who lets a horse run free? Bunch of hillbilly’s.”
He rammed his door open and stormed out towards the horse.
“Leave it!” Mel yelled after him, but he didn’t turn back.
Sunshine yapped incessantly and struggled against her grip. What was wrong with him?
“Leave the horse alone! You’re upsetting Sunshine,” she screamed like a banshee, but she was past caring. What had gotten into her fiancé?
“Screw Sunshine!” George kick
ed ground at the horse’s legs, and it whinnied nervously and staggered backwards. It reared upwards then landed with a terrific snort.
Sunshine wriggled uncontrollably and actually nipped at her hands.
Wait… what had Liam said? The horse.
“Close the door. George, close the car door!”
But he didn’t hear, he was in a militant march, screaming and swearing at the equine offender, forcing her ever backwards.
Sunshine bolted out of her arms and out of the Audi. The Lab streaked past George and skidded to a halt in front of the horse. It reared up and let out a terrific neigh, landing and shifting sideways to stand its ground. The puppy faced George and growled.
“What the hell? Your dog’s gonna get it, woman.”
Mel slid out the door and strode into the scene, heels crunching on the dirt road. She wouldn’t take this from him – he could verbally abuse her as much as he wanted, but if he so much as laid a finger on Sunshine or the horse…
“Get back in the car.” Her mouth formed the words, but she didn’t know where they’d come from. Some deep place of strength.
“’Scuse me?” He glared at her in disbelief, the rustle of the breeze in the oak tree leaves did little to relieve the tension. Her muscles were tied in knots, and he might ‘punish’ her for this later with cruel words, but she wasn’t about to let him hurt either of the animals.
It wasn’t happening.
“I said, get back in the car. I’ll handle this.”
“Who do you think you’re talking to?” George poked his finger in her direction.
But she ignored him and went to meet the animals.
Sunshine had turned to the horse, and it lowered its magnificent dark brown head, snorting softly. The puppy licked its nose and whimpered. Their eyes met, the horse’s breathing evened out, and Sunshine’s tail twitched ever so slightly. They actually nuzzled each other, like long lost friends, and Mel swallowed hard.
If that wasn’t love, what was?
They were so different, but they cared about each other.
Mel cast a glance at George. He stared at the animals in disgust, then harrumphed and strode back to his precious Audi.
She swept tears off her cheeks and knelt down beside the dog. She stroked its head and allowed herself the moment with them. She’d never experience affection like this before – a true expression of what love should be: unconditional.
Horses and dogs. Those had been their favorite animals when she was little, living on the farm with her father. The sharp scent of horse dung as she cleaned out the stables; the memory of his concern as he helped their pet dog, Jingles, give birth to her puppies; a warm afternoon riding through the fields on horseback. It was all gone now. In the past – a not so distant memory.
“Come on, Sunshine, it’s time to go.” The puppy whined and backed off, but she merely stroked him and buried her face in its fur. Then she reached up and petted the horse’s muzzle. It nuzzled her back.
The rattle of another car on the road snapped her out of the reverie. A bright red flatbed pulled up next to the Audi, splattering it with stray stones.
“Hey! Watch it!” George shrieked and pounded on the horn.
Liam jumped out of the car, his boots crunching on the gravel in a more assured manner than hers had.
“Sorry about this, seems like Destiny has a sixth sense about your boy.” He stuck his thumb out and jerked it in Sunshine’s direction.
“No problem,” she mumbled, rising swiftly and dabbing at the wetness on her face.
His gaze travelled to her and then back to the silver car where George sat, glaring straight ahead, jaw set.
“Everything all right?”
“Of course,” she replied, resisting the urge to bite her lip, “mind helping me with this?”
Liam rubbed the back of his neck, “Right, yeah.” He placed a hand on Destiny’s mane and tugged lightly. “C’mon girl. Time to get home.”
She didn’t budge, but Liam wasn’t taking no for an answer. He used her neck as leverage and swung himself onto her back, as easy as that. Knight in shining armor, much?
“What about your truck?” Mel stammered.
“I’ll get one of the farmhands to come out for it, later,” he answered, then reached down a hand to her.
Did he want her to go with him?
“It was nice seeing you again.”
Oh. Blind. He wanted a handshake. George’s glare burned a hole in the side of her face.
“Yeah,” she gave a small sad smile and picked Sunshine up, “you too.”
Then she turned away and walked off, leaving his outstretched hand between them. She hated herself more with every step towards the Audi and away from him. She hadn’t touched him; she’d obeyed orders. She wasn’t a woman, she was a coward.
Mel slid into the passenger seat and closed the door. Liam has already galloped off on the horse. She didn’t look at her fiancée.
“Atta girl,” he spoke up, testosterone and victory flooding his words.
The red truck disappeared in the rear-view mirror. Likely, she’d never see it again.
* * * *
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