The Boy Next Door (60 page)

The rest if the morning was uneventful. Abigail was hot and sweaty by noon, but never complained. Clayton stopped often to rest the horses and spoke to her about the ranch non-stop. Every question she asked he answered with excitement. At two o’clock they reached the main gate, but Simon was not there. They dismounted and waited for a while. Abigail could see that Clayton was getting worried.

“Simon is never late,” said Clayton.

Abigail mounted again without being prompted and suggested, “You head back to get the plane. I’ll follow the road back to the house. If I find Simon I’ll send him back to the house.”

“Are you sure you will be alright on your own?”

“Of course, but it is a long ride, so let me be off.” She turned and laughed at him. “I can look after myself, you know!”

Clayton mounted and with one last look over his shoulder sped off in the direction they came from. Abigail rode for about half an hour when she saw a motorbike rushing towards her from quite a distance away. She spurred her horse on and met the rider on the trail.

She did not know the man, but he asked if she was Abigail. After she said yes, he asked where Clayton was. She told him, and by his agitated state knew that something was wrong. He confirmed her fear when he told her that Eli fell off his bike and was badly hurt. 

She told him where Clayton was heading and spurred her horse on to the house. It took almost an hour, but she made it in one piece. Her legs were jelly and her body was cramping all over when she got there. A stable hand took her horse and she ran towards the house. She found Simon running from the kitchen with a large bucket in his hands. She followed him to a part of the house that she had not seen yet.

He disappeared into a room and she entered a moment later. The scene that greeted her was surreal. Eli was lying on a single bed, and blood was oozing down his leg. “What happened?!” she asked.

Betty looked up from cleaning the wound. “Stupid boy loves speed so much! Now he broke his leg and the bone is sticking right out.”

Eli only groaned in answer.

“What can I do to help?” Abigail asked as she rolled up her sleeves.

No answer was forthcoming but she saw a white basin full of bloody water with rags floating at the top. She scooped it up and replaced it with the bucket that Simon brought, then took the basin to the kitchen. Five minutes later she returned with clean hot water.

She placed it next to Betty. Betty thanked her and told her that the doctor was on his way. Abigail said she would wait for the doctor and bring him to the room the moment he arrived.

She left them and rushed back to the kitchen first. There was boiling water on the stove and she poured two mugs of strong coffee and took them to Betty.

Betty accepted the coffee with trembling hands. “Thank you, child, I appreciate it. Now go and see if the doctor has arrived yet.”

She rushed back to the front porch. She looked out over the yard, but saw no cars. Then she heard the roar of an engine, and was just in time to see Clayton lining up the microlight plane for a landing.

She ran down to the compound to meet him. His face was drawn with worry when they met at the edge of the garden. “How’s he doing?” he asked.

“He seemed OK when I saw him last. He has lost a lot of blood.”

Clayton ran to the house and she struggled to keep up. He knew where to go and Abigail stopped at the door to catch her breath.

It was another twenty minutes before the doctor arrived. He carried a black leather case in his hand and a worried expression on his face. He looked like a cowboy straight out of a movie. Hat, boots and all. Without preamble he asked her where Eli was. She took him to the room.

He took one look at the leg and told Betty to leave. “We’ll need to set it and get him to a hospital.”

Abigail took Betty back to the kitchen. An hour later Clayton, Simon and the doctor loaded Eli into a van and they all left for the hospital. Betty was in a state.

“Betty, why don’t you go and clean up and change your clothes?” Abigail suggested gently. “There is nothing more to do now. Eli is in safe hands.”

“Yes, Miss Abigail.” She left the kitchen looking very worried.

Abigail did not know what to do. She saw fresh vegetables on a counter and assumed that Betty was going to use them to make dinner. She rummaged through a couple of drawers and found a sharp knife. She sat at the massive kitchen table and started preparing the vegetables. Her thoughts were with Eli and his family, and she missed her own family very much.

Through streams of tears she managed to prepare all the vegetables. She was just taking out a large pot when Betty returned. Betty saw her tear stained cheeks, and immediately asked if she was OK.

“I’m just missing my family,” she replied. “Have you heard anything about Eli?”

“No. Your family is still in London?” Betty asked while taking the pot from her hands.

“No Betty, they all died in an accident. I’m the only one that survived. Seeing Eli on that bed made me think about my own brother. I just felt so helpless in that room.”

Betty’s eyes welled with tears, but she kept her composure. “I’m so sorry Miss Abigail, I didn’t know. It must have been terrible!”

“Thank you Betty. It still hurts, and seeing Eli lying there was just too much to bear.”

Betty squeezed her shoulder. “I understand, child. Why don’t you go upstairs and let me finish up here. I’ll call you for dinner.”

Betty carried a board of vegetables to Betty. “I don’t think either of us should be alone right now. Please let me help you with supper.”

Betty gave her a smile. “Very well. Please pass me those and then you and me can whip up a nice pudding to go with dinner.”

They both laughed and cried through the evening. It was after nine when the men returned from the hospital. Clayton and Simon said good bye to the doctor at his car and he left. They were both exhausted as they fell into chairs around the kitchen table.

When Simon saw Betty he said, “Eli is OK. He’s going to stay at the hospital for a couple of days, but he is fine.”

Betty was visibly relieved. She started getting plates out for dinner. “Why don’t you guys wash up? Miss Abigail and I’ll bring the food to the dining room.”

Clayton and Simon gave each other a look of surprise.

Abigail was too tired to carry the food through. “Wait,” she said as the men got up. “Wash your hands in that sink. We can all eat right here. No reason to go to the dining room.”

“Miss Abigail, that’s not proper,” said Betty. “Guests don’t eat in the kitchen!”

“I know that this is only my second day here Betty, but even you should realize by now that I’m not a guest.”

Betty was taken aback, but she knew that she could not keep up fighting the inevitable. “Yes, Miss Abigail. You’re right. Now you two listen to her and wash your hands. Food must be all dried up by now.”

Dinner was a loud affair with all of them telling each other about their day. They all laughed when Betty imitated Abigail’s scream as they took off in the microlight that morning.

That night Abigail fell into an exhausted sleep. She remembered to set the alarm clock, but forgot to phone Sally. Her last thought before falling asleep was filled with a pair of piercing blue eyes, and a strong chest, and a smooth Texan accent…

Abigail groaned as the alarm went off. Her body was sore in places that she did not know existed. She dragged herself out of bed and into a hot bath. As she stepped out there was a soft knock on her door. She wrapped herself in a bathrobe and opened the door. Betty was standing there with a tray.

“I did not mean to wake you Miss Abigail, but I thought you might enjoy some tea. Simon and I will be leaving soon to go to the hospital and I never got a chance to thank you for everything you did yesterday.”

Abigail took the tray and placed it on a side table. She saw two cups and invited Betty to stay with her.

On the tray was a plate with fresh scones and a bowl with whipped cream. “Scones!” she exclaimed. Betty smiled at her. “I had to look up a recipe for those, now. Don’t go judging me too harshly.”

Betty was pouring tea while Abigail filled two plates with the still-warm scones. They ate in silence but Abigail felt no tension between them. Betty finished her tea and got up. “Thank you very much Betty. I really appreciate the effort. Please give Eli a big hug from me and Clayton.”

“I will, Miss Abigail. Thank you.”

The door closed softly and Abigail dressed in a hurry. She took the stairs two at a time and was greeted by an empty and silent house. She checked the kitchen, dining room, patio and deck; and at the same time explored a couple of rooms she had not seen yet. It was after six when she found her way to the pool for a second time. Clayton was sitting at the small table still in a robe, squeezing oranges into a cup for their juice.

“My-oh-my,” said Abigail, “did you oversleep?”

“No,” he replied “it is Sunday and there is no work on the ranch except in an emergency.”

Abigail realized that she lost track of the days. He offered her a glass of orange juice and poured one for himself. He gulped it down, got up and threw off his robe.  In a tight pair of blue shorts he dove into the pool and swam two lengths before resting on the steps in the shallow end. “Jump in Abigail! The water is nice.”

Abigail removed her shoes and rolled up her jeans. She sat on the edge of the pool with just her feet in the water.  To her surprise the water was warm. “I didn’t pack a bikini, Clayton, I really didn’t know you had a pool.”

He took her hand and before she was ready for it he pulled her into the water. She gave a small yelp, but giggled as he dragged her to deeper water. They both laughed as she struggled to swim in jeans. She made it back to the shallow end and asked, “Are you sure we are alone?”

Her wet blouse clung to her body and Clayton stared in wonder at her curves. “Um, yes, we are alone.”

Abigail wiggled out of her jeans and threw them onto the paving. “That is much better,” she said as she returned to the deep end. She reached him and he brushed a stray strand of hair from her cheek. “Please don’t be offended for me saying this, but you’re truly beautiful, Abigail.”

She looked at him blushing. “Thank you Clayton, I have not heard those words in many years.”

She pushed away from the side, leaving him stranded. She got out of the pool and said, “You’re not bad either. Come get out so that I can make you something to eat.”

Clayton fired up the grill and in short order they had breakfast ready. Both of them were dry by the time they finished eating. “So what do you do on the ranch on a Sunday?”

Clayton shrugged. “Not much really. I normally have breakfast, a swim and then I just relax around the pool all day. Betty comes in early just to check that everything is OK then she spends the day with her family.”

“I need a day of rest after that horse ride yesterday. My whole body is sore. I’m just going to run upstairs to get a pair of shorts. I’ll be back in a moment.”

He watched her walk away and admired her lithe body. She returned armed with sunscreen. She opened her blouse and tied the front ends into a knot. He stared at her applying the sunscreen to her legs and feet. She removed the blouse and asked him to get her back.

He stood behind her and with a trembling hand started rubbing sunscreen over her back. Her flesh was both warm and soft. She leaned into his hands, enjoying the impromptu massage.

“I have a better idea,” she said. She removed her bra and settled on a towel on the lawn. He moved closer and started massaging the sunscreen into her back and neck. She moaned softly as his big hands worked her aching muscles. After a few minutes Abigail felt sleepy, so she got up before she could slip away and quickly grabbed the bottle from him.

“Your turn,” she said, and squirted a blob in sunscreen into her hand.

He lay down on the towel she just vacated. She started with his back and neck. She took her time as she worked down his torso to his legs. Just as she started working on his thighs, he jumped up and kept his back on her as he jumped into the pool.

“What now?” she asked.

“Please don’t laugh at me Abigail.” He blushed. “No one has touched me in years, and I don’t want to embarrass myself in front of you.”

Abigail had never been self-conscious. She got into the water without her bra and swam up to him. “Are you still a virgin?”

“No!” he laughed. “But I may as well be. It’s been six years since I’ve been with a girl.”

“So you’re gay?”

“Hell no! Not at all...” He awkwardly reached for her hand. “Look at where I live Abigail. I can’t just go out and party and meet women. I have been born on this farm and I worked here since I was four. I was home schooled until I was ready for college. I went to college in Dallas. There I met Jason, our mutual acquaintance, and Lisa.”

“Lisa?”

“Lisa was my first and last girlfriend. She was from Amsterdam and we shared a few classes. She was very sexual and very patient with me. We were together for almost two years. We graduated at the same time, but she left to go back to Europe. I came back to the ranch. That was six years ago.”

Abigail touched his hand. “It has been years for me too, Clayton. I just could not get back into the whole dating thing after the accident…”