Read Mansfield Ranch for Free Online

when we were little and Alexis and Lauren and I would try to guess who my parents had been. No matter how many times we exhausted every possible thought of something exotic or exciting, it always came back to the reality that my parents were probably some sort of criminals or druggies totally rotting in jail. They had to be. I mean, look at me. I can’t even my keep mouth shut for like twenty minutes. I’m always in trouble.
    “Lilly, are you in there?” I jumped when I heard the faint knock and Daniel Benally’s voice at the door. It was inevitable, I guess.
    “Yes, Mr. Benally. I’m here. You can come in.”
    The dark-haired man propped himself on the doorjamb. His arms were folded—that was never a good sign. I decided to wait until he wanted to talk. I didn’t have to wait long.
    “Can I ask you something, Lilly?”
    “I . . . yes.”
    “Do you think it’s appropriate to embarrass our guests?”
    “No,” I whispered.
    He paused a few seconds and then asked, “Do you think it’s appropriate to slam doors in this house?”
    “No.” I glanced away; I couldn’t look at him anymore. Instead, I drew the afghan closer to me.
    I heard him heave a sigh before he asked, “Do you think it’s appropriate for a girl of your age to scream at our new neighbors and call them names and humiliate not only your family, but them as well?”
    I looked up.
    Daniel ran his hand through his hair and braced his other hand against the doorframe in frustration. His voice rose like it always did. “What is wrong with you? Why do you insist on tormenting us like this, Lilly? Why?”
    “I—I don’t know,” I squeaked.
    “Don’t you have everything you need? A house, a bed, pretty clothes, a cell phone, this—this room? Good grief! Not to mention your own horse and truck! Are you deprived in any way? Is this some plea for help or attention? What are you lacking, Lilly Price? What more could we possibly give you that you can throw back in our faces? Huh? Because obviously, this isn’t enough, is it?”
    “I . . .” I didn’t know what to say. It was fine, because he wasn’t expecting an answer.
    “I’m extremely disappointed in you.” His voice lowered. “I don’t think I have to tell you that you’re grounded. Again, Lilly. You’re grounded again .” He shook his head and mumbled something under his breath. “What am I going to have to do? What other privileges do I need to take away so you can see how serious I am?”
    I held my breath. This was always the worst part.
    Daniel sighed again and said, “Your truck is gone. Once it’s fixed, we’ll sell it. If you want a set of wheels from here on out, I suggest you get a job and buy your own.”
    How do I get a job without a car? “Okay.”
    “Oh, and Lilly?”
    “Yeah?”
    “Next time, it’s the horse.”
    Princess Buttercup? My stomach dropped. “Okay. I understand.”
    “Think about it. When you’re done, I want you in the kitchen cleaning up. You got that?”
    “Y—yes, sir.”
    “Good night, Lilly.”
    “Good night.”
    He was gone. My hands began to shake. Then my elbows and then all the way up to my shoulders. I’d survived, like I always did, but another piece of my heart was gone. That hurt more than anything.
     
    ***
     
    An hour later, I was still thinking about what I had done, and it still hurt.
    “Knock, knock.”
    This time it was Sean. Thank goodness.
    “Hey, you. How are you doing?” He pulled out the desk chair and sat on it backwards.
    “Fine,” I lied.
    He smirked. “Yeah, I can tell. You seem really fine.”
    I rolled my eyes and answered sharper than I meant to. “Why did you ask me if you already know the answer?”
    Sean studied me awhile before answering. “Wow. It got to you bad today, didn’t it? You’re not usually like this. What happened?”
    “Nothing. Everything. Nothing. Can we talk about something else?”
    He ignored me and tried another tactic. “So why’d you flip out like that? We could hear you