Then I hear the door close.
Well, I royally fucked up his plans for the night, didn’t I?
I wonder, though.
Who is Rhett, really?
That’s a question I might just have to find the answer to.
10
I wake later in the evening, a quick glance at my phone tells me it’s 11:46. I sit up and rub my face, my head already starting to pound. Me and vodka don’t mix, and I always wake up with a killer headache. I push to my feet, needing my bed and another glass of water. I move through the house quietly, getting some water and then going to Kara’s room to see if she’s back yet. That girl can party.
I look into her room and see that she isn’t in her bed. This doesn’t surprise me, it’s typical of her. I go to Emily’s bed and see a bulge beneath the blankets, so she made it home. Kara is probably out there getting her freak on with one of those handsome guys. I can’t say I blame her. I head to my room and close the door, falling into bed after placing my water on the nightstand.
I don’t wake again until the sun comes soaring through my window because I didn’t close the shades. With a groan, I roll to my side pulling my pillow with me. Today we’re supposed to be doing some big hike and really, I could just go lie beneath a shady tree after getting a massage. I wonder if I can convince the group to do it tomorrow?
I sit up with a groan, stretching.
When I go out into the kitchen, Kara is sitting on the sofa, head slumped forward, snoring slightly. Wow, she got far. I make a coffee for her and walk over, placing it on the coffee table with a glass of water and two Tylenol. Then I poke her. She snaps her head up and looks at me, glassy eyed. Oh boy, she had a big night. “Coffee, water, Tylenol. Then you need to go to bed. What time did you get in?”
She rubs her eyes. “God, like one am.”
“Jesus,” I say. “What were you doing?”
“We went for a night swim, and just partied really. The guys stayed in the barn, and we got bored of sitting there so we walked around the ranch a bit. I started making my way back here after that. It took me a while to make my way back, let’s just say I stopped and vomited more than once.”
Ew.
Poor girl.
“Well, I’ll go chat to the others and try to change today’s schedule. Go to bed.”
“Good idea,” she murmurs, standing and taking the supplies to her room.
I have a shower, get dressed, and drink my coffee before heading out of our cabin and checking to see if anyone else is back in their cabin or if they actually went through with the dare. I find their cabins empty, so I make my way toward the spooky old barn. In the light of day, it’s a lot less scary. The run-down old place just looks like an abandoned building that has seen some pretty bad weather.
I go to the tent and peer in to see Grace and Maria both asleep, as well as Nathan and Rick in next to them. They’re all out of it, sound asleep. Chickens, they couldn’t even make it one night without running out. I guess we win this bet. But where is Taj? I narrow my eyes and look toward the barn, and then hesitantly I walk over. I’m not going in there, if I can’t see him then it’s just too bad. He can stay in there.
I’m not stepping foot in that haunted freak show.
I reach the gap they climbed through last night and peek in, at first I can’t see anything, and then I notice Taj laying on the ground, a blanket covering him. I guess he is the only one not scared, the poor guy probably passed out. I step back and move away from the barn, it’s giving me the creeps. I will leave them sleep a little longer, I’ll go and talk to Rhett and see if I can change today’s plans.
I slowly make my way toward the house, taking the time to stop and watch the cows graze and the horses run through the fields. I’m just passing through the main paddock when Rhett comes galloping down on Diablo, the two of them coming toward me with the rising sun behind them. My god, what a picture. I watch as he pulls the horse to a stop and looks down at me.
“What are you doin’ up so early?”
I shrug. “You’re asking me, I have no idea either. I must be crazy, because my head kills. But, the fresh air is helping. I just wanted to ...”