River's End (River's End Series, #1)(14)

“Some people from around. We’ll have a fire at the beach, some food, drinks; it would be a good time to meet the people around here. We do that sometimes. No one’s going to bother us down at our beach. And we bother no one either.”

Joey’s eyes gleamed as he stared at her. Shivers of anticipation slithered through her body. What else did she have to do?

“Yes, thanks. Maybe I’d best find some clothes to wear in the meantime. Where do I shop around here?”

He grinned. “Finally got a large discount chain close. Takes about an hour to get to.”

“Are you serious?”

“Welcome to the country.”





Chapter Five


The flames flickered and crackled over the beach and surrounding mountains. It was beautiful and almost haunting the way the shadows danced and shifted from the fire that was burning at the center of the sandy beach. Large driftwood branches were fed into it by any one of the dozens of people on the beach. At times, the flames leaped higher than ten feet. Erin had to step back when the heat scorched her face. The river was behind her, inky and strange feeling. It seemed creepy to her now that it was night; the way it flowed and splashed in the dark, yet she could hardly see it.

Feeling the lovely pull of tequila that warmed her blood, and settled in her gut, Erin found everything looked better, fuzzier, and warmer. She took another sip of the drink Joey handed her and munched on the handful of chips someone had set up on a rock. Music blared out of a stereo. She met so many people, she doubted she’d remember any of their names. Most of them were young, and all of them knew Joey Rydell.

Her brother, Chance, had his hand up a poor girl’s shirt. Even from a distance across the fire, Erin could see their tongues twisting together. Erin rolled her eyes in disgust as Chance managed to pull the poor blonde away from the fire into the darker shadows beyond. Yuck. How could the poor girl not have more self-esteem than to think she could do no better than her brother?

Erin looked down until she felt a hand on her own. When she glanced up, Joey was standing close, his face illuminated by the strange light of the fire. Her breath caught, he was that handsome.

Her stomach jumped when she saw his gaze upon her.

“You managed to find some clothes, I see.”

She had to spend a hundred dollars she didn’t want to spend. But now had some jeans, shirts, and finally, a decent pair of tennis shoes. At least, she wouldn’t be such a disgrace around the ranch. As it was now, she needed to stay there awhile before she could figure out what to do next. The questions, the indecision, and trapped feelings of her life sent a rush of acid into her gut. God, she hated knowing she had nowhere else to go. Nothing else. She now had nineteen hundred dollars between herself and nothing at all. The thought made her want to throw up.

“Hey. I didn’t mean to make you upset. You’d look good in a burlap sack. The jeans look great.”

“It did take an hour to get there.” The trip took her up the valley, opposite the way she came from the west side of the state. It was as beautiful a drive as the mountain pass. After driving out to the main road, there was again pavement and a two-lane road. Turning right, within two miles, the twisting highway brought her through the small scattering of buildings that made up River’s End. It was directly across from the Rydells. If the river hadn’t been there, it would have been within feet of the edge of their land. The town was raised above the ranch, which spread over the valley floor, and butted up to the sway and pull of the river. The town had a diner, a church, a post office, a bar, a small convenience store, and a closed gas station. About thirty houses comprised the rest of it, and that was all. She had to drive nearly an hour to find a store that was more than a small grocery outlet or convenience store.

Joey smiled at her. She smiled back and felt the warmth of his hand over hers. It was so good and comforting. Almost like she wasn’t adrift without a soul in the world to care about her. The din of music, light conversation, and the warmth of alcohol made it seem like Joey’s presence could keep the dark unknown of the future, and her instability at bay. She shifted, and stared into Joey’s eyes.

“You okay, Erin?”

He asked. He cared. He was so sweet and kind to her. She nodded.

He nodded back, taking the drink from her hand and setting it into the sand. Then he took her hand and led her away from the fire. When he stopped, they were a good distance from the crowd. The fire was only a dot of orange. The stars overhead shimmered down brightly and vividly. She swore she could reach up and touch them, they were so clear and visible here. It was as if she stepped into a different world: a world of nature and beauty, of clean air and pristine land.

A place she almost wondered if she could be clean in.

Joey had a coat on and glanced at her before dropping the objects he snagged in his other arm: blankets and sleeping bags. He spread a big, flannel blanket over the sand and glanced back at her and smiled. It was a shy smile. A sweet smile. A smile that said, Hey, I hope this is okay. She dropped down to her knees and he did the same next to her. His hand came out to pull her closer to him. His mouth found hers and the kiss inflamed the warmth already burning in her gut. They fell back to the downy warmth of the blanket, over the rumpled, soft sand. His weight covered her, as his mouth trailed down her neck, and into the loose opening of her top. Staring up over him and at the stars farther off, she felt his heat and the wetness of his tongue as well as the grip of his hands over her. It was all so pleasant, she thought, in a haze of alcohol. Why not do this? It was far more pleasant than usual. It was outside, in the clean air, totally private and Joey was so nice to her. Why not do this?