01- Winter Ride
Cotey Mallory and Carrie Thorke had been best friends their whole lives. Seventeen years of friendship seemed to culminate to this trip. Their riding instructor, Lila Duncan, had given them a ski trip for their Christmas present. The girls were in Cotey’s car, on their way to the upstate New York Mountain resort. Both girls were pretty. Cotey had long brown hair and brown eyes, while Carrie had curly blonde hair and blue eyes. They both had nearly perfect figures, brought on by years of horseback riding. As they drove, Cotey attempted to cheer her friend up. Her latest crisis had to do with a guy named Jason Fute, her current love interest.
“Cotey, you’d understand if you had ever seriously liked someone. Since you haven’t…” Carrie trailed off when Cotey shot her a dirty look.
“I can always turn back around,” Cotey muttered. Carrie sighed.
“I didn’t mean it like that Cotey. You’re hardly ever interested in a guy, so I’m just assuming you wouldn’t be now.”
“What’s that they say about assuming?” Cotey asked. Carrie frowned at her and Cotey said, “It just so happens I am interested in a guy right now.”
“Who is it?” Carrie demanded, pulling the mass of blonde ringlets out of her face.
“Jeff Lott.” Carrie gave a hesitant smile.
“He’s pretty cute… but he has an awful temper Cotey,” she said.
“Well so does Jason!” Cotey exclaimed, glancing at her friend with angry eyes.
“Jason doesn’t lose his temper at the drop of a hat over stupid things. Were you in the cafeteria the day Jeff punched a guy because he took the last seat at the table? It was crazy.” Cotey pulled into the resort parking lot with a sigh.
“Well I still think he’s a great guy. I heard he might be up here this weekend.” They got out of the car and collected their things. Suddenly Carrie grabbed Cotey’s arm and pointed to a red truck.
“Look!” she exclaimed excitedly.
“Yeah, so?”
‘That’s Jason’s truck! Lila told me he wouldn’t be here this weekend,” Carrie said, her eyes wide.
“Well apparently Lila was…” Suddenly Carrie screamed, but before Cotey could react, someone grabbed her from behind. She thrust her elbow into the person’s stomach, and sent a roundhouse kick to their temple. She turned, ready to defend herself further, but frowned as soon as she saw who had grabbed her. Sam Giran was doubled over, holding his side and head. Jason Fute, who had grabbed Carrie, put a hand on Sam’s shoulder.
“You ok man?” he asked. Sam merely nodded, and Jason glanced to Cotey and smiled. “Didn’t I tell you to say something to her when you grabbed her? She took karate for six years,” Jason muttered.
“You didn’t tell me she’d do that,” Sam said with a tight smile. He turned to Cotey and said, “That was some greeting.”
“I give people what they deserve,” she said icily. She had never liked Sam. She thought he was cute, but thought he spent all of the time at the barn riding in order to attract girls. Sam sighed and reached out to take her duffle bag. Cotey pulled it out of his reach. “If I can handle a thousand pound horse, I think I can handle a duffle bag full of clothes,” she said.
“I was just trying to help, but forget it,” he muttered. The four of them walked the rest of the way to the main lodge together.
Cotey sighed into the phone and said, “I don’t know how you could have made this kind of mistake.”
“I’m very sorry Ma’am. All of our rooms are full now. If it’s that much of an inconvenience, I could check again to see if there’s an open room,” the man said.
“Forget it,” she muttered, slamming the receiver down. The resort had booked her in the same room with Sam, and now there were no free rooms. Sam looked at her for a moment before sighing.
“Why don’t you just ask Carrie to switch with me?” he suggested. Cotey frowned and turned to face him.
“Carrie has had a crush on Jason forever. I highly doubt she’s going to give up this golden opportunity.”
“Well this isn’t my fault,” he said. She went to her room in the cabin and grabbed her bag.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll see you around Sam,” she muttered. She was out the door before he could say a word.
Carrie opened the door to her cabin and was surprised to see Cotey standing there with her duffle bag.
“Hey, what’re you doing here?” she asked. Cotey brushed past her and went to stand in the middle of the room.
“I came to tell you that I’m going home. I can’t stay in the same cabin with that self-centered, egotistical jerk.” Carrie sighed.
“You don’t really mean any of that. When Sam first moved her you thought he was nice… until he showed up at the barn. I don’t understand how you can love horses, but hate someone else for loving the same thing.”
“Easy. Same rides to attract girls.” Carrie shook her head.
“How do you know that? Sam just isn’t that way Cotey. Come on… one week in the same two-bedroom cabin won’t be that bad will it?” Cotey didn’t answer. “I saw Jeff Lott earlier, and he said he’s really looking forward to seeing you.” Cotey’s face brightened.
“Really? He said that he wanted to see me? Wow.” Carrie smiled.
“So are you going to stay?”
“Of course I’m going to stay! I’ll see you tomorrow Carre,” she said, walking back out the door and disappearing down the path.
Sam was sitting on the couch reading a book titled Racing: What You Need to Know. Cotey tossed her bag in the corner by the door and took off her jacket.
“You’re interested in racing?” she asked him. He glanced up and nodded.
“Yeah. You are too right?” She nodded and sat down in the chair by the window to take off her hiking boots.
“I’m interested in anything that has to do with horses. I’ll be in my room. Do you want dinner or anything?” she asked, standing.
“Sure,” he replied.
“Stove’s in the kitchen,” she called, walking into her room and shutting the door. Sam sighed and wondered when she’d realize how much he liked her.
The next morning Cotey, Sam, Carrie, and Jason decided to go skiing. Cotey and Sam were the best of the four, but they all took it easy. Jeff arrived a few minutes after they did, and Cotey was absolutely entranced.
“Hey Jas, come here!” Sam called to his good friend. Jason skied over.
“What’s up?” he asked. Sam motioned to where Cotey was helping Jeff with his skis.
“I was just wondering what she sees in that guy,” he muttered. A smile spread across Jason’s handsome face.
“Jealous Sammy?” he teased.
“A little… not that it’ll make much difference.” He turned and began to ski furiously down a steep, unmarked embankment. His right ski caught on a rock and he tumbled the rest of the way down. Suddenly Cotey was at his side, her face concerned.
“Are you ok?” she demanded. He released his ski with a grimace.
“I just twisted my ankle a little. Jason, come over here and help me up!” he called. Jason took his skis off and helped Sam stand. Carrie picked them up, then walked with them back to Cotey and Sam’s cabin.
“Will you two be ok?” Jason asked as soon as Sam was seated. Cotey nodded and went into the kitchen.
“Yeah, I know how to take care of sprained ankles. You guys go have fun,” she ordered. They nodded and walked out. Cotey went back to the couch and took Sam’s ski boot off carefully. Sam watched as she worked, her long hair falling over her shoulder.
“Where’d you learn to take care of ankles?” he asked. She glanced up at him.
“I sprained my ankle on an endurance run once. I had to take care of it in order to finish,” she explained, tossing her hair back.
“Did you?”
“Yeah, I got first place. I couldn’t ride for three weeks after that though.” Sam stared at her incredulously.
“You went three whole weeks without being on a horse?” he demanded. Cotey glanced up again.
“Yeah, I did. Why do you sound so shocked?” He shrugged and gave a smile.
“I don’t think I could’ve lived that long without riding. I probably would’ve gone crazy.
“I thought…” She stopped abruptly, realizing she’d almost told him her real reason for not liking him. Sam looked at her seriously.
“What did you think about me now?” he asked, looking her directly in the eye.
“I don’t know,” she muttered. Sam glanced away, sensing her discomfort.
“Well I hope you don’t think I’m a bad person or anything. I’m not. Maybe I come across as stuck up or something.”
“You don’t,” she told him quickly… a little too quickly for her own liking. His gaze shifted back to her flawless face.
“So, what do you see in that guy Jeff?” he asked as she stood.
“Where did that come from?” she demanded. “Can’t you have a conversation with me without messing it up?”
“Sorry, I was just wondering,” he muttered.
“Don’t worry about it. I’m going to go take a nap. I’m feeling tired.”
“See you later,” he said.
“Later,” she murmured, disappearing into her room.
Cotey met Jeff at the main lodge the next morning for breakfast.
“So how’s it going?” he asked when she sat down across from him.
“Fine, how about you?” Jeff shrugged and gave her a cocky grin.
“Everything’s fine. I’m eating breakfast with the most beautiful girl here.” She blushed.
“You don’t need to say things like that. I really like spending time with you.” Jeff smiled again. Neither one noticed Sam standing in the doorway, a jealous look in his eye.
A couple hours later Sam walked up to Jeff. He was alone in the main lobby.
“So Jeff, I hear that you and Cotey have been spending some time together,” Sam said.
“You better believe it. I’m the first guy since her father died that she’s given the time of day, and I can’t wait to get her into bed.” Sam clenched his fists and forced a smile.
“Well good luck buddy,” he muttered, starting to walk away.
“Hey Sam! You’re sharing a cabin with her. Feel like trading?” Jeff called after him. Sam resisted the urge to tell the guy off.
“Not on your life!” he called over his shoulder.
That night Cotey returned from her ride with Carrie. The resort had a stable that lent horses out to guests. It was a little after six.
“Hey Sam are you here?” she called. He appeared in the doorway that led to his bedroom.
“Yup. I need to talk to you.” She went to the chair and sat down in it Indian style.
“What’s up?” she questioned. He sat down on the coffee table in front of her, a frown on his face. His eyes were dark with concern.
“It’s about Jeff,” he began. Cotey looked at him expectantly. “He and I were talking in the main lodge today, and he was bragging that he was going to get you into bed just as quick as he could. He even asked me to trade rooms with him so he could get to it quicker.” She searched his gaze and could tell he wasn’t lying.
“Thanks for the information Sam, but I’ll decide for myself who I do and don’t spend time with,” she said, standing up. Sam caught her arm and turned her to face him.
“He wasn’t kidding about getting you into bed Cotey… that’s all he wants.” He looked at her for a moment more, then leaned down and kissed her. Cotey pushed him away and looked at him, confused.
“Why’d you do that?” she demanded. He shrugged and looked away from her.
“I don’t know… it felt right. I’m telling you the truth.”
“Don’t try to help me anymore Sam. I don’t need that kind of help,” she said, pulling away and going into her room.
The next morning Cotey went to the barn to meet Jeff. It was early, and nobody was around.
“Hey, what’d you do after we split up yesterday?” he asked. She shrugged.
“Not too much. Carrie and I went on a trail ride, then I went back up to my cabin.”
“Cool. So what do you want to do?” he asked, somewhat suggestively. He put his hands on her waist, but she backed away.
“Knock it off Jeff,” she said. He stepped closer again and she backed away. “Come on Jeff, stop it,” she said. He grabbed her arm and yanked her toward him.
“Let’s not make this any harder than it has to be Cotey,” he muttered, backing her into the woods and shoving her to the ground. Nobody was around to hear her scream.
At five that night Sam started to get worried about Cotey. She’d left to meet Jeff early that morning and still wasn’t back. The door opened suddenly, and Carrie, Jason, and Cotey walked in.
“Hey Sam. We took Cotey out to dinner. You don’t mind too much do you?” Jason asked, a smile pasted on his face. Sam shook his head and looked at Cotey. She had a vacant expression on her face.
“Where’d you take her?” he demanded, observing her messed hair, ripped jeans, and bruised cheek.
“We went riding first,” Carrie added quickly.
“Oh. Cool.” Cotey shuddered visibly at the use of the word.
“I guess we’ll leave now. Cotey, we’ll be back tomorrow morning,” Carrie promised, grabbing Jason’s hand and leading him from the cabin. Cotey walked slowly to her room and closed the door, hoping Sam would catch the hint. Several moments later there was a knock on the door.
“Yeah?” she called softly. The door opened and Sam walked in.
“What’s the matter?” he asked.
“Nothing,” she replied. His gaze swept over her scraped knee and cut temple.
“Did you fall off?” She looked up at him and he saw that her eyes were full of unshed tears.
“Yeah. One of the resort’s horses tossed me off. I’ll be ok though.” He moved his hand to touch the cut. Cotey shied away from his hand like a puppy that had been hit one too many times.
“Those look pretty nasty. Let me go get the peroxide,” he offered. She didn’t answer, so he went to the bathroom and grabbed some disinfectant and a washcloth. He came back and found her sitting on the bed staring out the window. When he touched the washcloth to her temple she grabbed his wrist to stop him.
“Don’t!” she exclaimed. He withdrew her hand from his wrist and smiled.
“Relax Cotey, it won’t hurt for long.” She began to cry so suddenly that he didn’t have time to prepare for it. “Cotey,” he muttered, confused. He drew her into his arms and felt her stiffen immediately.
“Sam, let go,” she sobbed.
“I’m just trying help. Let me help,” he whispered. His last words were unnecessary though, because she had put her arms around his waist and was clinging to him, crying. When she stopped, she pulled away.
“I’ll clean this up myself,” she muttered, reaching for the cloth.
“I’ll do it. I can see what I’m doing and I’ll be a little more generous with the medicine.” He finished with her head, then looked to her knee. “Do you have shorts or anything you could put on so I don’t ruin your jeans?”
“No.” He went to his room and came back with a pair of boxer shorts.
“Here, put these on,” he said. Before he could turn around, she pulled her jeans off and then slipped into the boxers. She sat back down and looked up at him expectantly. “This might hurt a little more than your head did. It’s bigger and a little deeper. It shouldn’t need stitches though.”
“It won’t,” she told him in a sure voice.
“How do you know?” he asked, dampening the cloth with peroxide.
“Carrie took me to a doctor.”
‘That was pretty smart of her.” When the cloth touched her knee she winced. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he muttered.
“It’s ok.” When he was done Sam looked at her. Her face was pale and blank. Her eyes held pain and fear.
“You ok?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m just tired. Do you have a t-shirt I could borrow?” He nodded and got one from his room.
“Are you sure you’ll be ok?” he asked. She glanced up and saw that his dark eyes were filled with concern.
“Falling off has never pushed me off the deep end before. Goodnight Sam.”
The next morning Sam went into her room quietly. It was nine and she hadn’t come out yet.
“Cotey, are you awake yet?” he asked in a whisper. She was sitting by the window, her face blank. “Hey… Cotey? Are you still with me?” he demanded. She looked at him then, the blank look fading.
“Yeah. Thanks for everything last night. I was being pretty stupid. I haven’t fallen off in a long time… I guess it upset me more than I like to admit.”
“There was something more going on Cotey,” he said. She gazed up at him, a confused look seeping into her eyes.
“Maybe. Sometimes I get into weird moods… sorry you had to see me that way.
“It’s ok. So where’s Jeff?” he asked casually. Her face tightened and he saw tears well up in her eyes.
“He left early,” she whispered. Sam reached out and grasped her chin. Fear gripped her pretty features, but he didn’t let go.
“Tell me what happened,” he prodded gently.
“I… nothing. I’m just being stupid.”
“Don’t say that. You’re not stupid and neither am I. What’s bothering you?”
“Sam, please don’t do this now. Just leave it alone.” He let go of her chin and she relaxed considerably.
“Was it something I did? If it was me…” She cut him off, her eyes wide.
“Don’t say that! It wasn’t you. You didn’t do anything.”
“Then what’s going on?” he asked again, his eyes concerned. She looked away from him and took a deep breath.
“Jeff raped me yesterday,” she said in a barely audible voice. Sam clenched his fists and took a deep breath to control the rage that boiled beneath his skin.
“Where is he?” he demanded.
“In jail. Carrie convinced me to press charges. Don’t be mad at me,” she said softly.
“I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at him.” She looked up at him and frowned.
“Don’t look like that,” she murmured.
“Like what?”
“Like you’re mad at everyone. I don’t like it.” The look in his eyes softened.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let you go yesterday. I knew his intentions.”
“Don’t blame yourself for this, it wasn’t your fault.” He looked at her for a long moment before leaning down and placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.
“You should pack your stuff. We’re scheduled to leave tomorrow,” he said, giving her shoulder a squeeze before starting for the door.
“You really care about me don’t you? You’re not just a girl crazy jerk,” she said suddenly. He turned around and looked at her in surprise.
“What are you talking about?”
“You don’t just ride to attract girls,” she said simply.
“No, of course not. What gave you that idea?”
“It doesn’t matter now.” They were silent for a moment.
“I like you a lot,” he said. She nodded slowly and turned back toward the window.
“And now I trust you a lot. Maybe we can build on that,” she murmured.
“Maybe we can,” he said, walking out of the room.
