I Owe You One

I Owe You One Read Free Page B

Book: I Owe You One Read Free
Author: Natalie Hyde
Tags: JUV039220
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mom finding me like this and I came back to earth.
    â€œOne of the Delanys’ horses got stuck in a swamp and we helped get it out,” Zach said.
    Mrs. Minton raised an eyebrow. “You want to tell me what really happened, Wesley?”
    There was no point lying. Like I said, I’m a terrible liar. I told her about everything—the supposedly empty field, the rail fence, the motocross hill and the rescue of the stuck horse.
    She didn’t say anything for a moment, but the corners of her mouth were twitching as she said, “And I suppose you’ve come here hoping I’ll have mercy on you and help clean you up to escape your parents’ wrath?”
    â€œWe didn’t mean to do anything wrong,” I said.
    â€œAnd we were doing our best to get the horses out of there,” Zach said.
    â€œAnd we offered to fix their fence,” I added.
    â€œAnd if we had seen or heard any animals in the field, we never would have—”
    Zach was cut off by Mrs. Minton holding up her hands in surrender. “All right, boys. You’re lucky my washing machine is only half full. I was waiting until after I finished changing the oil on my Mustang to wash my dirty clothes.”
    â€œThanks, Mrs. Minton,” I said.
    Mrs. Minton shook her head as she let us in. “You are so like you father, Wesley.”
    â€œMy father?”
    â€œHe sure was one for getting into scrapes when he was little.”
    I couldn’t believe it. Mr. “Highest Respect in the County” got into scrapes?
    â€œBut he was the most decorated fire chief in the region’s history,” Zach said.
    Mrs. Minton nodded. “He grew into a man of courage and integrity.” She smiled at me as she handed me an afghan and the moose slippers. “Which is why I still hold out hope for you, Wesley.” She laughed a little as I waddled into the bathroom to get out of my muddy clothes.
    I couldn’t even imagine that I’d ever be as brave, calm and strong as my dad. “I wouldn’t even know where to begin,” I mumbled.
    Mrs. Minton smiled a broad, warm smile. “Yes, you would.”

Chapter 4
    My only consolation that day was that Zach could never again make fun of me for the afghan/mooseslipper thing. Not when he was wrapped in a quilt that had bonneted dolls in every square and his feet were covered in hand-knit lime green socks. I almost choked on my cookie when I saw him waddle out of the bathroom.
    â€œWhat are these, anyway?” I asked Mrs. Minton, biting into the hard, crunchy cookie.
    â€œBiscotti. They’re Italian and very good for dunking.” She took hers and plunked it into her mug.
    Zach and I dunked ours into our hot chocolate. She was right. The hot liquid made them soft and delicious.
    â€œSo,” I said, almost afraid to ask, “are you going to tell our moms?”
    Mrs. Minton looked thoughtful. “Well, I can’t get one of you into trouble without getting the other one in it too. And I’m not too fond of the idea of bothering your mother with this, Wesley.” She put her coffee down and looked across the room at a picture of a young man in army uniform. I was pretty sure it was Mr. Minton.
    â€œThe first couple of years after a woman loses her husband are very hard. Your mother certainly doesn’t need any extra worries right now.” She looked back at me. “But honestly, Wesley, you need to tone it down a bit. My hip surgery has been moved up to the week after next, so I’ll be out of commission for a while. I won’t be able to rescue you for at least a couple of months.”
    I nodded, but Mrs. Minton’s face clouded over.
    â€œIt’ll be good to have the surgery over with, won’t it?” Zach asked, seeing her face.
    â€œOh yes, but I was planning on going to Chile to watch Rachel’s race. I had my ticket and everything. The surgery was originally scheduled for after I got

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