Wimberly rolled around in the dirt, making all kinds of noises while she pawed at a ladybug. “I can’t be too upset with him, can I?” The Great Pyrenees huffed. “I’m the one who ran away and left this all behind after all.” I bent down and extended my finger as the ladybug gently crawled onto my long fingernail. Wimberly rolled onto her stomach and eyed the bug closely with dilated eyes. “Easy,” I whispered. “You don’t want to scare it away, do you?” I smiled at the dog. The ladybug fluttered from my finger and shot right at Wimberly’s face, startling the giant furball. She nearly fell over as the bug flew away, fumbling around before she froze. “What is it, girl?” I asked. The dog looked away from me with her ears perked. “Wimberly?” Before I knew it, she took off around the barn. “Hey!” I stood and looked for the dog. “Wimberly!”
Crap. I haven’t even been back a whole day and I already drove the dog off.
My boots kicked at the dirt as I stomped around the barn, annoyed with myself. “I should’ve known better,” I mumbled. “Wimberly!” She didn’t come.
Damn it…where could she have gone? She was just here!
“Wimberly! Come here, girl!” I whistled and called out to her a few more times before I finally heard her distant bark. “Wimberly?” I ran after her barks to find her off in the distance, excitedly jumping all over someone. “Wimberly, wait!” I sprinted after her.
I stopped as I realized the person she was so excited to see washim.
Forsythe.
The man embraced Wimberly as if her jumping and barking was nothing new to him. He just carried on as if it were normal. No, as if she were his dog. It was upsetting to see.
Even the dog likes him? What the hell?
I just stood there and watched them together. Wimberly was smitten with him, and the longer I watched, the more I noticed. Forsythe looked even taller in the daylight. And despite wearing a black, long sleeve shirt, he seemed perfectly comfortable with the heat. Though his shirt and jeans were now covered in dirty dog prints, thanks to Wimberly. But what threw me off most was that he seemed almost…happy. That is, until he looked up to see me.
I scoffed and crossed my arms, watching as he leaned down and whispered something to the dog. She barked, following him as they approached me. “Lucille.” He tipped his hat at me without a care in the world. “I think you lost something.” He whistled as Wimberly yipped. Forsythe’s eyes returned to me, and I nearly lost my composure. It was the first time I’d really seen his face up close in the light. His skin was still rugged and covered in scars, but his face had an interesting aura to it. And the color of his eyes…they were nothing like I remembered. In the dark, they looked muted and almost menacing. But now, here in the light, they were the complete opposite. A rich, emerald green brought to life by the sun. There was something about his eyes that made me pause.
Were they always that color?
Wimberly barked, breaking my strange trance. “T-thank you,” I stuttered.
The man didn’t show any emotion and simply grunted. “If you’re looking for Cooper, he’s not far behind me with the trailer.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be with him?” I blurted out.
He raised a brow. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I needed to take a walk. Now if you’ll excuse me, I got work to do. I don’t care if you stick around, just try not to get in the way.” His eyes broke away and he brushed past me towards the barn. The dog barked and tried to follow him. “Stay, Wimberly.” She whined, obeying his command despite her obviousness to want to follow him instead. I didn’t like the idea of Boone’s dog becoming so accustomed to him, like everyone else.
I spun around. “You may have fooled everyone else, but I still don’t like you!” The summer breeze blew my hair around my face, obstructing my view, but I heard his feet stop. “I never did. Not then, and especially not now.” I clawed my hair from my face and noticed he was looking back at me over his shoulder.
“I know.” My stomach twisted in a weird way as I watched him roll his sleeves to his elbows and noticed the many tattoos along his arms. “But just because your daddy ain't here, doesn’t mean this place isn’t my home. It was my home before you, and it’s going to be my home after you. And nothing you say is going to change that.” He spat on the ground. “You should learn to let petty shit go, city girl.”
My eyes rose back to his and my jaw clenched. “How can I just let it go when you’re walking around like you own the place?” He didn’t speak. “And I’m not a city girl, you fucking dick!”
Forsythe grinned at my temper. “Colorful choice of words, little Lucille.” He looked up at the sky for a moment before speaking. “Well then, I guess you’re right about one thing after all.”
“Oh yeah? What’s that?” I asked in a huff.
Forsythe lowered his head with a mischievous smile. “I guess you’re not a city girl…‘cause city girls don’t spit such fiery venom.” He stepped closer, stopping only a few inches from where I stood.
What the hell is he doing? Why is he so close?
He leaned forward and tucked a stray hair behind my ear. I held my breath, too stunned to process what was even happening. “You should be more careful with your words. Striking with such raw venom can really hurt someone, little Lucille.”
“I wish you and everyone else would stop fucking calling me that,” I grumbled quietly. “I’m not a kid anymore.”
His head tilted at my temper. “You’re right, you’re a full-grown woman with a sharp tongue. Some might even call you a viper.”
My crossed arms flexed with annoyance. “Is that supposed to be an insult?”
He shrugged playfully, remaining a little too close. “You tell me.”
What is he?—
The sound of the trailer quickly grew within earshot as Forsythe’s eyes raised past me. I spun around to see Cooper driving down the road towards the barn.
