"What happened?" Cody asked. "Is that from barbed wire?"
"Cat, more likely," Sam said. "A mountain lion. See the scratches across her nose? Scout"s been known to tangle with a big cat if it wanders too close."
"Is she going to be okay?"
"Yeah, we"ll fix her up."
Cody looked at the indigo sky through the small square window. "Are there a lot of mountain lions around here?"
"A fair number," Edward said, bringing some medicine from the office fridge. "We put out a trap, but they"re street-smart. Last season we caught three, sent them down to Yellowstone to be turned out in the wild." m.u.f.fled thumps came from the stalls, the horses settling in for the night.
Sam snapped on a pair of surgical gloves. He and Cody worked together, Cody soothing the dog while Sam disinfected the superficial scratches. Edward stood back watching them thoughtfully.
"Hand me that syringe of lidocaine," Sam said to Cody. "Don"t break the seal until I tell you." He cleansed the site and injected the topical anesthetic. The dog whimpered, and Cody hushed her. While he waited for the lido to work, Sam caught himself studying his son"s hands, gently splayed across the collie"s silky fur.
Wow, he thought, the kid"s got my hands.
"You okay?" he asked Cody. "This is on the gory side."
"I can handle anything after pulling that foal," Cody a.s.sured him.
Sam used a double-ended needle and surgical thread to st.i.tch the gash. At one point he glanced up and caught the boy looking at him, and the expression on Cody"s face nearly bowled him over. Having a son was a fine thing. Having a son who admired you made you feel like a G.o.d.
"Go ahead and spray her with the Furex," he said, nodding at the plastic bottle. "That"s right, up and down the wound." With intense concentration, Cody applied the yellowish antiseptic.
"Ever give an injection?" Sam asked.
"No."
"Want to learn?"
"I guess."
Sam prepared a dose of anti-inflammatory and penicillin, then coached Cody through the injection. As he worked, Cody"s face wore an expression of complete absorption. Scout whimpered and took advantage of the extra attention she was getting. Walking tall with a sense of accomplishment, Cody carried her across the yard to the main house, putting her down gently in the kitchen.
"You guys make a pretty good team," Edward said, as they washed up at the sink in the mudroom. A certain quiet ease pervaded the atmosphere, and it felt good to Sam. A h.e.l.l of a lot better than coming home to an empty house.
That evening after supper, Tammi Lee hung on Cody"s every word as he described the treatment. She made a good listener, and he responded to that. Absently, he kept his hand on the dog"s head as he spoke, and the sight evoked echoes of that rare warm feeling that had come over Sam earlier. Then Tammi Lee glanced at the clock.
"Better go," she said. "I"ve got some videos to return before closing time. You know what folks say." She winked. "Crime doesn"t pay."
Sam was pleased to see that Cody stood up when she did, out of courtesy. She turned to him. "You looking forward to your mom and granddad getting home?" she asked.
"Yeah." Yet the reminder seemed to agitate him. He lifted a shoulder, just this side of insolent. "The sooner they get better, the sooner we go back to Seattle."
"You miss your friends?"
"Sure."
"I figured you"d make new ones here," said Tammi Lee, heading for the door. "Nice kid like you."
Cody looked startled. He was probably trying to recall the last time someone had called him a nice kid.
Thursday
Chapter 39.
With a weary motion, Cody shrugged his backpack over one shoulder and made his way to the main door of the school. Somehow, another endless day had ended.
Somehow, he had survived another day at this armpit of an inst.i.tution.
He was sort of glad to be going to Sam"s rather than the hospital this afternoon. His mom was lots better, but that meant she"d ask the usual questions about how his day went, and what were his teachers like, and did he make some more friends, and all that c.r.a.p, and he didn"t want to talk about it.
The only bright spot in this G.o.dforsaken place was Molly Lightning. She was great, not making a big deal of him but making sure she introduced him to a couple of her friends each day. They were way different from his friends in Seattle. Who would have thought he"d be sitting around at lunchtime talking about goat roping and 4-H Club?
At least it wasn"t the geek table.
Maybe he"d call Molly tonight, pretend he needed a homework page or something.
"Cody?"
A voice behind him. Female, but not Molly.
He stopped at a heavy door with wire mesh through the gla.s.s. He recognized the girl from homeroom, the one he was already thinking of as the Blond Bombsh.e.l.l. Shiny yellow hair, huge t.i.ts.
He smiled. "Yeah?"
"It"s Cody, right? Cody Slade?"
"Turner."
"Oh." She stuck her thumb in the top of her jeans pocket, tugging the waistband down to show a little of her bare stomach. "Someone said you were related to Gavin Slade."
"I am, but I"ve got a different last name." He pushed the heavy door open, stood to one side to let her pa.s.s. She smelled like bubble gum and shampoo. Her sweater was tight. Really tight. "He"s my grandfather. I"m staying at his place."
Her face lit up, pretty and bright. "I think that"s so cool." She ducked her head and looked up at him through long eyelashes. "I"m Iris York. We"re in homeroom together."
"And English." Color flooded his face. "I noticed you in English cla.s.s last period." He"d noticed her in the lunchroom, too, at the inner sanctum table, but she hadn"t called out to him.
She made a face. "I can"t stand the teacher, Mrs. Lightning. She"s picky, picky, picky. I can"t wait until the term"s over and I can take drama instead."
Cody had actually thought Mrs. Lightning-Molly"s mom-wasn"t too bad. She was the only one who hadn"t made him sit in the front, and she didn"t act all chummy with him just because she was friends with Sam McPhee.
"Can I give you a ride somewhere?" he asked boldly, gesturing at the Jeep.
"Um..." She looked from side to side, then shrugged. "I don"t see my usual ride, so I guess I"ll take you up on that. I live up in Windemere Hills, on the golf course."
"Great." They headed across the parking lot.
"So tell me about your grandfather. I think his old movies are sooo b.i.t.c.hen-"
A Bondo-colored El Camino came around a corner and lurched to a stop in front of them. Cody jumped back, flinging out his arm in an instinctively protective gesture. Slush from a filthy puddle sluiced over his feet. Ice-cold water trickled into his shoes.
"Hey, Iris." The driver got out and came around the car, opening the pa.s.senger door. "I thought I"d missed you, but here I am."
Iris bit her lip. "Hi, Billy. This is Cody Turner. Cody, this is Billy Ho. The guys in the back are Ethan Lindvig and Jason Kittredge." Gangsterlike, they nodded at him from the rusty bed of the truck.
Billy was one of the coolest guys in school; Cody could tell. Good-looking in a Native American way. Outside the library Molly had pointed him out, said he was big trouble. But he was just cool. Molly probably couldn"t see that.
"Cody offered me a ride home," Iris explained. "I thought you"d left without me," she hastened to add, pushing out her lower lip.
"Today"s your lucky day." Billy opened the door wider.
When she hesitated, Cody knew it was now or never. Speak up now and get the cutest girl in the school on his side, or forever hold his peace... and sit at the dweeb table.
"The offer"s still open," he said.
Billy didn"t speak, but his glittering black eyes and go-to-h.e.l.l expression said it all. Cody was trespa.s.sing, and Billy didn"t like it one bit.
"Maybe another time," Iris said.
"Maybe never," Billy snapped.
Billy grabbed for Iris"s arm. Cody didn"t think, he just stepped between them.
"Maybe she can make up her own mind," he said.
"Out of my way." Billy shoved him. Hard. Cody stumbled back, putting out a hand behind him, but there was nothing to catch him, so he plopped, a.s.s-first, into a puddle of muddy, half-frozen slush.
He came up swearing, ready to fight, but it was a stupid move. He wasn"t cut out for fighting, and Billy Ho was built like a dump truck. Cody laughed and hoped he sounded convincing. "Hey," he said, trying not to let his teeth chatter. "No big deal, right?"
At that moment the El Camino coughed and died.
"b.a.l.l.s." Billy reached in and tried the ignition. "This has been giving me trouble all day." He tried several more times, but the heap wouldn"t start. "We better push it out of the way."
Iris got behind the wheel. The guys went around to the rear. Billy tossed his long black hair out of his eyes. "Yo, Cody. You gonna stand there, or you gonna help?"
Cody threw off his backpack and his anger. Here was his chance to get in good with these guys. Being one of their crowd might even make school bearable.
Once they"d moved the car to a parking spot, Iris pouted at Billy. "Now where"s my ride home?"
Just for a second, Cody recalled his conversation with Sam about pa.s.sengers in the Jeep. Only if there were enough seat belts to go around. They were one short, but Cody didn"t even hesitate. Screw Sam. He"d never find out. "I"ll give all of you a lift."
"Excellent, man. I need to get to the auto-parts store." They all piled into the Jeep. Cody"s jeans felt squishy, making him wish for a hot shower and clean towels. As he pulled out of the parking lot, he heard a faint "Hey, Cody!"
"Who"s that?" Billy asked.
"Ugh, Molly Lightning." Iris wrinkled her nose. "The cowgirl."
Molly emerged from a knot of students. "Can you drop me by the arena?"
"No!" Billy said, putting his hand on Cody"s shoulder. "Jeez, the teacher"s kid. Her mom"s flunking me."
Cody had a split second to decide. He made eye contact with Molly as she approached the Jeep. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Sorry, kid. Car"s full." At least he didn"t have to lie. He punched the gas pedal too hard, sending up a plume of mud and slush.
"Good move, man!" Ethan thumped him on the back.
Cody glanced in the rearview mirror to see Molly standing on the curb, shaking out her book bag. He felt something icier than the parking lot slush. Something that wouldn"t come off with a shower and a stack of towels.
Friday
Chapter 40.
An old El Camino, pockmarked by rust, came fast up the drive to Lonepine, spitting a rooster tail of gravel and ice in its wake. Favoring her wounded leg, Scout had to dart to the side of the road to avoid getting hit. Annoyed, Sam walked out onto the porch. He was still in his office clothes, having just got home after a long day of clinic visits.
Behind the El Camino came Cody in the Jeep. Patience, Sam told himself as he crossed the yard to the horse barn. No one ever said this fatherhood gig was going to be easy.
But as four disreputable-looking kids tumbled out of the vehicles-the most disreputable of all being his son-he gritted his teeth into a forced smile for the introductions. With a decided lack of grace, Cody gestured at each boy in turn-Billy, Ethan, and Jason. He recognized Billy from providing his school sports physical every year. The kid was wearing a jacket that looked brand-new and unaffordable. Sam grew annoyed at himself for having the thought. He was turning into a pretty judgmental s...o...b.. lately.
A throaty screech, far off but distinct, echoed down from the veil of trees above the meadow. Scout growled and crouched in close to Sam, too smart to run off after the predator a second time. Sam shaded his eyes, studying the blue-shadowed distance, but he saw no movement in the field.
"Hey, guys," Sam said to the boys. "How was school?"
They rolled their eyes in unison. "Sucked," Cody said.
"Yeah?" Sam asked, tugging his tie loose. "You might consider the alternative."
"What, no school? That"d be awesome."
Sam shook his head. "When I was sixteen, I was working ten hours a day unrolling frozen bales of hay. Trust me, it"s not awesome."
They didn"t trust him, of course. Kids never fell for that "in my day" stuff. He ought to know better.
"I brought the guys over to show them the filly," Cody said.
"Fine. Take it easy around the mare. Don"t get between her and-"