Page 31 of Untamed

“Y’all have bad manners.”

“Yes, they do,” Momma agrees as she attacks Wade’s dirty mouth with a wet cloth.

“Did something happen with River?” Jolene’s attention is back on me.

The kitchen was full of noise a second ago, but now the only sound is Wade’s toy as everyone goes silent, waiting for my response.

“Why would you ask that?” I ask her.

“I heard Poppy and Daddy talkin’ about how you’re head over heels for her. And I think that means you like like her. Like Daddy likes Poppy.” Her little shoulders lift up in a shrug. “Just thought maybe River doesn’t like like you, and you were sad about it.”

Great. Good to know I’m the subject of my brother’s pillow talk.

“She’s goin’ out on a date with Sawyer.” Wells jumps into the conversation before I can even give her an answer.

“I am not sad.” My eyes cut to him and then back to Jo. “I’m just a little tired, is all. And there is nothin’ going on between me and River, okay, string bean?”

“But that’s not what Poppy says…”

“Poppy is—”

“Watch it,” Rhett growls.

I roll my eyes. “Poppy is just mistaken. River and I are friends.”

“Hey.” Momma claps her hands to get everyone’s attention. “I saw that our blackberry bushes are overflowin’. How about we go pick a bushel and make some pie?”

“Can I bring my lightsaber?” Wade asks at the same time Jo starts to bounce up and down, shouting her excitement.

“Lightsabers are welcome to come along, yes. But they will not be used to hit your sister, correct?”

“Correct,” he says.

* * *

I’m on edge all morning, just waiting until it’s time to go meet River. It takes entirely too long to deal with the renters. Between showing them around and having to unload all five of their horses, it’s hours before I’m done and they’re driving away. One quick glance at my watch, and it’s already after three. I’ll be lucky if River is even still here.

And I have to walk over because by the time I get Chip out and tacked up, I could have already been there. So I speed walk — practically jog — over to the rescue barn that’s on the other side of the field, running lines the entire way. Like what I’m going to say to her and whether or not I should point out that I know about her date with Sawyer.

I don’t like it. At all. After that kiss this weekend, I thought maybe we would be headin’ toward something, but she’s really taking this friends thing to heart. Is she going out with someone else just to push my buttons? Does she know it’s going to push my buttons? Surely, she does. She saw the way I reacted to him flirting with her on Saturday. She has to know.

And I kissed her. Doesn’t that mean anything?

“You’re late today,” Poppy says when she sees me walking up to the barn. She’s filling up buckets of water for the dog’s water bowls. “Horses take longer than you expected?”

“Chatty people.” I look past her to see River playing tug-of-war with Betty and take the opportunity to speak to Poppy outside. “Hey, what’s this I hear about you and Rhett sayin’ there’s something going on between me and River?”

I smile when she bites her lip and tries her hardest not to look guilty. It doesn’t work.

“Jolene has good ears,” I tell her, lowering my voice so River doesn’t hear.

“God, sometimes I forget just how nosey kids can be.” She gives me a sympathetic smile. “Sorry about that.”

“You know anything about this date she’s going on?” I nod back toward River.

Poppy pretends to zip her lips.

“I cannot be the go-between,” she says. “If I start telling you what she tells me and vice versa, neither one of you will want to be my friend. No one wants a friend that spills the beans.”

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