Lessons From the Heart by Rachel Skatvold

Author:Rachel Skatvold [Skatvold, Rachel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781700734174
Published: 2019-10-22T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Toby had almost reached the spot where the maze passages converged when he heard a high-pitched scream. “Lexie?” When she didn’t answer, he raced to the end of his path and then turned onto the middle one Lexie had chosen. “Lexie, answer if you can hear me!” He came around the bend in the path, heart thundering in his chest. Then he saw her lying on the muddy ground with a medium-sized creature standing over her. It had tan and white fur, pointy ears, a long nose—and a wagging tail?

“Jack,” Toby called, his voice ragged. “Leave her alone, you crazy, troublemaking pup.”

The dog licked Lexie’s face one more time and then romped toward him, tongue panting happily.

“You know better than to jump on people, Jack. Head on home.” The dog’s ears plastered against his head for a moment before he galloped down the path toward the farm house, tail wagging again like he hadn’t been scolded.

The moment Jack was gone, he rushed to Lexie’s side. He sat on the muddy ground and pulled her into his arms. “I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

Her body shook against him as he smoothed back her hair. She didn’t say anything at first, but a faint sound came from lips and gradually became easier to make out—laughter. “Jack…” she eventually managed to say in between gasps for breath and fits of giggles. “He scared me so bad…I fell over. He just kept…licking and licking my face. I couldn’t get up!”

After decoding her rambled account of what happened, Toby started laughing, too. “Well, the silly dog has jumped out at me more than once. I’m sorry I forgot to warn you. He’s just a harmless young pup who hasn’t learned his manners yet.”

She sighed and wiped away a few happy tears. “Why are you apologizing? I haven’t laughed this hard in such a long time.”

He grinned and looked down at her, still holding her in his arms. “You are something else, Lexie Donoghue.” He swept a few strands of hair from her rosy cheek and her sapphire eyes gazed into his. Something had changed, like the leaves slowly displaying their vibrant splashes of color in the autumn. Lexie didn’t pull away from his embrace and he didn’t let her go. She leaned upward, planting a tender kiss on his lips. He hesitated for a moment, the scent of her strawberry lip gloss blurring his thoughts. Toby ran his fingers through her soft auburn curls and kissed her back. He forgot they were sitting in the middle of a muddy corn maze. Holding Lexie Donohue in his arms was all that mattered in the moment.

After a few more passionate kisses, he pulled back to gaze into her eyes. “Well, that was unexpected.”

“Yes, it was.” She giggled and hid her face in his shirt. Then she looked at their surroundings and her muddy clothing. “Oh, look at us. We’re a mess! What are your parents going to think?”

He shrugged with a silly grin. “We’ll tell them the truth.

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