Chapter 17

"%#*!" screeched Rachel in absolute outrage. EW, she just couldn't look, couldn't look…But then she did.

Daisy had upchucked all over Rachel Gertrude Slocum's leather Porsche seats.

And a dead ferret-looking thing lay dead in the middle of the country road. The world was coming to an end, Rachel thought with shock. Otherwise, this would not have happened. If I would have kept my (INSERT CURSE) butt in England, she thought reluctantly, none of this idiotic mess would have occurred.

Now Daisy's head was out of the car window and her retching could still be heard over Rachel's cussing. The blond felt sicker than a dog, no joke. But at least a dog could eat grass to feel better. The only thing that made Daisy feel better is that this at least wasn't her car.

For the first time in her sixteen years, Rachel felt speechless and dumb. She wasn't use to comforting people (let alone sick people) and cursing wasn't doing any good whatsoever.

"Umm, Daisy," Rachel scowled. "You do realize you will be paying for this?"

The only response from Daisy was the sound of her crying and coughing.

55…56…57…58…59, 60! Sam burst out of the hay and looked dashed to a window. She could see from there that the irritating sheriff was already halfway to 2200.

Jake was right behind her, still rubbing straw and dust out of his dark hair. He looked beyond ticked off. "Samantha Ann Forster!" he barked. "What were you freakin' thinking?"

"Um, I don't know?" guessed Sam guiltily.

Instead of yelling at her, he stubbornly crossed his arms and looked down on her. This annoyed Sam, since she was his girlfriend, not his little sister!

"Quit acting like Dad." grumbled Sam. "What was I suppost to do? I don't know why exactly he was here, but whatever it was, it wasn't good!"

Jake exhaled. "Ferret." he said. "Rachel plowed into a ferret."

`Glad that he wasn't set on scolding her, Sam gratefully took it from there. "That's hysterical." Sam said with a straight face. "You can sure tell she just got her license. Or is the driving in London different than it is in this desolate town?"

The corners of Jake's mouth turned up in a tomcat grin. Pretty soon they were laughing so hard Sam couldn't see straight. Rarely had she seen Jake laughing, but now they were leaning against each other shaking with laughter.

Sheriff Lawrence pulled up to the crime scene to see the English teenager screaming profanities and the flaxen Roberts girl leaning out of the expensive 2010 Porsche puking out her guts.

A lifeless rodent lay by the front right wheel of the car. So that must be what she was saying about a ferret, mused the cop.

The once-alive ugly prairie dog may have slightly resembled a ferret, but it wasn't difficult to tell that it was a feral animal. As Ron Lawrence unhurriedly removed himself from the police cruiser, Rachel Slocum strode toward him, her styled hair slightly mussed.

"What the #!% took you so long?" yelled the priss, gesturing toward her friend and the dead prairie dog.

His face turning purple with outrage, Sheriff Lawrence whipped out his official badge (which he showed off at any chance he got) and shoved it in Rachel's face.

"DOES THIS MEAN ANYTHING TO YOU?" he yelled back. "YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR CURSING TO A RESPECTED POLICE MAN!"

"Do I look like I care?" retorted Rachel icily, ignoring his expression of outrage. "I called for a guy to come clear all this up, not a lecturer!"

Meanwhile, Daisy's three last meals were on the car, the ground and other various locations. She quickly grabbed a smashed Hershey Kiss from her pocket and threw it into her yucky mouth.

She smoothed down her blond hair as good as she could get it, and reapplied her lip gloss. Meaningfully not looking at her vomit, she stepped on of the Porsche and over to Rachel and Sheriff Lawrence.

"Um, Uncle Ronny?"

"I'm leavin'." announced Jake firmly. "'Specially if that sheriff decides to come back."

Sam nodded in agreement. Her and Jake sat on the porch swing, and her gaze kept reverting back to the road. She hoped that Rachel's crisis would stop him from pursuing them any further.

Gram would be back at four, and it was only about 2 o'clock. Again, she hoped that he wouldn't be back and she could be left alone to fuss with Tempest.

"Brat, you can come too." Jake suddenly told her, looking at her.

Sam frowned. "Why? I can just stay here and groom Tempest. That's what I was doing, before he came."

"You haven't seen the Phantom in a while."

"That's right. Not since the vet treated him, anyway."

Sam was pretty surprised that Jake actually brought up looking for Blackie. Since he was always concerned about her health and safety.

In ten minutes, they were saddled up on Witch and Tempest and ready to go set off on the range.

The silence was peaceful and Sam was thankful that she lived out in the middle of nowhere. How people could stand all those buildings and light pollution blocking out the sky, she didn't know. She was also glad that Sheriff Lawrence hadn't discovered her and Jake hiding. And that Rachel Slocum hadn't stirred up any trouble.

Little did she know…