Duck (Rebel Wayfarers MC Book 8) Read Online Free PDF Page B

gelding has tricks you’ve never had to learn. You pay attention, and make sure you’re back home in time for chores, okay?” Those words were for Eli, whose face broke into a broad grin at the words granting him permission to engage in an entire afternoon of his favorite activity: ride his beloved horse. Lifting her gaze to Reuben, she confirmed, “Yeah, General’s still around. Still teaching kids to ride and the dang beast is still opening gates.”
    Because her gaze was fixed on him, she saw what she thought was a moment when Reuben might have begun to question things, when he looked down at the smile on her son’s face, frowning. Then the expression was buried because Essa breezed into the room, distracting him from whatever he had been about to ask. “I ain’t carrying your bag in, Reuben.” She huffed as she flung herself into one of the kitchen chairs. “Elly-belly, come gimme a hug. I’m in desperate need of a kiddy hug today.”
    Dutifully, Elias moved towards her, dropping his hand from Reuben’s as he did, breaking the tableau. Brenda took in a relieved breath, hoping she had dodged the bullet on any questions, at least while they had an audience. She needed to tell Reuben; that was the plan all along. Get him back here, tell him, and figure out how they moved forward. But because of Eli, she needed to be careful. She allowed herself a long, furtive look at Reuben, marking the changes his life had produced in him over the years. Eleven years. That’s how long it had been since she'd seen him last. His face held more lines, but they seemed formed by laughter, not anger, and added astounding character to an already striking countenance. God, I hope he’s had a good life , she thought.
    Standing motionless as he was now, he seemed relaxed. At ease. His complexion a rich olive, of course that gift from his Mexican mother wouldn’t change. His hair still raven dark, untouched by gray, at least what she could see of it underneath his baseball cap. The damned goatee still on his chin. Sexy and strong, he was, as he had always been, all man.
    His eyes were still dark, too, liquid and warm, and she felt the full weight of his stare when she walked across the kitchen towards the countertop. “Thank you, Reuben,” she said, feeling suddenly clumsy and stiff. Her face heated as she thought about the last time they had been in a room together. There hadn’t been anything awkward between them that night. Glancing over at him, she reached up to grab two mugs from the cabinet, and asked, “Coffee?” He nodded. “You take it the same way?” He nodded again. Silence, his go-to buffer to keep people at bay.
    She watched him, mesmerized when he reached up, took off his cap to ruffle his hair, and then replaced it on his head. Everything about him seemed so familiar, the same boy she had known all her life, but then when she took him in…he was so different, foreign. This man was hard in ways she hadn’t expected, beautiful in ways her body would never forget.
    Vaguely, she heard Essa and Eli chatting in the background but jumped, startled when Essa called out, “I’m going to take one of the boarded horses out for a ride with Eli and General. Blow the cobwebs out of my head.” Brenda nodded with a jerk, dragging her gaze away from Reuben with some effort, staring down at the mugs as she filled them with hot, black coffee. The kitchen door closed and she startled again as the door slammed shut.
    She jolted yet again, spilling hot coffee on her hand when the heat of Reuben hit her back, his arm appearing beside her, reaching out for his own mug. “Crap,” she muttered, moving sideways towards the sink and away from him, putting space between them as she turned on the cold water and plunged her hand underneath the flow.
    “Sorry,” he said, appearing beside her again and gripping her wrist with one big palm. The feel and sight of his hand against her skin stirred long-suppressed memories, and she struggled