Breaking Down Defenses (3rd in Breaking Series)

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

"Sally, are you in here?" Susie's voice came from down below the loft, a while later.

"No," Sally replied with a sigh and she rolled her eyes when she heard her sister climbing the ladder to the loft.

"Thomas is inside. You should come in and talk to him," Susie insisted softly as she sat down on the hay and adjusted her skirt.

"I already talked to him," Sally grumbled as she covered her eyes with her arm.

"No, you didn't. You punched him and he is going to have the bruise to prove it."

"He deserved it," Sally replied, unable to stop the smirk that formed on her lips.

Susie shook her head, "You should never hit another person, Sally. Besides, I thought you said that if he ever came back you were going to marry him one day... After you made him crawl for you first."

Sally sat up and glared at her sister, "He's not crawling yet,"

Susie shook her head, "He'd be a fool to go crawling after a woman that finally sees him again after five years and her only greeting is to punch him in the face."

"He broke my heart, Sue. He left me and never even looked back! He's probably been running wild and breaking a million more hearts," Sally mumbled as she threw a handful of hay down into the stall below and swung her legs over the edge of the loft.

"I don't think so," Susie countered. "He's a ranger," Sally's eyes widened and Susie added, "He's been a ranger most of the time that he's been gone."

Sally couldn't help but feel a little proud of him, "How long is he staying here?" she asked, trying to make her voice sound indifferent, but knowing that her twin sister would see right through her.

"A few days," Susie replied.

"So he's just going to leave me again?" There was an edge of anger to Sally's voice as she plopped her chin in her hand and stared down at the black stallion that Thomas had rode in on.

"Yes. But, maybe, if you give him something to miss, he won't stay gone so long this time," Susie urged, even as a blush covered her cheeks. Sally laughed, "And what would you know about giving a man something to miss?"

"I've seen the way Elizabeth and Ellie kiss Jacob and Brody whenever they have to leave. It brings those men running back to them just as soon as they get the chance."

"So you're saying I should throw him down and kiss him senseless?" Sally asked teasingly.

Susie blushed an even deeper red, "You still love him.. Don't even bother to deny it," Susie added when she saw the argument flashing in Sally's eyes, "I know you better than anyone and I know you still love him. You haven't given up on your dream of being with him. That's never gonna happen if you don't do something other than hit him."

Sally stuck her tongue out at her sister, "I'm not going to go chasing after his coat tails like some love sick girl!" Sally clicked her tongue, "Even though it looked like he'd filled out quite nicely under that coat." Sally laughed when Susie flushed again, "You're too innocent, Sue. You'll probably end up marrying some quiet, calm man who is just as shy as you are and the two of you will never end up in bed together because you'll both be blushing and stuttering too bad."

Susie shook her head and climbed back onto the ladder, "Don't be mean to me just because you're mad at Thomas or at yourself. He's inside. You should really talk to him because you never know what could happen. You've been saving yourself for the man all these years and he's finally here and here you are hiding like some coward in the barn loft."