“What did you say to me?” Riley said, stiffening in her seat. “If you want to cop an attitude, I suggest Garrett turns this truck around, and you can spend the rest of the night studying.”
“You’re the one with the issues,” Tara snapped. “I told you Garrett would find out about you doing all those chores. Don’t get sore at me because he caught you.”
Riley fumed in the seat beside him.
“Hey, why don’t we dial it down a notch?” Garrett intervened. “Tara, your sister’s a bit nervous about you going tonight, and Riley, you have to give her some space,” he said diplomatically, peering in his rear-view window. Nothing prepared him for the angry eyes shooting at him from both directions.
“She’s my sister, and you don’t get a vote,” Riley hissed.
“Yeah, what she said,” Tara snarked, crossing her arms and peering out the window.
Garrett stared straight ahead, learning his lesson about getting between two sisters. As soon as they arrived, Tara jumped out of his truck and bounded up the steps. Riley opened her door, and he let out a growl when he realized she planned to slide herself off the seat.
“Leave me alone,” she snapped as he swung her down gently.
“What has you so crabby?” he asked, handing her the crutches.
“Nothing,” she said, making her way toward the porchwhere Rachel, Kara, and an older woman greeted Tara. The woman rushed the teens inside as Rachel waited for her.
Her eyes widened at the sight of Riley, and Garrett wondered if she sensed the shift in her, too.
“Matthew’s in the barn. Julio and Rebecca will be dropping by any minute with their daughter, Megan,” Rachel told Garrett as Julio’s truck pulled into the driveway.
“I’ll wait until you’re inside,” he softly told her as they watched the couple lovingly remove the tiny child from the truck, and Julio swung her on his shoulders, making her giggle.
“Do you want to feed Matthew’s horse?” Julio asked Megan as he jerked his chin toward Garrett and the barn.
“It appears you’re wanted elsewhere. I’ll be fine,” she assured him. Garret hesitated, noticing Riley felt uncomfortable with the women. The urge to protect her sprang from nowhere.
“I won’t be long,” he said, before following Julio.
Rebecca smiled.“Hello, Riley, how do you feel?”
“I’m doing all right,” she answered quietly, feeling intimidated by the two women. They dressed casually and seemed to have their act together, while she appeared like a frumpy senior with no prospects of a job in sight.
“I’m warning you now, I can be kind of a bitch. With that being said, what the hell do you have on? Did you age in the hospital? I know the food’s terrible there, but surely it didn’t affect your eyesight enough to make poor choices about your wardrobe,” Rachel exclaimed.
Wanting to flee down the stairs, she glanced in the direction of the barn, hoping Garrett stayed true to his word. “Garrett brought these to the hospital because they’re easy to slip on and off. I know they’re ugly, but please don’t say anything. Beggars can’t be choosers. I can’t fasten my bra right now, and it does what it’s supposed to,” she reasoned.
“It’s my fault,” Rebecca volunteered. “I sent him and Jameson to pick up a few items for you. Megan has several doctor appointments, and with my job, I didn’t have time to go myself. Maybe we can make a trip to Corpus Christi this weekend and find you something more suitable for your age.”
“It’s all right. He already spent the money, and I owe him for Tara’s laptop, and all the food, plus…”
“What?” Rachel exclaimed. “He’s charging you for staying at the cabin?”
“No, no, it’s not him. I don’t like to owe people. I can’t repay him for what he has done for us. Most people wouldn’t volunteer to take in two strangers and deal with my whole mess. He’s wonderful to Tara, and he goes out of his way to ensure I’m comfortable. Garrett even gave me the primary bedroom to sleep in, and he took the couch. I offered for Tara and me to share a room, and he vetoed me, saying teens need their privacy,” she explained. “I don’t want to make him feel bad about his clothing choices.”
“Honey, the only thing good about that dress is it falls open when you bend over, and I saw him glancing at your chest,” Rachel said, smirking. “You’ve got the assets. You might as well use them to your advantage.”
“He doesn’t think of me like that,” Riley denied. “Garrett feels bad because he hit me with his truck, and then the bikers nabbed me.”
Rebecca giggled as Rachel rolled her eyes. “Didn’t your mom ever talk to you about men? They never do anything they don’t want to do. He’s very protective of you.”
“He’s protective of Tara, too. Does he want her, too? If so, we’ve got bigger problems,” she teased. The two women didn’t smile, only glancing at each other before leading Riley into the house.
The older woman approached the trio with a warm smile. “The girls went to your study to play with the makeup you gave Kara. They’ve chatted nonstop and have already made plans for Saturday. Hello, Riley, I’m Amy, Kara’s mom. I love your dress. I have one exactly like it. They’re so comfortable,” she said before turning and heading toward the kitchen.
Rachel nudged Riley on her side while Rebecca grinned and winked.
