The Boy and His Ribbon (The Ribbon Duet, #1)(62)

A man’s voice.

My heavy steps turned quick as I barrelled into the room only to find Della sprawled on her belly with her chin in her hands, watching a comedy on a brand new flat-screen TV.

“Where did that come from?” I plopped exhausted beside her on the end of the bed, laying my arm over her shoulders and playing, like I always did, with the blue ribbon trapped in her ponytail.

“Patty and John.” She shuffled closer, uncaring that her clean skin pressed against my hay-covered sweat.

“Wow.”

“I know.” She nodded importantly. “I made sure to say thank you.”

“I think they deserve multiple thank yous.”

“Cassie let me ride her horse today after school, too.” Her face split into the biggest grin. “I got a gold star in class, got to ride a pony, and we have a TV again! Best day ever!”

I kissed her head, inhaling the sweet milk and honey shampoo she favoured and ignored my skipping heart. “I’m going to get clean.”

“Okay.” She flashed me a smile then turned back to the TV. As her attention fixed on the ridiculous show, I dragged myself to the shower and stripped.

I stood under cold water, trying to wash away heatstroke and prickly grass while doing my best to inject energy into tired muscles because I wouldn’t be crawling into bed to fall asleep beside Della.

Not yet, anyway.

Della had ridden Cassie’s horse.

And that meant I owed someone a kiss.





CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE





REN



2006




I COULDN’T REMEMBER when I’d taken Della to the diner for our shared birthday lunch, but today was my only day off, and I wanted to spend time with her just the two of us.

The exact date didn’t matter because it wasn’t the right one anyway. All that mattered was marking the calendar of her turning six and me turning sixteen.

Instead of stealing a wallet to pay for a single lunch, I politely asked Patricia if I could pack a wicker basket of fresh ham sandwiches and some of her banana and raspberries muffins freshly baked and steaming on the windowsill, and head to one of the boundary paddocks where willow trees dragged long fronds on the ground.

Once there, I laid out a plaid blanket, served Della our birthday picnic, and when our fingers were sticky with muffin crumbs, I pulled out the only thing I could give her.

I had no cash as everything I made went to making her life easier. I had no income because I trusted the Wilsons to spend it better than I ever could.

All I had were my hands and snippets of time while Della slept softly beside me.

“That’s for me?”

I nodded. Guilt that it wasn’t something better and uncertainty that she might not like it rolled my shoulders. “It’s not much but—”

“It’s awesome.”

“You haven’t even opened it yet.”

“Right.” She smirked, stroking the orange striped dishtowel and baling twine I’d used to wrap it. “Can I open it?”

“It’s yours. Of course, you can.”

With her lip stuck between her teeth, she undid the bow and let the material fall away.

Inside, the carved horse gleamed from the hours I’d spent polishing it with saddle conditioner. The tiny girl atop the horse could’ve been anyone if it wasn’t for the long ribbon trailing behind from her long hair.

It’d taken me hours and multiple attempts after snapping the delicate ribbon so many times while carving.

No one knew I’d done it even though I’d borrowed John’s tools to make it happen. It wasn’t perfect, and I hated a lot of it with my clumsy cuts and annoying mistakes, but it showed how much I cared. It revealed just how proud I was of her learning to ride and how terrified I was of her getting hurt. She’d taken a tumble a couple of times, and my heart literally quit beating until I knew she was okay.

My fear of her falling off a horse was nothing compared to the sudden terror drenching me as Della switched from chatty live wire to quiet, subdued seriousness beside me.

Silence fell, interrupted only by the breeze whispering through the willow leaves. I waited for as long as I could, my skin prickling with unease, my heart racing with dread.

Her fingers trailed over and over, stroking the carved mane, touching slightly too long legs, and studying not quite perfect nostrils.

I couldn’t wait any longer.

Pinching it from her hands, I shoved it behind my back. “Forget it. I knew I should’ve asked John to buy you that laptop the school requests everyone to have. I’ll-I’ll tell him tonight. You might have to wait a few months while he saves up my salary to buy it, but I’ll make sure you have something of use instead of—”

She sprang into me, bowling me over, slamming both of us to the blanket below. “Give it back.”

My elbows bent awkwardly, my spine jabbed by the carved willow-wooden horse in my hands. “Wha—”

“My horse. Now. Give it back, Ren.”

I wriggled beneath her as she sat on my chest, her shorts riding up suntanned thighs and lavender t-shirt right in my face. The sun silhouetted her, showing a faceless girl with curling white-blonde hair with her hand straight out and reckless determination bristling all around her.

“Now, Ren.” Her voice turned sharp in the way she’d mastered from listening to Cassie telling me off.