Eagle River Read Online Free Page A

shorts’ pockets.
    “You live around here?”
    “Yeah. Our farm’s off County Y.”
    “How did you get here?”
    “Biked. The bikes are over by the road. You’re not from around here. How did you get here?”
    “How did you know I’m not from around here?” the girl asked suspiciously.
    “I know everyone in Eagle River.”
    “We just, I mean, my family just moved here. You guys swim at the pond a lot?”
    “Yeah. Everyone did ‘till the place got sold. We used to skate here in the winter, too.”
    “Where do you live?”
    She stared at him like he was some kind of moron. “Here.”
    “You mean here, like at the house?”
    She nodded.
    “You mean you’re a Solheim?”
    “Uh-huh.”
    “Shoot. I’m really sorry. I mean I’m not supposed to be here. I mean, we didn’t figure you guys’d be moving in yet... Please don’t tell on me. My mom’ll kill me.” The words tripped and stumbled their way out of his mouth.
    Kjersten assessed him. “I won’t tell anyone, don’t worry.”
    Galen watched her. You never could trust a girl. They couldn’t keep a secret. That was a known fact, one he’d learned from his sister, Sandra.
    “Why won’t you tell?”
    “I won’t tell under certain circumstances.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’ll make a deal with you. If you two go swimming again, you gotta take me with you.”
    He studied the girl. Kjersten Solheim was tall, taller than he was. She didn’t look rich, that was for sure. Her denim shorts and T-shirt were faded with age and use. Her hair, except for the white blond ponytail, was covered with a Baltimore Orioles cap. There wasn’t a frill, bow, or ribbon on her anywhere. She didn’t look like a girly girl. Not that Galen wanted to have a girl around, but maybe he could cut some kind of deal with this one.
    “You gotta swim with us and then you won’t tell? No matter what?”
    “I swear it.” Kjersten held her hand out solemnly, like a grown up would.
    Galen took her hand, wondering all the while how he was gonna explain it to Ben, who still thought girls were weird. “Swear by something important.” His eyes fixed on the boxer. “Swear by Heidi’s life.”
    “Okay. I’ll swear by Heidi. Sorry girl.” She reached down and patted the dog.
    He took her hand and shook it. From that night on, they had been best friends, the three of them, Ben, Galen and Kjersten. Most of the time, it hadn’t even seemed like she was a girl, she was just one of them. His mother had called them the “Three Musketeers.” They had been inseparable, done everything together.
    Galen shook his head, clearing away the memory of that first meeting with Kjersten five years ago. I just have to forget her and move on. But his mind was unruly and wouldn’t obey his directives. Other memories drifted through him, like the day he’d taught her to ride horses.
    “Riding is easy. Anyone can do it. I’m surprised that you never learned how at any of those fancy summer camps or schools.”
    “I just never did.” A fourteen-year-old Kjersten spat the words out of tight, thin, frightened lips.
    “How come? Riding’s fun.”
    “Horses are... really big.”
    Her face was rigid as she sat absolutely frozen on the barrel-esque but somewhat swayed bare back of Jethro, the Odgers’ old Belgian horse, in the farm yard. Kjersten’s toes pointed straight to the ground and her hands were bound up in the thick, coarse mane. Jethro slowly swung his suitcase-sized head topped with fuzzy orange-yellow mane around. He rubbed the masticated, green slime on his mouth on Kjersten’s denim clad lag, gently nuzzled her and then lifted his head high, rolled his eyes back, and raised his lip.
    “He’s laughing, isn’t he?” Kjersten whispered.
    “He’s either laughin’ at you or he thinks that you smell funny.”
    She began to giggle. Her laughter progressed to guffaws. Galen watched her, smiling himself. She’s so pretty.
    “You better pay attention up there.