Wake Me

Chapter Four

Dani longingly stared up at the nearly naked cottonwood trees, reliving the memories she was sharing with her mom. "Can you believe it? Lars, of all people, was standing on my fishing dock." She sighed, "I wondered if he knew the last day of school that he'd see me over summer break. Maybe that's what he wanted to tell me when he handed me the lost library book."

Dani adjusted herself, feeling her right leg had fallen asleep. "Once I got back from fishing, I hurriedly prepared the fish to marinate, picked a small head of cabbage and a few carrots for coleslaw from the garden for supper. Curiously, I kept an eye out for Lars because I wanted to see how he'd handle Isabel in a full sprint back to the barn. What a sight that would've been! But, to my disappointment, I didn't see Lars again before supper, so I assumed he must've made it back and left for the day without incident.

"As I was preparing dinner, I still couldn't get over the massive changes Lars had gone through. I didn't realize at the time that his shoulder length, dirty blonde hair was no longer visible under his hat. Maybe he had it tied up in a man bun or ponytail. I honestly couldn't recall, or I didn't care enough to notice. All I knew was if his ex, Marcia, could've seen him like I did on the dock, she probably would've spewed chunks everywhere from disgust. He definitely had lost his surfer-boy image that had set him apart from every other guy at school." Dani, giggled.

"A few times, I caught myself reaching for the phone to call Jules. The devil on my shoulder wanted to brag to her, that her boy-toy was a hired hand for my dad. But, I decided I wouldn't tease Jules by bragging about seeing Lars everyday for the summer. Knowing her, should would've moved in, bringing nothing but her skimpy bikini's to wear, even though we don't have a pool. I figured I was saving her from destroying her teenage years or worse—disappointment that Lars was just another poop-wrangling, rope-toting, wanna-be cowboy.

"But, as petty as those thoughts were, I was seriously concerned. Dad had never hired just anyone to work for him. He'd always put value and quality above friendship or favors. I mean, I can understand why. His ranch is his life; always has been and it's where he'll probably die. So, why did he hire Lars? The question was burning my mind with curiosity because knowing dad, he had to have a great reason..."

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David was the first one inside for dinner; always calm and quiet. He began washing a few of my prep dishes when our eyes met, "How was your day, Dani?" He asked with a lopsided grin.

His question refreshed my memory of watching Lars look down at my visible bra through my wet T-shirt. "Um, usual, I suppose. Yours?" I asked, hoping he hadn't noticed my face blush.

He bobbed his head and shrugged his shoulders, "Like riding a bike, I suppose. Just came back to me even though I'd dreamt all year that my horse kept bucking me off."

"I wonder what those kind of dreams really mean?" I softly muttered to myself, flipping the fish over in the frying pan.

"Daryl said they ran into you at the reservoir. I was hoping we were having fish tonight." David said, staring out the kitchen window.

"Yep."

Please, don't say anything about Lars!

He finished washing the last dish and placed it in the dish drainer. "So, Dani, did you hear that dad hired Gunner this summer."

"Gunner—Pratchett?" I asked, nearly choking on my spit. He nodded slowly, watching me pull the last few strips of fried catfish from the pan. I pursed my lips, "Nope. I didn't know that."

My one and only; Gunner Pratchett. His story is basically that he's been Pete's best friend since preschool and they're both six years older than me. Gunner has been around every summer since I can remember. His father used to own a ranch ten miles east of Whitefish before he died in a horrific tractor accident. His momma, Pearlene, drank herself to death a few years later after loosing the ranch, following her husband's death. So, Gunner lived with his uncle on his ranch north of Hot Springs, Montana during the school year, then stayed with us each summer since he was seven years old. Gunner eventually won a full college scholarship to Wyoming University for his calf roping and bull riding skills, and that's where he's been these last four years. The thing about Gunner is he isn't afraid of anything, but most importantly, he's driven and knows what he wants—and he usually gets whatever that is.