Love, Like Water Read Online Free PDF Page B

and when you’re up to it, you can help out with the stock. Can always use an extra pair of hands. Fact is, I’ve been needing someone to help me with the business end of this for a while. I’m not interested in all that society network stuff, and websites and blob posts.”
    “Blog posts,” Joshua said. He looked up and met Tuck’s eyes again, and Tuck couldn’t help but feel that he’d made some little breakthrough. At least the boy’s lips were twitching, as if trying to smile.
    “Blog posts. Whatever the hell they are. And handling the government paperwork for the NFS roundups is always a pain in the patootie.”
    “Your foreman told me some of that stuff. You contract with the federal government?”
    “Yeah, the National Forestry Service. They manage the wild horse herds around here. Sometimes the BLM—Bureau of Land Management—does, but there’s been kind of an outcry about them using helicopters to herd the mustangs, and that surely does mess with their heads. Lot harder to train an animal for the saddle that’s scared to death of loud noises. So the NFS took over a good portion of that end of it. We round ’em up on horseback—less traumatic that way.”
    Joshua nodded.
    “But that’s all stuff you’ll hear about later.” Tucker picked up the duffel and dropped it on the bed beside Josh. “Get out your jams and crawl into bed for a while.”
    Josh nodded again, and opened the duffel. Tucker stood a moment, watching him, then went quietly out of the room, closing the door behind him.
    In the kitchen, Sarafina was waiting with an enormous mug of coffee. Eli was sitting at the table, a twin to the mug in front of him. His hands were cupped around it, and he was staring down into the black liquid. “How much did you hear?” Tucker asked bluntly.
    Eli’s eyes were sober. “Enough.”
    “Then you know he’s clean.”
    “He’s detoxed or whatever they call it,” Eli corrected. “Maybe he’s clean and maybe he’s not. He’ll bear watching, family or no.”
    Tucker let out a long, heavy sigh, and sat down across from Eli. Sarafina set the mug on the table and went back to the granite counter, where she started cutting out rolls. “Yeah. He’s got a strong will—always has—so if anyone can beat this thing, he can. But you’re right. He’ll bear watching, if only for his own safety.”
    “You sure you want to take this on?”
    “He’s family.” Tucker sipped the coffee. Hot as sin and twice as smooth; he thought maybe Sarafina added something to it, chicory or something. “I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt. Besides, not much he can get into out here. And I don’t think any of the hands would be inclined to risk a good job by acting as a connection or whatever they call it.”
    “True enough. Still, time will tell.” Eli shook his head. “I hate waste.”
    “Yeah, me too.”
    Jesse came barreling into the kitchen at a dead run. “I’m late!” he yelped. His mother handed him the brown paper bag with his lunch and a burrito wrapped in a paper towel, and he fled out the door on his way to the end of the drive where the school bus would pick him up. “We’ll have to watch out for Jesse,” Tucker said.
    “Joshua will not hurt Jesse,” Sarafina said firmly. “Joshua won’t hurt anyone. He needs to be protected, not suspected.”
    “I hope you’re right, Sara.” Tucker drank more coffee.
    Sarafina put two laden plates in front of the men, and they both wordlessly dove into the piled eggs and sausage.

Chapter 4

    W HEN Josh woke again, the light had changed, to a deeper light that he thought might signify afternoon. He’d slept better than he had last night—he didn’t remember any dreams, and Uncle Tucker had been right; the sweats he wore as pajamas were a lot more comfortable than the jeans.
    The closet doors were open and he could see that some of his clothing had been hung up there. His duffel was on the floor of the closet, and his backpack set on the