Rugged Fire [Rugged Savage Valley, Colorado 4] Read Online Free PDF

father paid for you to attend private schools?”
    Immediately, the girl’s eyes darkened, and she met his with a challenge. “Yep. What about it?”
    “Your father wouldn’t happen to be Ulysses C. Norman, would he?”
    Jamie crossed her arms over her chest. “Yes, he would.”
    “Is something the matter, Will?” Lianne asked, her eyes darting nervously between the two of them.
    “No. I hadn’t realized that Mr. Norman had a daughter. That’s all.” He tried to be as diplomatic as possible in any situation, but the words came out tightly. He noticed Seb had stiffened slightly as well.
    So many questions flooded his mind. How did Lianne know Jamie? Could he trust her? He and his brother had tried to stay out of the town’s dealings with NormCorp. He didn’t want to get the bank mixed up with the man, so they remained neutral, but now he found himself forced into the middle. Could Lianne be working with Jamie and her father to bring down the bank? How long had she and Jamie known each other? How close was Jamie with her father? Will assumed that there would be an inheritance for Jamie down the line. There had to be some sort of rapport between her and her father.
    “You know what,” Jamie said, “I think I see the Yeats twins. It was lovely to meet you two.” The way she sneered when she said it made Will think that might have been a slight stretch in her sentiments, but he didn’t mind. As long as she kept her nose out of things, he could handle a little animosity.
    Lianne called after her to come back, but Will watched with approval as she stomped down the bleachers and greeted the Yeatses with quite a warm hug. That made sense. Anyone who could cozy up to the lion-shifters couldn’t really be trusted.
    And now he and Seb had Lianne all to themselves.
    “What the hell was that?” Lianne asked, glaring at him.
    “What was what?” he asked, shrugging.
    “Don’t act like you don’t know. That was rude, Will.”
    “Will does have a point,” Seb said. “Her father is Ulysses C. Norman. You know he doesn’t have the best reputation here. And if people see us cavorting with his daughter, that’s not exactly the best publicity.”
    “You two are acting like a couple of close-minded, small-town ninnies. I seriously hope this is a momentary lapse because if you don’t want to be seen ‘cavorting’ with Jamie Norman, then I’m not sure I want to be seen ‘cavorting’ with a bunch of jerks. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go find my friend , who may not have the best pedigree but at least has some manners.” Lianne started to stomp off, but then she whipped around and marched back up the few steps toward them. “And even if you had a problem with her, she’s my friend and I trust her. That should have been enough.”
    She turned and stomped off, but for the second time, she whipped around and came back up to them. “And besides all of that, she and her father don’t even talk to each other!” She jabbed a finger at Will. “It was poorly done, Will.” Then she jabbed her finger at Seb. “Poorly done.”
    Finally she turned with a grandiose flip of her hair and stomped all the way down the bleachers. Will looked around. Several nearby spectators quickly averted their eyes when they realized that Will was glaring at them.
    Perhaps he should have listened to his mother after all and stayed in.
    The air was too cold, and suddenly, he felt like shit.
     
    * * * *
     
    “You were so right, Jamie! They are arrogant jerks. I thought that maybe they were shy or reserved. I can’t believe Will treated you like that. He had no right. Absolutely no right.”
    Lianne stomped back and forth in her living room, the phone held up to her ear as she ranted. Jamie was out, probably still at Catdaddy’s with the Yeatses, but Lianne had gone only gotten one beer then gone home. “And, you know, I’m kind of embarrassed. I hate that he was so rude to you, and then Seb not saying anything, just