Page 20 of Stolen Dreams

I’m pretty sure I can pick her out with my eyes closed.But they aren’t closed now.They’re on her perfect ass as she turns and laughs at something Sammy says to her.The boy has it bad for her, and she has no fucking idea.She’s wearing a T-shirt that has Mustang Creek Ranch at the side and her riding boots.Her hair is moving side to side as she laughs.She must sense me looking at her because her eyes find mine, and she smiles at me.“Morning,” she greets me.

“Don’t you have work to do?”I bark at her instead of saying good morning back.The smile fades from her face.

“Wait, do I not work here?”She folds her arms over her chest, and the hem of her shirt rises, and I see the smooth skin of her stomach.“Charlie!”she shouts over her shoulder to Charlie, who is standing at one of the stalls with a coffee cup in his hand, “do I get paid to be here?”He looks at her and then looks at me.“Could have sworn I got a paycheck from you last week.”

Sammy slowly walks away from her, not ready for my wrath, but Lilah is Lilah, and she’ll never let me have the last word.“I mean, if I’m not an employee, I wish someone would tell me so I can sit home and eat donuts all day long,” she huffs and then turns on her boot.“Also, there is paperwork on your desk that has to be looked at.”

She storms out of the barn, and Charlie just looks at me.“What was all that?”

“She’s always in here”—I run my hand through my hair—“and she’s flirting and shit.”

“Is that what has your panties in a twist this morning?”He tries to hide the smirk with the cup of coffee.

“Fuck off,” I snap, walking over to the kitchen and making another cup of coffee.I can feel him looking at me.“What?”I say, not turning to talk to him.

“She’ll be fine,” he assures me, and I close my eyes, “and you need to go and say sorry to Lilah.”

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” I balk at him.“I was just asking a question!”

“Is that the hill you’re going to die on?”he asks.When I turn around, I see him leaning against the wall with his feet in front of him crossed.

“Damn fucking straight,” I retort.“Now, if you will excuse me, I—unlike all of you guys hanging around doing nothing—have a lot of work to do, and I can’t stand around gossiping with you all day.”

“One of these days, it’s going to come back and bite you in the ass.She’s not going to be here to take your shit, and then what?”The sip of coffee I take in my mouth tastes bitter.

Already starting the day in a bad mood does nothing for me.The rest of the day is just as bad.When I go and give Lilah the papers she wanted, she ignores me, pretending I’m not here.“Great,” I mumble when I leave her, and when it’s almost time for Lucy to finish school, I rush out and make it to her school with a minute to spare.

I stand by the fence, looking at the door, and she comes out by herself.Her eyes roam over everyone, and I can see the sheer panic in her face when she doesn’t see me.“Lucy!”I shout her name and can see the relief wash over her face when she sees me.

I walk around a couple of people to meet her at the entrance.“Hey,” I say when she’s close enough, “did you have a good day?”

She doesn’t answer me.Instead, she gives me a shrug and a nod.“Well, the good news is tomorrow will be even better.”

She walks beside me with her head down as we make it to the truck.Getting into the truck, I look back at her.“Just for today, we’ll head on home, and I can get started on dinner, but next time, we’ll have to go to the barn for a couple of hours to make sure everything is done.”She buckles her seat belt and looks out the window as we make it home without saying a word to me.“I have to make sure everything is okay in the barn near the house,” I say when we get home, and she follows me toward the barn.I find no one there, which is normal since everyone takes off at four.The other barn is the only one that has people coming in and working the evening shift.This barn is where we store a couple of horses, but it’s more of our personal horses.I make sure they all have water and food before turning and walking out.

We walk silently side by side until we get back to the truck, where she grabs her bag before we make our way into the house.

“Do you want a snack?”I ask, and she shakes her head.“Great.”I walk to the kitchen while she unpacks her schoolbag and places some papers on the island.Then she turns and walks to dump out her lunch box, something I think she did with her mother.

“I’m going to make some chicken tonight,” I say, opening the fridge and pulling out the chicken.“Is that okay?”I look over and see it’s almost five thirty.

I go about cooking dinner while she starts doing what I think is homework, but I have no idea because she hasn’t told me.“I’m going to take a quick shower,” I tell her after I put everything in the oven.“I’ll be back.”She nods, and I look up at the ceiling, not sure how much more of this I can handle.I just need her to talk to me, even if it’s to tell me I’m a fucking asshole.I’d be good with anything right now.

I shower and slip on a pair of shorts with another T-shirt before running my hands through my hair.When I walk into the kitchen, the timer beeps, telling me the chicken is done.I open the oven door, taking out the sheet pan with chicken breast cut into cubes, onions, peppers, broccoli, and seasoning on it.I put it on the stovetop before walking over and grabbing a pouch of rice from the pantry and popping it in the microwave.I plate the chicken and veggies while I wait for the rice to be done.“Wash up and get ready.”I look over my shoulder at her.She puts all her papers back to the side before getting off the stool and going to the bathroom to wash her hands.

Placing her plate down at the stool she has sat in since we got here, I then set mine in my place before grabbing the forks and some lemonade and water before sitting down.The meal is me looking over at her as she eats.I don’t even fucking know if she likes it or not.It could be the worst thing she’s ever eaten, and I wouldn’t know.Her plate is almost finished when she pushes away from the counter and cleans her place.It’s been over two weeks now, and I’m at my wits’ end.

“When are you going to stop this?”I ask, pushing myself away from the counter and standing up.She jumps back a bit.“It’s been two weeks now.I know it can’t be easy.”I look at her.“Trust me, no one in this world knows what you are feeling right now but me.”I grab my plate.“Except you aren’t alone.I’m here, and I’m trying, Lucy.”Her bottom lip quivers.“It has to stop.”My voice rises, and instead of taking a second and calming down, I go on.“I don’t know what else to do.”I throw my hands up and exhale.“Go take a shower and get ready for bed.”It’s the only thing I can say to her, and she runs out of the room to her bedroom, slamming the door while she does.

“Well, that worked out amazingly.”I put my hands on my hips and look up at the ceiling.“Give her time,” I mumble as I clean up dinner, putting away the leftovers.I then start to make her lunch for tomorrow.I cut up some strawberries and then add some blueberries and raspberries since it looked like she finished it all at school.

I don’t even know how much time has passed by the time I look up and see it’s almost dark outside.“Great,” I scold myself, “she is probably never coming back out of her room again.”I walk toward her side of the house, listening at the door but hearing nothing.I lift my hand and knock on the door.“Lucy?”I say, waiting but I don’t even know for what since she isn’t talking to me.“I’m coming in.”I push open the door and find her bed empty.Looking around at the bathroom door, I see it open as well.“Lucy?”I shout her name, looking around to make sure she isn’t hiding when I see the window.My body turns ice-cold when I run to it and see it is open.“Oh my God.”I run out of her room and out the front door, shouting her name.“Lucy!”I yell at the top of my lungs.“Lucy!”I run to the side to see if I can see if she’s in the back before I spot the door of the barn open.Rushing over to it, I pull it open, seeing that the night lights are on.“Lucy, are you in here?”I run down and look into the stalls at the same time.“Lucy.”I stop when I hear whimpering at the back where the crawl space is.“Lucy, are you in there?”

“Go away,” she cries, and I know I won’t be able to get her out of there unless I pull her out kicking and screaming.

I run back into the house, going for my phone and calling the only person I can think of who can help her.I dial her number, and she answers on the second ring.“What do you want?”

“Lilah,” I whisper, “it’s Lucy.”

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