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if you don’t like him, he’s not staying the night.”
    Good feeling – gone.
    “I didn’t say I don’t like him,” Mom countered. “I just said he’s not an easy read. I think he’s been through some tight spots.”
    Tight spots? Yeah you could call people wanting to kill you tight spots. Mom’s smart . I pointed to the door. Jason took the hint – and my hand – leading the way. Grabbing the boots, we left through the squeak-less door.
    “Hop on.” Jason said from the four wheeler.
    “No-” I pushed him back – “I’m driving.” I jammed the stick into reverse and gunned out of the garage. Then, I shoved it into High and warned, “Hold on, Buck-o.”
    “I’m back to being Buck-o?”
    “I like it.” I pressed my thumb down hard, sending us flying down the lane. Chores could wait, I needed some speed – country style.

Chapter 7
     
     
    An
    half hour later we pulled into the barn. Racing through the ranch’s back trails released my pent up stress. I’d had years of fun trailing my brothers through the trees and the memories smoothed over my grown-up worries.
    The familiar smells of earth and hay brought my thoughts back to reality where I was secretly engaged to a spy who my father was ready to kick out of the house. I kicked a rock.
    I pulled Jasper out of his stall and handed Jason a shovel so he could clean it out.
    Jason moved the wheel barrow in front of the stall's open door before digging in - literally.
    “Whew! What do you feed these guys?” Jason asked over the dividing wall.
    “Horse manure does not smell.”
    Jason grunted.
    I harnessed Millie and tied her off at the shoeing post just inside the barn door.
    “Well, it does smell; but it smells like earth. It’s just part of the landscape around here.”
    I started on Millie's stall which was quite a bit cleaner than Jasper's.
    We finished in silence. Jason took the wheelbarrow out to the manure pile. After mixing Millie's medicine with some grain, I handed the bucket to Jason who had just come back. “Hold it in front of her and she’ll eat it all. Watch out, it makes her sneeze.”
    “Weird,” Jason said.
    I grabbed a curry comb and brushed Millie’s back, working my way down and around.
    Jason’s phone beeped.
    “Who’s that?”
    “Mr. Stone. He wants to know how Plan B is coming.”
    Millie finished the grain, so Jason sat on a bale of straw next to the post. His fingers flew as he texted back.
    “What are you going to tell him?”
    “N.S.G.,” he said.
    “N.S.G.?”
    “Not so good.” He slumped forward with his elbows on his knees.
    “Why not?” I worked my way towards the front of the horse. Millie wanted more grain and stretched for the bucket at Jason’s feet.
    He gave a derisive laugh. “I’ve offended your dad. Your mom thinks I’m hiding something, and you aren’t wearing the very expensive ring I bought you. N.S.G.” He put his head in his hands.
    Millie stretched once more for the bucket, breathing deeply in her efforts. She must have taken in a nose full of medicine because she sneezed. Not a dainty little girl sneeze, but a great big horse sneeze – all over Jason. I bit my tongue to keep from laughing.
    “Please tell me that came out of her front end,” he mumbled into his hands.
    I couldn’t help it, I laughed. He looked up. Horse goo clung to every part of him except his face. I made it to the clean rag bucket and back, hardly able to breathe through the laughter. “Here, let me clean that up,” I said.
    “Thanks,” Jason relaxed. He tipped his head up so I could clean it off. At the last second, I turned to Millie and wiped the rag across the horse’s nose and up her chin. “All better now?” She nickered her thanks. Jason sat speechless. I laughed again. He jumped up, looking as if he was ready to throw me in the loose hay pile in the corner. I scooted away and grabbed another cloth. “Okay, okay. I’ll help you, too.” I wiped the worst of it out of his hair and used