Hummingbird Lane Brown, Carolyn (libby ebook reader TXT) 📖

“Me too.” His breath came out in short gasps. “Are you sure you aren’t bit?”

“I’m fine, but I lost my backpack.” She realized at that moment that they were sitting in a mud puddle that was at least six inches deep with cold water. When Josh gazed into her eyes, she wouldn’t have cared if the water came up to her chin. She didn’t even realize that anyone was nearby until Arty chuckled. She looked up to see him holding her soaked green backpack. “You kids doin’ some mud wrestlin’ or something?”

His voice startled Emma so badly that she tried to jump up but only fell again and landed on top of Josh a second time.

“Do I start countin’ now to see who’s the winner?” Arty laughed out loud.

Emma looked up at him. “Why would you count?”

“Haven’t you ever seen a wrestling match, girl? Got to count to ten or you don’t win this match. Hold him down and you can get the golden buckle.” Arty pulled a snow-white hankie from the bibbed pocket of his overalls and wiped his eyes. “Filly will be jealous that she didn’t get to see this.”

“Where did you come from?” Josh sat up again.

Emma stood up and stepped away from the puddle. “I’m just glad my mother isn’t here to see it.”

Josh got to his feet. “I wish she was here so she could see that her daughter has chosen to be a mud-wrestling queen. She might begin to believe that you are going to be yourself no matter what.”

“Well, thank you.” Emma did a curtsy.

“If you two are through flirting, we should get on home,” Arty said.

“I wasn’t flirting.” Josh blushed.

“We’re covered in mud. How can that be flirting?” Emma tried to wipe the mud from her jeans, but it just smeared.

“Yep, you were, and right there in a mud puddle.” Arty chuckled again. “Right now, we need to get you home and cleaned up.”

Home! Emma liked the sound of that. That’s what had been missing in her life. All she had needed to find herself was to find a home first.

“I’ve got the four-wheeler on the trailer, and Filly is worried about y’all. She went over to take some waffles to Em this morning and found her gone. Then when she stopped by your place, Josh, and you were gone, we pretty well figured y’all got caught in the storm. But y’all ain’t getting into my truck looking like you do. You can ride in the back.”

“Fair enough.” Josh nodded. “I’ve got to retrieve my quilt. I lost it on the way down.” He jogged back to the place where the fall had begun, picked up the poor muddy old quilt by the corner, and dragged it along behind him.

“You look like Linus from the Charlie Brown cartoons,” Emma said.

“We both look more like Pigpen.” Josh threw the quilt into the back of the truck, unhitched his backpack, and tossed it over, too. He hopped up on the trailer and extended a hand to help Emma.

“I can do it by myself, but thank you,” she said.

“Yes, ma’am.” He inched his way around his four-wheeler that Arty had already strapped down and sat down with his back to the cab.

Emma crawled up on the trailer and followed his lead.

“Everyone ready?” Arty called out the window.

“Yes, sir,” Josh yelled back.

“Well, that was an adventure like none I’ve ever been on before,” Emma said. “Not even Six Flags was that much fun.”

“How did you ever endure Six Flags?” Josh asked.

“Rebel was there. She always made things easier.” Emma remembered the day very well. The excitement of getting to go and riding with Rebel in her car with no air-conditioning. Sweat sticking her hair to her face. Eating hot dogs on the go. Picking out souvenirs for her mother and father. But most of all she remembered giggling with Rebel and Sophie.

“Did you ever go?” she asked Josh.

“When I was still in public school, they took us on a field trip to that place. I made it through the gates, saw that crowd, and spent the rest of the day in the bus with my sketchbook,” he answered. “I wanted my grandfather to go with me, but he couldn’t take off work. I asked if Harry could be a chaperone, but Mother said I needed to grow up and be a big boy.”

“Well, you are a hero in my eyes,” Emma said. “You took me to the cave and even let me win at mud wrestling. When we get home”—she smiled at the way the word rolled off her tongue—“we should ask Filly or Arty to take a picture of us so I can show it to Sophie.”

“We could take selfies now.” He pulled his phone from his hip pocket. “I’m glad we have waterproof cameras. Let’s see if they’re mud-proof as well.”

The past days had gone by so fast that Sophie couldn’t hardly take it all in. Her showings had all been very successful, and in a few short hours, they would be home. She couldn’t wait to see Emma again, and yet there was an underlying sadness in her heart and soul.

“We should be at the trailer park by noon,” Teddy said as he loaded their luggage into the back of his truck.

Sophie wrapped her arms around his neck. “Just think, in just a couple of weeks, we won’t have to leave Texas again. If anyone wants one of my paintings or anything we sell in our gallery, they can come get it. I love you, Teddy.”

Teddy tipped her chin up, and their lips met in a string of steamy kisses that made her knees go weak and every nerve in her body tingle. When the kisses ended, he held her close to his chest for a few more minutes, their hearts pounding together at the same rate.

“I hate goodbyes,” she whispered.

He buried his face in her blonde hair. “We’re working on never having to say that again.