She was free as a wildflower now. Pink cheeks. Bright, clear eyes that were the greenest I’d ever seen them. Her hair had a mind of its own. I loved her and she loved me. The city princess had a little country girl inside her. Something in her clicked with something in me. She made me crazy in the best way. Even ran around barefoot in the yard and swam in the lake.
Yep, Briar was exactly the girl she was supposed to be.
And my mom hadn’t expected that.
“Briar?” my mom said again, looking her up and down. “I almost didn’t recognize you.”
“Yeah, I’ve changed a little.” She smiled and said hello to Todd. My stepfather loved Briar. He seemed to think we’d made a good decision.
If my mom shared his point of view, this holiday would go a lot smoother.
But I knew once we headed into the house, this was going to be the longest two days of my life.
Briar
“I hope you’re hungry,” Millie said, laying out things for sandwiches, and a plate of cookies Chase and I baked. He was pretty good in the kitchen as long as there were clear directions to follow.
“I can eat, no problem.” Todd loaded up this plate with the rest of us. “My modeling days are long over.”
“Modeling…what the fu—” Grant glanced at me and his eyebrows went high.
“Seriously?” Chase glared, looking like he wanted to bing Grant over the head with a roll, rather than make a sandwich. “Just drop it.”
“Two days…” I smiled at Grant.
He nodded. “I got this, trust me.”
“So what’s on the itinerary?” Mrs. Carter asked, keeping her smile in place as she looked at me like I was some sort of stranger. “I heard something about a party on the way over.”
“It’s the Fourth of July,” Chase sat next to me at the table and finished half his food before I could even think about eating mine. “While our party isn’t as big as the Callahan dance, it’s still crazy enough to last most of the night.”
It was hard to eat and be worried at the same time, but I started on a cookie. “Chase and I were thinking we’d take you horseback riding this afternoon.”
Mrs. Carter sipped her lemonade and her eyes flickered with something I didn’t understand. “You ride?”
“Yes,” I smiled. “Quite well.”
“She’s got herself a half wild mustang.” Jerry grinned, taking a seat at the head of the table. “Firefly wouldn’t let anyone near her at first, except Briar. That horse loves the stuffin’ outta her.”
“Sounds like you’re fitting right in,” Mrs. Carter was focused on her plate now, and not me.
I wanted to melt under the table and join the dogs. No one was paying them any attention. “I love it here. Chase is going to teach me to shoot next.”
Todd’s head snapped up and he grinned. “Now that sounds like fun. I’ve never shot a gun before.”
“I could set up a few targets behind the house.” Grant offered, giving me a wink. “You and Briar can start learning together.”
I could feel Mrs. Carter’s eyes boring a hole into me. I didn’t look at her. “And you’re parents approve?”
Why couldn’t she just be happy for me and Chase? “My parents don’t care.”
“This is the most entertaining lunch I’ve ever been to,” Grandma chimed from my left. “Say, do you have anything to spice up this lemonade?”
Oh, good God. I gave Jerry’s leg a nudge under the table and shook my head before he could tell her where the liquor cabinet was. He took the hint and told her no.
We finished lunch, and I helped Millie clean up while Chase got his mom and Todd settled in a guest room. Grant got four horses ready to ride, and had them lined up in the yard.
I was already seated on Ash, ready to ride when Chase came out of the house. Firefly was still a little timid for me to take out of the yard. It took Todd a couple tries, but he was on Gunther, an older Appalachian that would be easy for him to ride. Chase helped his mom onto Ruby. She didn’t look at all happy to be on a horse.
Chase swung up behind me. His mother stared at us, but I merely smiled at her and took the reins. Grant rode alongside Todd, showing him how to ride. I watched Chase’s mom out of the corner of my eye. Chase gave her a few tips, but it was clear she’d done this before.
We picked up the pace a bit, taking to the west, around a pasture to see some cows. It was clear, blue skies and a warm breeze the whole way. Then we looped back, passing the lake on the way to the house.
“Can we go a little faster?” Todd asked, clearly having fun. He looked like a big kid and not an ex model lawyer for once.
“Mom, you okay with picking up the pace?” Chase asked.
She nodded, looking right ahead at the flat expanse of field. “Just make sure he doesn’t break anything important.”
I laughed, but she wasn’t joking.
So I shut my mouth and handed Chase the reins. I was fine speeding up, but the most I did was a nice trot.
I leaned back against Chase’s chest and settled my hands on his knees, curling my fingers into the fabric of his jeans. He anchored one arm around me and gave Ash the order.
We flew.
I loved it.
Ash’s hooves hit the ground, jostling us, thundering like a massive storm. The ground disappeared, a blur of green under us as Chase jumped over a bush. Ash trotted, shaking his head and pounding his hooves, clearly pleased with himself. I patted him, smoothing his mane of gray hair. My chest was heaving. I was panting from the excitement, and holding my breath half the time.
Chase turned us and we saw Todd riding right next to Grant, a big grin on his face. He stopped a ways from us, and let out a whoop of excitement. “Honey, we may have to get a horse.”
Chase’s mom hadn’t urged Ruby into a full run, but she was heading towards us at a pretty good clip.
My mouth dropped open when she sped up and took Ruby in an elegant jump over the bush.
She didn’t smile, merely shrugged. “Looks like I’ve still got it.”
Grant grinned, bringing his horse next to Ash. “What do you say we start shooting lessons after dinner?”
Chase
Firearms of any kind put my mom in a sour mood. She went to bed early, complaining of a headache. It was just as well, she probably felt overwhelmed by everything. The last time she was here was for my dad’s funeral. It’d been twelve years.
“A little higher,” Briar directed me. “No, more. High, please. That’s too high. Just a little higher. Teeny bit more.”
“Make up your mind,” Grant laughed, the ladder he stood on wobbled.
“Prefect!” Briar clapped.
I tied off the rope to the trunk of a nearby tree and grabbed the long extension cord at my feet. I plugged in the cord trailing in the grass to my left, and smiled at our handy work.
“Wow,” Briar tipped her head back and spun in a circle. “It’s perfect.”
Grant and I had constructed a dance floor in the field behind the house. We laid down long boards and nailed them together, then flipped the whole thing over for a solid smooth floor. We took an old wagon wheel and threaded white lights from it to eight poles circling the floor.
And now that they were lit, it was looking more and more like a party.
“Where’s the band going to be?” I asked, since this was pretty much all Briar’s creation. She was planning how she wanted it all set up. Millie was busy in the kitchen with Jerry. Tomorrow Dustin and Tuck would help me run three grills and a smoker. We’d be up early and cooking most of the day.
Briar pointed to an area under the tree next to the dance floor, “Right there.”
I glanced at Grant, “That enough?”
He nodded, “The boys will have plenty of room.”
We worked till around eleven, setting everything up we needed. Chairs, tables, and hay bales. Briar hung American flags from almost every available surface. When there was nothing else we could do, we went to bed. By midmorning
the next day we had the entire field transformed into, what Millie called upon seeing it, a Star Spangled 4th.
“Grandma got run over by a reindeer, walking home from our house Christmas Eve…”
“Is she feeling alright?” I asked Briar as we watched Grandma hop off the porch swing and head into the house. She was in a colorful mood today. The singing didn’t cover half of what she’d done in the last five hours she’d been up.
Briar and I were on the porch playing checkers. She left our game and stole up next to the swing. Grandma had left her coffee cup on the bench seat. She took a sip to taste the contents.
“Oh, god.” She coughed, running to the side of the porch and spitting over the side. “Her coffee has something other than sugar in it, so I’d say she’s feeling pretty fine.”
I made my way over to her and took the mug, “This coffee is mostly bourbon.”
“Gross,” she wiped her mouth on the back of her hand.
We went back to our game before grandma caught us. “Where did she get bourbon from?”
“Jerry’s liquor cabinet isn’t locked.” I winked at her. “Might have to change that.”
She nodded, looking a little green “Soon, too. She drinks like a fish.”
“So how’s the game going kids?” Grandma came back out with a cookie to dunk in her burton and coffee. She was all gussied up for the fourth of July. Her lips were bright red, and she was wearing bright blue pants and a glittery American flag shirt. She’d also found a red, white, and blue scarf and looped it around her neck.
“Going great,” Briar wrinkled her nose as she watched grandma take a long drink from the mug. “Enjoying your coffee?”
“It’s superb. Just wonderful.” She guzzled a little more and I wondered if someone should say something to her. She’d be passed out before the party even started.
I tried not to laugh, “Good.”
“I was telling Norman…I said, Norm! Since he can’t hear well… I have to yell a lot… So I tell him, Briar is living in Montana.” She giggled, staring into the cup. “Well, look at that…it’s all gone.”
Briar was out of her seat, and she grabbed the mug from grandma. “Hey, I bet you’d be more comfortable inside. You can put your feet up on Millie’s stool and read a magazine. How does that sound?”
“Sounds great if I can get some more of that coffee to go with it.” Grandma took Briar’s hand and let her granddaughter lead her into the house. I followed, keeping some distance, because I didn’t want the old girl to think she was being ganged up on.
“Look, nice and cushy,” Briar sat her in Millie’s chair and pushed a foot stool in front of her. “Now, I’ll just get you a refill.”
I met Briar in the kitchen, thinking I’d help her make some coffee, but she set the mug in the sink and leaned against the counter with a sigh.
“Did you forget something?” I asked, opening the fridge to grab a pitcher of iced tea.
“Nope,” she smiled. “Give her about five minutes, and she’ll be asleep.”
I poured a couple glasses and added some honey, putting extra in Briar’s since she liked things on the sweet side. “You’re kidding.”
She took the glass and eyed me over the rim as she took a sip. “Three more minutes cowboy.”
I abandoned my glass on the counter and grinned. “Three minutes? I bet I could distract you for that long, probably longer.”
“You bet right,” she stood on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek.
I frowned, “What was that?”
“A kiss.” She laughed, lifting her glass for another drink.
I shook my head, took her glass and set it on the counter, giving her a real kiss. The kind that made us both weak in the knees. We ended up in the corner next to the fridge, and would have stayed there, perfectly content, had the sound of loud snores not met our ears.
Briar peeked around me, and tiptoed into the living room. She smiled and pointed at grandma, who was out like a light.
“Damn.” I grinned. “You were right.”
“Of course I was,” she scooted around me and ran out the door, grabbing her white boots on the way.
I followed, wondering what she was up to, and knew what she had in mind the second I saw her open the gate to Firefly’s corral. With a shake of my head, I went after her. I could not keep her away from that horse, not for the life of me. Firefly wasn’t exactly dangerous, but neither was she the gentlest creature.
“I want to ride her,” Briar said, feeding Firefly a sugar cube.
I nodded, “Not outside the corral.”
“I know,” she helped me get the saddle and we got Firefly to stop long enough to get her ready for Briar to ride.
“Ready?” I asked.
She nodded and gripped the horn, placing her foot in the stirrup. “Yup.”
I gave her a boost and she seated herself, taking the reins. “Okay, go.”
She walked Firefly in a circle around the pen. The horse was calm and steady. It was clear to me she and Briar had formed a connection, but I wasn’t sure I was ready to let them out of the gate yet. No telling how the mustang would react on open land.
It would have to happen eventually, but for now, this was good progress. Uncle Jerry and I worked with Firefly every day, and she’d made significant improvement. This was only Briar’s third time on her, but I knew that in no time, they’d be just like me and Ash.
“Easy,” I said, keeping my eyes on her, turning as I watched Briar urge firefly into a trot. “Nice and easy Briar baby.”
She laughed and blew me a kiss. “Hey, Millie and Jerry are back.”
I stole a quick glance behind me and saw Jerry driving his old Chevy up the drive. They’d taken the morning to drive into town and visit Jerry’s brother, who was recovering from a nasty car accident. He’d been well enough to transfer to the local hospital close to home. The man was damn lucky he’d been wearing his seatbelt.
I waved to Jerry and turned back to watch Briar, “When you’re done, I’m going to grab a quick shower and get ready for tonight.”
“Okay,” she slowed Firefly just a bit, patting her and giving her words of praise.
I heard the truck pull up close to the house, and a strange coughing sound.
The sound of Jerry cussing brought a smile to my face. It was obvious he was having engine trouble. No clue why he just didn’t replace the truck with something that Millie couldn’t tamper with. Maybe I’d buy him one and leave it in the yard for him to find.
A sound, like a gunshot, blasted through the yard. The truck backfired.
Firefly panicked, rearing up. She slammed forward, reared up again, and Briar’s hold slipped. I bolted for her, feeling as if I watched her fall in slow motion. She hit the ground with a thud, her right shoulder slamming into the fence behind her.
I threw myself down in the dirt, “Briar, don’t move yet. Just let me check you out first.”
She swept her curls off her face and sat up slowly. “I’m okay.”
I wasn’t so sure. “You were thrown from a horse.”
“Chase,” she smiled, wiping her hands on her jeans and streaking them with dirt. “I’m fine.”
I took her hands to help her stand. She seemed good, not too wobbly. A little hesitant to walk. But she took a few steps past me, and gave a nod. “I’m okay.”
“Uh, Briar…” I was standing behind her now, and got a good look at her shoulder. “Maybe you should hold up, baby.”
She frowned, “What?”
It was hot out, not like the heat in Florida, but still hot. Briar had on a tank top. “You skinned your shoulder.”
“No way,” she turned her head and looked down, her eyes going wide at the scrape the size of my palm. It wasn’t gushing blood, but it was safe to say she should be feeling it soon. “I didn’t even feel it.”
Yeah, I was pretty sure there was a big reason she wasn’t feeling yet. “Adrenaline. Just let me get you into the house.”
She nodded, and I
took her arm, making sure she was steady as she headed up into the yard with me.
Millie came rushing toward us, “Oh, what happened? Briar, sweetie, are you alright?”
“I’m okay, really.” She insisted. “I just need to get cleaned up.”
I gave Millie a kiss on the cheek. If I acted cool, she’d give us some space. “I got her, she’ll be okay.”
“Chase, let me help.” My mom came up to us. “Find the first aid kit and I’ll get her upstairs.”
I grabbed the first aid kit from the kitchen. Grandma was still zonked in Millie’s chair, and that was probably for the best.
“Why is it I’m always the one getting hurt, and nothing happens to you?” Briar asked once I was in the room. Grant was trained as an EMT, but my mom was a nurse, so there was no need to call him. It took too long for the paramedics to get to us. So it was up to someone on the ranch to stabilize the individual until help could arrive.
Thankfully, Briar wasn’t in any danger.
My mom began cleaning her up and taking stock of the damage. It wasn’t bad. I’d had worse. But this wasn’t me. This was my cheerleader. While she was tough, she wasn’t used to this life yet.
“You still good?” I asked her.
“Yeah.” She stretched out on her stomach on the bed after my mom was done. “I think I’m just a little dizzy.”
Yeah, I’d say her definition of a little was my definition of a lot. “Uh-huh.”
She grimaced and closed her eyes. “Okay, maybe my shoulder is starting to hurt.”
My mom hadn’t said much, and she started for the door. “You’re going to be okay. Might want to take something for the pain.”
I thanked her, and she headed back downstairs, leaving us. It’d been strange and a little strained. I wondered what she was thinking. It was hard. I couldn’t make her understand, only hope that she began to love Briar as much as I did.
I still had to shower, so I brought Briar to my room and she settled onto the bed while I got ready. When I was done, she was asleep. Stinker was curled up next to her. I sat on the bed and kissed her cheek. How could my mom not love her? She had me wrapped around her little finger.
The McCree's Star Spangled 4th Page 2
