Love You to Death (19 page)

I had to admit, I kinda liked being the cook.
It made me feel good to know I was contributing to the household.
Sissy flat out refused any money I tried to give her so I used my
free time before bed to read some recipe books she’d lent me. A lot
of recipes involved bourbon. I imagined there were quite a few AA
offices here.

Sissy was the first to arrive for lunch. She
nodded her approval as she poured a glass of iced tea. She was
followed by Cort and Stewie, who both fast tracked to the sink to
wash their hands. JD and Gideon showed up just as everyone started
filling their plates. We all sat around the large round breakfast
table surrounded by windows that overlooked Sissy’s rose
garden.

“Maggie not eatin’ today?” Sissy asked
JD.

“Aurora came home last night. They’re takin’
a shoppin’ day,” JD explained between bites.

“Good. I could use Aurora’s help with the
plans for the Gala,” Sissy said, lifting the top piece of bread off
her sandwich to smother mayonnaise over it.

“Who’s Aurora?” Stewie asked, chomping a
mouthful of potato salad.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” Sissy
instructed him. “Aurora is JD’s wife. Maggie’s mama.”

The bite of turkey and cheese suddenly tasted
like sawdust. I took a swig of tea. So the evil blonde had a
mother, so much for my theory of her hatching from a rotten egg. I
could just imagine her mother. Maggie was probably a mini version
of her, an evil clone. Now I’d have two hot-headed women to look
out for.

“Where was she?” Stewie asked, this time with
an empty mouth.

“Her mama lives in Lexington and was sick, so
Aurora went to stay with her for a while,” JD answered, smiling at
Stewie as he helped himself to another sandwich.

“Is she dying?” Stewie asked. He knew about
people being sick. He’d taken care of his grandfather as much as he
was able to.

“That old battle axe will outlive us all,”
Sissy predicted matter-of-factly. This reinforced my guess about
the genetic disposition of the Ross women. I was not in any hurry
to meet Aurora. I looked at JD. He winked at me. I quickly averted
my eyes and bent my head to study my plate. The more I got to know
him the more I had a hard time believing he was Maggie’s father. He
was far too kind to have ever created that girl.

“You daydreamin’ again girl?” Sissy poked her
elbow into my arm.

“No.” I blinked furiously. I couldn’t believe
she caught off me guard for the second time today. I needed a
nap.

“I need ya to run into town.”

“What?” I stared at her like she’d sprouted
wings.

“Are ya deaf? I said I need ya to go to town,
to the post office. The rest of us are too busy to go, but I need
to send out the invitations for the Gala. The keys are hanging by
the door there.”

I glanced across the room to where the keys
hung on a hook by the door. Horrified by the thought of going
anywhere by myself in this abandoned piece of earth and having to
confess to Sissy that I couldn’t even if I wanted to, I stammered,
“I can’t.”

I kept my head bowed and eyes fixed on the
other half of my sandwich, but I could still feel the weight of
many stares directed my way.

“Why not?” Sissy asked.

I mumbled my reply in the faintest
whisper.

“Speak up, for Pete’s sake. I didn’t hear a
word you said,” she grumbled, “and look at me when you talk to
me.”

I slowly and reluctantly complied. “I said I
can’t because I don’t know how to drive.” I was angry at her for
making me say it in front of everyone.

They were all dumbfounded. No one said a word
for a few minutes.

“Quit giving me the hairy eye, girl. You
should’a told me before now. I figured a girl your age would have a
license.” Sissy sniffed agitatedly. “Well, no matter. You don’t
need a license, just be careful.”

I furrowed my brow. She thought I meant I
couldn’t because I didn’t have a license?

“No, Sissy, You don’t understand.” I pushed
my chair back. “I don’t know how to drive. At all.” I stood up,
throwing my napkin onto my plate and stomping out of the
kitchen.

“Well who shot her porch light out?” I heard
her say as I pushed open the back door, letting it slam behind me.
I didn’t know where I was going. I had no destination in mind. I
was just following the long ribbon of driveway.

So I didn’t have a license. Big deal. I never
needed one before. In the city you can take a bus or a taxi
anywhere you want to go.

Out here in no man’s land you were out of
luck. It was just one more thing for me to hate about this black
hole of grass and trees. Well, that’s not true. I was just mad. I
was actually beginning to like it here. It was peaceful and calm.
No cars honking or crowded streets to navigate.

My mom would’ve loved it here. She was a
country girl who married a city a boy. She had great appreciation
for the parks. We went to the park a lot when she was alive. Tiny
tears dotted my cheeks. I missed her. I wished that she were here
with me, telling me what I needed to do.

“Sometimes the only way to get to the end
of a bad situation is to go through it,”
she’d say. I was tired
of going through it. I wanted to be taken care of for once instead
of being the one always having to be the caretaker. When was it
going to be my turn?

I heard the rumble of the truck coming up
from behind me.

“Hop in,” Gideon’s deep silky voice
instructed as he pulled to a stop beside me.

I absently wiped my eyes. I didn’t want him
to see that I was crying. I climbed into the idling truck and shut
the door. We sat there a few minutes, both of us facing forward.
Then I remembered to buckle up. Gideon stepped on the gas,
propelling us down the long lane.

We rode in silence, the box of invitations
between us. The drive into town took twenty minutes. I waited in
the truck while he ran inside the post office. I watched him
through the window as he smiled at the elderly woman waiting on
him. Soon enough he was back in the truck.

He threw his arm over the back of the seat. I
flinched at the sudden movement, glancing at him to see what his
next move would be. His firm squared jaw was clenched in
irritation, but he kept quiet as he looked out the little window
and backed the truck out of the parking space.

A couple miles out of town he turned off the
main road onto a dusty dirt lane. This was not the way to the
farm.

“Why did you turn off the road?” I asked,
trying to sound casual.

“Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need
roads,” he quoted from
Back to the Future
. He was trying to
be funny, but I was too busy thinking I might need to defend myself
to appreciate the humor.

“Uh, yeah...I’m pretty sure we do.” I gripped
the handle of the door ready to jump out if he did something I
didn’t like.

“Would you relax? You act like I’m Jack the
Ripper.” I watched as a frown slithered past his eyes down to his
mouth.

“Where are we going?” I demanded, keeping a
tight grip on the door handle. I could feel the sudden clamminess
of my hand making its hold slippery against the metal.

“You’re really scared,” he said, brows rose
in shock.

Gideon slowed to a stop, put the truck in
park, and carefully turned to face me. His expression was curious,
sad, and serious.

“What happened to you?” he asked in that
soothing tone I’d heard him use on the horses.

I didn’t answer him. I just stared into his
eyes, daring him to ask me again. In the month that we’d been on
the farm I’d come to like the Shepherd family. Even Sissy, because
I knew under all her bluster she had a heart of gold. But I didn’t
trust them. I didn’t trust anybody.

“You don’t wanna talk about it. That’s fine.
I get it.” Gideon turned his head, staring out the windshield as
the engine hummed. “But I’m tired of the jumpiness every time I
move too fast for you. Or get too close. I’m not gonna hurt you.
None of us are gonna harm you or Stewie. So put that idea out with
the trash, right now.”

He didn’t sound angry, but he meant what he
was saying. He was looking at me again. Those beautiful sherry
brown eyes were full of questions, but also filled with so much
compassion that I almost started crying again.

I nodded. “I’ll try.”

He hesitated for a minute, weighing my
sincerity before he gave me a wide grin.

“Okay.” He opened his door. “Get out,” he
said. I didn’t move.

“C’mon, city girl, shake a tail feather.” He
hopped out of the truck, coming around the hood to my door. He
opened it, motioning me to slide over. “Go on, might as well just
scoot over.” He gave me a little push as he climbed into the truck
beside me. I slid over the bench seat and settled behind the
wheel.

“I told you, I don’t know how.”

“I’m gonna teach you,” he said, buckling
up.

“What? Here? Now?” Panic gripped me.

“Yep. Here. Now.” Gideon laughed. “My Pap
taught everyone in my family how to drive using this same
trail.”

“What if I crash?” I licked my lips
nervously.

“I wouldn’t recommend it.” He pointed to the
handle on the steering wheel column. “Put your foot on the brake
and pull the gear down into drive. The big D there.”

My hands were wrapped around the steering
wheel with a white-knuckled death grip.

“I don’t know, Gideon...”

“You can do it. I believe in you,” he said
softly, encouragingly.

It was as if a heavy chain fell from my
heart. He believed in me. Courage crept through my veins. I could
do it. All I needed to do was picture myself doing it.

I took a deep breath, rested my foot on the
brake, and shifted the truck into drive. The engine ever so
slightly transitioned, the hum was a little louder. It was like the
truck was giving me the green light. I took my foot off the brake,
placed it onto the gas pedal, and pressed down. The truck took off.
I wasn’t prepared for it to go racing down the lane.

“Whoa!” Gideon grabbed the ‘oh crap’ handle
above the window. “Ease off the gas!”

We were headed for a ditch. I jerked the
wheel to avoid it, but it must’ve been too much because the back of
the truck started to fishtail.

“Brake!” Gideon ordered. I hit the brake with
both feet. Just before I squeezed my eyes shut I saw Gideon rush
forward then snap back as the seatbelt locked up.

I was afraid to open my eyes. I just made a
colossal fool of myself. I am
such
an idiot! I cracked open
my eyes and cast a wary glance at Gideon.

He was trying to cover his mouth with his
hand, but the shoulder spasms couldn’t be hidden. He was laughing!
He saw me looking at him and gave up the pretense. He laughed so
hard he started coughing.

“I used to think Pap was exaggerating when he
told me teaching people to drive was the biggest rush anyone could
experience.” His laughter trailed off. He wiped his eyes then shook
a finger at me. “By God, I think he was right. Whew...”

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t think it would take
off like that.” I was mortified. If I could have made myself
invisible at that moment I would have.

“I know, I should have warned you.” He had
his humor under control. “Okay. A few tips. One, don’t ever close
your eyes.”

I knew that.

“Two, no extremes. Cars are like women, you
gotta ease them into motion so you can handle them better.”

“That is the stupidest thing I ever heard,” I
said, instantly offended. “And you know why? Because the only
people who say dumb stuff like that are guys, because they’re
stupid.” I couldn’t believe he was going to turn out to be just
like all the other men I knew.

“What’d I say?” he asked, trying to look
innocent.

“If anything, cars are like men. Always ready
to go even if everyone else isn’t,” I said, my temper flaring.
Without thinking I pressed the gas again, carefully this time. The
truck eased forward. I kept my eyes straight ahead, concentrating
on where I wanted the truck to go.

“Furthermore, men are inconsiderate. They
think women want what they want. Like a girl couldn’t possibly want
something different for herself. No sir, we can’t do anything
without our big strapping men,” I continued, venting my
frustration.

The dirt lane curved sharply to the left and
I barely missed a section of the Grand Canyon as I maneuvered
around a jagged gaping hole, holding my breath until I cleared it.
“Well let me tell you something, Gideon Shepherd. I don’t need a
man controlling me and bossing me around. I can take care of
myself.” I rambled on, edging around a fallen log and easing
through a jungle of overgrown trees and bushes.

“Well done,” Gideon said.

“Huh?” I spared him a quick look.

“You’re driving. Very well, I have to say.”
He was lounging in the passenger seat, relaxed and apparently
enjoying the ride.

“I am?”

“Sometimes certain distractions can help you
focus.”

“You made that comment on purpose?” I felt
the heat of a blush explode over my face. Me and my big mouth.
“Sorry—”

“No, don’t be.” He chuckled. “I was totally
entertained. You made some fine points.”

I felt as small as Thumbelina and decided to
just keep quiet. I was pleased to see we were back were we started,
only now we were facing the main road.

“You wanna drive home?” he asked.

“Uh, no, I think that might be a lesson saved
for another day.” I put the truck into park and slid back into the
passenger side as Gideon got out and resumed his place behind the
wheel.

He surveyed the road, looking both ways,
before pulling out. I noticed his hair was longer and a slight wave
was emerging. His almost straight nose had that crooked little bump
that I was beginning to find very endearing.

Gideon was turning out to be unlike anyone
I’d ever known.