Big Sky Eyes by Sawyer Belle Read Free Book Online Page B

head snapped up, scanning the area for Brent. It
wasn’t hard to find him. He was the man doubled over with laughter, leaning
against the stables.
    “Really, Brent?!” she shouted over his guffawing, not amused
at all. “How am I supposed to clean this out of my boot?”
    “With water, I imagine,” he said.
    Ty and Leslie looked between the pair and shook their heads
in exasperation.
    “You two are as bad as a bunch of school kids,” Leslie
scolded with a smile.
    “Oh, come on, Leslie,” Ty teased. “They’re just having a bit
of fun.” He leveled a curious look at Brent as he made his last statement.
Brent was not known for fun. Ever. “Let’s go get the
horses saddled. Mackenna…just…catch up when you’re ready.”
    Brent followed the couple, turning back with a smile to
watch as Mackenna peeled her now-green sock carefully from her foot. Her lips
were curled against the smell and texture and he laughed once again before
turning to his work.
    Mackenna watched him go, cursing him a hundred ways in her
head. Just how was she supposed to clean this stuff from her boot anyway? He
knew damn well that she couldn’t put water in her boot. It would ruin it. As
soon as she had the thought, another for perfect revenge followed it and she
leaned against the porch rail, watching Brent’s retreating back with a wicked
grin on her lips.
    She’d spent the day riding in her tennis shoes, which wasn’t
ideal. Luckily, Sass had become so accustomed to her that she hadn’t even
needed spurs. She was anxious for night to fall so she could exact her revenge.
After everyone turned in, she waited quietly in her bed for another hour,
thinking that enough time had passed for Brent to be asleep.
    She tiptoed out of the house, across the gravel and slipped
into the stables. The only light inside came from a soft yellow glow of dim
electric lamps. She stood at the bottom of the wooden steps, listening to
determine whether he was awake. When she heard nothing she took the steps
quietly, one at a time, until her eyes were level with the platform. She peeked
around and found him lying on a small pad in the corner, covered with a flannel
blanket, sleeping peacefully.
    His boots were right near the top of the steps, within arm’s
reach. She grabbed one and took it quietly out of the stables. Once she was
back in the lodge, she filled the foot of it with water and stuck it in Bev’s
large freezer. She returned to the loft, laughing under her breath. As soon as
she shut the door, the light flicked on and Kelly was sitting up in her bed
beside the lamp. Mackenna froze, like a child caught in some insidious act.
    “What are you doing, Mackenna?” her tone was accusatory and
authoritative, and Mackenna didn’t like it.
    “What does it matter?” she responded.
    “Were you with Brent?”
    “Kelly, Brent is fast asleep.”
    “How do you know?”
    “Because I just went and stole his boot.” She smiled at the
thought of her prank, but Kelly wasn’t smiling. Mackenna sighed and plopped
down on her bed. “What’s the problem, Kell?”
    “Are you after Brent?” she asked tightly. Mackenna eyed her
friend curiously.
    “Don’t tell me you still are,” she said.
    “You know I like him, Mackenna.”
    Mackenna rolled her eyes. “Kelly, you like a lot of guys.
I’m sure Brent won’t be the last one either.”
    “What the hell kind of a thing is that to say?” Kelly said
with hurt and horror on her face. Mackenna wilted with guilt. “I’m sorry,
Kelly. Look, I’m not after Brent. I’m just his friend. Okay?”
    She still looked wounded but accepted Mackenna’s statement
and the two turned awkwardly away from one another in their beds once the light
was out. Mackenna didn’t want to hurt Kelly, but she felt a sliver of anger
over her laying some sort of claim on Brent. She was enjoying his company and
his newfound playfulness, and she could tell that he was, too. She wasn’t going
to give that up just because Kelly had