Ruby Falls (8 page)

She didn’t even turn around. “I really need to get these dishes done. Maybe tomorrow would be better.”

Suddenly his arm was there, reaching over her shoulder, turning off the water. “Not a chance, babe. You’re not getting out of this, so don’t even try.”

She could feel his body trapping her between him and the sink. She turned her face to the side, toward him. “Steve.”

“I’m absolutely serious, sweetheart. So, put on your big girl panties, and let’s go.”

Then she didn’t have a choice as his hand slid around hers, and he was pulling her toward the door to the mudroom.

“Remember to be patient with her, Son,” Pop advised him from his spot at the kitchen table, his coffee mug raised to his mouth.

“I will be.”

“If he gives you any shit, darlin’, just run his ass over.” This from a grinning Cary as he slouched back in his chair and winked at her as Steve pulled her past.

Steve looked back over his shoulder. “You. Get to work, smartass.” Steve led her out the door, down the steps, and across the yard toward the rusted pickup. Summer yanked up hard on her hand bringing him to a stop. It brought him around to face her, a frown on his face. “What?”

“Just…wait a minute. I’m not ready to get in the driver’s seat yet. Can I watch you do it first, work the clutch and stick thingy?”

The corners of his mouth pulled up. “Yeah, okay, babe. You can watch me work the ‘stick thingy’ first.”

She rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

“Get in the truck, babe.”

She walked around and got in the passenger side.

He climbed in the driver’s seat. When she was settled and buckled up, he said, “Okay. Watch what I do. You work the clutch with your left foot, the gas and brake with your right. Got it?”

She nodded.

“In order to start the truck, the clutch has to be engaged. So you push down on the clutch pedal before you turn the key. It’s best to start it in neutral.” He took the stick shift in his hand and gave it a loose shake back and forth. “That’s neutral. See?”

She nodded again.

He started the truck. “You use first gear to get the truck moving. Once it’s rolling, you shift to second. You don’t drive far in first. Okay?”

She nodded.

“Put your hand over mine, so you can get a feel for the gears.”

She laid her hand over his, feeling the warmth of his skin. At the contact, something shot through her, and she looked up at him wondering if he felt it, too.

Their eyes met and held.

“Okay, so…” He slid his hand forward and to the left. “This is first gear.” He moved his hand back and down. “This is second.” He moved his hand forward and to the right. “Third.” He moved his hand back and to the right. “Fourth.”

Summer looked down at their hands.

“Think of it as a capital H. And over here is reverse.” He moved his hand over to the right and down. “Now you try it.” He slid his hand out from under hers.

She shifted through the gears, first, second, third, fourth.

“Now find neutral.”

She moved the gearshift to the center and shook it back and forth.

“Good.” He moved his hand back to the gearshift under hers. “Here we go.” He slid it into first. “The trick is managing the clutch. You depress the pedal, push it into gear, then you have to ease off the clutch as the gears engage. Feel that?”

The truck began to roll forward.

“Yes.”

He gave it more gas, and the truck moved faster. “Feel that? The engine is straining like that because the gear is too low. That sound? That means you need to shift into the next gear. Watch what I do with the clutch.” He depressed the pedal again and shifted into second, her hand moving with his. “You have to ease on the gas pedal, giving it some gas, as you ease off the clutch. Feel that? Feel how the gears engage?”

She nodded, smiling at him. “I think I get it.”

He pulled the truck down a dirt trail into the backfield and continued shifting through the gears, up and down, stopping and starting. Letting her get a good understanding of how the truck responded to what he did with the clutch and gas.

He brought the truck to a stop, put it in neutral and turned it off. “Your turn, babe.”

She looked at him. “I don’t know.”

“Sweetheart, I can explain it all day, but you’re not gonna understand it until you actually give it a try. Come on, you’ll be fine.” He reached for the door handle and yanked it open.

They changed places.

“Okay. What do you do first?” he asked.

She looked over at him. “Start it?”

He grinned. “And what do you have to do to do that?”

She depressed the clutch and turned the key.

“Good, babe. Now what?”

“I put it in first.” She slid the gearshift into first.

“And now?”

“Ease off on the clutch, and give it some gas.”

He nodded.

She did. The truck lurched forward a few feet and died. She looked over at Steve in a panic. “What did I do?”

He laughed. “Honey, that happens to everybody the first time. You just let the clutch out too quickly. You just need to get a feel for it. Try again.”

She did, and again the truck lurched forward and died.

“Try again,” Steve said patiently.

After the third time of stalling it, she banged her head down on the steering wheel. “I’ll never be able to do this.”

Steve laughed and reached over and patted her shoulder. “First gear is the touchiest. Once you get it down, the rest shift pretty easy. Try again. Just ease the clutch out slower, and give it a little more gas.”

She tried again. This time the engine revved.

“Too much gas, babe. Ease the clutch out.”

She did as he said, and the truck rolled forward. She practically jumped up and down on the seat. “I did it, Steve. I did it.”

He laughed at her excitement. “Watch where you’re goin’.”

“Okay. Now what?”

“What’s that sound mean? Feel the engine struggling?”

“Yeah. It means I’m in too low a gear.”

“And?”

“I need to shift into second.”

“So, do it.”

She depressed the clutch.

“Feel that? When the clutch is in, we’re just coasting. The gears are not engaged. Shift.”

She shifted into second. This time, the clutch wasn’t as touchy when she let it out.

“Now you got it, darlin’. Give it some more gas. Get the speed up and shift to third.”

Soon she was shifting through all the gears.

“Okay. Take it back to the yard.”

She turned around and headed back to the house. She pulled up behind it and stopped.

“I did it!” she exclaimed excitedly, turning to Steve.

“Yup. You did great, darlin’,” he pronounced, slapping her thigh. “Well, she’s all yours. Take her out on the highway and keep practicing. I’ve got to get back to work.”

She watched as he twisted, yanking on the door handle, preparing to climb out. “But, Steve, the highway? I’m not sure I’m ready for that.”

“Sure you are.” He climbed out and came around to the driver’s window, resting his forearms on the frame. “You’ll do fine, sweetheart.” Then he leaned in the window and kissed her. “Go on, now. Make me proud.” He stepped back and winked at her. She started the engine, put it in gear, and pulled slowly down the driveway. Looking in the review mirror she saw him standing there smiling after her, then he turned and headed to the barn.

*****

That evening, Steve was at the grill, turning the steaks.

Summer walked past with a platter of baked potatoes. “Hmm, there’s nothing like the smell of steaks on the grill.”

Steve turned and smiled. “They’re ready. Hand me a platter.”

Everyone was gathered around a picnic table that Summer had covered with a red gingham tablecloth. Steve brought over the platter of steaks, and everyone began to pass the food around.

They all ate and talked about the week. Cary told a funny story about a curious cow that watched him mending fence all day and they all laughed. After everyone was through, Summer brought out an apple pie that she had baked from an old recipe she found. It must have been good, because before she knew it, there was nothing left of it.

Later, while they were all sitting around the table, Cary had an idea. “Hey, it’s a beautiful night tonight, and there’s gonna be a full moon. Why don’t we take the ATV’s out for a ride?”

“Oh, Daddy, can we, please?” Jessie begged.

“I guess so, if everyone wants to take a ride. How about it, Summer? Are you up for a ride?” Steve asked.

“I…I suppose.”

“You may want to grab a sweatshirt. It’s warm now, but it could turn cool,” he told her.

Twenty minutes later, Summer came outside with a sweatshirt, borrowed from Jessie. Steve was strapping a small cooler onto the back of one of the two ATV’s with a bungee cord. “What’s in there?” she asked.

“Drinks,” he replied.

Cary was on the other ATV, with Jessie holding on behind him.

Steve finished with the cooler and climbed on his. He fired it up, turned back to Summer, and patted the seat behind him. She put a foot on the peg and flung her leg over. “You ready?” Steve asked over his shoulder.

She nodded.

“Hold on,” he warned and reached back to wrap her arms around him. Then with a twist of his wrist on the throttle, they sprang forward, and down the dirt path into the field. They crossed the rolling pasture and headed down a dirt road up into the hills.

It was a gentle ride, nothing too fast or too steep, and Summer loved it. She felt the wind on her face and blowing through her hair. As the ATV went over bumps and potholes it gently rocked from side to side, feeling to Summer like she was on the back of a horse. They rode across a small, shallow creek and through a wooded area; the trees formed a canopy over their heads. The moonlight filtering through the branches lit their way. Summer looked up and marveled at how beautiful it was.

They climbed higher and higher, and finally the dirt road came out into a clearing. They had ridden for almost an hour. Steve stopped at the top of a bluff; Cary and Jessie came flying up beside them and stopped. Steve and Cary both cut the motors off, and it was quiet. Summer looked out at the view. From where they had stopped, she could see for miles. “It’s so beautiful.”

Steve reached back with his hand and rubbed his palm on her thigh. “Yeah, it is, isn’t it?”

Summer’s eyes moved from the view to his profile. He loved this land. She could hear it in his voice. It was almost as if it was a precious gift that he fully appreciated. It touched her to know he had such reverence for the land around his home.

They all climbed off.

Steve opened the cooler. “Anyone thirsty?” He passed out drinks. They all popped the tops and drank. Steve walked over to where Summer was standing, admiring the view of the valley below.

“So, where does your property start and stop?” she turned to ask him.

He stood behind her and pointed over her shoulder. “See that patch of woods over there to the right?”

She looked to where he pointed. “Yes.”

“From there all the way over to the river over there.” He pointed to the far left towards a ribbon of water reflecting the moonlight.

She turned her head to look at him. “All that?” Their faces were inches apart, and he stared down into her eyes. “Yes, ma’am. All that.”

She looked back at the view, amazed. My God, when he’d been admiring the view, she hadn’t realized he owned it all.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back against his chest. “It is pretty, isn’t it?”

Cary and Jessie walked away from the edge of the bluff to some large boulders, climbed up, and sat on them. Cary lit a cigarette. They were out of earshot of Steve and Summer. “So, I think your dad likes her. How do you feel about that?” he asked Jessie.

She studied her father and Summer for a moment. “I like her, and I know Daddy’s been lonely. He seems happier, lately. Don’t you think?” She turned to look at Cary.

“Yeah, I think so, too.” He looked down at her.

“But…” she began, and then turned to look back at where her father and Summer stood.

“But, what?” Cary prompted.

“I don’t know. I guess…I guess I’m afraid he’s going to get hurt,” she said, turning back to look at him. “She’s going to leave eventually, right? I mean she’s got a life somewhere.”

Cary didn’t say anything. He turned to look out over the horizon and took a hit off his cigarette. “That may be, Jessie, but…even if it’s just for a little while, it’s been a long time since your dad felt…well, like that,” he said softly, nodding toward the pair.

Jessie turned to follow his gaze and saw her father standing there behind Summer, his arms wrapped around her, his head bent to her ear. He looked content, happy. She wanted that for him, but still worried about him.

Cary reached up and put his arm around her, his hand on her shoulder. He rocked her from side to side. “Quit worrying. Your old man can take care of himself.”

Jessie looked up at him and smiled. “I suppose you’re right.”

Chapter Seven

Summer pulled out of the parking spot on Main Street, pulled to the intersection, and made a right turn onto the next side street. She noticed right away that something was wrong with the truck. It wasn’t turning very easily, and there was a thumping noise.

She pulled to the curb and climbed out. The front tire was flat. Shoot, she thought to herself, now what? She stood with her hands on her hips. I guess I change a tire, that’s what! She looked down at herself. She was wearing a strappy pair of high-heeled sandals and the white, eyelet sundress that she’d purchased from Miss Myra. Perfect, she thought, this dress is about to be ruined.

“Excuse me, ma’am?”

Summer turned to see a black tow truck stopped in the opposite lane.
Justin’s Garage
was painted on the side in gold.

The driver leaned out the open driver’s window. “You need any help with that, ma’am?”

Before she could answer, he got out and walked over to her. He was about Steve’s age, she guessed, about six feet tall with short, dark hair, a goatee and the prettiest brown eyes she’d ever seen.