Against the Wind, Season 2, Episode 1 (Rising Storm) Read Online Free PDF Page A

heartbeat. But they weren’t made for each other. And Tucker was becoming more and more certain with each passing day that Hannah was made for him, because he’d never been so happy as when he was with her.
    But while things might be perfect between the two of them, he had to fix his relationship with his brother for the world to be right again.  And then finally his relationship with Hannah wouldn’t have to be hidden away.
    A couple of biddies on the other side of the street glanced his way and then put their noses in the air, hustling by.
    God. Now he was a pariah. They’d better not treat Hannah like that. She’d spent most of the last few weeks out of the public eye, either at her practice or out dealing with animals and not people.
    He pulled open the door to the Bluebonnet Cafe and ignored several tables of people looking at him. A girl in the back booth caught his eye.
    Ginny Moreno. She sat with her chin up, her face scarlet, an uneaten hamburger in front of her. People whispered about her, a bit too loudly, throughout the restaurant.
    “She knew and just wanted the money,” one elderly lady spat.
    “Young people. Just tramps,” her friend agreed.
    The poor girl had the look of a deer about to be hit by a speeding Ford, frozen in place. Without a hint of a thought, he made a beeline for her booth and slid in across from her.
    She jerked her head, and her eyes widened. “Um.”
    He smiled. “I can’t stand to see a lady eat alone.”
    Her gaze instantly dropped to the uneaten food. “I’m not a lady. Are you making fun of me?”
    He reached across the table and lifted her chin. “You’re a lady, you’re about to be a mom, and you’re the bravest damn person in this place.” How much courage had it taken for her, a young single mom who’d made a mistake, to even appear in public, much less try to get dinner.
    She blinked several times. “Oh.”
    “Besides. Those of us wearing scarlet letters on our chests should stick together.”
    A smile tickled her pink lips. “Oh yeah. I’d heard about you and Hannah Grossman, but I’d forgotten already.”
    He gave an exaggerated sigh. “I wish everyone would forget.”
    “Amen to that, buddy.” She relaxed into the booth. “What happened to your face?”
    “My brother has a wicked right cross.” He waved to the waitress, a teenager he didn’t recognize, who hustled over. “I’ll have what the lady is having.”
    The girl popped purple gum, her eyes lighting up. “You got it.”
    Ginny waited until the waitress was out of earshot. “You just gave her gossip for the whole day. The two of us having dinner together—it’ll be a miracle lightning doesn’t strike the cafe.”
    “Would that be so bad?” He snagged one of her fries. “Eat up, pregnant lady. I think babies need food.”
    She eyed him for a moment and then nodded, reaching for the burger.
    He smiled and ignored how badly that hurt his lip. While he didn’t really know Ginny Moreno well, he had always liked her older sister, and he figured everyone made mistakes. Plus, he didn’t like how the damn gossips were making her feel. That had to be bad for a baby, right? “I have to ask, what made you brave the cafe by yourself today?”
    She gave a half-shrug, chewing thoughtfully. “I thought that the more people see me out and about, the more they’ll get used to me being a single mom, and the easier they’ll accept the baby when it’s born. I won’t let anybody be mean to my baby.”
    God, she sounded young. “If they are, call me. I’m a bad seed, you know.” He couldn’t help but grin.
    She ate some of her fries. “I’ve been called worse.”
    The waitress brought him a basket with his burger and fries, cataloging them both and then flouncing away.
    Ginny sighed. “I get it, you know?”
    Tucker dug into his burger and lifted his eyebrows.
    She continued. “About Hannah Grossman. I get how you can love somebody and make mistakes and want nothing more than to just be