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After supper, I returned to the lake, as cicadas sang merrily in the long grass nearby. The field hands had all gone in for their supper, and I had the place to myself - except for Potato, of course, who happily trailed me as I waded into the water. It was just starting to get dark, but the air was still warm, so the water was a welcoming relief as I dived in, closing out all my fears and leaving them on the surface where they belonged.
As I swam along the bottom, I heard Potato splashing above me, and, rolling over, I could just make out his legs, moving powerfully through the water. Horses as a general rule couldn't swim at maximum for more than half an hour, but since Potato was so light and small, he could stay in the water as long as he wished, and I smiled to myself, letting out a small puff of air to keep myself under for a bit longer. Potato really was a gift from the heavens, not just because he was so pretty - a palomino coat and flaxen mane did that to even the meanest looking draft horse - but also because he was so damn smart. I'd taught him many of the verbal commands you'd teach a dog, and he was very quick to pick up any new trick or command I taught him. Bess thought it was stupid, telling me on more than one occasion I was being an idiot. And yet, whenever I showed Potato off to any visitors, she clammed up and got a green look on her face, as if she'd eaten something bad.
I'd had quite a few offers to either breed or sell Potato, but I'd refused them all. For one, he'd been gelded, so no gifted offspring were forthcoming, and two, he meant more to me than all the money in the world. He was incredibly devoted to me, loved me fiercely, and had gotten me through more crises than I cared to count. He was also a very good listener, and while he couldn't give me advice, he provided a warm shoulder, and a nice thick coat to cry into.
I was brought out of my reverie by a body cannonballing into the water, literally inches from landing on top of me, and I let out a bubbly squeak before surfacing, glaring at the slick blond head just popped up from under the surface. "You jerk!" I cried, splashing the newcomer in the face. "You nearly squashed me. Again!"
Jesse wiped the water out of his face with a grin. "Spud was here, so I figured you were close by," he said, pointing at Potato, who was now rolling in the dried mud, looking like he didn't have a care in the world. "Figured you'd be lurking about, so I decided to get your attention in the best way I knew how."
I rolled my eyes and splashed him again for good measure. "You're lucky I like you," I said, before squealing as he tackled me, sending us both underwater in a flurry of bubbles. I wriggled free of his grip and surfaced long enough to get in a good breath before diving under and tackling him before he could reach the surface. Our antics soon developed into an underwater wrestling match, whereby we tried our best to keep the other underwater - whilst simultaneously trying to avoid the same fate. We'd played this game often as children - Jesse was in fact a distant cousin, and had grown up with us after his parents had died in a tragic car accident - and as we grew older, we'd continued the tradition.
"Uncle, uncle!" Jesse yelled after several minutes, having managed to dodge my latest tactic - the boa constrictor - and I giggled at his mock outraged look as he glared playfully at me. "God, where'd you learn that?"
"You, yesterday," I said, grinning. "Thanks for teaching me that, by the way - I'll have to use that first, and then watch you be at my mercy instead of the other way around."
"You enjoyed it," Jesse teased, now grinning in his own turn. "I mean, you weren't complaining when you finally wriggled free and almost stood on my head to get back to the surface."
"I was out of air, idiot," I said dryly. "Again, you're lucky I like you. Anyone else would've gotten their hide tanned and staked out to dry."
"Bessie niggling at you again?" Jesse asked, frowning.
I sighed. "Got the damn rock to prove it," I said crossly. "And my 'fiance' is coming over tomorrow night. Bessie's threatened me with being dragged back to Atlanta if I don't 'stay away from the help' from now on."
"She needs to marry this man herself," Jesse said dryly. "But then again, this place would go to wrack and ruin if she left it in your hands."
I sighed and rolled over on my back, looking up at the darkening sky. The first stars were just starting to come out, and peach and rose coloured clouds painted the sky in long streaks, fading now to purple and red. "All she sees is dollar signs whenever she looks at me," I said miserably. "I'm her way forward to more riches so she can buy out more plantation owners. She's got a real miserly reputation in Mountain View, by the way. No one wants to talk to her, and they all treat her like a traitor whenever she goes into town."
A touch on my waist brought me out of my gloomy mood; Jesse stood beside me, watching me compassionately. "C'mere," he said, reaching out and lifting me so I was upright, before setting me down and wrapping his arms around me. I closed my eyes, nestling my head against his chest so I could listen to the reassuring sound of his heartbeat. A warm nose soon nudged my back; Potato, coming in to join in the cuddle pile, and I smiled, hot tears pricking my eyes as Jesse reached to give him a gentle rub on the nose. "You don't have to do this," he said softly. "You could stay here. Or we could run away together, just the three of us."
It was a tempting idea, and I tightened my hold. "Bess would hunt me down and drag me to the altar herself," I said miserably, my contentment shattered in a heartbeat. "She's relentless; she won't let up till she gets what she wants."
Jesse tightened his grip, and Potato pressed his nose more firmly against my back, giving me the warmth and steadiness I needed to calm my nerves. We might've stayed there for hours, but all too soon Potato snorted, and I felt the tension in his body. "Bess," I said crossly against Jesse's chest, and he kissed my head as I extricated myself from the cuddle pile. Sure enough, she stood there on the bank, scowling at us in the light of the torch she'd brought to see her way.
"Jesse, get your mitts off my sister," she said coldly, even though I was now standing a few feet away from him. Potato stuck his head under my arm, and Bess's glare deepened. Potato met her glare for glare, and she sighed. "Beth, get up to the house," she said, her voice slightly milder. "You've got a big day tomorrow." She turned and started her way back up the steep slope, swearing all the while.
I sighed and looked at Jesse in the fading light. His smile was sad as he leaned down and kissed me on the forehead. "Goodnight," he murmured, before heading back to his cabin, just out of sight over a small rise. Potato whickered sadly, and I gave his back a rub. "Go spend the night with him," I said. "He needs you more than I do."
With a flick of his tail, Potato trotted off in the same direction Jesse had gone, and after a moment, Jesse's laughter floated back to me on the clear air. I took a deep breath, swatted the opportunistic mosquitoes that had come out to play, and began making my way through the shallows and up the hill.
Bess was relentless, but I was more so. And in that short time I'd spent wrapped in Jesse's arms, I'd learned just how deep his feelings went. My loyalty would be to Rob whether I wanted it or not, but at least I now knew where my heart lay. And that was something neither Bess nor Rob had any say over!
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