I still. That’s what she thinks? She thinks James rejected me? “I don’t like him. I hate him.” The lie has only weakened, rusted and tarnished. I don’t even know why I try it. But then again, I do. If I don’t have this, if I can’t even pretend, everything will feel worse. I’ll unravel.
She squeezes me tighter as if she’s trying to break me of my denial. The fact that she has it all wrong almost does.
“What’s the matter?” Dad interrupts, worry woven in the words.
I wipe my face. “Nothing.”
“Farren’s a little worn out from the tournament yesterday.”
Dad only frowns deeper. “I’d say stay home, but I have a bad case at the Murphy tracks. And Mr. Murphy just made it clear he wants JamesandFarren to come.”
My parents both look at me pointedly. “Do you know why he’d make that request?” Dad asks.
All my anxiety from last night, the very reason I turned James down, seeps back into me. The pain pounds. I wasn’t convincing enough and now my parents have their theories and worse, Mr. Murphy knows.
He knows.
“Farren, fetch James for us,” Dad instructs as we tumble onto the front porch.
“Dad, please. I can’t.” I can’t face him. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to face him again.
Dad twists with a question in his eyes, until he spots something over my shoulder. “James,” he yells, arm beckoning. “We have a case.”
I’m thrown off-kilter the moment I turn. Physically, nothing has changed in the last eight hours, but my heart cries out seeing the circles under his eyes. As many times as I’ve seen James awake before the dawn, never have I seen him tired.
He slides on a black jacket not even glancing at me. “A case? What dragon? What number?” James asks with real curiosity. He’s become such a staple to our operations, so at home here, and I almost start crying again.
“It’s Bex. Your father is insinuating it’s a nine-nine-two,” Dad says quietly like even he can’t fathom it. “But I believe it’s more of a four-nine-two.”
“A four-nine-two?” I feel sick. Never. Never has Mr. Murphy reported over a five. Hendrix was paralyzed and they diagnosed him as a one.
“Yes, it’s serious. Bex has hurt a trainer, badly. And after what happened with Colm Ditters he’s considering putting her down or selling her off unless we can explain her aggression with an illness.”
“So, cure her immediately, or she’s gone.” My teeth grind together I bite so hard.
“But I came in third yesterday. I thought I proved Bex’s capabilities. I… I thought I did enough.” James’s voice is breakably thin, and I almost break along with it.
My dad squeezes James’s shoulders. “You raced well. This isn’t your fault.” He moves toward the truck. “We should get going though.”
Finally, James’s eyes find mine. I open my mouth and choke on a dozen responses. I shouldn’t have kissed him. I shouldn’t have begun this thing, opened my feelings, when I knew we couldn’t be together. That’s on me. I need to admit that, apologize.
Without a word, James turns toward the truck, so uncaring, so cold. His hating me has never been so convincing.Real, his action screams at me. He hates me for real. Our relationship has slid backward, maybe even over a cliff. I wonder if he’ll leave, cut the summer short and take Hort with him.
“Wait. Hort,” I call out.
Dad stashes his medical kit in the back of the truck and looks up at me. “What?”
I stumble down the stairs. “I think we should bring Hort. First Hort leaves, then Hendrix dies. Bex probably assumes both of her babies are gone. I think a reunion would help. Yesterday, I went to her. Checked on her. She’s mad and she’s grieving. I’m almost positive that’s what this is.”
Dad nods. “Great idea.”
James obviously doesn’t think so because he stares at the barn. “He’ll take him back. If he knows Hort can fly, he’ll take him back.”
I don’t understand. I don’t want Hort to leave either, but he is healed. Wasn’t he supposed to return eventually?
“Then I’ll bandage his wing and put him in the trailer,” Dad says as if deception is normal around here, as if he’s never scolded me for lying, especially to a client.
James and Dad jump into action as I stand there dumbfounded. I don’t think my dad has ever faked a dragon injury before.
