True Love Waits

Chapter Forty

         "I'm just goin' to put Bullet in his stall in the barn really quick, and run in and tell Chandler where we are goin'. I'll be right back." Maleena explained as she slid out of the cab of the truck once Cody had pulled back into Maleena's driveway after the horse sale was over. 

          "You already have a stall ready for Bullet?" Cody chuckled, but wasn't surprised. 

          "I told you I wasn't coming home without him." Maleena shut the truck door, winking at Cody through the rolled down window.

        "Hey, why don't you see if Chandler wants to come out with us tonight?" It was more of a statement than a question, or a suggestion. 

        "That's a great idea. I will see if he is available. Be right back." Maleena jogged to the back of her horse trailer, leading Bullet out of the trailer, and into his stall in the barn. Making sure he had a flake of hay, and a full bucket of water, Maleena walked out of the barn, heading towards the house when she saw Cody unhitching the trailer for her. "Thank you." She called out with a smile as she burst into the house. 

        "Hey, squirt, where's the fire?" Chandler asked, partially startled, once Maleena got inside the house. In one hand he held a sandwich, in the other, he was holding a bottle of water.

       "Just the person I wanted to look for. Cody, Rose, Lucas, and I are all goin' out for food and ice cream to celebrate Rose and Lucas gettin' married. Wanna join? Pretty please?" Maleena stuck out her bottom lip, folding her hands together as she playfully begged her brother. 

      Setting his PB&J sandwich back down on the kitchen counter, Chandler chuckled. "Sure, I'll join. There is nothin' I love more than being the fifth wheel on a double date." He replied, sarcastically, but teasingly. 

       "Bus pulls out in two minutes!" Maleena ignored her teasing brother as she ran out of the house, hopping back into the truck.  "Chan is coming, too." She told her boyfriend, right as her brother hopped into the back of the truck cab. 

        "Come on, y'all, we are burning daylight." Chandler teased as he buckled his seat belt, rolling down his window, sticking his head out of the window, and howling like a wolf.

       Shaking his head and laughing, Cody pushed the truck into drive, peeling out of the driveway, making gravel fly up behind them. 

          "Y'all, we need music." Chandler reached between the couple holding hands in the front seat to turn on the radio, turning the volume way up as one of his favorite country songs came on the radio. 

         Maleena instinctively turned the loud music down, turning to glare at Chandler. "Why are you so weird?" A smile tugged at the corner of her lips. 

        "Oh, you love me and you know it." Chandler played back, ruffling his little sister's hair before sitting back down in his seat, buckling the seat belt. 

        "Hey!" Maleena chuckled, smoothing down her show hair-do that she had worked so hard to get looking nice, so she was presentable in the arena. 

         "So, where are we all goin' for this grub fest?" Chandler looked at his little sister, and her boyfriend in the front seat as the occasionally exchanged lovingly glances, Cody kissing Maleena's hand once or twice when she gave his hand a squeeze. Chandler didn't think much of their silent comments that they shared with each other, but he did begin to realize just how comfortable they had gotten with each other. 

       "Rose and Lucas wanted to go to the pizza place." Maleena answered, pulling her phone when it vibrated in her back pocket. Seeing it was a text from Rose, she read it to herself before announcing out loud that the couple had arrived at the restaurant, and saved seats for Maleena and Cody.