River's End (River's End Series, #1)(8)

She whipped her hand back and turned. There sat Jack Rydell. He was near where the porch wrapped around the house and at the opposite side from where she walked up. He sat in a deep Adirondack chair, his legs stretched out before him, resting on the railing. A beer sat between his legs. He’d been staring at her entire trek across the yard.

“You scared me.”

His gaze went from her ankles up to her chin, although he seemed to purposely pause at her chest. She crossed her arms over her middle.

He tipped his beer bottle towards her chest. “Bit cold out here, isn’t it?”

Did he really have to draw attention to her chest? For it was that cold. It wasn’t like her body was reacting to it on purpose. What a jackass. “I don’t have a jacket,” she muttered through clenched teeth.

His eyebrows rose. It sounded so stupid, so contrived. Who didn’t have a jacket? Anyone who lived in the Seattle area had multiple jackets. Unless they were so stupid, they let everything they owned get taken from them. She hunched her shoulders forward and crossed her arms tighter over her chest. He couldn’t see through her shirt, but she felt exposed to his disdain and didn’t like it.

“How do you not have a jacket?”

Warmth spread over her skin, it was so embarrassing. But she refused to tell this man, who already thought so little of her, that she was kicked out of her own mother’s apartment. “There was a fire. I lost a lot of my things. It’s why I asked Chance to let me stay with him.”

He raised the beer to his lips and drank before lowering the bottle with his fingers holding the long neck as he stared at her. “Mom died. Fire. Lost your things. Life isn’t going too well for you, is it?”

He didn’t believe her. “No. Lately, things aren’t.”

“So what was it you wanted? Looking for Joey?”

“Joey? No. I’m sorry to ask this…”

His mouth tightened as he waited for her request. Why did he think so little of her?

“But could I borrow your vacuum?”

His eyes narrowed. “Vacuum?”

“Yes. Chance doesn’t have one and he’s never once vacuumed the trailer.”

Jack leaned forward and set his beer on the railing before standing to his full height. He stepped closer to her. He was a foot taller than Erin and she had to lean her head back to see past his chest. Up close, he smelled like fresh air and something more… something earthy. Hay? Horses? She didn’t know. She supposed horses could smell good. She’d never been close enough to one to really know. He grabbed the hat on his head and swiped it off.

He had red hair.

That realization struck her as he stared down at her without a smile or trace of kindness in his rugged face. Now hatless, his thick, straight hair swept haphazardly over his forehead. His blue eyes were staring at hers. She forgot to breathe, he was staring so intently at her. But no. That wasn’t right. He wasn’t looking into her eyes; he was gawking at her chest. She glanced down and realized her shirt had slipped and a full inch of her bra was revealed. She grabbed the fabric of the scoop-necked shirt and tugged on it as she looked up at Jack. The stupid thing didn’t fit right anymore. She’d lost so much weight in the last few weeks, it never stayed put. Jack raised his eyes to hers and stared at her finally with a mean smirk on his lips. He thought she’d done it on purpose.

“So can I?”

“Can you what?”

“Borrow a vacuum?”

His mouth twitched. “A vacuum? Sure.”

He walked around her, heading to the door and inside. She stared after him. She looked right, then left, and wondered what she was supposed to do? Follow him? Was he really that rude?

She walked to the half open door and stepped inside before stopping dead. So did everyone in the room. It was filled with all men.

Inside, the door opened into a large room, offering her a glimpse of the kitchen on the right and the living room on the left, as well as the second floor, all the way up to the roof. A giant, river rock fireplace separated the room, and halfway through the large, open space sat a table big enough to seat twelve. Right then, however, it seated five.

Joey sat next to a teenager and a young boy. Across from them sat two more men. A woman was in the kitchen. They’d been eating dinner and now they were staring at her.

Joey jumped up. “Erin. Hey.” He came around the table towards her. “I figured you left with Chance.”

She smiled. As if Chance would do anything with her. He left hours before without a single word. “No.”

Joey frowned and seemed puzzled by her brother’s treatment at her. Could Joey really not see what her brother was?

“Who’s this, Joe?”

The voice came from a man who was starting to rise from the table. He was a big man, almost as tall as Jack, but beefier, with thick arms, a big chest, and a shock of jet-black hair that was too long and straggly, which skimmed over his neck and shoulders. His short-sleeved shirt revealed tattoos on his magnificent biceps. He didn’t look anything like a man who worked on a ranch, but more like a biker.

“Erin Poletti. Chance’s little sister. She’s visiting him. Erin, this is my brother, Shane.”

Shane smiled. He had a smile like Joey that could reach inside a girl and steal her heart. White teeth flashed at her and his charm nearly knocked her for a loop.