Old Ghosts: Gypsy Riders MC Read Online Free PDF Page A

his hand and smiled at him.
    “Hello, Reaper! Nice to meet you. Rosie’s told me a lot about you,” I said, doing my best to breathe again now that I was recovering from the fact that he wasn’t Mike.
    “Well,” he said, as his gaze slowly slid up and down my body. “Rosie said you were pretty, but she didn’t say you were this pretty!”
    Normally, his comment might have made me uncomfortable, but the way he said it with a smile, all the while holding Rosie’s hand and standing in my colorful classroom made me laugh.
    “Well, thank you…Reaper.” He stood there surrounded by the last of the students leaving my class for the day, his cut displayed prominently on his back, his wild hair and large frame making him look like some sort of deranged, gentle giant. He looked totally out of place, but completely at ease.
    “Hey Rosie,” he said, turning his beaming smile down to her. “What did you have for lunch today?”
    “You ask me that every day!” Rosie said, laughing and smiling at this man she was clearly fond of.
    “I know!” he replied, ruffling her bouncing black curls. “You eat lunch everyday, don’t you?”
    She erupted in a fit of giggles and shoved her backpack into his arms.
    “Take my backpack, please, Reaper! I want a piggyback ride!” He obeyed her wishes with a smile, and easily picked her up and settled her onto his back as he looked at me again.
    “Big Mike is busy with work, and he asked me to pick up Rosie today. I’m on the list,” he said.
    “Oh, okay, yes, I saw that. That’s fine.” It’s true, I had seen his name right there next to Mike’s on the approved guardians list in Rosie’s file.
    “It was nice to meet you, Ms. Daisy!” he said, before he began walking towards the door.
    “Bye, Ms. Daisy! See you tomorrow!” Rosie yelled and waved as she was carried happily down the hall.
    “Bye, Rosie! Work on your math worksheets!” I yelled after her. I had noticed Rosie was struggling with her math skills, compared to the other students in class. She was great at writing and learning new words, and she had told me her first day of school that she planned on being a writer someday. She told me she made up stories all the time, and her dad and Reaper helped her write them down.
    I had to admit, I was impressed with Rosie. She was a lot more well-adjusted than I imagined she would be. She was grounded and solid in a way a lot of kids weren’t. She seemed confident and curious about the world, and yet at the same time, sensitive of others. Now that I had met both Mike and Reaper, I had a different perspective on this unusual family.
    And I was intrigued. Beyond intrigued. I was almost impatient to learn more about them, and get to know them better.
    One of them in particular I wanted to get to know a whole lot better.
    The fact that I hadn’t seen Mike that afternoon filled me with disappointment. I had built up the moment so much in my head throughout the day that it just wound me up even more when I didn’t have that release. It just tightened the twisting thread of anticipation in my gut, and I wondered to myself, as I lay in bed that night, my mind wandering in the darkness, if I would feel that everyday now.
    I hoped not.
    Something had to give.
    ****
    The next day was even worse. I stumbled through the day like a zombie, constantly reprimanding myself to focus and forget about him. But it was no use.
    Rosie was in my class all day long. The only time she wasn’t within my sight was at lunchtime and even then it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to find her. And every time I saw her, in my head I saw Mike.
    I struggled through it, determined not to let my ridiculous obsession with the man I had only met once keep me from being the best teacher I could be. So, instead of avoiding Rosie, I embraced her and did exactly what I planned to do all along. I took her under my wing, picking her as the first student to be my class helper for the week, hoping I could undo some