Aspen's Stunt Page 9

  “Be our guest,” Aspen replied. “We do it all the time. All year round, even.” A slight accent crept into Aspen’s voice.

  “Make yourself at home, Wren. Any friend of Aspen’s is like family here. Can I help you with your bag?” Cole noted the top of the convertible down as he reached in for two large pieces of Luis Vuitton luggage. “Didn’t you girls get chilly?”

  “The cool air felt great, Dad. It also kept us awake.”

  “Well, the snow will be comin’ any day now, so you might as well get as much fresh air as you can.”

  “I’m surprised we don’t already have some snow.”

  “Seems later than usual. That’s for sure,” he hefted two bags up and over the side of the car.

  They carried the luggage in and set it in the living room. Wren inspected the décor. The inside felt considerably neat and homey. When she noticed the fireplace mantle full of pictures, she couldn’t resist walking over to them. She stopped to pick up a framed photo of a younger Aspen, sitting on her mother’s lap with her father standing proudly behind them. One of his hands rested on his wife’s shoulder and the other on Aspen’s. “Is this you?” She smiled at Aspen.

  “It sure is. I was six in that picture. That’s Mom and of course, that’s Dad.”

  “Your mom is beautiful. You look like her.” Wren returned the photo to its place.

  “Thank you.” Aspen blushed.

  “I can certainly see that you like dirt bikes.” Wren pointed to another group of photos of Aspen sporting riding gear, standing alongside her dirt bike. They were a mixture of poses and action shots, many with her holding medals.

  “Yeah, Dad took those. He’s pretty good with the camera.”

  “It’s not me, Aspen. You’re just so darn pretty,” Cole interrupted. “I have prepared the guest room for you, Wren. It’s upstairs.”

  “Come on. I’ll show you where it is.” Aspen grabbed two large pieces of Wren’s luggage, leaving the third smaller piece for Wren to carry.

  “I‘m not a wimp you know.”

  “I know. I just want to help.” The stairs squeaked as Aspen led the way up the cramped corridor and into the hallway. “Here it is.” She entered the first room on the left and plopped the luggage onto the twin-sized bed.

  “This is real nice.” Wren walked over next to Aspen and dropped her bag next to the others. “This is so sweet of you guys. Thank you.” She gave Aspen a lingering hug. Their cheeks felt anxiously close. They pulled away slowly.

  “I’d like to cook for Dad tonight. Will you help me?”

  “Of course. Gotta earn my keep, you know.”

  “You don’t need to earn anything. I’m just so happy you’re here.”

  “Me too.” There was a moment of silence before Wren broke it. “So, what time’s dinner?”

  “Usually around six-thirty. I’ll go tell Dad we’re making it tonight.” Aspen practically flew out of the room.

  ~~@

  “Taste this.” Wren held up a spoon of steaming gravy to Aspen’s mouth.

  “You want me to burn my tongue?”

  “No.” Wren blew on the spoon for a second and then reached it back toward Aspen’s mouth. “Just take a little nibble. You’ll be all right.”

  Aspen leaned in cautiously. She watched Wren’s lips open when she parted her own. She took a small bite. “Mm, that’s really good, Wren. Really, really good.”

  “Yeah, well now you know how to make it.” Wren placed the spoon back in the pot and stirred it some more. “You want to make sure the gravy thickens, but no lumps.” She stepped to the side and offered the handle to Aspen. “Let’s see if you can handle it.”

  Aspen leaned in to give Wren a quick but gentle jab in the rib with her elbow before taking the spoon. “Of course I can handle it.” She laughed. “You wanna help set the table while I finish up here?”

  “Sure, point me to where everything is and I’ll manage the rest.”

  “Silverware is next to the sink. Right side.”

  Wren collected three sets of utensils and arranged them on the table.

  “Plates and salad bowls are in the cabinet next to the fridge.” She smiled as she watched Wren take to her duties with grace and diligence. She absentmindedly stopped stirring as she watched Wren lean over the table to set the plates.

  “No lumps,” Wren ordered. It was as though she could see Aspen glancing at her from behind.

  “Yes, Ma’am.” She continued stirring at a quicker pace.

  Wren went to the fridge to collect the appropriate condiments. “Okay, that should do it.” She inspected the table.

  Aspen turned off the stove and set the gravy to the side. “Looks real nice, Wren.” There was a speck of gravy on her cheek.

  “Now how did that get there?” Wren cupped her hand around the side of Aspen’s face, using her thumb to wipe the gravy away. The playful mood suddenly changed.

  “Thanks.” She looked down as she took a step back. “I still have yet to learn how to tame these exotic foods.”

  Wren sucked the speck of gravy from her thumb. “Exotic, eh?”

  Aspen laughed. “All right. Maybe not exotic. That word just came to me out of the blue.”

  “That’s cool. Shall we call for your dad to join in on the exotic cuisine of chicken, gravy, potatoes, veggie-medley, and salad?”

  “I’ll go get him.”

  ~~@

  “You know what tomorrow night is, Aspen?” Cole sat down at the head of the table and placed his napkin neatly in his lap.

  Aspen rested a frosty beer can down by his plate. “No, what is it?”

  “It’s Christmas Valley’s Parade of Lights.”

  “It is? I didn’t miss it?”

  “What is the Parade of Lights?” Wren asked.

  “It’s so cool, Wren. The townspeople get together and decorate their cars in Christmas lights. Some people even dress up in sparkly clothes so the lights can reflect off them. They parade that way to the lodge. It’s breathtakingly festive.”

  “It sounds fantastic. I can’t wait to see it,” Wren said with genuine excitement.

  “I’ll take you, then.”

  They bowed their heads in prayer, as Cole thanked the Lord for their food, and for having Aspen and Wren there to share a few days with him.

  “Bon appetit,” Wren announced.

  “With pleasure.” Cole popped a large piece of gravy-swathed meat in his mouth. He chewed energetically. “That is some mighty fine chicken, I must say.”

  “I’d have to agree.” Aspen popped a second piece in her mouth.

  “Tomorrow morning I’ll cook you ladies up some eggs and bacon. Chickens have been producing pretty well the last few days. Seems they like the cold weather more than the rest of the animals.”

  “Ever eat eggs only minutes after delivery?” Aspen asked Wren.

  “Can’t say I have, but I’m looking forward to trying it.”

  “Good thing you’re not allergic to eggs, Wren,” Cole said. He snickered at Aspen.

  “Dad….” She looked at Cole before shifting in her seat.

  “What.” Wren studied their body language. “Care to share a story with me, Cole?”

  “Indeed I do.”

  “Dad…really?” She looked at Wren. “Really, Wren. You don’t want to hear this one.”

  “I’ll be the judge of that.” She looked at Cole. “Let’s hear it.”

  “Okay.” Cole wiped his mouth and set his napkin down, then leaned back in his seat.

  Aspen cupped her hands over her eyes. “I can’t believe you are going to tell her this story…and at the dinner table, of all places.”

  “Let him speak,” Wren said.

  “Last year—right around this time, even—one of Aspen’s secret admirers came to help us out on the farm.”

  “Secret admirer, huh?” Wren looked at Aspen, who continued to hide her eyes beneath her hands.

  “Yup. That boy Clark has always been smitten with Aspen, ever sense they we
re in grade school. He used to write her love notes and such. Isn’t that right, Aspen?”

  Aspen shook her head from side to side.

  “Well, Clark was helping us put up a new fence for the cows and I had him staying in the guest bedroom. Told him if I hear any squeaky doors or floors in the middle of the night, he’d be in trouble. I didn’t really think he’d misbehave, but a daddy still has to keep those young boys scared with such a beautiful daughter.”

  “I’m sure. Aspen is very beautiful.” She stole a quick glance her way. This time Aspen was peeking at Wren through her fingers.

  “Dang right about that. Aspen has quite a following around here.”

  I’ll bet she does.

  “That night we had breakfast for dinner. Made up some scrambled eggs on toast and after a long hard day, we all went to bed pretty early.”

  Wren listened to every word carefully. She loved how the creases next to his eyes sharpened every time he laughed. She could see where Aspen inherited her gentle smile.

  “To give the boy credit, I never heard a peep from him. However, the next mornin’ there was a horrible smell down the hallway.”

  Aspen finally looked up when her hands hit the surface of the table, but didn’t make any eye contact with Wren. Her gaze remained fixated on the salt and pepper in the middle of the table.

  Cole laughed. “That boy got so sick off them eggs, he had been throwing ‘em up all night.” Cole hammered the table with the side of his fist as he tried to control his laugh. “He was too afraid to leave the room to use the bathroom; he caught all that vomit in his favorite cowboy hat.” Cole wiped a tear from his eye.

  Wren couldn’t help but add to the boisterous laughter. She didn’t know which was funnier, Clark being too scared to leave the room, or Aspen’s utter embarrassment from her father’s candid story. “Did you help Clark clean up, Aspen?”

  “I gave him clean-up supplies, but the smell was too intense…there was no way I could have helped.”

  Cole looked at Wren, attempting to stifle his chuckles while feigning a slight sense of concern. “That room was well disinfected, Wren. Really.”

  “Oh, I know that.” She giggled. “So Aspen, you still keep in touch with Clark?”

  “That boy embarrassed himself too much. He hasn’t been back here since,” Cole cut in. “Now she has to try and figure out a way to let Trigg down easy.” He looked at Aspen. “Unless, of course, you decide he’s a better fit for you. That boy worships the ground you walk on.”

  “Dad!” Aspen dropped her fork to the side of her plate and sat back, staring at him.

  “Trigg, huh?” Wren looked at Aspen.

  “Yeah!” Cole cut in again. “Aspen kissed him at the Christmas Valley’s, Parade of Lights, last year.”

  “Oh, really?”

  “Dad…I did not. He kissed me. I tried to move away, but he was so dang quick and persistent.”

  “That boy loves you, Aspen. He’s been asking about you every time I see him, you know.”

  “You didn’t tell him I was in town, did you?”

  “Of course I did. Trigg’s a good boy. He’d treat you right. He’s got a good job and the girls around here think he’s quite a looker.”

  “Dad, I really wish you wouldn’t have told him I was coming to town. It was already hard enough telling him I was going to be going away for a while.”

  Wren bit her lip. “Do you like him, Aspen?”

  “Heck no! I mean. He’s a friend, but I don’t like him, like him.”

  “There’s a lot of girls who would be more than happy to take him off your hands, Aspen…but you’ve got the boy’s heart.”

  “Well, I don’t mean to.”

  Wren shook the ice in her glass. “I’m sure kissing him gave him that friend vibe.”

  Aspen scowled. “I didn’t kiss him. He grabbed me before I knew what his intentions were going to be. I even got mad at him for it.”

  Wren raised an eyebrow.

  “Seriously, he was lucky I didn’t clock him one.”

  Wren covered her mouth to stifle a giggle.

  “What?”

  “Now that is something I would have paid money to see.”

  Aspen tilted her head and smirked. “I’m not the violent type, but I don’t like to be grabbed. Trigg’s a grabber. And Dad,” she shot him a look of exasperation, “instead of urging him on like you do, I would prefer you scare him off like you did Clark. Isn’t that what dads are supposed to do anyway?”

  “Well, I don’t know. Trigg’s a good boy,” he teased.

  “I’m not interested in settling down any time soon, and when I am, I highly doubt it will be with Trigg.”

  Cole sat back in his chair. “Fair enough. I just wanted you to know that I think the boy’s all right.”

  “I know, Dad. He is all right. Just not my type of all right.”

  An awkward silence stifled the conversation as everyone focused on their meals. Aspen looked at Wren and made a circle around her stomach with the palm of her hand.

  Wren winked at her.

  “That was excellent, girls. Thank you so much for fixing dinner.”

  “Glad you enjoyed it, Dad. Wren is an awesome cook, isn’t she?”

  “You can say that again.” Cole wiped up the last bit of gravy with a piece of bread and popped it into his mouth. “Mm, good to the last drop. Who taught you how to cook, Wren?”

  “My Aunt. She raised me and my older brother. My mom traveled a lot.”

  “Well your aunt sure knew what she was doin’.”

  “You have a brother?” Aspen realized she never asked Wren about her family.

  “Yup. His name is Gabe. He’s a firefighter in Colorado.”

  “That’s very noble of him.” Cole interjected.

  “Do you get to see him much?” Aspen placed her napkin beside her plate and leaned into the table.

  “Not as often as I would like, but we do manage to schedule at least one vacation a year with his family. I’ve got two sweet little nieces. They are a lot like what I would have thought you to be like as a child, Aspen.”

  Aspen gave Wren a pleased smile.

  “They like anything adventurous...from skiing in the Swiss Alps, to visiting Disney World and getting their Aunt Wren to go on as many big rides with them as they can.”

  “You go with them?”

  “Of course. Although, Disney World can be tricky. I am much easier to recognize in a baseball cap and glasses than dressed in a snowsuit with a hat, scarf, gloves and goggles.”

  “Skiing sounds like fun,” Aspen commented. “I always wanted to fly off a ski jump.”

  “Why am I not surprised?” Wren teased.

  “So your aunt raised you?”

  “Yup, my dad’s sister. Didn’t see my dad much after he and my mom divorced. He couldn’t get over her so he left town. We’d get a letter from him every-so-often, but that’s about it. The letters were sent from all over the US. I think he traveled around with a rock group or something…setting up and striking the sets while on tour. Pretty much off the grid. That’s really all I know about him.”

  “What about your mom?”

  “Mom’s a workaholic. She would try to make it home for holidays, but work kept her on the road most of the time. She called us at least once a week, though. My brother and I made up stories like she was some sort of undercover secret agent. We thought the classification was cool. She’s really some sort of corporate trainer. Not sure what all that entails, but she’s certainly good at it.”

  “Well, your parents must be very proud of you, Wren,” Cole spoke up. “You have turned into a fine young lady.

  “Thank you, Cole.”

  “Well, Ladies. It’s gettin’ late for me and I’ve gotta get up early. I’ll take care of the clean-up since you did the cooking. You guys go enjoy yourselves. Aspen, you gonna take Wren to Fort Rock to listen to the coyotes?” He looked at his watch. “Still early enough for your girls to get there and spend a little tim
e. Especially if you take the direct approach.” He winked at her. “I’m sure those Coyotes miss singing to you.”

  “Coyotes?” Wren’s forehead wrinkled.

  “It’s okay, Wren. We’ll be safe. Get some warm clothes on and we’ll take the buggy. We can be there before nine if we leave in the next few minutes.”

  ~~@

  Aspen climbed in behind the steering wheel of the buggy and patted the passenger’s seat next to her. “Getting in?”

  Wren steadied herself against the roll bar and slid in to the seat. “This is cool!”

  “Yeah…it’s actually a modified golf cart turned dune buggy. Dad is real good with scrap pieces of metal and a welder in hand. He threw it together after one of my bad accidents. I had to promise the doctor I would take it easy on my broken ankle until it healed. Couldn’t ride two wheels for weeks, so this here got me to and fro.” She handed Wren a helmet.

  “You broke your ankle?”

  “Yup, a few times. That last time was my left ankle.”

  “Let me guess. Motocross?”

  Aspen nodded. “Wow, are you psychic?” She joked. She popped her helmet on and waited for Wren to finish securing her own.

  “Did the break hurt?” Wren continued fumbling with the chinstrap. It wasn’t like the clasp on the one she used on set.

  Aspen leaned in to help secure it. “Didn’t hurt too bad. It happened when I was racing and another bike kicked up a huge rock that flew at me. Hit me right here.” She pointed to her left ankle, but Wren couldn’t see too well in the dark. “Thought my boots would have protected me, but I was wrong. When I finished the race and tried to stand on it…dang! I could barely put any pressure on the thing. There.” She checked the buckle to make sure it was clipped. “You gonna be warm enough?”

  “Let’s find out.”

  Aspen started the engine. After two quick revs, she popped the clutch into first and they sped into the star-filled night.

  Wren watched the well-lit area in front of them, expecting at any moment, something to jump out from the darkness and make her jump. The dune buggy had a row of lights mounted on the roll bar to help illuminate the way. Every-so-often she would look at Aspen’s gloved hand that grasped the stick shift so effortlessly. Driving the mini all-terrain vehicle was like an extension of herself.