Not Crushing on the Cowboy by Karlik Mary

Author:Karlik, Mary
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: GPK Publications
Published: 2023-11-21T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 12

As my tires crunched on the gravel road, I flashed to the first time I’d met Ty. His parents were babysitting my cousin Gracie and me. I was nine, she was ten. Ty had one older brother, one younger brother, and three younger sisters. His family had since expanded by three boys.

Back then, if his siblings weren’t crying, they were running wild through the house. My cousin and I sat on the couch, bystanders to utter madness. I kept thinking somebody should get those kids under control. I looked to my older cousin, sure that she would rein in the brood, but the noise and chaos seemed to delight her. She sat on the edge of the sofa in her little blond pigtails, smiling and looking as though she only needed a hint of an invitation to be a part of the insanity.

I decided somebody had to do something and got up to find a responsible person. That’s when I saw Ty sneaking out of a closet beneath the stairs. He told me it was his quiet place. I said it sounded like heaven to me.

He took me by the hand and led me through the door. I was astonished by what I saw. It was heaven, disguised as a claw-foot bathtub full of books and pillows. We spent the better part of the evening letting our imaginations run amok in that old tub.

It was one of the best nights of my life. Gracie had a good time, too. She jumped right into the mess of things. She had a way with kids, and before long, she was playing games with all of the little ones. Ty and I were inseparable after that—until seventh grade.

I parked in the drive and noted the old two-story farmhouse seemed more settled, more mature. Bicycles and tricycles were no longer strewn across the lawn. There was a definite absence of half-dressed Barbie dolls and toy dump trucks on the front porch. But looks could be deceiving.

Before I had a chance to ring the doorbell, the door flung open. A boy with reddish-blond hair danced in the doorway. His eyes weren’t Keith Urban blue like Ty’s but green, and something about their sparkle combined with his impish grin led me to believe this little guy kept everybody in the Jackson clan on their toes.

“Ty-ler, your girl-friend is here.”

“Sean Michael, you are supposed to be in bed!” Ty’s mom appeared behind him holding a toddler in her arms. “Hi Penny, it’s good to see you. Come in. Ty’s on the back porch.”

I made my way to the back of the house while Mrs. J. chased the little imp and his twin up the stairs. I heard one of the little ones ask if they could see me. Ty’s sisters Mary, Theresa, and Katherine were sitting at the kitchen table studying with Ty’s younger brother, Daniel. They smiled and said hello, but they seemed involved in their homework, and I was grateful that I didn’t have to think of anything to say.

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