Chapter 14

"Are you speaking to me today?" Jake asked Sam later on the phone.

"Should I be?" Sam asked a question of her own.

"Yeah, I think you should be," Jake told her.

"Well then you know best, right?" Sam's tone was sarcastic.

"If all you're going to do is argue, then I'll hang up now," Jake said.

"I'm not arguing," Sam pointed out. "It's hard to argue with someone who's right all the time."

"Bye Sam," Jake told her. "I'll see you in a few months when I come home for spring break. If I do."

He hung up his phone. Jake wanted to throw it against the wall, but didn't. He wanted to hear her voice after what he had gone through the night before, but he wasn't going to give in to her bitchiness.

His phone rang almost immediately and he knew without looking at the caller ID that it was Sam. Jake was tempted not to answer, but he did.

"What?" he practically barked into the phone.

"I'm sorry," Sam sighed. "You're engaged to a raging bitch, aren't you?"

"Do you really expect me to answer that?" Jake was fighting laughter.

"You're still engaged, right?" Sam asked.

"As far as I'm concerned," Jake told her.

He heard Sam's sigh of relief in the phone.

"Can I claim PMS?" Sam wondered.

"I don't know, can you?" Jake asked.

"Yeah," Sam murmured. "I am sorry."

"I'm sorry you're not feeling well today," Jake responded.

"Thanks," Sam sighed again. "So when are you going?"

Jake debated on whether or not to tell her he had already gone.

"You went last night?" Sam figured out his reluctance.

"Yeah," Jake said.

"Were you able to see the horse?"

"Yeah," Jake answered. "It's the same one."

"Are you okay?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Jake told her. For the most part it was the truth. He hadn't suffered anything that was permanent and he'd explain the abrasion on his arm at a later time if it left a scar.

"So tell me what happened," Sam urged.

"Not much, really," Jake lied. "I went in and found the buckskin. With my penlight I looked at its feet and saw the same distinctive shoes as the tracks I found when we went out looking for them that time."

"Is someone letting Sheriff Ballard know?" Sam wondered.

"I'm sure Dad will," Jake told her. "I'm leaving soon."

Sam sighed again. "Are you coming by to see me?"

"Do you want me to?" Jake asked.

"You're still a rotten boyfriend, but yes," Sam answered.

"How am I rotten?" Jake responded. "Because I want to keep you safe?"

"I was teasing, Jake," Sam's voice became hard.

"I'm not sure you were," he said.

"You're right, I wasn't," Sam snapped.

Jake groaned.

"Since you know everything, how many fingers am I holding up?" Sam asked him, the sarcasm dripping from her voice.

Jake fought back a laugh.

"My guess would be one," Jake responded.

"Gosh Jake, you do know everything," Sam sneered and hung up.

Jake shook his head. Maybe it was a good thing he was leaving today. Then she could settle down after her hormones quit raging and they could get through this.