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  “What the hell are you doing?” I screamed at him.

  “I don’t like him touching you.”

  “Charlie’s my friend and you have no right to hit him.” I then turned to Charlie.

  “Are you okay?”

  “It’s hard to breathe.” Charlie was gasping.

  “Oh my god. Grandma!” I yelled to her. She was already running out the door. She had heard all the commotion.

  “Charlie can’t breathe. Can you go get his mom?” I asked her.

  I had never seen my grandma move so fast. She was running toward Charlie’s house. A couple of minutes later, Charlie’s mom and my grandma were running toward us. She said she had already called an ambulance.

  An hour later, we were all sitting in the hospital waiting room, even Jackson. He knew I was mad at him, but he was there anyway. Mad or not, I kind of admired the courage it took to face all of us like that. Once I explained to him that Charlie and I were just friends, had been friends since we were little kids, he started apologizing all over the place.

  “You need to apologize to Charlie,” I told him. I was still furious.

  “I will. I promise.”

  “Why are you here anyway?” I demanded, shooting him an evil look.

  “Adam sent me to come get you. He knew this was where you were.”

  “I thought you went back to school?” I asked him.

  “I did. But, I didn’t mind leaving for a couple of days to come out here to get you.”

  “Well, I really don’t think I’m going back,” I said bluntly.

  “Madison, you know you have to go back,” Grandma interrupted.

  “I don’t want to, Grandma.” I think I started whining. “Besides, Grandpa’s funeral is tomorrow.”

  “Adam told me that you can stay for the funeral, but you have to come home with me after that.”

  “We’ll see,” I said.

  I had no intention of going back. They would have to drag me from my grandmother’s house kicking and screaming, literally. I wasn’t going and there was nothing they could do about it.

  Just then the police walked into the waiting room. “Oh no,” I think I said out loud. They took Jackson outside to talk to him. When he returned, he said that they were going to investigate the matter and he wasn’t allowed to leave town for a couple of days.

  A few minutes later the doctor came out. He told us that Charlie had some bruised ribs and some cuts and other bruises, but was otherwise fine. He could go home. His mother drove him home and I rode home with my grandma. Jackson followed us. The first thing he did when we got home was to go over to Charlie’s house and apologize to him and his mother. He even offered to pay all of the medical bills. I have no idea why, but they forgave him. Charlie’s mom talked to the police and they dropped the assault charges. Jackson seemed to have a way with people. They just tended to like him. I’ll bet with that pretty face of his he has gotten away with a lot of things in his life.

  The next day was the funeral. Charlie was in too much pain to attend. I understood. Jackson came with us. I was still mad at him, but I didn’t want to cause a fuss on that day. It was nice, as far as funerals go. I did not walk up to the open casket. I just didn’t want to remember my grandpa like that. I wanted to remember him alive and happy. A lot of people we knew got up and said a lot of nice things about my grandpa. He had been well respected and really liked.

  I noticed that a lot of people were looking at me. I assumed it was because of the whole kidnapping thing. I guessed that they didn’t expect me to be there. A few people talked to me, but all the conversations were about my grandpa. Not a single person asked me about my current circumstances. They probably didn’t know what to say.

  Even Sam Perez was there. That really surprised me, especially since my grandparents were still considered suspects in my kidnapping. Sam had told me, confidentially, that he didn’t believe it, which is probably why he came. We talked a little, but not about Abbey at all. I appreciated that he came. Grandma didn’t even seem to notice that he was there.

  Afterward, we all went back to my grandma’s house and ate a bunch of food that the neighbors brought over. Quite a few people from the funeral came by. Some stayed hours, some only a few minutes. But, it was nice that they made the effort. Most stayed away from me and talked to my grandma mostly. I didn’t speak to Jackson at all, even though he stayed at the house all afternoon. I was still furious with him for what he did to Charlie.

  That evening, after everyone had gone home, I found Jackson sitting on the front porch swing.

  “Why are you still here?” I asked him. It sounded more like a statement than a question.

  “I just want to make sure you’re all right.”

  “Are you sure you’re not here to babysit me?”

  “No. I don’t think you’ll go anywhere else. I know this is where you want to be.” He was sincere. I could tell.

  “Well that’s true.”

  We sat in that front porch swing and talked for hours. I told him about my friendship with Charlie, and that he was gay. Jackson felt even worse then. He admitted that he was jealous and had no right to hurt Charlie. He told me all about growing up in the mansion and how he felt neglected, because they were always looking for me. He had told me that once before by the river, but I didn’t really listen to him. I had just wanted to get out of there then. But I listened this time.

  I was still really angry with him, but decided to try and let it go. What he did to Charlie was wrong and he knew it. He apologized and Charlie accepted. So, that was that. No reason to linger on about it. Besides, I started to see Jackson in a new light. He actually was a nice guy. I don’t think he was trying to be charming, like I’ve seen him do many times. I think he was just being honest. I liked that.

  It started getting late and Grandma offered Jackson the couch for the night. He accepted. The next morning I knew there was no way to get out of it, so I decided not to fight it and would go back to the ranch with Jackson. So much for them dragging me away kicking and screaming. I said good-bye to my grandma and to Charlie. I was a blubbering idiot by the time we left.

  Chapter 16

  Jackson and I really didn’t speak much on the way back home. He knew I was upset and I think he was just giving me my space. When we arrived home, the first thing I did was give Adam his money back. He was surprised, because he hadn’t even noticed it was missing.

  “What is this for?” he asked me.

  “I borrowed it from your desk drawer.”

  He thought for a moment, like he didn’t remember there even being money in there. “Oh, I didn’t even know it was missing. Thank you for returning it.” He sounded a bit accusatory.

  “I intended to pay you back. I’m not a thief.”

  “Madison, I didn’t say you were. Why do we always have to be at odds with each other?” He really did sound like he wanted to know the answer to that one.

  “I don’t know. Sorry,” was all I could say. I felt bad for snapping at him.

  “I’m sorry about Leland. I know you cared about him.” He seemed like he was really trying to be nice. He didn’t even call him my kidnapper that time.

  Why did I always think the worst of people? I never gave anyone a chance. Seems like I expected them to hate me, so I would jump at them first. That was something I needed to work on. I don’t think I was really like that when I lived with my grandparents. I had just been on edge ever since I first arrived at the estate. It was all so new to me and I had been taken abruptly from my only home. I think that could put anyone in a defensive mood.

  The next morning was Saturday and I got up early to go ride Jett. I had been neglecting him and it was time we got re-acquainted. When I reached the stables, Jackson was just finishing up putting the saddle on my horse. He smiled as I walked up.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked him. I was surprised to see him so early in the morning.

  “I thought we’d go riding together today. I was just about
to go into the house and find you. Is that okay with you?” he asked me. I glanced over and saw that his horse was already saddled up and ready to go.

  “I guess.” I thought it would be nice to ride with someone else for a change. I was always alone. “But, how did you know I was going riding this morning?”

  “I just figured,” he replied with a smile.

  We rode for a while, just talking about nothing really, and ended up near the river. We decided to take a break and sit by the river for a bit. It was such a gorgeous day and we enjoyed sitting in the warm sunshine on the bank. We sat there for a while just watching the water meander by. Occasionally we would see a fish jump. It was fun to watch.

  “I’ve decided not to go back to school. Not right now anyway,” he told me.

  I didn’t expect that. “What? I thought you liked school? What about becoming a doctor?”.

  “School’s okay. I’m not sure being a doctor is what I want to do with my life. Being a doctor is Sarah’s thing. I think I just wanted to make her happy. Now I just want to take a break and figure it all out. I’ll probably go back next year, once I know what I really want to do.”

  “So, what are you going to do instead? Until you go back to school, I mean?” I asked him.

  “I’m going to work here, breeding, training and selling the horses. Whatever needs to be done.”

  “Do you know how?” I hoped it wasn’t a dumb question. I just had no idea if he knew any of that stuff.

  “Pretty much. I’ve hung around the stables my whole life. I picked up a few things,” he smiled.

  “I see.” I secretly liked that he would be around. I was getting kind of fond of the guy. “Does Adam know?”

  “Yes I told him. He actually seemed happy about it. Maybe just to have someone that is interested in the business. I don’t think Sarah ever was,” he explained.

  “I kind of noticed that. She just stares blankly whenever he starts talking about anything going on with the horses. She kind of goes into a trance.” We both laughed. It was so true.

  After that, we spent a lot of time together. Jackson would work with Adam in the morning and early afternoon, while I was working with the tutor. Then he and I would ride horses or go for a walk. Sometimes we would go into town and get lunch. He actually was a pretty cool guy once you got to know him. I wish that I hadn’t wasted so much time being nasty to him.

  One day I asked him about Annabelle. She had told me to stay away from him, so there must have been something going on between them at some point. Though I didn’t know if it was real or imagined. I realized I was being nosey, but didn’t care. I wanted the scoop.

  “So,” I started, “did you and Annabelle have a thing at some point? She seems to think you did,” I asked meekly. I really didn’t want to be too pushy about it. I did realize that I had no right to ask.

  He hesitated for a moment. So, I jumped in before he could speak.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. It’s really none of my business. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to,” I told him.

  “No, it’s okay. I want to tell you. We’re friends and you should know.” He took a deep breath, like he was contemplating what he would say next.

  “Yeah, Annabelle and I had a thing for a short while. It was pretty casual and didn’t last long. Just a few weeks really. She was starting to get clingy and I didn’t like that. She would act weird whenever any of my friends came over, especially the girls. They were all just friends, but she didn’t see it that way. She even threatened my friend, Sandra. Told her to stay away from me, or else.”

  “Or else, what?” I asked, clearly shocked that anyone would act like that. I had so much to learn about people.

  “Annabelle never said. It didn’t matter anyway, because Sandra was really scared and never spoke to me after that. So, I guess Annabelle got her way.”

  “Yeah, I think you’re the reason she shoved me into the cake.”

  “Yeah, I kind of figured that.” He looked down at his feet. I knew he was embarrassed. “I’m so sorry that happened to you, and it was my fault. I feel responsible.”

  “It’s not your fault. Really it’s not. She is the crazy one. She’s the one that called off the caterers and shoved me into the cake, not you. She is responsible for her own actions.” I really did try to make him feel better. I never blamed him. I blamed Annabelle.

  “So, are you the one that broke it off?” I asked him.

  “Yes, and she didn’t take it very well. She flipped out and started hitting me, actually gave me a black eye. Luckily for her, Adam or Sarah didn’t see what happened or she wouldn’t be working there anymore. I gave them some lame story about running into a door or something. I don’t know why I did that. It would serve her right to be fired. She’s nuts.”

  “Oh my god. I can’t believe she did that. Well, actually I can believe it, after what she did to me.” I still was a little surprised.

  “I know. I’ve been trying to avoid her ever since. But, sometimes it’s hard to do. Even in that big house,” he said.

  “Yeah, I know what you mean. Sometimes I catch her watching me. It’s creepy,” I told him.

  “Keep your distance. I don’t trust her. She could hurt you,” Jackson said.

  “I will.”

  Chapter 17

  The holidays flew by. We celebrated them all at the house with lots of friends, and even some relatives I didn’t know existed showed up. It really was a lot of fun. I used Jackson’s phone to keep in contact with my grandma and Charlie. Adam and Sarah never knew. Jackson and I were becoming good friends. I even started crushing on him a little. I didn’t let him know that though. It was weird because we were cousins. I don’t think cousins are supposed to like each other like that. So, I kept my feelings to myself. It was the right thing to do.

  One January day the weather was really nice. There was plenty of snow on the ground and it was crisp out, but the sun was shining. So Jackson and I decided to go for a ride while we had the chance. We didn’t get a lot of nice winter days this far north. We rode for several miles, even passing some old shacks and barns, that I didn’t know existed on our property and others. We passed several farms and farm houses and saw a few people out tending to their cattle and horses. They waved as we rode by. People were really nice out here, I realized. We rode a lot farther than we normally did. We spent the time chatting about Adam and Sarah and Annabelle. We even talked about what we each wanted to do when we ‘grew up’. Jackson was 18, technically an adult, but still so young.

  We were having such a nice ride, when it started snowing. Soft and fluffy at first, really beautiful. I was mesmerized. I just rode and watched it dancing beautifully in the air all around us. Then it started coming down harder and harder and was no longer fun. I couldn’t believe how fast the weather turned bad. The wind started coming at us fast and the clouds came with it. Within minutes it was blizzard like. It was icy. I was soaking wet and freezing. It just came out of nowhere. One minute it was crisp and clear, and the next minute we were turning into icicles. Jackson said my lips were turning blue. I only had on a light jacket and gloves. We were not expecting the storm at all, and we were miles from home. We knew we were in trouble and needed shelter, fast.

  “Let’s see if we can get in one of those shacks we saw about half a mile back,” he yelled over the storm. I could barely hear him. I nodded.

  We turned and headed back the way we had come, Jackson was leading. I had never seen weather turn so fast. About ten minutes later Jackson pointed to an old abandoned house off the road. I nodded and we headed toward it as fast as we could. It even had a broken down barn next to it that we put the horses in. It wasn’t great, but provided enough shelter for them. We struggled against the wind and snow as we walked toward the house, Jackson’s protective arms were around me.

  We got into the house without any problem. It wasn’t locked. It didn’t look like anyone had been in there for years. The windows were intact, so no drafts. Whoever had li
ved there left a little furniture, nothing worth anything, and moved on. There was an old couch, a table with a couple of rickety looking chairs, and a broken dresser. That was about it. With no heat at all, it was absolutely freezing inside, almost as bad as outside. We could see our breaths as we talked. At least we were out of the storm, I thought.

  While Jackson went back out to the barn to see if he could find something to use as firewood, I looked around for anything in the house we could burn. I broke up pieces of the dresser. Wood was wood. It would burn. Jackson returned with some straw and some wood he found in the barn and started working on a fire. Luckily we found some dusty matches on the hearth.

  As he was building the fire, I found a blanket in one of the closets. It was dusty, but it would work. It was something to wrap around us. I shook it out as best I could. When I returned to the living room, the fire was just getting nice and hot. We stood there in front of the fire for a few minutes trying to thaw out.

  “Take off your clothes,” Jackson bluntly told me.

  “Excuse me?” I replied. He started laughing.

  “You’re all wet from the blizzard. You need to get out of those clothes so you can dry off and warm up. You can wrap the blanket around you.”

  “Oh,” I replied, a little embarrassed. “What about you?”

  “I’m fine. I’ll just take off my shirt and shoes and stand in front of the fire. Besides, there’s only one blanket,” he said.

  “Okay, turn around,” I told him. He complied.

  When I finished undressing, I wrapped the blanket around me and turned back toward Jackson. He had already taken off his shirt and shoes. Damn, he’s hot, I thought. I tried not to stare. Oh crap, he’s your cousin, you can’t be thinking those thoughts. Stop it now. I was having a fight inside my own head. Good thing no one could hear them.

  I handed him my clothes, which he hung up over the fire. We both sat down on the rug in front of the fireplace and tried to stay warm. It was heating up very nicely and we talked for a while. The storm showed no signs of letting up.