John openly laughed. Loud. "You want her to work? Seriously? She doesn't have a clue how to do anything for herself other than screw up."
Canyon's hands began to flex into fists and the light in his eyes left. "Well, it can go my way or yours. She can work every day after school on my ranch or you can go inside and get your wallet to pay me in cash. It's up to you."
My jaw fell to the ground. As much of an ass as my step-dick was, he was also right. I didn't have a clue what to do on a farm and there was absolutely no way in hell I was shoveling crap.
"You got yourself a deal."
I didn't know which way John was going with this but regardless I was going to suffer from my actions once again.
"What will it be? Work or cash?"
"Oh, she can work. I'm not paying a damn dime for this one. She's already cost us everything." He looked over at me with disdain. "Have you told your new friend here about that yet? I bet not. Well there, I gave you something to talk about while you shovel shit. Ha! This is priceless!"
My step-dick had proved what a dick he actually was as he walked back into the house laughing, leaving me to face Canyon. I couldn't. I stared at the ground while I heard the crunch of gravel under his shoes as he approached me. The tips of his red Nike shocks were now all I could see before his finger came to rest under my chin and forced me to look up at him. The long journey up his body brought me to his black workout pants first, then the red t-shirt that clung to his body perfectly until his sharp jaw, amazing lips and finally those eyes were all I could see.
"Don't, Arianna," was all I kept repeating in my head. He's nothing but another man that can hurt you.
"Are you okay?"
Damn, why did he have to ask that? Letting my eyes fall, I thought to myself, “No, I am not okay. Did you not just hear what I deal with every day?” How could I even answer that question?
"Hey, look at me. Please?" My eyes came back to his but I was done. Spent. I didn't want to do anything but go inside and cry myself to sleep. "Don't let him do this to you. Don't let it break you."
"You don't understand."
"I do. More than you could ever know." I went to speak again but Canyon cut me off. "I did this for you, you know. I saw what you have here and was trying to get you out, not make things harder. That man would never want to pay and I knew it. Now you can spend every day away from this."
"But it will never end..." A tear slid down my face at the same time his thumb wiped it away.
"It will. Someday it will."
"Arianna! You're here!"
Shelby came rushing out the door, screaming, "I had such a fun day today! All my friends at school were so nice just like you said." She came crashing into my leg. She was so excited that she obviously hadn't taken notice of Canyon until…
"Oh my goodness, it’s you."
"Yes, it's me. And how would you know me, pretty girl?"
Shelby blushed at the compliment and then began to answer. "Arianna and I saw you the first day we got here. She didn't want to come say hi but I did. We were in the back when you..."
She was talking so fast I didn't get the chance to stop her before but I was hell-bent to keep her from telling anymore of that story.
"Shelby, this is Canyon. Canyon, this is my little sister Shelby."
Canyon's face lit up. "It's very nice to meet you Shelby. I sure wish your sister wouldn't have been so stubborn. You could have come over and met my horses."
If I thought Canyon's face was cute, Shelby's was priceless.
"You have horses? Like real horses? My daddy says I can get a pony and make a real unicorn out of it! Isn't that so cool?"
Canyon smiled so big his cheeks must have hurt. "That is the best thing I have heard in a long time. I can't wait to meet it. Are you going to get a boy or a girl?"
"Oh definitely a girl. They're so much prettier. When I braid her mane and tail she will be the prettiest unicorn ever."
"I bet you’re right about that. Well you let me know when you're ready for her and I can help you pick her out. You want to ride her of course?"
"Well, yeah! Why would I want a pony I can't ride?"
The laugh that came out of him was adorable. "Sounds like a plan then."
Shelby was lit up like a Christmas tree. Beaming.
"Hey, Shelby, can I have just a few more minutes here with Canyon and then I'll come inside. I can't wait to hear about your first day."
"Okay. Bye, Canyon! It was nice to meet you."
"Right back at ya, Shelby."
We both watched her skip back into the house before we turned and faced each other again. All of a sudden I saw it for what it was. I was letting him in and it was a mistake.
"She's a lot of fun I bet."
"She's my happiness."
"So you wouldn't come say hi?"
"That was a quick change of conversation."
"Answer the question."
"No, I wouldn't."
"Why?"
"Because you’re a man."
"Yes, you could say that. What does that even mean?"
"It means you don't need to understand me to do your chores. That's all this is. I will work for you until the debt is paid off. Then we go our separate ways."
"Huh, you're different, girl, that's for sure."
"More than you will ever know."
There was an awkward pause that I had to break. "What time do you expect me tomorrow?"
Canyon looked like he wanted to say something else but gratefully he changed his mind. "Four o'clock works for me."
I turned and started walking for the house before I said, "Then I will see you at four."
I heard, "Don't be late" just as I walked through the door and straight to my bedroom.
Shelby came running in after me wearing a huge grin on her face.
"So how was your day? Did you get to meet new friends like me? Wasn't it cool?"
"Mine was good but I want to hear more about yours. So you met some nice kids, huh? How is your new teacher?"
Nothing like deflecting.
"It's a boy! His name is Mr. Schneider and he is so nice. He even let me introduce myself to the class. I got to tell them all about me and..."
"ARIANNA, GET IN HERE!"
"Uh oh, what did you do?"
"Nothing you need to worry about. I will be back to hear more about what happened, okay? In the meantime why don't you listen to my new Maroon 5 CD?"
"You'll let me?"
"Sure thing. It's a special day, right?"
She smiled that hundred watt grin at me and I melted. Normally I don't let her go near my iPod but I needed something to drown out the screaming that I knew was coming.
Walking out of my room into the hallway, I was met with John and my mother standing in the family room.
"Who do you think you are? Throwing rocks at people's car? You are nothing but a huge fuck up." My mother stood behind him with her eyes on the floor. "I asked you a question!"
"What would you like me to say?"
"Are you kidding? You just think you can do whatever it is you want with no repercussions? Well, let me tell you something. I am done bailing you out!"
I broke. Never before had I spoken up for myself, but something in me couldn't do it anymore.
Looking him straight in the eye I conjured up as much courage as I owned. "You have done nothing for me." My voice was low but I came across clearly. “You didn't bail me out. You didn't defend me when I needed it more than anything. You are a lawyer, John. We could have fought the charges. We could have done so much more than take the money and run."
When he stomped toward me, I expected him to scream, but instead, his hand came crashing into my cheek buckling my knees as I dropped to the ground. I immediately cupped my face and felt the heat resonating but it was nothing compared to the ringing in my left ear.
"You little bitch! She died because of you! YOU! Not me. Not your mother or Shelby. YOU! I had to do what was best for my family and you dare
to blame me? This"— he threw his hands in the air— "is all because of you!"
There was no point in arguing over something I couldn't change. He was right. I was responsible for everything that had happened and nothing was going to make that pain go away. Slowly, I pressed myself against the wall behind me and pushed with my legs to climb up it. Once upright I looked to my non-existent mother hoping for a miracle but was met with the same reaction as always.
I turned and walked out of the room ready to climb into bed and let this day come to an end. Rounding the corner into my bedroom, I found Shelby lying on my bed with her eyes closed. I have never prayed harder that the music was enough to keep her unaware but soon I found out that she was fast asleep.
"Some prayers get answered after all."
Chapter 5
School was no better than the day before with one exception: I got to eat this time. No, I didn't brave the cafeteria again. I made sure to pack my lunch and ate it on the tailgate of my truck.
I was tripped in the hall and locked in the bathroom while someone held the door closed from the outside for ten minutes within the first two hours of school but nothing that could be described as tragic happened. At least Shelby wasn't dealing with this. I overheard some girls talking in fifth period about how I hit on Kyle and that's what started the hatred spreading like wildfire through the school. These people had no idea what I was about or they would know I had no desire to hit on anyone.
The last bell rang and I wasn't going to do a repeat performance and wait it out. The quicker I could part from the sea of idiots the better.
I grabbed my things from my locker and joined the masses pouring from the building. Once I was out the door and in the open air, a sense of calm washed over me. I really didn't want to go work at Canyon's but it seemed like a way better option than going home to face step-dick.
All day I contemplated skipping out on the whole deal and just hiding in a field somewhere, but what good would that do? I did owe him something for the damages and I knew he only came up with this idea to try to help. Still, with all of that, I was mortified to face him. He had to have gone home and thought about what John had said. Fifty million questions must be brewing and ready for answers I wasn't willing to give. Before I knew it, I was turning to the left and pulling up into his driveway. My hands started to shake as I reached for the key to turn the engine off. Dropping my head to let it rest on the steering wheel, I told myself that it was going to be okay. Whatever it was he wanted me to do I could do it. All I needed was to get out of the truck.
Bam!
My head shot up only to find Canyon laughing, standing in front of the hood he had slapped, scaring me half to death in the process.
"Come on, girl, get out. We have things to do and I don't have all day."
I shook my head back and forth, rolled my eyes, smiled and reached for the door handle.
Canyon walked over to my side and pulled the door open for me still wearing that shit-eating grin of his. "What took you so long?"
I slid out of the cab landing right in front of him. "What are you talking about? School just got out."
"Well, let's get to doing. There's no sunlight to burn. We have maybe three hours before we lose light and a lot to get done."
"I'm not looking forward to this."
"Oh, but you will love every minute."
"If you say so."
I reached into my truck to grab a rubber band to tie my hair back with. I may not have cared to do anything with myself to impress anyone but I loved my hair and getting crap in it wasn't something I was keen on doing.
"Come on, woman."
He was already five steps away when I lifted my hair up on my head and started wrapping it up into a messy bun.
"Hold your horses. I'm almost ready."
Canyon turned around laughing. "Speaking of horses...WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?"
I had been smiling because, let's just face it, his demeanor was contagious but something happened and I didn't know what. "What's wrong?"
I spun around to see what was behind me that got him so upset but nothing was there. Turning back I found Canyon two inches from my face.
"What happened to you?"
"Me? Nothing. What is your problem?"
I took a step back but he grabbed my arm loosely and pulled me back to him. His right hand came up to the left side of my face. The calluses on his palm felt like sandpaper being dragged across my skin but the tenderness that he was using didn't allow it to hurt. His eyes went dark as his shoulders dropped almost in defeat. Only then did I remember what had him so upset.
"He did this to you after I left, didn't he?"
The simple answer would be yes but that wasn't fair. So much happened before John struck me that I didn't want to explain.
"It's a long story and not something I want to get into. Can we just get started on whatever you're going to make me do out here?"
"Okay."
One word and that was it. I expected him to argue but he let it go just as I asked of him and began to walk away.
"Hey, wait up!"
I followed Canyon down the driveway until we started approaching the house. My adoration only grew being this close in the daylight.
"Are you coming?"
I hadn't realized I had stopped walking.
"Yes. I'm sorry, I just love this house."
Canyon walked back to me and looked up to the balcony I couldn't take my eyes off.
"I wish I could see what you see."
"Does that lead to your parents’ room?" His body locked up. I felt the jerk even without touch. "Did I say something wrong?"
"No. We better get to work or nothing is going to get done."
He turned from the house and began to walk away again.
"Could you get anymore moody?"
"I heard that!"
"You were supposed to."
Canyon continued to walk ahead of me until I lost him around the back side of the house. I hurried to catch up until I rounded the corner and sent dirt flying from stopping so fast.
"Holy crap!"
Those words were nothing compared to the magnitude of what I was seeing. The barn was huge. Bigger than the house. Wrapped in cedar shake siding, stained perfectly with stone pillars holding up the gable, I was speechless. There was even a cast iron M in the center of it. It was something I could only imagine seeing in magazines. How I missed this the other night when I was back here seemed impossible but then again the night sky was above me.
I let my eyes fall back on Canyon standing in the doorway wearing that smile again.
"Didn't expect this, did you?"
I continued to move closer with my jaw hanging open. When I finally could wrap my head around it, I answered, "No, I can't say I ever would have expected this. Shelby would be in Heaven."
"Come on in. There's something I want to show you."
I followed him through the gigantic barn doors and couldn't believe there was more to be surprised about. I expected a barn. What I found was a place cleaner than most people's houses. A concrete floor stretched through the center aisle all the way to the back doors. There had to be thirty or more stalls on either side made also from cedar with black iron fencing that topped the wood another four feet. The best part of all was that over half of them were filled with a magnificent horse.
"Are all of these yours?"
Canyon stood back and watched me as I walked around in amazement. I had never seen anything so utterly perfect.
"Yeah. We lost our stock a few years ago but after it was all over I began to build it back up."
"You did this? That's incredible."
"It's all I have left."
His mood became almost somber. I wanted to pry and ask what he meant by that but I knew all about secrets that needed to be kept as such. Feeling the only option I had was to change the subject, I said, "So, where do we start?"
I pictured myself shoveling crap and gagged with the thought.
&nb
sp; "Have you ever ridden before?"
"Um, no."
"No? Seriously?"
"You asked. You had to know the possibility was there."
"Well, I had hope."
"Sorry to disappoint you."
Canyon looked deep in thought and then he said, "Okay, we don't have time for lessons today so I guess you'll just have to ride with me."
"With you?"
"Yes, with me."
He started walking toward an open area in the back filled with equipment. I followed behind him looking at all the stuff.
"What is all this for?"
He didn't look at me but continued grabbing this and that.
"This is a tack room. This"—he held up something that looked like a bunch of straps tied together— "is a harness and this is a lead rope."
"What do you want me to do?" I felt awkward just standing there while he was busy grabbing all kinds of things.
"Here, hold this."
He walked over to me and dumped fifty pounds of crap into my arms practically causing me to fall forward while he turned back to grab blankets and the saddle.
"That's a different kind of saddle."
"You know what it is?"
"Well, I'm not an idiot."
"I didn't mean.... anyway, this is an English saddle. It's easier to ride double than a western which is probably what you are used to seeing."
He didn't wait for a response but instead walked past me and out the back of the barn placing the saddle on a piece of wood supported by two legs. I thought I had almost caught up to him carrying my pile when he passed me going the other direction back into the barn.
I turned to face him and shouted, "So much for helping a girl out!"
He continued to walk away when his response came. "You're here to work, remember?"
"Ugh!"
I finished carrying everything outside, threw it on the ground and then stared at it having no idea what all of it was used for. I heard the slamming of a gate and when I looked back, Canyon was walking toward me leading a beautiful pure black stallion. I knew it only from watching the movie but I wasn't owning up to that one. Every step the horse took closer to me it seemed to grow in size. By the time Canyon was standing next to me, I was scared.
Let It Be Me Page 4
