Farm Girl Loves Bad Boy (#2)

Prologue

Copyright © 2012 Lindsay Drummond

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

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I creep out the front door with my sheep dog King at my side. The noise had come from the barn that sits a hundred meters in front of me. It hadn’t woken Mom or Dad, so I was on my own. With my yellow flashlight clutched tight, I tip toe in my short black boots across the green grass.

The barn door creeks as I gently push it open, and shine my flashlight around. It only lands on mooing cows, and I sigh. Nothing was here. It must have been one of the cows hitting the barn walls. I go to turn around when I hear the rustling.

King runs towards the noise immediately, and I jog after him. He stops, and begins to bark at a pile of hay that was supposed to be scattered for the cow’s tomorrow morning. I shine my flashlight around the pile when a head of black hair pokes his head out and glares at me.

No, this time it isn’t Emery. I stumble back screaming, as his father jumps out of the hay. He holds a pistol pointed towards me, when all I have is a flashlight. Looking at it now in my hand, it’s no longer an object that emits light. Now it’s a shotgun; the family shotgun to be exact.

Without thinking, I aim it towards the man and pull the trigger. I take a calming breath as Mr. Hastings looks down at the gaping hole in his stomach. Emery would live, he is now safe. But as his father looks back up at me, it’s no longer him. It’s Emery.

We stare at each other, shocked. But his expression is one I will remember forever. It’s the same one he gave me when his father shot him. His hands cover the wound, and when he removes them, he stares down at the blood. Then, he collapses in a heap on the blood-covered floor.

Screaming, I run towards him, dropping the shotgun. I brush his hair out of his eyes and tell him how sorry I am. His blue eyes glare up at me angrily.

“I’ll never forgive you,” he snaps with his last breath. Then, he dies.

“Emery!” I scream in the silent house. I’m jerked straight up in bed, waiting for my eyes to adjust. My hand covers my heart as I slow down my breathing.

“Out here.” The cold voice drifts towards me from the open window. Slowly, I climb out of bed and head towards it. Sticking my head out, I see Emery, sitting cross-legged on the roof, smoking a cigarette. His hair hangs perfectly straight, and he doesn’t even look over to see me. He hasn’t slept at all tonight, I know that for sure. It’s been almost a month, and he rarely sleeps at night.

“Can you come sleep beside me?” I whisper self-consciously. He’s the only one who can stop the dreams, and without him, they haunt me every single night. I know he has them too, and that’s why he doesn’t sleep at night. In the day, he tosses and turns on his mattress at the foot of my bed. My parents know it’s too soon to make him sleep in the loft, right above where I murdered his father.

“No,” he snaps, and takes a long, slow drag. He blows the smoke carelessly out of his mouth and nose, looking like a bull.

“Please?” I beg, shaking uncontrollably. I grip the windowsill, trying to stop myself but I can’t. Sleeping would be impossible right now with memories and warped movies playing out under my closed eyes. “I need you,” I mumble, my voice growing quiet.

“I said no,” he shouts, turning towards me. His free hand is clenched in a fist and his face is twisted with rage. Without thinking, I start to climb up on the windowsill. If he won’t come in, then I will come out. “River!” He yells, glaring at me with hate in his eyes. I feel the threat of tears in my own at how he can be so careless after what we have just endured. “Leave me the fuck alone!”

I want to climb out anyways, and wrap my arms around him. I want to talk about what happened, and him to tell me things will be okay. However, I know that I’ll get thrown off the roof if I even try.

Everything has changed drastically since the hospital. I’m no longer the same person, but I’m closer to who I was then Emery is now. He hates me and I know it. I start to retreat from the window, blinking away tears.

“I love you, Emery Hastings,” I whisper before I leave. I know he hears me, but I get no reply.