Page 77 of Grounded
“Of the unknown,” she said, and that was truth enough.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Annie hated holding back from Jake, but what else could she do? He sensed her hesitation but she had tried to stop the probing. It was not a surprise to her when he called first thing the next morning. It was his way of making sure everything was okay between them.
“I’m going to teach you how to handle a firearm before you go back,” Jake said when she answered the phone.
“I don’t think I need it now that I’m going back in two weeks,” she said.
“You probably need it worse in New York,” he said, and she could hear the grin in his voice.
“Where are you?” she asked.
“On my way to Mt. Vernon. Camille’s decided she missed me and is coming down tonight, but can’t seem to navigate the country roads past there,” Jake said.
“She’ll have to do better than that if she wants to go to New York,” Annie said and realized her slip immediately.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“Nothing. Be safe. We’ll talk later.” Annie hung up before he could ask more questions. She was not going to lie for Camille.
On Monday morning, Annie wrapped herself in a towel and took each step slowly, walking as if she were bowlegged.
“Grandma?” she called.
“In the kitchen.” Annie found her grandmother looking over the coupon inserts from the newspaper.
“Something is wrong. I have a terrible pain in my backside, near my tailbone. It hurts like heck. It’s bigger than a quarter and burns. It’s almost like I’ve been branded with a hot iron.”
Beulah chuckled. “Sounds like a saddle sore. After riding for three hours, it’s no wonder. There’s some Gold Bond powder in the medicine cabinet down here. It’ll sting a little. “
Annie found the powder and doctored her sore. It tingled and burned. She waddled back into the kitchen and refilled her coffee cup.
“I can’t ride with Camille today. I’ll call Woody and tell him not to bring another horse.”
“Can she ride by herself?” Beulah asked, looking up from her coupons.
“Sounds like she’s a champion rider from all the trophies she’s won, or so she says. Nutmeg will be a sorry horse for her if she’s as good as she says.”
“That was when she was a child,” Beulah said.
“I guess it’s the same as riding a bike. It will all come back to her. Anyway, she’s the one so determined to ride. It doesn’t matter to me if she does or doesn’t.”
Her grandmother looked at her over her glasses, and Annie felt chastised for something, but she wasn’t quite sure what.
Cam drove Jake’s SUV over from the Wilders’. Annie felt a pang of jealousy at seeing her in the driver’s seat, as if it belonged to her. She smiled when she got out and waved, no jangling bracelets this time. At least she had the sense enough to leave them off. As spooky as Nutmeg was, the bracelets might send her running into the next county.
She wore a yellow oxford shirt, with an open collar and a small diamond pendant. Her blond hair was pulled into a ponytail at the nape of her neck, and she had on dark sunglasses. The blue jeans fit nicely around her slim legs. They were tucked into decorative cowboy boots. Annie took in the whole picture in a split second.
Be sweet,she told herself.
“You look nice!”
“Thanks. I’m meeting Jake later, but comfy clothes might have been better,” she said, nodding at Annie’s attire.
It was true. Annie had on loose jeans, partially because of her saddle sore, and a cotton T-shirt. Annie gave her one of her best smiles, the one she reserved for customers who were red-faced and irritated at the delay in taking off or the kind of meal they were served.
“Cam, I can’t ride with you today. I went on a long trail ride yesterday and got a saddle sore.”
