Mansfield Ranch (The Jane Austen Diaries)

  “All right, all right,” Sean muttered as he brought me in for a hug. “I give. You win. I’ll leave you alone for now.”

  For now? “Thanks.” My voice was muffled by his coat.

  Sean’s hugs were the best. He always knew right when I needed one, too.

  I needed one.

  “So, are you ready to meet Princess Buttercup?”

  I pulled away. “Are you gonna move so I can?”

  “Nope.”

  “No?”

  Sean ducked his head and pulled a long scarf from his coat pocket. “Well, I was gonna make you wear this as a blindfold, but I guess since you already figured it out . . .” He stepped away from the door and pulled it open for me.

  I walked inside and quickly switched on the lights. Four stalls down, there was a large purple bow hanging on the handle. I could just make out Princess Buttercup’s shiny brown back and the top of her black mane.

  A few of the horses whinnied at our arrival, and Princess Buttercup stuck her head over the stall to see what the commotion was about.

  She was beautiful!

  “Oh, my gosh, Sean!” I gasped. “She’s even prettier than her pictures. Wow! Look at her star. I love her star!” I slowly walked up to the mare and rubbed at the white patch on her forehead. It looked like the perfect place for a unicorn horn—if she had one.

  Princess Buttercup snorted softly and nuzzled her nose into the crook of my arm. It was love at first sight.

  “Hello, pretty girl. You are the prettiest horse in the whole world. Do you know that?”

  The horse neighed in agreement and nuzzled me, looking for the carrot she could smell. I giggled. “You, missy, are a scamp. Yes, you are.” When I reached into my pocket to pull out the carrot, she nodded and nudged me again, pushing me back a step. I laughed. I could hear Sean chuckling too, but I didn’t look at him. “So, Buttercup. I hear you like carrots. Do you?”

  She snorted in agreement as I brought my palm forward with the carrot flat across the top. Instantly the carrot was gone. My fingers stroked the hair out of her eyes as she nudged and prodded me again.

  “I don’t have any more, you greedy thing.” I stood on my tiptoes and mock-whispered in her ear. “Sean has the other one. Promise. You’ll just have to beg it off him.” I heard Sean chuckle again as I smoothed her long, shiny nose. She was one of the sweetest, friendliest three-year-olds I’d ever known. I still couldn’t believe her owner was willing to get rid of her.

  “Here ya go,” Sean muttered as he brought over the promised carrot. His other hand trailed reassuringly down her cheek and neck. “Remember me? Yeah, the really nice guy. The one you couldn’t get enough of yesterday.” Princess Buttercup grunted her agreement and accepted the carrot without hesitation. Within two chomps, it was gone. She instantly began to reach and prod into his chest too. Sean chuckled. “Oh-oh! You are greedy, aren’t you?”

  “I can’t believe how perfect she is, Sean.” I shook my head and rubbed my palm down her neck. “Thank you so much! I just love her. Did you have any idea she’d be this gentle?”

  “No. She is a good girl, isn’t she?” He grinned. “Even the guys were impressed by how obedient and happy she was.”

  I smiled. I was a proud mom.

  “We had no problems at all loading her.” Sean lifted the latch, swinging the door open and stepping aside so I could go into the stall. “So, what do ya say? You up for a morning ride?”

  “Yes!”

  By the time I ran back from the house, where I’d changed into my jeans, Sean had Princess Buttercup saddled and ready to go. He was just tightening the leather strap to Midnight’s saddle when I approached.

  “Are you up for a race?” I teased, knowing full well his gelding could outpace Buttercup in a heartbeat.

  “Sure. You ready to tell me what you wished for?” His smug smile put me back in my place. “You do realize that when I win, you’re going to have to tell me.”

  “Whatever!” I threw back at him and pulled myself up into the saddle. “Are you so insecure that you’ve got to take something from me too? Isn’t winning enough?”

  “Whoa!” He grinned. “You know darn well that if you ever won anything, you’d so make me pay up with something good—admit it.”

  Dang! I would. “No, I wouldn’t. I’m nicer than you, remember?” Clutching the reins, I walked the mare around in a couple of circles, allowing her to get the feel of me.

  “Nice? I’ll believe it when I see it.”

  Midnight whinnied slightly and danced under him. I could tell the stallion was eager to show off for Princess Buttercup. Not that I blamed him—she sure was a beautiful horse.

  “Are you done yet?”

  “Yeah, I think so. She’s so graceful, isn’t she?”

  “So you ready to lose the race and share that wish with me?” He grinned his most charming smile right at me as I came up next to Midnight.

  No. Then all at once, something came over me. I wasn’t sure what—maybe it was the excitement of the new morning or maybe it was the glint in Sean’s eye, daring me to accept his challenge, but positive I wouldn’t. I don’t know what it was, but something struck me. Bring it on. “You’re so going down, cowboy.”

  ***

  “Come on, Lilly! We’re gonna be late for school. Move it!”

  I’m coming. I snatched my jacket off the bed and swung my backpack over my shoulder. As I skidded down the hall that led to the garage, I was careful not to drop the piece of toast I had clamped between my teeth.

  “There you are—finally!” Alexis announced, as if she’d been waiting thirty minutes instead of thirty seconds. Alexis was never patient.

  “Sorry,” I mumbled around my toast.

  “Eww, Lilly!” Lauren looked like she was gonna hurl. “Do you have to eat carbs so early? And like that, too?”

  I rolled my eyes and pushed past the reigning queens of Bloomfield High. Great. I would get stuck having to ride with them to school this week of all weeks. Without a word, I climbed into the backseat of their BMW and began to munch on my toast while I waited for them to get in.

  My Dodge had been giving me a lot of trouble lately, and Mr. Benally finally decided it was time to have it looked at. Sometimes I wished we lived closer to town so I could walk on days like this if I had to and not feel like the pitied, inferior sister who needed a ride.

  “You know, our mom is going to be really mad if you leave any crumbs in this car.” Lauren was still jealous that I was eating breakfast. The look she gave me as she snapped her seatbelt in place could’ve frozen a wolf.

  “Since I just cleaned it,” I retorted, “I’ll be sure to remember that.”

  Neither Lauren nor Alexis seemed to hear me. Instead, the radio blared as the car purred to life and Alexis pulled out of the Benallys’ six-car garage.

  The Benallys actually owned eight cars altogether, but my truck and Mr. Benally’s second commuter car usually spent their days under the carport around the side of the house. Not that I minded—I was usually in the stables most of my day anyway, so it was actually nice to be able to park so close to them.

  Just as I had begun to think the ride would be comment free, Alexis surprised me when she hissed, “And I don’t care what Sean says, Lilly. Harrison is hands-off—you got that?”

  You’ve gotta be kidding me. Sean is so dead. I managed to swallow the rest of my toast without choking. “What? What are you talking about?”

  Lauren laughed like I had just told the funniest joke ever. “Yeah, don’t even get us started, okay? We know all about it.”

  “All about what?”

  Alexis joined in, laughing just as loud. “Your stupid attempt to get Harrison to notice you. It’s so not going to work, okay? So you might as well bail out now.”

  What in the—? “What are you—?”

  “When Sean told us this morning that you were going to get Harrison to fall for you, we couldn’t stop laughing. I mean, it was that funny.”

  ??
?I can’t wait to tell,” Lauren cackled with glee. Like, serious—old witch cackle.

  Crap. My heart grew cold. “Tell who?” I couldn’t help asking, even though I was pretty sure of the answer.

  “Duh.” Alexis’s sharp gaze connected with mine in the rearview mirror. “Everyone.”

  Chapter 3: I Hate Sean Benally

  I hate Sean Benally. Urgh! Why does he insist on not listening to me? He’s seriously in so much denial that it’s not even funny. Only a stupid guy would think it’d be helpful to mention to the flippin’ popularity contest winners that I was going to take their next prize. Could he have thrown down a bigger gauntlet? Honestly. I’m already a freak to begin with—let’s just make sure the whole school knows now.

  Oh, my gosh. I should’ve ditched. I know it. I totally should’ve opened that stupid BMW’s door and flung myself out while I had the chance. I’d actually thought about it. I’d looked at the door handle and contemplated jumping while we were stopped at a red light. But I didn’t. Princess Buttercup kept me glued to the seat. I mean, I got grounded often enough as it was. I couldn’t even begin to imagine the trouble I’d be in if I actually ditched school. But it was tempting—very tempting.

  “Hey, Mrs. Crawford! Where’s your hubby, Harrison?”

  I ignored the taunt and the name everyone had been calling me since homeroom. Keeping my head down as I hustled toward my locker between my health and science classes turned out to be a massive mistake. Of course, I realized that after I’d slammed my forehead on the tuba case one of the band members carried on his shoulder.

  Oww! That thing was huge! All I could see was black before I flew backwards a couple of steps and collided with two guys from the soccer team. In their defense, they leaned down and tried to save me—they did. But when my heavy backpack knocked one of the guys in the jaw, he grabbed his chin and allowed me the courtesy of landing on the cold tile with a thunk. I felt my books leave bruise marks as they pressed into my spine.

  Everyone laughed.

  Until that moment, I had never thought about how hard it was to get up once you’re teetering on your own backpack. It was hard. After about five tries to flip myself over to my side, a guy offered to give me a hand up. I wouldn’t normally have taken it, but I was desperate.

  I clung to that grip as he pulled me to my feet and tried to drown out the jeers and catcalls all around us.

  “Are you all right?”

  I could barely hear the question. The blood pounded in my ears so loud, I only had one thought. Escape. “Yeah. Uh—thanks,” I mumbled a bit too late and too distractedly to be considered truly grateful. I still hadn’t looked the guy in the face. I didn’t want to. Instead, I spent a few moments adjusting my backpack and coat and searching the ground for anything that might’ve flown out.

  “Are you sure? You took quite a fall. Does anything hurt?”

  I was surprised he was still around. So surprised, in fact, that I glanced up. The guy who stood in front of me could’ve been considered the picture of perfection. He was so gorgeous, I was embarrassed to look at him. I glanced down again. One thing was for certain—I’d never seen him before in my life. Who is h—? Then it hit me. My eyes flew back to his at the same time the laughter and taunts became clear.

  “Check out the newlyweds!”

  Oh, my gosh!

  Harrison nodded his head in recognition as if he’d just heard the shout too. “So I take it you’re Lilly.”

  “Uh, yeah. You caught that, did ya?”

  “Kind’ve hard not to.”

  I attempted a smile. It didn’t work. I was so mortified. “Yeah.”

  Harrison looked at the group that surrounded us and then back at me. “Where’s your next class?”

  My next class? “Uh, it—it’s in the science building. W—why?”

  “Come on. You can show me where that building is, then.” He pulled out his school map and schedule.

  No wonder I haven’t seen him before—it’s his first day. “D—do you have science too?”

  “No, English.”

  “But—?”

  He grasped my elbow and maneuvered me through the crowd. “Look. I want to talk to you for a minute—and I don’t want to say anything in front of everyone else, okay?”

  He wants to talk? Ack! About what? “Uh—um, okay—but could we do it another time? I mean, the English building is the other way.”

  Harrison flung his schedule in front of me as we whizzed out the door and into the bright sunshine. “Yeah, but I’m new. I’m allowed to be late. We’ll go to your class—besides, it’s probably a good thing if I keep tabs on my stalkers.”

  Stalkers? This can’t be happening to me. “Uh …”

  “Is that it? Is that the building?” He pointed to a large one-story building that was about fifty feet from us.

  “Yeah.”

  “Good. We’re almost there.”

  He picked up his pace and I tried to match it without getting too close to him—which was hard, since he still held on to my arm.

  “Look.” Harrison kept his talk short and simple. “We don’t know each other, but I’m pretty good at reading people. I’m going to say this as nicely as possible under the circumstances, okay?” He didn’t wait for a response. “You’re not my type.”

  You think? What clued you in first? “Yeah, well—about that. You don’t need to—”

  “Worry?” He laughed. A wonderful, hearty, happy-guy laugh. “Of course not. I’ll have a girlfriend by the end of today, and she won’t be you.” Harrison paused as he opened the door to the science building. He stared right at me. “So I figure that’ll kill any lingering rumors flying around, don’t you?”

  Maybe in your world. My smile was tight, but at least I had one. “Thanks. That’s a relief to know.”

  “Good. I’m sure you can find your way from here. Thanks for pointing out the building.”

  “Uh, y—you’re welcome.” I walked past him into the hall, but Harrison still had hold of my elbow.

  “Oh, and one more thing. Do me a favor and keep your fantasies to yourself.”

  With that parting shot, he was gone. My arm was free, but it took a moment for me to comprehend that as I stood in the middle of the hall, students passing me.

  I hate Sean Benally.

  For about ten seconds, I would’ve given anything to know just what those rumors said. Anything. Then reality hit, and I realized that knowing would probably only hurt worse.

  By the time I slid into my seat, the bell had rung. That’s when it dawned on me that my science book was still in my locker waiting for me. The locker I never made it to.

  How could a day that started so good get so bad so quickly? I should never have raced Sean. Then he wouldn’t have won. And then he wouldn’t have learned my secret. Which meant that the whole school wouldn’t be laughing at my alleged attempt to get Harrison to notice me. That stupid wish was the last straw for Sean—I could see it the second I told him about it. My wanting to go on a date only made Sean think I needed Harrison. Ugh. I needed Harrison like I needed a hole in the head. Wait! Scratch that. I needed a hole in the head! That would solve a lot of problems right there.

  ***

  “So, how did school go?” Sean had the audacity to ask with a smile on his face.

  Wow. He’s braver than I thought. “Don’t even talk to me.” I glared as I moved past him to collect some oats for Buttercup’s stall. She was in the field, enjoying the sunshine with a couple of other horses.

  “Come on, you gotta give me details! I’ve been trippin’ ever since Mrs. Crawford said Harrison and Julia were going to school today. Did you meet him? Did you meet Harrison?”

  “You know, for a really smart guy, you ask some pretty dumb questions.” The last thing I wanted to do was stand there and talk about Harrison Crawford. “Why don’t you ask Lauren or Alexis?”

  “Ah-ha! So you did meet him! I knew you would.”

  “Fine. I met him. End of story.” I poured
the last of the scoop of oats into Princess Buttercup’s trough. Then I grabbed a rake and started to muck out the stall.

  “So? I told you that you’d like him, didn’t I?”

  “You do realize that it’s slightly disturbing to find you so interested in matchmaking, right? Seriously. Do me a favor and don’t quit your day job.”

  “I knew it! I knew it!” Sean crowed. “So, do you think he likes you?”

  I debated hitting him over the head with the rake. “Are you kidding me? No. Okay?”

  “No what? No, you don’t think he likes you? Because I’m sure that he—”

  “He doesn’t!” All at once I flipped out. “He hates me, okay? As in totally despises me—which, for your information, he was only too happy to inform me about on my way to science.” I jerked the rake through the dirty hay with strong, agitated strokes.

  “What? What are you talking about? Why would he—?”

  “Because, thanks to someone—” I stopped and looked pointedly at him “—who announced to his sisters that I was gonna—I don’t know, whatever it is you said—they thought it was important enough to tell the whole school!” In frustration, I threw the rake against the wall.

  “Wait. Are you saying Alexis and Lauren have something to do with—?”

  “With my new nickname, ‘Lilly Crawford’. Yeah. I am.”

  “Lilly Craw—?”

  “Too bad Harrison didn’t think it was as funny as the rest the school did, or I could’ve already been asked on a date, huh?” I whipped around and marched out of the stall. I decided to clean the mess up later. Right then, I wanted to be as far away from Sean as I could get.

  “Lilly, wait! What happened?”

  I burst out of the stable and looked around frantically for something to do. After I spotted some dirty buckets, I set to work cleaning them out with the garden hose nearby. Just leave me alone. Sean didn’t get the hint.