Chapter 15

Junior stared toward the house where Shelley and Janet had disappeared. Hell, the girl was only fifteen, just a kid. He looked back on their afternoon together with fresh eyes. Her eagerness to go with him, the way she had gunned the motor on the ATV several times making it necessary to hold tight to her. He remembered how his hand had brushed the underside of her large breast accidentally. Now he wondered if it was totally accidental. The way Shelley clutched at his arm when they first saw the small herd of deer, and how she had pressed against his back looking over his shoulder when he pointed out the large buck hanging out just inside the tree line.

"Well, I guess I better go talk to her," he said to Sarah. "She's got to see that I've already got someone, and besides, she's a lot younger than me."

"She's only ten years younger than you Junior." Sarah pointed out. "There are twelve years between my Pa and Ma, and your Pa was ten years older than your Ma. And you got to realize, there aren't a lot of eligible men around now."

"Hell, what about Davey?" Junior asked. "And besides, I've already got you. I don't need anyone else..." He broke off, recalling the activities of the night before. He shrugged when Sarah raised an eyebrow, knowing what she was thinking.

"All I'm saying is that you be careful how you talk to her, and make sure of your reasons for turning her down, if you do." Sarah said. "She's got it bad for you, has since she first met you. I saw it when you met and didn't make a big deal of her appearance, and treated her like a grown up. Then when you took her hunting, and even more, took her advice on where to go and treated her like an equal, it just made it worse. Oh, and telling her that you are committed to me won't work. She was in Juanita's room with us when Jessica told Juanita about last night." Sarah chuckled at Junior's look. "Yeah, she knows you pounded me doggy style while I ate Jess to a screaming orgasm. Shelley was asleep in the next room and we woke her up. She wouldn't admit it, but I think she came to the door and peaked in on us." She shoved Junior toward the house. "Go on now, and do the right thing. And remember, I am willing to share."

Junior found Janet and Shelley in the living room sitting on the couch. He could tell Shelley had been crying by the puffy redness of her eyes. When she saw him she turned away, not wanting him to see her face. The look he got from Janet said 'Watch it mister' and he nodded as he knelt in front of Shelley.

"Shelley, look at me," he said in a soft voice. Shelley turned her head toward him, but kept her eyes down. Reaching out he placed a finger gently under her chin, lifting it until her eyes met his. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize how you felt, and I didn't mean to belittle your feelings. Can you forgive me?" She held his gaze for a moment, and then shrugged. He gently wiped the fresh flow of tears from her face.

"You don't love me, do you?" She asked in a soft tremulous voice.

Junior was at a loss for words, and he could see his silence wasn't helping any.

"Shelley, I don't know you well enough to answer yes or no to that now. I like you, and I had a lot of fun with you today. I admire you, and how you have stepped up and taken on the responsibilities you have. And that shot you made today was nothing short of amazing. I wasn't trying to make fun of you, or belittle how you felt toward me. I just didn't realize how you felt." He could tell she was listening to him, and that what he was saying wasn't making the situation worse. "I want to be totally honest with you; our age difference is somewhat of a problem, although not an insurmountable one. I really never thought of you in 'that' way until now. I don't think I really treated you like a child, I mean, how could I after the way you stepped up and saved Juanita's life. I just never thought of you, well, you know..."

"Romantically?" Shelley supplied. Junior nodded, not wanting to say anything more until he saw how she took what he had told her so far. Shelley held his gaze for a moment before looking aside. "Do you think I'm sexy?" she asked in a soft voice.