Earth Child (Romance Novels of The Fae Realm) Read Online Free PDF Page B

and momentarily taking my eyes off the activity in the backyard, I reached for a paper towel.  When once again my gaze drifted over the yard I blinked at the transformation.  The recent bevy of activity had all but ceased.  The only movement was the swaying of the trees as the uppermost branches moved in the early morning breeze.   Leaning over the sink I scanned the rest of the yard.  The culprit hadn’t left yet.  The neighbor’s enormous tabby cat was trying to slink through the bushes unnoticed.  Chuckling a little I retrieved my back pack from the counter, kissed dad on the cheek and headed out the front door.
                The sun was climbing steadily through the sky and already its heat was filling the air.  I sat on the steps turning my face to the sun, relishing its warmth.  I heard Sam’s car coming up the street and pulling into the driveway.  He cut off the engine and opened his car door.
                “Lex?”
                “What took you so long Sam?  I’ve been up for hours.  What about you, just roll out of bed?”  I stood up and smiled at him, walked to the Honda and slid into the passenger seat.  I leaned over to see Sam with a puzzled look on his face, still trying to figure out how I was ready.
                “Are we going hiking today or what?”
                “Yeah,” he stammered, “Yeah!  Let’s go hiking!”
                With that he climbed back behind the wheel and we started toward the state park in Cassville.  The drive takes just over an hour, which is mostly spent singing along with the radio or in the silence that occurs when the windows are down and the rush of 70 mph wind makes conversation difficult.  Roaring river state park is one of our favorite places to hike.
                “Which trail today?” I asked.
                “Eagle’s Nest,” Sam yelled over the noise.
                One of the longer trails, Eagle’s Nest is still relatively easy.  It’s only about 3 miles, but the view from highest point is incredible.  There are even some homesteader ruins by the cliffs edge.  They are surrounded by lilac and yucca and I sometimes wonder if the woman of the house is the one that planted the lilac all those years ago.
                “Woo,” Sam whistles appreciatively.  I look over to see what he is admiring.  Parked a few spaces down is a shiny black Cadillac.
                “Probably the street car to one of those mobile home couples,” I remark.  You know the type.  Instead of buying a retirement home in Florida or Arizona they buy a top of the line motorhome and travel across the United States.  Three months here, four there, a couple parked in the driveway of their grown children’s home.  We grab our gear from the trunk and make our way to the trailhead.  By now it’s almost eleven and the sun is beating down on us intensely.
                “Wait up a minute Sam.  I need to put on more sunblock.”
                “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.”
                I dig through my daypack and pull out the SPF 50.  Sam does likewise only his is SPF 25.  When Sam is in the sun he turns a nice golden brown.  I don’t think he has ever had a sun burn in his life.  Soon enough we’re working our way up the trail.  After a while the thick trees offer a break from the sun, but not the humidity.  It isn’t long until I start to sweat.  Sam’s shirt is starting to show signs of perspiration as well.  We walk in silence for about a mile before stopping to fish out our water and take a little break.  There is a nice flat rock a little off the trail so I walk over to it and sit down.
                “So Lex, have you thought any more about prom?”
                “Yeah Sam, about that,” I begin, but he cuts me off before I can say anything