Once a Rebel. Sheri WhiteFeather

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ It made her wonder what or whom Cathy was lashing out at. “Do you go to school around here?”

      “Where else would I go? I live on the ranch.”

      “You’re a long way from the bus stop. Shouldn’t you get going?” Susan decided to up the ante, to use a little friendly force. “Or are you planning to ditch?”

      “I was just getting ready to leave.” Cathy stood, stamped out her cigarette and left it on the ground. Then she grabbed her backpack and took off, disappearing around the corner of the building.

      Chocolate barked, and Susan sighed and went after the cigarette butt, dropping it inside the empty can. She had enough problems to contend with; she didn’t need to worry about one more trying-to-be-tough teen. The world was filled with rebellious youths, and she couldn’t help them all.

      But Cathy lived on the Double Crown and that made Susan think that fate had intervened. That she should explore Cathy’s situation, at least ask Ethan about her.

      Susan waited until dusk to show up at Ethan’s door. He answered her knock with his hair damp and his chest bare. A pair of jeans rode haphazardly on his hips.

      He’d just taken a shower, she realized. And climbed into his pants. His fly wasn’t open, but several teeth on his zipper were exposed, drawing her gaze below his belly button.

      “Are you here to return my dog?”

      “What? No.” She looked up and felt her cheeks sting with bad-girl heat. She shouldn’t be examining him like a side of beef. “Chocolate is with Ryan and Lily.”

      He glanced over her shoulder. “Are you sure he didn’t follow you?”

      “I’m sure. He was napping when I left the house.” Her gaze strayed again. Faded denim, the waistband of his boxers peeking out. She wanted to touch him, to put her hands where they didn’t belong.

      She meant to tell him that she’d stopped by to ask him about Cathy, but suddenly she couldn’t think beyond his body, beyond his half-naked appeal.

      He gestured for her to enter the cabin. She walked inside and took a deep breath.

      When he closed the door, she noticed a tattoo on his shoulder. Two horseshoes and a star branding his flesh. “When did you do that?”

      He turned to face her. “Do what?”

      “The ink.”

      “Five years ago. For luck, when I turned thirty.” He gave her a half-cocked smile. “I’ll probably do it again when I turn forty.”

      “On the other shoulder?”

      “I haven’t decided.” He grabbed a shirt that was draped over the sofa. “Do you have any hidden artwork I should know about?”

      “Like a pirate ship on my chest? No, I can’t say that I do.”

      “I was thinking more along the lines of a rose on your thigh.” He slipped on the shirt, but didn’t button it. A grin slid across his face. “Or maybe a butterfly on your sweet little—”

      She raised her eyebrows at him. Ethan Eldridge had turned into a dark and daring man. “You missed your chance to see my butt.”

      “Don’t remind me how stupid I was.” He paused and his expression turned serious. “Do you want to have dinner with me tonight?”

      The change of topic threw her off-kilter. She blinked, reminding herself that she’d arrived at his house to ask him about Cathy.

      “We can go to Red,” he said.

      Red? The restaurant where his ex-girlfriend worked? “When?”

      “In a few minutes. I just have to finish getting dressed.”

      “Sounds good. I haven’t eaten yet.” She decided she would ask him about Cathy over dinner. And maybe, if Amber was working, she would get a glimpse of the woman she supposedly resembled.

      Even if Amber was prettier.

      She sat on the sofa while Ethan got ready. He buttoned his shirt in front of her, but turned his back to unzip his jeans and tuck in his shirttail. A belt came next. She could hear the clank of the buckle.

      She didn’t think he was as modest as he seemed. He’d probably done it out of respect to her.

      Finally, he walked over to an oak armoire and removed a pair of socks from the single drawer. The cabin didn’t have a bedroom, and she shifted on the sofa, realizing she was sitting on his bed.

      He reached for his boots and sat next to her, pulling them on. His dark brown hair, she noticed, had yet to dry. He wore it short and just a little messy. His temples bore fine threads of gray, barely visible, but still a testament of time, of the years that had passed.

      “Don’t wear a hat,” she said.

      He made a face. “Why not?”

      “I like how you look without it.” And she didn’t want him to hide beneath the brim.

      He ran a hand through his hair, trying, it seemed, to tame it. But his finger combing didn’t make much of a difference. “I feel naked.”

      But he wasn’t, she thought. He was fully clothed now. “I heard that hats make men go bald.”

      “Then I’d really be naked.” He gave his Stetson or Resistol or whatever it was a longing glance. “This bites.”

      She smiled, knowing she’d won. “Maybe I’ll kiss you tonight.”

      His Adam’s apple bobbed. “Really?”

      “On the cheek.”

      “Tease.” He stood and offered to help her up.

      She accepted his hand and his sense of humor. His eyes were twinkling, as blue as the sea, as the sky, as every poetic description she could think of.

      A moment later, they took his truck and left for the restaurant in companionable silence.

      Red was a converted two-story hacienda brimming with charm. The first floor served as the eatery, with dark wood tables and terra-cotta tiles. Leafy plants and dim lighting offered a cozy atmosphere.

      Susan and Ethan sat at a candle-steeped table, and from her vantage point, Susan could see the courtyard where paper lanterns were strung, like leftover holiday lights bouncing off red umbrellas.

      The waitress, a friendly brunette, brought them their menus, took their drink orders and departed with a swish of her flouncing uniform. Susan glanced around. Amber, she assumed, was blond.

      “The combination platters are really good,” Ethan said.

      Susan quit scouting the room and scanned the menu instead. Not a blonde in sight. “Everything looks good.”

      “Yeah. I’m starving.” After a busboy delivered their drinks and placed a basket СКАЧАТЬ