Chapter 2
Sam looked at him and smiled.
"Look at the baby frogs," she pointed.
"Tadpoles," Jake corrected.
"What?"
"Tad. Poles," Jake repeated more slowly. "Baby frogs are called tadpoles."
"Says who?" Sam put her hands on her hips in challenge.
"Anyone who knows anything," Jake gave it right back to her. "Gosh, don't be a brat."
"I'm not a brat."
Jake snorted. "Okay."
Sam looked back into the river.
"That's a big fish," Sam pointed.
Jake looked to where she was pointing. It was a big fish. He wished he had brought his fishing pole.
"Think we can grab him with our bare hands?" Jake asked, almost like a dare.
Sam lunged, surprising him as she splashed headfirst after the fish. Most girls he knew, and granted he didn't know many, were more prissy than to dive headfirst after a fish.
Jake dove after her and tried grabbing the fish in the river. It wasn't long before both of them were soaked and fishless. They both gave up at the same time and stood back up.
Jake started to laugh at how Sam looked like a drowned rat. Her clothes were soaked, her hair dripping as she pushed it back from her face but she was smiling.
"We almost got him," Sam told him.
"Almost," Jake agreed. "Next time maybe we'll get him."
"Next time?" Sam tilted her head at him.
"Sure," Jake shrugged. "You're okay for a girl. Most girls are afraid of getting their hands dirty."
"I don't care about that," Sam said, lifting her chin.
"Yeah, it's obvious," Jake smirked.
Sam balled up her fist and hit him which only made him laugh.
Together they crawled out of the river to sit on the bank. They sat side by side, both putting their faces towards the sun and shutting their eyes.
"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Jake asked a bit later.
"No," Sam shook her head. "Do you?"
"Five brothers," Jake told her.
"Five?" Sam yelped, opening her eyes to look at him.
"Yeah, I'm the youngest," Jake said.
"How old are you?" Sam asked.
"Almost six," Jake responded. "You're what? Three?"
Sam launched herself at him. Jake laughed as he fell upon his back, fighting her off. She was a wildcat when she lost her temper. He let her think she was winning for a few moments before he rolled her over onto her back and pinned her hands to the ground with his.
"I'm four," Sam spat.
"Excuse me," Jake only laughed harder.
She tried to break his hold. Jake gave her a grin which reminded her of one of the barn cats when they laid in the sun. Jake's grin had the same toothless smugness and his eyes squinted just like the old tomcat.
Their faces were inches apart as they struggled. Or rather Sam struggled. Jake just continued to give her that smug grin.
"Say uncle," Jake told her.
"Why?" Sam stopped struggling to ask.
"When you give up, you're supposed to say uncle," Jake said.
"Says who?"
"Everyone who knows anything," Jake's tomcat grin spread further across his face as his eyes squinted even more.
"Let me up," Sam growled.
"What do you say?" Jake smirked.
"Uncle," Sam snapped.
Jake let her up and she hit him with her fist again. Jake chuckled.
"You hit a lot for a girl," Jake told her, earning himself another fist from Sam.
They sat together a while longer before Jake looked up at the sun, which had moved in the sky.
"I need to get home," Jake told her. He started putting on his socks then pulled on his boots. He tugged on his Stetson and settled it just above his eyes.
"Are you walking?" Sam asked.
"Nah, my horse is over there," Jake pointed as he stood up.
"You have a horse?" Sam scrambled to her feet.
"Yeah, don't you?" Jake wondered.
"I have a pony named Sugar," Sam responded.
"A pony?" he made it sound like ponies were for sissies.
"I bet my pony can beat your horse," Sam boasted, crossing her arms over her chest.
Jake grinned. He'd only known her a few hours but he already recognized that when she crossed her arms like that, she was being stubborn.
"You're on, Brat," Jake told her.
"I am not a brat," Sam stuck out her chin.
"Okay," Jake's grin became a full blown smile. He started walking towards his horse, Sam following him.
"Tagalong," Jake teased.
"I just want to see this horse," Sam said, sticking out her tongue at him.
"Shouldn't you be wearing shoes?" Jake asked. "You might get bitten by a snake."
That stopped Sam in her tracks as she looked around. She ran back to her shoes and put them and her socks on in record time before running back after Jake. He looked down at her but kept walking.
"Oh," Sam breathed upon seeing Jake's horse still grazing where he had left him.
"He'd beat your pony," Jake said.
"He's bigger than Sugar," Sam replied. "What's his name?"
"George," Jake responded.
"Oh, it is not," Sam scoffed, giving him a look.
"Yes it is," Jake told her, picking up one of George's trailing reins.
Sam smooched as she approached the bay. Jake noticed that her hair was indeed the same shade of bay as George. It shone with a fiery red in the sun.
George extended his nose towards Sam and she reached up to touch it. George lowered his head for her and Sam smiled as she touched him.
"He's a great horse," Sam told Jake.
"Yeah," Jake agreed.
"Where's your saddle?" Sam wondered.
"Don't need one," Jake took a handful of George's black mane and swung up onto his back. He looked down at Sam with that tomcat grin she had noticed earlier.
"Bye Samantha," Jake started to turn George towards home.
"Bye Jake," Sam watched as he rode off. She couldn't help the smile. Even though he was a boy, she had enjoyed her afternoon.
Jake looked back once and saw her smile. She wasn't too bad for a girl. Maybe he'd come back again soon.