River's End (River's End Series, #1)(7)

Chance looked her over. “Real fuckable girl now, aren’t you?”

She looked away as the chills spread over her. Who said things like that to his own sister? He laughed.

“Guys forget they have brains around a girl like you, huh? Joey looked like you could ask for the keys to his truck and he’d happily hand them over. Must come in handy.”

“Not like you’d think.”

“Except Jack. No. Old man Rydell could see right through you, couldn’t he? Don’t sweat it, he don’t like me none either. Hate the tight-laced prick, but he ain’t dumb.”

“How is it you work here then?”

Chance smiled and scratched his crotch. Erin looked away. She opened the mini-blind behind her. Sunlight reflected the particles of dust floating in the air.

“Joey hired me. He owes me.”

“What could Joey possibly owe you for?”

“I saved his dumb ass life.”

Hearing that Chance had done anything decent in his life actually surprised Erin. “How?”

“Awhile back, he rolled his truck off one of the roads. I got him out.”

Chance had not only done something decent, but courageous too? “That’s amazing. You just happened along on him?”

“Nah, we’d been out drinking.”

“So you knew Joey before that?”

He smiled. “Drifting around gets tiresome. Finding places to stay, new people to work over, always having to look ahead. Well, I heard in town that the Rydells were the people to know around here. They’re like fucking royalty to the assholes here. They been here for hundred years or more. Own more land than most cities. So I figured I’d get on here. Only Jack refused me. So I made it my business to know Joey. We hung out some. Lucky break he drove off the cliff. Kid thanked me with the job. Free rent. Free use of their truck. Only gotta buy my food and entertainment. Not so bad a setup.”

“And that’s why Jack lets you stay?”

“Yup,” Chance said, lowering his feet to the ground before he stood up and gave her long body scan. It grossed her out to see how he looked at her. Chance was her damn brother. “I wasn’t too happy to hear you’d shown up here. Jack looked pissed about it. But you know what? Maybe I like it. Piss Jack off some. Yeah, maybe I’ll find a use for you yet.”

She shivered. She would never do whatever sick thing Chance had in mind for her. Still, she had to stay there. “So I can stay?”

“Guess. I don’t have no fancy sheets or nothing. Just my couch.”

She nodded and gulped. The couch was too piled high and covered from disuse for her brother to have any clue what it was like. “I have a sleeping bag. Can I clean up in here?”

He glanced around as if shocked by her request. “Just don’t start nagging me about anything. And try to stay out of my way.”

She almost promised him she would never willingly be near him.

****

Erin spent hours cleaning. She took out trash bags of rubbish and clutter. She threw aside armloads of Chance’s laundry. What did she care if Chance stunk? She scrubbed until her hands were red. There was no vacuum. After debating fruitlessly with herself, she finally decided she would have to ask one of the Rydells for a vacuum. She couldn’t stand to sleep there without trying to pick up most of the mouse droppings. She asked Chance, who merely shrugged and agreed there sure did seem to be some mice around. She cringed. Didn’t that bother him in the least? First thing she intended to get was a package of mousetraps.

She glanced down and saw her feet had deep tracks in them from the straps of her sandals. She was dressed stupidly. She didn’t have a lot of clothes and left Seattle without most of her things, thanks to Brian. Tomorrow, she planned to find a store to buy some respectable things to wear. She refused, however, to slip her shoes off and come into any actual contact with the filthy, mauve-colored carpet.

She opened the trailer door as the evening began setting in, and dusky light filled the interior of the trailer. Chance left her alone hours ago; and apparently used one of the ranch trucks at will. Thanks to Joey. She hoped he wouldn’t come back anytime soon. She stepped out of the trailer, and started across the road, heading toward the main house. She stopped and stared. What would it be like to have a place like this to call one’s home? She’d never lived in anything more than one-room apartments where she usually bunked down on a fold-out couch.

The house loomed before her, with light shining from the first floor and shadows flickering around the windows. Beyond the solid wood structure rose the black line of mountains, and the orange-colored sky that lingered as sunset deepened. It was so ethereal, almost eerie in peach and white light. She turned and looked out over the valley that swayed and dipped up and down until it met the silver flash of river. River’s End was directly across the river from the ranch, but only added a small dot to distract from the mountains that encircled the valley. The river shimmered, long and black, in the twilight. A breeze picked up, lifting her hair. It was cold. So cold, her skin felt blue. She really needed some warmer clothes.

Turning back to the house, she started up the stairs that led to the porch. She stared hard at the front door, her hands suddenly sweaty with nerves.

She raised her hand to knock when a voice behind her nearly made her scream in fright.

“Need something, Ms. Poletti?”