Under the Open Sky

Chapter Two

Amanda sat crossed legged in the hay loft, a book discarded in her lap, and watched as her brother and Cade Winston sized each other up. They reminded her of two dogs dancing circles around each other as they decided whether or not the other was friend or foe. The morning’s fight had left Amanda morbidly fascinated with their new hand and somewhat in awe of him. Trent stood, arms crossed, opposite a negligent Cade.

“You say you’ve done ranch work before?” The look on Trent’s face was skeptical.

“More’n once,” Cade seemed almost disinterested in the conversation, his voice so low that Amanda had to lean forward to hear him. Her movement drew her brother’s attention.

“You spyin’ on me again, Brat?” her brother called.

“I was reading.” Amanda held her book up for her brother’s inspection.

“Go on in and help Aunt Naomi instead of hidin’ in the barn,” Trent was doing his best to come across as authoritative; it would have amused Amanda if it hadn’t irritated her so badly.

“I already helped her with laundry and dinner; she said I could read,” Amanda made no offer to move.

“Go on, Mandy!” Her brother’s tone had turned sharp and Amanda knew if she stayed he would get truly good and mad at her. She sighed as she stood and reached for a beam opposite her. She hopped onto it, reached for a thick metal pipe, seated herself on it and flipped upside down from her knees; then grabbed another pipe below her to swing to the floor.

“Dad would have your hide if he caught you swingin’ from his pipes like a monkey,” Trent threatened.

“A lot goes in the barn that Daddy doesn’t know about doesn’t it?” Amanda shot her brother a saucy smile as she passed and had to dodge his hat as he took it off to swing it at her behind.

“Get out of here!” Trent called after her.

“Make me,” Amanda turned to walk backwards and made a face at her brother. She caught a hint of amusement in Cade’s eyes and the increase in her heart’s tempo more than her brother’s ill glare prompted her to turn and leave.

“She’s a pest but I love her,” Trent’s words drifted to her as she left and made her smile. She nodded to Greg, one of the hands who was approaching the barn as she passed.

Amanda meandered her way back toward the house only to stop where her father was working on the tractor.

“Hi, Daddy,” Amanda leaned against the tractor’s large wheel.

“Hey, Cupcake; you been reading in the hay loft again?” Sterling’s gaze was amused when he looked up at her.

“How’d you know?” Amanda stared at her dad suspiciously. Sterling reached over to pluck a piece of hay from Amanda’s hair and she smiled at her father.

“Is your book good?” her father’s gaze was back on the engine in front of him but Amanda knew he would listen to every word she had to say.

“I guess so; the heroine’s kind of stupid.”

“How so?” Sterling glanced up at his daughter to let her know he was interested.

“She’s weak; ‘oh help me, help me,’” Amanda pitched her voice high and waved her hands dramatically. Sterling chuckled at his daughter’s antics.

“Not every woman is as strong as you are,” Sterling informed her.

“She’s still stupid,” Amanda insisted.

She strolled over to a nearby Oak, its limbs spreading wide over the land around them and climbed into one of the lower crooks to resume her book. Stupid or not, she wanted to know what happened to the heroine of her story; she was curious about the stranger who had just ridden to the rescue. When Amanda once again became frustrated with the heroine of the story, she closed her book and stretched out across the tree limb, to study her father.

He was silver headed, prematurely according to her aunt, and Amanda had always felt his name was somehow a moniker for his beautiful hair. She could remember, however, that he’d had dark blonde hair once upon a time, though even then it had been streaked with silver. She couldn’t help wondering why her father had never remarried. He was an attractive man and while their ranch wasn’t the largest or most successful they had never truly wanted for what they needed. For a time Amanda had blamed her Aunt Naomi; she had felt that she made her father’s life too comfortable for him to realize he needed a wife. She had almost immediately felt guilty; she loved her Aunt Naomi, even if she was a priss.

Amanda surveyed herself in the mirror and made a face; fifteen year olds were not supposed to be as straight as a rail. Well, that was not entirely accurate; she did have two pathetic bumps that were supposed to pass for breast but she wasn’t buying it. Her Aunt Naomi was completely unsympathetic too. “All in good time,” her aunt continually admonished. In the meantime Chris Atkins was purported to be “going steady” with Nancy Moore; she had the largest boobs of anyone in the school. Amanda turned from her mirror in disgust and dressed for the day.

“Happy birthday,” Naomi greeted her as soon as she walked through the door.

“Thanks, Aunt Naomi,” Amanda took the offered plate of blueberry waffles, her favorite, and seated herself beside her daddy.

“Can we go get my learners permit after school today?” Amanda asked the question casually as she dribbled a generous portion of syrup over her waffles.

“Not today,” Sterling shot his daughter an amused glance before turning back to the morning’s paper.

Amanda made a face at her plate and tackled her breakfast; she wasn’t through with this fight yet. Today she planned to enjoy her birthday; she already knew the routine but never tired of it. After school she would come home and be shooed off to enjoy herself while her Aunt Naomi made her a special meal and a three layered German chocolate birthday cake. She would then open her presents and spend the night playing checkers with her dad, an activity he seldom got still enough to participate in.

“Happy birthday, Pest,” Trent seated himself across from his sister after giving her head an affectionate pat.

“You could be nice seeing as how it’s my birthday,” Amanda suggested. A grin was all the response she received from her brother.

Amanda was growing impatient, a month had passed and her father still refused to take her to test for her permit. She’d just about had enough of his stall tactics. Taking deep satisfaction in the resounding bang that followed, she shoved the screen door open and loped off the porch and across the field to the corrals. Big Boy trotted along beside her, his tail wagging and tongue lolling. He was a large collie mix that her father had found abandoned at the feed store a few years earlier and brought him home. He was now as much a part of the ranch as the hands were.

“Mornin’ Mandy,” Jason greeted, from where he was climbing onto one of the tractors.

“Good morning, Jason,” Amanda returned.

Amanda called to the horses and reached into her pockets for the sugar cubes she’d tucked inside. It didn’t take the horses long to consume her supply of the treat and Amanda again found herself restless. Her father and brother had left for town that morning for supplies; Amanda had pointed out it would be a perfect time to get her permit to no avail. Amanda didn’t even have the satisfaction of trailing her brother and aggravating him. All the men seemed to be out in the pastures so she couldn’t even chat with them. Amanda sighed in boredom.

“You look like you just lost your best friend,” the voice behind Amanda made her jump. She turned and watched as Cade approached and propped one booted foot on the bottom rail. She had gotten to know Cade a little better in the weeks he had been there but she was still a little wary of the man.

“I’m stuck here, not getting my permit, while Daddy and Trent gallop around town,” Amanda glanced at him and then turned her attention back to the horses. She heard Cade chuckle and glanced at him again. He had turned to lean against the fence, his elbows on the top rail as he studied her.

“You are a skinny as a boy aren’t you?”

Cade’s stating of the obvious only annoyed Amanda and she lifted her chin as she decided to ignore him.

“Manny; there’s a nick name for you.”

Amada’s gaze snapped to Cade, he was grinning at her as though he had gotten exactly the result he wanted.

“Don’t you have work my father is paying you to do.”

Her Aunt Naomi would have been proud of the cool superior tone she pulled off. Her aunt was always reminding her that it was important to maintain a proper distance from the hired hands; an edict Amanda ignored at will.

“You really are a pest aren’t you, Manny?”

Amanda resolutely ignored him, though she was aware that he continued to watch her.

“Come on, Manny,” Cade offered her a hand.

Amanda frowned at his hand and then him.

“You want to learn to drive? I can teach you.”

“You don’t have a vehicle.” Amanda pointed out and then nearly bit her tongue; she was supposed to be annoyed at him.

“The farm truck is sitting right there with the keys in it. If you can drive that old thing; you can drive anything,” Cade nodded to where the battered old pick up sat.

Amanda eyed it with longing.

“I don’t have a permit,” Amanda was watching him with interest now.

“We’ll never leave the farm,” Cade promised her.

Amanda hesitated and then climbed down off the fence. Cade opened the door to the driver’s side and made a gesture with his hand for Amanda to climb in. Amanda’s limbs were shaking as she climbed onto the high seat and grasped the wheel with suddenly damp palms. Amanda jumped when the passenger door opened and she shot Cade a nervous glance.

“You ready?” Cade was watching her expectantly. Amanda nodded in determination. “Okay, press in the brake and the clutch and turn the key,” he instructed.

“Okay,” Amanda licked her suddenly dry lips and did as he instructed. Pleasure shot through her when the truck started.

“Now, make sure you’re in the right gear.”

“The right gear?” She looked down at the gear shift to find all the numbers and letters gone; her mind had suddenly gone blank.

Amanda glanced at Cade nervously. She had driven the tractor; she had thought the truck would be easy.

“Okay, turn the truck off; we need to cover a few basics first.” Cade instructed and waited for her to comply. “Put your hand on the gear shift.”

Amanda put her hand on the gear shift only to yank it away when Cade covered it with his.

“Relax, Manny; I’m not in the habit of hurting kids.” Cade’s gaze was amused which only further irritated Amanda.

She swallowed the sharp retort she wanted to offer and returned her hand to the gear shift. Cade took her through each gear and then had her find them on her own before having her start the truck again. A few minutes later the truck was jerking forward.

“Okay, now…” Cade braced himself when the truck jerked hard and the engine died. “Restart it. Press the clutch and brake and put it in first. Now, ease off the break and onto the gas.” The truck jerked and died. “You have to stay on the clutch a little longer.”

“I’m tryin’!” Amanda bit out impatiently. She had thought learning to drive was going to be fun.

“Relax, Manny, there’s no reason to clutch the wheel so hard. Now, try again.”

“It’s Amanda,” she corrected, “Or Mandy.”

Amanda bit her lip and started over in the process, this time managing to keep the truck going as they rolled forward across the field.

“Now, push in the clutch and shift into second,” Cade instructed. Amanda successfully shifted gears and felt herself relax a little; she could do this, it wasn’t so different from the tractor after all. Almost an hour later she was able to drive around the field fairly well, only grinding the gears on occasion. Amanda finally parked the truck, proud that she had succeeded and disappointed that Cade had to get back to work.

“I drove!” Amanda bounded out of the truck. “I drove,” she repeated when Cade had come around to lean against the truck.

“You drove; not bad kid.” Cade was grinning at her.

“Thank you so much, Cade.” Amanda spotted her father’s truck coming down the drive and dashed toward the house before her father spotted her. She and Cade had agreed not to tell her father of her driving lessons yet.

“Hi, Dad,” Amanda greeted as the men climbed from the truck.

“Dad?”

“How was your trip to town?” Amanda asked as she circled the truck, Big Boy panting from his run beside her.

“My trip to town was fine. What did you do with yourself?” Sterling was watching his daughter closely.

“Oh, I managed to keep occupied,” Amanda assured her father. “I’m going to go see if Aunt Naomi needs help with dinner.” Without further comment Amanda bounded up the front porch steps and into the house.