Free In The Hay (Uninhibited in Apple Trail, Arkansas) by Keri Ford Page A

plastic. There was no stopping. The soap coated her body in an instant and they flew down the slid, gaining speed. His body brushed alongside hers. His fingers squeezed hers. He laughed. Wind whipped over her face. They careened down. She was just starting to smile.
    Until she noticed the end at the edge of the grass. There was no landing puddle or anything to stop them. Nothing but ground.
    It was too late to do anything. They shot off the end of the tarp, the grass not as slick and they were like a couple of bowling balls hitting a rack of pins. Bodies and legs flipped and flopped and rolled. Grass raked her skin. Dirt flicked in her eyes and mouth.
    Dear God, make it end.
    Drew flopped over on top of her, smashing her into the ground. She finally rolled to a stop. Flat on her back. Staring at the cloudy sky. Rain peppered her raw and burning skin. Dirt was everywhere. Gritty in her teeth. Itchy in her eyes. Stuffy up her nose. The cut grass and fresh mud was scented so strong, she couldn’t even smell the usual masculine scent on Drew.
    She gasped for air while trying not to drown on droplets filling her mouth. “I will never do that again.”
    He rolled and leaned over. “Why not? It was fun.”
    “Fun?” She sat up. “You nearly killed me! You might as well have picked me up at the top and chunked me down for the way you jumped us off there. And then we hit the grass and you rolled over me. You’re not exactly a light weight. My whole body feels like someone just took sandpaper to it. Why couldn’t you have just let me go down the way I wanted to?”
    “ Lette .” He trapped her arms by her side.
    “ Lette , nothing.” She bent her legs up, not caring how hysterical she was sounding. “Look at my knees, they’re bleeding!”
    He lifted his arm and showed her his bleeding elbow. “That’s part of slip-n-sliding, honey.”
    “This is not how people slip-n-slide.” She struggled for a breath. “Parents would not buy this for their kids.”
    He shrugged and sat up on his knees. “Of course not. They buy that whimpy shit, don’t pour soap on it and they for damn sure don’t put it on a hill like that one.”
    She blinked sand and dirt from her eyes for several seconds and finally managed to put a few words together. “And why couldn’t we have done that?”
    “ Lette .” He crawled over her and dropped his forehead to hers. “If a five year old thinks it’s the best thing ever, it’s boring as hell. Come on. Let’s do it again.”
    She shook her head. Even he could never talk her into that again and she figured he could get her to do just about anything. “No way.”
    His lips twitched. “You can sit at the top and I’ll give you a little push down.”
    She shot backward in a crabwalk, out from under him. “Hell no. You’re not touching me at the top of that thing. Besides, it wasn’t just the going down. The landing was horrible too.”
    He caught her by the ankle to stop her retreat. “Go to the top and I’ll catch you at the bottom.” He kissed the turn of her ankle. “I swear.”
    Her eyes narrowed. No. She wasn’t going to be tricked into that nightmare again.
    He got up and moved to stand on the plastic at the end in a football, waiting-for-the-play-to-start position. “Waiting on you. If you’re not too scared to go down the chicken way.”
    She stood and dusted grass and mud from her raw thighs. “Stop calling me a chicken. I’m—”
    “ Bock-bock-bock. That’s all I’m hearing.”
    “That’s real grown up, Drew.”
    He flashed a devilish grin. “Honey, we’re out here playing in the rain. And it was your idea. It’s past time to be worrying about acting like adults.”
    She flatted her lips together and marched to the top. Fine. She’d do it. And she’d do it her way. The safe way. She sat at the top, scooted to the edge and eased down. Water and soap slipped under her legs, made her go faster.
    Wind brushed her cheeks. Warm sprinkles drizzled over her body in