Chapter 6 by: I Am A Cowgirl!
Darrel, Jen, Jake and Sam sat in the musty tack room, discussing the Harp kids.
"They don't seem like that bad of kids." Jen protested "I think they just started on the wrong foot, we can help them get back on track."
Jen adjusted her position on the tack box to face Darrel.
"I don't know, darlin' I don't like them one bit." Darrel argued, his eyebrows furrowing
"You haven't even met them Darrel!" Jen laughed
"Doesn't matter, there no good." Darrel smiled, pulling Jen into his lap. Jen laughed harder looking up at him, her head in his lap. Darrel grinned down at her.
"Don't you agree Jake?" Darrel said tearing his gaze away from Jen
"They're normal city kids with a bad record, nothing new." Jake responded as he watched Sam tug at her bracelet.
"Whatever," Darrel sighed "what about you Sammy?"
Sam twisted the white horse hair bracelet around her wrist. Pulling her thumb over it she felt each strand as it was pulled into a braid.
"Sam?!" Darrel called loudly
"What?" Sam yelled jumping back a bit.
Jake's hand came up to sturdy her as she almost topped back over the hay bale. Sam looked over at Jake and blushed.
"I asked what you thought about the HARP people."
"Oh there fine, I guess." Sam sighed
Jake furrowed his eyebrows and looked down at her back with a puzzled gaze. Sam shivered feeling his gaze dart threw her.
"Sam's got something on her mind," Jen stated "I'd know that look anywhere. What is it?"
"It's nothing." Sam insisted
"It can't be nothing if your thinking about it." Jake murmured quietly in her ear.
"What is it Sam?" Jen asked, pushing her glasses farther up her nose.
"Oh I don't know it's just something about that girl Allie." Sam said pulling her knees up to her chin.
"Like what?" Darrel asked
"I told you I'm not sure," Sam hesitated "just something."
Sam put her head on Jake's shoulder. Jake sighed and sneaked a hand around Sam's lower waist. His thumb massaging the small amount of skin that was exposed on her lower back.
"Oh so this is where the 'camp leaders' hang out."
Sam's head shot up, lifting off Jake's chest.
Ricky leaned on the doorframe of the tack room, Tara's head poking out from behind him. Sam sat up straight.
"Oh no don't leave on my account." Ricky smiled "I'd love to lay with you."
Jake tensed behind her. Sam laced her fingers threw his and gave a small squeeze. Jake returned the squeeze, with a gentle one of his own.
Ricky strutted into the room and threw himself onto a tack box, close to Sam. Tara glided in the room after Ricky and sat down, putting herself in between Jake and Darrel.
"Who's your friend?" Tara asked Jake, looking Darrel up and down
"This is Darrel," Jen said looping her arm through Darrel's. She smiled at Tara despite the jealousy she felt as Tara continued to look at him like a hungry hawk.
Tara's gaze flicked to Jen then back to Darrel.
"You don't look like a cowboy." Tara stated.
Darrel snorted. "Cause I'm not."
Tara looked Darrel up and down once more before turning back to Jake.
"Which horse is yours?" Tara asked.
"He has the moody black mare that tries to eat everyone." Jen answered.
Tara looked back towards Jen, her mouth a straight line. It was obvious that Tara wanted Jake to answer for himself.
Ricky situated himself on the tack trunk so he sat closer to Sam. He put his hand on her thigh making her jump. Sam tried to push him off without anyone noticing but he didn't move. He slid his hand toward her inner thigh making Sam all but leap onto Jake's lap.
Jake saw Ricky's hand and stood so fast that Ricky had no chance to react. Jake grabbed Ricky from his tee shirt and pulled him away from Sam towards the door. A grooming bucket crashed to the floor, brushes scattering everywhere.
"What the hell!" Tara yelled.
"Jake stop!" Sam said getting up and putting a hand on his arm.
Jake lifted Ricky off the floor so that his feet didn't touch the ground. Ricky winked at Sam and laughed as Jake shook him.
Darrel jumped up his hands pulled into fists. Jen held him back, her small hands spread out over his chest.
"Don't ever touch my girl, you got that?" Jake growled.
"Your girl? Didn't know the territory was claimed." Ricky challenged.
Jake sucked in a breath, controlling his temper, "Well now you know."
Jake set him back on his feet.
Ricky nodded and fixed his tee shirt. He looked towards the door and saw Allie's big brown eyes staring at him in horror.
"What are you looking at freak?"
"Don't talk to her like that." Sam snapped.
Ricky opened his mouth with a smart response but thought better of it when Jake huffed.
"It's ok Allie," Sam reassured her "Were all going to go in for supper now, anyway."
"W-we eat with you?" She asked shyly.
"Of course." Sam said, unsure of where the girl thought she was eating.
The tack room emptied till it was just Jake and Sam.
"Did he hurt you?" Jake asked closing the distance between them in seconds.
"No." Sam answered looking up into his mustang eyes "Honestly Jake, I'm fine. But you have to control your temper better."
"Sam-" Jake protested.
"I know." Sam said laying a finger on his lips. "I know Jake, I feel the same with Tara. We just have to control it, we have to help them."
Jake smiled and Sam dropped her finger from his lips. Sam rose up on the balls of her feet and Jake leaned down, there lips meeting in the middle.
"Samantha, Jake come on your suppers going to get cold!" Grace Forster yelled from the farm house.
"Coming!" Sam called again.
Sam wiggled her way out of Jake's arms.
"I'll be right there, you go." Sam said noticing a dark shadow outside the barn.
Jake sighed and looked towards the shadow. "Ok"
Jake left the barn and made his way towards the farmhouse as Sam straightened up the tack room. Sam dropped brushes into the grooming bucket that had spilled when Jake ripped Ricky away from her.
"Sam?" a small voice called.
"Yeah?" Sam smiled turning to Allie as she entered the room.
"I just wanted to know if you were ok? Did they hurt you?" Her eyes burned with such intensity that it startled Sam for a second.
"I'm fine thanks Allie, Jake took care of Ricky."
"And Jake didn't hurt you?" Allie asked bending down to pick up a hoof pick.
"No," Sam said shaking her head. "Jake would never hurt me."
"Ok." Allie answered quietly, as they left the barn, for dinner.
