Riley's Pond (New Adult Romance) (7 page)

None of the things giving notoriety to that night; the newspaper, the local radio’s daily recount, the judge’s harsh comments after slamming the gavel, hurt like watching Mom fall apart. Mrs. Daniels spoke the truth. Jaxson gave no regard to how his selfish behavior affected the one person who never turned her back on us. Mom.

The phone rang, landing me back in the present and I waited to see if anyone—even a stranger passing by, would answer. On the fifth ring I picked it up, hoping they’d hung up.

“Riley, why the hell can’t anyone answer the phone?”

Dad.

“I was in the bathroom,” I lied.

“Is Jaxson home?”

“Yeah. He’s gone to bed.”

“Well, wake him up. Company’s coming.”

“You can’t be serious. Jaxson will mash me between the floorboards if I wake him.”

“Hell, you sound like a girl, Riley. Man up, would you?”

I waited, clicked my tongue against my throat and mentally planned my escape once I woke Jax.

“You’re not going to do it, are you?”

“Nope.”

“Fine. Take the phone to him and
I’ll
wake him,” Dad snarled.

I dramatized a wisecrack play-by-play the entire walk to Jaxson’s bedroom. “We’re taking the ‘stairs of death’, slowly, anticipating the monster’s ill mood before we reach the lair. So far, the half-eaten body count is over a hundred, their dismembered limbs flung around like confetti.”

“
All right, enough, smart-ass,” Dad barked around a laugh.

I procured a deep breath once I’d arrived at the door to the monster’s den.
Here goes nothing
I thought, but may have said it aloud before pounding on the door. Silence. My feet shuffled nervously and I puffed a sigh, blowing my hair in the air. After another round of knocks, I stepped back to allow a safety zone in case Jax’s fist came at me.

“
WHAT!”
sounded the menacing growl from the other side.

“Dad’s on the phone.”

“Tell him to go to hell! I’m sleeping.”

My father blared in my ear. “You tell him I heard that!”

“Dad said he heard that.”

“What the fu–” Jaxson wrenched the door open and I held the phone out, receiver facing forward. Jaxson stood in the doorway, his “tighty-whities” looking insanely good on him. He would need to be
really
careful in jail.

“Give me that
perv,
” he snapped, taking the phone and slamming the door.

Jaxson’s loud reaction to whatever news Dad delivered, bellowed before I took my second step and I stopped to listen.

“You’ve got to be shittin’ me! The
Guard
? I’d rather do jail.
Two years!
” The quiet on the other side of the door permeated the house. The eye of the storm. A loud crash preceded Jaxson’s shrill.

“
FUCK!”

I don’t remember touching the stairs. Once I heard the floor creak under the weight of Jaxson’s step toward the door, I knew I had to get the out the house, or I’d be dead. Jaxson wholeheartedly believed in “killing the messenger.”

Later, I’d found out my dad contacted a sergeant buddy involved with the National Guard, calling in an old favor. My brother would go from the courthouse to the recruiting office in the morning.

**

Weeks passed without any rain and the dirt on the trail billowed like brown baby powder over my bare toes, turning my black flip-flops gray. The pungent smell of wild sunflowers growing for miles in either direction, filled the air as I ran through the field. Over the ridge, the line of trees appeared to be planted. Their symmetrical line formed a natural fence along the creek edging the base of the mountain range that guarded the west side of the valley.

I wound my way through the thicket, stubbing my toes on a couple of rocks. Even with the afternoon sun burning in the sky, its beams barely penetrated the thick, leafy canopy surrounding the pond. Streaks of lemon colored light carried sunbeams from heaven and placed them on the wild ferns. Some stirred into the shimmering stream, spilling into the dark, still waters of the pond.

Our pond. Jaxson and I spent an entire summer rolling large boulders from the hillside into the then “bubbling brook” to dam the water. We dragged picks, hoes and shovels from the garden shed, digging and scooping mucky mud, slowly deepening the pool. Three months of hard work and more fun than I’d had in my then twelve years of life, and the pond was finished.

Jaxson turned fourteen that summer and stood a foot taller than me. He was our measuring stick and when the water hit his chin in the center, we were satisfied. It was great…and our secret. We feared if anyone knew, that “anyone” being Dad, he’d forbid us from swimming in the pond and probably send his county cronies to destroy it.

Two years ago, Jaxson discovered Ally and beer, and we stopped working on the pond. I caught them skinny-dipping and threatened to tell Mom if he ever brought her back. He gave me a black eye, but kept his promise, probably more out of guilt, than some brotherly bond.

My jealousy issues with my big brother began that summer. I begged and pleaded to hit any “bases” with Kaylee, but Jaxson just snapped his fingers and Ally became putty in his hands. In middle school, Jax always had girls hanging on him and calling incessantly on the phone. I wanted to be just like him when I got to high school. Funny how those goals changed when I discovered my golden idol turned out to be made of clay.

Still, Jax landed on his feet like a cat from whatever height he fell from. I, on the other hand, feared
heights.
His lifestyle scared me. He resembled a car speeding down a dark highway, the headlights spanned over the flash of dots down the center. Ahead was a cliff, a bridge washed out, or a deer standing and waiting. No one could reach Jax. It seemed the more Mom and Dad tried to rein him in, the harder he rebelled. We just waited for the car to sail off the cliff.

If Jax had yelled for me, I didn’t hear him. I left his drama behind and headed for the one place I could find peace and separate myself from everything happening at home. Over the rise of the small hill in front of me and down through the chokecherry shrubs, I’d find my private sanctuary. The pond.

The waterline varies between my hips and a foot or so above the top of my head, depending on whether we’ve had a rainy spring. Winter yielded a good snow pack in the mountains and a fair amount of rain fell the past few months, so I knew the depth would be perfect for the rope swing.

About to break through the scrub oak and bushes into the clearing surrounding the pond, I skidded to a halt when I heard the sound, damn near landing on my butt when I slid on the loose gravel. Silence enveloped the wooded surroundings and I suddenly worried my breathing sounded too loud.

The light melody started again, carrying on the breeze from angelic lips to my ears. Cautiously, I moved an inch or two where I could see the pond. A beam of light pierced the opening of branches above the water, illuminating the beautiful creature swirling in the water. Her fingertips pricked the top, sending ripples from where she stood to the edges of the pond…and up my spine. She disappeared under the water and I took another step, but remained hidden.

She emerged from the sapphire pool almost in slow motion. Her head flipped, sending her wet, golden mane arcing through the air, the thousands of water droplets sparkling in the sun like a shower of diamonds.

She turned my direction. Dark lashes glistened against pale pink cheeks and full lips still hummed the bewitching tune that stopped my world from spinning. Her wet baby blue T-shirt clung to curves my hands longed to touch and when her delicate fingers braided into her hair, the small silver ring piercing her navel shimmered in the sunlight.

All the saliva in my mouth evaporated. My name escaped my memory and my swim shorts suddenly felt tight. I’d never seen her before, but knew immediately I didn’t want to go without seeing her again. Every teenage boy’s fantasy—wet and gorgeous. Swimming in my pond.

What I didn’t realize in this defining increment of time? I faced my future. No clues warned me my summer plans were about to be altered. That I could handle. What I didn’t know, nor could have prepared for, was that in the three short months of summer my entire life would be redefined. I embarked on an unknown journey having the potential to destroy everything I believed, and possibly everyone I cared about, in its wake.

No, none of this I knew. The only thing I did know…I wanted to jump her bones.

Ten

TROUBLED WATERS

Taylor

Dust clouds billowed and swirled like a mini whirlwind in the ray of gold before me. A high pitched shrill sliced my once peaceful existence. I froze, the water stilling around me.

What the hell?

Rocks tumbled behind the crumpled lump rolling to the edge of the pond. I halfway expected some sort of wild animal to crash through the chokecherry bushes, which would have been enough to cause me to faint, but I was taken completely off guard when the dirty bundle of skin untangled itself and stood upright.

Patches of brown powder clung to the bare chest, trailing over ripped abs and dusting the hair covering sculptured legs. Damn. When he scrubbed his fingers through his hair, possibly sandy blonde on any other occasion, a funny feeling wiggled in my gut.

His eyes focused shamelessly on my chest and I realized my wafer thin bra did little to hide my body’s obvious reaction to the cool air whipping my wet skin. I crossed my arms and watched his eyes drop to my stomach.

“Stop staring. Seriously, could you be any more obvious?”

“Well ex
cuuuse
me. Shit, it’s not like you’re naked. Get over yourself, already.”

Okay so my dream god came with attitude and a mouth my grandmother would love to shove a bar of soap in. I knelt below the water line, feeling tiny pebbles painfully press my kneecaps. With my chest sufficiently covered by dark water, I attempted bravery.

“Who are you anyway?”

“Why should I tell you? Besides, you’re the stranger here and swimming in
my
pond.”

“
Your
pond, huh? So you like own this whole forest? I mean, last time I checked this was
public
land. I didn’t see any ‘no trespassing’ or ‘private property’ signs posted.” He took two steps towards the water. “Maybe you’re trespassing on
my
property.”

“Real funny, tough girl.”

His march into the water sent a small wave rippling my way, swamping over my chin and into my mouth. I coughed the unexpected surge of liquid out of my throat. “Gross! You’re such an ass!” He clamped my shoulders and yanked me to my feet. “Hey! What are you doing?”

“I don’t want your backwash in
my
pond.”

I watched his Adams apple slide several times with his hard swallows. His hands still wrapped my arms and I suddenly became aware my breasts skimmed his bare chest. Even through a T-shirt and a bra, the sensation sent a shudder skittering through me. My toes grabbed the pea gravel as if to keep my body locked to the earth. If I inched any closer I knew a similar sensation pulsated through his body…and he was a boy. Maybe the cold water would keep the obvious from becoming
obvious.

As if reading my mind, he stepped back, but remained in waist deep water. I couldn’t stop the smile twitching the corners of my mouth. “Everything okay?” I smirked.

“Can we start again? I’m not really an ass and I’m sure you’re not really a bitch.”

Well that bit. My smug grin vanished and his appeared.
Strike one
for the hot guy.

“You first,” I demanded.

“Riley Martin,” he blurted, then crossed his arms. “Your turn.”

“Taylor.”

“Taylor?” He waved his fingers mockingly. “Just Taylor?”

“Yep. Just Taylor.”

Gooseflesh pebbled on
Riley’s
pecs where my gaze had locked. I felt the same pimply bumps forming under my own fingers and clenched my arms to cover my over-anxious upper body from selling me out again. “This water’s freezing. I need to get out.”

Riley didn’t budge, guarding the only familiar exit. I looked around the pond, not knowing if I swam to the other side, if I’d find another gentle slope or a steep edge with no foot hold to climb out. Behind me, the cerulean water appeared bottomless and a panicky feeling formed in the pit of my stomach.

I batted my eyelashes in dramatic overkill. “Please…move?”

“Well, if you put it that way.” Riley turned and without thinking, I took a step back, losing my footing when the bottom of the pond fell away. I screamed and disappeared beneath the water’s surface.

“Taylor!”

In a split second, Riley’s arms surrounded me and lifted my body to where I braced myself on his shoulders. His hands gripped under my armpits and my shirt wrenched high enough I felt his warm breaths on my bared abdomen. To make sure his lips didn’t touch where they weren’t invited, I dug my fingernails into his shoulders.

“Ouch!” He yelled, tossing me back into the water. “Drown, princess, I don’t give a shit,” he spat over his shoulder as he walked out of the pond.

“I don’t need you to save me, Mr. Martin. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

“You’re perfect all right,” he muttered into the towel he shuffled over his hair. He let go a big sigh. “Do you have a towel? You’re going to be sick if you don’t get out and then I’ll be blamed when you die of pneumonia.”

“Murder. They’ll charge you with murder.”

“Whatever. Where’s your towel, anyway?”

My teeth chattered. “I-I d-didn’t b-bring one.”

Riley unfolded his towel and held it open at the water’s edge. “Here, use mine.” I regarded him and his brow cocked. “Trust me, the last thing I’m going to do is touch you. I don’t need more scars on my body from your claws. Now get your bony ass out of that water.”

Hating to surrender but no longer feeling my toes, I reluctantly walked out of the water and let Riley wrap his towel in a warm cocoon around me.