Sweet Iced Tea

Chapter 39

Monday, November 3rd

A loud, congested, cough brings me out of my nap. I blink rapidly to bring my eyes into focus, and eventually they do, squaring in on the apologetic expression of Josh.

"Sorry." he mouths, but I just stare at him groggily.

"Go back to sleep if you want to." he says.

"Sure." I roll over so that my face is pressed into the back of the couch. "If it were only that easy."

I know that I couldn't go back to sleep if I tried, which I won't, but I continue to lay lazily on the couch, not letting on that I am perfectly conscious.

Mr Hart is around, probably out breaking colts, which is his recently acquired job, although I strongly suspect that he's out there all the time because he can't stand being reminded that he can't do anything for his son.

I can hardly handle it myself, but I must. I must handle it.

"Leah? Are you awake?" Josh whispers, after turning the TV volume down a few notches or so.

"Not in the slightest." I mumble sarcastically.

"Ah, the queen of sarcasm shows her anal face once again." he chortles, turning the television off completely.

I roll over. "You haven't seem my face until just now, and it's not anal, as I'll have you know. Just ridiculously good-looking. And-"

"And ornery."

"And intelligent." I correct, propping my chin in my hands, "And what if I was ornery?"

"Nothing. Just saying."

There's a rather long silence before either of us speak, and Josh speaks first.

"So, what are you doing for school right now? You've almost missed quite a bit."

"I haven't done any work. In fact, I didn't even call the principal back when she tried to get a hold of me."

"No?"

I shake my head. "Nope." I say, popping the 'p'.

He steps up from his recliner, or should I say, his dad's recliner, and stretches his legs, one at a time. "I want to go riding."

"You can't." I deadpan, burying my nose in a throw pillow, only to recoil, because it smells like farts.

"Why not?"

I sit up, kicking the reeking pillow away with the toe of my boot. "Because. You're not in any shape to go riding."

He gives me a slightly irritated scowl. "What about tomorrow? Next week? Next month? It's only getting worse. Today is the strongest day for the rest of my life."

I stand up, looking into his face, and trying with all of my strength not to lose it. "But that's just it. Next week might not happen if you get thrown or something. Dr Adams said that if you have another heart attack, it will finish you. Do you want to leave me? Do you want to die?" I grab his shoulders and grip them tightly.

He shrugs my hands off. "No! I just want to do what I love! It's in my blood, dandelion, and it's killing me not to have a horse between my knees!"

"Then let's go out to the barn! You can talk to them, smell them, touch them, listen to them, geez, do anything! But I'm not letting you ride!" I shout, my blood beginning to boil.

"You're not my boss!" he exclaims, stepping back angrily, away from me. I can almost see the smile coming out of his nose.

I grit my teeth. "Maybe not, but I want you to stay alive!"

He settles his black, wool-felt, Stetson onto his head, and with a nod to me, goes out.

It takes me a second or five to realize what he's doing. "Joshua Gene Hart!"

I storm out the door behind him, just in time to see him fall to the ground.

"No!!! You idiot!!!" I pull his head into my lap, and smack him several times, until he blinks, the warm brown of his eyes showing vividly against his pale skin.

"I just want to ride." he whimpers, as his hat falls to the ground, releasing his silky locks to tickle the bare skin of my forearm.

"You're such an idiot." I sob, slapping his cheek again, just for good measure.

A wisp of a grin touches his mouth fleetingly. "Your idiot."

"My idiot." I whisper, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Always and forever, my idiot."

He breathes a low chuckle. "I got a little dizzy. Too much yelling."

"You're so stupid." I brush a kiss into his hair. He smells good. Like a freshly washed boy. Imagine that.

He sighs, and sits up, slapping that black Stetson against his pant leg. "I know."

With a final kiss to his cold cheek, I help him to his unsteady feet, and guide him back to the house.