favorite big oak tree. The latest rap tunes were already blaring from inside the house, filtering out through the torn screened door and windows.
Patrick had taken her to eat frie d chicken and they talked about what he would expect her to do at the farm with the horses. They picked up Bernie. Bernie had brought his M-16 and a .45 in a body holster " in case there was trouble. "
She was riding on magic wings before she saw the horrible house again .
Shame was not an even good enough word to illustrate how she felt in that moment.
And there was the odor of course that drifted out into the afternoon air .
Could she just die right now?
She would settle for hiding under the plush fresh carpet in Patrick ' s brand new red Ford 250. It had the name of his farm painted on the side and his coat of arms. Jolene knew what a coat of arms was from her teen romance books about the medieval times.
McCabe Horse Farm .
In utter humiliation s he sat there on the dove grey leather seats that still smelled brand new looking out his pristine windshield at a ll the trash that was on the porch in bags with holes.
She knew she had the red patches all over her skin. She could feel the prickly heat that came with them. She got them when she was embarrassed…or had done something bad.
Mortified .
She had read that word in a book and looked it up in the dictionary….but it was still not a good enough word to describe how she felt in that moment.
What must Patrick think of her to live here? He didn ' t just smell really good…w hy his fingernails were even clean. She h ad tried to hide her own bitten-down nails. She couldn ' t help it. When she was nervous she bit her nails and twisted her hair.
But his hands…so clean and nice ... gripping the steering wheel mad her heart tickle .
It was beyond embarrassing that he, the enemy who stole her farm , should see how she low she had become after what he had done .
Her eye caught the rusted 1973 Chevy on cinder blocks .
Had it ever had wheels or was it always just sitting there with rusted pegs that should have held tires?
Then the re was the burn pit containing not just other inappropriate items to burn, but was topped with a stained , worn and faded carpet from when boyfriend Luke had a go o n linoleum and failed…unfortunately no one could figure out how to put the torn old carpet back…
Could she just die right now?
" Get out and get your stuff and the dogs , " he said quietly. She didn ' t turn to him. She simply could not look at him . W ould he change his mind about letting her stay with him because of seeing all of this? She just pulled the door handle and slid out. " Hurry yourself now . I don ' t think you ' ll be needing much here. "
"Maybe we better go with her." Bernie offered from the back seat.
"Not with you and your gun s and a house full of drunk men."
"Unless it becomes necessary." Bernie said quietly, eyeing the scene outside the truck as if it was a potential battlefield.
Jolene knew it was in fact a battlefield, but not like the ones that Bernie saw in Iraq.
As soon as she stepped out Finnegan and Oliver bounded over with pumping tails and short barks to welcome her and nip her like a lamb that had gone missing.
Patrick and Bernie got out and went around to pet them. " Hum, and who might these handsome devils be? "
Fi nn and Oliver immediately knew friend s when they saw them and turned their wet-nosed nudges to Patrick and Bernie to battle for pets from these new people . " That is Finnegan and Oliver. "
Patrick stood and held the door open. " Up, up then, we ' ve a new home for ye r . "
With a shocking lack of concern of Patrick ' s inten t ions and w ithout question , the pups jumped right in to the truck and immediately made themselves comfortable. Finnegan rubbed his head along the leather seat as if he understood completely about luxury and felt that he finally had his due.
Patrick
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