Dorothy Garlock - [Tucker Family] by Keep a Little Secret Page A

With his enormous hands, he reached out and grabbed
     her by the arms, momentarily startling her. “You can teach me!” he exclaimed.
    “Wh-what are you talking about?”
    “It makes total sense,” Hale kept on, his enthusiasm so great that he lifted her up and off the ground as if she were a bag
     of feathers. “You can tell me everythin’ that I’ve been doin’ wrong, what with you bein’ a woman and all! Hell, I ain’t the
     least bit tongue-tied round you, which means that I must not feel the slightest ’ttraction to you!”
    “Thanks a lot, Hale,” she said sarcastically.
    “Aw, you know what I mean.” He chuckled, finally hopeful.
    “Hale McCoy, what do you think you’re doing with her!”
    Both Charlotte and Hale turned to see Hannah striding toward them, consternation written across her face. As if what he was
     holding were ablaze with fire, Hale quickly set Charlotte down and stepped awkwardly back, looking for a moment as if he were
     considering running away.
    “Why did he have you up in the air like that?” Hannah asked Charlotte once she had reached her side.
    “He… he was…” Charlotte said, now the one to be tongue-tied.
    “I was just showin’ her how strong I am,” Hale jumped in, the words tumbling from his mouth.
    “Anyone with one working eye would know that,”Hannah said with a chuckle. “You should practice with the horses instead.”
    Relief washed over Charlotte at Hale’s quick thinking, although she was just as surprised that he’d been able to form a complete
     sentence while in Hannah’s presence.
    “Well… then I suppose… I should probably get goin’… what with all the chores to do… and all,” Hale flailed, reverting to his
     bumbling ways.
    “Bye, Hale.” Hannah smiled.
    “We’ll talk when I get back,” Charlotte added.
    As he walked away, Salt and Pepper trailing happily at his heels, it was Hale who looked like a dog slinking off with his
     tail tucked between his legs.
    Just as she had when she had first arrived, Charlotte took in all the strange sights and sounds of the ranch as the truck
     drove down the dusty drive and out onto the road to Sawyer.
    Her bare arm rested on the open window, soaking up the warm sunlight; even with a gentle breeze rustling the tree leaves,
     the day was growing hot. Scissor-tailed flycatchers dipped and dived beside the gurgling stream, the birds’ beaks open as
     they tried to catch insects before retreating to what shade could be found in the summer afternoon. Only the wildflowers seemed
     unaffected by the heat, still standing tall under the glare of the sun.
    Owen was driving, his left hand lazily steering the wheel; he didn’t seem particularly concerned about hisdriving, making no attempt to avoid the depressions and deep holes that pocked the road. Hannah sat sourly between them, a
     hand raised above her head to ensure the truck’s roof remained a safe distance away.
    “You don’t have to hit every hole in the road, you know,” Hannah said, her voice broken as she tried to maintain her balance
     in the bouncing truck.
    “Anytime you want to start drivin’ yourself into town, you just let me know,” Owen answered with indifference, as he purposefully
     steered the truck toward an enormous hole at the edge of the road. When the wheel struck, it was as if they had been caught
     in an earthquake; Charlotte clung tenaciously to the door frame, fearful she might be tossed outside. “If I were you, I’d
     keep my comments to myself. Otherwise, you can drive yourself.”
    “But you know that I’ve never learned to drive,” Hannah argued. “Besides, the truck’s needed on the ranch.”
    “Then put a cork in all the complainin’!” he barked. “You’d think you’d be grateful!”
    Charlotte was both shocked and horrified by just how openly Owen disparaged his sister, especially while someone else was
     present. Though she had met him for only a moment the night before, it was hard to believe he