An Excerpt from A Summer Sentence by Carolynn Carey
Daniel nodded toward a white rope hammock swung between two trees. "Make yourself comfortable. Or, if you prefer, I'll give you the deluxe, three-minute tour of the yard."
"I'll take a rain check on the tour. After working in Beth Ann's yard all afternoon, I'm a bit saturated with plants. That hammock looks good to me."
"Do you know how to get into one?"
"Good grief, how hard can it be?" Megan marched over to the hammock, turned around, backed up to the edge, and plopped down. A second later, she was lying on her face in the grass below.
"Are you all right?" Daniel had dashed over and dropped to one knee beside her. Megan glanced up just in time to see him wipe a huge told-you-so grin off his face.
"An evil witch must have cast a spell on every seating contraption in McCray County," Megan said, a bitter edge to her tone. She flipped over onto her back. "I never realized before that sitting down can be so dangerous."
Daniel laughed out loud. "You do have a poor track record in that regard. Maybe I'd better help you into the hammock. It can be a little tricky."
"No kidding?"
"Sorry." Daniel was still grinning. "On the other hand, it can be really comfortable once you get settled in."
Megan's sigh was long-suffering. "Okay. Show me the proper procedure."
"Give me your hands." Daniel pulled Megan to her feet. "Okay, you turn around and back up to the hammock like this."
Megan plopped her hands onto her hips. "I did that—just like that. Exactly like that."
"I know, but it's the next part that's tricky. Come over here beside me and I'll illustrate. It's one of those things you need to get a feel for."
Megan sighed but did as Daniel asked. She soon stood beside him with her backside resting on the edge of the hammock.
"Now place your hands on the hammock about this far back from the edge. That's good! Now pull the hammock under you as you sit down. Now!"
A second later they were both face down in the grass.
Megan giggled, then laughed out loud. "The mighty hammock tamer bites the dust—I mean the grass," she declared before quickly rolling out of Daniel's reach.
He pretended to snarl, then started getting to his feet. "I won't be defeated by this thing, and I won't allow you to be defeated by it either. Come on."
"Count me out, Captain Ahab." Holding her hands in front of her, palms out in a defensive gesture, Megan backed away a few steps. "You and that Great White Hammock may be locked in a battle to the death, but I have my own furniture demons to deal with. Once you've been in the clutches of a bottom-eating chair, you're doubly cautious around furniture that shows signs of being carnivorous."
Daniel patted the swaying hammock. "See? Gentle as a lamb, I promise you. Come back over here."
Megan approached slowly. "No more dumping?"
"You have its word."
"Could I have your word as well?"
"That I won't dump you? Absolutely."
"Okay." Megan stopped pretending to be frightened and backed up to the hammock again. This time, after surviving a few bucks and wild swings, she and Daniel ended up in the center of the hammock in a tangle of arms and legs, too weak from laughter to do more than rest against each other until their chuckles faded away.
Somehow Megan's hand had landed on Daniel's left bicep. She couldn't resist. She squeezed gently. She could hear his breath catch and a smile slipped onto her face. She liked knowing she could affect him so easily, liked knowing she wasn't alone in her physical reactions to their closeness.
"Putting the squeeze on the law?" Daniel whispered. His mouth had ended up right next to Megan's ear, and she shivered when she felt him nibble gently on her lobe.
Megan squeezed a little harder. "That's what it feels like to me."
"I may have to take you in for this, you know." Daniel's mouth eased downward and he began dropping tiny kisses on the side of Megan's neck.
"Mmmm, I hope so." She eased her head around until they were face to face and Daniel's lips were opposite hers. He moved toward her slowly, giving her ample time to pull away, but Megan didn't want to pull away. However foolhardy it might be, she couldn't resist kissing him again. Surely this time, it would be just another kiss. Surely this time there would be no fireworks, no explosions.
This time was more potent than ever. Sparklers appeared behind Megan's closed eyes and sent stickles of fire racing through her bloodstream. She couldn't help wondering if Daniel was feeling anything nearly as strong as she was.
DANIEL'S SPECIAL BAKED BEANS
1 (15-oz) can pork and beans
1/4 cup ketchup
2 slices bacon, fried & crumbled
1 tsp. dry mustard
2 T. brown sugar
1 T. minced onion
Fry bacon, cool, and crumble. Brown onion in 1 T. bacon grease. Mix pork and beans, ketchup, dry mustard, brown sugar, onion, and crumbled bacon. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Copyright © Carolynn Carey.
This excerpt is copyrighted material.
It may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the permission of the author, Carolynn Carey.
