CHAPTER 12 - Blue Creek
I rode my horse around the small town and tried to shake the thoughts of what Paw and Uncle Seth had been talking about in the diner. There was nothing else to do, so I thought I would ride in the direction Mary Beth had pointed me in earlier and look for her house. I rode outside of town and looked for the little white house. I was beginning to think she had lied to me until I finally saw it. Just over the hill was the little white house with a white fence. Two dogs were sprawled out on her front porch and started to wag their tails when I came closer.
I noticed the dogs were not actually dogs, but Mexican wolves. They were not as tall as the wolves out on the plains, but they were fat and fluffier than they should be. I could tell they were well taken care of and didn't miss a meal. They looked friendly enough on the porch but I wasn't going to push it. I would hate for Mary Beth to be upset with me if I had to kill one of her pets.
I turned my horse and headed back towards town. I needed to get to the wash house and clean up before time to call on Mary Beth. There were dark clouds in the distance and I prayed that wasn't a bad omen for tonight. The thought made my heart race and I couldn't understand why. Why was I so concerned if tonight didn't go well? I didn't really know Mary Beth well enough to be worried over it so I pushed it to the back of my mind.
After I'd taken my bath and had finished dressing, I walked outside of the bath house. They sun was lower in the sky and I was sure school was out by now. I rubbed my face and realized how scruffy my jawline was. I hadn't shaved in over a week and for me it didn't take long at all to grow a full beard. I saddled my horse again and started out towards Mary Beth's house.
The dark clouds I had seen earlier were closer and it felt like rain. I ignored the fact that it could probably ruin tonight and pushed the thought back. When I reached the white house I noticed the wolves were gone and saw a beautiful white stallion running behind the house in the little pasture. It was thick with muscles and it's mane and tail were long and wavy. I stared at the beast until I heard the creaking of a door. It was Mary Beth.
"Mr. Britt, I was beginning to think you weren't comin'." Mary Beth called out to me from the front porch. I tied my horse to the hitching post and walked up the steps to face her.
"I don't think I could have stood you up if I wanted to." I answered. Mary Beth smiled wide and took my arm. The sight of her innocent smile made me realized how true my answer was. I really didn't think I could have stayed away. I couldn't understand what was pulling me to this girl. Not that I was trying to fight it.
"What would you like to do this evenin'?"
"I was plannin' to leave that up to you, Miss."
Mary Beth smiled and led us off the porch and around the back of the little white house. There was a small wagon with hay in the back. "Let me just put this hay out for Stormy and we can use the wagon." She said as she walked towards the wagon and picked up an armful of hay.
"No, let me do that." I took the hay from her arms and dropped it over the fence. The white stallion she'd called Stormy came charging to the fence line. I thought he wasn't going to stop in time but he did, just before crashing into the wooden gate. "He's spirited, ain't he?"
"Just a little." Mary Beth said with a laugh. "He just isn't real fond of strangers. Not until he knows you're safe."
I stuck my hand out over the fence and let him smell me. He just stood there staring at us after he pulled his large head away from my hand. I walked back to the wagon and carried another armful to drop in the pile. Stormy never moved or made any noise. He just watched me with caution. "That's it."
"Thank you, Mr. Britt. You really didn't have to do that for me." Mary Beth said quietly. I could see the appreciation in her face and it almost seemed that she wasn't used to having anyone help her.
"You don't have to thank me. Just call me Britt from now on." I answered as I leaned against the side of the wagon.
"Okay, Britt." She blushed a little as she said my name and quickly turned around. She started off towards the small barn to the left and I followed. "You can put your horse in one of the stalls while we're gone."
I grabbed my horse's lead rope and brought him to the barn. The barn was old. It needed some roof work and the paint was peeling off the wood. It used to be white to match the house but now the paint was almost gone. Mary Beth pulled up the latch and opened the doors. I led my paint into one of the stalls and shut the door. Mary Beth dropped him some hay in the trough.
She whistled and grabbed a rope from one of the stalls. A few seconds later I heard hooves pounding. "There you are." She said as she grabbed the stocky pony's nose and scratched it's forehead. "This is Princess. She's a mountain pony I bought from a man in Sunset Ridge the last time I visited my parents. She's great for pulling the wagon. She's built for work."
I nodded in agreement when Mary Beth looked back at me. The bay pony was a little shorter than most I've seen and had thick legs. She was definitely built to be a work horse. "She's pretty."
"She is, isn't she?"
"I'll hook her up to the wagon." I took the lead rope from Mary Beth and led the pony outside. She tossed her head when she saw Stormy and he did the same. They were having their own conversation and I wondered what they were saying to each other.
"Here is her harness." Mary Beth handed the harness and straps to me once I had Princess backed up the wagon. It only took a few minutes and we were ready to go. I helped Mary Beth into the wagon and handed the the reigns while I climbed up.
"Well, where would you like to go?" I asked as I flicked the reigns. Princess pulled and started into a beautiful saddle gait.
"I was thinking we could go down to the creek?"
"Sounds alright with me. Just point me in the right direction."
"That way." Mary Beth pointed to the left when we reached the road. I pulled the reigns slightly to the left and Princess knew just where we were going.
It was a twenty minute ride from Mary Beth's house to the creek. Princess took us right up to the edge of the hill over looking the creek and stopped. "You must come out here often."
Mary Beth knew what I was getting at and giggled. "I do. It's my escape. Princess always brings me here and as soon as I turn her left from the house she knows where we're goin'. There ain't nothin' else out this way besides the creek."
I unstrapped Princess and let her loose to graze while we walked down to the creek from the hill. The water was clear and reflected the blue sky overhead in a way that it looked like the water itself was blue. Mary Beth seemed to read my mind. "It's called Blue Creek. The water is so clean that it looks like glass."
I nodded and smiled. I didn't know why I smiled, but whenever I met Mary Beth's eyes it was involuntary. She plopped down on the bank and slipped off her white slippers. Her pale pink dress flared out around her and she reached up to take the pin out of her hair. It fell from the bun and landed in dark auburn waves across her back that ended in perfect ringlets. She took a ribbon from her pocket and tied it at the nape of her neck. The breeze caught some of the strands around her face and they fluttered with the air.
"It's not polite to stare." Mary Beth said in a mocking tone that brought me back to earth. I sat on the ground next to her and stretched out my legs.
"I can't help it." I honestly couldn't. I didn't think she knew how beautiful she was.
A light blush colored her cheeks and she looked away. She dipped her toes in the water and started to pick at the clover between us. "I would like to ask you somethin'." She started. I nodded for her to continue. "You wouldn't happen to be an outlaw would you?"
"That depends on your definition of an outlaw."
"Well, I've just heard some talk 'round town that you have somewhat of a reputation."
"I reckon' that would be correct."
Mary Beth met my eyes for a second before looking out at the creek. She seemed deep in thought for a few moments before she replied. "I don't wanna know about your reputation to be honest. That doesn't matter. I just wanna know if you are, in any way, dangerous?"
I laughed. For the first time in a long time I laughed, really laughed. I laughed because I was in fact dangerous, but then laughed because she thought I would be dangerous for her. She looked at me with a strange expression before I saw the corners of her mouth quirk up, fighting their way into a smile. "Ma'am, if you mean would I hurt you, the answer is no."
"That's all I needed to know." Mary Beth replied with a grin. She stared at me and it felt like she was looking into my soul. "Would you like to swim?"
The question caught me off guard and I knew my eyes had widened. Mary Beth laughed and jumped to her feet. She reached behind her and unbuttoned her corset. I jumped up and kicked off my boots. She looked back at me and started wriggling out of her dress at an impressive speed. When it turned into a race, I didn't know. But after I had thrown off my shirt I jumped off the bank and into the cool water. Soon after Mary Beth did the same the little creek became full of her laughter. Her hair had come loose and was floating around her in the clear water.
"Oh, your chest." She squealed as she swam towards me. She reached out her dainty hand and touched the long scar over my chest. "What happened to you?"
I really didn't want to tell her, but I couldn't keep anything from her. I didn't want to keep any secrets from her. "I robbed a train last year and the coal pusher put up a fight."
Mary Beth didn't smile, but she didn't look disappointed either. She ran her fingers over the length of my scar. "Did it hurt?"
"Hell yeah it hurt. I thought I was gonna bleed to death."
She smiled a little and looked up at me. "Like I said, I don't care about your reputation. That means what you have done in the past. Just as long as you behave when you're around me."
"I won't be a bad influence if that's what you mean." I grinned. "It looks like you're more of the bad influence."
"Oh, just think the talk we'd be around Escalera if someone knew we were down here in this creek together." Mary Beth squealed and giggled. I laughed with her. They'd probably run us out of town, but I didn't care.
"The sweet little school teacher is skinny dippin' with a dangerous outlaw." I mocked and she burst into giggles once again.
"Well, at least they'll have somethin' interestin' to talk about. And at least we're not completely naked!"