Hot Potato (Shelby and Blue) - Alyssa Brugman [38]
'Let me go!' Shelby struggled more vigorously, and Clint's grip toughened. 'No! I broke my face on Friday! It wasn't Ajax, it was Hotty. You know – the chestnut. I've been to the hospital already. Ajax kicked me in the guts. I must have hit my head when I fell down.'
'Then what are you doing . . .?' Clint slowed. Realisation crossed his face. 'Oh, this is about the money.'
He loosened his hold under her knees. Shelby swung to the ground. She moved away, looking down, straightening her clothing to avoid his eyes.
'Shelly Shoes.' He sighed.
'Are you going to dob on me?'
Clint rubbed his face with his hand.
'What are you doing here anyway?' she asked.
He pointed his thumb over his shoulder. 'I'm trucking some horses up the coast for a mate. I thought I'd get an early start so I can be back for the barbecue. I just dropped in to see if Tammy had left my payment.'
They stared at each other for a moment.
'I don't suppose your parents know where you are.'
Shelby shook her head.
He sighed again, hands on hips, then cast his eyes around, as though he was looking for something.
'Come on then. I'll run you home.'
Shelby climbed into the passenger side of Clint's truck and gingerly secured her seatbelt over her sore hip. She showed him where she had left her bike, waiting in the cab while he placed it in the back.
Clint didn't say anything until they pulled out onto Gully Way.
'I didn't want it to be you, Shelby.'
He was talking about the fifty dollars. She knew she was in trouble, because he wasn't using his nickname for her.
She bit her lip and answered quietly. 'I didn't know it was for you. I thought Tammy had dropped it and so I picked it up when I was doing the feeds. I meant to give it to Mrs Edel when I'd finished, but I forgot about it. When I remembered I wanted to give it back as soon as I could, so I snuck out tonight.'
Clint didn't answer.
'I wanted to put it back straight away, because I didn't want anyone to think I was a stealer.'
He nodded. It was a plausible story. Clint believed it because he wanted it to be the truth. Shelby wished it were.
He sighed again. 'This is very awkward. You can't just go running around in the middle of the night, Shelby. I should be taking you straight to hospital. You've probably got pneumonia already, and internal bleeding. And what if your parents see me dropping you off at this hour? Can't you see that I will get into trouble too? You've put me in a terrible position.'
'I'm sorry,' she said looking at her hands. 'You could just drop me at the shops.'
'No, I'll take you all the way, but if your parents are awake I'm telling them where I found you, and I'll tell them that you need a bit of discipline in your life. I'm serious! You're out of control, Shelby. You used to be such a good girl.'
They drove along for another few minutes in silence.
'Tell me what happened to your face.'
She explained what had happened.
'This gift horse you girls bought is turning out to be quite a handful, isn't she?'
'Mm,' she murmured, watching the road ahead.
'Lucky you girls have got four months to whip her into shape before Brenda's birthday.'
Shelby blinked. They were driving past the bakery, which was open now. The smells wafted through the air vents.
'Brenda is a Virgo. We've joked about it, because Virgos are finicky.' Clint glanced at her. 'Are you sure you don't have anything else you want to tell me while you're already in trouble?'
She didn't say anything. They were only around the corner now. Shelby was staring intently through the windscreen and hoping that the lights in her house would be out. The truck turned onto the street and Shelby's house was in darkness. She sat back in her seat, exhaling with relief.
'Thank you, Clint, and I'm really sorry.'
'You're very lucky,' he repeated, pulling on the handbrake.
Shelby slid out of the cab and waited for him to retrieve her bike. 'It won't happen again,' she said.
Clint shook his head. 'No more midnight adventures!' And then he climbed back into the cab.
Shelby wheeled the bike