Under the Dusty Sky

by Allie Brennan

  “That they are. But it’s your turn. We all pitch in.” He smiles and pinches my chin between his fingers, teasing me. I know I’m not winning this one.

  I reluctantly change into jeans. Tight ones. And I tie my plaid work shirt in a knot. Just in case.

  ***

  It’s pointless because I don’t see Bentley. All I see are piles of chicken crap. My hair is pulled messily on the top of my head, loose strands are stuck to my face and neck with sweat, but I don’t dare wipe at them. I untie and tuck in my work shirt after about five seconds. Dad’s right. Like always. I’m going to be scrubbing this stuff off me for weeks.

  It’s light out by the time I’m done, and sweat stings my eyes. It can’t be this hot out already. It’s barely July.

  I wipe my forehead with the only clean part of my shirt, wondering how all this liquid can be pouring from my skin but my mouth feels dry as sun-baked hay.

  I jog up to the huge wrap around porch and have to stop myself from diving into the shade. I plop down on the cool wood and lay flat on my back. Tossing my leather gloves to the side, I cross my arms over my eyes. It’s days like today I envy my best friend, Lacy, and her shaded house, air-conditioning, and in-ground pool.

  I’d bribe Asher or Archer to drive me today so I can soak all this chicken junk off me, but Lacy’s gone on her yearly family trip to the lake. Normally, Hunter drives me out to spend the last weekend with her, but not this year. My gut tightens, and I sit up. I miss Hunter so much.

  “Graceland?” says Bentley. I know it’s him by the shiver that very distinctly crawls across my scorching skin.

  He’s standing next to where I sit, holding out a glass of iced tea, which makes me like him because iced tea is my favorite. I grab the glass and down the whole thing without breathing.

  He chuckles and sits next to me as I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand and gulp at the air. God, that feels amazing. Cold drinks on hot days. Nothing beats it. Then I look over. Okay, maybe a few things are better.

  “What kind of name is that anyway?” Bentley asks.

  I always get asked this question, and I never want to answer it.

  “What kind of name is Bentley?” I tilt my head defiantly.

  He smiles a warm smile and taps his finger on my knee.

  “Not as odd as you might think. Definitely not as odd as Graceland.”

  My stomach clenches from missing Hunter, wanting off this farm, not wanting to talk about my name, and hoping Bentley will touch me again. Mostly, I don’t want to talk about my name.

  “I don’t know why my mother named me Graceland. She didn’t stick around long enough to tell me.”

  Bentley’s ice eyes melt into a cool blue, and he pats my knee again. Like a brother.

  “Sorry I brought it up.”

  He pauses while he scans my face, and he lifts his hand. Cupping my cheek, he swipes his warm thumb over my skin. The temperature gets about ten degrees hotter both inside me and in the air surrounding me. He leaves his hand there for just a second before he shifts his mouth into a full blown ear to ear smile that radiates a sureness I’ve never known. Smiles like his should be illegal.

  “You have chicken shit on your cheek.” Dropping his hand, he laughs and pushes himself up. “Well, see ya around, Gracie.”

  Great. I have shit on my face.

  Bentley ruffles my already messy ponytail, and my heart splatters as if I dropped it from my third story window.

  I had it all planned out. This was going to be easy. Boys are always easy.

  Bentley isn’t a boy. Not like I’m used to.

  I’m going to have to step up my game.

  CHAPTER 3

  Bentley

  I came here to get away. To get away from the city. From family. From women. From money. From the chess game that is my life.

  It’s Nebraska. There’s nothing but dust and corn here. Or, that’s what I had assumed.

  I’d been told Holloway had a daughter, but when I thought almost sixteen I did not picture Graceland. I didn’t think tall and sexy with a body more mature than most girls my age. I didn’t think cute country accent and what that accent might sound like whispering dirty things in my ear. But I’m thinking that now.

  This is dangerous territory. On so many levels.

  She definitely doesn’t seem her age, though. There’s something about her that makes her seem older. Something in the depth of her eyes is beyond almost sixteen. How she takes in the world around her. I don’t know. What I do know is that I shouldn’t be thinking about it.

  Someone slaps my back, and I’m torn from my thoughts. I dump the rest of my water into the sink and shift my eyes from Gracie, still sprawled outside on the porch, to her brother, who slides up onto the counter beside me.

  “Gracie sure is somethin’ eh?” One of the twins says. I have no idea which is which.

  I have this terrified sputtering going on in my chest, but I know outside I look calm, bored even. It’s easy for me to conceal my emotions. When you grow up like I did, it’s not hard to be fake.

  I pull my mouth into a grin.

  “She sure is. Filled to the brim with it. I usually call it attitude.” I laugh and step away from the window, prying my eyes off her. I need to take a shower or something. I already took one, but I feel covered in dust already.

  The twin stops me with his leg. My eyebrows pull together as I take in his small but tank-like frame. I’ve always been told never to mess with a farm kid. They might not be able to lay it out, but they sure can take it.

  “My sister is a pain in the ass, but she’s still my sister. She has plans for you. We can tell, mostly ‘cause she’s always schemin’. I’m warning you to be careful, and also if it ends badly, Asher and I will be the least of your worries. You haven’t met Hunter yet.”

  The muscle in my hand twitches. I’m being threatened by a sixteen year old. This is definitely a first.

  I put my hand on Archer’s shoulder. Mostly to stop the twitching.

  “There’s nothing to end, man. I’m here to work for a few months, get away from the city for some quiet. That’s it.”

  Archer smiles, but it’s not a friendly smile. It’s a disbelieving one.

  “It’s hard work to keep up with her,” he says and hops off the counter. At the doorway to the long hall, he stops and turns, his hair shadowing his eyes, but I can see them laughing at me.

  “It’s also hard to say no to her. She’ll do whatever it takes to get what she wants from you. But you better learn the word, Bentley. Practice it. Use it. You’ll need it. Welcome to our home, and good luck with Bug. You’ll need some of that, too.”

  He chuckles like a little kid who’s sadistically frying an ant with a magnifying glass and leaves me alone in the powder blue and white kitchen. I’ve been here for less than twenty-four hours, and this is the most intense girl I’ve ever met.

  I look out the window at her again.

  And possibly the most intriguing.

  She’s got her feet up on the carved post that holds up the overhang, and her arms are behind her head. Her work shirt is untucked and unbuttoned. Her flat, bronzed stomach is exposed, looking even darker against the white of her shirt. Her jeans ride low on her hips.

  I turned eighteen less than a month ago.

  It’s barely two years between us.

  I breathe out slowly.

  No.

  CHAPTER 4

  Graceland

  “He looks like the guy from that vampire show. I can see his eyes from here.” Lacy is sitting on my window bench a week after Bentley arrives, peeking through the curtains. Bentley’s playing with Rasp, and I hate how I feel about it. It’s cute. He’s not supposed to be cute. And Rasp isn’t supposed to like him this much. He spends more time with that dog than anyone else. He’s either working, glued to his cell phone, or in his room, and no matter how much I try, and believe me I try, he has spoken less than ten words to me in five days. Maybe I should take up texting him. He might n
otice that.

  I try to act disinterested in what Lacy’s saying but mostly because I’m pissed. Lacy’s my best friend. Normally I tell her everything, but I’m disheartened by Ben’s total lack of recognition and I can’t tell her why yet. She would think it was crazy anyways. Hell, right now I think it’s crazy. She’d think I am even more ridiculous for deciding that Bentley is the guy. I had known him for less than twenty-four hours when I made the decision, and I’ve known him a week now and not so much as one accidental touch. On his part, of course. I bump into him any chance I get.

  No, I can’t tell Lacy yet. She’ll run her hands through her hair and squeeze her eyes shut like she always does when she disagrees with me. She’ll look at me with that mom look, but I know what I want.

  I don’t want a soulmate, or Mister Right, or perfect person. I want the perfect first time.

  “Hey, earth to Gracie. Are you even listenin’ to me?” Lacy kicks me with her bare foot, and I jump.

  “No, you’re probably not sayin’ anything important anyway.” I grin, and she pounces on me. I screech and kick out at her as she tries to pin me down and tickle me. I hate being tickled, and she knows it. A side effect of the twins. I wiggle out from under her and fall to the floor with a thud.

  My bedroom door opens, and Asher pokes his head in.

  “What in the hell—” he starts before his eyes catch Lacy. She sits back quickly and runs her hands through her chin-length blonde hair.

  “Oh, hey Lacy.” Asher steps into my room, his hands in the pockets of his dark boot cut designer jeans, the ones I make him wear so he at least doesn’t look like a country boy.

  I jump up and push him out of my room.

  “You’re not allowed in here. Git!”

  Ugh, I hate it when that slips.

  When I turn back, Lacy’s cheeks are a light pink, and she’s staring out the window again.

  “What’s up with you?” I ask, sitting next to her.

  “Nothin’. Why?”

  I shake my head. She thinks I don’t know how bad she’s got it for my brother. But I am happy keeping it a topic we don’t talk about.

  “Come. Let’s go meet my hot vampire farm hand.” I laugh and pull her up from the bench. I stop to look in the full-length mirror. My cut-offs look fantastically cut off, and I slip on my wedge heels to push me up to six feet. Bentley has to be at least 6’2”. No one my age is taller than me. Except Dermott, my, uh, I don’t know what to call him, but we’re basically the same height.

  I run my hand through my long, straight chestnut hair and make a note to get a hair appointment in town. It needs to be shinier.

  “Seriously, Gracie. You look great. You wouldn’t have it any other way. Plus, didn’t you say he’s graduated? Totally off limits.”

  I shrug.

  “He graduated this year, as in like a couple weeks ago. I heard him tell my dad he turned eighteen at the end of May. Plus his availability doesn’t mean I shouldn’t want to look nice.”

  I spin and leave the room before she can answer.

  ***

  Bentley’s in mid-throw when we reach him in the front yard. He made the mistake of throwing the ball for Rasp, who can play fetch until he falls over dead. Ben sees us, pushes his hair out of his eyes, and smiles. God, he’s amazing to look at.

  Lacy looks at me and raises an eyebrow. She gets it now. She’s good at reading me, but we’ve been best friends since before birth. Our mothers were best friends. Me and my brothers aren’t the only people Mom abandoned.

  Lacy has the all-knowing glimmer in her pale blue eyes, which look almost grey compared to Bentley’s.

  “Hey, Gracie.” He squats down to rub Rasp’s head and take the gross slobber ball from his mouth.

  “Hey, I just want you to meet Lacy. She spends a lot of time out here. She’s crazy and thinks farm work is fun.”

  I roll my eyes. She always comes out on the weekends to help us. I don’t know why anyone would choose this life.

  Bentley stands and holds out his hand. She blushes when she takes it, which is nothing new. Lacy always blushes. There’s a loud banging sound, and we all turn to the porch. There’s no one there. No one goes past me. It’s definitely the screen door, but the only action in the yard is a swirling tornado of dust and dirt.

  “It’s rewarding work. I haven’t officially started, but I’m enjoying it. Nice to meet you, Lacy.” He smiles his milk-white, calcium rich smile, and Lacy blushes deeper.

  Bentley turns and throws the ball for Rasp again. He wipes his hands on his jeans and shoves them in his pockets.

  “So, what’s there to do around here that isn’t work?”

  Half my mouth turns into a smile. I look at Lacy, and she shakes her head slightly, her eyes widening.

  “I was just going to go into town with Lacy. She has a pool. Wanna come?”

  Lacy squeezes her eyes shut for a half-second and pulls her keys from her pocket.

  Bentley looks between us.

  “I dunno. Are your brothers going?” Bentley scratches his neck and glances at the house. He must be scared of my Dad or something. Or he just doesn’t want to be alone with me, like every other time this week I’ve tried to get him to myself and he miraculously needed to be in a different place. He has to come to Lacy’s, even if it means my stupid brothers coming.

  “Yes.”

  “No.” Lacy’s face flares. “I mean, yeah they can come if they want.”

  She heads to her parents’ tiny little car, and I run to the house to bribe my brothers.

  I meet Archer first. He’s sitting at the table reading a book, his eyes flicking back and forth across the page. He’s leaning forward on his elbows with his chin in his hands, drinking iced tea out of a straw. It always surprises me that he likes to read so much. He’s such a bonehead sometimes.

  “You’re coming swimming this afternoon. I’ll clean chickens for a week. Go. You can read at the pool.” I slam his book shut, and he jumps.

  “What the hell, Gracie Marie?” Archer’s the only one that calls me that. Apparently it’s what Mom called me.

  “Swimming.”

  “I don’t really want to swim.” He snatches his book back, and I let him because he’s way bigger than me and I know it’s not worth it.

  An irritated gurgle forms in my throat.

  “Please, Archer. I can’t go if you don’t. You can read at Lacy’s. You don’t have to swim. Please.”

  I pout. He smiles. I win.

  “Fine. You’re really annoying, you know that? I’ve never known anyone who gets their way more than you.”

  I throw my arms around his neck and kiss his cheek. He pushes me away and gets up.

  Now for Asher. When I find him in his room, he looks really agitated. His light hair is standing up from tugging on it. It’s something he does when he’s upset, one of his few distinguishing features from Archer.

  I should ask him what’s wrong, but I don’t much care at the moment.

  “Asher, we’re going swimming at Lacy’s”

  Asher is up before I finish and rummaging through his dresser drawer. He grabs his trunks and pushes past me in the doorway.

  “Let’s go then,” he says.

  My jaw drops as he storms down the stairs, down the hall, and out the screen door.

  It’s never been that easy.

  ***

  I catch a ride with Lacy. Bentley goes with my brothers.

  We leave a note for Dad because he’s usually in the field until dinner anyways.

  “So exactly what’s your deal with this Bentley?” Lacy asks, and I don’t look at her. I watch the flat land whiz by her tiny car window.

  “Gracie, don’t avoid it. I know you’re up to something. I know you too well.”

  I wink at her. I’m not ready to talk about it yet.

  “He’s hot. Not much to figure out there.”

  “Just be careful. I don’t want you to get hurt.” She glances at me, and we pull into town just behind Ar
cher’s old beat up truck.

  I stay silent until we get to her house, and she steals glances at me every few minutes. In the driveway, I lean over the seat and kiss her cheek dramatically.

  “I don’t get hurt, Lacy Bear. But I can’t make any promises for him.”

  I hop out of the car and pull my tank over my head. I wore my black bikini because I am determined to make him notice me.

  Just as I pass Archer’s truck Bentley jumps out of the back and lands right in front of me, making me jump.

  “Good day for a swim.” He’s holding my gaze with his ice eyes. I nod, suddenly unable to speak. This doesn’t happen to me.

  Bentley runs his hand through his hair, but his eyes don’t leave mine until he turns and follows Archer into Lacy’s backyard.

  My heart is hammering behind my tiny black bikini. I’m supposed to be knocking him off his axis, not the other way around. He doesn’t even check me out. He doesn’t even notice.

  I leave my shorts on the cement by the pool and jump in the water after Asher. I practically land on him, and he catches me. I try to drown him unsuccessfully until he flips me over his shoulder and dunks me. He lifts me up and throws me to Archer who lifts me over his head and makes a loud hulk-like grunting noise before he tosses me back in the water.

  This is the only time I love having the twins as my brothers. They are fun, and crazy, and it doesn’t hurt hitting the water.

  Lacy’s sitting on the edge of the pool very un-Lacy-like. She lives for the water, but she won’t come in. She’s kicking her legs smoothly through the water, leaning back on her hands, and she won’t look at us.

  She’s watching her little brother, Mason, struggle through the water as he plays volleyball with Bentley. It’s ridiculously adorable. Lacy’s gaze catches mine before she looks up and closes her eyes. Her legs make another pass through the water, and I have to do something about it.

  I swim to the edge of the pool and pull myself out next to Lace. She looks over and smiles a small smile.

  I stand up just as Asher swims by. I grab Lacy under the arms, lift her tiny frame easily, and she shrieks.

  “Asher, catch!” I yell as I toss Lacy at him. He’s a quarterback so his reflexes are quick, and he catches her around the waist. Holding her against him. Her hands are on his shoulders and stay there as she slides down his body into the water.