Daring a step forward, I cautioned him with my eyes. “I just want to come a little closer and introduce myself. Is that okay?”
I didn’t wait for his permission again. After a series of long strides over the center of the forty-foot-long bridge, I slowed to assess the situation. Ridge still hadn’t moved an inch as he spied me with curious brown eyes and a stiffened frame. And he hadn’t taken his barrel off me.
“I’m your neighbor. I live right through there.” I pointed behind me at a thick patch of forest that separated a section of landlocked public property from my parents’ vineyard. “Where the grapevines grow?” I said the last part as a question to see if I would get any sort of response from him. Even a simple nod would have appeased me.
Again, he didn’t shift an inch, causing me to sigh as I took another step forward. Annoyance was starting to twist its way through me. I didn’t like to be ignored.
“I’m standing on public property. You shoot me now, you go to jail.” I pointed toward a large spruce tree marked with red spray paint by my papa. “Your property is past that red X.”
That time, the boy looked, following the direction I’d pointed to, and I took it as an opportunity. I marched the rest of the way to him then wrapped my fist around the barrel of his gun and shoved it away from my face.
His head snapped back to mine, and my lips curled into a smile.
I stuck out my other hand. “Camila Bell. Nice to meet you.”
His face bunched into a deeper scowl as he glanced at my hand then back to my face. He didn’t shake my hand in return or speak. Instead, he blew out a breath and yanked his shotgun from my grip before setting it against a nearby tree. I chose to believe it was a truce of sorts.
I nodded past him again, gesturing to the plot of land his father owned, where the cornfields grew tall over the summer. “Wanna run with me?”
Confusion replaced his scowl.
“I like to run through the cornfields. It’s fun. You’ll see.” I reached for his hand, but before I could even touch it, he yanked it away.
Shock and annoyance rippling through me, I stumbled back. Not only was I curious, but I was also determined. “Okay, fine. Whatever.” Holding up my hands, I rolled my eyes. “I was just trying to be nice.”
With a glare, I turned to make it look like I was leaving, but then I pivoted and made a dash for the tree that held his gun and turned the barrel on him.
His eyes flashed with surprise as I started forward, causing him to have to walk backward. “You think you’re some tough guy, huh? Pointing this shotgun at me like it gives you power? Well, it doesn’t. The most powerful weapon you possess is your tongue, Farm Boy, and it appears you don’t like to use yours much. So, tell me, who has the power now?”
I stepped forward one more time, and it was enough. Ridge took a final step back, his foot caught on the edge of the creek, and he fell back into the water. The shock on his face was priceless as water soaked through his white shirt and dark jeans.
I laughed a little too hard and pulled the gun back to check the safety. As soon as I confirmed my suspicions, I grinned. “Surprise, surprise. Safety’s on, Farm Boy.” Then I inspected the chamber and laughed even harder when I saw that it was empty. “I knew it.” I threw the gun to the side and backed toward his land while he pulled himself out of the creek.
He shook his head so adamantly at me that it made me laugh.
“What is it, boy? You don’t want me to trespass?”
He nodded just as viciously as he’d shaken his head.
“Well, that’s too bad.” I took another step back, crossing the red X on the tree. “I’ve been running through the fields for years. Besides, it’s the easiest way to get where I’m going.” I shrugged. “So come with me or don’t. But you sure as heck ain’t stoppin’ me.”
With that, I turned and took off through the woods and into the cornfields.
2
The Hunter
Through the scope of his binoculars, the hunter tracked their movements at the bridge and through the woods then lost them when they tore through the cornfields. He didn’t bother chasing them there.