Page 28 of Ice Princess

She gasps suddenly. “What if you two get married? You’ll be a Kinsey! My daughter… a Kinsey.” The tail of the bandana wiggles as mom shakes her head in delight.

“Why are you so happy?”

She stops to look at me. “What do you mean?”

“You know how the Kinseys see us. They think we’re beneath them. Why would we want to be family with people like that?”

“Rebel…”

“Do you love the Kinseys so much you’d trade your daughter to them?”

Mom’s eyelashes flutter.

I glance away, trying to calm my emotions.

Mom’s voice sounds tentative. “Are you okay, Rebel? Did Carol say something to you when she found out about you and Gunner?”

“No, mom. She welcomed me to the family with open arms.”

“Really?”

I was being sarcastic, but I feel bad seeing how happy mom is to hear that.

She bounces on her feet. “Oh that’s solovelyto hear!”

Awkwardly, I add, “Yeah, Carol loves me so much, she even invited me to join the Lady Luck Society.”

Mom covers her mouth. “No! Are you serious!” She grabs my hand and brings it to her lips. “Mybaby… is one of the Ladies?”

I’m twisting the truth quite a bit, but I’d rather see my mother smile than hammer her with reality.

“I’m so happy for you, Rebel!” Mom pats my hand. As she does, I catch sight of her knuckles. They’re laced with scratches and cuts from years of working on the Kinsey farm.

Sadness weighs my heart down like a rock sinking to the ocean floor. A knot of emotion in my throat, I bend down, hoist the basket of clean clothes to my hip and carry it inside the trailer.

The living area is neat and tidy. ‘The Lord won’t bless you with a bigger house if you don’t take care of the one you got’is what mom used to tell me growing up.

Unfortunately, I’m still waiting for the promised blessing. Mom faithfully plucks the weeds around the trailer, scrubs the cement blocks holding it up, and wipes every wooden surface that collects dust, but she still hasn’t been granted a new home.

“You want some tea, sweetie?” Mom moves past me to the tiny kitchen.

I shake my head and sit on the sofa. Mom’s home-making skills are so impressive, it’s impossible to tell we’re in a double wide. She hung pretty curtains over the windows, the kitchen cupboards are stained white, and the old gas stove looks practically new.

My studio was built five years ago, but my house looks far less cozy than hers does.

Mom comes over while the kettle heats up. She pats my knee. “Tell me the story of how you and Gunner got together.”

“I,” my mind goes blank, “there was nothing to it, really.”

“Come on, Rebel. Throw your mama a bone. It’s been years since I’ve been on a date. Let me live through you.”

Eyelashes fluttering, I give it a shot. “I guess… uh… we were just… talking about how we used to play together on the farm.”

“Oh, yes! You two wenteverywheretogether. You were Gunner’s little shadow. And he doted on you too. What did heused to call you?” Mom taps her chin. “It was ‘Bell’, I think. Just the sweetest.”

I force a smile.Yeah, mm-hm. So sweet, I could choke on it.

“What happened next?” Mom leans forward.

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