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Chapter 10
“Melissa get off my bed!”
“Katrina please,” whined her sister.
“I won’t even consider it unless you get off my bed,” yelled Kat.
“OK. I’m off the bed.”
“Fine wait for me downstairs.”
Her sister huffed but left the room. Kat stretched and looked at the clock, 8:30. Three hours sleep. She called Beth and filled her in on the days events when she got home. She then went into her darkroom and developed all the pictures she had taken. She had crawled into bed exhausted. It had been an emotionally draining day. Her mind wandered to Nick. He intrigued her. He didn’t reveal much about himself. However the pictures she took did reveal some things about all the guys. The affection they felt for each other made it evident they had all grown up together. They really were the only ones who understood the life they led. Nick was guarded. She knew there was definitely more going on inside him than he ever showed. Sighing, she got out of bed and went about getting ready. She threw on her bathing suit with a University of Kentucky T-shirt and cut-offs. She put sun block on her face and brushed her hair. She grabbed a scrunchie and camera equipment. Taking one last look in the mirror she decided it really didn’t matter if she figured out Nick Carter. After today, the 19-year-old kid would be out of her life and once again be a celebrity she only saw in the media or at a concert.
She went downstairs and saw Beth and Melissa waiting for her. They had decided to take horses over to the Wilson Place so they could go swimming later in the day. Melissa was practically jumping out of her skin with excitement. Melissa was more reserved than Katrina was. Heck she was in a house full of headstrong people. She found it easier to go quietly about her business. However, Katrina knew Melissa had a thing for bad boys or rather boys that appeared to be bad. AJ McLean fit that description to a T. Melissa also knew that AJ had recently become single again. She would never be bold, but she was happy to get to meet him and the rest Boys for that matter. So was Beth. She liked the boys for their talent, but had been partial to the Kentucky Cousins. She said it was only right to support the two who got out of Kentucky and accomplished so much. They saddle Raven, Melissa’s mare Gray Lady, and Boomer, a gilding, for Beth.
Mrs. Wilson had insisted on fixing a real country breakfast for the Boys. The girls helped her finish getting everything ready. The boys began to drift into the kitchen. The smells were drawing them there. The first two were AJ and Brian. Nick wandered in a few minutes later. Howie came in and said Kevin was still a sleep. Mrs. Wilson set about introducing Melissa and Beth to everyone, while Kat went upstairs with the platter of bacon. She knocked and got no response. She stuck her head in Kevin’s room. He was dead to the world. She walked over and put the platter close to his nose. He opened his eyes and saw the bacon then Kat. She laughed and told him to come down to breakfast.
After breakfast, the guys ran outside to start makeup and wardrobe. Mr. Wilson went to town. Melissa and Beth helped Mrs. Wilson clean up. Kat grabbed her equipment and followed the Boys. She quietly took pictures of them then went back outside to take more pictures of the crew. She also took pictures of the ladies working in the kitchen.
Mid-afternoon, the director had a problem with one of the main lights he was using for the shoot. He called around and found out he could only get the part in Cincinnati, which was an hour and half from the farm. He sent his assistant and gave everyone that afternoon off. The girls decided to go swimming. Beth took it upon herself to invite the guys. They grabbed their suits. Brian and Howie road the Wilson’s three-wheelers. The girls had taken the saddles off the horses when they arrived that morning and allowed them to graze. Kat automatically got on Raven’s bare back. She reached down and helped Nick up. Neither seemed to question the fact that they were riding together. It was just a given. Melissa and Beth followed Kat’s example deciding to ride bareback. Melissa helped AJ up and giggled at his uneasiness. Kevin hopped up behind Beth and held her waist lightly. Melissa led the way to the waterfall.
“Kat this is beautiful,” whispered Nick against her ear.
“I know. It’s my favorite place,” she responded.
Katrina stopped Raven and Nick slid off his back. He reached up and helped her down. They all pulled off any clothing they had on over their bathing suits. The guys were all wearing the standard trunks. Beth was in a nice black bikini. It showed off her tan and dancer’s legs. Her hair was long strawberry blonde. Melissa looked cute with her shoulder length light blond hair framing her face. She had on her white bikini that also complemented her tan. Melissa’s coloring was the exact opposite of Katrina’s, because she had their mother’s coloring except she had their father’s brown eyes where Kat had their mother’s green eyes. Kat was wearing her Red two-piece with the racing back top and boy cut bottom. Even though she had the most material on Nick found her the sexiest. Too bad she was 24 and would never give him the time of day.
“Stop,” ordered Kat.
“What,” asked Nick. He had just pulled his T-shirt over his head.
“I’ve seen pictures of the shark tattoo, but I want to see it up close. Plus no one has managed to get a picture of the music notes. I want to see both tats,” she stated.
Nick stood still while she examined first the shark on his shoulder then the music notes on his back. Nick was not prepared for her to lightly run her fingers over the shark. Her fingers against his skin felt nice. It stirred something within him. The reaction was only stronger when he felt her fingers on his back.
“Nice work,” she commented.
“Thanks. Now I’m going in. Are you coming,” he asked.
“Of course,” she replied then ran into the water. Nick closely followed.
They all swam. They splashed and dunked each other. Kat climbed out of the water and got one of her camera’s out the bag she had tied on the back of the three-wheeler Brian had ridden. She started to take pictures of everyone. She got one of Melissa and AJ sunning themselves. Kevin and Brian throwing Nick into the water while Howie and Beth were laughing in the background. Then a series pictures of Kevin picking up Beth, carrying her into the water and dropping her. She also got the reaction shot of Beth yanking Kevin in from underwater.
She sat the camera down and decided to climb up under the waterfall. Two-thirds of the way up the small waterfall was a natural ledge the water had cut over time. Kat climbed up the side of the fall and walked across the ledge and sat down. She leaned back into the water. Nick looked up to see her sitting there. He thought she looked beautiful. She had the same quality about her as she did the first time he saw her. Like she was removed from the world and looked ethereal. He spotted her camera sitting on the seat of the three-wheeler. He picked it up and snapped a couple of shots.
Brian watched his buddy do this. He knew his best friend was developing a crush. He just hoped the attraction wasn’t too strong, because they were leaving that night. He hated to see Nick pine over Kat and vice a versa. He then remembered the conversation with Kat the previous night.
“Katrina did you develop the pictures from yesterday?”
Kat looked down at him from her perch and said, “Yes I did. Do you want to see them?”
“Of course,” he replied.
“Well they are in my bag.”
“Cool.”
Brian pulled out the folder with the pictures. The others gathered around him. They were all making comments about the pictures. Kat watched them and after a minute decided to join them.
Without thinking she popped off the ledge and straight down into the water. Nick saw her fall out of the corner of his eye and yelled her name. She resurfaced to see him jumping into the water. The others were alarmed.
Beth yelled, “Katrina don’t do that!”
“Don’t do what?”
“Jump off the falls! You give me a heart attack when you do.”
“Come on Elizabeth, the falls is only 8’ max. The water is deep enough. It’s no big deal.”
“Well I didn’t know it,” Nick said quietly. He got out of the water and head up the side of the falls.
“Hey Nick where are you going,” inquired Brian.
“I’m taken a walk,” he replied and disappeared.
“What’s his problem,” asked Kat.
Howie answered, “I think you scared him. He saw you fall. We didn’t. We just heard the splash.”
“Good going sister dear,” taunted Melissa.
“Don’t tempt me little sister,” Kat fired back.
Katrina jumped out of the water and followed him. The others watched her go out of sight and went back to talking and looking at the pictures. Nick hadn’t gone far. He was sitting on the ground throwing rocks into the creek. Katrina watched him for a minute. She loved the way the sunlight played off his hair. She couldn’t tell if he knew she was there. Finally, she sat down beside him. Since he didn’t react she realized he knew she was there all along and was just ignoring her. This annoyed her.
“So are you just going to ignore me?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know? You have no reason to ignore me. I didn’t do anything to you.”
“You scared me half to death! I’m sitting there looking at the photographs and out of the corner of my eye I see you falling into the water. Sorry for being concerned.”
“Fine. I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself,” she yelled.
“I know that,” Nick yelled back. “But that doesn’t mean it can’t scare me to see you fall off the falls.”
Kat started to say something, but stopped. She stared at Nick for a minute. She could see that his anger was the result of a concern for her safety. Her anger subsided. He saw a softening in her green eyes.
“Nick I’m sorry I scared you.”
“OK,” he said shortly as he looked away.
“Nick don’t be mad at me. Please?”
Nick looked into her eyes again and saw she was sincere. He felt his anger leaving him.
He sighed, “I’m not mad anymore.”
“Good! Let’s get the others and have a last swim before heading back to the house,” she said standing up and offering him a hand up.
They didn’t let go of each other’s hand until they got back to the group. They all took a last swim. Howie untied the bag holding towels on the back of his three-wheeler and hand them out. Once everyone had dried off and the girls had slipped their shorts back on, they put everyone’s shirts in the bag with the towels. After Kat put her camera and the photos back in her bag, she and Howie secured the bags on the backs of the three-wheelers. Everyone mounted up. However, Kevin was in front of Beth on Boomer.
As they were riding back, Nick whispered to Kat, “Let’s take off and leave them behind.”
Kat giggled, “Nick I don’t know. Are you comfortable with that? I mean we are riding bareback.”
“Are you going to fall off,” he asked.
“No,” replied Kat.
“Then I won’t either, because I’m going to hold you really tight.”
To prove his point, Nick tightened his hold on her. She got goose bumps. She could feel his breath on her bare shoulder. She urged Raven and he took off leaving the others behind. Nick laughed and squeezed Kat tighter. They didn’t slow until the reached the house. The video was finished, everything was packed up and life went back to normal.
“Kat wake up! Can I go with your today?”
