Cammie Healy - Jennifer Foor Page 0,39
to come up with something that would interest her. “I was thinking I might take out a horse for a run. The weather is nice, and your dad said barely anyone rides them anymore.”
“I wonder if Callie would want to go with you.”
I frowned. Cammie knew I wasn’t interested in her sister. “I’d rather go alone.”
“Oh, so I guess I can’t tag along then.”
“I just didn’t feel like getting hit on all damn day,” I quickly replied. “She’s determined.”
She giggled. “You can say that.”
“So, are you going to come with me?”
She motioned to the robe. “I think I better get changed first. Meet me at the stables. I don’t want Callie getting the wrong idea if she sees us leaving together.”
“Don’t worry about Callie. Are you going to tell your parents?”
“I’m still trying to keep my distance from my dad.”
“Did you tell them everything?” I asked.
She gave me this face like even mentioning it scared her. “Not here, Wes. I’ll see you in a bit.”
I didn’t leave until I watched her go back in her room. As soon as the door shut I headed out so I wouldn’t run into Callie and have to explain myself. I could lie and tell her I had things to do, but she’d probably venture around and catch me, with my luck. Since it was obvious Cammie didn’t need any more problems, I chose to keep our friendship a secret from everyone. As far as they knew, she was having some alone time to think about her future. Me being there was only a perk for me, even if it meant nothing to her.
Chapter 16
I found Wes outside of the stable with two horses saddled up and ready to ride. He'd changed his button down shirt to a more comfortable form fitting cotton V-neck that accentuated his upper body muscles. For a mere second it reminded me of the kind James wore.
I'd been away from him for days, and in that time I'd done a lot of thinking. Driving across country doesn't leave for much else. In the months I spent falling in love with James I'd never once questioned if it was real. Being away after discovering his betrayal had changed that. I don't know if it was love at all. I would assume it would hurt more. In my opinion I felt free of his criticism. James may have offered me companionship, but I'd never been his equal.
The only positive thing to come out of our affair was the little life growing inside of me, and not everyone would feel the same about my situation. Some would say it was a tragedy. I'd been raised to believe everything has a purpose. I was on a path, and this time I promised myself it would be the right one.
Wes helped me put my foot in the stirrup to mount my body on the saddle. Once he'd climbed on his we took off into a thick patch of woods that had trails. We traveled for a little while without speaking. I enjoyed the peace and quiet, so I wasn't going to ruin it with my problems.
When we reached the old swimming hole the horses stopped to graze. I hopped down off my horse first and watched Wes follow my lead. "They stay here all day if we let them. The grass gets extra green from the fallen pine needles. They kill just about everything else though."
Wes smiled and walked with me toward a small wooden pier. It wasn't anything fancy, just some scrap lumber situated to hold a few people so they didn't have to sit in the dirt. "I remember swimming in here as kids."
It was a good memory, one I wasn't ashamed to speak of. "If only we could go back in time, right?"
Wes took the spot beside me and sat down, his feet dangling without touching the water's edge. "Yeah, there's a lot I'd do differently."
I turned to look at him inquisitively. "Same here. What would you change?"
He picked at a weed, breaking it apart while tossing the loose remnants into the calm water. "For starters, I think I would have stayed to live with my grandfather. My mom struggled more because of me. She had to work around me, and I know it was tough. If I stayed at the mansion she could have had a social life, maybe even met a better guy to marry."
"I take it you don't like your step-dad?"
"Which one? She's been married three times."
I had