She enjoyed visiting with both Gwin and Mrs. Baxter for another hour, then said, “I better get home. I only intended to go for a little walk and say hello.” And to have a much needed conversation with Travis, but that will obviously have to wait. “I’ve been gone so long, I’m afraid my aunt will be worried.”
“We’ll drop you off,” Gwin offered. “We have to take a meal over to Shannah’s father anyway.”
“Is someone ill?” Shannah was one of her best friends. Had she been injured or something? Rachael hadn’t spoken with her since school let out for the summer.
“Oh no, dear, she’s at her grandmother’s house in South Carolina. She’ll be gone for the summer. We take her father a meal a couple of times each week during the summer—just to make sure he’s not starving. He can cook…just not well.” Both women exchanged a knowing glance and laughed.
“I didn’t know Shannah’s grandmother lived in South Carolina.” Rachael had thought Shannah didn’t have any family other than her father. She’d never mentioned her grandmother.
“Well, Shannah doesn’t like to speak about it, and it wouldn’t be proper to share any of her personal information without her permission. However, what I can tell you is she’ll be back the Sunday before school starts.” Mrs. Baxter stood and pushed her chair back in.
Wow, is this going to be a lonely summer. No Maysie. No Shannah. No Travis. I guess I’ll be bonding a lot with Michael. And I always have Taffy, ole’ lonesome George, and the rest of the barnyard crew here at the Baxters’ house.
Suddenly Mrs. Baxter’s invitation for Rachael to visit with her didn’t seem quite so unlikely of a scenario.
On her way home Rachael’s cell phone rang. It was her aunt asking her if she could pick up two bags of feed and a couple bales of hay for Taffy and ole’ lonesome George. Mrs. Baxter and Gwin didn’t mind. The feed store was right around the corner, and they needed a few things too. They dropped the food for Shannah’s father on their way and then continued on to the feed store in Myakka City.
When they arrived at the feed store, Rachael took a few minutes to browse the Western clothing section. She’d never shopped for Western shirts, cowgirl hats, and boots, but the more she glanced around, the more she realized the clothing might be something she’d enjoy wearing. She had no idea there were so many styles of boots. Snakeskin and leather—from camel to dark red and even purple in color. Even a teal pair with a three-inch-high heel that would be stunning paired with a short jean skirt.
I wonder if someone would actually ride in these. On second thought, I don’t think so. They must only be for dress.
“Hey, Rachael, long time, no see. Can I help you with anything?” When Rachael turned, she couldn’t have been more surprised. Melinda, who ran with Travis’s ex-girlfriend’s crowd, was standing beside her.
Rachael hadn’t interacted with Melinda much since the night in the locker room last year when Melinda had followed her in with the intention of intimidating her into staying away from Travis Baxter. There really hadn’t been any need because at the time Rachael had still been dating Colten, but now things had changed.
Rachael wasn’t about to be intimidated by any girl. Sure, Melinda looked tough. She had a few tattoos on her arms and ankle, and maybe more in undisclosed places, but after their run-in, Rachael was positive Melinda wasn’t a threat.
“Hey, Melinda, how are you?” Rachael asked.
“Okay, I guess. I work here. It’s a job for the summer, and I needed one, so here I am.” Melinda glanced at the teal boot in Rachael’s hand. “These are awesome. I liked them when they first came in, but they are way too expensive for my tastes, not to mention my budget.”
A peek at the price tag on the bottom of the boot told Rachael the boots were way too expensive for her budget as well. “Five hundred dollars! Are you kidding me?” Rachael shrieked.
“I know, right? What person can afford these boots? Boots in general are really expensive,” Melinda advised.
“Yeah, I guess. This is my first time pricing any. They are cool, though.”
“I kinda figured. I never pegged you for a boots kind of girl.”
“Well, it looks like I may be here awhile, maybe even a few years, so I thought I might like to blend in.”
“So what are your plans for the summer?” Melinda asked.
“I don’t know. I just found out Travis, Maysie, and Shannah are all gone for the summer. It’s going to be a long one.”
“It turns into a ghost town around here in the summer. Let me give you my number. Maybe we can hang out. I have a lot of friends who live out here that I can introduce you to.”
“Sounds good,” Rachael heard herself saying, but she wasn’t sure about hanging out with Melinda. Something in the pit of her stomach warned her against it, but she didn’t want to be rude, so she exchanged numbers anyway.
Just then Mrs. Baxter walked over. “Melinda, good to see you.”
“You too, Mrs. Baxter.”
Then Mrs. Baxter turned toward Rachael. “Your feed is loaded in the truck. Ready to go?”
“Yes ma’am.”
Rachael, Gwin, and Mrs. Baxter got into the truck and slowly pulled out onto the highway. Mrs. Baxter glanced at Gwin, then said, “A bit of friendly advice about Melinda. She may seem very nice but please be careful around that one. She can be trouble.”
“Yes, I know. Both Shannah and Maysie warned me she could be trouble when I first moved here last year.”
What kind of trouble I’m not sure. I saw her flick Travis off during my first weekend here on the Peace River, and she’s the only girl I know sporting tattoos in the tenth grade. But those things alone aren’t enough to condemn someone.
Then there was the day in the locker room she got in my face a little, but she wasn’t hostile or aggressive. Maybe everyone misunderstands who she is as a person.
Rachael had always chosen to think for herself where her friends were concerned. And so far she had done a fairly decent job.
Of course, there’s the situation involving Jason and Maysie.
Travis had warned her Jason wasn’t right for Maysie, but Rachael had to find that out for herself the painful way—when her friend Brittany came to visit her for a weekend and ended up kissing Jason. At least Maysie had the common sense after that to realize Jason wasn’t right for her either. Sometimes you had to give people the benefit of a doubt and hope you were right about them.
My gut has always told me to stay away from Melinda and her crowd, but today she seemed so nice and friendly. I could have been wrong about her.
*
The rest of the week was sluggish at best. She spent it hanging out in the barn, grooming Taffy and even ole’ lonesome George. She even went as far as painting Taffy’s hooves one afternoon. All of her friends in Palm Beach, including Ellery, were on vacations for the summer. Her mother was back in Palm Beach wrapping up loose ends and meeting with her father’s attorney. She would return sometime next week. Michael, her younger brother, had taken the news of her father’s pending trial and the possibility of real jail time very hard. He’d been hiding out in his game lounge for days, refusing to speak with anyone about his true feelings on the subject.
Rachael jumped when her cell phone rang. Glancing at the caller ID, she saw it was Melinda. She hadn’t heard from her since that afternoon at the feed store. “Hello,” she answered hesitantly.
“Hey, Rachael, what are you doing?” Melinda asked.
“Cleaning the barn and grooming my heifer. You?”
“A bunch of us are going out tonight to celebrate summer. I thought you might like to come.”
I don’t know. Do I? Against her better judgment, Rachael heard herself saying, “Sure. What time?”
“Around eight. We’ll pick you up.”
“Great. See you then.”
I should have asked what we are doing. What should I wear? I don’t know Melinda well. We could be going mudding or to a movie. Just about anything really. Jeans.
When in doubt, wear jeans.
Rachael finished up in the barn and went inside to get cleaned up and grab a bite to eat. She told her Aunt Margaret about her plans to make sure it was okay for her to go. She told Rachael she could stay out until midnight since it was summer.
Rachael opted for a pair of jeans, a tank top, a pull-over hoodie, and flip flops. The catch-all outfit. It would suit any situation, or so she thought.
*
Around eight o’clock a horn honked. She figured it had to be Melinda since none of her other friends typically honked the horn for her to come running outside. She certainly wasn’t expecting anyone else to stop by.
When she stepped out her door, she saw a large black truck up on big tires in the driveway. Melinda was sitting in the front seat with some guy who looked older.
“Hey, Rachael, this is my friend Justin and my cousin Chad. He’s Sophie’s older brother. I’m sure you remember her. She dated Travis briefly this past year.”
“Sure, I remember.” Rachael acknowledged Chad with a nod as she climbed into the back seat.
Is this a double date? It sure feels like it. Melinda had never mentioned the guys. The older guys. How old were they anyway? Justin could have been twenty or twenty-eight. Rachael couldn’t tell which. Chad might be eighteen or nineteen.
Just then Chad spoke. “Melinda said you’re from West Palm Beach. How do you like it here so far?”
She smiled. “I love it, actually. Everyone has been super nice and cool. I’ve made some great friends.”
“Good. I hear you dance at the high school with Shannah. She and I are pretty good friends.”
“I do. She’s in South Carolina for the summer, though. I miss her and Maysie.”
“Maysie?”
“Travis Baxter’s twin sister.”
“Oh, I know who she is. Not well, though.” Chad grinned.
Rachael wondered what he meant by that, but he didn’t offer anything further on the subject. Maybe they had dated.
“Where are we going?” Rachael asked in general to everyone in the truck.
“The hunt camp,” Melinda answered.
Oh, the hunt camp. Should I know what that is?
5
RACHAEL AND CHAD MADE SMALL TALK on the way to the “hunt camp.” She noticed that Justin and Melinda were holding hands. Obviously they were a couple and appeared to have been dating for some time. After a twenty-five minute drive, it was already getting dark when they arrived at a dirt road appearing to lead nowhere. But they turned off the main road, drove through an open gate, then down the dirt road. Rachael noticed a steady stream of cars, trucks, and Jeeps behind them as well as a few ahead due to the headlights’ reflections off of the rearview mirror. The road was muddy, but no one seemed to have any trouble navigating it. Justin’s truck was up high enough and had four-wheel drive. Another ten minutes and they pulled up to what must be the “hunt camp.”
“Here we are,” Melinda announced.
Rachael saw three cabins with porches and tents set up everywhere. Is this a party or a campout?
“Let’s go. I’ll introduce you around.” Chad helped Rachael down out of the backseat.
She didn’t say anything. She was too busy taking the scene in.
Lawn chairs and coolers were scattered on the outskirts of an enormous bonfire. Kids were seated on the tailgates of trucks. Everyone seemed to be having a great time. A few girls in short shorts and tank tops danced on a makeshift dance floor in an open-sided pole barn, while others danced in the beds of trucks. One girl even wore a camo bikini top with matching bottoms.
Guess I missed the memo about the daisy dukes, tank tops, and bikinis.
Several of the trucks blared their radios to the same country music station. There must have been about seventy guys and girls there—some she recognized from her first air-boating experience with Maysie, Travis, and Shannah on the Peace River last summer. The ones she recognized had been very nice and were friends of Travis’s.
“Are we still in Manatee County?” Rachael asked Chad.
“No, ma’am. You are in DeSoto County.”
“DeSoto County! Where is that?”
“Outside of Arcadia.” Chad laughed. “It’s not like you’ve left the state or anything. DeSoto County borders both Manatee and Sarasota counties. You’re only twenty or so miles from home. You drive that far to school every day. You just don’t think of it because the school is in the same county as your house.”
“I guess so, when you explain it like that. Back home in Palm Beach I never traveled outside of West Palm Beach, the city, let alone Palm Beach County. It seems so weird how all of these kids from different counties know each other.”
He doffed his Western hat at her. “You’re in the country now. Everyone out here is from agricultural backgrounds. Our families know each other.”
As Rachael and Chad made their way around, several recognized her from the river as, “Aren’t you that girl who was air-boating with Travis Baxter?” or, “Didn’t you date Travis Baxter?”
Unfortunately she had to answer no to their questions about dating Travis Baxter. I wish I had been dating Travis last summer. But no, I was dating a jerk of a guy I mistakenly thought loved me. I wasted an entire year of my high school existence on him. If there were such a thing as a do-over, I’d definitely try it.
Then, as Rachael made her way around the campfire with Chad, she saw two girls who needed no introduction. Misty, Travis’s ex-girlfriend of two years, and Honey, her best friend, were each sitting on a guy’s lap. Rachael had danced with them on the high school dance team last year but didn’t expect to see them tonight. Of course, if she had known it was a party, she would have expected to run into them. After all, they were Melinda’s best friends and had quite the reputation of being party girls.
While Misty had remained cordial throughout the school year and dance season, Rachael had the definite feeling Misty really disliked her. Honey, on the other hand, seemed as sweet and kind as her name implied. Even Maysie and Shannah liked her. It was Misty you couldn’t trust—not with your boyfriend, not with your secrets, and not with anything personal.
“Hi, Rachael. What’s up?” Misty asked.
“Nothing much. Just enjoying the party. How are you?”
“Good. Have a seat.” Misty motioned to an empty chair next to her.
Rachael eyed the chair skeptically, not planning on sitting anywhere near Misty or hanging out with her, either.
“This is Troy.” Misty introduced the guy whose lap she was currently occupying.
Honey smiled. “And this is Bill.”
Rachael wasn’t sure by their introductions whether Misty was dating Troy or Honey was dating Bill. She could only assume since they were seated on their laps and seemed very familiar with these guys that they were their boyfriends.
“Nice to meet you both,” Rachael mumbled.
“So, Rachael.” Misty paused before continuing her interrogation. “I heard a rumor you and Colten broke up. That must have been awfully embarrassing in front of all of your Palm Beach friends. I can’t believe he stood you up like that at your Debutante Ball. Thank goodness for friends like Travis, who came to your rescue.”
Rachael stood there baffled and mortified. Who spilled the beans about my horrid break-up with Colten? Or that he didn’t want to show up and tarnish his family’s good name through association with me? Their falling out had been bad enough the first time. Rachael didn’t want to relive it in front of Misty and Honey. And definitely not in front of a bunch of strangers.
Who was spreading the news about her difficulties? Travis? Maysie? Shannah? Alex maybe? Alex was definitely a possibility. She was friends with both Misty and Honey from the dance team. Alex would never have done it to be malicious or gossipy, just to share things the way she did. But the news had gotten to the wrong person. Misty was malicious. Mean. Spiteful. Obviously she was trying hard to embarrass Rachael and doing a good job of it.
Just then
Honey spoke. “Alex told us. She thought it was horrible. But the girls all pulling together and toilet-papering his Jeep was pretty funny.”
“Yeah. Sure was,” Rachael muttered unenthusiastically. Get me out of here.
“Now maybe you’ll give Ty a shot. He’s one of the hottest guys at school.” Honey seemed to be trying to lighten the mood. “And look,” she added. “He’s headed your way right now.”
A glance past the bonfire revealed Ty on the move toward their small grouping of lawn chairs. Won’t this guy ever give up? I’ve never been in to the player type. And Ty is definitely a player.
He was wearing a pair of extra low rise, torn jeans that accented his fit abs and hips. Rachael was sure the backside looked pretty appealing too. He also wore a pale blue V-neck to show off his tatted arms and to accentuate his tan face and dark hair.
Rachael could have died right there, at that moment. This night seemed to be going from bad to worse. First the unexpected blind date with Chad and now Ty.
It wasn’t that she disliked Ty, because she didn’t. But she didn’t want any guy complications right now, unless of course that complication was Travis. She glanced at her watch. It was a little after ten o’clock.
Only two more hours of this torture and I’ll be home.
“Rachael, you’re looking great.” Ty beamed a smile at her. “I haven’t seen you around much this summer.”
“I’ve been spending some time in West Palm.”
“How was that?”
“Loads of fun.”
That wasn’t exactly the case, but she didn’t intend to launch into her family’s story of woes—especially not in front of Misty. Rachael wasn’t sure if Alex knew about her father’s newest situation and, if so, whether she’d shared any details with Honey and Misty. So she opted to change the subject.
“This hunt camp is really cool. Do y’all hang out here often?”
While she’d directed her question to Ty, Chad answered. “This piece of property belongs to Justin’s family. They own the Triangle J ranch here in DeSoto County. It’s huge. Justin likes to throw parties here. The end of the school year seemed like a good enough excuse.”
Cowgirl Down (Redneck Debutante) Page 5
