My Rowdy Cowboy. (3B Ranch Series) Book 2

17

**** Kaylee sat at her desk in the front row and tried hard to follow the lesson. She hadn't been feeling well for a couple hours but now, her head ached and her throat hurt so bad. She tried to swallow, wiped the sweat from her face and lay her head down.

Bang! A large text book was slammed onto her desk and the jolt sent a searing pain through her head. Startled, she looked up into the furious face of her homeroom teacher, Mr. Smidgen.

"Miss Blanton, this is the third time you've fallen asleep in my class today. That's lunch detention."

Kaylee croaked, "Mr. Smidgen, I don't feel good, I'm all cold and my throat hurts really bad. Can I call my dad?"

The dour man pointed his ruler in her face, narrowly missing her nose, "And for talking back you have an in school suspension tomorrow. Keep it up..."

Kyle stood and pushed himself between his sister and their teacher. Placing a hand on her forehead the teen winced.

"She's burning up, just feel her head." He turned to Mr. Smidgen, "Let me call my dad. She needs to..."

"Oh, I see. Call my dad, she needs. I have no intention of feeling her head," he sneered. "Perhaps you'd like to join your sister after class, Mr. Blanton?! Back to your seat!"

Seething, Kyle returned to his seat. 'Just you wait. You're gonna get owned, when my dad hears about this.'

Mr. Smidgen was a middle aged man, with a tall wirey frame, and wore thick, black rimmed glasses. He reminded Kyle of a scarecrow without the straw.

Kyle waited until Mr. Smidgen left the room to make copies of homework papers and snuck up to the teacher's desk. Once there, he painted the inside of Mr. Smidgen's glasses with black ink from his art kit, then sat back down and calmly waited for the man to return.

* * *

Kaylee wrapped her arms around her stomach as another chill ran through her. Tears filled her eyes as the pain in her head and throat increased.

"Daddy," she whispered.

Mr. Smidgen walked back into the room and slammed his hand on her desk. "Miss Blanton, that is it! I am sick of you and your whining. Go to the principal's office!" He snapped.

She stood, but swayed when a wave of dizziness overcame her, and fell back into her seat.

Mr. Smidgen's face turned red, "Are you refusing me?!" He grabbed his glasses from the desk and put them on with a sniff.

Kyle stood, "Sir, my sister's really sick. Please, let me take her to the nurse?"

Mr. Smidgen rounded on Kyle, "Stay out of this, Blanton. You may be a big shot on you father's ranch, but here I am the boss! Once you step through that door you're not in Kansas anymore, boy!"

Kyle grinned, "I guess that would make you the wizard, but you look more like a raccoon."

The other kids in the room snickered as the man yanked his glasses off and threw them on the desk. He had black ink over his brows, on his nose and under his eyes.

* * *

Rowdy stood in the middle of the training corral with Charity, explaining how to lunge her new pony when Bobbi came jogging out.

"Rowdy, it's the school!"

He pulled the gelding to a halt and turned to his wife, "What happened?"