What if he talks her into doing the show?"
"He won't," Kelly Jo replied.
Jack frowned. "Why didn't you go with them?"
Wiley covered his laugh with his hand. "Dad dropped my sister at my aunt's for the night because he thought he had a better chance of cooling my mom off if he got to sweet talk her alone. There's food for me in the fridge." He looked at Jack. "I don't know if I can find clothes for you or not, but I'll look."
Jack sighed and nodded. What would he do if Wiley came back with nothing for him to put on? Or didn't come back at all? Or worse, came back with the police?
"Hurry back," Kelly Jo said as Wiley lifted his rifle and started to trot off. "Don't forget underwear. And shoes."
"Be careful with that rifle," Jack cautioned.
Wiley's smile was sheepish. "It isn't loaded," he admitted, then hurried toward the road through the ever deepening shadows.
"I hope he brings underwear," Kelly Jo remarked.
"Will you stop complaining?" Jack snapped. "I've had to peel these boxers away from very delicate areas over and over and you don't hear me whining, do you?"
Kelly Jo leaned forward, her hand around the side of the tree. "Oh, yes, indeed I did hear you whining," she let him know. "Six times you grabbed a long, skinny branch to shove down the back of your boxers and scratch whatever was biting your behind, and you stopped eleven times to pull your boxers out of your..."
Flabbergasted, Jack yelled, "You watched? You counted ?"
"Well, I had to keep an eye on you so that I didn't get too far behind," she said defensively. "I had to make sure you were going in the right direction."
Jack thought back over his trek from Covey's Creek. And seethed when he remembered. "So, then that rumbling I heard behind me wasn't just small animals or leaves rustling. It was..."
"Me," she interrupted. "Me, trying not to laugh out loud. Especially when you made that noise...that ahhhh of relief when you scratched where some bug bit you."
Chapter Sixteen
Jack drew and exhaled a heavy breath of warning. "I should leave you here."
"But you won't," she informed him haughtily. "You need me."
"Wrong," he stated. "You need me. And what if I wasn't such a decent guy..."
Kelly Jo sniffed. "You mean what if you were dressed decently, don't you, because that's certainly more apropos ."
She ducked behind the tree just as Robert's, "What are you doing?" sliced the air.
Jack turned, fully prepared to give up Kelly Jo to whatever awaited her from the towering Angel of Punishment in front of him.
Robert repeated his question, adding, "I told you to wash out your clothes if you needed to...and, boy, did you need to...but I didn't think I had to tell you to put them back on. You don't plan to enter Covey's Creek like that, do you?"
Jack started to answer him, but Robert cut him off with a stern, "I can tell by your aura that you're human again, and I'll assume Kelly Jo is, also. So if you thought you could march into town semi-nude and that no one would notice let me make it very clear that you're wrong."
"Of course I wouldn't do that," Jack exploded. He sent a sour glance toward the tree, a glance that Robert didn't miss. "I wouldn't..."
"Kelly Jo," Robert roared. "Come out here. Now."
Jack wanted to smirk, to do a Snoopy happy dance and chant, " Go Robert! Go Robert!" Instead, he sighed. "She's gone already."
Robert glared at him. "Gone? What does that mean?"
Jack shrugged. "It means that while I was in the water scrubbing off dog stench, somehow Kelly Jo got her hands on my pants and now I can't find them. She must have figured out that you sent me after her, to hold her for you, and she found a way to slow me down."
Robert looked at him with steady eyes. "Your pants? That doesn't explain your shirt, your socks or your shoes. Or did you feel so naked without your pants that you figured you might as well get as close as possible to being
"He won't," Kelly Jo replied.
Jack frowned. "Why didn't you go with them?"
Wiley covered his laugh with his hand. "Dad dropped my sister at my aunt's for the night because he thought he had a better chance of cooling my mom off if he got to sweet talk her alone. There's food for me in the fridge." He looked at Jack. "I don't know if I can find clothes for you or not, but I'll look."
Jack sighed and nodded. What would he do if Wiley came back with nothing for him to put on? Or didn't come back at all? Or worse, came back with the police?
"Hurry back," Kelly Jo said as Wiley lifted his rifle and started to trot off. "Don't forget underwear. And shoes."
"Be careful with that rifle," Jack cautioned.
Wiley's smile was sheepish. "It isn't loaded," he admitted, then hurried toward the road through the ever deepening shadows.
"I hope he brings underwear," Kelly Jo remarked.
"Will you stop complaining?" Jack snapped. "I've had to peel these boxers away from very delicate areas over and over and you don't hear me whining, do you?"
Kelly Jo leaned forward, her hand around the side of the tree. "Oh, yes, indeed I did hear you whining," she let him know. "Six times you grabbed a long, skinny branch to shove down the back of your boxers and scratch whatever was biting your behind, and you stopped eleven times to pull your boxers out of your..."
Flabbergasted, Jack yelled, "You watched? You counted ?"
"Well, I had to keep an eye on you so that I didn't get too far behind," she said defensively. "I had to make sure you were going in the right direction."
Jack thought back over his trek from Covey's Creek. And seethed when he remembered. "So, then that rumbling I heard behind me wasn't just small animals or leaves rustling. It was..."
"Me," she interrupted. "Me, trying not to laugh out loud. Especially when you made that noise...that ahhhh of relief when you scratched where some bug bit you."
Chapter Sixteen
Jack drew and exhaled a heavy breath of warning. "I should leave you here."
"But you won't," she informed him haughtily. "You need me."
"Wrong," he stated. "You need me. And what if I wasn't such a decent guy..."
Kelly Jo sniffed. "You mean what if you were dressed decently, don't you, because that's certainly more apropos ."
She ducked behind the tree just as Robert's, "What are you doing?" sliced the air.
Jack turned, fully prepared to give up Kelly Jo to whatever awaited her from the towering Angel of Punishment in front of him.
Robert repeated his question, adding, "I told you to wash out your clothes if you needed to...and, boy, did you need to...but I didn't think I had to tell you to put them back on. You don't plan to enter Covey's Creek like that, do you?"
Jack started to answer him, but Robert cut him off with a stern, "I can tell by your aura that you're human again, and I'll assume Kelly Jo is, also. So if you thought you could march into town semi-nude and that no one would notice let me make it very clear that you're wrong."
"Of course I wouldn't do that," Jack exploded. He sent a sour glance toward the tree, a glance that Robert didn't miss. "I wouldn't..."
"Kelly Jo," Robert roared. "Come out here. Now."
Jack wanted to smirk, to do a Snoopy happy dance and chant, " Go Robert! Go Robert!" Instead, he sighed. "She's gone already."
Robert glared at him. "Gone? What does that mean?"
Jack shrugged. "It means that while I was in the water scrubbing off dog stench, somehow Kelly Jo got her hands on my pants and now I can't find them. She must have figured out that you sent me after her, to hold her for you, and she found a way to slow me down."
Robert looked at him with steady eyes. "Your pants? That doesn't explain your shirt, your socks or your shoes. Or did you feel so naked without your pants that you figured you might as well get as close as possible to being
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