Under the Open Sky (Montana Heritage Series) (35 page)

             
Amanda nodded and closed her eyes as he kissed her again.

             
“We should join the others,” he recommended.

             
“We should,” she agreed almost reluctantly. She stepped back to let Cade hop down and then took his hand as they made their way to where everyone was starting to gravitate to the fire.

             
“Decide to join us?” Jenny teased.

             
“Figured it would be the polite thing to do,” Cade returned with a smile.

             
Jenny grinned back at him.

             
“Hey, we ready to start a movie?” Jason called.

             
A few minutes later the movie was going, the crowd settling down to watch, some seated on the hay bales and others leaning against them. Amanda settled with her back against Cade’s chest and his arms around her and sighed in contentment. Jenny plopped down beside her; a pleased smile on her face as she surveyed them.

             
“I’ve seen this movie; I don’t like it!” Chloe called a moment later. “It’s a horror movie!”

             
Amanda shuddered; she’d never been a fan of horror movies.

             
“I won’t let anyone get you,” Cade promised in amusement.

             
“I’m not a fan of scary movies,” Amanda admitted.

             
“Me either,” Jenny agreed.

             
A few minutes later Amanda was hiding her face against Cade’s shoulder. “She’s going to die,” Amanda predicted.

             
“Why do you say that?” Cade asked her.

             
“Because she’s having sex; the girls who have sex in these movies die,” Amanda informed him; it made him laugh.

             
“She’s dead,” he confirmed a moment later.

             
“Told you,” Amanda smiled up at him.

             
“Okay, I know he’s your man but I am so borrowing Cade’s other shoulder,” Jenny hopped up to move to Cade’s other side.

             
“The Dynamic Duo is scared of horror flicks?” Cade asked a laugh.

             
“Yes!” they returned in unison.

             
“I’ll protect you both, one of these days Trent’s going to come to his senses and you have to be in one piece when he does,” Cade teased Jenny.

             
“If only,” Jenny sighed.

             
“Ew!” Amanda shuddered and turned away from the screen again.

             
Chloe screamed from a nearby blanket and then jumped up. “Michael Lewis I’m going to murder you!” Chloe punched his arm. “Don’t scare me like that!”

             
“I’m sorry; I couldn’t help myself,” Michael was laughing.

             
“So I’m guessing the guys picked the movies,” Cade commented.

             
“Jason never said what we were watching but I’m guessing he decided,” Amanda, still refusing to look at the screen, answered.

             
Jenny startled and Amanda chuckled.

             
“Ugh! If we do this again, the women are choosing the movie,” Jenny grumbled.

             
“Hey, Mandy; isn’t that your brother’s truck?” Dede asked. Amanda sat up and peered at the truck coming down the drive.

             
“Yes, it is,” she sighed and settled back against Cade; let her brother deal with it.

             
“How did he find out about this?” Jenny queried. “I was careful to seek Cade out when he wasn’t around. I waited until after you and Trent were supposed to run to town.”

             
“Naomi knew where I was going; he might have asked her,” Amanda shared.

             
“I didn’t want him glaring and ruining your night,” Jenny was scowling.

             
“He’ll have to deal with it,” Amanda shrugged. A moment later Trent, Christy, and Shauna were approaching. Trent frowned at Amanda, Cade, and Jenny.

             
“What they hell are you watching?” Trent turned his frown from them to the screen.

             
“Ask Jason,” Amanda responded. “What are you doing here?”

             
“Jason sent Freddie for ice and I ran into him in town; he said you were all here and invited us,” Trent explained as he seated himself; his expression was still drawn.

             
“If you like horror flicks you’re in luck, otherwise,” Jenny shuddered as one of the women on the screen ran through woods, blood down the front of her skimpy gown.

             
“She’s dead,” Amanda predicted again.

             
“Most likely, but then most are by the end of these things,” Cade noted.

             
“Hey Christy; hi Shauna,” Amanda finally greeted the women with her brother.

             
“Hey, Mandy,” Christy smiled. Shauna, her face set in a pout, nodded.

             
They fell quiet, each watching the movie, or not in Amanda’s case. She kept hiding her face or watching the other’s around her. Several couples were snuggled close as Amanda and Cade were, Trent and Christy included. Several of the other women were huddled in their sleeping bags only half watching. Trent kept glancing over to glare at Amanda and Cade; Amanda ignored him. When the movie ended there was an audible sigh of relief from the women. 

             
“Where did Jason get the equipment?” Trent asked of Amanda.

             
“One of his friends from college is a tech junkie and let him borrow it,” Amanda explained.

             
“What are we watching now?” Dede called as Jason started another movie. “I hope it isn’t another horror flick.”

             
“No, it’s great. A revenge movie with lots of really awesome effects,” Jason responded.

             
“Yep, the guys definitely chose the movies,” Jenny sighed as she righted herself. “Thanks, Cade.”

             
“Welcome,” Cade settled his now free arm around Amanda.

             
“I think Trent has kinda figured you two out,” Jenny muttered.

             
“I think he’d already figured it out,” Cade admitted.

             
“He doesn’t seem too happy, huh?”

             
“Nope,” Cade agreed.

             
“He’ll get over it,” Amanda offered.

             
“He’ll have to,” Cade pulled her closer. Amanda smiled up at him before turning back to the screen. The movie was starting out well enough, everyone looked happy; including the sweet young woman they were currently focused on. Based on what Jason had said, Amanda didn’t hold much hope it would stay happy long. She was proven right a moment later when the young woman found herself being dragged beneath a set of bleachers, the crowd above not hearing her cry for help as they yelled and screamed and the band played. Feeling suddenly nauseous, Amanda found herself shaking when one of the guys who had grabbed her pinned her hands and kissed her as she struggled to get away.

             
“I can’t watch this,” Amanda jumped up.

             
Cade stood and followed her as she retreated inside the barn.

             
“You alright, Manny?” Cade pulled her close and stroked her back.

             
“No,” she admitted.

             
“Look at me, Manny,” Cade lifted her chin. “He isn’t here; he’s in jail and he can’t hurt you. Besides, if he tried again I’d kill him this time.”

             
“I know he can’t hurt me now but it stirred up bad memories,” Amanda told him. “I had nightmares for weeks that I didn’t get away,” Amanda shared.

             
“I’m sorry, baby,” Cade hugged her closer and kissed the top of her head.

             
“You okay, Mandy? It’s just a movie you know?” Trent, his expression puzzled, entered. Jenny was right behind him.

             
“Think about it a moment, Trent; she’s been there,” Cade bit off impatiently.

             
“Ah man, Mandy; I didn’t even think about that. Are you okay?” Trent, standing closer now, leaned down to meet her gaze.

             
“I will be,” Amanda nodded.

             
“What happened? Is Mandy okay?” Christy entered the barn.

             
“No, the movie stirred up some bad memories,” Jenny answered.

             
“What?” Christy’s eyes were huge.

             
“Her prom date tried…” Trent wasn’t able to finish the sentence.

             
“Oh,” Christy winced. “No wonder she doesn’t want to watch it.”

             
“What do you say we sit this one out?” Jenny suggested as she claimed a seat on a nearby hay bale.

             
“Good idea,” Trent nodded and followed her example. Amanda offered them a smile and allowed Cade to lead her to join them.

             
“I don’t want to make things worse but he’s in jail, right?” Christy asked them.

             
“Yes, Amanda agreed to press charges.”

             
“Good. I’m glad you were brave enough to confront him, Mandy.”

             
“If I hadn’t Cade would probably have been the one in jail.”

             
Christy frowned. “Why?”

             
“He beat the hell out of Chris,” Trent supplied.

             
“Good for you,” Christy nodded at Cade.

             
“I was in town that night,” Troy told them as he and Samantha approached. “I thought he would kill him.”

             
“Can we please change the subject?” Amanda requested.

             
“We can’t watch the movie either. Her boyfriend’s getting his revenge but it’s too gruesome even for me,” Troy explained why they had joined them.

             
“It’s awful,” Samantha shuddered.

             
“Hi, is this where the party is moving to?” Chloe asked as she and Dede entered the barn.

             
“Join us,” Amanda invited. One by one or two by two, people began to drift inside and form groups here and there as the movie continued. Trent, Cade, and Christy were discussing their upcoming return to college when Amanda spotted Samantha seated by herself; Troy was talking with a couple of guys a few feet away.

             
“I’ll be back in a moment,” Amanda told them before she moved to join Samantha.

             
“Hey, Sam,” Amanda smiled as she seated herself.

             
“Hi, Mandy.”

             
“Want to come join us? I never intended to choose a new friend over an old friend, Sam; I’m not quite sure what happened to us,” Amanda finally gave voice to her confusion.

             
“I’m sorry, Mandy. It was more my fault than yours,” Samantha admitted.

             
“Why, Sam?”

             
“Do you realize that in all the years we were friends that most of our conversations were about horses, books, or what silly thing the popular kids at school had done now?” Samantha asked.

             
“The same popular kids I ended up hanging out with; is that it?”

             
“No, not entirely. You realize we never discussed boys?”

             
“We didn’t did we? I mean I told you I thought Chris was cute, but we didn’t did we?” Amanda was frowning.

             
“No, we didn’t. Our sophomore year we were two of a kind, both more interested in books and horses than boys, well until you got into Chris but even then you didn’t say much about it.

             
“I was thinking about it earlier and realized we didn’t giggle over boys the way my sister and her friends did.”

             
“That bothers you?” Amanda was still puzzled.

             
“In of itself? No. By summer I was in turmoil and didn’t know how on earth deal with it.”

             
“Deal with what?”