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I shake off the precious memories of the past and concentrate on the here and now. I can’t get lost in the past. I have to make sure I keep my parents distracted while Slater escapes.
“You look tired, baby girl,” he says, in that rough, country drawl of his that always makes me smile.
I always figured if I ever fell in love, it would be with a man like Jansen. I mean, isn’t that what every girl wants? To have a man as loving and protective as their father? The thought makes me smile. Slater is about as far from Jansen as you can get. He’s funny though and he does make me feel special. It’s early on, but…
Holy Shit. What am I doing?
I can’t be in love with Slater. I just can’t. That’d just be stupid.
“I’m good. I just didn’t sleep a lot last night,” I murmur, not looking into Jansen’s eyes. I mean, that’s not a lie. I didn’t sleep that much. Of course, I’m not about to tell my dadwhyI didn’t sleep. I look up at the clock nervously.Is he dressed yet?Is he using the window, or did he lie and decide to come downstairs?
“Here,” Mom says coming over with a plate. “Sit down and eat, Marigold. Food will do you good. You’re running yourself ragged lately,” Mom scolds me, her voice gentle. I know I’ve been worrying her lately. Sometimes I forget with all the craziness that I have the best parents in the world.
“Okay.” I smile as I answer her, and I’m rewarded with her wink.
I grab a piece of bacon on the plate and just as I’m biting into it there’s a large scraping noise above my head. I look up knowing that it is my room directly above me.
My room where Slater is.
I start coughing—loudly.Then, I throw in a wheeze to make my parents pay more attention to me rather than the noise. Dad starts slapping me on the back, and I mut have him panicked because he slaps me so hard bacon shoots out of my mouth landing in Mom’s eye who is leaning over me.
“Jan! Hurry! Give her the Heimlich maneuver,” she begs.
“Damn it, Lovie, she’s breathing. You only do that if there is no airflow.”
“Are you sure?”
“Pretty sure,” he mutters, still slapping. I’m dying to stop but if Mom catches Slater in my bedroom she won’t stop until Slater has me knocked up with a ring on my finger. That’s just how my mom operates.
“Prettysure?” mom cries. “Damn it, Jan.”
“I’m a horse rancher, Lovey. Not a damn doctor.”
“I’m going to call 9-1-1,” she snaps.
I hold my hand up to stop her. “I’m—I cough again to make it look good—okay.”
“Thank God,” Mom mutters. I hate that I scared either of them. I must have really terrified Dad because he’s still practically beating my back. “For God’s sake, Jan. Stop beating her, you’ll bruise her lungs.”
“Lovey there’s no way I can bruise her lungs.”
“You can. You forget I know the strength in your hands.”
“What the hell does that mean? I’ve never raised my hand to you woman and if I need a reason, you supply that daily.”
Shit. I’ve started a fight.
I admit I feel marginally guilty, but it’s better than having them going to see what caused the noise upstairs.
“Remember the other night? You got carried away. I couldn’t sit down for a week.”
Oh, God.I don’t need Mom to draw a picture of what she’s talking about. I can see it in my head immediately and if there was a way to erase it, believe me, I would.’
“Are you complaining, Lovey?”
“Of course not, stop that hog wash. I’m just saying you got a little enthusiastic. I’m surprised my ass wasn’t flat and in the shape of your hand,” she mutters.
“Lovey, nothing you could make your ass flat and if you tried, I’d have to punish you.”
