Trouble Maker: A MacKenzie Family Novel (The MacKenzie Family) (3 page)

Her dark hair was thick and long and she’d braided it over one shoulder. Her eyes were dark and enhanced by the mascara she’d bought, though Darcy said it wasn’t fair how she hardly needed it, and that women would kill for lashes like hers. Her lip-gloss had in fact plumped up her lips and they stung just a little bit. But she felt pretty and normal and a little more grown up. She could never hope to fill out the outfit like Darcy, so the shorts bagged on her just a little, but they were still finer than anything she owned.

“Marnie,” Darcy said, getting her attention again. “Let’s head over to the House of Horrors before the line gets too long. I saw Justin Appleby on the way over here. He’ll ride it with you. He likes you.”

“You’re barking up the wrong tree there, Darce,” Shane warned. “He likes to watch the guys shower in the locker room. Emmitt can back me up on that one.”

Emmitt shrugged and looked at Darcy apologetically, not denying Shane’s claim.

“Why can’t you go away? You ruin everything,” Darcy complained, pouting a little. “I swear I’m going to find your adoption papers and prove that you’re not really one of us.”

Marnie smiled. Darcy and Shane could’ve been twins, so similar was their appearance—black hair and piercing blue eyes shared by only a few of the MacKenzies. Not to mention identical smiles that could charm their way out of any kind of trouble.

Bells and whistles went off from the games around them as the crowd increased in size. Someone jostled her from behind and she was pushed off balance. She felt a solid wall meet her shoulder and a hand came up to steady her. She looked up into clear gray eyes and watched the dimple flutter in Beckett’s left cheek as he smiled at her.

“Hello, Marnie,” he whispered close to her ear so only she could hear. “I’ve always wondered what you’d feel like in my arms.”

Chapter Three

Her breath caught as the heat from his fingers penetrated her skin and sizzled across her nerve endings like electric currents. Sound and movement stopped. It was only Beckett and the blood rushing in her ears.

And for a split second, her eyesight dimmed and she saw—felt—the softness of the quilt beneath her back and the fullness of the moon as it shone between the branches of the trees above her. The weight of him as he pressed her into the blanket. The feel of his bare skin against hers and the slickness of their skin as their bodies moved together in perfect harmony. Her heart thudded in her chest as his lips took hers in a passionate kiss and her body arched against his as stars exploded behind her eyes.

Sound whooshed back and she sucked in a deep breath. He was looking at her oddly and no wonder. There was no telling how long she’d been standing there blank-faced and unresponsive.

Darcy called it her “ramblings.” When a vision overtook her and there was nothing she could do to control it. Sometimes they lasted for seconds. Sometimes several minutes. But there was no bringing her back from them once she was entrenched in the vision. It was when she was at her most vulnerable.

She couldn’t explain her gift. It was just part of who she was. And it had taken her a long time to realize that not everyone could do what she could do and that she made people nervous. It was easy enough to see everyday thoughts or get strong images if she focused—especially if she physically touched the person she was trying to read. But the visions were different. They slammed into her like a Mack truck and left her helpless where she stood. They were powerful, and what she saw almost always came to pass—unless some odd hand of fate turned things in another direction.

What she’d seen had been as real as anything she’d ever experienced. Beckett would be her lover. And they’d find pleasure in each other. Joy burst in her heart. This wasn’t like the hopeful imaginings she’d had in the darkness of her bedroom. This was reality that would come to pass. There’d been love between them—at least the beginnings of it—in the vision she saw.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“I’m sorry,” she stammered. “I didn’t mean to bump into you.”

“Relax,” he said, as if he were soothing a frightened mare. “Like I said, I like how you feel in my arms.” His smile was easy and disarming, but there was something in his eyes that was different than before. Or maybe she’d never noticed. Her body thrummed from the erotic vision and they were still speaking only to each other, the outside world ceasing to exist.

His gaze lingered on her bare shoulder and then moved up, so he was staring at her lips. His hand lingered on her arm, and she was glad she’d taken Darcy’s advice and spruced herself up a little.

For one night, she was normal. She was like the other girls. There was no worry over whether or not there’d be a roof over her head by the end of the week. No worry over how they’d put food on the table. No worry that she’d washed and worn the same clothes more than once in a week. She was like Cinderella at the ball and she hoped that midnight never came.

The taste of that small amount of freedom went to her head and made her dizzy with elation.

“Hello? Earth to Beckett and Marnie,” Darcy said, waving her arms near their faces.

Beckett smiled and looked at Darcy. “I heard you, Darcy. I just didn’t want to be interrupted.”

Marnie jerked her head in Darcy’s direction, coming out of her stupor. She noticed that Shane and Thomas had wandered back over to the pellet guns, where they were engaged in a battle of who could kill the most wooden ducks.

“What I was saying,” Darcy said good-naturedly, “was that you should take Marnie on the Ferris wheel. She likes it, but heights make me want to barf. Emmitt and I are going to try out the Tunnel of Love.” Darcy wagged her eyebrows and winked at Emmitt.

To say that Darcy was a handful was an understatement. She was wild and full of adventure, but she had a heart as big as the ocean. She also wasn’t the least bit afraid of heights, and Marnie shook her head at her friend. Darcy wasn’t known for being subtle.

“Your brothers are going to kill you if you go into the Tunnel of Love and they find out about it,” Beckett said.

“I guess you’d better not tell them then,” she said cheekily. “I know how much you love me. You’d miss me if I were gone.”

“You’re right,” Beckett said, and then he looked at Emmitt. “Which is why I’m comfortable telling Emmitt here to keep his hands to himself so the police don’t have to hunt for his body parts. The MacKenzies are protective of their sister.”

Emmitt swallowed and nodded frantically, and Darcy rolled her eyes and looked at Emmitt in disgust. It didn’t take a vision for Marnie to see that Emmitt would be flying solo before the night was through.

“Don’t put Beckett on the spot, Darcy,” Marnie finally said, and then she turned to face Beckett. “There’s no need to keep me company if you’ve got other things to do. I don’t mind being on my own.”

“I like Ferris wheels,” he said. “When you get to the top you can see all of Surrender. I’d like to show you.”

A riot of emotions sizzled through her body. Before the vision it had only been her imagination. She hadn’t known what it felt like to be kissed. She hadn’t known what it felt like to be pressed body-to-body, skin-to-skin. But the vision had given her a small glimpse of ecstasy, and being with him now was a mix between ultimate pleasure and pure torture. And she agreed with Darcy. When the time came to have sex she was going to enjoy the hell out of it. The little rebellion against her father made her giddy with anticipation. She’d take her freedom in small doses until the next year and three days was over.

“What do you say?” he asked, holding out his hand.

She smiled and placed her hand in his. She couldn’t imagine a night ever being more perfect than this one. Darcy winked at her as Beckett led her away, and nervous anticipation had butterflies dancing in her stomach. She wanted to remember every detail—every sight and sound. She wanted to be able to recall every precious moment once she was alone. She could do that. Bring back sights and sounds and tastes once she’d experienced them.

His hand felt good in hers—right—and he didn’t seem to mind that anyone could see them. Her shoulders straightened proudly as classmates took notice. She’d never been noticed before. She always flew right under the radar, especially when she stood next to Darcy. Marnie didn’t mind it, and she didn’t begrudge the attention given to her beautiful friend. In fact, she preferred to go unnoticed. Going unnoticed meant no one asked questions about her family, how she got that bruise on her collarbone, or why she’d had to miss a week of school while she let the bruises heal.

“Those must be some deep thoughts,” Beckett said, smiling down at her. “Is everything okay?”

She forced away the thoughts that had clouded her mind and smiled. “Sorry, I was just letting my mind wander.”

They got into the line for the Ferris wheel, but their hands stayed joined. Beckett held the teddy bear he’d won under his other arm. A little girl with pretty blonde pigtails, each one adorned with a big white bow, walked by, and he handed over the teddy bear, much to the girl’s delight.

Beckett used his tickets for both of them and handed them over to an older man with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. The attendant held the metal bar back for them and she slid into the seat first. The seats weren’t large, so when Beckett scooted in beside her they were pressed thigh to thigh. If possible, her heart thudded faster in her chest and heat infused her body. And then the car jerked as they began their ascent.

The space was confined, so he raised his arm and put it across the back of the seat. His fingers toyed absently with the strap of her tank top and she looked straight ahead as they rose higher and higher, praying he’d never stop.

“Whenever I see you and Darcy together it always seems like you’ve got plenty to say.”

“You make me nervous,” she said.

“I’ve been told I have that affect on people,” he said soberly. “You might be more nervous to know I’m not all that fond of heights and if I pass out you should just ignore it and pretend I was manly and tough for the duration of the ride.”

Marnie laughed. “I’ll do my best to pretend. As long as you don’t throw up on me or pass out in my lap.”

“I’m a gentleman,” he said. “I’ll make sure to pass out in the opposite direction. College has taught me well.”

“Do you miss it?” she blurted out. “Your friends there, I mean?” And then she closed her eyes and wished she could fall into a hole. Could she have asked a more stupid question?

“Nope, not at all. It’s a necessary evil,” he said, shrugging. “The ranch is in my blood. I’d rather be there working and getting my hands dirty than sitting in a classroom. But it’s going to be mine one day and I’ve got to learn how to keep it profitable and expand it in any way I can. It’s my legacy.”

Marnie thought about that for a moment and wondered what that might feel like—to have a legacy. Once she graduated from high school she’d be on her own. Starting a new life with a new beginning.

“You’re destined for it,” she said softly. “You’ll sit through the classes and the lectures because you love what will one day be yours. Even though you hate your statistics professor.”

His grin widened. “Hey, how’d you know? That’s cool. There have always been rumors you could read people’s minds. Wish I could do it, though it’s probably like Spiderman. With great power comes great responsibility. I’m not sure I’d have that kind of control. My mother said men don’t start making good decisions until they’re close to fifty. And she said when they’re with other men that they never make good decisions, so it’s probably best you’re the one with the powers.”

She forced a smile, but felt the blood drain from her face. She’d completely let down her guard.

“No, sorry to disappoint you,” she stuttered out. “I—I must’ve overheard it somewhere. Maybe from Darcy.”

He looked at her skeptically. “It’s okay, you know. We’ve been in and out of each other’s pockets for a lot of years now. I’d have to be completely clueless not to notice you’re a little…different…than other girls. There was that time you practically threw a fit to keep all of us home that day we wanted to go to the lake. We ditched you and Darcy to play hide-and-seek out in the barn. We were so mad at you.”

Her smile was sad as she looked out over Surrender. There was so much land out there, so much world. She spent a lot of time living in those other worlds in her head, just to escape.

“We didn’t find out until that night that a big tree had fallen in the lake and washed downstream with the current, taking three kids with it. It took the search and rescue team two days to find their bodies. That could’ve been us. Except you saved us.”

“Three people still died.” She hadn’t been able to see that there would be other deaths. Her gift was selective.

“You can’t save everyone. That’s a burden no one should bear.”

The butterflies in her stomach turned to boulders and she closed her eyes as the breeze ruffled her hair and cooled the sweat on her skin.

“Rumors are usually just that,” she finally said, wanting nothing more than to put her feet on solid ground again. “You should know by now you can’t believe everything you hear. Especially in Surrender.”

“Marnie,” he said softly.

She turned to face him, only to realize too late how close he was. Inches separated them and her gaze locked with his. The Ferris wheel had stopped just shy of the highest point, and the lights from the other rides flashed shadows across his face.

“You can always trust me,” he whispered.

She felt his words against her lips. Her palms dampened and her stomach flipped. And then his lips touched hers and her eyelids fluttered closed. Colors of every hue exploded behind her eyelids and her pulse raced.

She’d felt his touch during the brief vision she’d had—but nothing could compare to the reality of his lips against her. The softness. The tingle that spread to her very core. Her first kiss—and it far surpassed any expectation or dream.

When they broke apart, Marnie’s heart was racing and she stared at him with equal parts shock and wonder. She saw just a glimpse into Beckett’s mind before she gained control and left him his privacy. But it was enough to know that he’d been just as affected as she had, and that he was determined to take things slow. Very slow. He cared about her. About her feelings and that she was inexperienced. It was enough of a glimpse to realize that she’d have to be the one to move things to the next stage. He was giving her control.