The Country Rose

Chapter 9: Unbridled Lessons

Chapter 9: Unbridled Lessons

Rose waited until her feet hit the dirt road home before she dared to call her mother back. Her mind was still soaring from the near kiss with Austen. Why did he have to go and do that? She was trying to behave and not cause more trouble. She knew the chances of Tara ever warming up to her were slim to none. In time, maybe she would at least tolerate Rose, but dating her ex would definitely be a step in the wrong direction.

"What were you thinking?" Rose asked aloud. Her thoughts searched for a plausible reason for what possessed her to ask him for riding lessons. It's not the horse you want to be riding, her wicked side mused.

Rose groaned loudly and directed her thoughts toward the phone. She needed to call her mom before the constant stream of "Rose, why aren't you answering your phone?" came pouring into her voicemail.

When her mother did not answer, she called Daphne who picked up in two rings. "Hey, sunshine. What are you doing up this early?"

"I went for a run," Rose replied. And then I nearly made out with a gorgeous man by the lake.

"Good for you," came Daphne's reply. "And how's Briarville? Everything going okay?"

"Yeah. With the exception of my car being in the shop," she said, her thoughts adding, and being hated by my dad's wife and daughter, "everything is good."

"Good. But, you know, if you would've just waited for me like I told you to, I could've fixed the problem."

Rose's eyes rolled towards the blue sky. She was thankful Daphne couldn't see as it would have provoked another speech of, "Anything a man can do I can do better."

"I know you could've," Rose said with a smile on her face.

Before Daphne could answer, Scarlett's charming voice called from a distance. "Is that Rose?"

"Yes it is," Daphne replied.

"Put her on speaker!"

The sound of accidently pressed buttons beeped through the phone before her mother's voice came back on the line.

"Hey, mom. I tried to call you first, but you didn't pick up."

"Sorry, hun," her mother said. "I'm leaving for work in a minute, but I wanted to check in and see how things were going. How's John? Are you making sure to pick up after yourself?"

"Yes, mom," Rose mocked with as much angst as she could muster. It did not matter that Rose had lived on her own since she left for college three years ago. Her mother still treated her like that forgetful child who needed constant reminding on how to use good manners.

Scarlett seemed unfazed by Rose's teasing. Instead, she began her game of twenty questions until she knew detail of Rose's past few days. Well, everything excluding Austen. She also gave a milder version of meeting the charming Clark women.

"So when do you think you'll come home?" Scarlett asked.

"Actually," Rose began. She surveyed the beautiful country road before her, wishing she could preserve each detail on a canvas and keep it forever. It had been far too long since she painted, or even sketched anything that wasn't meant to bring her one step closer to a degree in interior design. "I think I want to stay for a few weeks," she continued. "Who knows, maybe I'll stay for the summer."

"The whole summer?" Aunt Ava's silk voice called in the distance. "Did you meet a boy? Who is he?"

"Just because you have a one track mind," Daphne teased, "it doesn't mean Rose does."