Little did I know the dangers of the squirrel.
8
KRISTA
No amountof running could help me escape the situation I was about to walk into. Such was the life of a woman who had a big family and parents who smothered their children for fun.
I was bound to fall into a heap of trouble. I’d been destined for it from the moment I turned four and discovered how much fun it was to play with a BB gun. From that first moment as the stock rested against my shoulder, I knew my life would never be dull.
Getting out in the saddle was one of my favorite things to do, and herding the cattle was a fun day while the other girls were playing with Barbies. Yes, I liked to play with Barbies as well, but there was nothing like the exhilaration of riding on a horse as it galloped through the countryside as my hair flew from the braid I’d done in my hair just five minutes before.
Which was why I was equally nervous and determined as I walked up the steps to my parents’ house for dinner. I hated the look of disappointment I would see on their faces when I walked through the door, but I never backed down from a challenge or shied away when the going got tough.
Most of the time.
I had waited two days to see my parents.
But that was beside the point. I already knew what would happen when I walked through that door. My mother would sigh and shake her head at me. My father would tell me how disappointed he was. And my siblings…
Well, I could already guess the order in which my brothers would berate me.
Liam would go first. He had turned into the protector of the family when Michael left for the military, and he wouldn’t give up that honor easily. Michael would no doubt stalk over to me, questioning where the man was. And Jeff…well, he’d laugh at the whole spectacle, knowing exactly what it felt like.
“No point in waiting out in the cold,” I muttered to myself, shoving the door open.
Chaos and laughter hit my ears as soon as I walked through the back door. I quickly shed my hat, gloves, and scarf, hanging them on the hook with my coat as I stomped the snow from my boots. My teal coat looked out of place amongst the various Carhartt work coats.
Jeff skidded around the corner from the living room, winking at me before taking off. Wes chased him through the house, shouting something about giving it back.
I could only imagine what Jeff had stolen, but I already knew by the hushed whispers as I walked further into the house that Jeff had been the distraction for Wes so that the rest of the family could close ranks on me.
My father was the first to peek around the corner. His bulky frame took up much of the hallway as he crossed his arms over his chest, staring angrily at me.
But as expected, it was Liam who stalked forward, stopping just inches from me. His hard jaw flexed as he worked to control his misplaced anger. It wasn’t like I had done anything to him personally.
“Took you long enough.”
“For what? I was working,” I said, shoving my way past him to the living room where everyone was waiting. I kissed Dad on the cheek, forcing him to soften when I knew he wanted to remain angry.
Michael was next, his eyebrows slanted in a severe frown as he assessed every inch of me to make sure I was unharmed. “Where is he?”
“Who’s that?” I asked, spinning and plopping down in the recliner.
“You know who.”
I did, and they all knew it, but just for kicks, I kept up the ruse. “Are we missing someone?” I pretended to count as I looked around the room, but Michael wasn’t having it.
“Krista, where is the fucker?”
“Language!” Mom snapped, coming over to take my hand as if bad news was about to be delivered.
“He’s not a fucker,” I retorted. “He’s a person.”
“He’s the scum who forced you into marriage and then abandoned you!” Michael shouted.
Behind him, Blake snorted in amusement as she shifted Rosie into an upright position over her shoulder. “I think you have it the other way around.”
“What?” Michael snapped, his attention now on his wife.