Country Girl by Hayley Smith (book club recommendations .txt) 📕

through clenched teeth.

"Listen, I'm sorry about that, I'm not gay, and I won't let you go," He said and I glared at him as a jolt of pain hit my system when one of his fingers pressed against a sore spot and I yanked away, running for the house as quick as I could, but he was way slower than me so I didn't have to.

Once I was inside, I closed the door and went to the kitchen, sitting on a chair beside Tristan.
"Hey Trist," I said, smiling at him and I ruffled his curs. He swatted my hands away and patted his hair down, smiling up at me.

"Hi Missy," Tristan said to me and I looked up and my grandma who was mixing ingredients.

"Do you have pain reliever, Grandma?" I asked her, hoping she said yes because my arm had stared to ache.

"Yup, second drawer on the right side," My grandma said and I grabbed a cup, filling it with water then took a pill from a little bottle in the cupboard, I swallowed it down and put the cup in the sink. Just as I was putting the bottle back, Steve my Grandpa and Austin came in the kitchen and saw me putting it away. A guilty look crossed Austin's face but I paid no notice.

"What's with the pain reliever?" Grandpa asked, smiling at me as I took my seat back beside Tristan

"Broke my arm when I was seven, still hurts sometimes," I said mostly truthfully, I was glad when he nodded absentmindedly and changed the subject.

"That Stallion is about seven years old, about a adult in human years," He added the last bit for Tristan who knew almost nothing about horses, he looked at Tristan and added "We still need someone to name him," and my brother's head shot straight up.

"Phantom," Tristan said instantly, grinning cheekily at Grandpa and I let out a giggle, my hair falling over my face and hid my wide smile.

"Okay, I guess we have that covered, someone needs to break him in though," Steve said, looking at his son expectantly but I spoke up first.

"I can, I've done it with two horses before, Sugarcoat and a stallion," I said quickly, finishing before Austin could offer and smiled, happy he didn't have time.

"Well... Austin could do it," Steve offered for him, giving his son a hard look, probably mad he didn't offer before.

"Nope, it's fine, I've got it, I don't need any help either, it'll give me something to do and Sugarcoat will help me," I said, smiling my most dazzling smile at him and he nodded.

"Okay," My grandpa said "You'd better get on your way now," he told them sternly, probably realizing that Steve wanted his son to be with the horse or something.

"Okay, see ya, and Austin you had better get running," Steve said and I grinned evilly.
I stood and walked towards my room but turned to say something.

"Have fun with your run Mr. Pukes," I called to Austin and hurried and closed my bedroom door, locking it just as the footsteps got closer.

I heard someone try and open the door and they couldn't, I waited a little while before peeking out and I saw Austin waiting by the door. I tried to close it again, using all of my muscle as he pushed against it but eventually he pushed it open and I fell back onto my butt, slightly cushioned by the carpet and I looked up at his grinning face.

"You need something besides getting me hurt?" I asked and he clearly didn't know what to say and I laughed.

"I didn't mean to get you hurt, I just wanted to offer help with the horse, and make sure you stop calling me Mr. Pukes," Austin said hesitantly, holding out a hand to help me up but I ignored it, rolling my eyes. I pushed myself up and sat down on the pink bed.

"I am not helpless, I do not need a 'man's' help, I don't know how things work here, but that's not how I work, and you just wanted to get back at me, that's why my butt hurts," I said, my smile was long gone.

"I really am sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you," Austin said, sitting beside me and I moved away from him when our knees touched.

"I don't care how sorry you are, just go," I said, pushing him off of my bed with a foot "And keep your dirty ass off my bed," He landed on the floor on his butt and I laughed.

"Oh ha ha, very funny, but you'll pay for that because I'm the one that is going to be checking up on the expensive Stallion," He growled at me, standing up and striding out of the bedroom. What's wrong with him? I hope he won't be on my mind because so far, the next ten minutes he was.
I sighed, standing up and walking out of my room, closing the door quietly behind me and I walked to the living room where I saw grandpa sitting on the couch reading, I sat beside him on the next cushion square.

"Hey grandpa, that was kinda odd, Austin just said something about the Stallion being expensive," I said and he looked up from his book and let out a heavy sigh.

"I knew it would happen, they were right, Steve wants Phantom and he told me a while ago since he's a purebred Thoroughbred, worth very much for breeding lines and just to sell, even though I told him no, he still wants him," Grandpa said, throwing his head back and sighing again.

"I'm going out to the barn, see you tomorrow, sleep well," I said, standing and walking to the closet to grab things. I grabbed a pillow and blanket before changing quickly into pajama shorts and a tank top and I walked outside after grabbing a flash light.
I reached the barn and saw the horses falling asleep, but Sugarcoat raised her head when I walked in, seeing a pile of hay bales in a corner, I formed it into a bed and made sure the barn door was closed when I put the pillow down, pulling the blanket around me and jumped down into a laying position on the hay, my head rested against the pillow and my hair splayed out all over the pillow and stuffed the flashlight into the hay next o my pillow.
If they want that Stallion, they're going to have to go through me to get it,

I thought as I fell asleep watching my horse fall asleep.

7

I woke up to scratching, sounding as if the door was opening. I saw it was still dark out and rubbed my eyes, when a faint light came into the barn, I jumped up, hiding behind the hay and hid the blanket and pillow.
I crept along the wall, my black pajamas and dark hair kept me pretty well camouflaged as I looked for the person who was there. I saw the light and knew it wasn't my grandfather or grandmother and ran at it, tackling the person and the flashlight flew out of there hands, I pinned them on there stomach and pulled their arms behind them, sitting on there back as I heard the flashlight shatter and he jerked, trying to get away.
He managed to free a arm and threw me off, my butt skidding on the ground and I jumped up, punching him in the face as he hit above my head and I grinned in the darkness, I was shorter than he thought I would be.
I slapped him before swiping his legs out from under him and he fell onto the hay I had slept on, I hadn't known we had fought that far. I jumped onto him, holding him down and punched him in the face and I knew I had given him a black eye.

"Lemme go!" The person cried and my fist froze above a body part of his as I was about to hit him again and I grinned. I pulled out my flash light from the hay and shined it at Austin's face.

"Look who the cat dragged in," I said, still grinning as I saw his red face as his eyes adjusted to the light and he saw me sitting on top of him.

"What the fuck?! That hurt you maniac!" Austin said angrily, "Get the light out of my face," he added as a after thought and I rolled my eyes, sticking the handle into the hay so it shined light everywhere.

"I'm not the one who broke in to steal Phantom, so shut up you thief, kidnapper, asshole, Mr. pukes, give me a couple of minutes and I'll come up with many more names," I said and he flinched slightly.

"Will you get off of me now?" He asked, wiggling from under me and I shook my head.

"I like to be in the superior position, so nope, plus you probably like this position," I said and a small grin cracked out on his lips, "But fine, I'll give you back a little pride," I pushed myself off of him, rolling over to lay on my back next to him.

"I'm sorry about this, and are you alright? I hit you hard a couple of times," He said and I laughed hard, clutching my stomach when I finally stopped.

"You think you actually hurt me, don't you?" I asked, turning my head to looked at him as he nodded "Well, you didn't, I lived in New York, I'm a tough girl, I took karate when I was little and horse riding gives you some pretty good muscles," he chuckled and I sighed, looking back at the ceiling.

"Why'd you sleep out here?" Austin asked and I felt something touch my leg, he must have moved.

"Because I knew one of you would be coming, I'm just surprised Steve didn't, can you grab the pillow and blanket behind the hay please?" I said, smiling when I felt him lean over to grab it the he raised my head and placed the pillow under it and laid the blanket on me before laying back again. "Thank you," I mumbled, feeling I was still tired, I rested my head against his bicep instead of the pillow.

"No problem, I should go now though, I won't be back, I promise," Austin said and started to get up, gently moving his arm away but my hand shot out and I grabbed it, pulling him back down.

"Please don't, I'll get lonely and who knows how many rats and mice are out here, they'll want you first," I said, clutching tightly to his arm.

"Okay, but you own me something," He said, laying back down next to me and I