Red River Blue

Chapter 8

Wren managed to get enough control over her laughter to tip up her glass and gulp down the last few swallows of cider left inside it. When she bonked the glass back down on the table top, the small piece of paper that was tucked into her headband fluttered down onto the table top. She snatched it up, reading the sloppy uneven script that was scrawled across the paper.

"Who wrote this?," she demanded, staring at the words THAT DOG WE ATE. "This isn't even a person," Wren complained as the rest of the table exploded in wild laughter. The sipping cider they were drinking was stronger than it tasted. The small group managed to make it through the first round of their game with some form of control. But things pretty much descended into chaos after that. From the volume of Carl's laughter and the way he was clutching the table to keep from falling right out of his chair, it was obvious he was the one that wrote the note Wren unknowingly plucked from the hat in the middle of the table.

"You put Mufasa on one of yours," Harley argued between giggles. "...and he's a lion. So that dog we ate is fair game!" Carl buried his head in his arm, his body shaking with the force of his laughter.

The game was simple. Everyone wrote three names on little slips of paper. The names were supposed to be people, though clearly that rule was loose. They might be characters in a movie, people they actually knew, or even historical figures. Each person took a turn snagging a paper from the hat and putting it on their forehead. Whoever could guess who they were with the least amount of questions won the round. The game required no skill and very little supplies, which were the main reasons everyone liked to play it. Various card games were equally as popular, followed by horseshoes or bean bag toss if it was warm enough to play outside.

Deciding that at this point that the game was probably over, Rick pulled his own paper off his head and looked at it. His slip said Cinderella and it made him start laughing all over again. If Wren was playing, it was a given that all her clues would be Disney or fairy tale characters. It was cute. She was a sweet girl and had her mother's habit of being able to find the good in almost any situation. Rick thought she was the perfect match for his son. Wren's sunny disposition was a good compliment to Carl's more serious nature.

"Come on babe," Carl said, rising from his seat and tugging at Wren's arm. "I think I've had enough games, let's go to bed." The suggestion of going upstairs together had Wren up out of her chair and wrapping her arms around her husband in a hurry. She held his hand as they climbed the stairs, stopping to peek in on Monroe and Judith before they continued on their way down the hall. The girls were both asleep, leaning back against the pillows with an empty popcorn bowl between them and the movie they were so eager to watch only an hour before still playing on the small tv in Judith's bedroom.

"I think somethin' might be going on between my dad and your sister," Carl suggested once their bedroom door was shut. Wren only giggled as she pulled her shirt off over her head.

"Ya think?," Wren teased. The something that he mentioned had been going on for quite some time. Carl was just too busy staring down her shirt and up her shorts to notice what his dad was up to. "I think Rick really likes her. I dunno why Harley's always so mean ta him," Wren admitted with a shrug. Her sister was always intense and slow to put her trust in anyone. Even before the turn. But losing Monroe's father really affected her. Though she was the younger of the two, Wren worried about her sister. She could tell Harley was lonely and unhappy. But Harley just seemed intent on staying that way. Wren tried talking to her sister about her concerns several times, but it only seemed to make Harley angrier and more withdrawn.

Carl raised an eyebrow. He was trying to keep his mind on what they were discussing. But it was hard when Wren was undressing only an arm's reach away from him.

"If they get married does that make me your nephew?," Carl asked, stepping forward and pulling Wren into his arms. She giggled, kissing up his neck as her hands slid down into his pants.

"It doesn't make us anythin'. We got married first," she declared. "They're the weirdos, not us." Carl laughed as he walked Wren backwards towards their bed. After how much cider they both had, their drunken fumblings were over almost before they began. Wren snuggled happily down into her favorite spot. Her head rested on his chest with one of her slender legs hiked over his thigh. Carl stroked his hand through the long soft strands of her hair and fell asleep to her slow even breathing and the low timbre of his father's voice drifting up from the front porch swing.

"Have mine," Rick offered, handing Harley his half full water glass. She took it gratefully, gulping down the rest of the cold water. She tipped the glass up, sucking a partially melted ice cube into her mouth and letting it clack against her teeth before she crunched down on it. Rick took the empty glass back, setting it on the porch rail. He leaned back, putting his arm across the back of the porch swing. Harley's body posture was relaxed, one long leg tucked under her and her other bare foot swinging back and forth lazily under the swing. Her cheeks were pink from the cider she drank and from how hard she was laughing at the silly game they were playing inside. Rick thought she was beautiful even when she was scowling. But when she smiled, she took his breath away. He knew he was being a bit of a shit earlier, getting Harley's daughter excited to come over for dinner so that Monroe would do his dirty work and talk her mother into coming over as well. Rick half expected Harley to show up and kick his ass. He struggled to hide his shock when she not only showed up on time and without complaint, but in a dress and with her hair straightened.

The dress was nothing fancy. Just a black sundress with yellow sunflowers on it. It buttoned up the front and fell to just below her knees. From the demure style of it, Rick guessed the dress belonged to Beth.

"You look beautiful tonight," he said, watching Harley to see what her response to his complement would be. She bit back a grin, cocking her head to the side and giving him a look that clearly let him know he was going to have to do a little better than that if he wanted to have anything more than a drink with her. "I love your hair like this," he added, reaching forward and running his hand through the long blanket of her hair. When it was straight, Harley's hair fell down almost all the way to her waist. And it looked and felt like cornsilk.

"Yer beautiful. I love yer hair," Harley teased, gathering her hair and pulling it forward over one of her shoulders so she could lean back in the swing without pulling it. "Is that all ya got?" Rick smiled. Harley was blowing him shit. But she was also leaning back against his arm and grinning like a Cheshire cat. If she really didn't like what he had to say, his balls would be lodged somewhere in near his ribcage by now. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her against him and pressing a kiss into the soft silk of her hair.

"How about I put some music on?," he suggested. She nodded, giving his thigh a gentle squeeze before she leaned away so he could get up from the swing. A few moments later, some soft slow country music was floating out through the living room windows.

Harley took the moment alone on the porch to try and talk some sense into herself. She knew she ought to take her drunk ass home. She had no idea what she was thinking in the first place, coming over here dressed up like she had someone to impress. But dinner was amazing. And Monroe was having so much fun with Judith that Harley couldn't even bring herself to think about ordering the girl home. And then Harley was having so much fun drinking with her sister and her brother in law. She loved seeing Wren and Carl together. They were so adorable it made her want to puke. And then of course there was that other thing. The thing Harley was only willing to admit to herself because she had too much to drink. That she liked Rick and enjoyed his company. That she wanted to go upstairs to his room with him. And she wanted to stay the night and have breakfast with him and Wren and Monroe. And this could just be her life if she would stop being so stupid and stubborn and scared.

"Don't overthink it," Rick suggested, extending his hand to her. Their 'date' seemed to be going well. But when he came back out onto the porch, Harley had that look on her face. The one she always got right before she freaked out on him and took off back to her house. Her eyebrows were knitted together and she was chewing on the corner of her lower lip. Her body was suddenly tense.

"I'm not asking for anything except for a dance," he said. Harley must have thought he was full of shit. Because she laughed at his lie. She laughed but she still put her hand in his and let him pull her off the swing and into his arms. She never danced with Rick before. Which was ironic because they had done just about everything else there was to do with each other. He held her confidently in his arms, one hand resting on her lower back and the other holding her hand against his chest. Harley could feel the stubble of his beard when his cheek pressed against hers. He turned her in a slow circle, swaying to the rhythm of the music. Harley closed her eyes, listening to the familiar lyrics. She wasn't as fond of country music as Rick was. But she knew the song. It was one of her mom's favorites. River loved sad country music.

…I'm just flesh and bone, heart and soul

And I've earned a couple scars

I've let once in a lifetime kind of things slide right out of my arms

I've struck out, I've been knocked down more times than I can count

But that don't matter now…

The heat of the day melted away once the sun set. It was still warm but there was a cooler breeze blowing in off the lake. The sweet peas Wren grew on the front porch trellis filled the area with their floral perfume. Further away, someone had a small campfire burning. The smell of it mingled with the sweeter aroma of the flowers. The music filled her and for a moment Harley was lost in it. Rick's body was hard against hers and she held him tighter, her hand fisting into the back of his shirt.

When the song ended, Harley didn't object when Rick led her away into his house. She waited at the bottom of the stairs while he stalked around the place, turning off the stereo and flipping all the lights off. Contrary to his usual behavior, this time he wasn't in a rush to get her up to his room. He pulled her into his arms instead of pushing her towards the stairs.

"Will you stay with me tonight?," he asked. Harley sighed, letting the tension between them build for a moment before she answered.

"Okay," she finally said. Rick smiled, his hand cupping the back of her neck as he kissed her. The kiss was long and deep and immediately reaffirmed her decision to go upstairs with him. She didn't have much basis for comparison when it came to kissing. Rick was only the second boy she'd ever kissed. But she guessed he had kissed a lot more girls than two. Because he obviously knew what he was doing. When he kissed her, Harley could feel it all the way down in the tips of her toes.

Like Carl and Wren did on their way up, Harley and Rick stopped in the doorway of Judith's bedroom. Harley smiled at her daughter, watching Rick pull the popcorn bowl out of the bed and set it on the dresser. He pulled the blanket up over the girls and crossed the room to turn the tv off. He eased the door most of the way closed, putting his hand on the small of Harley's back and leading her down the hall to his room. She expected him to take her straight to bed. That was what he usually did anytime he could coax her up to his room with him. But instead he paused in his bedroom doorway, pulling her in for a kiss.

"I've gotta rinse off in the shower quick," he whispered, giving her a hopeful look. But Harley shook her head. She already showered right before she came over. And she didn't want to get her hair wet. Instead of letting Rick lure her into the bathroom, she entered his room and flopped down on his bed, her long yellow hair missing up around her head like a golden halo. He smiled down at her from the doorway. "I'll only be a second," he assured her.

Rick rushed around in the bathroom, taking what he was sure was the coldest and fastest shower of his life. He considered not even bothering. But he was out patrolling around town earlier in the heat of the day. And then he got fish scales and guts all over himself while he was cleaning the fish for dinner. He didn't want to get into bed like that. Especially when he had company. Clothed only in a towel, he headed for his bedroom, easing the door shut behind him. Harley was still there, curled up on his bed with her head on his pillow. Her face was relaxed and her breathing had gone slow and even. She was fast asleep. In sleep, all the pain and stress Harley wore in her expressions was gone. She looked years younger. And beautiful. Rick sighed as he pulled on a pair of cotton drawstring pants and climbed into bed next to her. He eased the covers out from under her slim body and covered her up as he tucked his body in behind hers. They already made love early that morning. So he was in no great need of a physical release. Rick was content just to hold her in his arms. Harley never really let him hold her. Not like this. Before long, he was sleeping right along with her.

The next morning, Rick woke up alone. The smell of Harley's shampoo lingered in his bedsheets. He rose from his bed and immediately went in search of the girl. It was early. Monroe and Judith were still in bed, snuggling together as they finished watching the movie that put them to sleep the night before. Rick hurried down the steps. He could smell coffee and eggs.

"Sorry," Wren said, looking up from the stovetop. "She left." It was obvious that Rick rushed into the kitchen looking for Harley. He looked so disappointed when he didn't find her there, Wren's heart broke a little for him. "She asked me to watch Monroe. Said she was going out to help Eugene with some radio tower thing…" Wren poured Rick a cup of coffee and handed it to him, offering him a sympathetic smile. "I'm sure it was important or she wouldn't have just left like that," Wren added, though she knew what she was saying was a lie.

Rick sat at the table, sipping his coffee before he set his cup on the table and rested his forehead on his palm. Wren gave him a reassuring pat on the back. She wasn't sure if what she had to say was helpful. Or if it would make Rick feel better. But it was the truth. So Wren said it anyway.

"She's only being so nasty because she cares about you." Rick snorted out a laugh.

"I'd hate to see how she treats people she doesn't like," he joked.

"You'll never see that," Wren teased back, "...because all of them are dead."