I swallow the nervous lump in my throat.
He’s a hell of a lot bigger than I remember and when I have to look up, much higher than most people I know, I take an involuntary step backward. He reaches forward and pulls Momma into a hug as he lets out a laugh and she gives him a gentle shove away.
“It’s good to see you too, little brother,” she teases him with a smile.
He grins as he lets her go, and I wait patiently for him to recognize me once his eyes land on me. But there’s no sign of recognition or welcome in those caramel-colored, brown eyes of his. I watch as they narrow and look me up and down in suspicion before he crosses his arms over his chest and glares at his sister.
“Who’s this?” he asks her in a stern tone.
“Huck, don’t be silly. It’s Maddi!” she scolds him, giving me a gentle shove in his direction.
His eyes soften immediately and a sheepish smile crosses his lips. I watch as he becomes a completely different person, sliding his hands into his pockets, and giving me an embarrassed shrug.
“Sorry, Maddi. The last time I saw you, you were a little thing, you know?” he explains apologetically. I steal a glance at Momma who’s looking at me expectantly and I blow out my breath, forcing a smile onto my face.
“It’s okay, Uncle Huck. I don’t remember you being quite so damn big, so I guess we’re even,” I reply with a shrug.
Momma ribs me with her elbow, her brother laughs, and then silence.
“So, what brings you two out here?” he asks, mercifully killing the awkward quiet after a few moments.
“I thought Maddi could stay with you for summer vacation,” Momma suggests a little too brightly. “Will Brianna mind?”
Uncle Huck takes a hand out of his pocket and runs it irritably over his face. “She shouldn’t—she left me last year.”
“Oh Huck,” Momma says softly.
He turns his face and spits over the side of the porch before he shrugs. He doesn’t say anything else, instead, he reaches down and picks up my duffle bag from the porch and signals with his head for me to follow him inside.
“See you in a couple of months, Abigail,” he says to Momma as the door swings closed behind us.
Chapter Three
The first night at Uncle Huck’s isn’t so bad. He told me the rules of the house, of which most are the same as Momma’s. Some are more childish than others—no running in the house, clean your feet on the mat when you come inside, and eat your vegetables—the rest are more geared toward safety. No going outside at night alone, don’t wander into the farmhouse without him, and stay away from the pigpen.
I sleep in the spare room near the back of the farmhouse and he sleeps in the room directly across from mine.
In a weird way, it’s nice to have him so close by, especially since I’m going to have to get used to this country living for a while. Being from a bigger city is gonna make the quiet nights with only crickets signing a little hard to be comfortable with.
When I wake up the next morning, though, I stretch my arms over my head and sigh as I sit up and glance out the bedroom window. It’s almost nice to not see brick buildings and sky-rises in the distance, even though it’s what I’m used to.
I hear Uncle Huck’s heavy footsteps as he walks out of his room, then the soft rapping of his knuckles against my bedroom room door. I reach down for the soft sheet I used as a blanket, pull it up to my chin, and make sure I’m decent.
“Come in,” I call out in a groggy voice.
He peeks his head into the room a few seconds later, then laughs as he rests his head against the door. “That’s some serious hair you’ve got going there, Maddi,” he teases.
“Huh?” I reach up and use both of my hands to smooth my hair down, then feel myself become a dark shade of crimson when he looks away.
“Sorry,” I mumble quietly as I reach for the sheet again. I slept in a skin-tight cami last night, and since I don’t wear a bra when I go to bed, I wouldn’t be surprised if my girls were perked up in greeting.
"Don’t worry about it,” he says in a rush, “I should have given you time to get dressed. Anyway, breakfast will be ready in about twenty minutes.”
He closes the door almost with a slam and I sigh as I drop the sheet. Day one and I’ve already managed to cross some kind of invisible line with him it seems.
I get out of the bed and rub the small of my back. The damn mattress was so stiff that I’m sure I’ll be sore for a good portion of the day, but I won’t complain ‘cause Uncle Huck could have turned me away the moment Momma dumped me on him.
I walk over to my duffle bag and pull a bra out. I think I’ve already given him enough of a show, and I’m damn sure he’s not looking for the encore.