Chapter Forty
"I'm just goin' to put Bullet in his stall in the barn really quick, and run in and tell Chandler where we are goin'. I'll be right back." Maleena explained as she slid out of the cab of the truck once Cody had pulled back into Maleena's driveway after the horse sale was over.
"You already have a stall ready for Bullet?" Cody chuckled, but wasn't surprised.
"I told you I wasn't coming home without him." Maleena shut the truck door, winking at Cody through the rolled down window.
"Hey, why don't you see if Chandler wants to come out with us tonight?" It was more of a statement than a question, or a suggestion.
"That's a great idea. I will see if he is available. Be right back." Maleena jogged to the back of her horse trailer, leading Bullet out of the trailer, and into his stall in the barn. Making sure he had a flake of hay, and a full bucket of water, Maleena walked out of the barn, heading towards the house when she saw Cody unhitching the trailer for her. "Thank you." She called out with a smile as she burst into the house.
"Hey, squirt, where's the fire?" Chandler asked, partially startled, once Maleena got inside the house. In one hand he held a sandwich, in the other, he was holding a bottle of water.
"Just the person I wanted to look for. Cody, Rose, Lucas, and I are all goin' out for food and ice cream to celebrate Rose and Lucas gettin' married. Wanna join? Pretty please?" Maleena stuck out her bottom lip, folding her hands together as she playfully begged her brother.
Setting his PB&J sandwich back down on the kitchen counter, Chandler chuckled. "Sure, I'll join. There is nothin' I love more than being the fifth wheel on a double date." He replied, sarcastically, but teasingly.
"Bus pulls out in two minutes!" Maleena ignored her teasing brother as she ran out of the house, hopping back into the truck. "Chan is coming, too." She told her boyfriend, right as her brother hopped into the back of the truck cab.
"Come on, y'all, we are burning daylight." Chandler teased as he buckled his seat belt, rolling down his window, sticking his head out of the window, and howling like a wolf.
Shaking his head and laughing, Cody pushed the truck into drive, peeling out of the driveway, making gravel fly up behind them.
"Y'all, we need music." Chandler reached between the couple holding hands in the front seat to turn on the radio, turning the volume way up as one of his favorite country songs came on the radio.
Maleena instinctively turned the loud music down, turning to glare at Chandler. "Why are you so weird?" A smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
"Oh, you love me and you know it." Chandler played back, ruffling his little sister's hair before sitting back down in his seat, buckling the seat belt.
"Hey!" Maleena chuckled, smoothing down her show hair-do that she had worked so hard to get looking nice, so she was presentable in the arena.
"So, where are we all goin' for this grub fest?" Chandler looked at his little sister, and her boyfriend in the front seat as the occasionally exchanged lovingly glances, Cody kissing Maleena's hand once or twice when she gave his hand a squeeze. Chandler didn't think much of their silent comments that they shared with each other, but he did begin to realize just how comfortable they had gotten with each other.
"Rose and Lucas wanted to go to the pizza place." Maleena answered, pulling her phone when it vibrated in her back pocket. Seeing it was a text from Rose, she read it to herself before announcing out loud that the couple had arrived at the restaurant, and saved seats for Maleena and Cody.
"Sweet! I am so excited for pizza. It was much better than the supper I had planned, which consisted of potato chips and a PB&J sandwich." Chandler said from the backseat, talking as if he wasn't sure if anyone was listening to him.
"That is such a nasty combination." Maleena wrinkled her nose as she replied to her brother.
"Well, I don't mix and eat them together. And it's basically the same thing as like chocolate covered pretzels, or that dadgum sweet and salty stuff."
"Here we are." Cody announced, interrupting the playful sibling banter. Backing his truck into an open spot near the door, he killed the ignition.
"Thank God. I am starvin'. I forgot to pack a lunch for work today." Chandler jumped out of the truck and sprinted to the door, turning back to the truck to give Maleena and Cody a goofy grin.
Once Maleena was out of the truck, she shook her head and laughed at her brother. "You are such a child." She teased, lacing her fingers in Cody's as they made their way up to the door.
Holding the door open for the couple, along with a couple others who were entering the restaurant, Chandler motioned. "After you."
Once inside the small pizza joint, Cody and Maleena found Rose and Lucas, who informed them that they had already ordered their food, so the trio made their way back to the line, looking at the menu board to see what interested them.
Since Chandler was paying for his own meal, he hung back from the group just slightly, and though he tried keeping his focus on the menu board of the place he had never been to before, but his gaze kept diverting to his little sister, and her boyfriend who were seeming awfully hands on with each other today.
Cody, who's arm was wrapped around Maleena's waist, smiled down at her lovingly, asking her a question which made Maleena smile. He then dropped a long kiss on her temple.
"So, what do y'all recommend?" Chandler stepped forward, purposely interrupting the moment between the couple.
"Anything and everything." It was Cody's voice. He dropped his arm from Maleena's waist as she stepped forward to order. "I usually get their triple meat pizza. It is amazing. Oh, and you have to get their parmesan garlic knots." Turning back to the cashier, who called Cody by name, Cody pulled out his wallet.
"The usual, Cody?" The young blonde hid her face partially as a blush rose to her cheeks, just from seeing Cody, who didn't seem to notice how girls just swooned over him so easily.
"Yes, ma'am." He pulled out a bill, handing it to the teenager, telling her to keep the change.
Maleena and Cody stood to the side, waiting for their meal as Chandler ordered his. Watching her brother, who occasionally glanced over at her and Cody out of the corner of his eye, Maleena whispered to Cody, "Does Chandler seem like he is acting a little weird today, or is it just me?"
Cody glanced over at Maleena's older brother, who was tucking his billfold into his back pocket of his jeans. "No, I think he is his usual goofy self, why?"
"I'm not sure...I just have this feelin' that he is trying to interfere with us somehow. I don't know."
"Maybe he is jealous, sweetheart. I don't mean that in a rude way, but I am being honest."
"Maybe..." Maleena whispered. She knew her brother well enough to know that there was more to it than that. Chandler was not the jealous type, especially over her little sister, and her boyfriend, who he considered his friend. Later, she promised herself, she would have a talk with her brother.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Well, y'all, this was so much fun. Hopefully we can do this again sometime soon." Cody gave Rose and Lucas a hug.
"Yes! I agree. And y'all, congrats again on getting hitched." It was Maleena's voice this time.
Chandler, who still hung back from the group waved to Lucas and Rose as they walked hand and hand back to their truck as Cody, Maleena, and himself headed back to Cody's.
Opening the passenger door for Maleena, Chandler watched as Cody rested his hands on Maleena's hips, lifting her into the truck before shutting his door, hopping behind the wheel himself.
"Alright, everyone ready to head home?" Cody glanced in the rear view mirror, seeing Chandler buckle his seat belt, looking out his window, rather than responding. Cody, couldn't help but notice either that Maleena's brother sat on the passenger side of the seats in the back, instead of the middle seat like he had on the ride to the pizza place.
The entire ride back to the Lackley's home, the truck was quiet except for the small talk that Cody and Maleena made in the front seat. After a short forty minute drive, Cody's truck pulled down the long, dirt driveway of Maleena's house. Stopping his truck by the back door, Chandler hopped out first, but only after patting Cody on the shoulder, thanking him for driving, and inviting him to tag along.
Maleena and Cody, however, hung back slightly, in no rush to get back inside. Walking Maleena up to the porch, she reached for the screen door handle, but Cody stopped in his tracks. "Do you wanna come in for a bit?" She asked, seeing her boyfriend's hesitancy.
"I would love to, but I have a bunch to get done tonight back at the ranch. I'm sorry, darlin'."
Maleena walked closer to Cody. "It's all good. Thank you so much for dinner, and for your help with Bullet and everything."
"Of course, darlin'. I am so proud of you." He wrapped his arms around Maleena's waist, smiling down at his world.
"Thanks, cowboy." She smiled back up at him. "So, say goodbye nice."
"Yes, ma'am." Cody removed his cowboy hat to kiss his girlfriend. Their lips must have been strung together with superglue, because it was a few minutes before they pulled apart. Chuckling when he finally pulled his head back, Cody remarked, "I have waited all night to do that, but now I really do have to go." He settled his hat back on his head, turning to head off the porch before he accidentally on purpose found himself walking into Maleena's house to hang out for the rest of the night.
"Oh, alright, cowboy. Call me when you get home, please?" Maleena waved him off the porch.
"Always." Cody replied, blowing Maleena a kiss before hopping back into his truck, driving away from the ranch.
With a smile as wide as the Rio Grande, Maleena walked into the house, her fingers softly running over her lips. Once she got through the door, however, Maleena was greeted by her brother, who had a stern look fastened onto his face.
Maleena froze, dropping her hand to her sides.
"Mal, we need to talk."
Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: AzTruyen.Top