Serenity Falls (23 page)

“I
would, but not here.
”
His voice is strained.
Who’s cocky now?
Wes
grasps my hand in his and pulls me toward the truck. “Come on, I have somewhere
I wanna take you.”

After
we get in the truck, we make our way toward the outskirts of town. Wes rolls
down the windows since it has cooled off a little. “Where are we going?” I ask
over the sound of the wind swooshing through the cab of the truck.

He
turns off on a dirt road, and points at a spot nestled between two trees.
“Right over there.” I can’t help but giggle as I watch him maneuver the truck
around potholes. He looks at me and asks, “What?”

“You
do know you’re in a truck, right?”

“And?”
He gives me an ‘and-what’s-your-point’ look.

“And…
it is okay to hit a pothole every now and then.”

“Nope,
not in this baby.” He taps the dashboard a couple of times as he pulls the
truck between the trees. I chuckle softly at the way he admires his truck. He
shoves the gear shifter into park and switches off his headlights. He plugs in
his iPod, setting it to shuffle, and then opens the door. With a wave of his
hand, he motions for me to join him outside the truck. “Come on.” Jason
Aldean’s
Night Train
comes through the speakers, drowning out the sounds
of the chirping crickets.

I
throw open my door and run around the front of the truck to catch up with Wes.
He reaches for my hand as we walk out from under the trees into a clearing. The
full moon above shines down, illuminating the ground below us. I look around
and take in the simplicity out here. Tall trees line up behind us, and bushes
lie scattered about. Off in the distance, is nothing but grass. The vastness of
this clearing humbles me, making me appreciate my place in this world. “What
are we doing all the way out here?” 

“Every
year since I’ve been able to drive, except for when I moved to Dallas, I would
come out here to this exact same spot to watch the fireworks. There’re no
sounds of people shouting and kids screaming, no lights to ruin the effect of
the colors of the fireworks. It’s amazing.” He sits down and drags me with him
to settle in-between his legs. I snuggle back against his chest and rest my
hands on his jean-clad thighs.

“I
like it. This is so peaceful,” I whisper, tilting my head up to look at him.

He
looks down at me with a sweet smile, and I smile back. Both of us sit there
like that for a little while. Song after song bleeds into the next. It’s just
him and me. The peace and quiet. No one else. Exactly what I had hoped for
today. “You know, I was supposed to arrive at the ranch a week before you did,”
Wes offers quietly, gaining my attention as he breaks our silence “But a good
buddy of mine, Blaine, wound up in the hospital. He had to ride the night
before. I was supposed to go and cheer him on, but I got held up packing and
didn’t have a chance to make it to the rodeo.” I look up at him, but he’s off
in another world. I let him have his moment. “Later that night, or early that
morning, whichever way you look at it, I woke up to my phone ringing off the
hook. As soon as I heard his wife, Devin, crying, I knew something bad had
happened. I rushed around my room, pulling on my jeans and shirt. I slipped on
my boots, grabbed my wallet, and keys, and raced to the hospital before she had
a chance to tell me what had happened.”

“What
happened?” Lightly, I begin to caress his thighs, offering my support.
Obviously, his friend getting hurt is a big deal to him, just by his facial
expressions. The faraway look in his eyes and tight jaw makes my heart for him.

“When
I told her I was leaving my house, she told me what hospital he was at and his
room number.” He stops for a second to take a deep breath. When I don’t think
he’s going to continue, he does. “When I walked in, I saw my friend lying there
with a white sheet draped over his body. He was sleeping, but dried blood was
still caked on his face. Then I saw Devin in a chair next to the bed, holding
his hand, and quietly crying. I cleared my throat before I asked what happened.
She gestured for me to take the seat on the other side of the bed. That’s when
I noticed a tube slipping out beneath his sheet connecting to a container
collecting his blood.” Wes shakes his head. “Devin told me Blaine had been
bucked off the bull, and before he was able to get up, the hooves of the bull’s
back feet came off the ground, kicking him in the face, and stomping on his
chest. It broke a couple of ribs, which, in turn, actually punctured a lung.
Then the tubing and container all clicked. She didn’t have to tell me he had a
chest tube. That much was obvious. But what Devin said next wasn’t what I was
expecting. The bull did it a second time, but this time, it landed on his
pelvis, breaking the Ilium bone clean in half.”

I
feel bad for Blaine and don’t even know him. I couldn’t ever imagine breaking
any bone in my pelvis. What I don’t understand is how his friend had two ribs
broken. I’ve seen other bull riders wearing protective gear. “Don’t you guys
have vests and helmets and all that stuff you have to wear?” I ask.

“We
do, but there are two different kinds of vests. The one Blaine wears is made of
high-density foam. It absorbs the shock when impact occurs. For instance, if we
get bucked off, and the bull stomps on us, it helps prevent the severity of
injuries, but it doesn’t diminish the possibility of injury all together.
Anyway, I sat there watching how Devin filled a bucket with soapy water. When
she came back to the bedside, I watched how attentive she was to her husband as
she cleaned the dried up blood off his face. And all I could think about was
what would have happened had I been in Blaine’s shoes? Who would have taken
care of me like that? Who would have been there beside me to hold my hand and
cry over me? All I could come up with was no one. A switch flipped inside of me
at that moment, and all I could think about was how I don’t want to be that
person, alone, with no one to cry over, no one to take care of, and no one to
love.”

I
twist around and get up on my knees to face him. I sweep my fingers through his
hair before I cup his face between my hands as a single tear glides down his
face. At that moment, my heart breaks for him. I swipe my thumb across the
tear, wiping it away. “You’re not alone anymore. I’m here,” I whisper.

He
grabs my hips and pulls me closer to him. Staring into my eyes, his gaze never
falters when he whispers, “I know you are. I am so lucky to have found you. I
know this is fast, this… thing happening between us, but… I love you, Kenleigh.
I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you.”

A
slow smile spreads across my lips and my heart rate spikes at hearing those
words escape his lips. “I love you, too, Wes,” I whisper as I capture his lips
with mine. My hands slide from the side of his face only to weave back into his
hair, holding him to me as I drown in him. I moan when the tip of his tongue
sweeps across my upper lip and thrusts into my mouth. His hold on my hips
tightens, and I’m sure there will be a bruise there tomorrow. I am so in love
with him. Before we have a chance to take things further, a loud crack startles
us apart. I turn back and look at the night sky. Different colored fireworks
explode forming shapes of all sorts. I bring my attention back to Wes, resting
my forehead against his, and stare into the bottomless depths of his blue eyes.
“Happy Fourth of July, Love.”

“Happy
Fourth of July,” Wes says, seeking my lips once more. After a few minutes
sharing a soft, romantic kiss, we lay down and stare up at the magical display
of fireworks, wrapped up in our love.

“How
do you feel about a movie under the stars tonight?” Wes murmurs against my neck
while I lay on top of him on the couch. The sounds of Duck Dynasty drown out
the silence in the living room.

With
my arms tucked beneath his hard body, his warmth radiates against my cool skin,
and I nod against his chest. “I’d love that.”

The
past couple of days have been amazing. Mrs. Sandy called Friday morning to say
that she and Mr. Will would be back sometime tonight. So, with them gone, Wes
and I have taken advantage of the situation. He’s slept in my room every night
since Thursday. We’ve made love more times than I can count, and the ecstasy of
it all has me on cloud nine. We have lounged around on the couch just enjoying
each other’s company. He took me out to this one spot on the creek where a rope
swing hung from a branch. We jumped, swam, and laughed a lot. I don’t think
I’ve ever had so much fun. I know that once his parents return, things will change
for us. We’ll have to go back to sleeping alone once again. To be honest, I
like being curled up next to him. I love the feel of his strong arms
surrounding me and our legs tangled up together.

A
deep sigh escapes me when another thought hits me. The last week of camp is
coming up, and that means the summer for me is almost over. I can’t help the
twinge of pain that pierces my heart knowing that Wes and I will have to have a
talk about
us
all too soon. Tears prick the backs of my eyes as
questions of us race through my mind. What happens to
us
when the summer
is over? Will I be okay if this amazing thing between us just
ends
? Are
we
strong enough to try and make a long distance relationship work? Do
I
want
a relationship where I barely see the one who makes me feel alive? Does he? A
shuddering breath escapes me when I realize that I’m crying. “What’s wrong,
Babe?” he asks.

I
shake my head vigorously, afraid to say anything. I don’t want to bring it up,
but then again, I do. My emotions on this impending topic are all over the
place. I know we need to have this discussion. I need to know what will happen
when I have to leave, because I
will
have to leave. My body slides
between him and the couch as he rolls over to look at my face. When he cups my
cheeks, the gesture is so tender that I can’t help but look at him. Two, single
tears glide effortlessly down my cheeks as I take in this amazing man. Tall,
sexy, sweet, sincere, genuine, and loving. “I love you. You know that, right?”
My voice strains as I whisper the words. I turn into his hand to kiss his palm.

His
eyebrows furrow, and I watch as his eyes search mine. Love and fear shine back
at me. I don’t want to be the one to put fear in his eyes, only love. That’s
all I need to see reflecting back at me. “I love you, too, but talk to me. I
know there’s something wrong. I can see it.”

I
take a deep breath and ask on a slow exhale, “What’s going to happen to us when
the summer’s over?”

A
grin tugs at the corners of his lips; the fear that I just saw in his eyes now
shine with relief. “Is that what has you so worked up?”

I
nod, feeling like a fool. Obviously he has enough faith in us that he’s doesn’t
seem to be concerned at all. “I care for you so much. I’ve fallen in
love
with you, Wes. I’m just scared of what the end of the summer signifies for us.
You are the first good thing that’s happened to me in a long time, and I don’t
want to lose that.”

“You
won’t lose me. I’m here, Kenleigh, right here.” He lifts my hand and places it
over his beating heart. “We still have a few weeks left. Why don’t we take it
day by day? Believe me, you’re the last thing I want to lose, too. But, I don’t
want to spend the rest of the summer with us worrying about what’s to come.
Okay?”

“I
get what you’re sayin’. I do. Eventually though, we will have to discuss this.”
I lean up on my elbow to kiss him.

“I
know,” he murmurs around my lips, “but just not tonight. I do not want there to
be a scared feeling between us, like we’re trying to savor each other because
we are terrified of what’s to come. Let’s just be us. Kenleigh and Wes. Two
people who love each other.”

“Okay.”
I agree with him grudgingly. Deep down, there is a nagging feeling in the pit
of my stomach that’s telling me that when we do have this discussion, it’s not
going to turn out like I plan.

“Do
you wanna pick the movie while I set everything up?” he asks as he kisses my
cheek while sitting up.

Still
lying on the couch, my eyes roam over his body as he stands and stretches. With
his arms above his head and his back slightly arched, I watch, fascinated by
the muscles that cover his stomach as they constrict beneath his black fitted
T-shirt. My eyes roam over the rippling contours that peek at me through the
space between his jeans and shirt. I can’t believe he’s mine, and I hope that
when the summer draws to an end, it’ll still be that way. Suddenly, desire
takes over the dread that lays like a rock in the pit of my stomach. I clear my
throat, not trusting myself to speak, because the way I’m looking at Wes right
now, my voice can’t be trusted. “What do you feel like watching?” I ask
huskily.
Damn it! My voice betrayed me anyhow.

A
devilish grin splays across his lips as he looks down on me. I shrug my
shoulders and feign innocence. “What?”

“Were
you checking me out?”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe?”
He leans over me and braces himself with one arm on the back of the couch, the
other on the cushion next to my head.

I
nod, smiling back at him as he moves in closer. His lips only a fraction away
from mine, he asks again, “Maybe?”

A
giggle escapes as I answer, “Yes! Okay. I was checking you out. You’re hot.
What can I say?”

He
kisses me and mumbles against my lips, “And you’re sexy. Now pick out the movie
and meet me outside in about twenty minutes.” Wes pushes himself up from the
couch; he walks away as if nothing just happened.

“Why
outside?” I yell out just as he shoves the screen door open.

“Just
do it!” he shouts, walking out of the house.

Twenty
minutes later, I walk outside, movie in hand, and stop short of the first porch
step when I see what Wes had in mind for a movie.

He
has his truck pulled up on the side of the barn. The tailgate faces the wood
panels of the structure. As I walk closer, I see a white sheet, loosely,
secured into the shingles on the roof. It hangs down in front of the closed
stall windows, almost touching the ground. My fingers skim against the soft,
cotton material as the gentle breeze causes it to ripple in the wind. I’m
startled when a bright white light shines onto the fabric. “Sorry about that,”
Wes says from behind me.

“Where
did y’all get that big ass sheet?” I ask curiously. I had no clue a sheet that
big existed.

“My
parents special ordered it.”

I
turn to look at him. A smile forms on my face when I see what he’s done.
Pillows and blankets lie like a pallet in the bed of his truck. He’s standing
on the hood, strategically placing a projector on the top of the cab. “Can I
help with anything?”

“Naw…
I’m good. Just sit your sexy, little ass in the bed of my truck and get
comfortable.”

“Yes
sir,” I reply as I climb onto the tailgate.

“That’s
right. I’ve trained you well,” he jokes as he looks up at me from hooking up
more wires.

A
boisterous laugh escapes me as I settle back against some of the pillows. “You
wish. Besides, I thought you like being called
Daddy
.”

“Daddy,
Sir, God… it’s all the same.” He shrugs as I continue to laugh at him. “What
movie did you pick out?”

“
What
Happens in Vegas.
But are we able to watch it, you know, with the whole
projector thing going on?”

He
looks down at me with a puzzled look. “Yes. You don’t worry about this. I got
it.”

Instead
of making some snarky comment, I salute him. I can’t help but laugh when he
rolls his eyes at me. Without any warning, he jumps into the bed of the truck,
scaring the shit out of me. My hand flies to my chest as I try to catch my
breath. Now, he’s the one laughing at me. “You think you’re funny?” I poke him
in his side as he takes a seat next to me.

He
nods. “I do. I’m glad you noticed. I was beginning to think I was lame.”

“You’re
such a dork.”

“A
dork you love.”

“I
do. And lame? Never.” I curl up next to him as he pulls a blanket over us. We
snuggle closer together as he turns on the movie.

At
some point during the middle of the movie, I hear a sound coming from the barn.
I rub my hand across Wes’ stomach. “Did you hear that?” I whisper. No response.
I tilt my head back to look up at him, only to see that he’s asleep. I smile as
I take in his sleeping form. His lips are relaxed and barely parted, eyes
completely sealed shut, and breathing even. He looks so sexy, and all mine. I’m
brought back to the present when I hear the strangled sound again. “Wes? Wes,
wake up.”

“Hmm…
What’s up?” he asks sleepily as his eyes flutter open. He squints against the
brightness of the light against the cloth as it reflects back onto us.

“There’s
something going on in the barn.” My voice is low. I don’t think someone’s in
there, but you never know.

“What
do you mean?”

“Listen.”
He reaches for the remote to the side of him and mutes the movie. We sit in
silence for what seem like hours, but actually, are probably only minutes or
seconds. Hearing it again, I ask, “Tell me you heard that?”

“I
did.” He nods. Wes tosses the blanket back and stands. He looks at me and says,
“Stay here. I’m gonna go and check it out. It’s probably just a coyote.”

“What?”
I ask with wide eyes.

“Stay
here, Kenleigh. I mean it.” The sternness in his tone tells me he’s dead
serious.

A
part of me is left aghast because he’s never spoken to me like that before. But
another part of me is kind of turned on, not that I would tell him that. Then
there is another part of me, an argumentative part, that wants to tell him to
go and screw himself, but I don’t. Instead, I sit there quietly and watch him
walk away. Instinctively, I pull the blanket up, wrapping it tightly around
myself like a shield of some sort.