Claiming the Enemy: Dustin (Porter Brothers Trilogy 3)

“A lot of girls are going to want me.”

Despite his bragging, Jessie could tell that doubt was beginning to cloud his eyes.

“I don’t know. You’re pretty scrawny, and your teeth are crooked. Girls don’t like boys with crooked teeth.”

“I’m not scrawny.”

Jessie noticed he didn’t argue about his crooked teeth.

“And when you smile, you have a great big hole.” She stared at him in mock-pity. “I told you not to jerk it out.”

“I had to! It was too loose. I didn’t want Pa to tie a string around it like he did the last time. Besides, I have a new one growing in.”

Jessie watched as he opened his mouth wide, swirling his tongue in the hole.

“It’s going to grow in crooked, too. Maybe if you don’t smile at any girls, they won’t notice.”

“Ma said she’s going to make Pa get me braces.”

“You know they’re going to call you metal face at school, right? I still wouldn’t smile at any girls at school until they come off. How long does it take to straighten teeth?”

“Ma said a couple of years,” he said, his cheeks turning red in embarrassment. “Are you going to call me metal face?”

“No, you’re my best friend.” Rolling her eyes at him, she moved past him to kneel at the base of the tree that the bird had fallen from.

“Whatcha doing?” Dustin went to his knees to watch as she moved a rock that she had placed there to hide the hole in the trunk.

Reaching inside, she took out the small package she had carefully wrapped the day before when her family had gone to the store and left her home alone.

“What’s that?”

Jessie carefully brushed a dead leaf off the plain brown wrapping paper she made out of the lunch bags her ma used to pack her pa’s lunch. “Your birthday present.”

Giving Dustin the present, she watched expectantly as he tore the package open. She winced at remembering how fussy she had been when she wrapped it, wanting it to look perfect for him.

Her stomach sank at the expression on his face when he unwrapped it.

“What is it?”

“It’s a bracelet. Can’t you tell?”

Dustin lifted the brown leather cord that had three beads tied to it. “Not really.”

Jessie reached out, taking the bracelet from him. “Give me your hand.”

He reluctantly held out his hand, and she tied the two ends together, trying to fight back her disappointment that Dustin didn’t like his present.

“I had to do Holt’s chores for a week to get him to give me those beads.”

“You got gypped.”

“You don’t know what they are?”

“Uh … should I?”

“Yes, you’re the one that knows better than me. You’re the one with a great-grandmother that was a full-blooded Indian. Even Holt knew what they were when he found them while digging to plant Ma’s potatoes.”

Dustin’s interest sharpened. He jerked his hand out of hers to raise the bracelet closer to his eyes. “You shitting me? You sure these aren’t off one of your ma’s necklaces?”

“I’m sure. I was there when he found them. Both me and Asher tried to find more but didn’t. Holt only found the three. He didn’t want to give them up either. And Asher tried, but he hates picking the blackberries, and so does Holt. That’s how I talked him out of them.”

“Tate found a couple of arrowheads, and Greer has one. Neither of them have any beads. They’re gonna shit their pants when I show them.”

“Don’t tell them I gave them to you. Holt will be mad if he finds out I gave them to you.”

“I won’t tell, I promise.”

“You like it?”

“Heck yeah! If you find more, I might marry you … when I get old like Clyde.”

All the chores that Holt had asked her to do were worth seeing Dustin’s delight at one-upping his brothers.

“You mean it?” she asked breathlessly, wanting to know if he meant it or was joking.

Before he could answer, though, Jessie jumped in fright at the sound of her name being called throughout the thick woods. Scared, she started to take off toward her home but paused. Courageously, she stepped back toward Dustin, went on her tippy-toes, and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Happy birthday!” Spinning around, she started running again, afraid her father would catch her with Dustin.

“I’ll bring you a piece of my cake tomorrow!”

Not even the fear of her father hearing could diminish the happiness of Dustin liking her gift.

She was about to go over the rise of the hill when she saw Holt coming out from behind a tree. Her hand went to heart at the sight of her brother.

“You find Jessie yet, Holt?” Her father’s shout came from farther away, but she could tell from the noise he was making that he was coming closer.

Gasping, she looked down the hill to see that Dustin wasn’t out of sight. Her father would beat her for sneaking out to play with him after he had told her not to.