Ray halted the truck at the end of the house near the garage—a two-story standalone building with rooms upstairs. Thank heavens for those rooms, which was where her grandfather had been living. They were the only ones habitable.
The water and electricity had been disconnected when Drew had arrived, and it had taken her a long time of arguing and producing deeds to the property before the county’s electric company would turn the power back on. They were surprised she hadn’t wanted to use the generator. For water, the property had a well and a pump, which Drew hadn’t understood how to work. A sullen man from the county had to come out and show her. In Chicago, you paid a bill and someone you never saw flipped a switch.
Drew jumped out of the car as Ray hauled down the tailgate of his truck. Instead of unloading, he leaned on the truck bed, wiped a bead of sweat from his face, and studied the main house.
Drew’s heart sank as she looked it over with him. The porch sagged, the steps to it half gone. Windows were broken and boarded up, or had simply been left gaping. The screen door was long gone—she’d found it in the grass in the back. The front door was scarred and didn’t close all the way.
That was nothing to the peeling paint, fallen gutters, missing shutters, and electric wires hanging like spaghetti—thankfully hooked up only to the generator that was shut down, out of fuel.
Inside was fading or moldy wallpaper—wherever it was still on the walls—rusty plumbing fixtures, outdated and non-working appliances, rotted floors, window air conditioners that hadn’t worked since 1972, and unstable ceilings.
“I think it’s going to take a little more than drywall compound to fix this place up,” Ray said in a slow drawl.
“No kidding. That’s for repairing the apartment so my daughter and I can sleep better.” Drew waved at the main house. “As you can see, you’re right. A total dump.”
Ray said nothing for a long time, then he left the truck and walked to the main house, stopping shy of the porch and gazing up at it, hands at his sides.
Drew joined him. “It doesn’t look any better from here.”
Ray glanced down at her, his green eyes unreadable. “You really going to reopen it?”
“I don’t have a choice.” She put her hands on her hips. “I mean, I do, but I don’t. My grandfather left it to me, but only if I can fix up the B&B and make it pay within a year. If I don’t …” Drew made a slicing motion with the side of her hand. “I get nothing. Not the large amount of money waiting for me after that, no property, and I’d still have to pay all the taxes before it gets gifted to a developer, as per the will. And yes, I quit my job to come out here to maybe give my daughter a better life and live on property that has been in my family for generations. How hard could it be? I asked myself. And here I am.” She regarded the house in growing anger. “I don’t know a damn thing about renovating houses, and I don’t have the money to hire someone to do it for me. And I don’t know why I’m spilling this to you, a total stranger.”
Maybe because he stood in companionable silence, letting her talk without judgment.
“Not a total stranger. You did dump drywall compound all over me.”
Drew laughed, with the edge of hysteria. “I am so, so sorry.”
Ray shrugged, powerful shoulders moving. “I live on a ranch with cows and horses. What do you think they dump on me? Not to mention my little brother.”
A man with cows and horses and a younger brother sounded more normal and human and real.
Not that Ray Malory was fake in any way. He had a presence that had made the Fullers, father and son, fade against him. He’d taken over, loaded her stuff, led the way out, and now looked over the house as though he knew exactly what he’d do with it.
“Mom?” The door above the garage banged open, and a girl with colt-like limbs charged down the outside stairs. “Who’s this?”
She didn’t ask the question in timidity, fear, or with any caution. Not Erica. She was a tough kid from the city—at least, that was how she saw herself.
“This is Ray Malory,” Drew said quickly. “From Riverbend. He helped me bring the supplies from the hardware store.”
“Oh, sure, you went shopping and came back with a guy.” Erica grinned. “Hi, I’m Erica,” she said to Ray. “You single?”
“Erica!” Drew turned to Ray in mortification. “I’m sorry. I found her on my doorstep one day and made the mistake of feeding her.”
Erica chortled. “That would be funny if I didn’t look just like you.”
“It’s okay.” Ray, fortunately, looked amused. “I am single, as it happens. So’s my brother. But I think he has a crush on the vet.”
“The vet?” Erica widened her eyes. “As in veterinarian? Girl vet or boy vet? Is your brother gay?” She asked in avid curiosity, no condemnation.
Ray’s mouth twitched. “Dr. Anna is a lady. If my brother is gay, he hasn’t told me.”
“That would be cool if he was gay.”
Ray rubbed his lower lip. “He might be. I’ll ask him.”
Drew cut off the conversation before it spun out of control. “Erica, did you finish sanding those cupboards?”
“Yep. Smooth as a baby’s bottom. Not that I’ve ever touched one. Gross. Have you been inside our wreck?” Erica stopped next to Ray and waved at the house. “It’s a pile of crap. And this town is nothings-ville in the middle of nowhere. It doesn’t even have a mall. I mean, where do you shop?”
Drew quivered in embarrassment. “Apologize, Erica. You don’t move into someone’s hometown and criticize it. There are malls in Austin. We saw them on the way through, remember?”
“Yeah, but that’s so far away. Sorry, Ray. I bet you love this place. Riverbend. All five square feet of it.”
“I do love it.” Ray spoke without self-consciousness. “But it takes some getting used to. I grew up here, so I know everything about it, good and bad.” He looked down at Erica, at his ease. “We don’t have malls because they’d go out of business, but we have the best pies on the planet at Mrs. Ward’s, and most people in Riverbend have got your back.”
Erica listened, actually listened, and even looked thoughtful. “Well, maybe I’ll give it some more time. I doubt we’ll stay long. Mom won’t be able to save this place, and we’ll go back home.”
She spoke with conviction. Erica hadn’t wanted to come, and Drew didn’t blame her. Erica had friends, connections, a life back in Chicago. But she’d also had to dodge gang kids and drug dealers right on the school grounds. Not that small towns didn’t have drug problems—they did, more than people knew—but Drew had decided she didn’t want Erica being threatened anymore.
Before Drew could answer, the peace of the late afternoon was shattered by a long, drawn-out scream.
Drew whipped her head around to stare at the house. Shadows were lengthening, the September day starting to die. The cry came from inside the derelict house, like a shriek from an unholy creature caught in hell.
Also by Jennifer Ashley
Riding Hard
(Contemporary Romance)
Adam
Grant
Carter
Tyler
Ross
Kyle
Ray
Snowbound in Starlight Bend
Shifters Unbound
Pride Mates
Primal Bonds
Bodyguard
Wild Cat
Hard Mated
Mate Claimed
“Perfect Mate” (novella)
Lone Wolf
Tiger Magic
Feral Heat
Wild Wolf
Bear Attraction
Mate Bond
Lion Eyes
Bad Wolf
Wild Things
White Tiger
Guardian’s Mate
Red Wolf
Midnight Wolf
Tiger Striped
A Shifter Christmas Carol
* * *
Shifter Made ("Prequel" short story)
&nbs
p; * * *
Historical Romances
The Mackenzies Series
The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie
Lady Isabella’s Scandalous Marriage
The Many Sins of Lord Cameron
The Duke’s Perfect Wife
A Mackenzie Family Christmas: The Perfect Gift
The Seduction of Elliot McBride
The Untamed Mackenzie
The Wicked Deeds of Daniel Mackenzie
Scandal and the Duchess
Rules for a Proper Governess
The Stolen Mackenzie Bride
A Mackenzie Clan Gathering
Alec Mackenzie’s Art of Seduction
The Devilish Lord Will
A Rogue Meets a Scandalous Lady
A Mackenzie Yuletide
* * *
Stormwalker
(w/a Allyson James)
Stormwalker
Firewalker
Shadow Walker
“Double Hexed”
Nightwalker
Dreamwalker
Dragon Bites
About the Author
New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Jennifer Ashley has written more than 100 published novels and novellas in romance, urban fantasy, mystery, and historical fiction under the names Jennifer Ashley, Allyson James, and Ashley Gardner. Jennifer's books have been translated into more than a dozen languages and have earned starred reviews in Publisher’s Weekly and Booklist. When she isn’t writing, Jennifer enjoys playing music (guitar, piano, flute), reading, hiking, and building dollhouse miniatures.
More about Jennifer’s books can be found at
http://www.jenniferashley.com
To keep up to date on her new releases, join her newsletter here:
http://eepurl.com/47kLL
Copyright
Kyle (Riding Hard, Book 6)
Copyright © 2019 by Jennifer Ashley
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
All Rights are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author.
Excerpt of Ray (Riding Hard, Book 7) Copyright © 2019 by Jennifer Ashley
Cover design by Kim Killion
Kyle Page 20
