Letting Go (A Mitchell Family Series) Read online

  “You ready to ride?” He asked.

  I started to get up on Daisy, but the pain was so bad that I couldn’t get my legs up into the stirrup. Colt saw my dilemma and hopped down off of Thunder. “Hold up Savanna. Let me just help you with that.”

  I put my hand on his shoulder and let him pick me up so that I could get my foot hooked in the stirrup. His hand was on my butt as he helped get me onto the horse. It was nothing to get excited about, but for some reason I had noticed and it made me smile.

  “Thanks Colt. I didn’t realize how sore my legs were.” I admitted.

  He hopped back up on Thunder and lightly gave her a kick. “Yah.” He said as they took off in front of me. I followed suit and soon we were away from the farm and making our way through the woods.

  I hadn’t been out here in a few weeks, but I knew these trails like the back of my hand. Daisy and I explored every inch of these woods and the hole was our favorite spot to relax. There was a large patch of grass just a few feet away from the pond, so that Daisy could graze while we fished or sometimes swam. Going here with Colt made me think about being here with Ty. I am sure that he didn’t intend for it to bring up sad memories, but there was little in my life that didn’t remind me of Ty.

  When we got to the opening in the woods, I spotted the pond. It was funny how as we were approaching I could see the turtles and frogs jumping in the water when they heard us coming. The pond itself was pretty big and years ago Ty’s family had anchored a floating dock in the center. We would get a bunch of people out here and sunbathe for hours out there. Just seeing the dock reminded me of last summer being here with Ty.

  We had come out for a swim, but ended up having wild sex on that dock. When we heard his father calling, we jumped in the water and hid under the dock until he finally left. The worst part was that our clothes were laying on the grass at the water’s edge. He either noticed and was embarrassed or never even saw them there, because he never mentioned it to either of us.

  Colt had already jumped down from Thunder and was tying his line to a tree near a patch of shade and grass. The horse immediately started ripping out large chunks of the fresh green grass. Colt was standing there waiting to help me off of my horse. Once again, I felt funny about him touching me but I knew it was necessary. I got Daisy hooked to a tree close to him, but not close to where they would get tangled up.

  Last year Ty’s dad had bought one of those giant plastic sheds and put it at the edge of the pier so that we didn’t have to carry all of the rods and floats back to the barn. Colt knew exactly where to go, and I wondered when the last time he visited was. Obviously he had been here and I didn’t know.

  “How did you know we had the rods here?” I asked.

  “Well, I looked for them in the barn and when I didn’t find them I asked Harvey.” He explained.

  Harvey was the farm hand that lived in a trailer on the property. I was pretty sure he didn’t have legal papers to be in the country. Most of his family was still in Columbia and Ty had mentioned that he sent most of what he made to them.

  “Oh, I was thinking that you visited and didn’t say hi.” I confessed.

  Colt just laughed and shook his head.

  He picked out two good poles and handed one to me. “Here this one is pretty good. Do you need me to bait it for you?” He asked.

  “Hell no! I can do this with my eyes closed.” I said confidently.

  He attended to his fishing rod while I got mine ready to go. I had already cast my line into the water before he had his baited. I giggled when I looked back at him and saw he had pricked his finger with the hook. “Do you need me to help you instead?” I asked sarcastically.

  “Shut up! I got this smart ass!” He laughed.

  For the next hour we sat side by side fishing and talking about the past year. It was so nice to finally have someone listening to me. I didn’t cry, in fact it felt so good to get out.

  Colt

  When I asked Savanna to go fishing, I immediately had regrets. She looked terrible and needed to rest. Being in the sun couldn’t have been good for any of the abrasions on her face. I had packed lunch, but not sunscreen and I hadn’t found any in the small shed.

  I handed her my one and only favorite hat. “Here, put this on your head so your face doesn’t get too much sun.” I offered.

  She smiled and held the hat in her hand. “Are you sure you don’t want it? I mean your hair looks like a hot mess.” She joked.

  We both started laughing as I tried to pat down my hair. I needed it cut, but just hadn’t had time. “If you want to talk about hot messes we can start with your hair this morning. I mean, it was so bad that I had to drive to the store and get you the brush. I was afraid that by tomorrow we may have lost the TV remote in there.” I said sarcastically.

  “Ha ha! It wasn’t that bad.”

  “Okay, if you say so.” I said as I stared out at the water.

  Since I wasn’t expecting it, Savanna took her hand and pushed me over, causing me to get my hands and my rod all muddy. When I turned to face her and she saw the mud, she held her hand over her face while she laughed.

  “You better get up and run, because paybacks are a bitch.” I said as I picked up a large handful of slimy mud.

  Savanna threw the pole on the ground and started running away from me. The problem was that the pond was a large circle, so as long as she stayed away from the woods, she couldn’t hide.

  Just as I suspected, she tried to hide behind a bunch of cat tails growing out of the water. I spotted my white shirt and tossed the wad of dirt up high so that it disbursed all over her head and unfortunately my hat.

  She screamed as it came down on top of her. “You suck Colt!”

  I started laughing as I bent over to grab another chunk of mud, but as I came up I got slapped right in the forehead with a cold chunk of earth. Before I could say a word, I heard her laughing uncontrollably.

  I looked toward the sound of the giggles, but couldn’t spot her. Suddenly I saw another bunch of it coming my way and I tried to move out of the way. It slapped me on the shoulder. I caught a patch of white moving quickly and I ran after it. As I came up behind her, I tossed the mud at her back. She screamed as it hit her, but kept running, knowing I had to stop for more.

  As I ducked down, she must have done the same, because we both came up and had a handful cocked back. She started walking toward me with a smile on her face. “I will put mine down if you do the same.” She said.

  “Okay, on the count of three.” I agreed.

  We both counted.

  “One.”

  “Two.”

  “Three.”

  At the same time instead of dropping the mud we threw them at each other. I closed my eyes and let the mud cover my face. When I opened them I saw Savanna hunched over. She was being really quiet and I started to wonder if I hit her in the face by accident. I was sure I aimed way lower. When I came within inches she smacked me on the chest with more mud. Her laugh was contagious and I couldn’t help but push her down and try to get her back. Unfortunately, my body was now on top of her and I froze as our eyes met each other’s gaze.

  I pushed her muddy hair away from her face with my fingers. She closed her eyes as I did it. She was still gorgeous, even with the black eye, busted cheek and fat lip. Her mouth was so close to mine that I could feel her breathing. I wanted to kiss her, in fact I wanted to do a whole lot more.

  She closed her eyes again and started moving her head up toward mine. I pulled away and stood up quickly. “I am so sorry. I didn’t mean…Why don’t we eat some lunch.” I said changing the subject.

  She sat up and just like me, pretended nothing happened between us just now. Maybe I had just imagined it, but I swear she wanted me to kiss her.

  We ate most of our lunch in silence and it seemed uncomfortable for a while. Finally she just started talking about normal things.

  “Wanna play some Rummy tonight?” She asked.

  I finished
the last bite of my sandwich. “You do know that I am the Mitchell champion right?”

  “I can beat you at that game any day Colt. We aren’t kids anymore you know.” She replied.

  “Well I aint doing shit until I get a shower. This mud smells like ass.” I admitted.

  She started laughing as she picked at the meat on her sandwich. “You think it is the mud. Maybe it is you.”

  I flung some of the cold bottle of water at her. She tried to cover herself from being hit by it and yelped as the cold water hit her neck. “That is so cold.”

  “You deserved it. I was sittin’ here being nice to you.” I replied.

  “Actually, we really do stink now.” She admitted.

  I gathered everything up and put it in the bag. “How bout we head back and get cleaned up. It will take us awhile gettin’ the horses cleaned up anyway.” I suggested.

  I held my hand out to help her up and when I pulled she ended up losing her balance and falling into my chest. She looked up at me and again our gazes met. For a few seconds we both just stood there staring at each other. Her eyes were staring at my mouth and I couldn’t help but lick them. I wanted to feel how soft her lips felt.

  I opened my mouth to say something and she pulled away and started making her way toward Daisy. I had to shake it off. There was nothing going on between us. It wasn’t possible. I didn’t know what was wrong with me. I had known her since we were kids and she was going through a tough time. It had to just be that I felt sorry for her. It had to be that.

  Chapter 8

  Savanna

  After two close encounters, neither Colt or myself spoke much on the way home. I didn’t really understand what had happened. We were just joking around and having a good time, which was something I hadn’t done in forever, in fact I couldn’t even remember how long it had been.

  Maybe it was because it had been over six months since I had physical contact with anyone, especially a guy. I just felt so comfortable around Colt after knowing him for so long. It didn’t make it any easier considering he was so damn hot. Part of me wished I could see him shirtless again, but the other part felt like it would be cheating on Ty. I was just so lonely.

  We got back to the barn after taking the long way home. Colt helped me get Daisy back into the barn and fed. Thunder gave him a heck of a time, but he managed to get him calmed down. He only acted that way when a storm was coming. His name used to be Dusty, but even as a small colt he had issues with thunderstorms. Ty changed his name a few months later.

  Sam came rushing past us and I could hear the thunder rolling in as we walked back to the carriage house. I stopped Colt when we got about halfway there. “Hey can we get into the main house?” I asked.

  “Yeah, why?” He said as he leaned over to pet his dog, who obviously didn’t like the storms either.

  “I have a change of clothes there. I keep them in Ty’s closet. Can we go see if they are still in there?” I asked.

  “Of course. How about you run in and I keep a look out for my aunt and uncle.” He suggested.

  I nodded and ran into the house. I hadn’t been in there in months and it was hard walking through and seeing all of the pictures of Ty. Something did however catch my eye and cause me to freeze. Every single picture that I had been in, had been removed. There were no Homecoming photos, no Prom, not even the professional ones we took last year outdoors. They had gotten rid of everything that had to do with me. I ran into Ty’s room and started crying as I looked through his closet. In the back corner was the book bag. I grabbed it and ran out of the house as fast as I could.

  Colt stopped me when I met him back out next to the carriage house. He grabbed both of my arms. “Calm down Savanna. What is going on Darlin’?” He asked.

  I fell into his chest and continued to cry. I couldn’t talk about it. It just hurt too much.

  At first he didn’t wrap his arms around me, but as I cried I felt his arms wrap around my back. “How about we get inside and get you cleaned up.” He suggested.

  I nodded my head and pulled away from him. He opened the door for me and pointed toward the bathroom. I followed his lead and headed directly in there. Colt was patient with me as he helped me get the water going.

  “If you need me I will be right outside the door. All you have to do is call.” He stated.

  “Thanks.” Was all I could manage to get out.

  When I finally stepped into the shower, I let the beads of water beat down all over my face and back. My body still hurt, but not as much as last night. The soap burned my face, but I had noticed that my lips were almost back to normal size. They still had one scab on the bottom, but everything else was just from the swelling. The soap smelled fresh and I took my time washing my hair.

  I stepped out of the shower and felt like a new person. I knew my face was a mess, but I was clean. I took my time brushing my hair and my teeth and then I slowly got dressed. The clothes had been in the closet forever in Ty’s room, but they were still the only clean clothes I had. Luckily, I had a pair of sweat shorts and a tank top, plus another t-shirt. The best part was a fresh pair of underwear and a bra, which happened to match and were also white. Geesh I was so predictable.

  I had managed to calm down by the time I made it out of the bathroom. The first thing I noticed was the smell. The place wreaked of spaghetti, which I loved. As I turned the corner to the kitchen area, I noticed something else. Colt stood over the stove without a shirt. It was the first time I had really seen his back. In big fancy letters across the top of his back he had a tattoo with the name “MITCHELL”. It was done perfectly and accented his broad shoulders. He turned around as I was standing there admiring him.

  “Hey. You feel any better?” He asked.

  “Yeah. Thanks for letting me go first. I didn’t know you had a tattoo.”

  He smiled and turned to face me. “There is a lot about me that you don’t know Savanna.” He laughed. “I have one under my bicep.” He lifted his arm to display a mustang horse running. It was clearly noticeable if he was in a t-shirt and lifted up his arm, but I hadn’t noticed before. “And I also have one somewhere else that you can’t see.” He winked.

  “Eww, I don’t want to know.” I said as I walked away.

  I heard him chuckle. “Well you will be the first woman who hasn’t wanted to take a peek.”

  I shook my head and turned on the television. If I stood in the kitchen and stared at his chest any longer I might have an orgasm standing up. It had been a really long time for me after all and he was just so freaking hot.

  The thunder and lightning were becoming intense outside. I brought my legs up into my arms as I watched television. I still couldn’t believe I was here with Colt. I didn’t belong here, but felt happier than I had in months.

  Colt finally walked past me and headed into the bathroom. He gave me a quick smile before closing the bathroom door. I tried to ignore the fact that he was naked in there, but I couldn’t do it. After a few minutes, I heard the water stop running.

  I glanced as he came walking out in just a towel. As I looked over to peek, he caught my eye and gave me a half smile. Was he teasing me? Ty would kill him.

  Colt

  Something happened to Savanna when she went into that house, but I didn’t have the heart to bring it up after she seemed to have finally calmed down. I was trying to do the right thing with her, but the more I was around her, I was starting to wonder if it was a bad idea. She was my cousin’s girlfriend, or she used to be, hell I wasn’t even sure what they were. All I knew was that she wasn’t mine. Several times I had been in situations where I felt like there was something happening between us.

  I didn’t know how I even felt about that. I was a man and I had needs. She was a beautiful girl who had been depriving herself of a life for a long time. She deserved to be happy, and to be satisfied. I just couldn’t be the one to do that. I couldn’t do it to Ty. I had to stop thinking with my dick.

  I found Savanna setting the small
kitchen island for two. I walked over behind her and grabbed two glasses out of the cabinet. “What do you want to drink?” I asked as I leaned in the fridge.

  “What do you have?” She asked.

  I went to turn around to answer her, but didn’t realize she was right behind me. Our chests brushed and we both froze. Without saying anything, she turned around and started talking about drinks again. “Do you have any tea bags? I can make us some tea.”

  “Actually, I bought a gallon. Is that alright?” I asked, trying to forget about touching her again.

  “Yeah, that’s fine. You get the drinks and I will make our plates.”

  We decided to eat while sitting on the couch, so we could watch television. I let Savanna pick the movie and thankfully she picked a comedy. I got up and put our plates in the sink and got us two beers. The first movie finally ended and a love story came on. It ended up being about a couple who were forbidden to see each other. After the first intimate scene, I grabbed the remote and changed the channel. I couldn’t even look at Savanna.

  “Want to play some cards now?” I asked.

  She pulled her legs up on the couch and rubbed them with her hands. “Sure. If you' re ready to get beat that is.”

  We both smiled and I got up to get the cards, pen and paper. When I got back she was cracking her knuckles and pretending to have a game face. I sat on the floor across the coffee table from her, so that she couldn’t see my cards. Rummy was a serious card game for my family.

  We played three hands and our scores were almost identical. After having three beers each, we were both feeling more comfortable. “How about we play for shots?” Savanna suggested.

  “Girl, I can drink you under the table. Did you forget I saw you last night?” I teased.