Just as Stubborn

by Jeanne Arnold

  I was sure his heart was pounding faster than mine.

  “Oh god,” I mumbled into my hand; my other hand braced the dash. The headlights lit up the cab as the car caught up to us. I squinted from the glare in the side view mirror. Our pursuer honked and flashed his lights on and off.

  “Hold on,” Gabe said as he hit the gas one last time. “Red Camaro. No sweat.”

  We took off so fast all of our heads shot back, and Gabe sped up a lengthy incline. The Camaro fell back. After we got to the crest, Gabe killed the lights and pulled off the road. The Camaro flew past us at top speed, and that’s when I saw the lights.

  Blue. Red. White.

  The police siren blasted and the new chase began. Josh rolled down his window and howled like a wolf as the Camaro’s mission was aborted. He reached over me and smacked the steering wheel. “That was freaking awesome.”

  I glared at the sign pointing east to Dodge City.

  “Time to get the heck out of Dodge. See. I don’t get tickets every time,” Gabe said.

  “How did you know there was a cop up ahead?”

  Gabe shook his head and spoke without looking at me. “Built in radar system. I get an electric shock under my skin when they’re near. Same as I get when I see you.”

  I faked a yawn into my palm to cover my smile. He ate candy hearts out of the door pocket. I could smell the cinnamon and a hint of cologne. I didn’t know if I had the willpower to fight the urge to touch Gabe while he drove. He hadn’t tried to touch me since his boot rode up my leg under the table at breakfast. He made eyes at me at the motel, but that was it. Two months separated and I thought he’d be roaring to make it up. I tried not to allow the disappointment to take up residence in my chest.

  “I’m gonna sleep. I got a long walk home,” Josh announced as he turned on the seat and rested his head against the window.

  I rolled my eyes at his statement as I spotted the cop lights a quarter mile down the hill. That could have been us.

  “Shouldn’t we eat now?” I asked, trying to put the chase behind me.

  “Oh yeah. Almost forgot,” Gabe said as he pushed his door open. “Stupid kid.”

  The wind burst though the cab, and I scooted out and followed Gabe around the back. He fumbled in the dark as the enormous moon disappeared behind the clouds. The tailgate fell into my chest, and Gabe went stomping across the bed to collect the sandwiches. My eyes adjusted. The air charged with electricity. I could smell the distinct scent of a storm forming. Instantly following my thought, a bolt of lightning streaked like a twitchy zigzag on the horizon. A car flashed by at the exact same time.

  “Storms get really bad out here. Rare we get rain, but when we do, watch out.”

  Gabe tore into the wrapper on the sandwich and handed me a soggy sub covered with grit and leaves. My hunger overcame me. I didn’t even bother to smell the contents to decide if it was mine.

  “Storms?” I swallowed a bite of gritty ham sandwich.

  He sat down beside me and butted his leg against mine.

  “There’s a tornado warning across the state line. We might be driving into bad weather if we don’t keep moving.”

  Great. More speeding.

  I finished eating in silence, sitting cross-legged on the tailgate. The wind whipped the paper in my hand, and my hair smacked my face. I wrapped the leftover sandwich in the bag for Josh before it blew away. I sensed he was spooked by the car chase and that’s why he lost his appetite.

  “You trust he’s not going to bolt?” I asked Gabe as he stared at the sky.

  “Where would he go? Hitch a ride down there? I know this land. There’s nothing for miles.”

  “Sounds like North Dakota.”

  “Yup,” he replied.

  I tried to make small talk. He was touching me but not any more than you cozy up with a friend. “Except no oil trucks or water tankers clogging the streets. No ruts in the road and empty shelves at the stores and lines at the doctor’s office.”

  “Feel free to blame Joel Halden. You want a drink?” he asked.

  He didn’t wait for me to answer. He stomped back across the bed and unlocked his toolbox. A bottle rolled noisily down the bed liner and into my hip.

  I listened as he guzzled his drink. He was probably thinking about his father. I’m sure he was thinking about going to see his older brother’s grave. Almost a year had passed since Eli Halden was killed in the accident that Hunt Barrett tried to cover up.

  “Gabe?” I said, glancing up. The moon illuminated his pinched features.

  “Hmm?”

  “I forgot about this week. I’m sorry. Do you want to talk about it?” I twisted my ponytail so it wouldn’t blow in my face.

  “What?” He cut me off as if he wasn’t listening. I heard the annoyance in his voice. My heart fell a little.

  “Gabe? Did you hear me?”

  “I gotta take care of business,” Josh declared as he pushed his door open and jumped down. The dome light lit the area and then died when he closed the door.

  “Don’t you wander far. I got a gun and good ears,” Gabe warned.

  “Yeah, yeah.” Josh scuttled into the weeds. Even if there wasn’t any brush, we couldn’t see anything.

  “I’m getting back in,” I said through my fingers. I blew steam into my palms. The air was growing chilly, complementing Gabe’s coldness.

  I stayed in the passenger seat after he slid in on his side. I thought maybe he’d try to touch me.

  “Av’ry,” he said in the dark.

  I didn’t answer as I watched for Josh to return. We both stared straight ahead. I wasn’t going to spoil the time obsessing about what was not going to happen between us. He needed more time to work himself out of his latest funk. I couldn’t change him.

  He sighed deeply.

  In a split second, he had me down the seat, pinned underneath him. He panted into my face. I couldn’t slow my feverish pulse as he let his weight down and crushed me. All of me. I bathed in the heat that radiated off of him. His personality changed as fast as the lightning lit the sky.

  “I’m not in a mood. I know what you’re thinking. Maybe Josh’ll get lost,” he whispered just before his teeth captured my bottom lip and he moved in to kiss me hard. I prepared to be elevated into the nanosphere. His hands slid into my hair and held me against the leather seat while his mouth did everything but speak words.

  Gabe’s kiss was heavenly. And startling. I had the pleasure of levitating above my body and watching at the same time I was being held down by his strength, his hungry lips. I grasped the back of his shirt in my fists and pulled. I forgave his evasiveness—this time.

  He knew how to kiss me silly. Best of all, he wanted me as much as I wanted him. It was more than obvious as he didn’t come up to breathe for minutes.

  “All you had to do was ask,” he whispered into my mouth as I edged my lips back into his.

  The tapping stopped us cold.

  “Dang it,” Gabe hissed as he held his cheek to mine and prepared to push off of me. “The kid’s back. Dust yourself off.”

  The tapping grew louder. Gabe sat up fast and started the truck. He threw it in drive and turned on the lights. That’s when I realized it wasn’t Josh knocking on the window above my head.

  “Open up,” the voice ordered.

  Gabe lowered the window, and I slid up the seat.

  “He says he’s with you. Is this so?” said the voice.

  “Yes, sir,” Gabe answered in his polite drawl. “He’s my brother.”

  The man leaned in. “Why are you parked in the dark? Where are you heading?”

  “He needed to use the facilities,” Gabe answered.

  “Are you their sister?” the voice asked me.

  I bit my bottom lip and nodded even though I wasn’t. I could still taste Gabe on my lips. What did it matter if I was his sister or not? I sure hoped if Gabe had a sister, he wouldn’t kiss her like that.

  “I’ll need to run your tags. Kill the engine.
Hop in, son, and sit tight.”

  Josh shoved me into the middle and shut the door. He didn’t say anything.

  My heart leapt into my throat when Gabe gunned the engine and sped out of the gravel as if a stampede of buffalo was on his tail. The truck fishtailed and he corrected skillfully.

  “He’ll run your plates, Gabe! What are you doing? He’s going to see you have tickets coming out of your ears. You’ll be arrested.”

  I couldn’t believe he was running. I couldn’t believe what was happening. It’s not like we did anything wrong.

  “He didn’t get the plates, and he couldn’t even see what color the truck was,” Gabe told me. “His car must be down the hill. I don’t think he even had a badge on him.”

  “So what? You don’t just run from the cops for nothing. It was nothing, right?” I asked.

  Gabe grunted. Josh slid down his seat and didn’t respond.

  “A real cop would ask for license and registration right off the bat. He didn’t even introduce himself.”

  “What do you mean? He wasn’t real?”

  “Nah. Phonies all over. In Texas, we can pick ’em out blindfolded. He had a Big Easy accent. I know a guy who works on Caleb’s well, sounds just like him. This guy’s no local. You know the guy I’m talkin’ about, don’t you, Josh?”

  Josh didn’t answer.

  “He could’ve had a gun, Gabe.”

  “I bet he did. But I got a bigger gun, Av’ry.”

  My brows grew together.

  “He’s not even following us. See.” Gabe leaned back as he gunned ahead. “He was wearing all blue. They don’t ever wear blue around here. Trust me.”

  * * *

  We made it to the gated entrance of the mansion in Benjamin without any more drama. My back was sore from sitting up the whole way, but I didn’t mind because I’d been sitting next to Gabe. I held onto his belt loop as we walked across the driveway and headed toward the mansion’s front door. The wind was fierce. I lagged a step behind as my phantom cast slowed me down. Driving in, I noticed areas where fence sections had given out, leaving the border to look like a mouth with missing teeth.

  Josh took off for the carriage house. He didn’t share what he planned to do back there, nor had he said much in the hours following the cop incident. All I cared about was getting inside before a gazebo tumbled across the lawn and squashed me.

  “I’m gonna pull into a garage. Storm’s about to hit. It hails baseballs here like nobody’s business. Go ahead. He won’t bite you,” Gabe shouted as he ran back to his truck.

  It was past midnight, and the lights were on in the front of the house. I startled when the housekeeper opened the door before I knocked. She had to hold the door tight so the wind wouldn’t slam it into the wall. I recognized the woman from my first visit to Texas when Gabe’s cousin got married. She nodded and welcomed me in with her hand in an attempt to be quiet. Her face was made-up as fresh as morning. Maybe she was the evening maid. Maybe Aunt Meggie was expecting a doctor visit.

  “Miss Paulsen is in the den. I’ll show you the way. May I take your bag?” she whispered.

  “Is she okay? Did she have the baby yet?”

  The woman grinned and shook her head. I followed on her heels and tried to brush away the awkward feeling that rushed me as I remembered the three-story entryway and the grand staircase that led to Gabe’s bedroom.

  “Avery Ross, I’ll be. This has got to be the craziest week of my life. Let me see that left hand of yours,” my aunt greeted.

  I flashed my empty hand. Did she really think I was wearing an engagement ring? Gabe and I hadn’t even attended a prom or had sex or done half the things couples our age did, though I was pretty certain she and my mother both thought the opposite.

  Meggie reclined on a long couch with her feet propped up. Her blonde hair stood out against the red upholstery. A woman in scrubs sat in a rocking chair with a magazine on her lap, a stethoscope around her neck.

  When I got a look at my aunt’s belly, I stopped in my tracks. “Oh, Aunt Meggie. I made it in time. I’m so glad.”

  “Yep. He’s still in here. He decided to kick back. I’ve made no progress whatsoever. Could’ve been back to Williston if that man hadn’t put his foot down. Not that I want to travel feeling like a beached whale.”

  “Is it a boy? So you’re not in labor now?” I asked.

  “Show me your hand,” she insisted, ignoring my questions, and then got distracted, shifting her eyes to the door. “Avery, where’s my kid?” Meggie tried to sit taller. The nurse jumped up and gave her a hand before I could.

  “He ran off when we got here. What happened to him, Aunt Meggie? He’s different.”

  “All of this happened, kiddo. Don’t worry. He’ll come around to accept this growing family. This baby will tie us all together in so many wonderful ways. I just know it.”

  She examined my left hand and let go, visibly pleased.

  “Where’s Gabe? I take it things are good between you two. What were you thinking getting on a plane without telling your mom? My word, do you have gumption. Don’t you dare mutter the word elope in front of her.”

  “Gabe is fine,” I said. He was beautiful and incredible and everything I missed—moods and all. Mostly I loved finding out what I forgot I had missed. The little things that slipped my mind because the big things like his lips and his voice were always in my thoughts.

  “Of course he is,” she said humorously.

  “Is Mr. Halden here?”

  “You betcha. He’s been stuck in his office, night and day. Comes out to check on me, eat a meal, and then vanishes again. Sometimes he doesn’t even eat.”

  Meggie let her gaze stretch behind me.

  “Miss Ross, hello,” the voice said. “We were surprised to learn you’d be visiting.”

  I let my head lead my body around to face the doorway. Mr. Halden sounded terse. He wore jeans and a black dress shirt. He was half executive officer, half homebody. Let’s not forget his movie star looks.

  “Hi, Mr. Halden. Sorry we came so late,” I said, avoiding his piercing eyes.

  “Please, call me Joel,” he said politely but with a firm tone. “Is Joshua with you? I need to talk with him.”

  I nodded. Josh would not be happy to hear that.

  “And am I to understand your mother is not aware that you traveled to North Dakota?”

  “Yes, sir. She didn’t know.” I glared at my aunt as she ironed her hand over her humungous belly.

  “Ahh! Come feel this, Avery. He just kicked my liver into a corner,” Meggie said and laughed.

  I crouched by her side, making every attempt to ignore Mr. Halden’s glare. I had a bad feeling he was ready to send me home.

  “That’s amazing. And gross. Doesn’t it hurt?” I asked.

  “Nope. It is kind of gross. Especially when you can watch the little foot slide across and poke out like an alien.”

  I stood up fast when Mr. Halden approached the back of the sofa and set a hand on Meggie’s shoulder. “Where is our other alien child?”

  I didn’t respond. I guess he could be funny. But his face appeared grim like Gabe’s when he got in one of his moods.

  “Is everything okay with the baby? Are you going to go back into labor? What if he doesn’t come out?” I asked.

  Meggie giggled like a child. She sounded sinister as a crack of thunder snapped above the mansion. “This baby is coming out one way or another. I’ll run around in the storm if it helps get this show on the road.”

  “How are the roads? A draught always ends with a flood,” said Mr. Halden. “You won’t be leaving this couch, Margareta.”

  I wondered why Gabe was taking so long. I wondered why Mr. Halden couldn’t call Meggie by her nickname like everyone else did.

  “The roads are fine. The wind is pretty scary. Gabe said he heard there was a tornado warning.”

  “It’s a tornado watch. I’m following it. So far, it’s north and west of here. We have provisions, a g
enerator, and the carriage house has a storm cellar.”

  Thunder clapped again, rumbling through my bones. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Gabe appear in the doorway. My heart skipped.

  “Howdy, Meggie. Sir,” Gabe said quietly in his usual drawl and tossed his hat on a table. “No baby yet? Looks like you swallowed a watermelon.”

  Meggie laughed and held her jiggling belly.

  The woman in the rocker looked up and dropped her eyes to her article just as quickly.

  “It could be awhile. Labor stalled. Glad you kids made it before the big storm hit. It amazes me how you can just hop in a truck and drive so far without trouble. Planes, trains, automobiles—you kids do everything. Now where’s my kid?” Meggie said.

  Gabe and I shared a fleeting glance and he spoke up. “Saw him beeline to the carriage house. Mind if we get settled?”

  “Lane and Caleb will be joining us. I’ve called them down to Benjamin. We have some urgent matters we need to address at my headquarters. Perhaps tomorrow. You boys will all stay on for the holiday. I insist,” Gabe’s father told him.

  “I’m bushed,” Gabe said clearly ignoring his father.

  “Gabriel, before you step out, we need to discuss the matter of Miss Ross traveling all the way to Texas without consent.”

  Gabe moved closer to me. I couldn’t draw a deep breath.

  “I’m eighteen,” I muttered. I should’ve kept quiet.

  “That may be so, but young lady, you’re still living with your folks, and in my book, that means you respect their rules. I’m under the impression they’re quite displeased at the moment. I don’t wish to be a part of your deception.”

  I couldn’t take it anymore. I pleaded to my aunt with my eyes.

  “Joel, she can stay until the baby arrives. I’ll talk to her mom again tomorrow.”

  “Jeez. Are you really serious?” Gabe huffed. “Av’ry’s my guest.”

  “Gabe, it’s fine,” I said. “I understand.”

  Though my chest was painfully tight, I didn’t want to leave. I wasn’t going home, even if they tried to make me.

  “It’s not fine. You’re my guest and that’s all that matters. C’mon,” he said.