BRAZEN

 

 

            Lisa Hutto pushed her way through the noisy Volusia crowd. And saw what she feared that she'd see: her beloved cousin Oliver out cold in the dirt. And not just one, but three Forresters standing over him. Lisa had feared something like this; she'd suspected that that little tart Twink had been two-timing Oliver. But with a Forrester?!

            "No!" Lisa screamed, and charged into the circle. "Oh, Oliver!" She gazed down at him tragically, and then up at their faces resentfully. "You big bullies!"

            The Forresters misunderstood. Lem shot a significant look at Twink, and said, "Looks like you got competition. Oliver's been two-timin' you. You still wanta mess with this sailor?"

            Lisa explained furiously, "I'm his cousin, you fool!" She proudly announced, "I'm Lisa Hutto." Then, she glared at Twink. "This is your doin', ain't it, you hussy?!"

            Twink frowned at her wordlessly.

            Lisa wasted no more time on her. She turned back to the Forresters in a rage, storming up to them, away from Oliver, so that she now stood surrounded by them herself. "You leave off my cousin, you big jerks!"

            Mill-wheel remarked, "She's a feisty leetle thing."

            Buck nodded. "She's got right much spunk."

            Lem added, "Yeah, a mite too much. Typical Hutto."

            Buck warned her, "You best stay outen this, gal. Or you'll git hurted."

            Lisa sneered, "Threatenin' a gal? I reckon I shoulda expected that from a Forrester!"

            All three Forresters advanced on her, tightening the circle.

            Lisa's eyes widened, as if realizing her peril for the first time. Her lip quivered involuntarily.

            Mill-wheel advised, "You're scairt. Go home."

            "No!" Lisa insisted defiantly, but continued to tremble.

            Behind her, Oliver groaned.

            "Oliver!" she exclaimed, turned her back on her adversaries, and rushed to him. "Oliver!" She bent down to him.

            "Oh, Lisa! Oh god! Git outta here!"

            "No! I ain't leavin' you!"

            "Oh lord!" Oliver's eyes pleaded silently with the Forresters not to hurt her. "Go home, Lisa!" He struggled to rise.

            She put a hand on his abdomen. "Are you hurt here?"

            "Not yit." Oliver flashed her a 'don't-give-them-ideas' look.

            Thus reassured, Lisa promptly sat on him. His feeble attempt to rise was immediately thwarted.

            "Oh, Lisa!"

            "I jest didn't wanta sit on you where you was injured. Now I ain't movin', and you'll stay down." She perched primly and threw a challenging look at the Forresters.

            Ironically, Oliver and the Forresters now found themselves on the same side, as they all wanted Lisa to get off, and Oliver to get up and face them. The Forresters found themselves sympathizing with, and rooting for, Oliver.

            "Lisa," he told her quietly, "I kin git you off me, and you know how. But you'll git dirty."

            The Forresters were interested, wondering what private memory the two shared that could be relevant in this instance.

            Lisa made no reply.

            Oliver sighed resignedly, and viciously tickled her. Lisa shrieked and doubled over in response. Oliver rolled over and dumped her off into the dirt. Lisa landed on all fours, panting.

            Oliver struggled to his feet, met the Forresters' eyes, and raised both hands, palms up as in surrender. "Please, give me a minute, will you? I don't wanta fall on her."

            They grinned and nodded consent.

            He reached down, took Lisa's wrists, and drew her up to face him. "I love you, and your heart's in the right place. But go home."

            "No!" she shrilled.

            "Listen to me." He drew her closer. "You're lucky they didn't he'p me git you offen me. They mighta grabbed you and dragged you up and off, and they'da been rough 'bout it. You got off light. Now go, whilst you kin, afore you rile 'em."

            Desperately, she turned to Penny Baxter. "Mr. Baxter, he'p me! The next time they knock Oliver down, come sit on him with me! He'p me hold him down! Save him from hisself!" To her cousin, she added, "Seems you got a death-wish, but that don't mean thems what keer 'bout you gotta let you git yourself kilt!"

            Penny shook his head. "You heered your cousin, gal: the Forresters'd jest yank the both of us offen him. But we cain't git a gal hurted. Git outta here." So saying he helped Oliver push her back into the crowd.

            Oliver regarded the patient Forresters. "Thanks. That was decent of you."

            They shrugged. "T'weren't nothin'," Buck said.

            Courtesy was over: the Forresters raised their fists.

            Oliver lowered his head and charged, ramming Lem in his midsection. The two went down, tussling. Buck and Mill-wheel moved toward the fray.

            Lisa jumped on Buck's back. Her arms went around his neck and her legs around his waist. She hung on fiercely. Buck groaned in disgust and tugged at one arm, trying to decide whether he wanted to break it.

            Mill-wheel and Lem beat Oliver unconscious. Buck grunted angrily, wrenched the arm, and sent the girl spinning to her feet in front of him. This placed her once again in the center of the circle of the three Forresters. But this time, they did not look so tolerant.

            "Uh oh," Lisa said faintly, rubbing her bruised arm. Their eyes were menacing. Lisa cowered, put her hands over her face, and cried.

            Mill-wheel said, "She ain't realized 'til now what she was into."

            Buck agreed. "I'll punish her a way is more proper." He took hold of her, turned her to his left, slid his left arm across her back, bent her over, and spanked her with his right hand. Lisa screamed in pain and horror with each blow. Then, Buck pulled her up to face him. He made a fist in her face, and growled, "Next time, it'll be my fist. Understand?"

            Lisa murmured humbly, "Yes sir." Now released, she fled.

           

            Later, before returning to the scrub, the Forresters went into Boyles' Store. They saw the waist-length blonde hair in front of the counter. They recognized the dirt-stained blue dress below the hair. They exchanged glances.

            Buck sauntered to the counter, turned his back to it, and casually leaned his elbows backward onto the top of it. This allowed him to look down into her face. The blue eyes rose to meet his black eyes. Lisa winced at his nearness, and turned to face the three, her left hand trembling on the countertop. Mill-wheel and Lem were directly in front of her.

            "No," she blubbered.

            "Don't be scairt," Buck said. "The fightin's over."

            Lisa hesitated. "Is he...alive?"

            "Oh yeah. You got to understand, we had to git you outen the way. But we admired your guts; make no mistake 'bout that."

            Lisa watched him curiously.

            Buck eyed her. "Kin I call on you?"

            "What?! You spanked me!"

            "And I enjoyed it. Kin I call on you?"

            "Are you gonna make a habit o' that??"

            "That depends."

            Mill-wheel and Lem were amused.

            She was indignant. "Depends on what?!"

            "On whether you earn it. Or learn to like it," he added meaningfully, his eyes twinkling.

            The other two smirked.

            Buck added, "And that ticklin' business looked like fun, too."

            Lisa sputtered. "I'm a Hutto!" she reminded him forcefully.

            "Nobody's perfect," he countered blandly.

            "We got nothin' in common!"

            Buck unceremoniously grabbed her and kissed her. "Now do we?"

            She protested, "First you threaten to bash my face in, and now you kiss me??"

            "Don't you like this un better?"

            "I cain't date you! Oliver'll kill me!"

            Mill-wheel observed, "Oliver ain't in no condition to kill nothin'."

            Lisa made a face. "I mean, he'll disapprove!"

            Buck shrugged. "So what?" He grabbed her and kissed her again, and held onto her this time, not releasing her.

            She struggled ineffectually in his arms. "But I cain't date you! You beat my cousin!"

            Buck was unimpressed. "I ain't tryin' to date him."

            Lem and Mill-wheel guffawed.

            Her little hands pushed futilely against his beard-covered chest. "But when he finds out, he'll have a new reason to fight you! I cain't be the cause o' that!"

            Buck released her so abruptly that she staggered. He said quietly, "Or could be, mebbe you and me'll give him a reason not to."

            Lisa considered that.

            "Think 'bout it." Buck pointed a finger in her face. "But jest you remember this: iffen you accept me, don't you be seein' nobody else."

            Lisa nodded agreement that far. And as she watched the Forresters leave, she considered that her answer just might be yes.