So Right With You (16 page)

Concerned, Kali said, “We can stay with you. Maybe it can be pulled out.” Kali looked at the horse.

Chloe noticed her curiosity. The plan would only work if Kali and Josh believed her horse needed tending. Chloe slid off before they noticed the horse’s gait was unaffected. But not before giving Garrett a swift, seemingly accidental kick in the shin as she dismounted. His grinning was not helping her case.

“Ouch!” Garrett said.

“Sorry.” Chloe feigned sympathy. She gave him a look that asked him to play along.

He sighed, then slid off his own horse. “Chloe’s right. You two should ride ahead. We’ll walk the horses back. We don’t want to cause any further undue harm to Buttercup.”

“If you’re sure,” Josh mumbled, not looking too excited at being left alone with the surly Kali.

“We could come back with you.” Kali suggested.

“No, no, you two go alone and enjoy your ride. I know how much you’ve been looking forward to it. I’d hate for you to miss out.”

“Yes, Josh, I want you to take Kali out, but stay close to the ranch.”

“Okay,” Josh said, resigned.

Garrett and Chloe began to walk the horses back to the barn. Luckily, they hadn’t gone too far.

As soon as they were out of sight, Kali said, “If you want to, you can take me back. I wouldn’t want to put you out or anything.”

“Come on, Kali. It’s not like that,” Josh said.

“You’ve already made it clear you don’t want to ride with me anymore than I want to ride with you.”

“Kali, stop.”

Tears blurred her vision. “On second thought, I’ll just walk myself back.”

Before he could respond, she swung her leg over the horse’s head, slid to the ground, and trudged off, not toward the ranch but toward the river instead.

“Kali, what are you doing? I have to make sure you get back safely.”

“I’m not your responsibility, and you don’t have to feel sorry for me.”

“Why would I feel sorry for you?”

“Because I have cancer.” Kali turned and shouted at him from the edge of the muddy riverbank. She whirled back to the stream and slipped, sliding down the embankment toward the water.

“Kali,” Josh yelled as he swung off the horse and ran to see if she was all right. Trying to scramble down the embankment to her, he lost his own footing and slid through the mud, landing next to her. Both of them were now covered in mud from head to toe.

Josh looked at her. “I don’t pity you because you have cancer. You are one of the most stubborn, bravest, amazing girls I know. I feel bad that you have cancer. It sucks. But I don’t pity you.”

“No?” Her eyes widened with wonder.

“No.”

“Oh.” The frown was replaced with a smile.

“Yes. Oh.” He returned her smile.

With that, he bent forward and kissed her with all the pent-up frustration of a seventeen-year-old boy pining for the girl who’d been driving him crazy. When he pulled back, he dipped his finger into the mud and smudged her nose with it. “Brat.” Josh grinned.

“Dork,” Kali replied, returning the favor.

“Now, I suggest we get out of here and pray the horse didn’t run off. I didn’t have time to secure it,” Josh said.

Luckily, Jupiter had decided to stay close and graze on some grass while waiting for the turbulent teens.

Josh tethered the horse to a nearby tree and said, “We’d better get cleaned up. They’re going to wonder what happened if we don’t.” Holding hands, they went back down to the riverbank, being extra careful of the slick hillside. They used the fresh cool water to wash off as much mud as they could.

Afterward, Josh helped Kali climb back into the saddle and mounted behind her. Noticing that Kali was shivering from the cold, Josh pulled her back into his warmth. This time, Kali didn’t protest the closeness but snuggled in, a smile on her face.

*~*

“Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to leave those two alone.”

“I think it was a great idea,” Garrett answered. He was more than happy to have Chloe to himself. “They were driving me crazy.” Garrett took her free hand, turned her, and leaned in for a kiss.

She pulled back before he could complete the move. “No, seriously.”

“It will be fine,” he assured her.

“What if they continue to fight? Maybe we should have stayed and refereed. What if something bad happens? I’ll never forgive myself. What was I thinking?” She looked at him with worry in her eyes.

Instead of answering her string of questions, he pulled her close again and kissed her silent. “Stop worrying.” A warmth spread through him as he stared down at her. She was like a mother bear in her fierce concern for the two teens. He could picture her with their children when the time came. She would make a great mother. Her loyalty, gentleness, and protectiveness would benefit any child lucky enough to have her as their mother.

Releasing the breath she been holding during the shared kiss, she punched him in the arm.

“Why did you do that?”

“Aren’t you worried at all?”

Rubbing his arm, he said, “Look, Josh is very responsible. He’ll make sure Kali gets back safely.”

They reached the barn and waited for the teens near the corral.

Chloe paced the area, impatient for their return. “Why do you think it’s taking so long?” she asked for at least the tenth time in an hour.

Garrett hated to admit it, but he was becoming equally concerned. They shouldn’t have been gone this long. They were supposed to stay close to the house, not venture out. He didn’t want to alarm Chloe, but he was considering sending out a search party for the two.

He stared into the distance and finally spotted a horse with two riders.

“There they are.” He pointed to the horizon where the two were slowly making their way back.

She looked in the direction he pointed and sighed. “Thank God. I was so worried.”

“I told you it would be fine.” He exhaled in relief, too.

As the two riders drew closer, it was obvious something had happened to the two of them. The teens were soaking wet, and there were still traces of mud on their clothes, faces, hair, and parts of their body.

“Are you two all right?” Chloe asked, worried. “I told you we should have gone back.” She gave Garrett an accusing look.

“We’re fine. We slipped in the mud by the river,” Josh said.

Both teens smiled at each other as if sharing a secret.

“We’re sorry you were worried,” Kali added.

“Well, as long as you’re okay. We’d better get you out of those wet things, Kali.”

“You, too, Josh. Go home and get changed. I’m sure your dad will have something to say about this,” Garrett warned him. His dad was the foreman for the ranch. Josh helped out for a little spending money when he wasn’t in school.

“It really was an accident, sir.” Josh swallowed.

“It was all my fault.” Kali came to Josh’s defense. “I slipped in the mud. He tried to help me and fell, too. We’re both really sorry you were worried.”

“We’re glad you’re both safe.” Chloe signaled Garrett to let it be.

Garrett took a deep breath. “Okay. Go get changed. Next time, you guys should use your cell phones and let us know.”

“You’re right.” Josh looked straight into his eyes.

Kali looked at Josh, giving him a slight smile.

“Come on, Kali. I’m sure I have something you can borrow,” Chloe said.

Kali sent one more look at Josh before Chloe led her away.

“Help me put Jupiter in his stall before you go,” Garrett said to Josh. Josh looked worried. Garrett gave him a broad grin. It was good the kid was a little apprehensive. Then maybe he wouldn’t screw up. Kali was, after all, one of the Foundation’s kids, and he didn’t need teenage hormones causing any unexpected problems. He planned to talk to him about it.

“Look, Mr. Nolan, I like Kali. I like her a lot. I understand your concern, and I don’t plan on doing anything that would hurt her or the ranch.” Josh swallowed.

“Then I guess there’s nothing more to say. Now help me put the horse away. We need to groom him first, then feed him.”

“Okay.” Josh said.

*~*

“So, I take it you and Josh patched things up,” Chloe said as she walked with Kali back to the ranch house.

“You were right. He really likes me,” Kali exclaimed giddily.

“I told you people who care about you see the real you. You just have to believe it.”

Kali threw her arms around Chloe and hugged her. “Thank you.”

Chloe gave her a squeeze, ignoring the dampness of Kali’s clothes. The teenager’s friendship had come to mean a lot to her. She was glad she had helped her.

When they entered the house, Chloe took her up to her room. She reached into a drawer and pulled out a pair of gray sweats and a navy T-shirt. Kali went into the bathroom to shower. While she was showering, Chloe found her a clean scarf and cap. She figured Kali would be self-conscious without them.

She couldn’t wait to share the new developments in her plans for the fundraiser. She wanted to see Kali’s reaction to it being a gala for the kids as well as for the contributors.

She knew Kali would be so excited to hear she could go to the gala with Josh. It would be perfect. Maybe she could make it a themed gala, too. That would make it more fun for the kids. The gala was scheduled for the start of the New Year, so perhaps something with a New Year’s or winter-wonderland theme. She would have to give it a little more thought, although she didn’t have much time.

When Kali came out of the restroom, she had a towel wrapped around her head and seemed uncomfortable as she kept touching the towel to make sure it stayed in place.

“Here, I found these for you.” Chloe handed over the scarf and cap.

Kali looked relieved. “Oh, thanks.” She went back into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

When Kali came out the second time, she appeared more like her usual self. “This is a nice house. So are you and the boss man, you know, together?”

Chloe blushed. “Not really.”

“I’m sorry. It seemed like you were. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.”

“We’re just good friends. He’s doing me a favor.” She hoped the teen would believe it.

“Oh, I see.” Kali eyed her skeptically.

Great. She wasn’t buying it. “No, really.”

“Sure.”

“Anyway, I wanted to tell you about the change in the fundraiser. I talked to Garrett this morning.”

“Mmm hmm.” The teen gave her a knowing look and smiled.

Wonderful
. She had just confirmed Kali’s suspicions. She was supposed to be setting an example for the teen. “I convinced Garrett to change it into a gala for the kids here at the ranch, so they could attend.”

Kali did not look thrilled. “That’s nice.”

“We’ll have a lot of work to do to pull it off.” Kali had been helping up to this point.

“Uh-huh,” Kali said.

“I was thinking we should do a theme for the occasion.”

“Okay.”

So far, this was not going as Chloe had anticipated. “You can invite Josh as your date.” She looked at Kali, waiting for a more enthusiastic reaction.

Kali looked down. She actually seemed to shrink even further from the conversation.

“We could go shopping for a really pretty dress for it.”

She didn’t look up at all.

“Is something wrong, Kali? I thought you would be excited by the party,” she asked.

“Thanks for thinking of the idea. I’m sure the other kids will be thrilled. But it’s not really my kind of thing.”

“But Kali, you mentioned your friend Gabby’s winter formal, and you seemed disappointed that you couldn’t go. I thought this would give you a chance to do something like it. With you and Josh patching things up, I’m sure he’d be happy to take you.”

“I’ll be happy to help you with the details, but I’m not going.” She released a heavy sigh, as if the weight of the world was on her shoulders.

Chloe was thrown by her reaction. She had been sure this would be just the thing to help her feel better about things. But Kali wasn’t even considering going.

“I don’t understand, Kali. I thought this would be something you’d want to do.”

“I’m sorry. I really can’t go.”

“Why?” Chloe asked.

“It’s just not for me.” She touched the scarf on her head, frowning.

Chloe wondered if Kali’s self-consciousness over her hair loss from the chemo might have something to do with it. “Ree, a friend of mine, is a stylist. Perhaps she can help us come up with a solution for your hair.”

Kali looked doubtful. “Most of the wigs my family can afford are synthetic, and I’m allergic to them. Besides, they’re pretty gross. You can tell they’re fake. The good ones that I can wear are made out of real hair, but they cost more. My family can’t afford them. I couldn’t ask that of them. What with paying for my treatments, they’ve been pretty strapped for money. Not everything is covered by insurance.”

“How about you let me worry about a new dress for you and a new wig?” Chloe suggested.

“I couldn’t let you do that. It’s too much.” Kali eyed her reflection in the mirrored armoire.

Chloe had a feeling Kali was focusing on her appearance and was finding herself lacking. “You let me worry about that. I have my ways. It will be my way of paying you back for all your hard work. Now help me come up with a great theme for the party,” she said.

Kali smiled, seeming more at ease with discussing the actual planning. “With it being held at the ranch, we could use the theme ‘Under the Stars.’”

“That’s a great idea. I knew there was a reason I picked you as my assistant.”

Kali reddened at the compliment.

Chloe smiled at her, meaning every word she’d said. Kali was a great kid, and after everything she’d been through, she deserved to have something good come her way.

*~*

After Kali left with her parents, Chloe decided to take a nice long soak in her Jacuzzi tub. Garrett hadn’t returned yet, and she was finding that she was a little achy from their outing today. She wanted to let the jetted sprays work their magic on her sore muscles.

She put her hair up with a large clip, filled the tub with bubble bath, and stripped off her clothes. Looking down, she admired the tattoo of the four yellow roses, each one a little different, representing her friends and the state of Texas. She could now bathe and shower without worry. She climbed into the tub and closed her eyes. She turned on the underwater jets and leaned back.