Chapter 6
Kip
The look on Lynn's face when Colt told him she was our neighbor, was priceless. I swear her jaw hit the dirt, but that look wore off fast. Soon they were both in the pasture checking on the cattle, and she was looking at him like he hung the moon. Colt and I were friends so I was use to the way girls stared at him, but seeing that same look on Lynn's face was different. It was like
"Hey, Kip" Colt walks up to me, pulling the gloves from his hands. "The heifers look good. I have a few appointments in town, but I'll come by later to help Lynn fix the fence." He shakes my hand and turns to Lynn. I'm already getting on the quad to head back to the house, so I can't hear what he's saying, but I can hear her laugh.
I get back to the barn and head up to the loft to my room. Pulling my shirt off as I walk up the stairs, pulling my shirt off on the way up. I stand in front of the small mirror above the small sink in my room. My side, starting from just under my arm going all the way down to my hip, is a deep purple. It hurts to move and is tender to the touch, but I power through it and push on each of my ribs. I've read in the circuit a few times, mostly Saddle Broncs and steer ropin', so I'm used to pain. It doesn't seem like any of my ribs are broken, but the bruise runs deep. I hear footsteps on the stairs in the barn, a second later Lynn is in my door way, Bear at her feet. That little rat loves her.
"Thought you and colt were gonna' fix the fence," I say, trying to keep the venom out of my voice. I know Lynn's daddy doesn't like her doing that kind of work, the kind that could get her hurt, so I try and keep her away from it. I broke his trust and told her he was sick, least I could do was make sure she's safe.
"He had work," she's lookin' at her feet. She does that when she thinks she's in trouble. "Said he'd come back before dusk.
I smile at her, then go back to checking my side, expecting her to leave.
"Sit," she tells me, nudging me away from the sink towards the bed.
I sit and watch her as she fills a cup with warm water. She grabs the wash cloth hanging by the sink and comes to kneel on the floor in front of me. Slowly, she wets the rag, and starts patting at the cuts on my face. I don't wince, it hurts, but I don't wince. Never show pain, that's what my dad always said. I close my eyes as she moves from my face to the cuts on my neck and arms. The warm rag feels amazing against my sore skin. Suddenly her hand is on my chest, making me shiver, I tell myself its cause her fingers are a cold contrast to the warm rag.
"When did you get this?" she's running her fingers over the cross tattoo on my peck. I watch as her fingers trace the lines slowly.
"Two summers ago," I clear my, suddenly dry, throat.
"And this one?" her hands move to my bicep, tracing the words that scroll up and down my upper arm.
"I got that one when I was 18," I laugh, not surprised she never noticed.
"How come I never knew you had tattoos?"
"Well, your old man isn't too keen on them," I laugh, "I just always kept them covered."
Lynn has this smirk on her face. Slowly she stands up and starts unbuttoning her flannel top.
"Well, don't tell my daddy, but I've always liked tattoos" she slips the flannel over her shoulders, exposing a little white tank top. My eyes go wide, when she slips the strap off her shoulder. She starts laughing, and turns so her back is to me, and pulls tank top further down exposing a tattoo under her shoulder blade. My heart was pounding. When she started unbuttoning her blouse, the last thing I expected was a tattoo. I was a little ashamed at what had entered my mind.
It was a small tattoo, no more than 4 inches long. It was a 3 small horseshoes running just under the curve of her right shoulder blade. I stand up to get a closer look at it. It looked good, clean lines, obviously a good artist.
"When did you get this?" I ask, tempted to touch it.
She laughs slightly and looks over her shoulder, shyly, "The day I got to Oklahoma."
I laugh, "You really couldn't wait?"
"I told myself it was 'cause I was gonna' miss the ranch," she laughs again, pulling up her shirt and smiling at me. "But really, I wanted a tattoo since I was 12."
"your old man's gonna' kill you." I laugh
"Only if you tell him," she laughs, shoving my shoulder, causing me to wince. She gasps and her hand flies to her mouth "Sorry!"
I can't help but smile. It really hadn't hurt that bad, mostly just a sting, "you're fine, Lynn"
She's blushing slightly, giving her whole face this cute pink tint. She looks out the loft window, which was really a double door that was put in back when they use to store hay up here. I watch as she bites her lip. She always use to do that when she was about to say something she didn't know the answer to/ she looks back at me and her eyes sparkle, but she looks slightly scared.
"What's wrong?" I ask and she laughs.
"How can you always read me?" she shakes her head, "I'm just scared about daddy."
I sit back on the bed, touching her arm, signaling her to do the same. She does, with a heavy sigh.
"Talk to me, Lynn."
She does this little scrunchy-thing with her face for a few seconds before working up the nerve to talk. "I don't wanna lose him, Kip."
"What makes you think your gonna lose him?" I ask, "your daddy may be sick but he's a stubborn fool, he aint leaving till he's ready, and no cancers gonna change that"
She laughs softly, but then that laugh turns into a sob. She hides her face in her hands and cry's. I start rubbing her back, slow circles like my momma always did to me. A lump instantly forms in my throat making it hard to breath.
Lynn has already lost a parent.
With all of this happening I never thought about that, I knew she lost her mother but it never hit me, she feels like she's losing everyone. Who would she have left? I pull her into a hug, holding her to me. She clutches at my bare shoulders, trying to hold on to me. We stay like this for a while, even after the sky turns dark with storm clouds. It isn't until it starts pouring that she sits up.
"We should get the horses in," she says whipping her eyes.
Lynn makes us dinner that night, chicken and rice. I sat on the sofa with her and we watched some weird reality show she liked, bear snoring by the fire I made. Before dinner Lynn disappeared, and came back soaking wet carrying the rat. Claiming it was too cold for him in the barn. I rolled my eyes as I watched her towel dry the dog, letting her own hair drip all over the floor. Once she was content the dog was comfortable, she ran upstairs to change.
Now, she's curled up on the couch, wrapped in an afghan that's always on the couch. I'm sitting on her dad's lazy boy, trying to stay awake. My head keeps bobbing up and down as sleep tries to take me.
"Kip," Lynn's voice is sweet, and wakes me from the sleep I didn't realize I was under. "Maybe you should go to sleep,"
"No," I stretch, and crack my back, "I'm good"
"No, your passing out," she giggles, "just go to sleep, I'm fine. I don't need a babysitter."
I smile at her, she read me just right. I was staying with her to make sure she was ok. I stand up, stretching again, wincing from a sharp pain in my side. I try and hide it but I know she saw it.
I walk behind the couch towards the back door, pausing to touch her shoulder in way of saying bye. I pause again in the doorway.
"Come on Bear!" I call to the little dog lounging in front of the fireplace. He looks up at me, then lays right back down. Lynn giggles, and I glare at the dog. "You're ruining my dog Lynn" I half joke and she giggles again.
I leave the dog with Lynn, secretly happy he's there to keep her company, but making a mental note to start training him again. I had let his training slip since Lynn got back. It takes a little effort to climb the steep steps to the barn loft. I hold on to the rail the whole way up. The loft is stuffy, I closed the window when it started to rain, but now the sky was clear, the full moon chasing the summer storm away. I open the window and look up into the sky, the stars blanket sky looking like marbles thrown across the floor. I loved the big Montana skies; they always have a way of reminding me that I'm only a small piece in this world. I get lost looking at the sky until I see headlights coming up the drive. On instinct I start reaching for the shot gun I keep by my bed. I keep telling Lynn's daddy that he should put a gate in the front, require a pass code to open it or have to buzz to the main house to be let in but he hated the idea. He said it wasn't the country way. He liked having visitors and he said that wasn't possible if he had a gate keeping them out. I watch the headlights bouncing up the drive, waiting for the vehicle to get closer, trying to see if I recognized the driver. It wasn't until he was right by the main house that I could clearly see the vehicle, a red F250 with a decal on the side reading "Clement Veterinary Clinic" It was Colt. I glance at my phone, 20:06, what was he doing here so late? I'm about to head down to see what he's here for when my phone vibrates in my hand.
Lizzy. Lizzy was a bartender at this club I go to. We had this... thing. Nothing serious, just having fun. I know she's off work early today, she probably wants to me to come over. I look down at Colt who is now walking up to the front door.I sigh and hit answer.
"Hey, Lizzy."