Knotted Roots (8 page)

I
could barely look him in the eye.  “Just forget I said anything.” I turned and
walked away, leaving him standing there, unsure how to proceed.  I couldn’t
look at him anymore.  Every time I spared him a glance he looked like a whipped
puppy.  One that had been beaten with a rolled up newspaper one too many
times. 

When
I reached the house I was tired again.  Guess I should have just stayed home
today. But no, I had to try and prove a point, which I had failed at
miserably.  As I approached the front door to the house I noticed someone
sitting in one of the rocking chairs, a book firmly clutched in her petite
hands.  She must have heard my approach because her attention was instantly
riveted upon me.  Her gaze slid from the top of my head, taking in my unruly
curls as they stuck out in every direction, to the mud covered boots that
covered my aching feet. 

As I
moved up the front stairs a smile lit up her face.  I took in her relaxed
appearance.  She had dark, curly brown hair, pulled back in a messy ponytail,
and light brown eyes resembling the color of honey.  I tried to return her
smile, but only managed a pained grimace.  It didn’t seem to faze her at all. 
She put her book down and walked towards me, her hand outstretched.

“Hi
there! You must be Roxanne, Betty’s granddaughter.  I’m Katy.  I live next
door,” she said as I gripped her hand lightly.  I scanned the surrounding
wooded area and looked back at her, completely perplexed.  “Oh, well, not
technically right next door.  My house is about a mile down the road. But I am
your closest neighbor.”

I
nodded and stepped back, unsure what to make of her.  This kind of friendliness
was unheard of where I grew up.  Sure, I made friends easily at school, but
none of them would have gone out of their way to greet a neighbor, especially a
stranger.  I bet they didn’t even know their neighbor’s names. 

“Nice
to meet you?” It came out as a question, but she didn’t seem to notice.  If
anything, her smile grew even bigger.  I didn’t know someone could smile that
wide without something cracking.

“Betty
tells me that you’ll be here all summer.  It’s so great to see a new face
around here.  I’ve known everyone around here my entire life, and while they’re
awesome and all, sometimes ya need a new face.  Ya know?” Her quick speech made
my head spin as I struggled to keep up.  It wasn’t so much the speed, as the
accent that came with it.  Her voice was straight out of “Gone with the Wind”.

“Sure. 
I guess,” I replied as I made to move around her and head in the house.  Before
I could grasp the door handle I heard a very distinct male voice call my name. 
I turned, already sure of who it would be.  Hasn’t he ever heard of a dramatic
exit?

“I
see you’ve met Chase already,” Katy said as I stared at Chase while he crossed
the yard.  It might have been my imagination, but I could have sworn I heard a
twinge of jealousy in her tone. 

“Yes,
we’ve met,” I groaned, sure this was not going to end well.  The look on his
face was not one of anger as I had expected.  He looked sad.  Didn’t this boy
ever wear a different expression?

“Hey
Katy, nice to see you.” Chase gave her a small smile and from the look on her
face she was already melting.  Yep, she had it bad for him.  No wonder she
didn’t seem overjoyed that I had already made his acquaintance.  “Would you
mind if I spoke to Roxie for a moment?  In private?”

She
slapped her dazzling smile back on her face and nodded.  “Of course.  You two
have fun.  I’m going to head home and see if Momma needs any help with lunch.” 
She strolled down the stairs, almost bouncing, and never looked back as she
made a quick getaway.

I
looked at Chase and the smile was already gone.  Crap.  “You’re not going to
let it go, are you?”

“Not
a chance.  Why did Betty tell you to stay away from me?  I mean...I thought she
trusted me.  I would never do anything to harm you.  Never.” He spoke so
vehemently, never breaking eye contact, and my heart filled with shame.  He
thought Grandma was trying to protect me, not him.  I couldn’t let him continue
to think that. 

“It
has nothing to do with you hurting me,” I paused, my nerves threatening to get
the better of me. “She was worried about you getting hurt...by me.”

He
stared at me for a long moment before bursting out laughing.  “Seriously? How
could you possibly hurt me?”

I
looked him straight in the eye, hoping to find the strength to answer him, but
in the end I diverted my eyes.  I was not going to tell him that part.  Some
things are better kept a secret.  “How should I know?  You know her better than
I do, so you ought to know.”

“Well
I don’t,” he replied, a smile creeping back onto his face.  “I’ll talk to her
about it.  Get everything straightened out, once and for all.”

“No,”
I replied quickly.  I must have surprised him as he jerked back a little bit. 
“Please.  I’ll talk to her.  Don’t worry about it.”

He
stared at me again, those blue eyes searching my face, before settling on my
lips.  His eyes seemed to blur slightly as his tongue briefly flicked over his
full lower lip. As I watched him, I felt a flutter in reaction.  He seemed to
realize that he was staring and rapidly raised his gaze, looking me once more
in the eyes. “I can’t promise not to worry, but I’ll leave you to it.”  He turned
to walk away but turned back to face me.  “And if it’s any consolation, I don’t
want you to stay away from me.”

He
smiled devilishly before sauntering off again.  Whoa!  Well, that was
interesting.  I swear I could still feel his eyes as they caressed my face, as
physical as the touch of a hand.  And those lips!  When his tongue snaked out,
moistening his lip, I seriously thought I was going to melt right there. 
Grandma would find nothing left of me but a quivering puddle on the front
porch.  He had to know what kind of effect he had on me.  Hell, the effect he
had on all females. 

Something
told me he wasn’t as oblivious as he wanted everyone to believe.  My interest
was definitely piqued now and no amount of scolding from Grandma was going to
keep me away from him.  I would just have to keep Grandma out of the loop as
much as possible.  For the entire summer, if need be.

CHAPTER NINE

The
rest of the week was a blur of sore, aching muscles from working on the farm
and long nights filled with naughty dreams, with Chase taking center stage.  I
didn’t get anymore one on one time with him during the week, which I’m sure was
Grandma’s doing, but I wasn’t going to let that deter me.  Katy had come around
a couple of times as well, but she rarely stayed long.  She seemed focused on
Chase, and my connection with him, but I repeatedly steered her away from the
topic.  Especially when Grandma was around.

With
the weekend finally upon us, I was given a brief reprieve.  Evidently Grandma
didn’t believe in working on the weekend and hired people to deal with the farm
in her absence.  It was a relief to be able to sleep past five for the first
time in a while.  The only problem?  I had no idea what to do with myself
during the day.  There wasn’t exactly a roaring nightlife, not even in town,
which meant that I would have to find some way to entertain myself. 

I
contemplated calling Katy, but quickly thought better.  I knew she would only
want to know what Chase and I had said to each other during the week, or if he
had mentioned her in passing.  I didn’t have the heart to tell her that he
hadn’t even spoken her name since that day on the porch.  I have been called
many things during my life, but heartless wasn’t one of them. 

As I
made my way downstairs, still in my pajamas and my hair wild, I heard voices
coming from the kitchen.  I couldn’t quite make out who it was, well, besides
my Grandma’s loud guffaw which I was sure could be heard for miles around.  I
looked down at my clothes and shrugged.  Whoever it was would just have to get
over it.  I have always lived in my pajamas on the weekend.  If they didn’t
like it, oh well.

I
pushed through the doors to the kitchen and immediately stopped.  Three sets of
eyes immediately latched onto me, but only one pair caught my attention. 
Seated around the table was Grandma, Brian, and of course, Chase.  Our eyes
connected, a smile creeping up his face, which caused my heart to sputter.  He
truly was one of the most beautiful guys I had ever seen. I was having a hard
time getting past that point.  How could such a small act cause such a strong
reaction within me?  Voodoo.  Had to be.  Yep.  That’s what I was going with.

I
broke eye contact and walked over to the cabinet to grab a glass.  I took my
time filling it with water as I felt eyes boring into my back.  I turned and
raised the glass to my lips, taking small sips as I glanced at the kitchen’s
current occupants.  Grandma looked over at me, laughter filling her aging eyes
again.  She reminded me so much of Mom in that moment.  Both of them had an
easy mischief that seemed to consume them.

“Mornin’
sleepy head.  How’re ya feeling today?” she asked as she lifted her cup of
coffee to take a sip.

I
slid into the chair beside her and set my glass down.  “I’m great, thank you. 
And yourself?”  If she wanted to play that game then I could definitely play
along.

“Never
better.  Chase and Brian came by this morning to bring me some fresh sausage
from Denny’s Farm down the road.  Wasn’t that sweet of them?” she asked, her
eyebrows rose at me, daring me to disagree.

“Peachy,”
I replied with a saccharine smile.  I didn’t dare look over at the guys seated
across from us.  I knew I wouldn’t be able to prevent a blush from rising if I
became ensnared in his eyes again. 

“I
won’t keep ya Ms. Betty.  I’ve got to head home and see if Momma’s okay,” said
Brian as he stood up to leave.  “If you’re still having trouble with the truck
tomorrow, just give me a holler.  I can come over and take a look at it for
ya.”

“Thank
you Brian.  You’re a lifesaver.  Tell your momma I said hello and that she
should come by soon.  I’m thinking of reinstating Sunday dinners around here,”
she said as she stood as well. 

He
nodded and they both walked out of the kitchen, leaving Chase and I behind. 
Alone.  I ran my finger delicately along my glass of water, playing with the
condensation that had gathered on the outside of the glass.  I knew I was
fidgeting, but I couldn’t control myself.  There was something so unnerving
about this boy! 

“I
like your jammies.  It’s been a long time since I’ve seen so many colors throw
up on someone’s clothes.” I looked up at him, prepared to voice my outrage, but
his smile disarmed me once again.  He was taunting me, trying to get a rise out
of me and damn if he hadn’t come close to succeeding.  I wouldn’t let him win.

“Thank
you.  I like your outfit as well.  I have to say, Redneck Chic suits you quite
well,” I replied, my sugary-sweet smile still firmly in place.

“Ya
haven’t heard?  It’s the latest trend.  I can help ya catch up, if ya want?”

Caught
off guard, I laughed out loud, covering my mouth quickly, trying hard to
suppress the snort that I was sure was about to escape.  His own masculine
laughter joined with mine, mingling and building, until both of us were
clutching our sides.  I hadn’t had a good laugh in...well, forever.  I heard
the doors to the kitchen swing open again and glanced up as Grandma entered the
room.  She looked between us, her eyes searching for what had caused our
raucous laughter.

“I
always miss the funny.  Wanna fill me in?” she asked as she pulled a package of
fresh sausage out of the fridge and slapped it on the counter.

“It
seems that our dear Chase here is a fashion guru.  He has offered to help me
learn the ins and outs of his style,” I replied as I looked over at Grandma. 
She scowled at me, but I continued anyway.  “It seems that my style isn’t to
his liking.”

“Oh,
I wouldn’t say that.  I really do like those pants.  But I’m afraid you’re
gonna have a hard time blending in around here if you continue to wear them,”
he teased, laughing as he took in Grandma’s bewildered face. 

“Now
who said I wanted to blend in?” I teased back, earning another scolding look
from Grandma.  I laughed and got up from the chair.  “I guess I better go
change.  It was nice seeing you again Chase.”

I
left them in the kitchen and made my way up to my room, gently closing the door
and the soft click echoed through the room.  I took a deep breath to steady
myself.  It had taken every ounce of willpower for me to walk out of that room,
especially when all I wanted was to climb into his arms and devour him.  I had
to get control of myself before I became one of those obsessed girls with a
stalker-like crush.  Yes, he was amazing to look at, and apparently had a
killer sense of humor that I had only just discovered, but I couldn’t let him
affect me this much. 

I
got dressed as quickly as possible, putting on a light pink dress with capped
sleeves and a ruffled hemline.  I looked myself over in the mirror, twisting
and turning to look at every angle, before sliding on a cream colored pair of
ballet flats.  It was starting look like my beautiful heels wouldn’t be making
an appearance any time soon, and that thought made me sad.  I had always loved
a nice pair of heels, especially when they made my already long legs look even
more stunning. 

I
brushed my hair and pulled it up into a bun, desperately trying to control the
unruly mess on my head.  The humidity here had wreaked havoc on my hair,
turning my once silky curls into frizzy piles of tangles.  It seemed that my
usual style would not work down here, once again. 

When
I finally made my way back downstairs I was cool, calm, and looked absolutely
stunning.  I’m not conceited, but I know when I look great.  Plain and simple. 
I waltzed back into the kitchen to find Grandma still standing at the stove,
the smell of sausage filling my nose.  Oh man.  I hadn’t smelled something so
delicious in months.  Mom and Dad had been on a vegetarian kick for so long now
that I had forgotten how great the smell of sizzling meat could be.  I sniffed
the air, trying to control the drool that began to pool in my mouth, before I
noticed that Chase was still seated at the kitchen table.  This time his
attention was fixated on something in the backyard.