Love Finds You: A Helena's Grove Novella Read Online Free PDF

pull his hat over his eyes, but he continued to giggle. Her blood began to boil beneath her skin. She tugged on the shoe, one, two, three times. The fourth hard tug brought the shoe out of the mud. Unbalanced in her one six-inch heel, she teetered and finally fell straight on her butt. Blackish-brown, muddy water oozed around her and she screamed furiously.
    Zack and Annie were suddenly beside her. Annie looked horrified. “Oh Jen! I’m so sorry! I don’t know why I asked you to come over here in this mud. I’m so sorry!” Her apologies continued as Jen sat there in the mud, so shocked she didn’t know what to do. Zack moved in, took one of her hands and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her up. Jen briefly felt the strength in his arms but chose to focus on other things.
    “Were those shoes expensive?” The worry in Annie’s voice was evident. “Oh my goodness is there something we can do? Your dress, Jen! I’m so sorry! Maybe we can clean them off...”
    Once again standing upright, Jen shook her shoe; little droplets of mud flung everywhere.
    “Don’t worry Annie,” Zack said, a laughing tone in his voice, “these shoes are Vera Wang.” He emphasized the name. “Miss Berkley probably has them insured.”
    Jen felt a flash of anger, and then she snapped. “You are an inconsiderate, unrefined jerk! You are arrogant and insensitive and you don’t know anything about me!”
    “You’re r ight about that,” Zack retorted. “I don’t know you, which is why it is such a complete mystery to me why you would bring high heeled shoes to a place full of dirt and manure. Maybe if I knew you better I’d understand that decision more fully.”
    His statement was dripping with sarcasm and Jen’s fuse burst even more. “You bigheaded, stuck-up, snub-nosed, son of a b…”
    “Jennifer!” Aunt Gabby said sharply, cutting her off. She had seen what happened and had made her way to their circle. “Get in the truck. I’m taking you home.” Her tone was authoritative. She held out her hand to Zack who without question gave her the keys. Taking them, she slid her arm around Jen and led her to the truck. Jen had taken the other shoe off and had both shoes in her hands now. Barefooted, she waddled through the mud. It wasn’t until she was in the passenger seat that she fully assessed the damage to her apparel. Her shoes, one completely covered in mud and the other half way so, sat on her lap. Her feet were muddy up past her ankles. Her dress was muddy from her butt clear up her left side. She was a mess and felt ridiculous. Suddenly, she felt her eyes begin to burn, and tears formed. She wasn’t used to being publicly humiliated. She held it together until they had driven up the road a ways before she broke down.
    Aunt Gabby said very little on the way home. Jen just sobbed pathetically. She felt awkward, but she couldn’t stop the tears from coming. Her clothes were ruined and her pride had been bruised. When they reached the house, she went straight to her room and stripped. She threw her shoes in the sink and began soaking them, hoping against hope that she would be able to get the dark color out. Using some spot remover and fierce determination, she worked to get the mud stains out of her dress and jacket. After two hours of scrubbing and soaking, she sat down on her bed and acknowledged her defeat. The white dress was now half brown, her bright yellow jacket was speckled with dark spots, and her shoes were toast.
    Red nosed and puffy eyed, she lay down on her bed, the fury growing. She hated Ohio. Hated mud. Hated cows. Hated trucks. Hated the smell of manure. But most of all, more than anything, she hated Zack LaFaye.

Chapter 6
     
    Not in the mood to go anywhere or do anything, Jen spent the next two weeks at home. When she was asked if she wanted to try branding again the week following her muddy disaster, she emphatically declined. Jen wasn’t there to experience country living, she was there to