Bitterroot Crossing (13 page)

    “Actually, I’m still full from lunch. I’ve got some homework to do and I have to find a dress to wear to the school dance.”

    “That’s nice, dear,” she said and continued on to the kitchen. She walked through the kitchen door then spun back around with wide eyes. “Did you say school dance?”

    “I did. And I’m going with Nick. I know I can’t really dance, but it’ll be fun just listening to the music and watching everyone else dance, don’t you think?”

    Nana stood speechless in the doorway for a moment. “My Jessie’s going to the dance.” She smiled broadly and lifted the kitten to get a better look at her. “This day is full of surprises.”

    I went into my room, threw my book bag on the bed, and slid open my closet door. I had only one dress that was remotely in style. Everything else looked dated and not dance or Nick worthy. It had been six months since I’d worn it, and consequently, it had been pushed to the back of the rack. I reached in and pulled it out. It was simple and black. It had been the dress I wore to my mom’s funeral. But now I’d be wearing it for a much better occasion.

    I ran my fingers over the soft, flowing fabric. Memories of that day returned. Only a handful of people had come to the ceremony. It was quiet, simple, and thoughtful, just like my mom. For the first months after her death, I thought the tears and the ache would never stop. The void her absence brought was tremendous. My life had changed completely and forever.

    Nana knocked and poked in her head. She looked at the dress in my hand and stepped inside. Anna mewled softly from her apron pocket. She lifted the kitten out and placed her on my bed pillow where the cat immediately curled into a ball and slept. “I think that dress will be lovely for a dance. And I have just the necklace for it.”

    She left and returned moments later with Jasper at her heels. The giant dog climbed up on my bed and tucked himself in next to the kitten. Nana held up a beautiful pink and white cameo attached to a pink velvet ribbon. “It was your great-grandma’s.”

    I took it and tied the ribbon around my neck. “It’s perfect.” I held the dress against me and stared down wondering what I’d wear on my feet. But even my ill-matched legs couldn’t dampen my spirits.

Chapter 17

    I’d basically had to pry Dad’s jeep keys from his fingers. The way he’d put up a fight about my taking his rusted pile of nuts and bolts, you’d think I’d asked to borrow a freakin’ Ferrari.

    It was seven o’clock. The dance started in half an hour. At this point it was still happening. There had been a few warning sirens earlier today, but they turned out to be false alarms. Besides it had gotten so that those bells were meaningless anyway. Sort of like the whole boy crying wolf thing. I was just glad I hadn’t run into one dead guy all day. My ribs were just starting to feel better.

    I’d promised Baxter a ride around the lumber yard on my motorcycle after work and had gotten home late, so my hair was still wet as I pulled on my shirt and buttoned it up. I’d never put on a nice shirt for one of these school dances, but then I’d never taken someone like Jessie before. I’d never felt like this about someone before either. I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Not that they were ever great, but my math skills were going to go shit because I spent the entire class staring at her. I hadn’t heard a word the teacher had said all week.

    Mom poked her head inside my room. “How handsome you look, Nick. Tina’s sure a lucky girl.”

    I grabbed the keys off my dresser and walked to the door. “Thanks, Mom, but I’m not going with Tina. I’m taking Jessie Sterling.” Her mouth dropped open as I kissed her on the cheek and left.

    Tina had been texting and calling me like crazy. Sometimes her messages were bitchy. Sometimes they were sugary sweet. But she’d kept herself busy at school with the football team’s quarterback. The guy usually only hooked up with the cheerleaders, but apparently he’d been through them all and needed something new. Besides, Tina sort of qualified. She had started out the year as a cheerleader until the cheer coach caught her with a bag of weed in her locker. Tina might be dazzling but for the most part she was just plain stupid.

    After three attempts, the jeep engine finally turned over and I drove to Jessie’s. The jeep creaked loudly as it rocked from side to side on the uneven path. It sputtered and choked as we passed the trail leading to the swamp, but I managed to keep the thing running.

    The small farm house glowed warmly in the vast darkness of the mountainside. I stepped out of the jeep. There didn’t seem to be any ghostly ancestors in sight. Although I had no doubt he was skulking nearby.

    Jessie’s grandma opened the door. As usual, the inside of the house was cozy and smelled like sugar and vanilla. “My, aren’t you a sight.” She motioned for me to sit on a chair near the fireplace. “Jessie will be right out. Can I get you a molasses cookie? I just baked some.”

    I shook my head. “No thanks.” I realized as I turned down what was sure to be an awesome cookie that I was kind of nervous. I’d never felt nervous on a date before. Then Jessie walked in and I knew why my stomach had been so jittery. She looked almost unreal. I couldn’t stop staring. “Hi.” It was the only word I could stutter out.

    She glanced down at her dress and then smiled up at me. Her auburn hair was swept up off her face and tied in back with a ribbon. She was perfect right down to the extra inch of sole on her left shoe. In the soft light of the room, she looked like something out of a fairy tale. “Do I look alright? Do you think I’ll blend in O.K?” she asked softly.

    It took me a minute to catch my breath. “Jessie, you could never blend in.”

    She smiled shyly at me. “You look pretty amazing yourself, Nick Crush.”

    My feet had been nearly frozen to the spot, but I pushed them forward and took hold of her hand. “Your chariot awaits you, my lady. But I have to warn you, it’s a really ugly chariot.”

    Jessie clung to the door handle during the rough ride, and we both kept an eye out for swamp spirits. They seemed to have returned to wherever it was they went when they weren’t tormenting the town.

    “I’ve got to warn you, these dances can be sort of cheesy,” I said.

    “Do you mean they serve a lot of cheese?”  

    I laughed. “Sorry, I mean they can be sort of corny.”

    She smiled and nodded. “I’m going to assume that doesn’t mean they’ll be serving corn.”

    The jeep’s front wheel slammed into a hole. My arm shot out and grabbed Jessie’s shoulder before she smacked the dashboard.

    “Then you think it won’t be much fun?” she asked after sitting back against the seat.

    “I doubt it will be as exciting as this jeep ride,” I said. I peeked sideways at her. Her long lashes had swept down over her cheeks. A tiny smile line creased the side of her mouth. “I’m just glad I’ll be there with you.”

    “Me too,” she said. “I only hope there aren’t any unwanted guests tonight.”

    “Do you think he might show? The swamp seemed quiet when we passed.”

    “He did promise me he’d stay away. But it might be ridiculous to rely on the promise of a man who made his living robbing banks.”

    Just hearing her mention him was sending a streak of jealousy through me. Must have been another trait of his I inherited. I was beginning to know how he felt about Bridger. But at least Bridger wasn’t a ruthless ghost. “Does he visit you a lot?”

    She shrugged. “He brought me a kitten. He’d saved it from a hawk. It seems so inconsistent with the horrible stories I’ve heard about him. From the way people around here talk about him, I would have expected him to have taken the kitten from the bird and then eaten it himself. I think some of the stories may be gross exaggerations.”

    “The guy did rob banks. And he shot people, including the woman he loved.”

    “That was an accident,” Jessie said quickly.

    I didn’t reply. The last thing I wanted to do was sound like my jerk of an ancestor. I’d never felt jealous before and I was not loving it. I was going to do whatever it took to win her over. I refused to lose to a dead guy. One thing was for sure, if I saw a hawk fly by with a puppy in its claws, I was going after the sucker.

    The school cafeteria was already packed by the time we arrived. Apparently the theme was harvest or fall or something because the mother’s had hung fake leaves and pumpkins from the ceiling lights.

    Jessie looked up at the decorations and smiled. “I love it.” The band started up and the loudness made her jump and grab my hand. I squeezed it. A wave of stares and whispers followed us as we made our way to the refreshment table. I picked up a cup of reddish-orange punch. “Want something to drink?”

    Jessie peered into the cup and then shook her head.

    “Yeah, it’s usually even grosser tasting than it looks.” I looked around. We still seemed to be the center of attention, but some of the kids had migrated to the dance floor. A group of adult chaperones were huddled in the back of the room deep in conversation about something. Several of the women kept craning their necks above the crowd to get a glimpse of Jessie and me as if we were there to cause trouble. Thankfully, Hammersmith was nowhere in sight. He spent most of the dances sneaking up on utility closets and the gym bleachers to catch people in the act of making out.

    Tina popped up behind us. “You two are so
cute
together. Can’t wait to see the freak ripping up the dance floor.” We turned and Jessie instantly took a step back from her. The quarterback, Joe or Jeff, or whatever the guy’s name was came up behind Tina. She glared at me then twisted around, threw her arms around the guy’s thick neck and kissed him. Apparently she thought it would make me jealous. I realized now what true jealousy felt like and I realized that I’d never felt an ounce of it over Tina.

    I took hold of Jessie’s hand and led her away from the table and Tina. We sat on one of the benches and watched the others. Suddenly, I wasn’t sure why I’d wanted to come here. I hated these things more than getting a cavity filled. I guess in my mind it was a chance to see Jessie so I grabbed it. Now I wished we were still sitting in her house talking, laughing, and eating molasses cookies.

    I looked over at Jessie. She watched the dance floor with what seemed like amazement and a bit of envy. The DJ turned on one of my favorite slow Pearl Jam songs. I put my hand out for Jessie to take. “We’ve got to dance to this. ‘Just Breathe’ is one of my favorites.” Her face turned up to mine and I caught my breath and smiled weakly at the appropriateness of the song title.

    She stared down at my palm apprehensively for a moment. Then she placed her hand in mine, and I led her onto the floor. A few people stared down at her shoes and there were a few giggles but Jessie didn’t seem to care and neither did I. I put my hand around her waist and pulled her softly against me. She felt small and slightly frail under my touch. I could have held her against me all night. Our steps were awkward but we moved slowly to the music.

    Jessie closed her eyes and pressed her face against my chest. The top of her head just reached my shoulder and I leaned my face down against it. She pressed herself tighter against me. Zedekiah could tie me to trees, torture me, and break every bone in my body. I wasn’t giving this girl up. I’d never felt anything so right in my entire life as holding Jessie in my arms.

    Even though the music had sped up, we continued with our slow dance. It was as if everyone and everything else around had disappeared. We were alone together, clinging to each other like we were the only people left on earth. Then Dylan slapped me on the shoulder.

    “Can I have cuts?” He grinned at Jessie.

    I tugged her waist harder against me. “Not a chance. Go find someone else to dance with.”

    “Asshole,” Dylan said through gritted teeth. Now his troll-like grin morphed into something more evil. “You know what they’re talking about over there, don’t you?” He motioned with his head toward the group of adults in the back of the room. He smiled again at Jessie. “There’s gonna be a town meeting. The shit that’s been happening around town with the gang and Zedekiah, they think it’s because of her.” Jessie’s fingers tightened on my shirt. Dylan looked straight at Jessie and reached up to touch her, but my arm shot up and blocked him.