Page 15 of Sweet and Wild

“It doesn’t matter, West. I love him and he loves me. You wanna kick his ass, then you better be prepared to kick mine too, because from now on, Colt and Lemon are a package deal.”

I can hear more horses in the distance, and West glances down at me. “Get dressed. Daddy’s commin’.”

All my hot air deflates like a balloon and I kiss Colt, despite the busted-up lip, and scramble to find my shorts. My brothers turn their backs as I slip on the tight denim and I wrap the blanket around me because I can’t stop shaking. I don’t know if it’s fear, shock, or the early morning chill, but there’s cold deep in my bones as I glance at Colt. He slides on his T-shirt and hangs his head. I eliminate the distance between us and slip my hand in his. He won’t look at me, so I step in front of him, cup his cheek and force him to.

“West is right,” Colt says. “I shoulda known better.”

“I don’t care what West or anyone else thinks.”

My brother folds his arms across his chest and scowls.

“They’re over here, Daddy,” Wyatt says, coming around the side of the red oak on his horse. He takes a beat to assess the scene. My hand in Colt’s, the blankets, lanterns in the trees, and he whispers, “Oh, shit. Y’all are so dead.”

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, boy?” Colt’s daddy is the next to stumble across the scene. His gray eyes, so much like his son’s, burn into Colt’s. He jumps off his horse and glares at our joined hands. Colt tries to extract his hand from mine, but I hold on for dear life.

My daddy charges around the tree, looks me over from head to toe, and settles his gaze on Colt like he’s fixing for a fight. “Lemon, you get yourself on home now.”

“No.”

Daddy’s eyes narrow. “What did you just say?”

“I said no, Daddy.” My voice breaks over his name and I swallow hard because I’ve never told my father no in my whole life. “I’m stayin’. Whatever you say or do to him, you do to me too.”

“Don’t test me, Lemonade.”

“I don’t mean no disrespect, Daddy, but I love him, and I will not leave so your conscience is clear because you don’t want to give him a whooping in front of your little girl.”

He shakes his head. “You’re not my little girl anymore.”

Tears fill my eyes and I wince, but he won’t break my resolve. “You’re hurt, so I won’t hold that against you, but I am too your little girl. No matter how many boys I give my heart and body to.”

“Go on back to the house, Lemon,” he hisses. “I can’t even look at you, right now.”

His words sting, an arrow right through my heart, but I’m not backing down on this. “No, Daddy. I’m not going anywhere without Colt.”

“What the hell were you thinkin’, boy?” Mr. Hayes shouts.

“I’m sorry, sir,” Colt says, looking first at his daddy and then mine. “I know we shouldn’t have been out here, and we shouldn’t have been sneakin’ around behind everyone’s backs.”

“You’re damn right you shouldn’t,” Mr. Hayes says.

“You wanna court my daughter,” Daddy says, stepping closer to Colt. “You come sit at my table. Don’t you ever disrespect me or my little girl like that again.”

“Daddy, this isn’t his fault.”

My father’s eyes are cold and unforgiving as he glares at me. “What are you talkin’ about?”

“I asked him to meet me here.”

“You ask him to take your innocence too? He’s older than you. He knows better than to let some little filly throw herself at him. Or at least, I thought he did,” my father says.

“I’m not some little filly. I’m not a goddamn horse, and would y’all just stop judging me for doin’ exactly what the boys have done since they were old enough to kiss a girl. I’m a young woman. I trust my head and my heart, and both belong to Colt.”

My dad winces like my words leave a sour taste in his mouth, and I step forward and grab his hand curled into a fist at his side. “I love him. And he loves me.”

“You’re too young to know what love is.”

“I’m seventeen and a half, Daddy. Weren’t you the same age when you met Mama?”

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