Love Lift Me (17 page)

“Wow,
Kat. They really went all out, didn’t they?” Shane said.

“I
don’t think I’ve ever seen this many people out here at once.” I looked above
the stand advertising hot pretzels and watched a roller coaster full of patrons
go whizzing around a curve on the horizon before turning sharply and heading
back the way they’d come. “Check that out, Shane. I’ve definitely never seen a
ride like that here before. The most exciting thing I remember was the Ferris
wheel or the Tilt-a-whirl.”

“Patterson
spared no expense,” he replied dully.

“Might
as well take advantage of it though, huh?”

“Definitely.”

We
advanced to the ticket gate and were greeted by a young girl wearing an elf
costume and pointy, plastic ears. She smiled brightly at me and then frowned
when she saw Shane. When the ticket printed out, she yanked it from the machine
and shoved it through the window like she couldn’t wait to get rid of it.

“Enjoy,”
she said with a voice filled by sarcasm. Shane took the tickets and gave her a
half-hearted salute.

“That
didn’t take long. The natives are getting restless,” he said as we walked along.

“Maybe
she just didn’t like your jacket,” I offered. It was a weak attempt to lift his
spirits, but I got a grin out of him nonetheless.

“Yeah.”

There
was a nip of cold in the air, the signal of winter’s approach, and the
cloudless night sky was brimming over with stars. We held hands and he led me
through the people, just as he’d done that rainy day at the busy terminal in
Raleigh. At the base of the roller coaster, we were greeted by a long line of people
who seemed either excited to be there or agitated by the wait.

When
we finally made it to the gate the woman checking our ticket was none other
than Miss Pauline, dressed as another one of Santa’s helpers. She had on a
sassy, holiday-green dress that hung loose and short over her wide hips and looked
far too young in style for her, and a mismatched red and white Santa hat
situated on top of her short, dark, curly hair.

“Lord
hep’ me,” she said, beaming with delight once she saw me standing there, “If’n
it ain’t little Kitty Kat! You better come here, girl!”

“H-hi,
Miss Pauline,” I said feebly as she squeezed my arms together and gave me a
bear hug.

Her
cheeks brightened and her eyes narrowed as she gawked openly at Shane, who was
still holding my hand. “Mmm-mmm-
mmm
. Lookit here. This that fine-looking
lawyer boy I done heard so much about? Didn’t I see you at church with him not
too long ago?” She leaned in closer to me and whispered loudly, “You done good,
girl. Lot better’n that last fella you was runnin’ around with.”

I
cleared my throat and said, “Miss Pauline, this is Shane.”

“Pleasure
to meet you,” he said warmly and shook her hand.

“Feel
that grip!” she announced and swooned dramatically. Then she gripped his bicep
and gave it a squeeze. “Oh my! Uh-huh. Nice and
strong
.”

“I
didn’t know you were volunteering out here Miss Pauline,” I said quickly, in an
effort to change the subject and save Shane some embarrassment.

“Volunteer?
Oh, heck naw, child. The only folks volunteerin’ here is the ladies in the
church, over at they’s bake sale. I asked, but they had enough folks fo’ that. Patterson
Reid be payin’ fo’ this one.”

“Like
a job?” I asked.

Her
head bobbed up and down. “You got that right, child. Not too bad a job either,
if’n you ask me. I calls it my Christmas Bonus. Uh-huh. Gon’ get me a new pair
of shoes with it. Gon’ wrap them suckers up and put ‘em under the tree like ol’
Santa Claus done brought ‘em, too. I ain’t wearin’ this here silly outfit for
nothin’.”

I
watched the roller coaster drop, fly along a steep decline, and begin to climb
on the other side of the tracks. The excited shouts of the passengers pierced
the hum of activity all around us. A few more twists and turns, and the ride
would be over and it would be our turn.

“How’s
your momma doin’, sweetness? She don’ talk to me on the phone as much as she
used to. Last time I seen her was in church when ya’ll came, and it ain’t like
your momma to miss no service,” Miss Pauline said.

“She
says that she’s feeling better, but she sure doesn’t act like it. Never seen
her so skinny,” I admitted.

Miss
Pauline shook her head and made a little noise through her nose. “Hmmph.
Somethin’ ain’t right with that picture, fo’ sure. That woman like to eat
almos’ as much as me. You keep your eye on her, you hear me?”

“I
will.”

Her
attention was diverted as the roller coaster car full of people wheezed to a
stop behind her. Miss Pauline stepped over to a control panel, deftly pressed a
button, and the safety bars wedging the passengers in place gently lifted. Once
everyone had gotten off the platform, she swung open the gate so we could
enter.

“Ya’ll
have fun. This here’s a wild ride,” Miss Pauline cautioned.

Shane
and I got into the nearest car and settled in. Once the rest of the car was
full, the metal bars came down in front of us and a nervous jolt of adrenaline
rushed into my gut. There was suddenly a vague sense of being trapped…
pinned
,
like I was back in the bus accident. I took a shaky breath and tried not to let
Shane see how much it bothered me. It was the first time I was more focused on
anything other than the upcoming thrill while sitting in a roller coaster.

“You
ok?” he asked.

“Just
a l-little freaked out.” Finger shaking, I pointed to the bar. “The bus, you
know?”

“See
if you can slide over here Kat, closer to me.”

I
did. To my relief, I wasn’t being as tightly restrained as I initially thought.
Something in my brain must have convinced me otherwise. Shane wrapped his arm over
my shoulder and drew me in as the entire attachment of cars bucked forward and
the ride began to slowly inch up towards the first drop.

“Most
people would be more scared to know that they could move around like
that
on a roller coaster. Afraid they might fall out or something,” he said.

“I
don’t know why, but that’s oddly reassuring, Shane.”

“You’re
welcome,” he said and I punched him playfully on the arm.

A
few seconds later and we surmounted the incline and the car plunged downwards
like the track had fallen right out from under us. I let out a shout of fear
that quickly turned into a nervous laugh. When I looked over at Shane at the
bottom, his eyes were full of the same excited rush as my own.

The
car climbed again, more rapidly this time, and then dipped into a spiral
towards the ground. It was a dizzying feeling when we shot out like a rocket
and into the next curve. Shane held me close throughout. By the time the ride
was over, I was ready to go all over again.

With
a loud click, the cars stopped in place back where they’d started. The safety
bar unlatched and rose up, over my head all by itself. Back at her position and
eyeing the both of us with an amused smirk was Miss Pauline. She stepped over
to the exit gate, opened it, and began directing passengers towards the way out.

“Tol’
ya’ll it was a wild ride,” she said knowingly.

“You
weren’t kidding. That first drop was a doozy. Thanks, Miss Pauline,” I answered
as I stepped away from the cars.

Before
we could leave the platform, she looked at Shane over her glasses and asked,
“Hey. Don’t mean to do no pryin’, but is it true you gonna shut down the
phosphate plant? That’s all everybody is talkin’ bout round here.”

I
felt like the eyes of every person in the line were suddenly fixed on me and
Shane. It was undoubtedly a question that most of the town wanted answered.
Miss Pauline had a vested interest since her husband had been employed at
Patterson’s plant for a number of years as a heavy equipment operator.

“I
don’t want to,” Shane said humbly.

“Lot
a people got jobs there. If’n that place goes, what gon’ happen?”

Shane
sighed. “What happens depends on Mr. Reid.”

Miss
Pauline only nodded. Her wide-eyed expression spoke volumes, but it was
impossible to read. Did she think like so many others that Shane was here to
wreck our little town?

She
quickly offered, “He gon’ talk later, over by the stage where the band is
playin’. You ought to go, too. See what he’s tellin’ folks so you know why
they’s all so nervous an all.”

“I
might just do that, thank you,” Shane answered and stepped around her.

I
gave Miss Pauline a little wave as we went on our way but she only stood there,
looking on. Something told me that Shane already knew all about Patterson
Reid’s speech that evening.

Fifteen

“I
want to thank ya’ll for coming out tonight, to the rebirth of our beloved
Harvest Festival,” Patterson Reid announced, his voice sweeping out like silk
into the audience.

I’d
wanted to spend the whole night riding rides and spending my time with Shane,
but he was there for more than just that, so we listened to the big man speak.
Patterson stalked the stage and welcomed the applause like it was something he
fed on. Along the back of the stage sat four people, two of which I recognized.
One was our church’s pastor. The other, in the chair closest to Patterson, was
Cindy Reid, all dressed up in a long, stealthy black gown with her legs fixedly
crossed and her bright hair pulled up into a conservative bun. She was smiling
like she’d just won another beauty pageant and joined in ambitiously with the
audience’s clapping.

As
the applause died down, Patterson picked right back up again. “You know, a whole
lot of people ‘round here have asked me
why
I would make this night
possible again. They wanted to know the meaning of it, and how come an old
fogey such as myself cared about roller coasters, funnel cakes, and ring tosses
when I should be already retired.”

The
crowd let out a gentle, murmuring laugh and Patterson went on, “Well, I’ll tell
you, folks. I believe in traditions. I can still remember my first Harvest
Festival back when I was a child, and I daresay I won’t ever forget it. I
remember taking my daughter to ride the Ferris Wheel and watching as her and my
dear departed wife laughed all the way to the top. It was my hope that, with your
help, I could continue to make this happen, year after year, generation after
generation, for all the fine families that live here in Kirkland.”

There
was another rousing applause, which Patterson countered by nodding his head and
holding up one hand to show he wasn’t finished. In an instant almost too fast
to catch, Patterson fired a sly look at Shane and smiled unevenly.

“Thank
you,” Patterson called out to the crowd and then remembered his microphone. He
stuck it back under his bearded chin as he paced to the other end of the stage
and said, “But that’s not all I needed to tell you tonight. You all know how
important traditions are around here. Some people, however, don’t understand
how much we value things like that. The folks in government, for one - they
think they can come down here, get involved with our businesses and our lives,
and take all that away with the stroke of a pen and a corrupt court system that
works against people like you and me.”

There
was another bout of applause and my eyes met Cindy’s. Instead returning a sneer
that matched my own, she simply wrinkled her nose and beamed a devious smile in
my direction.
What did she have to be so damned happy about?

Patterson
took a moment to clear his throat and continued on, “They will lie and cheat to
get their way. They will try to convince you that, ‘It’s all for the best.’”
The distinguished-looking snake of a man stepped right up in front of us, bent
low, and pointed his finger right at Shane. “Mark my words. They will even try
to turn your own family against you.”

Shane
suddenly took my hand and gestured with his head towards the exit. “C’mon, Kat.
Let’s get out of here.”

“Huh?”
I pulled back against him in hesitation, but he kept going. “Don’t you want to
stay? I thought you were for a reason.”

“It
doesn’t matter anymore. Being here isn’t enough, and it’s not like I could get
up there and talk. Not now.”

Shane
didn’t say another word as we pushed through the audience. Their voices became
louder and louder and they were so riled by the speech that they seemed to be shoving
back and blocking our way on purpose. It felt like any minute Shane and I were
going to be crushed by them against the stage. I heard a man shout a curse and
then a paper cup sailed through the air and smacked against the ground beside
Shane, breaking open and spilling ice and leftover soda everywhere.

“Hey!”
I shouted, but Shane only tugged me away.

Once
we broke free from the crowd and made it to the parking lot I felt like I could
breathe again. Never had I seen so many people so upset, and it was jarring to
be right in the middle of it with the person they blamed for all their displeasure.
Shane unlocked his car, and when the exterior lights came on, I could see a
long, deep line that had been scratched through the paint from nearly one end
to the other.

“Shane,”
I said, tracing the groove with one finger. “Someone keyed your car!”

He
blew out angrily and jerked his door open. “They got this side, too.”

On
the driver’s side, I saw that the vandal had been more creative. Scrawled in
capital letters was a simple message –
GET OUT
.

I
took my seat and Shane slid behind the wheel. “He’s really got them, doesn’t he
Shane? The entire town is on his side. I saw it start in church that day but I
never believed it would really happen so easily.”

“Maybe
most of them. Not everyone feels the same way,” Shane said and chirped the
tires on the way out of the parking lot. “A lot of people want Patterson gone
and the land restored.”

“What
about your deal? You haven’t said anything about-”

“It’s
over. It fell through,” Shane answered abruptly. “Patterson just told me
himself, right up there on the stage.”

“He
did?”

“Yes.
Don’t worry about how I know, I just do. The deal is finished.”

“As
many lives as that man has ruined…”

“We
tried, Kat. You heard what happened already to our best witness. If the deal
had gone through, we could have invalidated all the lies Patterson has come up
with.”

“So
what do you do now?”

Shane
sighed. “Try to convince the court with what we already have. Do it the old
fashioned way, I guess.
Jesus
. We’re going to get hammered.”

“Don’t
say that. It isn’t over yet,” I said.

“I
know, Kat. It’s just…I wanted there to be a clear victory this time. Usually
people like Patterson Reid get away without much more than a slap on the wrist.”

“Maybe
it’s wrong to say this Shane, but I’m kind of glad it’s over, even if it didn’t
work out. I never liked you having to keep me in the dark so much about it.”

“I
know. I’m sorry I had to do that. Now I’m just worried that they’ll try to use
this against me somehow,” Shane said glumly. “You already saw what happened
tonight.”

“What
could they do? You said yourself it wasn’t illegal.”

Shane
rubbed his brow and took in a deep breath. “I don’t know, Kat. The Reid family
doesn’t seem like the type to let any advantage go to waste, though. We’ll have
to wait and see how it plays out.”

I
looked out the window and watched as we passed by the usual exit that would
take us into Wilmington and to Shane’s hotel.

“Aren’t
we going to your place?” I asked.

“No,
I’m sorry Kat, tonight I think I need to work on the case. See if I can find
anything I’ve been missing and tie up some loose strings, that kind of thing.
The rest of my group might have some ideas about how to patch this up if it
comes down on us negatively.”

I
stretched over, gave him a peck on his cheek, and said, “All right. You owe me,
though.”

“Hey
now, don’t get me started. We’re almost back to your house and I know your
folks aren’t the type to just let a strange man stay the night in their
daughter’s bedroom.”

I
rolled my eyes. He was right.

“You
don’t think I could sneak you in? Just for a little while?” I asked and
squeezed my legs together to try and quiet the delicious itch the idea gave me.
It had been days since our last night together and thinking of having him right
in my old bedroom was beginning to stir me up.

“How
would you explain my car outside?”

I
rubbed his thigh, perilously close to his manhood, and felt the smooth fabric
slide over the top of his skin. “Daddy never goes out this late. No one would
see it.
Mmm
…you’d be fine until the morning. That is, unless you don’t
think I could be quiet enough so no one hears us.”

Shane
smiled and said, “You’re being very bad, Nurse Atwater. Downright naughty, in
fact, trying to take me away from work after such a crisis.”

“I
can’t help it. You know how I respond when you’re feeling stressed. I just want
to…release…all that tension.”

I
moved my hand until I found the outline of his length and stroked it lightly
through his pants until he was straining uncomfortably. Navigating the twisty
driveway must have been difficult like that. The thoughts about what I would do
to him were repeating over and over in my mind.

“Damn,
you sure know how to drive a guy crazy, don’t you?” Shane said and parked the
car in front of the house. He killed the lights, unbuckled his seatbelt so he
could lean across, and crushed his lips against mine. The kiss was sensuous and
hungry, and despite the console which was right between us, I managed to get
the top three buttons of his shirt undone.

Out
of the car, I looked up at the house and noticed none of the lights were on. Abby’s
room, which usually stayed lit up until the late hours, was off. Not a sound
emanated from anywhere inside.

“Is
anyone even home?” Shane puzzled as he walked towards the porch.

“They
should be.”

The
faded Buick was in its normal spot, but Daddy’s pickup truck was missing. That
wasn’t too unheard of, though. Some nights, he’d park it in the garage for a
tune-up or an oil change and leave it there until the next day.

I
waved Shane over as I gently placed the key in the door and turned the lock. It
resounded with a click that was almost like a gun going off in the silence. I
suppressed a giggle at the very notion of sneaking him into the house for a
romp like I was back in high school. The whole thing might’ve been pretty silly
to get so excited about, but I couldn’t deny how much it turned me on.

“Come
on,” I whispered, and led the way into the house.

Up
the stairs we went, hand in hand, the boards creaking under us with each step.
I strained to listen between each one, but aside from our shuffling around, the
house was eerily quiet. After tip-toeing down the upstairs hallway, I made it
to my bedroom door and gently closed it behind Shane.

“This
is…weirdly thrilling,” Shane murmured in the dim light. “I feel like a kid or
something.”

“I
keep freaking out, thinking someone is going to walk in any minute and catch
us. I mean, what are they gonna do,
ground me
?”

“I
know what I’d do,” Shane whispered, and popped my backside with a light smack.

I
looked up at him, my mouth open in surprise, and pushed him back on the bed. “
Ooh
.
You are gonna get it now, Mr. Logan.”

His
hands traced along my back until he reached the rounded, supple curve of my
ass. Once there, he kneaded the soft flesh through my dress as he drew me in,
deeper and deeper, with those wonderful lips. I ground against him, feeling the
hardness of his manhood aching to be let out, and used my weight to flatten him
against the mattress.

“Is
this my punishment?” He asked. “Cause if it is, I’m going to do that a lot more
often.”

“Just
you wait.”

I
slid down and located the button on his pants, unfastened it, and then lowered
the zipper. Every squeak of the bed rang out as I adjusted. After pulling roughly
at his open waistband, I managed to lower it enough so that I could get at what
I desired. With his hardness in my hand, I gave it several tight, eager
strokes.

I
stood, removed my panties, and positioned myself on top of him again.

“You
ready?” I asked in a whisper, and felt him at my entrance.

My
folds parted readily as I sank down and took him all in one movement. The
satisfied feeling of fullness came at once, followed by the carnal impulse to
repeat it again and again. Shane’s hands found their way under my dress and he
began to tenderly caress my breasts. He went over my bra at first and then
found his way under it, where it he began to lightly pinch the sensitive pink
buds there until I let out a suppressed moan.

I
quickly unsnapped my bra and pulled it out through one sleeve. Then I fell
forward and into him, and with my mouth next to his ear I whispered, “How do
you do this to me every time?”

He
responded by wrapping his big hands around my rear and bucking into me. The
tempo of the springs in the bed increased, reaching a steady, fast rhythm that
aligned with the sound of our flesh coming together. My dress was a bunched up
mess; the back half draped across the middle of my back and the front half
loosely hanging between Shane and I.

“Not
too loud,” I reminded him, and the quick thrusts were replaced by slow, deep
ones that felt like he was trying to fill me as much as he could. The sensation
was mind-blowing.