Sweet Surprise Read Online Free PDF Page B

and more dangerous than the next. The welcome mat had only been unrolled by those with illicit goals. Dodging those who sought to bring chaos and harm became a way of life.
    His sister Avianna hadn’t been able to resist the constant pressure to join the “ family. ” Unaware of the consequences, she’d descended into a world of sex, drugs, and crime at the age of sixteen. When other teenage girls were learning how to put on makeup, having schoolgirl crushes on the Backstreet Boys, and trying on prom gowns, Avianna learned to use a gun, sell drugs, give away her body, and throw away her self-respect.
    Her drug and alcohol abuse spiraled out of control, and her absences from home became more frequent. Which, to Mike’s dismay, seemed like a relief at the time. Her brief moments at home were usually spent throwing a tantrum, stealing from their mother or their Avó, and bad-mouthing anyone who didn’t comprehend that her “ friends ” were special.
    As the only male in their family after the death of their father, Mike had tried to fill his boots. He’d tried to rescue Avianna from those who meant her harm and from those who twisted her thoughts and made her far from the reasonable girl she’d been when they’d first moved to the neighborhood.
    He’d tried, and he’d failed.
    Miserably.
    After months of trying to talk sense into his older sister, to bring her back into the arms of those who loved her, Mike had been the one who’d held his mother’s hand when they’d been called down to the morgue to identify her body.
    He’d been only fourteen at the time.
    Seeing Avianna lying lifeless on that cold steel table had haunted his every waking moment and given him nightmares that jolted him awake in a pool of sweat and tears.
    Though they’d never caught or prosecuted the person who’d pulled the trigger on his beautiful sister, word on the street had been that she’d pissed off the girlfriend of a B Street gang member. That moment of indiscretion had put her at the wrong end of a 9mm bullet.
    Between the day of her funeral and the day he’d enlisted in the Army, his life had gone down a comparatively destructive path. He’d been all of eighteen when he’d decided he needed to change the way he lived. So he married his high-school girlfriend, then poured his heart into learning to be a good soldier.
    After several deployments to the Middle East, he remained stationed in Texas until he decided that his path in life had become murky again, and he needed a drastic change. He left the military, got a divorce, and followed in his father’s boots.
    Becoming a firefighter, a first responder, a rescuer, had saved his life. But all the training in the world would never bring back his father, his sister, or his marriage. And it would never clear his conscience of the mistakes of his past.
    As he parked his Durango near the huge Wilder barn, he scanned the area, wishing he’d had the kind of upbringing the Wilder brothers had been privileged to enjoy. He didn’t begrudge a single one of them. Quite the opposite. He admired the men they were. Hardworking. Respectful. Loyal. Heroic. He aspired to be a man just like that.
    But he had a long way to go.
    From the veranda, Jana Wilder, the woman who’d raised those boys to be such good men, waved a welcome. Her customary big blond hairdo, jeans, and Western boots verified she was one hundred percent Texan. Her big smile confirmed she was a warm woman with a big heart.
    On his way to meet her, he received a head butt in the back pocket of his Levi’s by a goat wearing a blue satin ribbon around its neck.
    “Welcome, sugarplum,” Mrs. Wilder called. “And don’t you worry about that old goat. She’s just sayin’ hello.”
    He looked down at the farm animal that looked up at him with big eyes and bleated a “Meh-eh-eh.” He’d been to Wilder Ranch several times, but apparently he’d missed the little, brown, four-legged welcoming committee.
    “Is it okay if I pet