Roping Ray McCullen Read Online Free PDF

to study their background check, but a noise outside startled her.
    She went to the back door and peeked through the window in the laundry room. Wind hurled leaves across the backyard that jutted up to the woods. Night was setting in, the gray skies gloomy with shadows.
    Suddenly she heard the doorknob jiggle, and she crept to the back door. A second later, the door burst open and Bobby appeared. He’d always been a foot taller than her, but he’d gained at least twenty pounds, making him twice her size.
    Her lungs squeezed for air at the fury radiating from him. Beard stubble covered his face, and he reeked of alcohol and cigarettes. “Hello, sis. We have to talk.”
    Scarlet inhaled sharply. “Bobby, you’re drunk. Come back when you’re sober.”
    He gripped her arm, then dragged her toward the living room and shoved her against the wall. “No, Scarlet. We’re going to talk now.”
    Fear crawled through her. She’d borne the brunt of Bobby’s temper before, and barely survived it.
    No telling what he’d do now that Joe wasn’t around to protect her.

Chapter Four
    Ray reluctantly stepped inside The Family Farm house.
    Part of him wanted to deny everything Faye was telling him, go home and forget about Scarlet Lovett.
    But he couldn’t forget about her. Not if his father had included her and this other son in his will.
    Bobby Lowman—his half brother.
    Good God ...he still couldn’t believe it. His father had another son. One he and Maddox and Brett had known nothing about.
    Maddox and Brett were going to have a fit.
    As he scanned the interior of the farmhouse, he couldn’t deny his father’s influence. It reminded him of the house on Horseshoe Creek. Wood floors, sturdy oak furniture, a giant family table in the dining room, a kitchen adjoining it that held another big round wooden table and a butcher-block counter.
    Landscape paintings and farm and ranch tools decorated the walls in the hall and the dining room where several kids of varying ages sat eating what smelled like homemade chicken potpie.
    A brick fireplace in the dining room and another one in the living room added to the homey feel.
    Laughter, chatter and teasing rumbled from the table.
    â€œI told you it was dinnertime,” Faye said. “The kids take turns helping prepare the meal and cleaning up. Their rooms are down the hall. We have a maximum of four children to a room, and in some cases only two. Boys and girls are housed on opposite sides of the main living area.”
    She escorted him past the dining room to a large room equipped with several smaller tables and a computer area. “The children attend public school, and after school gather here to do their homework. We have volunteers who tutor those who need it.”
    Ray nodded, trying to imagine his father in this place. “My father tutored kids?”
    â€œNo, he said schooling wasn’t his forte.”
    You could say that again.
    â€œBut he helped in other ways. He organized games for the kids, like horseshoes, roping contests and, twice a month, he brought a couple of horses over to teach the children grooming skills and how to ride.”
    She gestured at a back window that offered a view of the pastureland. “He planned to build a stable so we could house a few horses on-site. When the older boys discovered his son was a bull rider, they begged him to bring him here to meet them.”
    Ray shifted. “That would have required him to tell us about this place.”
    Faye’s eyes flickered with compassion. “I never quite understood that, but I figured it wasn’t my place to question your daddy, not when he was doing so much for us.”
    Hurt swelled inside Ray. Nice that he’d been a hero for these strangers when he’d lied to his own sons.
    A little boy with brown hair and big clunky glasses ran in. “Miss Faye, we’re done. Barry wants to know if we can go