Magnetic, page 9
“Control your horse,” Stick ground out as she looked up at Stacy. “You said you were an experienced rider.”
“I am, but you saddled me with the most obstinate animal in the stable,” Stacy said just as hotly. “She wants the grass around your boots.”
Stick inhaled sharply through her nose. “Do we have a problem you and me?”
Stacy smiled. “I was wondering the same thing when you gave me wrong way Wileana here. Since you are actually the most experienced rider, I think we should trade. You’ll probably be better at handling her.”
Stick squinted against the sun. “The horse isn’t what I’m talking about. It’s the snide comments and the dirty looks. And now you’re interrupting.”
“She was coming to tell you that we’re ready to move.” Layne and Stick turned and noticed Ronnie close by astride her horse. “Everyone’s in the saddle ready to go because Molly spotted another pond, and she wanted to get a picture of the herons there.” Ronnie’s tone was curt as she regarded Stick. “And you should know when a lady says stop, she means it.”
Stick whirled around to Layne. “I was…I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, I know what you were doing.” Layne looked up at Ronnie. “I’m fine, really.”
Stick got back into her tour guide routine, even though she battled the stubborn mare. Stacy tried not to grin as she rode Stick’s horse, peacefully bringing up the rear. Molly and Jenny didn’t know what had occurred on the field but didn’t protest when Ronnie rearranged the group so Layne could ride alongside her. Stacy was far enough away that she couldn’t hear what was being said, but the two were talking a lot, and Ronnie seemed irritated.
When Stacy had seen Layne’s facial expression and the way she tried to pull away from Stick’s grasp, she’d let the horse walk up on them with a bit of guidance. Layne didn’t appear as though she felt threatened; there was no panic on her face, just annoyance. Stacy was fairly certain that Layne could’ve easily handled herself, but she’d intervened anyway. Though she resented Stick’s tactics, she’d wanted to grab Layne that morning and kiss her, too.
The wise thing Stacy knew was to be honest with Ronnie and leave. She wasn’t being fair, even though Ronnie often asserted that they were just having a good time and there would be nothing more. But good times had run out on Stacy.
Not since Anna had she been so enamored with a woman. For a long time, she felt as though she had nothing else to give. Anna had taken it all. Her sexual escapades satisfied a temporary need for companionship, and Stacy had pretended that it was Anna she’d been with.
The night with Layne had been intended to be just that, but when she woke up the next morning, she realized that Anna hadn’t been with her, only Layne. Perhaps it was Layne that made her forget, or simply, she was healing and allowing herself to open to another. Whatever it was had her searching for the woman who’d left her behind, and now she’d found her in the most unfortunate of circumstances.
Chapter 13
“This is much better than the barn dance. Hand me another, sweetie.” Jenny skewered a marshmallow on her stick and held it over the fire until it was engulfed in flames. She blew it out and waited for it to cool a second before popping the sticky treat into her mouth. “Layne, you want one?”
“No thanks.” Layne sat in the chair that she’d dragged out of her cabin while the others sat on blankets they had near the fire. She looked up at the night sky and watched the lights of a jet move beneath the stars and wondered if the woman for her was thousands of feet up en route to some destination far away. She wanted to be in love, even though she’d just been freed from a relationship. She wanted that stability, that commitment, and most of all, she wanted to be happy like her two best friends who were currently arguing over the proper roasting of a marshmallow.
“I’m not eating that, it’s charred.” Molly turned her head when Jenny held out a stick with a blackened ball of mush on the end.
“They’re the best when they’re burned on the outside. It makes the inside gooey.” Jenny popped the marshmallow into her mouth and smiled.
“It’s called roasting for a reason.” Molly put a piece of chocolate bar on a graham cracker. “You roast until they’re golden brown on the outside. Otherwise, they’d be called marshmallow flambé.”
“Then that’s what I’m having, flambé,” Jenny retorted with an overexaggerated French accent.
Ronnie was roasting her own and would occasionally feed Stacy, who sat next to her with a sketchpad. She’d glance at the fire with her dark eyes as her hand moved across the page. Layne wondered if Stacy was seeing more than just flames with that faraway stare. What would’ve happened if I’d left her a way to contact me, or if I’d contacted her? Layne wondered. Would we be sitting together on that blanket?
“So slutty Stick stinks now,” Jenny said as she put another marshmallow on her skewer. “Stick snapped and did something stupid and now she’s only a twig.” Jenny guffawed at her play on words. “Stick sucks at seduction. Sticks and Stones, and if Stick puts her hands on Layne Stone again, I’ll break her bones.”
Layne smiled and rolled her eyes at the heavens. “Give her a break, I obviously misled her.”
Ronnie chuckled. “Layne asked her if she’d been watching too many spaghetti westerns. You know, how the grizzled man with a pug full of whiskers grabs the woman who throws the back of her hand to her forehead and protests before she melts like butter when their lips meet? Just once, I’d love to have seen one of those women draw back, nail the guy in the jaw, and say, ‘Back off, tobacco breath, or I’ll knock the rest of your teeth out.”’
“Why were they called spaghetti westerns?” Molly asked as she neatly assembled her s’more.
“They were filmed in Italy,” Stacy said as she kept her eyes on what she was sketching.
“Maybe Stick’s schtick is working on another woman right now,” Jenny said.
“I hope so.” Layne yawned and stretched. “I don’t want to be the next contestant in her games.” Layne looked away when Stacy glanced up at her.
Molly’s gaze followed a marshmallow that sailed toward the shadows, and she noticed the reflection of the fire in two small eyes near the ground. “We’re not supposed to feed the animals, Ronnie. More will come.”
“It’s just a raccoon, and they raid the trash. It’s not like a few marshmallows will wreck its diet.” Ronnie threw another, this time a shorter distance and watched as the animal moved out of the shadows for the treat. “He’s cute. I bet he’d come right up and take it out of my hand.”
“He might just come up and take the whole bag,” Stacy said as she looked up.
“Bullshit on that.” Jenny tucked their bag of marshmallows between her and Molly. “Better stay away from the chocolate, too, you masked bastard.”
“Bastards.” Ronnie pointed to another set of eyes that had encroached on their campsite.
Layne folded her legs up in the chair with her. “Do they bite?”
“No,” Ronnie cooed. “Well, only if you attack first.” She tossed a marshmallow to the newcomer.
“I don’t think you should invite any more,” Molly warned.
Layne got up out of her chair and squeezed onto the blanket with Jenny and Molly and watched as the first coon slowly moved toward Ronnie.
“Bad idea, Ronnie,” Stacy said as she looked around. “We’re surrounded.”
Layne, Jenny, and Molly all turned at once and noticed another raccoon nearly at their blanket. Layne was on her feet in a heartbeat screaming at the top of her lungs as she bolted toward her cabin. Jenny and Molly did the same while Ronnie laughed maniacally.
Chapter 14
Though time together was what they all wanted, time apart seemed to be what they all needed at breakfast the next morning. Ronnie went to the beach to sun, Molly to her cabin to read, and Stacy for a jog, which left Jenny and Layne to wander aimlessly.
“There’s yoga and meditation, or a pottery class, either of those speaking to you?” Jenny asked as she looked at a paper with the day’s activities.
“I took a meditation class once when work got stressful and fell asleep so deeply that my snoring disrupted the entire class. The instructor told me she’d never seen anyone snore and drool while sitting straight up.”
“I’d really like to see that.”
“No,” Layne said with a grin. “I know you have a camera phone. What about pottery?”
Jenny shook her head. “I’ve already had my time in the mud. Oh, hey, archery. I could shoot something.” Jenny turned the paper around and studied the map. “It’s a short hike.”
“Lead the way.”
Jenny folded the paper and stuffed it into the pocket of her shorts. “Molly’s really enjoying this trip. I have to thank you for making this happen, but I don’t have to agree with the terms of the loan. Things are getting a lot better, and I should be able to pay in full all of what I owe you by the end of the year.”
“You don’t owe me anything. We all take care of each other. We’ve been doing it for years now. Y’all helped me buy that car when the engine blew in the one my parents sent me packing in.”
“I did you no favors with that rat trap. It left you stranded more than it got you anywhere.” Jenny laughed. “And it was so damn ugly, it looked like a fish bowl wearing suspenders.”
“Don’t knock the Pacer. It got me through my last two years of college.”
“That you’re still paying for, so don’t give me any guff about paying you back.” Jenny stopped and consulted with the map when they came to a fork. “It’s this way,” she said, starting off to the right. “I heard from Olivia. She called to see if you were doing okay.”
Stunned, Layne stopped walking, and Jenny turned to look at her. “What did you tell her?”
Jenny started walking again. “That you were doing great.”
“And that’s all that was said?” Layne asked as she caught up.
“No.” Jenny shook her head. “Not exactly.” She avoided Layne’s grasp and started walking faster.
“When did she call you and what did you say?”
“Yesterday after the trail ride, and I told her that she was a callous asshole for sending that email and cleaning out the apartment, and if she wanted to know anything else, she could email me since she was so good at doing that. There were some extra adjectives thrown in.”
“She’s a tool.”
“She’s a bitch.”
“Thanks,” Layne said with a smile.
Jenny grinned back at her. “Anytime, my friend. Are you nervous about getting back into the dating world?”
“I’m not in any hurry. The perfect one will come around, and I’ll truly appreciate her when she does.”
“That’s the right attitude.” Jenny stopped and put both hands on her hips as she surveyed the surroundings. “And we’re lost.”
Layne looked at a small wooden sign proclaiming they were in the bird sanctuary. “Not a good place for an archery range.”
“I never could read a map,” Jenny said with a sigh as she handed it to Layne.
“Ah, you had it upside down. Let’s double back.”
“As I was saying, you have the right mind-set, Layne. The perfect woman is going to come along at exactly the right time. I think you’ll know in your heart that she’s right for you just like I did Molly.” As Layne stepped into the intersection of two trails, she collided with a flash that sent the two rolling. “Oh, no, not that one,” Jenny said as she put a hand to her mouth.
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you,” Stacy said as she got up on her knees.
“No, it was my fault. I didn’t look where I was going.” Layne handed Stacy her sunglasses with an earpiece missing. “I’ll pay for these, too.”
“No, no. I was going too fast. Are you sure you aren’t hurt?”
“Chip n Dale, you’re making spectacles out of yourselves in front of the birds.” Jenny grabbed Layne and hoisted her up, then went for Stacy. “Okay, bone check. Move your arms and legs.”
“I’m fine,” Layne said as she brushed herself off. “Stacy?”
Stacy bent down and picked up her T-shirt and hung it back around her neck. “Still intact. Are y’all birding?”
“We were trying to find the archery range, but I got us lost,” Jenny said as she pulled a twig from Layne’s hair.
“It’s down that trail.” Stacy pointed the opposite direction of where Layne was leading them.
Layne tried not to look at Stacy wearing nothing more than a sports bra, running shorts, and shoes. She picked up Stacy’s ball cap and handed it to her. “You have dirt all down the right side of your body.”
Stacy took the hat and brushed her arm and leg with it before putting it on her head backward. “I always wanted to learn how to shoot a bow. Maybe one of you could teach me.”
“We’re clueless, but we’re gonna take a stab at it anyway,” Jenny said. “You’re welcome to join us. Maybe with you along, we’ll actually find the range.”
Layne hung back since there was only enough room for two to walk side by side on the narrow trail. With no one around and Jenny and Stacy facing away from her, she was free to stroll along and study Stacy’s backside in the snug-fitting shorts she wore. The waistband on one side rode lower on her hips, showing off a slight tan line. Her shoulders that had seen more of the sun were just a bit red on top. But it was the trickle of sweat that ran along Stacy’s spine that brought back that night.
“Wrap your legs around me,” Stacy whispered into Layne’s ear. Layne had just enjoyed an orgasm but could feel another building as Stacy ground into her. With one hand, she gripped Stacy’s strong back and with the other grasped a flexed bicep as Stacy braced herself against the headboard.
Once again, Layne ran into Stacy when she and Jenny stopped suddenly.
“Do you have a head injury?” Jenny asked as she waved a hand in front of Layne’s face.
Layne swatted at it. “I’m fine.”
“Then why didn’t you answer me when I asked if you wanted water?”
“Oh…yes.” Layne spied a barrel at the junction of two trails and opened the lid. “Oh, thank God, there’s ice in here. Y’all want a bottle?” Layne asked as she rubbed a few cubes on her neck.
“Is the heat getting to you?” Stacy asked with concern.
The heat Layne was battling was bubbling up from the inside. “No,” she said and made a face as though the notion was preposterous.
Jenny looked at Layne like she was crazy, pulled out a bottle of water, and handed it to Stacy before opening one for Layne. “Drink, Daisy daze.”
*******
There was only one woman on the course armed with a crossbow. She nodded to the three as they debated on what bows they should use. The Moss Ranch employee in the equipment shack watched them in amusement before making a suggestion. “If you’re unfamiliar with the sport, you should go old-fashioned.” She handed Jenny a simple bow that looked like something a child would play with. “The rules are posted, but let’s go over them together, shall we? One shooter per target. Shoot only your target. Do not cross the line on the field while others are shooting.” She pointed at the line. “A bell will go off every fifteen minutes and only then do you collect your arrows. You all appear to be over twenty-one, though in your case, that’s debatable,” the woman said with a wink at Stacy, “so I won’t ask for your IDs. And the last rule is the most important—no horseplay or you’ll be asked to leave the course.”
“Yes, Ms. Lady,” Jenny replied, then laughed when the woman glared at her. “Okay, got it.”
Layne and Stacy received their bows, and all were given a wrist protector and a quiver of arrows. Each woman lined up with her target and prepared to shoot.
“How do I look?” Jenny held the arm protector in front of her crotch.
Layne glanced her way and laughed. “Like a dork, and you’re going to get in trouble.” Layne put her protector on correctly or so she thought.
“If you’re right-handed, that goes on your right arm,” the woman called from the shack.
“Way to go, dork. You’d been better off putting it on your crotch,” Jenny teased.
Layne heard a thwack and looked over as Stacy sent an arrow flying that missed the target by a mile. She looked back at Layne with a shrug and a smile.
Jenny was second to shoot and pumped her fist when the arrow hit the very edge of the target. “Ha! I freaking rock!”
Layne’s arrow sailed past the target and stuck in the foam behind it. “Neither of you has gotten that far, so shut up,” she said as she positioned her next arrow. She shot again and nailed the target a few inches from the red center.
“Not bad,” Stacy said with a bow. “I think you have done this before.”
“I grew up with two brothers,” Layne replied smugly, “and you ought to see me with a slingshot.”
“You should see her with a bat,” Jenny said and laughed.
“You play softball?” Stacy asked.
Layne shook her head. “Jenny, you butthole.” She looked over at Stacy. “She’s talking about the winged kind. One got into her storage room one night, and we tried to get it out. I broke my ankle.”
Jenny cackled. “Just one little ol’ bat caused me to lose half of my shelving and a trip to the hospital when Layne missed a step.”
Layne let her arrow go, and it hit close to the center of the target. “Another word from you, Jen, and I’m going to break a couple of the rules.”
“And Jenny’s changing the subject,” she said, looking at Stacy. “So how’re you liking New Orleans?”
“I’m enjoying the food, that’s for sure. I’ve gained two pounds since my return to Louisiana.” Stacy patted her flat stomach. “I have to get reacclimated to the heat in the food and the weather.”
Jenny found her quiver empty and walked over to Stacy. “You live in the city or the suburbs?”
