Stubborn

by Jeanne Arnold

  I gulped. My visit turned awkward. I was standing in his room, soaked to the bone as he stretched out all suggestive. Was he expecting me to talk?

  “And?” I spurted back and wiped my wet hands on my shirt.

  Cloud to ground lightning hit nearby. The sky flashed blue through the back window. My gaze cut away to a half-full tub of Twizzlers on the floor.

  “You going to Texas? What’d she say?” He raised his knees up and patted the bed.

  “Uh huh,” I mumbled. “I didn’t exactly say where I was going, but she said yep.”

  Gabe’s greenish eyes circled me. “You want something dry?” he asked, grinning.

  He got up and walked to the kitchenette area. He picked up a guitar, the one I carried at the bonfire, and set it behind the table where piles of clothes were stacked. The yellow shirt was on top of the pile. The flutter in my chest turned into a herd of dancing hippos. I wanted to scream that I wanted the yellow one. But I didn’t dare say.

  I lowered my gaze to his hands as he sifted through the clothes.

  “Here,” he said. He handed me the folded yellow shirt and a pair of drawstring shorts. “Bathroom’s there.”

  I just about wet my pants. Not that he would have noticed because I was already drenched.

  “Thanks,” I said and kicked off my flip-flops.

  I held my breath as I hobbled across the wood floor. I dreaded seeing his bathroom, but I was more than happy to snoop through his personal affects. For a fleeting second, I contemplated finding Caleb’s toothbrush and dipping it in the toilet.

  As soon as the door shut, I held the yellow T-shirt to my nose and inhaled until I couldn’t breathe anymore. It felt so sneaky. It smelled of everything wonderful. The shirt was two sizes too big when I put it on and the shorts hung past my knees. I asked myself what the heck I was doing there.

  Gabe’s eyes smiled a fraction when I emerged. He snatched my shirt and shorts out of my hands and placed them on a chair in front of the air conditioning unit. Then he settled back down on the bed.

  “Work it,” he teased.

  I spun around for show and then ironed my hands over the yellow shirt. He had no idea. He was in a light mood.

  “Is this what you do on the weekends?” I asked.

  There was a fat novel propped open over his pillow. I took a closer look at the odd selection of titles.

  He raised an eyebrow.

  “I usually play bingo. Or go duck hunting when it ain’t raining. Sometimes I drive to Montana. Depends.”

  “So when exactly is the wedding?”

  I shot a glimpse over my shoulder and examined Caleb’s side. His area was fairly clean, aside from a stack of video games and a jumbled pile of gaming equipment at the foot of the bed. I sat down and accidently bumped a remote control. The enormous flat screen television flickered on. I hadn’t noticed it. The volume was at full blast. Some raunchy cable movie came into focus and Gabe vaulted off his bed like the TV was on fire and snuffed it out.

  A bray of nervous giggles escaped me. I bent over laughing as Gabe appeared to pull himself together. He was holding his side, grimacing while his face mirrored the red stripe on the Texas flag above his head.

  “His TV. I don’t watch much,” he told me. “Speaking of the tyrant, he’s meeting Molly back here when she gets off work. You wanna stay? They usually start making out and I have to leave. If you’re here, they’ll behave.”

  It wasn’t exactly a tempting invite. I wasn’t interested in watching Caleb and Molly go at it. But I wanted to be with Gabe. As a pair.

  “Sure,” I said crossing my legs. I hoped my clothes wouldn’t dry so I could smuggle out the yellow shirt. “How’s your stab wound?”

  Gabe heaved an exaggerated sigh. His black eye looked sad. “Hurts.”

  He lifted his shirt up to his armpits and dropped his chin to get a close look. I narrowed my gaze on the bandage and his tight abs. The skin looked red, but not inflamed.

  The door flew open.

  Gabe tugged his shirt down, but not before Caleb got a glimpse of him.

  “What do we have here? Show and tell? You eatin’ supper before you say grace?”

  Caleb flashed his smart eyes at Gabe and then let them land on me. “Nice outfit,” he said, wagging his eyebrows. “What am I interrupting, little bro?”

  I struggled to my feet. “We were going through your drawers. What’s with all the naked Ken and Barbie dolls?”

  I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to reveal that Caleb pushed me up against the sink and stole a kiss. I wanted to expose him in front of his brother, see if Gabe cared. But I resisted.

  Gabe burst into a short fit of laughter. I had never seen him giggle. It was contagious.

  “Moll’s coming by with pizza and Shaun of the Dead. You staying?” Caleb tightened his gaze on me.

  I tried not to glare at his plump, split lip. We exchanged a brief moment, and I glowered with daggers in my eyes. Caleb had some pull over me. I couldn’t shake it. It was annoying.

  After Molly arrived, the boys devoured the pizza as if it was their last meal. Molly and I sat on the floor and talked while I tried to eavesdrop on the brothers. She said she couldn’t believe Josh’s mom was pregnant at her age and kept speculating which one of the guys in the coop got her that way. I hadn’t even put a thought into the subject. I told Molly I might be going to the wedding. But I didn’t tell her I still had to convince my Aunt Meggie to let me travel twelve hundred miles unsupervised.

  “I’m betting Gabe told you nothing about what to expect,” she whispered. “I’ll just say one thing. Try not to drool.” She gave a quick laugh.

  Twenty minutes into the movie, the power blew out. Caleb and Molly made their way under Caleb’s sheets. Music played and muffled their activities, but not enough to make me feel at ease. The only light came from a flickering candle on the sink and the glowing screen of an iPod.

  I sat on the floor, amongst the books, at the edge of Gabe’s mattress. He was in his usual lazy pose on top of the bed. Neither of us said a word for a while. I played with my ponytail and pulled my collar up to my nose to sneak deep breaths of his shirt. My mind wandered between the articles I found atop Meggie’s desk and the sighs and giggles Molly and Caleb were forcing me to listen to from six feet away.

  “You there?” Gabe whispered at my ear.

  He rolled to rest on his side behind me.

  “Yeah,” I answered. “You put up with them doing that all the time?”

  Molly giggled loudly.

  “Grew up with three older brothers and lots of sneaky business,” he whispered and brushed his chin against my head.

  I wasn’t sure if he did it on purpose. I fired a glance over my shoulder. He was so close, I could hardly breathe.

  Had he been involved in sneaky business with Jordan Halverson? I cringed at the thought.

  “Can’t they go somewhere else?” I complained then tried not to speculate if both brothers were equally good kissers.

  Molly seemed content. I couldn’t say I blamed her. But I felt bad for her. Caleb had a lot of nerve acting like this in the same room with me. I tried to ignore the rumpus. I wanted to clear my conscience and tell him how Caleb snared me, but I thought Gabe might tackle him and mar his face even worse.

  I couldn’t understand why I felt guilty.

  “He does whatever the hell he wants.”

  I twisted my torso and rested my eyes on his shadowy outline. “You’re right. He does whatever he wants.”

  The music grew louder. Gabe grunted in my ear. “See?”

  “Believe me, I know,” I whispered and then felt a tug on my hair.

  Gabe ran his fingers through my ponytail. Was I dreaming? A million chills sprinted through my body and raised gooseflesh. Next thing I knew, he was pulling out the rubber band.

  I had no words.

  “This okay?” His deep drawl spoke into my neck, his breath tickling my skin.

  Or was it his lips?

 
I nodded my approval as he gathered my hair and ran his hands along the length. My lids drooped and I tried to breathe evenly. I couldn’t calm my fiery nerves. He was being gentle, affectionate. My shoulders trembled as he continued to comb his fingers through my hair. I quivered as he grazed my neck and ears. My giddiness quadrupled.

  Had Gabriel Halden been abducted by aliens?

  “You there?” he asked again.

  “Yeah. What are you doing?” I tried not to let on how stirred up I felt. Was this a friend thing?

  “Nothing,” he replied.

  I thought I heard a nervous laugh. He continued to comb my hair. I let him.

  * * *

  I didn’t see much of Gabe over the next few days, aside from my routine wake-ups to his dependable poses below or a brief passing in the yard. Meggie finally got a good look at his black eye when she caught him sliding his rent check under the door. I was in the office when it happened.

  “Gabriel kiddo. What is that?”

  She was wearing more form fitting clothes, no longer trying to conceal her pregnancy at home. Her hand curved over her obvious belly as she pursued him. At first, he ran like a little kid. Then he gave up and turned to face her.

  He flung his hands in the air. “Yeah, ma’am? I surrender.”

  “Oh my word. Your lovely eye. Gabriel Halden—what in the name of heaven happened?”

  Meggie would drag it out of him sooner or later. But she would never in a million years find out he’d been stabbed. As long as he kept his shirt on.

  “Nothing happened. It was that storm. Me and Caleb were wrestling when the power went out is all. I hit a bedpost and he rammed his lip into me.”

  He covered Caleb’s injuries in one big clever lie. I observed the exchange from the office doorway. I was impressed.

  “Caleb’s hurt too? Gabe, your father’s not gonna like that one bit. You kids walking around looking like you start fights. Uff-da!” She patted her belly. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell him.”

  Gabe’s lips parted. He looked as if he were going to say something. Then he snapped his jaw and started toward his room. At the door he looked about. “Actually, Meggie, me and Caleb are going home for a wedding in two days. He’s gonna see it no matter.”

  Was it normal for Meggie to talk to their father?

  Meggie threw back her head. “The wedding’s in Texas? Oh no. Avery, honey, you didn’t say the wedding was in Texas for crying out loud.”

  She had to let me go. I already borrowed a dress from Molly. It was short and cute and nothing like I would ever wear back home. I had to go.

  Gabe wanted me to go.

  I didn’t cry. I shamelessly pleaded. “You have to let me go. They’re expecting me. Oh please, Aunt Meggie? I’ll be eighteen in a few months,” I said with a dramatic flair. “My mother doesn’t let me do anything. For once, I want to have some fun. We’ll be supervised. Pretty please?”

  I sunk to a new low. I groveled and begged, and it eventually paid off.

  What was even better was when Aunt Meggie sat Gabe and Caleb down at the kitchen table, fed them cookies, and had a chat about their behavior.

  “Not one hand will be laid on that girl, you hear me? Not once. And if I hear anything, I’ll tell your father. You betcha I will. You drive the speed limit. No drinking, no drugs. And no sex,” she said loudly and slowly. She slapped the table hard. It sounded like she was their mother. I heard the whole thing from the top step where I was hiding. It took all of my willpower not to laugh out loud when they started yessing her.

  * * *

  Lane Halden was a standup guy. In a handful of days, he had Gabe’s pickup sitting pretty in Meggie’s driveway, a mirror image of its previous self. Meggie was none the wiser about the truck or the scar on Gabe’s stomach. But when I stopped at Gabe’s room the night before leaving for Texas, he answered the door shirtless. He had removed the bandage.

  “You can’t open the door like that.” I was so close to getting away. I didn’t need my aunt to see that. “What if I was Meggie?”

  I walked past him and huffed. Not that I had an aversion to seeing him undressed.

  “She’s not gonna squeal. Chill, okay?” He sat on the edge of the bed and dropped his head into his hands. “You packed?”

  “Yep. Ready as ever.” I sort of regretted sounding eager.

  “Let’s leave now. We’ll get a room in Nebraska tomorrow. I can’t sleep tonight. I wanna get rolling.”

  He sounded irritated, almost peeved. I looked at him long and hard. “Why?”

  His gaze lifted. “Just ’cause. I’m fixin’ to go. My truck’s washed and waxed.”

  He was always washing his truck. I wasn’t satisfied with his answer, so I nudged. “What’s really bugging you?”

  “Nothing,” he replied. His expression hardened. “It’s my dad. Somebody told him I had a black eye. And he knew about the fight and my side.”

  He raised his forehead when he saw my expression. “Naw. Meggie didn’t tell. I’m betting one of Hunt’s boys did the squawking.”

  “So you want to get there sooner so he can really give it to you in person?” I didn’t follow.

  Gabe stood and towered over me. He stepped close until our toes almost touched. I stared at his expansive shoulders and defined collarbone. Then I inhaled his air.

  “I’m gonna have it out with him before the wedding or I’m not gonna be able to stay. I can’t take it anymore. He’s so damn caught up on image. So what if I go after Hunt’s guys? So what? His freakin’ oldest son died and he just let it go.” He inclined his head toward mine. “I need you there.”

  My heart stopped. He needed me? I lifted my startled gaze when he set his hands on my shoulders. I tried not to tremble. It was fruitless.

  Was I going to find out which Halden was the better kisser?

  “Yeah?” I murmured. Slowly, he slid his hands down my arms and squeezed my elbows. I nearly convulsed. Was I going to feel his lips touch my face? I’d never felt so stirred with expectancy before.

  “Tell Meggie. I’ll load up my stuff. We’ll drive through the night,” he said, stepping away and interrupting my dreamy trance.

  My shoulders fell.

  “I’ll call Caleb from South Dakota. I don’t want him on my tail.”

  For that I was grateful.

  Aunt Meggie and Josh stood in the dark driveway later on—Josh at my truck window, Meggie at Gabe’s.

  Josh whispered, “Tell him thanks for restocking my stash.”

  I made a deliberate nod and decided to let him think it was Gabe when I knew it was Caleb. He went in the house. I drew my gaze across the cab to catch Meggie eyeing Gabe.

  “Tell your father hello for me. Take it easy on him, kid. Drive safe. Call me for anything. Keep your hands to yourself,” she told him.

  My inner thoughts roared. Not a problem, Aunt Meggie. He always keeps his hands to himself.

  She had the wrong Halden boy.

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said as he put on the heaviest drawl. “Gotcha.”

  She slapped the back of his head and flashed me a look. “You watch yourself, young lady. Have fun and call me each day. Don’t go getting lost in that mansion. See ya, kiddos.”

  Mansion? Gabe never said the wedding was in a mansion. I didn’t ask. I’d wait and see.

  I let him drive and stole glances at him every few minutes. The dark highways were desolate, never-ending, yellow lines that couldn’t hold my attention to save my life. I was impressed with Gabe’s choice of music. It was eclectic, much like mine. We listened to Jeff Buckley and Seether with an occasional country hit shuffled in. Gabe stopped at a Dunkin’ Donuts just before midnight. We were somewhere near the South Dakota border. He bought half a dozen Boston cream donuts and two large coffees with turbo shots of espresso for himself. He bought lemonade for me. My face held continued amazement as he downed the coffees and gobbled three donuts in minutes. He said he was determined to cover as much pavement as possible, so around three, he r
an into a minimart and purchased a Red Bull, a Coke, and a bag of Oreos. I was sure he bought some gum, too, because I smelled it as I was dozing off.

  When I awoke, my face was jammed between the seat and Gabe’s hip. My ponytail covered my eyes like a blindfold. I tucked my knees into my chest. The truck was bright and cozy, yet the AC was on full blast.

  “I can’t believe I slept that long,” I said as I rubbed the tiredness out of my eyes.

  “You didn’t hear the police siren?” he asked in an even tone.

  I knew he was kidding.

  “No. What did they get you for? Unlawful beauty?”

  “I’m stopping soon. I gotta get some shut-eye. There’s a place near Scott City. I’ve stayed there,” he said and glanced sideways to stare at my hands as I adjusted my shirt.

  “I just woke up. Now you’re stopping? Where are we anyway? What state?”

  I fished a brush out of my backpack and brushed out my snarls.

  “Kansas,” he said.

  I could hear the fatigue in his voice and exclaimed, “Oh my goodness, Gabe! You drove all the way to Kansas?”

  The broad blue sky cut crosswise over the land. It was exactly what Kansas should look like.

  “I always go this far. I like to get most of it over with. Then I sleep.”

  I watched as he ran his fingertips over the steering wheel. I noted how long his wrists were. He had nice hands. I noticed everything about him. Even the funny bite-like scar on his left thigh, just above the knee.

  “We’ll get something to eat first,” he said.

  I stayed in the truck while Gabe paid for the room. I was starting to feel like a tagalong. It seemed like a good idea to stay back. I didn’t want the manager to get the wrong idea about a couple of kids getting a room in the middle of the day. I was sure Gabe’s mind wasn’t even in that hemisphere.

  Unfortunately, mine was.

  I fixed my eyes on his tall body as he exited the office. His wallet was open and he had a Visa card in hand. He insisted on paying for everything. I didn’t even have one credit card to my name, and there he was driving a brand spanking new pickup and carrying four different cards and a wad of cash. I knew this because I accidently snooped the other day.