Christian threw his head back and laughed. “You really are cute if you think you are five foot seven.”
Maizie tried not to give in to him, but his laugh was contagious.
“You aren’t taller than five foot five, sweetheart.” He laughed then grabbed her around the waist and lifted her over his head.
Maizie’s head swam. Sweetheart? He’d been hanging around Grandpa too much. He always called Grandma that, and Maizie secretly loved it. She was sitting on his shoulders, but she might as well have been on top of the world.
“Here.” He tossed a ball up to her. “Dunk it.” He walked her to the hoop, and she put the ball through the net.
“You really are a great teacher,” she said as he lifted her down.
“I know,” he said, winding his fingers through hers.
“Too bad you are too cocky.” She dropped his hands and turned away. But he came barreling after her, scooping her up as easily as he would a child.
“I am not.” He walked her out of the shed and to the opposite shed housing the four-wheelers. He placed her on a four-wheeler and slid on behind her.
Christian steered through the fields, only the faint headlights and the moon guiding their way. His muscled arms cradled her gently against his chest. Maizie had driven a four-wheeler almost every day of her life, but it had never been this enjoyable.
Maizie had just registered where they were when the ditch came out of nowhere. She screamed at Christian to stop, but she was too slow. The front end of the four-wheeler launched into the ditch.
“Ahhh!” Maizie screamed as she was catapulted into the cool water. She went under but managed to push herself up from the shallow water fast.
“Christian!” She looked around, expecting to find him in the ditch with her, but he wasn’t there. She scrambled up the bank. The four-wheeler was front down in the narrow ditch, it’s back end sticking straight up. And there was a man lying directly in front of it on the opposite side.
“Christian!” She screamed, racing to him.
He isn’t moving. Why isn’t he moving?
“Ugh,” he moaned, rolling himself over onto his back.
“Are you okay?” Maizie fell to her knees above him and leaned over his body. And then it wasn’t Christian anymore. It was Mack. And instead of life in Christian’s eyes, there was nothing but blackness.
“No. No. No. No.” Maizie scrambled back from her old nightmare, falling into the overgrown weeds. Her breath came in short, ragged spurts that left her heaving for more.
This isn’t real. This isn’t happening.
“Maiz?”
She looked up, expecting to see Mack’s face again, but it was Christian. Alive. Standing. Talking.
A sob escaped her throat, and she buried her face in her hands, forcing the pain deep down where it couldn’t hurt her.
“Maizie, are you hurt? I’m so sorry. I didn’t see it. I can’t believe I threw you off.” Words kept spewing out of his mouth, and Maizie couldn’t take it anymore.
“Are you okay?” she interrupted him, turning her face into a mask of metal.
He looked confused for a second. “Yeah. I got quite a few scratches and hit my head, but I think I’m okay.”
“Okay.” Maizie nodded her head resolutely. She jumped to her feet and started walking on shaky legs.
“Maiz, wait up. Talk to me. Did I hurt you?” He reached for her arm, but Maizie pulled hers away. “I’m so sorry. I would never hurt you.”
“I know.” Maizie cut off his rambling. “I’m fine.” She couldn’t bring herself to look into his eyes. If she did, he would see everything she wasn’t saying. How she couldn’t do this, whatever it was. It was too dangerous. There were always accidents on the farm, and each one broke her a little more, because what if the next one took the life of another person she loved? Falling in love was too dangerous. She wouldn’t survive losing him like that.
He was leaving. He was going back to his life soon. And maybe he’d stay safe in the city. But she couldn’t live with herself if he got hurt down here. Because then it would be her fault.
They came from two different places, they were two very different people. And that’s all they’d ever be.
