Gated by Amy Christine Parker Read Free Book Online

topic in town. It’ll be nice to finally see for myself where you’re hiding the dead bodies and child brides.”
    “Excuse me?” I stop walking and stare at him.
    His grin widens. “You have to know that people think you’re some kind of crazy cult out here. It’s a small town. You’ve been coming into town and leaving again like ghosts on and off for years. We’re the closest town to you and none of us even know exactly how many of you there are out here. It’s only natural that folks’ll start thinking you’re up to no good.”
    I don’t know what to say. I walk ahead a little and wrap my arms around myself. “It’s not like that. We like to live simply, that’s all. There’s nothing interesting here unless you count farm animals and gardens as gossip-worthy. And for the record, no one who lives here is under fifteen and the only married people are way past their teens—trust me, there aren’t any child brides.”
    Cody’s smile fades. “Hey, I didn’t mean to make you mad, really. I was trying to be funny.”
    “Well, you weren’t,” I grumble.
    He looks so disappointed that I immediately soften. “Forget about it. It’s fine. Let’s just get started.”
    I take Cody to the clubhouse first and show him thepool, our lessons room, and the room where we eat most of our meals together. Then we head over to the corrals. Only the animals are there, watching us with mildly curious faces as they munch on their feed. I wonder if Cody notices that there aren’t any other people around.
    ȁ Cstiy munch C;Sheep, pigs, and goats, fascinating,” Cody says dryly. He turns and looks in the opposite direction, his eyes resting on the dirt road that leads to the apple orchards. “So, what’s down there?” He starts moving toward it.
    He can’t go down there. Even with the truck blocking the road further in, if he gets too close he might see the Silo’s entrance. Before he gets far, out of desperation I grab his arm and loop my own through the crook of his elbow. It feels really, really bizarre to be this close to him, an Outsider. I can feel the curve of his forearm under my fingers—a bit smaller and leaner than Will’s. My stomach flutters and my face gets hot. He looks down at my arm and then at me. He raises one eyebrow at me. Marie is better at this type of thing than I am. I have no idea how to flirt effectively. I paste on what I hope is a friendly (but not too friendly) smile. “There’s just a bunch of apple trees and old farm equipment back there. Come inside the stable. Please, I want to introduce you to someone.”
    Cody looks at the orchard one last time, but allows me to lead him past the corrals and into the stable. One by one, the horses look up as we pass. Their ears flick back and forth. One or two poke their noses out into the walkway between the stalls. Cody leans in closer to me eachtime, and our shoulders keep touching as we walk. Every time it happens I get the same thrill inside my chest. This boy is making me nervous, and I don’t think it’s because he might see something on our tour that he shouldn’t.
    I look up at him, trying to see if it’s happening to him too, but his face is pinched and uncertain.
    “What?” I ask. I’m surprised at how disappointed I am that he doesn’t seem to notice the strange tension between us.
    He won’t look at me now. His eyes are glued to the stalls on his side of the stable and the horses inside them. “Um, I’m not exactly a big fan of these guys,” he says, and his face goes pink.
    “Really? Why?” I stop just before Indy’s stall and drop Cody’s arm. Cody stays in the middle of the walkway. He still won’t turn fully to face me.
    It hits me then. “You’re afraid of them,” I say slowly. I have to work at keeping my face straight because I have a feeling I’ll really embarrass him if I start smiling—or worse—laughing.
    “Not afraid exactly … just not a fan,” he says.
He
is
scared of them
. I shake my head