Covering the Carolinas (31 page)

Standing at the front of the old
wooden church, I am surprised by all the
people.  
Where are they coming
from?  Why are they all crying?  It’s my mama, daddy, and
grandma, not theirs.  
Every time
I think the line is coming to an end, more people show up. Then I
see Mrs. Talent, my teacher.

“
Mrs. Talent!  Mrs.
Talent!”  I say loudly, but Grandaddy takes my hand and gives
it a little squeeze.  
Oh
no!  That wasn’t what I was supposed to do.

Mrs. Talent bends down to me, places her hands
on my arms, and begins to speak with her soft voice.

“
Raegan, I’m so sorry about your parents and
your grandma.  The class misses you, but you take your
time.  Thumper, the bunny, really misses you too.”

I begin to smile.  I just love Thumper,
and he loves me, especially when I bring him an extra treat from
the farm.

She stands and looks at my grandaddy. 
Grandaddy doesn’t talk a lot, but I can tell he’s sad,
too.

“
Mr. Lowery, we are truly sorry for your
loss.  Please let the school know if there is any way we can
help you or Raegan.”

“
Mrs. Talent, thank you for everything y’all
have done thus far.  Raegan and I will be okay.  Might
take some gettin’ used to, but we’ll be a’ight.”

Finally, I can see the end of the
line.  
Yes! My feet hurt so
bad!   
I’m tired and want
to sit on Grandaddy’s porch and let my mama read to me while we
swing.  
Oh, wait.
 
She can’t. 
Thinking about her makes me sad.  I miss her
so much.  
What am I going to do
without her or daddy?

As the church clears, the men in
suits approach, telling us we can
leave.  
I’m glad because they
are kinda scary.
  Grandaddy picks me
up, carries me to the truck, and buckles me
in.  
No falling this
time.
  The ride to the farm is quiet,
except for some old music coming softly through the speakers. 
Grandaddy starts to sing and I try my best to act like I know the
words, too.

As we turn onto the dirt road, I see my
grandaddy’s house, but there sure are a bunch of cars.

“
Grandaddy, why are there a bunch of cars at
your house?”  I ask.

“
Sunshine, the people from
the church have brought food for us to eat.  There will be a
bunch of people here, but once they eat, they should go
home.”  
Good!

“
Okay.”  I
say.  
Be good,
Rae.
  “Is Cole coming?”  I
ask.

“
You bet.”  Grandaddy
says as he gives my knee a soft
pat.  
Yay!  I get to
see my cousin Cole!

Once the truck comes to a stop, I
hop out and run to the porch.  
Where is he?
 I throw open the
door and run into the living room to look around for
Cole.  
Oops!  There sure
are a bunch of people in here. 
Grandaddy comes into the living room behind me, “Sunshine,
he’ll be here in a few minutes.  Go change if you want while
you wait for him.”

I hurry up the steps and open my
suitcase.  I dig until I find my favorite shirt and
shorts.  I pull my dress over my head and it gets stuck on my
shoulders.  After a minute, I get it off and it falls onto the
floor. 
Man that was
rough
!  I pull on my clothes, slide
on my boots, and grab my hat.  
This is way better!

When I get downstairs, I follow the sound of
voices into the kitchen.  I see Ms. Frances and a few other
ladies from the church.  They stop when they see
me.

“
Hey, Raegan!”  She
says too happily.  “Just a few minutes and supper will be
ready.”  
Honestly, I’m not
hungry.  I just want to go and play.

“
Okay.  Thank
you.”  I say and turn to see if Cole is here.  I walk
around and don’t see him.  
Hurry up, Cole!  
I take a
seat in my little rocking chair.  I sit there like the good
girl that I am.  I swear I’ve been sitting for an hour when I
hear Cole.

“
Whatcha doin’, Rae?”  Cole
says.

“
Sitting and being a good
girl.” 

He laughs.  “Rae, you’re always
good.  Come on, let’s go play out back.”  I shake my head
no.  “Why not?”  He says.

“
Grandaddy said I had to be on my best
behavior.  I can’t play.”

Cole puts his hands in his
pockets.  “He didn’t mean that you couldn’t play.  Come
on.”  He says and pulls me by the hand.  I shake my head
no.  “I promise, it’s okay.”  
If Cole says it’s okay, I guess it is?
  I hop out of the rocker and we hurry out the front
door.

Chapter One

Twelve Years Later

Raegan

Hurrying back into the house from my morning
routine on the farm, I check the clock.
Crap
. Thirty minutes to get to school. I run to
my room, throw on my cheerleading uniform, slap on my makeup, and
pull my long, chocolate-colored hair into a high ponytail and
attach a bow the size of Texas. I double check my Vera Bradley
backpack and hustle downstairs to eat breakfast with
Grandaddy.

Lying on the table are fresh scrambled farm eggs,
sausage, and toast with homemade pear preserves.

“
Raegan, do you want coffee or tea this
mornin’?” Grandaddy asks as he pours his coffee that is black as
tar.

“
Coffee would be great!” I say, already
eating.

He makes his way to the table in his Pointer
overalls, paired with a short-sleeved t-shirt. He sets down my cup
and takes his seat. This has been our morning routine since I can
remember, well, minus the coffee.

“
How were the chickens this
mornin’?”

“
Same as usual. They pecked the crap outta
me!”

“
Ah, they’re just showin’ their love to ya.
Was Cole already down by the barn?”

“
Yeah, he was.”

“
I’ve got a lot to get done around here today,
but I plan on going to the game tonight. You think you’ll be home
after school?”

“
Of course, aren’t I always? Do you care if I
spend the night with Jordyn tonight?”

“
I don’t see why not. You deserve a night off
from the farm, and don’t worry about this afternoon. Cole and I
will take care of it. It’s a big game tonight. Now, you better take
that toast to go, or you’re gonna be late. I can’t have
that!”

“
Yes, sir.” Standing, I straighten my cheer
skirt, and Grandaddy gives me
the
look
.

“
Hey, I didn’t pick the length,” I say as I
toss up my hands.

“
Well, make sure you walk close to the wall
when you come down those stairs in the cross hall.”

I laugh. “I can’t believe we still call it that,
too. Some things never change around Pleasant Hill.”

After dropping my plate into the sink, I kiss
him on the forehead, pick up my backpack, and walk to my truck.
It’s sticky hot in mid-September, so I crank up the air conditioner
and the local country station.
Crap! Ten
minutes!

Putting the pedal to the metal, I make it to school
with a few minutes to spare. Everyone is still in the parking lot,
taking their time getting to class. I glance in the rearview mirror
for any pieces of sausage floating around before walking into the
building and heading straight for my locker.

Staring into my locker, I try to pull myself
together for another day at Cleveland High. Thank goodness it’s
Friday. I’m exhausted. I just need to make it through the game
tonight, and maybe I can catch a break.

As I grab my physics textbook, my thoughts are
interrupted.

“
Hey, Rae! Are you ready for the game
tonight?” Jordyn says bubbly.

“
Yeah, Jordyn, I am.”

“
Are you all right? You seem a little
spacey.”

“
Yeah, I’m just tired. You know I had to get
up with the chickens this mornin’.”

“
I’m so glad I don’t live on a
farm.”

“
Oh, and what do you call yourself, a ‘city
slicker’?” I ask with a laugh.

Pleasant Hill is exactly what the name implies, a
pleasant place to live that’s the size of a hill. Okay, maybe I’m
exaggerating just a little, but there are five thousand people in
this town, tops. Most people live outside the city limits, produce
their own means of food, and live like good old country folk.

When the bell rings for the end of first
block, I make my way into the hall and notice Jace waiting for
me.
Great! He can’t take the hint. I know,
the cheer captain and the quarterback are supposed to be together,
but he’s a true player. He only wants what he can’t have. I have no
time for him and his cocky-jock-self.

“
Hey, Raegan, I heard there’s a party at the
Phillips’ farm tonight after the game. Are you goin’?” he
asks.

“
I’m not sure. I’m stayin’ at Jordyn’s
tonight, so it’s whatever she wants to do.”

“
Oh, y’all will be there,” he says too
confidently.

“
What makes you so sure?”

He smirks and glances down the hallway to find
Jordyn getting a little close to Ridge Parker.

I start to laugh and shake Jace off before heading
to my next class. I’m so ready for a break, a weekend with my best
friend, and just acting like a teenager instead of “Miss Perfect”
all the time.

Emmett

“
Hey, Jace, thanks for giving me a ride this
mornin’. My truck should be fixed tomorrow.”

“
No problem,” he says with a pat on the
shoulder as I walk the halls of Cleveland High School for the first
time. I can’t believe I’m back in the town I never thought I’d live
in again. It’s the size of a damn peanut. “I’ll catch you at the
game. I think Cole’s gonna get me after school.”

“
I wish your ass would have moved here two
months ago, but then, I might be on the bench.” Jace laughs.
Still thinking he’s better than everyone. Just
like the last time I was in town.

Ignoring him, I walk into the main office,
meet with the counselor, and get my schedule— calculus, physics,
weight training, and AP English.
You’ve
got to be freakin’ kiddin’ me!
This schedule is no
joke. I thought transferring would mean new classes, not the same
ones I already had.

Shaking it off, I head down the hall and into
calculus. I find a seat in the back after I introduce myself and
prepare to barely pass. Who am I kidding? I’ll pass, but I just
want to be here, not actually have to try. The faster I can get out
of this Podunk town the better, but it sure is better than living
with my dad and his new wife.

When the teacher begins to speak, I realize I’m
ahead of them, so I’ll just listen and refresh my memory. Within
minutes, my mind is wandering to the clock, the game tonight, and
getting to see my stepbrother Cole. Jace is right; I should have
moved here at the beginning of the summer, but I was too busy being
stuck up my ex’s ass.

With the sound of the bell, I make my way to
physics. The hallways aren’t near as crowded as my school in
Georgia. Taking the schedule in my hands, I look at the room number
and start to walk in that direction when I hear the sweetest and
most familiar sound, but I can’t place it.

Shaking it off, I round the corner to the
hallway where the science rooms are located, and I hear the voice
that goes with the laugh.
Who the hell is
that?
Then, I see her dark hair pulled up with an ugly
ass bow on her head and one short as hell uniform, talking to none
other than Mr. Superstar, Jace McCoy. It takes all of two seconds
for me to realize who is standing in front of me… Raegan
Lowery.

Trying not to act like I see her, I make my way into
the physics classroom without being noticed. Raegan Lowery is who
every guy dreams about but can’t have, Jace has told me this on our
ride this morning. After hearing that voice, I just might have to
change that.

The teacher asks me to sit up front and
introduce myself to the class.
Damn, I
hate being the not-so-new guy. They all know me. I’ve only been
gone for a few years.
Once that is over, I take my
seat, front and center, and get ready to learn about static
electricity. The only thing I can think about is the jolt of
electricity I felt when I saw her.

Raegan

Glancing at the clock, I know lunch is next on the
agenda. I’ve got to see what the plans are for this weekend. Jordyn
knows how I feel about Jace. If she’s gonna be hooking up with
Ridge, then I need a new game plan. With the buzz of the bell, I
make my way to my locker, exchange books, and wait for Jordyn. When
I see her walking down the hall, I join her.

“
Hey, girl! Ridge wants me to go to the
Phillips’ farm. You up for it?” Taking a cleansing breath, I look
at her, and she already knows what I’m thinking. “I swear, Rae. I
won’t leave you with him all night. I pinky promise!” she
practically begs.